He was not allowed to be silent as to these sad discoveries. The pride of his adversaries, their pretended triumph, and the efforts which they made to extinguish the light, fixed his decision. He advanced in the path in which God was leading him, without any uneasiness as to the result. Luther has fixed upon this as the moment of his emancipation from the papal yoke--"Learn by me," said he, "how difficult it is to disencumber oneself of errors which the whole world confirms by its example, and which, from long habit, have become a second nature.[136] For seven years I had been reading, and, with great zeal, publicly expounding the Holy Scriptures, so that I had them almost entirely by heart.[137] I had also all the rudiments of knowledge and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,--that is to say, I knew that we were not justified and saved by our works, but by faith in Christ: and I even maintained openly, that the pope is not head of the Christian Church by divine authority. And yet ... I could not see the inference, viz.--that certainly and necessarily the pope is of the devil. For whatever is not of God must, of necessity, be of the devil."[138] Further on, Luther adds--"I no longer vent my indignation against those who are still attached to the pope, since I myself, after reading the Holy Scriptures so carefully, and for so many years, still clung to the pope with so much obstinacy."[139] [136] Quam difficile sit eluctari et emergere ex erroribus, totius orbis, exemplo firmatis.... (L. Op. Lat. in Præf.) [137] Per septem annos, ita ut memoriter pene omnia tenerem.... (Ibid.) [138] Quod enim ex Deo non est, necesse est ex diabolo esse. (Ibid.) [139] Cum ego tot annis sacra legens diligentissime, tamen ita hæsi tenaciter. (Ibid.) Such were the true results of the discussion of Leipsic--results far more important than the discussion itself, and resembling those first successes which discipline an army and inflame its courage. CHAP. VII. Eck attacks Melancthon--Melancthon's defence--Interpretation of Scripture--Luther's firmness--The Bohemian Brethren--Emser--Staupitz. Eck abandoned himself to all the intoxication of what he would fain have passed off as a victory. He kept tearing at Luther, and heaped accusation upon accusation[140] against him. He also wrote to Frederick. Like a skilful general, he wished to take advantage of the confusion which always succeeds a battle, in order to obtain important concessions from the prince. Preparatory to the steps which he meant to take against his opponent personally, he invoked the flames against his writings, even those of them which he had not read. Imploring the Elector to convene a provincial council, the coarse-minded doctor exclaimed, "Let us exterminate all this vermin before they multiply out of measure."[141] [140] Proscidit, post abitum nostrum, Martinum inhumanissime. (Melancthon Corp. Refor. i, 106.)