Martin Luther on Psalms 123:4

Verse. 4. Our soule is filled too ful of the mocking of the welthy, and of the despitefulnes of the proude.

When the godly are not onely oppressed with iniuries, hated and despised: but also mocked and scorned of the wicked, there can be to them no greater misery. And this is it that they specially here complaine of, as of all their calamities the moste greeuous. The cause why he saith that the welthy and proud doe so spitefully sette them selues against the Church of God, is for that they which are of power and authoritie in the world, are alwaies wont to despise and contemne the godly: which doe so much esteeme the glory, wealth and prosperitie of this worlde, that they regard nothing at all the spirituall kingdom of Christ: yea the more they rise in wealth and dignitie, the more their pride encreaseth. This place teacheth then that it is no straunge or newe thing if the children of God be contemned of the children of this worlde which abound in wealth and riches. And it is not without good cause that here the wealthy are also called proud: for wealth and prosperity maketh men proude, the children of this world and worldlinges I meane. For Dauid and many other were also riche, and yet they were so broken with afflictions and so exercised both within and without, that they could haue no such pleasure or delight in their wealth and worldly prosperitie whereby they might waxe proude or fall into securitie. But the case of the wicked is farre otherwise: for their riches, wealth, and dignitie is as a rewarde of their securitie and vngodlines. Contrariwise the godly are in misery and affliction, despised of the world, as abiects, fooles and idiotes: as the example of the auncient Prophets, Christ him self, and his apostles, with all ye deare Sainctes of God do teach, & we by daily experience doe proue. For when we goe aboute to draw men from couetousnes blasphemy, voluptuousnes, and such other vices, they laugh vs to scorne: and when they heare of the iudgement of God, the reward of sinne, the punishment of the wicked, they count [illegible: 1 word] this geare to be but a fable, suche as Virgill imagineth of hell to make men afeard. But if they were exercised with afflictions and calamities as the godly are, and had a scholemaster to teach them that they are but men (as Dauid prayeth in the ix. Psalme) they would learne another song.