at which Christ gave me
and enjoined upon me. Thus by my chains and bands I honor and
establish the Gospel, that you may be strengthened and may cleave
more firmly to it.

11. "So we shall joyfully transform the tribulation imposed by the
world in an attempt to inflict great evils: God will have to
pronounce the sentence: 'Hear, O world, devil, emperor, tyrant! Thou
hast imprisoned my apostle Paul for the sake of my godly Christians.
What injury have they done thee? what fault committed? With no wrong
on their part, thou persecutest them. It is simply because I gave
them my Word; therefore thou art opposing and defying me. What shall
I say but that thou hast imprisoned and bound, not Paul, but me? Is
it not insupportable that a perishable worm, be he emperor or prince,
should presume to apprehend God in heaven? But thinkest thou I will
remain silent and unprotesting? Thinkest thou I will not break
chains, stocks and bands, and give command: Hold thou, devil and
tyrant, and submit! Let me rule, substituting for one Paul, ten; and
for one Church at Ephesus establishing thirty, yes, a hundred.'"

12. And as in Paul's time, so today: when our enemies get hold of an
evangelical preacher, either he must secretly be drowned or murdered,
or he must publicly be hanged or burned. Why is it? Because of the
Christians to whom he has taught his doctrine. For a while God looks
on serenely. He says: "Beloved lords, be not enraged. Know you whom
you have apprehended and murdered? It is I, the Divine Majesty. It
was not their own word and command but mine which these preachers
taught and my Christians believed. You cannot deny the fact. I must,
then, consider how to secure myself against your wrath. How shall I
do it? Indeed, by way of returning your favors and kindnesses, I must
so arrange that where one town had a minister and the Gospel, ten,
yes twenty, towns must have their pastor and preachers. I will, O
Pope and bishops, invade your own dioceses and you must tolerate and
accept the Gospel, whether to your joy or your grief. If you begin to
rave, I will give you cause for alarm, for you shall be overthrown,
bishops, hats and all."

13. Note, when Paul says he suffers for the Ephesians, he means that
his suffering is for their profit, to teach them they have nothing to
fear in suffering. They, not he, are the subjects of concern in this
matter. His pains are not merely those of Paul--upon whom not so much
depends--but of an apo