But thou wilt say, “How may I attain to this physic?” Answer—Take unto thee faith, who saith; “No creature can do me mischief without the will of God.” Now, in case thou receivest hurt and mischief by thine enemy, the same is done by the sweet and gracious will of God, in such sort that the enemy hurteth himself a thousand times more. From hence floweth unto me, a Christian, the love which saith, “I will, instead of the evil which mine enemy doth unto me, do him all the good I can; I will heap coals of fire upon his head.” This, said Luther, is the Christian armour and weapon, wherewith to beat and overcome those enemies that seem to be like huge mountains. In a word, love teacheth to suffer and endure all things. _Of Comfort against Envy_. A certain honest and God-fearing man at Wittemberg lately told me, said Luther, he lived peaceably with every one, hurt no man, but was still and quiet; yet notwithstanding, said he, many people were enemies unto him. I comforted him in this manner, and said: Arm yourself with patience, and give them no cause of envy. I pray, what cause do we give the devil? What aileth him to be so great an enemy unto us? but only because he hath not that which God hath. I know none other cause of his vehement hatred towards us. Therefore when God giveth thee to eat, then eat; when he causeth thee to fast, have patience; giveth he honour, take it; hurt or shame, endure it; casteth he thee into prison, murmur not; will he make thee a lord, follow him: casteth he thee down again, so care thou not for it, nor regard it. _That Patience is necessary in every Particular_. I, said Luther, must have patience with the Pope; I must have patience with heretics and seducers; I must have patience with the roaring courtiers; I must have patience with my servants: I must have patience with Kate my wife; to conclude, the patiences are so many, that my whole life is nothing but patience. The Prophet Isaiah saith, “In being silent and hoping consisteth our strength;” that is, have patience under sufferings: hope, and despair not. OF PRAYER. _What Power Prayer hath_. No human creature can believe, said Luther, how powerful prayer is, and what is it able to effect, but only those that have learned it by experience. It is a great matter when in extreme need, as then one can take hold on prayer. I know, as often as I have earnestly prayed, that I have been richly heard, and have obtained more than I prayed for; indeed, God sometimes deferred, but notwithstanding he came. Ecclesiasticus saith, “The prayer of a good and godly Christian availeth more to health, than the physician’s physic.”