{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_418/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_418","id":"gutenberg_418","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/418","summary":null,"tags":["Category: History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)","Category: Philosophy & Ethics","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Christianity","Good works (Theology)","Lutheran Church -- Doctrines"],"text":"A Treatise on Good Works\n\ntogether with the Letter of Dedication\n\nby Dr. Martin Luther, 1520\n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTION\n\n1. The Occasion of the Work.--Luther did not impose himself as reformer\nupon the Church. In the course of a conscientious performance of the\nduties of his office, to which he had been regularly and divinely\ncalled, and without any urging on his part, he attained to this\nposition by inward necessity. In 1515 he received his appointment as\nthe standing substitute for the sickly city pastor, Simon Heinse, from\nthe city council of Wittenberg. Before this time he was obliged to\npreach only occasionally in the convent, apart from his activity as\nteacher in the University and convent. Through this appointment he was\nin duty bound, by divine and human right, to lead and direct the\ncongregation at Wittenberg on the true way to life, and it would have\nbeen a denial of the knowledge of salvation which God had led him to\nacquire, by way of ardent inner struggles, if he had led the\ncongregation on any other way than the one God had revealed to him in\nHis Word. He could not deny before the congregation which had been\nintrusted to his care, what up to this time he had taught with ever\nincreasing clearness in his lectures at the University--for in the\nlectures on the Psalms, which he began to deliver in 1513, he declares\nhis conviction that faith alone justifies, as can be seen from the\ncomplete manuscript, published since 1885, and with still greater\nclearness from his Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans (1515-1516),\nwhich is accessible since 1908; nor what he had urged as spiritual\nadviser of his convent brethren when in deep distress--compare the\ncharming letter to Georg Spenlein, dated April 8, 1516.\n\nLuther's first literary works to appear in print were also occasioned\nby the work of his calling and of his office in the Wittenberg\ncongregation. He had no other object in view than to edify his\ncongregation and to lead it to Christ when, in 1517, he published his\nfirst independent work, the Explanation of the Seven Penitential\nPsalms. On Oct 31 of the same year he published his 95 Theses against\nIndulgences. These were indeed intended as controversial theses for\ntheologians, but at the same time it is well known that Luther was\nmoved by his duty toward his congregation to declare his position in\nthis matter and to put in issue the whole question as to the right and\nwrong of indulgences by means of his theses. His sermon Of Indulgences\nand Grace, occasioned by Tetzel's attack and delivered in the latter\npart of March, 1518, as well as his sermon Of Penitence, delivered\nabout the same time, were also intended for his congregation. Before\nhis congregation (Sept., 1516-Feb., 1517) he delivered the Sermons on\nthe Ten Commandments, which were published in 1518 and the Sermons on\nthe Lord's Prayer, which were also published in 1518 by Agricola.\nThough Luther in the same year published a series of controversial\nwritings, which were occasioned by attacks from outside sources, viz.,\nthe Resolutiones disputationis de Virtute indulgentiarum, the Asterisci\nadversus obeliscos Joh. Eccii, and the Ad dialogum Silv. Prieriatis\nresponsio, still he never was diverted by this necessary rebuttal from\nhis paramount duty, the edification of the congregation. The autumn of\nthe year 1518, when he was confronted with Cajetan, as well as the\nwhole year of 1519, when he held his disputations with Eck, etc., were\nreplete with disquietude and pressing labors; still Luther served his\ncongregation with a whole series of writings during this time, and only\nregretted that he was not entirely at its disposal. Of such writings we\nmention: Explanation of the Lord's Prayer for the simple Laity (an\nelaboration of the sermons of 1517); Brief Explanation of the Ten\nCommandments; Instruction concerning certain Articles, which might be\nascribed and imputed to him by his adversaries; Brief Instruction how\nto Confess; Of Meditation on the Sacred Passion of Christ; Of Twofold\nRighteousness; Of the Matrimonial Estate; Brief Form to understand and\nto pray the Lord's Prayer; Explanation of the Lord's Prayer \"vor sich\nund hinter sich\"; Of Prayer and Processions in Rogation Week; Of Usury;\nOf the Sacrament of Penitence; Of Preparation for Death; Of the\nSacrament of Baptism; Of the Sacrament of the Sacred Body; Of\nExcommunication. With but few exceptions these writings all appeared in\nprint in the year 1519, and again it was the congregation which Luther\nsought primarily to serve. If the bounds of his congregation spread\never wider beyond Wittenberg, so that his writings found a surprisingly\nready sale, even afar, that was not Luther's fault. Even the\nTessaradecas consolatoria, written in 1519 and printed in 1520, a book\nof consolation, which was originally intended for the sick Elector of\nSaxony, was written by him only upon solicitation from outside sources.\n\nTo this circle of writings the treatise Of Good Works also belongs\nThough the incentive for its composition came from George Spalatin,\ncourt-preacher to the Elector, who reminded Luther of a promise he had\ngiven, still Luther was willing to undertake it only when he recalled\nthat in a previous sermon to his congregation he occasionally had made\na similar promise to deliver a sermon on good works; and when Luther\nactually commenced the composition he had nothing else in view but the\npreparation of a sermon for his congregation on this important topic.\n\nBut while the work was in progress the material so accumulated that it\nfar outgrew the bounds of a sermon for his congregation.  On March 25.\nhe wrote to Spalatin that it would become a whole booklet instead of a\nsermon; on May 5. he again emphasizes the growth of the material; on\nMay 13. he speaks of its completion at an early date, and on June 8. he\ncould send Melanchthon a printed copy. It was entitled: Von den guten\nwerckenn: D. M. L.  Vuittenberg. On the last page it bore the printer's\nmark: Getruck zu Wittenberg bey dem iungen Melchior Lotther. Im Tausent\nfunfhundert vnnd zweyntzigsten Jar. It filled not less than 58 leaves,\nquarto. In spite of its volume, however, the intention of the book for\nthe congregation remained, now however, not only for the narrow circle\nof the Wittenberg congregation, but for the Christian layman in\ngeneral. In the dedicatory preface Luther lays the greatest stress upon\nthis, for he writes: \"Though I know of a great many, and must hear it\ndaily, who think lightly of my poverty and say that I write only small\nSexternlein (tracts of small volume) and German sermons for the\nuntaught laity, I will not permit that to move me. Would to God that\nduring my life I had served but one layman for his betterment with all\nmy powers; it would be sufficient for me, I would thank God and suffer\nall my books to perish thereafter.... Most willingly I will leave the\nhonor of greater things to others, and not at all will I be ashamed of\npreaching and writing German to the untaught laity.\"\n\nSince Luther had dedicated the afore-mentioned Tessaradecas\nconsolatoria to the reigning Prince, he now, probably on Spalatin's\nrecommendation, dedicated the Treatise on Good Works to his brother\nJohn, who afterward, in 1525, succeeded Frederick in the Electorate.\nThere was probably good reason for dedicating the book to a member of\nthe reigning house. Princes have reason to take a special interest in\nthe fact that preaching on good works should occur within their realm,\nfor the safety and sane development of their kingdom depend largely\nupon the cultivation of morality on the part of their subjects. Time\nand again the papal church had commended herself to princes and\nstatesmen by her emphatic teaching of good works. Luther, on the other\nhand, had been accused--like the Apostle Paul before him (Rom. 3\n31)--that the zealous performance of good works had abated, that the\nbonds of discipline had slackened and that, as a necessary consequence,\nlawlessness and shameless immorality were being promoted by his\ndoctrine of justification by faith alone. Before 1517 the rumor had\nalready spread that Luther intended to do away with good works. Duke\nGeorge of Saxony had received no good impression from a sermon Luther\nhad delivered at Dresden, because he feared the consequences which\nLuther's doctrine of justification by faith alone might have upon the\nmorals of the masses. Under these circumstances it would not have been\nsurprising if a member of the Electoral house should harbor like\nscruples, especially since the full comprehension of Luther's preaching\non good works depended on an evangelical understanding of faith, as\ndeep as was Luther's own. The Middle Ages had differentiated between\nfides informis, a formless faith, and fides formata or informata, a\nformed or ornate faith. The former was held to be a knowledge without\nany life or effect, the latter to be identical with love for, as they\nsaid, love which proves itself and is effective in good works must be\nadded to the formless faith, as its complement and its content, well\npleasing to God. In Luther's time every one who was seriously\ninterested in religious questions was reared under the influence of\nthese ideas.\n\nNow, since Luther had opposed the doctrine of justification by love and\nits good works, he was in danger of being misunderstood by strangers,\nas though he held the bare knowledge and assent to be sufficient for\njustification, and such preaching would indeed have led to frivolity\nand disorderly conduct. But even apart from the question whether or not\nthe brother of the Elector was disturbed by such scruples, Luther must\nhave welcomed the opportunity, when the summons came to him, to\ndedicate his book Of Good Works to a member of the Electoral house. At\nany rate the book could serve to acquaint him with the thoughts of his\nmuch-abused pastor and professor at Wittenberg, for never before had\nLuther expressed himself on the important question of good works in\nsuch a fundamental, thorough and profound way.\n\n2. The Contents of the Work.--A perusal of the contents shows that the\nbook, in the course of its production, attained a greater length than\nwas originally intended. To this fact it must be attributed that a new\nnumeration of sections begins with the argument on the Third\nCommandment, and is repeated at every Commandment thereafter, while\nbefore this the sections were consecutively numbered. But in spite of\nthis, the plan of the whole is clear and lucid. Evidently the whole\ntreatise is divided into two parts: the first comprising sections 1-17,\nwhile the second comprises all the following sections. The first, being\nfundamental, is the more important part. Luther well knew of the\ncharges made against him that \"faith is so highly elevated\" and \"works\nare rejected\" by him; but he knew, too, that \"neither silver, gold and\nprecious stone, nor any other precious thing had experienced so much\naugmentation and diminution\" as had good works \"which should all have\nbut one simple goodness, or they are nothing but color, glitter and\ndeception.\" But especially was he aware of the fact that the Church was\nurging nothing but the so-called self-elected works, such as \"running\nto the convent, singing, reading, playing the organ, saying the mass,\npraying matins, vespers, and other hours, founding and ornamenting\nchurches, altars, convents, gathering chimes, jewels, vestments, gems\nand treasures, going to Rome and to the saints, curtsying and bowing\nthe knees, praying the rosary and the psalter,\" etc., and that she\ndesignated these alone as truly good works, while she represented the\nfaithful performance of the duties of one's calling as a morality of a\nlower order. For these reasons it is Luther's highest object in this\ntreatise to make it perfectly clear what is the essence of good works.\nWhenever the essence of good works has been understood, then the\naccusations against him will quickly collapse.\n\nIn the fundamental part he therefore argues: \"Truly good works are not\nself-elected works of monastic or any other holiness, but such only as\nGod has commanded, and as are comprehended within the bounds of one's\nparticular calling, and all works, let their name be what it may,\nbecome good only when they flow from faith, the first, greatest, and\nnoblest of good works.\" (John 6:29.) In this connection the essence of\nfaith, that only source of all truly good works, must of course be\nrightly understood. It is the sure confidence in God, that all my doing\nis wellpleasing to Him; it is trust in His mercy, even though He\nappears angry and puts sufferings and adversities upon us; it is the\nassurance of the divine good will even though \"God should reprove the\nconscience with sin, death and hell, and deny it all grace and mercy,\nas though He would condemn and show His wrath eternally.\" Where such\nfaith lives in the heart, there the works are good \"even though they\nwere as insignificant as the picking up of a straw\"; but where it is\nwanting, there are only such works as \"heathen, Jew and Turk\" may have\nand do. Where such faith possesses the man, he needs no teacher in good\nworks, as little as does the husband or the wife, who only look for\nlove and favor from one another, nor need any instruction therein \"how\nthey are to stand toward each other, what they are to do, to leave\nundone, to say, to leave unsaid, to think.\"\n\nThis faith, Luther continues, is \"the true fulfilment of the First\nCommandment, apart from which there is no work that could do justice to\nthis Commandment.\" With this sentence he combines, on the one hand, the\nwhole argument on faith, as the best and noblest of good works, with\nhis opening proposition (there are no good works besides those\ncommanded of God), and, on the other hand, he prepares the way for the\nfollowing argument, wherein he proposes to exhibit the good works\naccording to the Ten Commandments. For the First Commandment does not\nforbid this and that, nor does it require this and that; it forbids but\none thing, unbelief; it requires but one thing, faith, \"that confidence\nin God's good will at all times.\" Without this faith the best works are\nas nothing, and if man should think that by them he could be\nwell-pleasing to God, he would be lowering God to the level of a\n\"broker or a laborer who will not dispense his grace and kindness\ngratis.\"\n\nThis understanding of faith and good works, so Luther now addresses his\nopponents, should in fairness be kept in view by those who accuse him\nof declaiming against good works, and they should learn from it, that\nthough he has preached against \"good works,\" it was against such as are\nfalsely so called and as contribute toward the confusion of\nconsciences, because they are self-elected, do not flow from faith, and\nare done with the pretension of doing works well-pleasing to God.\n\nThis brings us to the end of the fundamental part of the treatise. It\nwas not Luther's intention, however, to speak only on the essence of\ngood works and their fundamental relation to faith; he would show, too,\nhow the \"best work,\" faith, must prove itself in every way a living\nfaith, according to the other commandments. Luther does not proceed to\nthis part, however, until in the fundamental part he has said with\nemphasis, that the believer, the spiritual man, needs no such\ninstruction (I. Timothy 1:9), but that he of his own accord and at all\ntimes does good works \"as his faith, his confidence, teaches him.\" Only\n\"because we do not all have such faith, or are unmindful of it,\" does\nsuch instruction become necessary.\n\nNor does he proceed until he has applied his oft repeated words\nconcerning the relation of faith to good works to the relation of the\nFirst to the other Commandments. From the fact, that according to the\nFirst Commandment, we acquire a pure heart and confidence toward God,\nhe derives the good work of the Second Commandment, namely, \"to praise\nGod, to acknowledge His grace, to render all honor to Him alone.\" From\nthe same source he derives the good work of the Third Commandment,\nnamely, \"to observe divine services with prayer and the hearing of\npreaching, to incline the imagination of our hearts toward God's\nbenefits, and, to that end, to mortify and overcome the flesh.\" From\nthe same source he derives the works of the Second Table.\n\nThe argument on the Third and Fourth Commandments claims nearly\none-half of the entire treatise. Among the good works which, according\nto the Third Commandment, should be an exercise and proof of faith,\nLuther especially mentions the proper hearing of mass and of preaching,\ncommon prayer, bodily discipline and the mortification of the flesh,\nand he joins the former and the latter by an important fundamental\ndiscussion of the New Testament conception of Sabbath rest.\n\nLuther discusses the Fourth Commandment as fully as the Third.  The\nexercise of faith, according to this Commandment, consists in the\nfaithful performance of the duties of children toward their parents, of\nparents toward their children, and of subordinates toward their\nsuperiors in the ecclesiastical as well as in the common civil sphere.\nThe various duties issue from the various callings, for faithful\nperformance of the duties of one's calling, with the help of God and\nfor God's sake, is the true \"good work.\"\n\nAs he now proceeds to speak of the spiritual powers, the government of\nthe Church, he frankly reveals their faults and demands a reform of the\npresent rulers. Honor and obedience in all things should be rendered\nunto the Church, the spiritual mother, as it is due to natural parents,\nunless it be contrary to the first Three Commandments. But as matters\nstand now the spiritual magistrates neglect their peculiar work,\nnamely, the fostering of godliness and discipline, like a mother who\nruns away from her children and follows a lover, and instead they\nundertake strange and evil works, like parents whose commands are\ncontrary to God. In this case members of the Church must do as godly\nchildren do whose parents have become mad and insane.  Kings, princes,\nthe nobility, municipalities and communities must begin of their own\naccord and put a check to these conditions, so that the bishops and the\nclergy, who are now too timid, may be induced to follow. But even the\ncivil magistrates must also suffer reforms to be enacted in their\nparticular spheres; especially are they called on to do away with the\nrude \"gluttony and drunkenness,\" luxury in clothing, the usurious sale\nof rents and the common brothels. This, by divine and human right, is a\npart of their enjoined works according to the Fourth Commandment.\n\nLuther, at last, briefly treats of the Second Table of the\nCommandments, but in speaking of the works of these Commandments he\nnever forgets to point out their relation to faith, thus holding fast\nthis fundamental thought of the book to the end.  Faith which does not\ndoubt that God is gracious, he says, will find it an easy matter to be\ngraciously and favorably minded toward one's neighbor and to overcome\nall angry and wrathful desires. In this faith in God the Spirit will\nteach us to avoid unchaste thoughts and thus to keep the Sixth\nCommandment. When the heart trusts in the divine favor, it cannot seek\nafter the temporal goods of others, nor cleave to money, but according\nto the Seventh Commandment, will use it with cheerful liberality for\nthe benefit of the neighbor. Where such confidence is present there is\nalso a courageous, strong and intrepid heart, which will at all times\ndefend the truth, as the Eighth Commandment demands, whether neck or\ncoat be at stake, whether it be against pope or kings. Where such faith\nis present there is also strife against the evil lust, as forbidden in\nthe Ninth and Tenth Commandments, and that even unto death.\n\n3. The Importance of the Work.--Inquiring now into the importance of\nthe book, we note that Luther's impression evidently was perfectly\ncorrect, when he wrote to Spalatin, long before its completion--as\nearly as March 2 5.--that he believed it to be better than anything he\nhad heretofore written.  The book, indeed, surpasses all his previous\nGerman writings in volume, as well as all his Latin and German ones in\nclearness, richness and the fundamental importance of its content. In\ncomparison with the prevalent urging of self-elected works of monkish\nholiness, which had arisen from a complete misunderstanding of the\nso-called evangelical counsels (comp. esp. Matthew 19:16-22) and which\nwere at that time accepted as self-evident and zealously urged by the\nwhole church, Luther's argument must have appeared to all thoughtful\nand earnest souls as a revelation, when he so clearly amplified the\nproposition that only those works are to be regarded as good works\nwhich God has commanded, and that therefore, not the abandoning of\none's earthly calling, but the faithful keeping of the Ten Commandments\nin the course of one's calling, is the work which God requires of us.\nOver against the wide-spread opinion, as though the will of God as\ndeclared in the Ten Commandments referred only to the outward work\nalways especially mentioned, Luther's argument must have called to mind\nthe explanation of the Law, which the Lord had given in the Sermon on\nthe Mount, when he taught men to recognize only the extreme point and\nmanifestation of a whole trend of thought in the work prohibited by the\ntext, and when he directed Christians not to rest in the keeping of the\nliteral requirement of each Commandment, but from this point of vantage\nto inquire into the whole depth and breadth of God's will--positively\nand negatively--and to do His will in its full extent as the heart has\nperceived it. Though this thought may have been occasionally expressed\nin the expositions of the Ten Commandments which appeared at the dawn\nof the Reformation, still it had never before been so clearly\nrecognized as the only correct principle, much less had it been so\nenergetically carried out from beginning to end, as is done in this\ntreatise. Over against the deep-rooted view that the works of love must\nbestow upon faith its form, its content and its worth before God, it\nmust have appeared as the dawn of a new era (Galatians 3:22-25) when\nLuther in this treatise declared, and with victorious certainty carried\nout the thought, that it is true faith which invests the works, even\nthe best and greatest of works, with their content and worth before God.\n\nThis proposition, which Luther here amplifies more clearly than ever\nbefore, demanded nothing less than a breach with the whole of prevalent\nreligious views, and at that time must have been perceived as the\ndiscovery of a new world, though it was no more than a return to the\nclear teaching of the New Testament Scriptures concerning the way of\nsalvation. This, too, accounts for the fact that in this writing the\naccusation is more impressively repelled than before, that the doctrine\nof justification by faith alone resulted in moral laxity, and that, on\nthe other hand, the fundamental and radical importance of righteousness\nby faith for the whole moral life is revealed in such a\nheart-refreshing manner. Luther's appeal in this treatise to kings,\nprinces, the nobility, municipalities and communities, to declare\nagainst the misuse of spiritual powers and to abolish various abuses in\ncivil life, marks this treatise as a forerunner of the great\nReformation writings, which appeared in the same year (1520), while, on\nthe other hand, his espousal of the rights of the \"poor man\"--to be met\nwith here for the first time--shows that the Monk of Witttenberg,\ncoming from the narrow limits of the convent, had an intimate and\nsympathetic knowledge of the social needs of his time. Thus he proved\nby his own example that to take a stand in the center of the Gospel\ndoes not narrow the vision nor harden the heart, but rather produces\ncourage in the truth and sympathy for all manner of misery.\n\nLuther's contemporaries at once recognized the great importance of the\nTreatise, for within the period of seven months it passed through eight\neditions; these were followed by six more editions between the years of\n1521 and 1525; in 1521 it was translated into Latin, and in this form\npassed through three editions up to the year 1525; and all this in\nspite of the fact that in those years the so-called three great\nReformation writings of 1520 were casting all else into the shadow.\nMelanchthon, in a contemporaneous letter to John Hess, called it\nLuther's best book. John Mathesius, the well-known pastor at\nJoachimsthal and Luther's biographer, acknowledged that he had learned\nthe \"rudiments of Christianity\" from it.\n\nEven to-day this book has its peculiar mission to the Church. The\nseeking after self-elected works, the indolence regarding the works\ncommanded of God, the foolish opinion, that the path of works leads to\nGod's grace and good-will, are even to-day widely prevalent within the\nkingdom of God. To all this Luther's treatise answers: Be diligent in\nthe works of your earthly calling as commanded of God, but only after\nhaving first strengthened, by the consideration of God's mercy, the\nfaith within you, which is the only source of all truly good works and\nwell-pleasing to God.\n\nM. REU.\n\nWARTBURG SEMINARY, DUBUQUE, IOWA.\n\n\n\n\nTREATISE ON GOOD WORKS\n\n1520\n\nDEDICATION\n\nJESUS\n\n\nTo the Illustrious, High-born Prince and Lord, John Duke of Saxony,\nLandgrave of Thuringia, Margrave of Meissen, my gracious Lord and\nPatron.\n\n\nIllustrious, High-born Prince, gracious Lord! My humble duty and my\nfeeble prayer for your Grace always remembered!\n\nFor a long time, gracious Prince and Lord, I have wished to show my\nhumble respect and duty toward your princely Grace, by the exhibition\nof some such spiritual wares as are at my disposal; but I have always\nconsidered my powers too feeble to undertake anything worthy of being\noffered to your princely Grace.\n\nSince, however, my most gracious Lord Frederick, Duke of Saxony,\nElector and Vicar of the Holy Roman Empire, your Grace's brother, has\nnot despised, but graciously accepted my slight book, dedicated to his\nelectoral Grace, and now published--though such was not my intention, I\nhave taken courage from his gracious example and ventured to think that\nthe princely spirit, like the princely blood, may be the same in both\nof you, especially in gracious kindness and good will. I have hoped\nthat your princely Grace likewise would not despise this my humble\noffering which I have felt more need of publishing than an other of my\nsermons or tracts. For the greatest of all questions has been raised,\nthe question of Good Works; in which is practised immeasurably more\ntrickery and deception than in anything else, and in which the\nsimpleminded man is so easily misled that our Lord Christ has commanded\nus to watch carefully for the sheep's clothings under which the wolves\nhide themselves.\n\nNeither silver, gold, precious stones, nor any rare thing has such\nmanifold alloys and flaws as have good works, which ought to have a\nsingle simple goodness, and without it are mere color, show and deceit.\n\nAnd although I know and daily hear many people, who think slightingly\nof my poverty, and say that I write only little pamphlets and German\nsermons for the unlearned laity, this shall not disturb me. Would to\nGod I had in all my life, with all the ability I have, helped one\nlayman to be better! I would be satisfied, thank God, and be quite\nwilling then to let all my little books perish.\n\nWhether the making of many great books is an art and a benefit to the\nChurch, I leave others to judge. But I believe that if I were minded to\nmake great books according to their art, I could, with God's help, do\nit more readily perhaps than they could prepare a little discourse\nafter my fashion. If accomplishment were as easy as persecution, Christ\nwould long since have been cast out of heaven again, and God's throne\nitself overturned.  Although we cannot all be writers, we all want to\nbe critics.\n\nI will most gladly leave to any one else the honor of greater things,\nand not be at all ashamed to preach and to write in German for the\nunlearned laymen. Although I too have little skill in it, I believe\nthat if we had hitherto done, and should henceforth do more of it,\nChristendom would have reaped no small advantage, and have been more\nbene fited by this than by the great, deep books and quaestiones, which\nare used only in the schools, among the learned.\n\nThen, too, I have never forced or begged any one to hear me, or to read\nmy sermons. I have freely ministered in the Church of that which God\nhas given me and which I owe the Church. Whoever likes it not, may hear\nand read what others have to say. And if they are not willing to be my\ndebtors, it matters little. For me it is enough, and even more than too\nmuch, that some laymen condescend to read what I say. Even though there\nwere nothing else to urge me, it should be more than sufficient that I\nhave learned that your princely Grace is pleased with such German books\nand is eager to receive instruction in Good Works and the Faith, with\nwhich instruction it was my duty, humbly and with all diligence to\nserve you.\n\nTherefore, in dutiful humility I pray that your princely Grace may\naccept this offering of mine with a gracious mind, until, if God grant\nme time, I prepare a German exposition of the Faith in its entirety.\nFor at this time I have wished to show how in all good works we should\npractice and make use of faith, and let faith be the chief work. If God\npermit, I will treat at another time of the Faith itself--how we are\ndaily to pray or recite it.\n\nI humbly commend myself herewith to your princely Grace, Your Princely\nGrace's Humble Chaplain,\n\nDR. MARTIN LUTHER.\n\nFrom Wittenberg, March 29th, A. D. 1520.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TREATISE\n\nI. We ought first to know that there are no good works except those\nwhich God has commanded, even as there is no sin except that which God\nhas forbidden. Therefore whoever wishes to know and to do good works\nneeds nothing else than to know God's commandments. Thus Christ says,\nMatthew xix, \"If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.\" And\nwhen the young man asks Him, Matthew xix, what he shall do that he may\ninherit eternal life, Christ sets before him naught else but the Ten\nCommandments. Accordingly, we must learn how to distinguish among good\nworks from the Commandments of God, and not from the appearance, the\nmagnitude, or the number of the works themselves, nor from the judgment\nof men or of human law or custom, as we see has been done and still is\ndone, because we are blind and despise the divine Commandments.\n\nII. The first and highest, the most precious of all good works is faith\nin Christ, as He says, John vi. When the Jews asked Him: \"What shall we\ndo that we may work the works of God?\" He answered: \"This is the work\nof God, that ye believe on Him Whom He hath sent.\" When we hear or\npreach this word, we hasten over it and deem it a very little thing and\neasy to do, whereas we ought here to pause a long time and to ponder it\nwell. For in this work all good works must be done and receive from it\nthe inflow of their goodness, like a loan. This we must put bluntly,\nthat men may understand it.\n\nWe find many who pray, fast, establish endowments, do this or that,\nlead a good life before men, and yet if you should ask them whether\nthey are sure that what they do pleases God, they say, \"No\"; they do\nnot know, or they doubt. And there are some very learned men, who\nmislead them, and say that it is not necessary to be sure of this; and\nyet, on the other hand, these same men do nothing else but teach good\nworks. Now all these works are done outside of faith, therefore they\nare nothing and altogether dead. For as their conscience stands toward\nGod and as it believes, so also are the works which grow out of it. Now\nthey have no faith, no good conscience toward God, therefore the works\nlack their head, and all their life and goodness is nothing.  Hence it\ncomes that when I exalt faith and reject such works done without faith,\nthey accuse me of forbidding good works, when in truth I am trying hard\nto teach real good works of faith.\n\nIII. If you ask further, whether they count it also a good work when\nthey work at their trade, walk, stand, eat, drink, sleep, and do all\nkinds of works for the nourishment of the body or for the common\nwelfare, and whether they believe that God takes pleasure in them\nbecause of such works, you will find that they say, \"No\"; and they\ndefine good works so narrowly that they are made to consist only of\npraying in church, fasting, and almsgiving. Other works they consider\nto be in vain, and think that God cares nothing for them. So through\ntheir damnable unbelief they curtail and lessen the service of God, Who\nis served by all things whatsoever that are done, spoken or thought in\nfaith.\n\nSo teaches Ecclesiastes ix: \"Go thy way with joy, eat and drink, and\nknow that God accepteth thy works. Let thy garments be always white;\nand let thy head lack no ointment. Live joyfully with the wife whom\nthou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity.\" \"Let thy garments\nbe always white,\" that is, let all our works be good, whatever they may\nbe, without any distinction. And they are white when I am certain and\nbelieve that they please God.  Then shall the head of my soul never\nlack the ointment of a joyful conscience.\n\nSo Christ says, John viii: \"I do always those things that please Him.\"\nAnd St. John says, I. John iii: \"Hereby we know that we are of the\ntruth, if we can comfort our hearts before Him and have a good\nconfidence. And if our heart condemns or frets us, God is greater than\nour heart, and we have confidence, that whatsoever we ask, we shall\nreceive of Him, because we keep His Commandments, and do those things\nthat are pleasing in His sight.\" Again: \"Whosoever is born of God, that\nis, whoever believes and trusts God, doth not commit sin, and cannot\nsin.\" Again, Psalm xxxiv: \"None of them that trust in Him shall do\nsin.\" And in Psalm ii: \"Blessed are all they that put their trust in\nHim.\" If this be true, then all that they do must be good, or the evil\nthat they do must be quickly forgiven. Behold, then, why I exalt faith\nso greatly, draw all works into it, and reject all works which do not\nflow from it.\n\nIV. Now every one can note and tell for himself when he does what is\ngood or what is not good; for if he finds his heart confident that it\npleases God, the work is good, even if it were so small a thing as\npicking up a straw. If confidence is absent, or if he doubts, the work\nis not good, although it should raise all the dead and the man should\ngive himself to be burned. This is the teaching of St. Paul, Romans\nxiv: \"Whatsoever is not done of or in faith is sin.\" Faith, as the\nchief work, and no other work, has given us the name of \"believers on\nChrist.\" For all other works a heathen, a Jew, a Turk, a sinner, may\nalso do; but to trust firmly that he pleases God, is possible only for\na Christian who is enlightened and strengthened by grace.\n\nThat these words seem strange, and that some call me a heretic because\nof them, is due to the fact that men have followed blind reason and\nheathen ways, have set faith not above, but beside other virtues, and\nhave given it a work of its own, apart from all works of the other\nvirtues; although faith alone makes all other works good, acceptable\nand worthy, in that it trusts God and does not doubt that for it all\nthings that a man does are well done. Indeed, they have not let faith\nremain a work, but have made a habitus of it, as they say, although\nScripture gives the name of a good, divine work to no work except to\nfaith alone.  Therefore it is no wonder that they have become blind and\nleaders of the blind. And this faith brings with it at once love,\npeace, joy and hope. For God gives His Spirit at once to him who trusts\nHim, as St. Paul says to the Galatians: \"You received the Spirit not\nbecause of your good works, but when you believed the Word of God.\"\n\nV. In this faith all works become equal, and one is like the other; all\ndistinctions between works fall away, whether they be great, small,\nshort, long, few or many. For the works are acceptable not for their\nown sake, but because of the faith which alone is, works and lives in\neach and every work without distinction, however numerous and various\nthey are, just as all the members of the body live, work and have their\nname from the head, and without the head no member can live, work and\nhave a name.\n\nFrom which it further follows that a Christian who lives in this faith\nhas no need of a teacher of good works, but whatever he finds to do he\ndoes, and all is well done; as Samuel said to Saul: \"The Spirit of the\nLord will come upon thee, and thou shalt be turned into another man;\nthen do thou as occasion serves thee; for God is with thee.\" So also we\nread of St. Anna, Samuel's mother: \"When she believed the priest Eli\nwho promised her God's grace, she went home in joy and peace, and from\nthat time no more turned hither and thither,\" that is, whatever\noccurred, it was all one to her. St. Paul also says: \"Where the Spirit\nof Christ is, there all is free.\" For faith does not permit itself to\nbe bound to any work, nor does it allow any work to be taken from it,\nbut, as the First Psalm says, \"He bringeth forth his fruit in his\nseason,\" that is, as a matter of course.\n\nVI. This we may see in a common human example. When a man and a woman\nlove and are pleased with each other, and thoroughly believe in their\nlove, who teaches them how they are to behave, what they are to do,\nleave undone, say, not say, think?  Confidence alone teaches them all\nthis, and more. They make no difference in works: they do the great,\nthe long, the much, as gladly as the small, the short, the little, and\nvice versa; and that too with joyful, peaceful, confident hearts, and\neach is a free companion of the other. But where there is a doubt,\nsearch is made for what is best; then a distinction of works is\nimagined whereby a man may win favor; and yet he goes about it with a\nheavy heart, and great disrelish; he is, as it were, taken captive,\nmore than half in despair, and often makes a fool of himself.\n\nSo a Christian who lives in this confidence toward God, a knows all\nthings, can do all things, undertakes all things that are to be done,\nand does everything cheerfully and freely; not that he may gather many\nmerits and good works, but because it is a pleasure for him to please\nGod thereby, and he serves God purely for nothing, content that his\nservice pleases God. On the other hand, he who is not at one with God,\nor doubts, hunts and worries in what way he may do enough and with many\nworks move God. He runs to St. James of Compostella, to Rome, to\nJerusalem, hither and yon, prays St. Bridget's prayer and the rest,\nfasts on this day and on that, makes confession here, and makes\nconfession there, questions this man and that, and yet finds no peace.\nHe does all this with great effort, despair and disrelish of heart, so\nthat the Scriptures rightly call such works in Hebrew Avenama, that is,\nlabor and travail. And even then they are not good works, and are all\nlost. Many have been crazed thereby; their fear has brought them into\nall manner of misery. Of these it is written, Wisdom of Solomon v: \"We\nhave wearied ourselves in the wrong way; and have gone through deserts,\nwhere there lay no way; but as for the way of the Lord, we have not\nknown it, and the sun of righteousness rose not upon us.\"\n\nVII. In these works faith is still slight and weak; let us ask further,\nwhether they believe that they are well-pleasing to God when they\nsuffer in body, property, honor, friends, or whatever they have, and\nbelieve that God of His mercy appoints their sufferings and\ndifficulties for them, whether they be small or great. This is real\nstrength, to trust in God when to all our senses and reason He appears\nto be angry; and to have greater confidence in Him than we feel. Here\nHe is hidden, as the bride says in the Song of Songs: \"Behold he\nstandeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows\"; that is, He\nstands hidden among the sufferings, which would separate us from Him\nlike a wall, yea, like a wall of stone, and yet He looks upon me and\ndoes not leave me, for He is standing and is ready graciously to help,\nand through the window of dim faith He permits Himself to be seen.  And\nJeremiah says in Lamentations, \"He casts off men, but He does it not\nwillingly.\"\n\nThis faith they do not know at all, and give up, thinking that God has\nforsaken them and is become their enemy; they even lay the blame of\ntheir ills on men and devils, and have no confidence at all in God. For\nthis reason, too, their suffering is always an offence and harmful to\nthem, and yet they go and do some good works, as they think, and are\nnot aware of their unbelief. But they who in such suffering trust God\nand retain a good, firm confidence in Him, and believe that He is\npleased with them, these see in their sufferings and afflictions\nnothing but precious merits and the rarest possessions, the value of\nwhich no one can estimate. For faith and confidence make precious\nbefore God all that which others think most shameful, so that it is\nwritten even of death in Psalm cxvi, \"Precious in the sight of the Lord\nis the death of His saints.\" And just as the confidence and faith are\nbetter, higher and stronger at this stage than in the first stage, so\nand to the same degree do the sufferings which are borne in this faith\nexcel all works of faith. Therefore between such works and sufferings\nthere is an immeasurable difference and the sufferings are infinitely\nbetter.\n\nVIII. Beyond all this is the highest stage of faith, when; God punishes\nthe conscience not only with temporal sufferings, but with death, hell,\nand sin, and refuses grace and mercy, as though it were His will to\ncondemn and to be angry eternally. This few men experience, but David\ncries out in Psalm vi, \"O Lord, rebuke me not in Thine anger.\" To\nbelieve at such times that God, in His mercy, is pleased with us, is\nthe highest work that can be done by and in the creature; but of this\nthe work-righteous and doers of good works know nothing at all. For how\ncould they here look for good things and grace from God, as long as\nthey are not certain in their works, and doubt even on the lowest step\nof faith.\n\nIn this way I have, as I said, always praised faith, and rejected all\nworks which are done without such faith, in order thereby to lead men\nfrom the false, pretentious, pharisaic, unbelieving good works, with\nwhich all monastic houses, churches, homes, low and higher classes are\noverfilled, and lead them to the true, genuine, thoroughly good,\nbelieving works. In this no one opposes me except the unclean beasts,\nwhich do not divide the hoof, as the Law of Moses decrees; who will\nsuffer no distinction among good works, but go lumbering along: if only\nthey pray, fast, establish endowments, go to confession, and do enough,\neverything shall be good, although in all this they have had no faith\nin God's grace and approval. Indeed, they consider the works best of\nall, when they have done many, great and long works without any such\nconfidence, and they look for good only after the works are done; and\nso they build their confidence not on divine favor, but on the works\nthey have done, that is, on sand and water, from which they must at\nlast take a cruel fall, as Christ says, Matthew vii. This good-will and\nfavor, on which our confidence rests, was proclaimed by the angels from\nheaven, when they sang on Christmas night: \"Gloria in excelsis Deo,\nGlory to God in the highest, peace to earth, gracious favor to man.\"\n\nIX. Now this is the work of the First Commandment, which commands:\n\"Thou shalt have no other gods,\" which means: \"Since I alone am God,\nthou shalt place all thy confidence, trust and faith on Me alone, and\non no one else.\" For that is not to have a god, if you call him God\nonly with your lips, or worship him with the knees or bodily gestures;\nbut if you trust Him with the heart, and look to Him for all good,\ngrace and favor, whether in works or sufferings, in life or death, in\njoy or sorrow; as the Lord Christ says to the heathen woman, John iv:\n\"I say unto thee, they that worship God must worship Him in spirit and\nin truth.\" And this faith, faithfulness, confidence deep in the heart,\nis the true fulfilling of the First Commandment; without this there is\nno other work that is able to satisfy this Commandment. And as this\nCommandment is the very first, highest and best, from which all the\nothers proceed, in which they exist, and by which they are directed and\nmeasured, so also its work, that is, the faith or confidence in God's\nfavor at all times, is the very first, highest and best, from which all\nothers must proceed, exist, remain, be directed and measured. Compared\nwith this, other works are just as if the other Commandments were\nwithout the First, and there were no God, Therefore St. Augustine well\nsays that the works of the First Commandment are faith, hope and love.\nAs I said above, such faith and confidence bring love and hope with\nthem. Nay, if we see it aright, love is the first, or comes at the same\ninstant with faith. For I could not trust God, if I did not think that\nHe wished to be favorable and to love me, which leads me, in turn, to\nlove Him and to trust Him heartily and to look to Him for all good\nthings.\n\nX. Now you see for yourself that all those who do not at at all times\ntrust God and do not in all their works or sufferings, life and death,\ntrust in His favor, grace and good-will, but seek His favor in other\nthings or in themselves, do not keep this Commandment, and practise\nreal idolatry, even if they were to do the works of all the other\nCommandments, and in addition had all the prayers, fasting, obedience,\npatience, chastity, and innocence of all the saints combined. For the\nchief work is not present, without which all the others are nothing but\nmere sham, show and pretence, with nothing back of them; against which\nChrist warns us, Matthew vii: \"Beware of false prophets, which come to\nyou in sheep's clothing.\" Such are all who wish with their many good\nworks, as they say, to make God favorable to themselves, and to buy\nGod's grace from Him, as if He were a huckster or a day-laborer,\nunwilling to give His grace and favor for nothing. These are the most\nperverse people on earth, who will hardly or never be converted to the\nright way. Such too are all who in adversity run hither and thither,\nand look for counsel and help everywhere except from God, from Whom\nthey are most urgently commanded to seek it; whom the Prophet Isaiah\nreproves thus, Isaiah ix: \"The mad people turneth not to Him that\nsmiteth them\"; that is, God smote them and sent them sufferings and all\nkinds of adversity, that they should run to Him and trust Him.  But\nthey run away from Him to men, now to Egypt, now to Assyria, perchance\nalso to the devil; and of such idolatry much is written in the same\nProphet and in the Books of the Kings. This is also the way of all holy\nhypocrites when they are in trouble: they do not run to God, but flee\nfrom Him, and only think of how they may get rid of their trouble\nthrough their own efforts or through human help, and yet they consider\nthemselves and let others consider them pious people.\n\nXI. This is what St. Paul means in many places, where he ascribes so\nmuch to faith, that he says: Justus ex fide sua vivit, \"the righteous\nman draws his life out of his faith,\" and faith is that because of\nwhich he is counted righteous before God. If righteousness consists of\nfaith, it is clear that faith fulfils all commandments and makes all\nworks righteous, since no one is justified except he keep all the\ncommands of God. Again, the works can justify no one before God without\nfaith. So utterly and roundly does the Apostle reject works and praise\nfaith, that some have taken offence at his words and say: \"Well, then,\nwe will do no more good works,\" although he condemns such men as erring\nand foolish.\n\nSo men still do. When we reject the great, pretentious works of our\ntime, which are done entirely without faith, they say: Men are only to\nbelieve and not to do anything good. For nowadays they say that the\nworks of the First Commandment are singing, reading, organ-playing,\nreading the mass, saying matins and vespers and the other hours, the\nfounding and decorating of churches, altars, and monastic houses, the\ngathering of bells, jewels, garments, trinkets and treasures, running\nto Rome and to the saints. Further, when we are dressed up and bow,\nkneel, pray the rosary and the Psalter, and all this not before an\nidol, but before the holy cross of God or the pictures of His saints:\nthis we call honoring and worshiping God, and, according to the First\nCommandment, \"having no other gods\"; although these things usurers,\nadulterers and all manner of sinners can do too, and do them daily.\n\nOf course, if these things are done with such faith that we believe\nthat they please God, then they are praiseworthy, not because of their\nvirtue, but because of such faith, for which all works are of equal\nvalue, as has been said. But if we doubt or do not believe that God is\ngracious to us and is pleased with us, or if we presumptuously expect\nto please Him only through and after our works, then it is all pure\ndeception, outwardly honoring God, but inwardly setting up self as a\nfalse god. This is the reason why I have so often spoken against the\ndisplay, magnificence and multitude of such works and have rejected\nthem, because it is as clear as day that they are not only done in\ndoubt or without faith, but there is not one in a thousand who does not\nset his confidence upon the works, expecting by them to win God's favor\nand anticipate His grace; and so they make a fair of them, a thing\nwhich God cannot endure, since He has promised His grace freely, and\nwills that we begin by trusting that grace, and in it perform all\nworks, whatever they may be.\n\nXII. Note for yourself, then, how far apart these two are: keeping the\nFirst Commandment with outward works only, and keeping it with inward\ntrust. For this last makes true, living children of God, the other only\nmakes worse idolatry and the most mischievous hypocrites on earth, who\nwith their apparent righteousness lead unnumbered people into their\nway, and yet allow them to be without faith, so that they are miserably\nmisled, and are caught in the pitiable babbling and mummery. Of such\nChrist says, Matthew xxiv: \"Beware, if any man shall say unto you, Lo,\nhere is Christ, or there\"; and John iv: \"I say unto thee, the hour\ncometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem\nworship God, for the Father seeketh spiritual worshipers.\"\n\nThese and similar passages have moved me and ought to move everyone to\nreject the great display of bulls, seals, flags, indulgences, by which\nthe poor folk are led to build churches, to give, to endow, to pray,\nand yet faith is not mentioned, and is even suppressed. For since faith\nknows no distinction among works, such exaltation and urging of one\nwork above another cannot exist beside faith. For faith desires to be\nthe only service of God, and will grant this name and honor to no other\nwork, except in so far as faith imparts it, as it does when the work is\ndone in faith and by faith. This perversion is indicated in the Old\nTestament, when the Jews left the Temple and sacrificed at other\nplaces, in the green parks and on the mountains. This is what these men\nalso do: they are zealous to do all works, but this chief work of faith\nthey regard not at all.\n\nXIII. Where now are they who ask, what works are good; what they shall\ndo; how they shall be religious? Yes, and where are they who say that\nwhen we preach of faith, we shall neither teach nor do works? Does not\nthis First Commandment give us more work to do than any man can do? If\na man were a thousand men, or all men, or all creatures, this\nCommandment would yet ask enough of him, and more than enough, since he\nis commanded to live and walk at all times in faith and confidence\ntoward God, to place such faith in no one else, and so to have only\none, the true God, and none other.\n\nNow, since the being and nature of man cannot for an instant be without\ndoing or not doing something, enduring or running away from something\n(for, as we see, life never rests), let him who will be pious and\nfilled with good works, begin and in all his life and works at all\ntimes exercise himself in this faith; let him learn to do and to leave\nundone all things in such continual faith; then will he find how much\nwork he has to do, and how completely all things are included in faith;\nhow he dare never grow idle, because his very idling must be the\nexercise and work of faith. In brief, nothing can be in or about us and\nnothing can happen to us but that it must be good and meritorious, if\nwe believe (as we ought) that all things please God. So says St.  Paul:\n\"Dear brethren, all that ye do, whether ye eat or drink, do all in the\nName of Jesus Christ, our Lord.\" Now it cannot be done in this Name\nexcept it be done in this faith. Likewise, Romans vii: \"We know that\nall things work together for good to the saints of God.\"\n\nTherefore, when some say that good works are forbidden when we preach\nfaith alone, it is as if I said to a sick man: \"If you had health, you\nwould have the use of all your limbs; but without health, the works of\nall your limbs are nothing\"; and he wanted to infer that I had\nforbidden the works of all his limbs; whereas, on the contrary, I meant\nthat he must first have health, which will work all the works of all\nthe members. So faith also must be in all works the master-workman and\ncaptain, or they are nothing at all.\n\nXIV. You might say: \"Why then do we have so many laws of the Church and\nof the State, and many ceremonies of churches, monastic houses, holy\nplaces, which urge and tempt men to good works, if faith does all\nthings through the First Commandment?\" I answer: Simply because we do\nnot all have faith or do not heed it. If every man had faith, we would\nneed no more laws, but every one would of himself at all times do good\nworks, as his confidence in God teaches him.\n\nBut now there are four kinds of men: the first, just mentioned, who\nneed no law, of whom St. Paul says, I. Timothy i, \"The law is not made\nfor a righteous man,\" that is, for the believer, but believers of\nthemselves do what they know and can do, only because they firmly trust\nthat God's favor and grace rests upon them in all things. The second\nclass want to abuse this freedom, put a false confidence in it, and\ngrow lazy; of whom St. Peter says, I. Peter ii, \"Ye shall live as free\nmen, but not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness,\" as if he\nsaid: The freedom of faith does not permit sins, nor will it cover\nthem, but it sets us free to do all manner of good works and to endure\nall things as they happen to us, so that a man is not bound only to one\nwork or to a few. So also St. Paul, Galatians v: \"Use not your liberty\nfor an occasion to the flesh.\" Such men must be urged by laws and\nhemmed in by teaching and exhortation. The third class are wicked men,\nalways ready for sins; these must be constrained by spiritual and\ntemporal laws, like wild horses and dogs, and where this does not help,\nthey must be put to death by the worldly sword, as St. Paul says,\nRomans xiii: \"The worldly ruler bears the sword, and serves God with\nit, not as a terror to the good, but to the evil.\" The fourth class,\nwho are still lusty, and childish in their understanding of faith and\nof the spiritual life, must be coaxed like young children and tempted\nwith external, definite and prescribed decorations, with reading,\npraying, fasting, singing, adorning of churches, organ playing, and\nsuch other things as are commanded and observed in monastic houses and\nchurches, until they also learn to know the faith.  Although there is\ngreat danger here, when the rulers, as is now, alas! the case, busy\nthemselves with and insist upon such ceremonies and external works as\nif they were the true works, and neglect faith, which they ought always\nto teach along with these works, just as a mother gives her child other\nfood along with the milk, until the child can eat the strong food by\nitself.\n\nXV. Since, then, we are not all alike, we must tolerate such people,\nshare their observances and burdens, and not despise them, but teach\nthem the true way of faith. So St. Paul teaches, Romans xiv: \"Him that\nis weak in the faith receive ye, to teach him.\" And so he did himself,\nI. Corinthians ix: \"To them that are under the law, I became as under\nthe law, although I was not under the law.\" And Christ, Matthew xvii,\nwhen He was asked to pay tribute, which He was not obligated to pay,\nargues with St.  Peter, whether the children of kings must give\ntribute, or only other people. St. Peter answers: \"Only other people.\"\nChrist said: \"Then are the children of kings free; notwithstanding,\nlest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and\ntake up the fish that first cometh up; and in his mouth thou shalt find\na piece of money; take that and give it for me and thee.\"\n\nHere we see that all works and things are free to a Christian through\nhis faith; and yet, because the others do not yet believe, he observes\nand bears with them what he is not obligated to do. But this he does\nfreely, for he is certain that this is pleasing to God, and he does it\nwillingly, accepts it as any other free work which comes to his hand\nwithout his choice, because he desires and seeks no more than that he\nmay in his faith do works to please God.\n\nBut since in this discourse we have undertaken to teach what righteous\nand good works are, and are now speaking of the highest work, it is\nclear that we do not speak of the second, third and fourth classes of\nmen, but of the first, into whose likeness all the others are to grow,\nand until they do so the first class must endure and instruct them.\nTherefore we must not despise, as if they were hopeless, these men of\nweak faith, who would gladly do right and learn, and yet cannot\nunderstand because of the ceremonies to which they cling; we must\nrather blame their ignorant, blind teachers, who have never taught them\nthe faith, and have led them so deeply into works. They must be gently\nand gradually led back again to faith, as a sick man is treated, and\nmust be allowed for a time, for their conscience sake, to cling to some\nworks and do them as necessary to salvation, so long as they rightly\ngrasp the faith; lest if we try to tear them out so suddenly, their\nweak consciences be quite shattered and confused, and retain neither\nfaith nor works. But the hardheaded, who, hardened in their works, give\nno heed to what is said of faith, and fight against it, these we must,\nas Christ did and taught, let go their way, that the blind may lead the\nblind.\n\nXVI. But you say: How can I trust surely that all my works are pleasing\nto God, when at times I fall, and talk, eat, drink and sleep too much,\nor otherwise transgress, as I cannot help doing?  Answer: This question\nshows that you still regard faith as a work among other works, and do\nnot set it above all works. For it is the highest work for this very\nreason, because it remains and blots out these daily sins by not\ndoubting that God is so kind to you as to wink at such daily\ntransgression and weakness. Aye, even if a deadly sin should occur\n(which, however, never or rarely happens to those who live in faith and\ntrust toward God), yet faith rises again and does not doubt that its\nsin is already gone; as it is written I. John ii: \"My little children,\nthese things I write unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we\nhave an Advocate with God the Father, Jesus Christ, Who is the\npropitiation of all our sins.\" And Wisdom xv: \"For if we sin, we are\nThine, knowing Thy power.\" And Proverbs xxiv: \"For a just man falleth\nseven times, and riseth up again.\" Yes, this confidence and faith must\nbe so high and strong that the man knows that all his life and works\nare nothing but damnable sins before God's judgment, as it is written,\nPsalm cxliii: \"In thy sight shall no man living be justified\"; and he\nmust entirely despair of his works, believing that they cannot be good\nexcept through this faith, which looks for no judgment, but only for\npure grace, favor, kindness and mercy, like David, Psalm xxvi: \"Thy\nloving kindness is ever before mine eyes, and I have trusted in Thy\ntruth\"; Psalm iv: \"The light of Thy countenance is lift up upon us\n(that is, the knowledge of Thy grace through faith), and thereby hast\nThou put gladness in my heart\"; for as faith trusts, so it receives.\n\nSee, thus are works forgiven, are without guilt and are good, not by\ntheir own nature, but by the mercy and grace of God because of the\nfaith which trusts on the mercy of God. Therefore we must fear because\nof the works, but comfort ourselves because of the grace of God, as it\nis written, Psalm cxlvii: \"The Lord taketh pleasure in them that I fear\nHim, in those that hope in His mercy.\" So we pray with perfect\nconfidence: \"Our Father,\" and yet petition: \"Forgive us our\ntrespasses\"; we are children and yet sinners; are acceptable and yet do\nnot do enough; and all this is the work of faith, firmly grounded in\nGod's grace.\n\nXVII. But if you ask, where the faith and the confidence can be found\nand whence they come, this it is certainly most necessary to know.\nFirst: Without doubt faith does not come from your works or merit, but\nalone from Jesus Christ, and is freely promised and given; as St. Paul\nwrites, Romans v: \"God commendeth His love to us as exceeding sweet and\nkindly, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us\"; as if\nhe said: \"Ought not this give us a strong unconquerable confidence,\nthat before we prayed or cared for it, yes, while we still continually\nwalked in sins, Christ dies for our sin?\" St. Paul concludes: \"If while\nwe were yet sinners Christ died for us, how much more then, being\njustified by His blood, shall we be saved from wrath through Him; and\nif, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His\nSon, much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.\"\n\nLo! thus must thou form Christ within thyself and see how in Him God\nholds before thee and offers thee His mercy without any previous merits\nof thine own, and from such a view of His grace must thou draw faith\nand confidence of the forgiveness of all thy sins. Faith, therefore,\ndoes not begin with works, neither do they create it, but it must\nspring up and flow from the blood, wounds and death of Christ. If thou\nsee in these that God is so kindly affectioned toward thee that He\ngives even His Son for thee, then thy heart also must in its turn grow\nsweet and kindly affectioned toward God, and so thy confidence must\ngrow out of pure good-will and love--God's love toward thee and thine\ntoward God. We never read that the Holy Spirit was given to any one\nwhen he did works, but always when men have heard the Gospel of Christ\nand the mercy of God. From this same Word and from no other source must\nfaith still come, even in our day and always.  For Christ is the rock\nout of which men suck oil and honey, as Moses says, Deuteronomy xxxii.\n\nXVIII. So far we have treated of the first work and of the First\nCommandment, but very briefly, plainly and hastily, for very much might\nbe said of it. We will now trace the works farther through the\nfollowing Commandments.\n\nThe second work, next to faith, is the work of the Second Commandment,\nthat we shall honor God's Name and not take it in vain. This, like all\nthe other works, cannot be done without faith; and if it is done\nwithout faith, it is all sham and show.  After faith we can do no\ngreater work than to praise, preach, sing and in every way exalt and\nmagnify God's glory, honor and Name.\n\nAnd although I have said above, and it is true, that there is no\ndifference in works where faith is and does the work, yet this is true\nonly when they are compared with faith and its works.  Measured by one\nanother there is a difference, and one is higher than the other. Just\nas in the body the members do not differ when compared with health, and\nhealth works in the one as much as in the other; yet the works of the\nmembers are different, and one is higher, nobler, more useful than the\nother; so, here also, to praise God's glory and Name is better than the\nworks of the other Commandments which follow; and yet it must be done\nin the same faith as all the others.\n\nBut I know well that this work is lightly esteemed, and has indeed\nbecome unknown. Therefore we must examine it further, and will say no\nmore about the necessity of doing it in the faith and confidence that\nit pleases God. Indeed there is no work in which confidence and faith\nare so much experienced and felt as in honoring God's Name; and it\ngreatly helps to strengthen and increase faith, although all works also\nhelp to do this, as St.  Peter says, II. Peter i: \"Wherefore the\nrather, brethren, give diligence through good works to make your\ncalling and election sure.\"\n\nXIX. The First Commandment forbids us to have other gods, and thereby\ncommands that we have a God, the true God, by a firm faith, trust,\nconfidence, hope and love, which are the only works whereby a man can\nhave, honor and keep a God; for by no other work can one find or lose\nGod except by faith or unbelief, by trusting or doubting; of the other\nworks none reaches quite to God. So also in the Second Commandment we\nare forbidden to use His Name in vain. Yet this is not to be enough,\nbut we are thereby also commanded to honor, call upon, glorify, preach\nand praise His Name. And indeed it is impossible that God's Name should\nnot be dishonored where it is not rightly honored. For although it be\nhonored with the lips, bending of the knees, kissing and other\npostures, if this is not done in the heart by faith, in confident trust\nin God's grace, it is nothing else than an evidence and badge of\nhypocrisy.\n\nSee now, how many kinds of good works a man can do under this\nCommandment at all times and never be without the good works of this\nCommandment, if he will; so that he truly need not make a long\npilgrimage or seek holy places. For, tell me, what moment can pass in\nwhich we do not without ceasing receive God's blessings, or, on the\nother hand, suffer adversity? But what else are God's blessings and\nadversities than a constant urging and stirring up to praise, honor,\nand bless God, and to call upon His Name? Now if you had nothing else\nat all to do, would you not have enough to do with this Commandment\nalone, that you without ceasing bless, sing, praise and honor God's\nName? And for what other purpose have tongue, voice, language and mouth\nbeen created? As Psalm li. says: \"Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth\nshall show forth Thy praise.\" Again: \"My tongue shall sing aloud of Thy\nmercy.\"\n\nWhat work is there in heaven except that of this Second Commandment? As\nit is written in Psalm lxxxiv: \"Blessed are they that dwell in Thy\nhouse: they will be for ever praising Thee.\" So also David says in\nPsalm xxxiv: \"God's praise shall be continually in my mouth.\" And St.\nPaul, I. Corinthians x: \"Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or\nwhatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.\" Also Colossians iii:\n\"Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the Name of the Lord\nJesus, giving thanks to God and the Father.\" If we were to observe this\nwork, we would have a heaven here on earth and always have enough to\ndo, as have the saints in heaven.\n\nXX. On this is based the wonderful and righteous judgment of God, that\nat times a poor man, in whom no one can see many great works, in the\nprivacy of his home joyfully praises God when he fares well, or with\nentire confidence calls upon Him when he fares ill, and thereby does a\ngreater and more acceptable work than another, who fasts much, prays\nmuch, endows churches, makes pilgrimages, and burdens himself with\ngreat deeds in this place and in that. Such a fool opens wide his\nmouth, looks for great works to do, and is so blinded that he does not\nat all notice this greatest work, and praising God is in his eyes a\nvery small matter compared with the great idea he has formed of the\nworks of his own devising, in which he perhaps praises himself more\nthan God, or takes more pleasure in them than he does in God; and thus\nwith his good works he storms against the Second Commandment and its\nworks. Of all this we have an illustration in the case of the Pharisee\nand the Publican in the Gospel. For the sinner calls upon God in his\nsins, and praises Him, and so has hit upon the two highest\nCommandments, faith and God's honor. The hypocrite misses both and\nstruts about with other good works by which he praises himself and not\nGod, and puts his trust in himself more than in God. Therefore he is\njustly rejected and the other chosen.\n\nThe reason of all this is that the higher and better the works are, the\nless show they make; and that every one thinks they are easy, because\nit is evident that no one pretends to praise God's Name and honor so\nmuch as the very men who never do it and with their show of doing it,\nwhile the heart is without faith, cause the precious work to be\ndespised. So that the Apostle St. Paul dare say boldly, Romans ii, that\nthey blaspheme God's Name who make their boast of God's Law. For to\nname the Name of God and to write His honor on paper and on the walls\nis an easy matter; but genuinely to praise and bless Him in His good\ndeeds and confidently to call upon Him in all adversities, these are\ntruly the most rare, highest works, next to faith, so that if we were\nto see how few of them there are in Christendom, we might despair for\nvery sorrow. And yet there is a constant increase of high, pretty,\nshining works of men's devising, or of works which look like these true\nworks, but at bottom are all without faith and without faithfulness; in\nshort, there is nothing good back of them. Thus also Isaiah xlviii.\nrebukes the people of Israel: \"Hear ye this, ye which are called by the\nname of Israel, which swear by the Name of the Lord, and make mention\nof the God of Israel neither in truth, nor in righteousness\"; that is,\nthey did it not in the true faith and confidence, which is the real\ntruth and righteousness, but trusted in themselves, their works and\npowers, and yet called upon God's Name and praised Him, two things\nwhich do not fit together.\n\nXXI. The first work of this Commandment then is, to praise God in all\nHis benefits, which are innumerable, so that such praise and\nthanksgiving ought also of right never to cease or end. For who can\npraise Him perfectly for the gift of natural life, not to mention all\nother temporal and eternal blessings? And so through this one part of\nthe Commandment man is overwhelmed with good and precious works; if he\ndo these in true faith, he has indeed not lived in vain. And in this\nmatter none sin so much as the most resplendent saints, who are pleased\nwith themselves and like to praise themselves or to hear themselves\npraised, honored and glorified before men.\n\nTherefore the second work of this Commandment is, to be on one's guard,\nto flee from and to avoid all temporal honor and praise, and never to\nseek a name for oneself, or fame and a great reputation, that every one\nsing of him and tell of him; which is an exceedingly dangerous sin, and\nyet the most common of all, and, alas! little regarded. Every one wants\nto be of importance and not to be the least, however small he may be;\nso deeply is nature sunk in the evil of its own conceit and in its\nself-confidence contrary to these two first Commandments.\n\nNow the world regards this terrible vice as the highest virtue, and\nthis makes it exceedingly dangerous for those who do not understand and\nhave not had experience of God's Commandments and the histories of the\nHoly Scriptures, to read or hear the heathen books and histories. For\nall heathen books are poisoned through and through with this striving\nafter praise and honor; in them men are taught by blind reason that\nthey were not nor could be men of power and worth, who are not moved by\npraise and honor; but those are counted the best, who disregard body\nand life, friend and property and everything in the effort to win\npraise and honor. All the holy Fathers have complained of this vice and\nwith one mind conclude that it is the very last vice to be overcome.\nSt. Augustine says: \"All other vices are practised in evil works; only\nhonor and self-satisfaction are practised in and by means of good\nworks.\"\n\nTherefore if a man had nothing else to do except this second work of\nthis Commandment, he would yet have to work all his life-time in order\nto fight this vice and drive it out, so common, so subtile, so quick\nand insidious is it. Now we all pass by this good work and exercise\nourselves in many other lesser good works, nay, through other good\nworks we overthrow this and forget it entirely. So the holy Name of\nGod, which alone should be honored, is taken in vain and dishonored\nthrough our own cursed name, self-approval and honor-seeking. And this\nsin is more grievous before God than murder and adultery; but its\nwickedness is not so clearly seen as that of murder, because of its\nsubtilty, for it is not accomplished in the coarse flesh, but in the\nspirit.\n\nXXII. Some think it is good for young people that they be enticed by\nreputation and honor, and again by shame of and dishonor, and so be\ninduced to do good. For there are many who do the good and leave the\nevil undone out of fear of shame and love of honor, and so do what they\nwould otherwise by no means do or leave undone.  These I leave to their\nopinion. But at present we are seeking how true good works are to be\ndone, and they who are inclined to do them surely do not need to be\ndriven by the fear of shame and the love of honor; they have, and are\nto have a higher and far nobler incentive, namely, God's commandment,\nGod's fear, God's approval, and their faith and love toward God. They\nwho have not, or regard not this motive, and let shame and honor drive\nthem, these also have their reward, as the Lord says, Matthew vi; and\nas the motive, so is also the work and the reward: none of them is\ngood, except only in the eyes of the world.\n\nNow I hold that a young person could be more easily trained and incited\nby God's fear and commandments than by any other means.  Yet where\nthese do not help, we must endure that they do the good and leave the\nevil for the sake of shame and of honor, just as we must also endure\nwicked men or the imperfect, of whom we spoke above; nor can we do more\nthan tell them that their works are not satisfactory and right before\nGod, and so leave them until they learn to do right for the sake of\nGod's commandments also. Just as young children are induced to pray,\nfast, learn, etc., by gifts and promises of the parents, even though it\nwould not be good to treat them so all their lives, so that they never\nlearn to do good in the fear of God: far worse, if they become\naccustomed to do good for the sake of praise and honor.\n\nXXIII. But this is true, that we must none the less have a good name\nand honor, and every one ought so to live that nothing evil can be said\nof him, and that he give offence to no one, as St.  Paul says, Romans\nxii: \"We are to be zealous to do good, not only before God, but also\nbefore all men.\" And II. Corinthians iv: \"We walk so honestly that no\nman knows anything against us.\" But there must be great diligence and\ncare, lest such honor and good name puff up the heart, and the heart\nfind pleasure in them. Here the saying of Solomon holds: \"As the fire\nin the furnace proveth the gold, so man is proved by the mouth of him\nthat praises him.\" Few and most spiritual men must they be, who, when\nhonored and praised, remain indifferent and unchanged, so that they do\nnot care for it, nor feel pride and pleasure in it, but remain entirely\nfree, ascribe all their honor and fame to God, offering it to Him\nalone, and using it only to the glory of God, to the edification of\ntheir neighbors, and in no way to their own benefit or advantage; so\nthat a man trust not in his own honor, nor exalt himself above the most\nincapable, despised man on earth, but acknowledge himself a servant of\nGod, Who has given him the honor in order that with it he may serve God\nand his neighbor, just as if He had commanded him to distribute some\ngulden to the poor for His sake. So He says, Matthew v: \"Your light\nshall shine before men, so that they may see your good works and\nglorify your Father Who is in heaven.\" He does not say, \"they shall\npraise you,\" but \"your works shall only serve them to edification, that\nthrough them they may praise God in you and in themselves.\" This is the\ncorrect use of God's Name and honor, when God is thereby praised\nthrough the edification of others.  And if men want to praise us and\nnot God in us, we are not to endure it, but with all our powers forbid\nit and flee from it as from the most grievous sin and robbery of divine\nhonor.\n\nXXIV. Hence it comes that God frequently permits a man to fall into or\nremain in grievous sin, in order that he may be put to shame in his own\neyes and in the eyes of all men, who otherwise could not have kept\nhimself from this great vice of vain honor and fame, if he had remained\nconstant in his great gifts and virtues; so God must ward off this sin\nby means of other grievous sins, that His Name alone may be honored;\nand thus one sin becomes the other's medicine, because of our perverse\nwickedness, which not only does the evil, but also misuses all that is\ngood.\n\nNow see how much a man has to do, if he would do good works, which\nalways are at hand in great number, and with which he is surrounded on\nall sides; but, alas! because of his blindness, he passes them by and\nseeks and runs after others of his own devising and pleasure, against\nwhich no man can sufficiently speak and no man can sufficiently guard.\nWith this all the prophets had to contend, and for this reason they\nwere all slain, only because they rejected such self-devised works and\npreached only God's commandments, as one of them says, Jeremiah vii:\n\"Thus saith the God of Israel unto you: Take your burnt offerings unto\nall your sacrifices and eat your burnt-offerings and your flesh\nyourselves; for concerning these things I have commanded you nothing,\nbut this thing commanded I you: Obey My voice (that is, not what seems\nright and good to you, but what I bid you), and walk in the way that I\nhave commanded you.\" And Deuteronomy xii: \"Thou shalt not do whatsoever\nis right in thine own eyes, but what thy God has commanded thee.\"\n\nThese and numberless like passages of Scripture are spoken to tear man\nnot only from sins, but also from the works which seem to men to be\ngood and right, and to turn men, with a single mind, to the simple\nmeaning of God's commandment only, that they shall diligently observe\nthis only and always, as it is written, Exodus xiii: \"These\ncommandments shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a\nmemorial between thine eyes.\" And Psalm i: \"A godly man meditates in\nGod's Law day and night.\" For we have more than enough and too much to\ndo, if we are to satisfy only God's commandments. He has given us such\ncommandments that if we understand them aright, we dare not for a\nmoment be idle, and might easily forget all other works. But the evil\nspirit, who never rests, when he cannot lead us to the left into evil\nworks, fights on our right through self-devised works that seem good,\nbut against which God has commanded, Deuteronomy xxviii, and Joshua\nxxiii, \"Ye shall not go aside from My commandments to the right hand or\nto the left.\"\n\nXXV. The third work of this Commandment is to call upon God's Name in\nevery need. For this God regards as keeping His Name holy and greatly\nhonoring it, if we name and call upon it in adversity and need. And\nthis is really why He sends us so much trouble, suffering, adversity\nand even death, and lets us live in many wicked, sinful affections,\nthat He may thereby urge man and give him much reason to run to Him, to\ncry aloud to Him, to call upon His holy Name, and thus to fulfil this\nwork of the Second Commandment, as He says in Psalm 1: \"Call upon Me in\nthe day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me; for\nI desire the sacrifice of praise.\" And this is the way whereby thou\ncanst come unto salvation; for through such works man perceives and\nlearns what God's Name is, how powerful it is to help all who call upon\nit; and whereby confidence and faith grow mightily, and these are the\nfulfilling of the first and highest Commandment.  This is the\nexperience of David, Psalm liv: \"Thou hast delivered me out of all\ntrouble, therefore will I praise Thy Name and confess that it is lovely\nand sweet.\" And Psalm xci says, \"Because he hath set his hope upon Me,\ntherefore will I deliver him: I will help him, because he hath known My\nName.\"\n\nLo! what man is there on earth, who would not all his life long have\nenough to do with this work? For who lives an hour without trials? I\nwill not mention the trials of adversity, which are innumerable. For\nthis is the most dangerous trial of all, when there is no trial and\nevery thing is and goes well; for then a man is tempted to forget God,\nto become too bold and to misuse the times of prosperity. Yea, here he\nhas ten times more need to call upon God's Name than when in adversity.\nSince it is written, Psalm xci, \"A thousand shall fall on the left hand\nand ten thousand on the right hand.\"\n\nSo too we see in broad day, in all men's daily experience, that more\nheinous sins and vice occur when there is peace, when all things are\ncheap and there are good times, than when war, pestilence, sicknesses\nand all manner of misfortune burden us; so that Moses also fears for\nhis people, lest they forsake God's commandment for no other reason\nthan because they are too full, too well provided for and have too much\npeace, as he says, Deuteronomy xxxii \"My people is waxed rich, full and\nfat; therefore has it forsaken its God.\" Wherefore also God let many of\nits enemies remain and would not drive them out, in order that they\nshould not have peace and must exercise themselves in the keeping of\nGod's commandments, as it is written, Judges iii. So He deals with us\nalso, when He sends us all kinds of misfortune: so exceedingly careful\nis He of us, that He may teach us and drive us to honor and call upon\nHis Name, to gain confidence and faith toward Him, and so to fulfil the\nfirst two Commandments.\n\nXXVI. Here foolish men run into danger, and especially the\nwork-righteous saints, and those who want to be more than others; they\nteach men to make the sign of the cross; one arms himself with letters,\nanother runs to the fortunetellers; one seeks this, another that, if\nonly they may thereby escape misfortune and be secure. It is beyond\ntelling what a devilish allurement attaches to this trifling with\nsorcery, conjuring and superstition, all of which is done only that men\nmay not need God's Name and put no trust in it. Here great dishonor is\ndone the Name of God and the first two Commandments, in that men look\nto the devil, men or creatures for that which should be sought and\nfound in God alone, through naught but a pure faith and confidence, and\na cheerful meditation of and calling upon His holy Name.\n\nNow examine this closely for yourself and see whether this is not a\ngross, mad perversion: the devil, men and creatures they must believe,\nand trust to them for the best; without such faith and confidence\nnothing holds or helps. How shall the good and faithful God reward us\nfor not believing and trusting Him as much or more than man and the\ndevil, although He not only promises help and sure assistance, but also\ncommands us confidently to look for it, and gives and urges all manner\nof reasons why we should place such faith and confidence in Him? Is it\nnot lamentable and pitiable that the devil or man, who commands nothing\nand does not urge, but only promises, is set above God, Who promises,\nurges and commands; and that more is thought of them than of God\nHimself? We ought truly to be ashamed of ourselves and learn from the\nexample of those who trust the devil or men. For if the devil, who is a\nwicked, lying spirit, keeps faith with all those who ally themselves\nwith him, how much more will not the most gracious, all-truthful God\nkeep faith, if a man trusts Him? Nay, is it not rather He alone Who\nwill keep faith?  A rich man trusts and relies upon his money and\npossessions, and they help him; and we are not willing to trust and\nrely upon the living God, that He is willing and able to help us? We\nsay: Gold makes bold; and it is true, as Baruch iii. says, \"Gold is a\nthing wherein men trust.\" But far greater is the courage which the\nhighest eternal Good gives, wherein trust, not men, but only God's\nchildren.\n\nXXVII. Even if none of these adversities constrain us to call upon\nGod's Name and to trust Him, yet were sin alone more than sufficient to\ntrain and to urge us on in this work. For sin has hemmed us in with\nthree strong, mighty armies. The first is our own flesh, the second the\nworld, the third the evil spirit, by which three we are without ceasing\noppressed and troubled; whereby God gives us occasion to do good works\nwithout ceasing, namely, to fight with these enemies and sins. The\nflesh seeks pleasure and peace, the world seeks riches, favor, power\nand honor, the evil spirit seeks pride, glory, that a man be well\nthought of, and other men be despised.\n\nAnd these three are all so powerful that each one of them is alone\nsufficient to fight a man, and yet there is no way we can overcome\nthem, except only by calling upon the holy Name of God in a firm faith,\nas Solomon says, Proverbs xviii: \"The Name of the Lord is a strong\ntower; the righteous runneth into it, and is set aloft.\" And David,\nPsalm cxvi: \"I will drink the cup of salvation, and call upon the Name\nof the Lord.\" Again, Psalm xviii: \"I will call upon the Lord with\npraise: so shall I be saved from all mine enemies.\" These works and the\npower of God's Name have become unknown to us, because we are not\naccustomed to it, and have never seriously fought with sins, and have\nnot needed His Name, because we are trained only in our self devised\nworks, which we were able to do with our own powers.\n\nXXVIII. Further works of this Commandment are: that we shall not swear,\ncurse, lie, deceive and conjure with the holy Name of God, and\notherwise misuse it; which are very simple matters and well known to\nevery one, being the sins which have been almost exclusively preached\nand proclaimed under this Commandment. These also include, that we\nshall prevent others from making sinful use of God's Name by lying,\nswearing, deceiving, cursing, conjuring, and otherwise. Herein again\nmuch occasion is given for doing good and warding off evil.\n\nBut the greatest and most difficult work of this Commandment is to\nprotect the holy Name of God against all who misuse it in a spiritual\nmanner, and to proclaim it to all men. For it is not enough that I, for\nmyself and in myself, praise and call upon God's Name in prosperity and\nadversity. I must step forth and for the sake of God's honor and Name\nbring upon myself the enmity of all men, as Christ said to His\ndisciples: \"Ye shall be hated of all men for My Name's sake.\" Here we\nmust provoke to anger father, mother, and the best of friends. Here we\nmust strive against spiritual and temporal powers, and be accused of\ndisobedience. Here we must stir up against us the rich, learned, holy,\nand all that is of repute in the world. And although this is especially\nthe duty of those who are commanded to preach God's Word, yet every\nChristian is also obligated to do so when time and place demand. For we\nmust for the holy Name of God risk and give up all that we have and can\ndo, and show by our deeds that we love God and His Name, His honor and\nHis praise above all things, and trust Him above all things, and expect\ngood from Him; thereby confessing that we regard Him as the highest\ngood, for the sake of which we let go and give up all other goods.\n\nXXIX. Here we must first of all resist all wrong, where truth or\nrighteousness suffers violence or need, and dare make no distinction of\npersons, as some do, who fight most actively and busily against the\nwrong which is done to the rich, the powerful, and their own friends;\nbut when it is done to the poor, or the despised or their own enemy,\nthey are quiet and patient. These see the Name and the honor of God not\nas it is, but through a painted glass, and measure truth or\nrighteousness according to the persons, and do not consider their\ndeceiving eye, which looks more on the person than on the thing. These\nare hypocrites within and have only the appearance of defending the\ntruth. For they well know that there is no danger when one helps the\nrich, the powerful, the learned and one's own friends, and can in turn\nenjoy their protection and be honored by them.\n\nThus it is very easy to fight against the wrong which is done to popes,\nkings, princes, bishops and other big-wigs. Here each wants to be the\nmost pious, where there is no great need. O how sly is here the\ndeceitful Adam with his demand; how finely does he cover his greed of\nprofit with the name of truth and righteousness and God's honor! But\nwhen something happens to a poor and insignificant man, there the\ndeceitful eye does not find much profit, but cannot help seeing the\ndisfavor of the powerful; therefore he lets the poor man remain\nunhelped. And who could tell the extent of this vice in Christendom?\nGod says in the lxxxii. Psalm, \"How long will ye judge unjustly, and\naccept the persons of the wicked? Judge the matter of the poor and\nfatherless, demand justice for the poor and needy; deliver the poor and\nrid the forsaken out of the hand of the wicked.\" But it is not done,\nand therefore the text continues: \"They know not, neither will they\nunderstand; they walk on in darkness\"; that is, the truth they do not\nsee, but they stop at the reputation of the great, however unrighteous\nthey are; and do not consider the poor, however righteous they are.\n\nXXX. See, here would be many good works. For the greater portion of the\npowerful, rich and friends do injustice and oppress the poor, the\nlowly, and their own opponents; and the greater the men, the worse the\ndeeds; and where we cannot by force prevent it and help the truth, we\nshould at least confess it, and do what we can with words, not take the\npart of the unrighteous, not approve them, but speak the truth boldly.\n\nWhat would it help a man if he did all manner of good, made pilgrimages\nto Rome and to all holy places, acquired all indulgences, built all\nchurches and endowed houses, if he were found guilty of sin against the\nName and honor of God, not speaking of them and neglecting them, and\nregarding his possessions, honor, favor and friends more than the truth\n(which is God's Name and honor)? Or who is he, before whose door and\ninto whose house such good works do not daily come, so that he would\nhave no need to travel far or to ask after good works? And if we\nconsider the life of men, how in every place men act so very rashly and\nlightly in this respect, we must cry out with the prophet, Omnis homo\nmendax, \"All men are liars, lie and deceive\"; for the real good works\nthey neglect, and adorn and paint themselves with the most\ninsignificant, and want to be pious, to mount to heaven in peaceful\nsecurity.\n\nBut if you should say: \"Why does not God do it alone and Himself, since\nHe can and knows how to help each one?\" Yes, He can do it; but He does\nnot want to do it alone; He wants us to work with Him, and does us the\nhonor to want to work His work with us and through us. And if we are\nnot willing to accept such honor, He will, after all, perform the work\nalone, and help the poor; and those who were unwilling to help Him and\nhave despised the great honor of doing His work, He will condemn with\nthe unrighteous, because they have made common cause with the\nunrighteous. Just as He alone is blessed, but He wants to do us the\nhonor and not be alone in His blessedness, but have us to be blessed\nwith Him.  And if He were to do it alone, His Commandments would be\ngiven us in vain, because no one would have occasion to exercise\nhimself in the great works of these Commandments, and no one would test\nhimself to see whether he regards God and His Name as the highest good,\nand for His sake risks everything.\n\nXXXI. It also belongs to this work to resist all false, seductive,\nerroneous, heretical doctrines, every misuse of spiritual power. Now\nthis is much higher, for these use the holy Name of God itself to fight\nagainst the Name of God. For this reason it seems a great thing and a\ndangerous to resist them, because they assert that he who resists them\nresists God and all His saints, in whose place they sit and whose power\nthey use, saying that Christ said of them, \"He that heareth you,\nheareth Me, and he that despiseth you, despiseth Me.\" On which words\nthey lean heavily, become insolent and bold to say, to do, and to leave\nundone what they please; put to the ban, accurse, rob, murder, and\npractise all their wickedness, in whatever way they please and can\ninvent, without any hindrance.\n\nNow Christ did not mean that we should listen to them in everything\nthey might say and do, but only then when they present to us His Word,\nthe Gospel, not their word, His work, and not their work. How else\ncould we know whether their lies and sins were to be avoided? There\nmust be some rule, to what extent we are to hear and to follow them,\nand this rule cannot be given by them, but must be established by God\nover them, that it may serve us as a guide, as we shall hear in the\nFourth Commandment.\n\nIt must be, indeed, that even in the spiritual estate the greater part\npreach false doctrine and misuse spiritual power, so that thus occasion\nmay be given us to do the works of this Commandment, and that we be\ntried, to see what we are willing to do and to leave undone against\nsuch blasphemers for the sake of God's honor.\n\nOh, if we were God-fearing in this matter, how often would the knaves\nof officiales have to decree their papal and episcopal ban in vain! How\nweak the Roman thunderbolts would become! How often would many a one\nhave to hold his tongue, to whom the world must now give ear! How few\npreachers would be found in Christendom!  But it has gotten the upper\nhand: whatever they assert and in whatever way, that must be right.\nHere no one fights for God's Name and honor, and I hold that no greater\nor more frequent sin is done in external works than under this head. It\nis a matter so high that few understand it, and, besides, adorned with\nGod's Name and power, dangerous to touch. But the prophets of old were\nmasters in this; also the apostles, especially St. Paul, who did not\nallow it to trouble them whether the highest or the lowest priest had\nsaid it, or had done it in God's Name or in his own.  They looked on\nthe works and words, and held them up to God's Commandment, no matter\nwhether big John or little Nick said it, or whether they had done it in\nGod's Name or in man's. And for this they had to die, and of such dying\nthere would be much more to say in our time, for things are much worse\nnow. But Christ and St. Peter and Paul must cover all this with their\nholy names, so that no more infamous cover for infamy has been found on\nearth than the most holy and most blessed Name of Jesus Christ!\n\nOne might shudder to be alive, simply because of the misuse and\nblasphemy of the holy Name of God; through which, if it shall last much\nlonger, we will, as I fear, openly worship the devil as a god; so\ncompletely do the spiritual authorities and the learned lack all\nunderstanding in these things. It is high time that we pray God\nearnestly that He hallow His Name. But it will cost blood, and they who\nenjoy the inheritance of the holy martyrs and are won with their blood,\nmust again make martyrs.  Of this more another time.\n\nI. We have now seen how many good works there are in the Second\nCommandment, which however are not good in themselves, unless they are\ndone in faith and in the assurance of divine favor; and how much we\nmust do, if we take heed to this Commandment alone, and how we, alas!\nbusy ourselves much with other works, which have no agreement at all\nwith it. Now follows the Third Commandment: \"Thou shalt hallow the day\nof rest.\" In the First Commandment is prescribed our heart's attitude\ntoward God in thoughts, in the Second, that of our mouth in words, in\nthis Third is prescribed our attitude toward God in works; and it is\nthe first and right table of Moses, on which these three Commandments\nare written, and they govern man on the right side, namely, in the\nthings which concern God, and in which God has to do with man and man\nwith God, without the mediation of any creature.\n\nThe first works of this Commandment are plain and outward, which we\ncommonly call worship, such as going to mass, praying, and hearing a\nsermon on holy days. So understood there are very few works in this\nCommandment; and these, if they are not done in assurance of and with\nfaith in God's favor, are nothing, as was said above. Hence it would\nalso be a good thing if there were fewer saint's days, since in our\ntimes the works done on them are for the greater part worse than those\nof the work days, what with loafing, gluttony, and drunkenness,\ngambling and other evil deeds; and then, the mass and the sermon are\nlistened to without edification, the prayer is spoken without faith. It\nalmost happens that men think it is sufficient that we look on at the\nmass with our eyes, hear the preaching with our ears, and say the\nprayers with our mouths. It is all so formal and superficial! We do not\nthink that we might receive something out of the mass into our hearts,\nlearn and remember something out of the preaching, seek, desire and\nexpect something in our prayer. Although in this matter the bishops and\npriests, or they to whom the work of preaching is entrusted, are most\nat fault, because they do not preach the Gospel, and do not teach the\npeople how they ought to look on at mass, hear preaching and pray.\nTherefore, we will briefly explain these three works.\n\nII. In the mass it is necessary that we attend with our a hearts also;\nand we do attend, when we exercise faith in our hearts.  Here we must\nrepeat the words of Christ, when He institutes the mass and says, \"Take\nand eat, this is My Body, which is given for you\"; in like manner over\nthe cup, \"Take and drink ye all of it: this is a new, everlasting\nTestament in My Blood, which is shed for you and for many for the\nremission of sins. This shall ye do, as oft as ye do it, in remembrance\nof Me.\" In these words Christ has made for Himself a memorial or\nanniversary, to be daily observed in all Christendom, and has added to\nit a glorious, rich, great testament, in which no interest, money or\ntemporal possessions are bequeathed and distributed, but the\nforgiveness of all sins, grace and mercy unto eternal life, that all\nwho come to this memorial shall have the same testament; and then He\ndied, whereby this testament has become permanent and irrevocable. In\nproof and evidence of which, instead of letter and seal, He has left\nwith us His own Body and Blood under the bread and wine.\n\nHere there is need that a man practise the first works of this\nCommandment right well, that he doubt not that what Christ has said is\ntrue, and consider the testament sure, so that he make not Christ a\nliar. For if you are present at mass and do not consider nor believe\nthat here Christ through His testament has bequeathed and given you\nforgiveness of all your sins, what else is it, than as if you said: \"I\ndo not know or do not believe that it is true that forgiveness of my\nsins is here bequeathed and given me\"? Oh, how many masses there are in\nthe world at present!  but how few who hear them with such faith and\nbenefit! Most grievously is God provoked to anger thereby. For this\nreason also no one shall or can reap any benefit from the mass except\nhe be in trouble of soul and long for divine mercy, and desire to be\nrid of his sins; or, if he have an evil intention, he must be changed\nduring the mass, and come to have a desire for this testament. For this\nreason in olden times no open sinner was allowed to be present at the\nmass.\n\nWhen this faith is rightly present, the heart must be made joyful by\nthe testament, and grow warm and melt in God's love. Then will follow\npraise and thanksgiving with a pure heart, from which the mass is\ncalled in Greek Eucharistia, that is, \"thanksgiving,\" because we praise\nand thank God for this comforting, rich, blessed testament, just as he\ngives thanks, praises and is joyful, to whom a good friend has\npresented a thousand and more gulden. Although Christ often fares like\nthose who make several persons rich by their testament, and these\npersons never think of them, nor praise or thank them. So our masses at\npresent are merely celebrated, without our knowing why or wherefore,\nand consequently we neither give thanks nor love nor praise, remain\nparched and hard, and have enough with our little prayer. Of this more\nanother time.\n\nIII. The sermon ought to be nothing else than the proclamation of this\ntestament. But who can hear it if no one preaches it?  Now, they who\nought to preach it, themselves do not know it. This is why the sermons\nramble off into other unprofitable stories, and thus Christ is\nforgotten, while we fare like the man in II.  Kings vii: we see our\nriches but do not enjoy them. Of which the Preacher also says, \"This is\na great evil, when God giveth a man riches, and giveth him not power to\nenjoy them.\" So we look on at unnumbered masses and do not know whether\nthe mass be a testament, or what it be, just as if it were any other\ncommon good work by itself. O God, how exceeding blind we are! But\nwhere this is rightly preached, it is necessary that it be diligently\nheard, grasped, retained, often thought of, and that the faith be thus\nstrengthened against all the temptation of sin, whether past, or\npresent, or to come.\n\nLo! this is the only ceremony or practice which Christ has instituted,\nin which His Christians shall assemble, exercise themselves and keep it\nwith one accord; and this He did not make to be a mere work like other\nceremonies, but placed into it a rich, exceeding great treasure, to be\noffered and bestowed upon all who believe on it.\n\nThis preaching should induce sinners to grieve over their sins, and\nshould kindle in them a longing for the treasure. It must, therefore,\nbe a grievous sin not to hear the Gospel, and to despise such a\ntreasure and so rich a feast to which we are bidden; but a much greater\nsin not to preach the Gospel, and to let so many people who would\ngladly hear it perish, since Christ has so strictly commanded that the\nGospel and this testament be preached, that He does not wish even the\nmass to be celebrated, unless the Gospel be preached, as He says: \"As\noft as ye do this, remember me\"; that is, as St. Paul says, \"Ye shall\npreach of His death.\" For this reason it is dreadful and horrible in\nour times to be a bishop, pastor and preacher; for no one any longer\nknows this testament, to say nothing of their preaching it, although\nthis is their highest and only duty and obligation. How heavily must\nthey give account for so many souls who must perish because of this\nlack in preaching.\n\nIV. We should pray, not as the custom is, counting many pages or beads,\nbut fixing our mind upon some pressing need, desire it with all\nearnestness, and exercise faith and confidence toward God in the\nmatter, in such wise that we do not doubt that we shall be heard. So\nSt. Bernard instructs his brethren and says: \"Dear brethren, you shall\nby no means despise your prayer, as if it were in vain, for I tell you\nof a truth that, before you have uttered the words, the prayer is\nalready recorded in heaven; and you shall confidently expect from God\none of two things: either that your prayer will be granted, or that, if\nit will not be granted, the granting of it would not be good for you.\"\n\nPrayer is, therefore, a special exercise of faith, and faith makes the\nprayer so acceptable that either it will surely be granted, or\nsomething better than we ask will be given in its stead. So also says\nSt. James: \"Let him who asketh of God not waver in faith; for if he\nwavers, let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the\nLord.\" This is a clear statement, which says directly: he who does not\ntrust, receives nothing, neither that which he asks, nor anything\nbetter.\n\nAnd to call forth such faith, Christ Himself has said, Mark xi:\n\"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray,\nbelieve that ye receive them, and ye shall surely have them.\" And Luke\nxi: \"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock,\nand it shall be opened unto you; for every one that asketh receiveth;\nand he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be\nopened. Or what father is there of you, who, if his son shall ask\nbread, will he give him a stone?  or if he ask a fish, will he give him\na serpent? or if he ask an egg, will he give him a scorpion? But if you\nknow how to give good gifts to your children, and you yourselves are\nnot naturally good, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven\ngive a good spirit to all them that ask Him!\"\n\nV. Who is so hard and stone-like, that such mighty words ought not to\nmove him to pray with all confidence! joyfully and gladly?  But how\nmany prayers must be reformed, if we are to pray aright according to\nthese words! Now, indeed, all churches and monastic houses are full of\npraying and singing, but how does it happen that so little improvement\nand benefit result from it, and things daily grow worse? The reason is\nnone other than that which St.  James indicates when he says: \"You ask\nmuch and receive not, because ye ask amiss.\" For where this faith and\nconfidence is not in the prayer, the prayer is dead, and nothing more\nthan a grievous labor and work. If anything is given for it, it is none\nthe less only temporal benefit without any blessing and help for the\nsoul; nay, to the great injury and blinding of souls, so that they go\ntheir way, babbling much with their mouths, regardless of whether they\nreceive, or desire, or trust; and in this unbelief, the state of mind\nmost opposed to the exercise of faith and to the nature of prayer, they\nremain hardened.\n\nFrom this it follows that one who prays aright never doubts that his\nprayer is surely acceptable and heard, although the very thing for\nwhich he prays be not given him. For we are to lay our need before God\nin prayer, but not prescribe to Him a measure, manner, time or place;\nbut if He wills to give it to us better or in another way than we\nthink, we are to leave it to Him; for frequently we do not know what we\npray, as St. Paul says, Romans viii; and God works and gives above all\nthat we understand, as he says, Ephesians iii, so that there be no\ndoubt that the prayer is acceptable and heard, and we yet leave to God\nthe time, place, measure and limit; He will surely do what is right.\nThey are the true worshipers, who worship God in spirit and in truth.\nFor they who believe not that they will be heard, sin upon the left\nhand against this Commandment, and go far astray with their unbelief.\nBut they who set a limit for Him, sin upon the other side, and come too\nclose with their tempting of God. So He has forbidden both, that we\nshould err from His Commandment neither to the left nor to the right,\nthat is, neither with unbelief nor with tempting, but with simple faith\nremain on the straight road, trusting Him, and yet setting Him no\nbounds.\n\nVI. Thus we see that this Commandment, like the Second, is to be\nnothing else than a doing and keeping of the First Commandment, that\nis, of faith, trust, confidence, hope and love to God, so that in all\nthe Commandments the First may be the captain, and faith the chief work\nand the life of all other works, without which, as was said, they\ncannot be good.\n\nBut if you say: \"What if I cannot believe that my prayer is heard and\naccepted?\" I answer: For this very reason faith, prayer and all other\ngood works are commanded, that you shall know what you can and what you\ncannot do. And when you find that you cannot so believe and do, then\nyou are humbly to confess it to God, and so begin with a weak spark of\nfaith and daily strengthen it more and more by exercising it in all\nyour living and doing. For as touching infirmity of faith (that is, of\nthe First and highest Commandment), there is no one on earth who does\nnot have his good share of it. For even the holy Apostles in the\nGospel, and especially St. Peter, were weak in faith, so that they also\nprayed Christ and said: \"Lord, increase our faith \"; and He very\nfrequently rebukes them because they have so little faith.\n\nTherefore you shall not despair, nor give up, even if you find that you\ndo not believe as firmly as you ought and wish, in your prayer or in\nother works. Nay, you shall thank God with all your heart that He thus\nreveals to you your weakness, through which He daily teaches and\nadmonishes you how much you need to exercise yourself and daily\nstrengthen yourself in faith. For how many do you see who habitually\npray, sing, read, work and seem to be great saints, and yet never get\nso far as to know where they stand in respect of the chief work, faith;\nand so in their blindness they lead astray themselves and others; think\nthey are very well off, and so unknowingly build on the sand of their\nworks without any faith, not on God's mercy and promise through a firm,\npure faith.\n\nTherefore, however long we live, we shall always have our hands full to\nremain, with all our works and sufferings, pupils of the First\nCommandment and of faith, and not to cease to learn. No one knows what\na great thing it is to trust God alone, except he who attempts it with\nhis works.\n\nVII. Again: if no other work were commanded, would not prayer alone\nsuffice to exercise the whole life of man in faith? For this work the\nspiritual estate has been specially established, as indeed in olden\ntimes some Fathers prayed day and night. Nay, there is no Christian who\ndoes not have time to pray without ceasing. But I mean the spiritual\npraying, that is: no one is so heavily burdened with his labor, but\nthat if he will he can, while working, speak with God in his heart, lay\nbefore Him his need and that of other men, ask for help, make petition,\nand in all this exercise and strengthen his faith.\n\nThis is what the Lord means, Luke xviii, when He says, \"Men ought\nalways to pray, and never cease,\" although in Matthew vi. He forbids\nthe use of much speaking and long prayers, because of which He rebukes\nthe hypocrites; not because the lengthy prayer of the lips is evil, but\nbecause it is not that true prayer which can be made at all times, and\nwithout the inner prayer of faith is nothing. For we must also practise\nthe outward prayer in its proper time, especially in the mass, as this\nCommandment requires, and wherever it is helpful to the inner prayer\nand faith, whether in the house or in the field, in this work or in\nthat; of which we have no time now to speak more. For this belongs to\nthe Lord's Prayer, in which all petitions and spoken prayer are summed\nup in brief words.\n\nVIII. Where now are they who desire to know and to do good works?  Let\nthem undertake prayer alone, and rightly exercise themselves in faith,\nand they will find that it is true, as the holy Fathers have said, that\nthere is no work like prayer. Mumbling with the mouth is easy, or at\nleast considered easy, but with earnestness of heart to follow the\nwords in deep devotion, that is, with desire and faith, so that one\nearnestly desires what the words say, and not to doubt that it will be\nheard: that is a great deed in God's eyes.\n\nHere the evil spirit hinders men with all his powers. Oh, how often\nwill he here prevent the desire to pray, not allow us to find time and\nplace, nay, often also raise doubts, whether a man is worthy to ask\nanything of such a Majesty as God is, and so confuse us that a man\nhimself does not know whether it is really true that he prays or not;\nwhether it is possible that his prayer is acceptable, and other such\nstrange thoughts. For the evil spirit knows well how powerful one man's\ntruly believing prayer is, and how it hurts him, and how it benefits\nall men. Therefore he does not willingly let it happen.\n\nWhen so tempted, a man must indeed be wise, and not doubt that he and\nhis prayer are, indeed, unworthy before such infinite Majesty; in no\nwise dare he trust his worthiness, or because of his unworthiness grow\nfaint; but he must heed God's command and cast this up to Him, and hold\nit before the devil, and say: \"Because of my worthiness I do nothing,\nbecause of my unworthiness I cease from nothing. I pray and work only\nbecause God of His pure mercy has promised to hear and to be gracious\nto all unworthy men, and not only promised it, but He has also most\nsternly, on pain of His everlasting displeasure and wrath, commanded us\nto pray, to trust and to receive. If it has not been too much for that\nhigh Majesty so solemnly and highly to obligate His unworthy worms to\npray, to trust, and to receive from Him, how shall it be too much for\nme to take such command upon myself with all joy, however worthy or\nunworthy I may be?\" Thus we must drive out the devil's suggestion with\nGod's command. Thus will he cease, and in no other way whatever.\n\nIX. But what are the things which we must bring before Almighty God in\nprayer and lamentation, to exercise faith thereby? Answer: First, every\nman's own besetting need and trouble, of which David says, Psalm xxxii:\n\"Thou art my refuge in all trouble which compasseth me about; Thou art\nmy comfort, to preserve me from all evil which surrounds me.\" Likewise,\nPsalm cxlii: \"I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto\nthe Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before\nHim; I showed before Him my trouble.\" In the mass a Christian shall\nkeep in mind the short-comings or excesses he feels, and pour out all\nthese freely before God with weeping and groaning, as woefully as he\ncan, as to his faithful Father, who is ready to help him.  And if you\ndo not know or recognise your need, or have no trouble, then you shall\nknow that you are in the worst possible plight. For this is the\ngreatest trouble, that you find yourself so hardened, hard-hearted and\ninsensible that no trouble moves you.\n\nThere is no better mirror in which to see your need than simply the Ten\nCommandments, in which you will find what you lack and what you should\nseek. If, therefore, you find in yourself a weak faith, small hope and\nlittle love toward God; and that you do not praise and honor God, but\nlove your own honor and fame, think much of the favor of men, do not\ngladly hear mass and sermon, are indolent in prayer, in which things\nevery one has faults, then you shall think more of these faults than of\nall bodily harm to goods, honor and life, and believe that they are\nworse than death and all mortal sickness. These you shall earnestly lay\nbefore God, lament and ask for help, and with all confidence expect\nhelp, and believe that you are heard and shall obtain help and mercy.\n\nThen go forward into the Second Table of the Commandments, and see how\ndisobedient you have been and still are toward father and mother and\nall in authority; how you sin against your neighbor with anger, hatred\nand evil words; how you are tempted to unchastity, covetousness and\ninjustice in word and deed against your neighbor; and you will\ndoubtless find that you are full of all need and misery, and have\nreason enough to weep even drops of blood, if you could.\n\nX. But I know well that many are so foolish as not to want to ask for\nsuch things, unless they first be conscious that they are pure, and\nbelieve that God hears no one who is a sinner. All this is the work of\nthose false preachers, who teach men to begin, not with faith and trust\nin God's favor, but with their own works.\n\nLook you, wretched man! if you have broken a leg, or the peril of death\novertakes you, you call upon God, this Saint and that, and do not wait\nuntil your leg is healed, or the danger is past: you are not so foolish\nas to think that God hears no one whose leg is broken, or who is in\nbodily danger. Nay, you believe that God shall hear most of all when\nyou are in the greatest need and fear. Why, then, are you so foolish\nhere, where there is immeasurably greater need and eternal hurt, and do\nnot want to ask for faith, hope, love, humility, obedience, chastity,\ngentleness, peace, righteousness, unless you are already free of all\nyour unbelief, doubt, pride, disobedience, unchastity, anger,\ncovetousness and unrighteousness. Although the more you find yourself\nlacking in these things, the more and more diligently you ought to pray\nor cry.\n\nSo blind are we: with our bodily sickness and need we run to God; with\nthe soul's sickness we run from Him, and are unwilling to come back\nbefore we are well, exactly as if there could be one God who could help\nthe body, and another God who could help the soul; or as if we would\nhelp ourselves in spiritual need, although it really is greater than\nthe bodily need. Such plan and counsel is of the devil.\n\nNot so, my good man! If you wish to be cured of sin, you must not\nwithdraw from God, but run to Him, and pray with much more confidence\nthan if a bodily need had overtaken you. God is not hostile to sinners,\nbut only to unbelievers, that is, to such as do not recognize and\nlament their sin, nor seek help against it from God, but in their own\npresumption wish first to purify themselves, are unwilling to be in\nneed of His grace, and will not suffer Him to be a God Who gives to\neveryone and takes nothing in return.\n\nXI. All this has been said of prayer for personal needs, and of prayer\nin general. But the prayer which really belongs to this Commandment and\nis called a work of the Holy Day, is far better and greater, and is to\nbe made for all Christendom, for all the need of all men, of foe and\nfriend, especially for those who belong to the parish or bishopric.\n\nThus St. Paul commanded his disciple Timothy: \"exhort thee, that thou\nsee to it, that prayers and intercessions be made for all men, for\nkings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and\npeaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and\nacceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.\" For this reason Jeremiah,\nchapter xxix, commanded the people of Israel to pray for the city and\nland of Babylon, because in the peace thereof they should have peace.\nAnd Baruch i: \"Pray for the life of the king of Babylon and for the\nlife of his son, that we may live in peace under their rule.\"\n\nThis common prayer is precious and the most powerful, and it is for its\nsake that we come together. For this reason also the Church is called a\nHouse of Prayer, because in it we are as a congregation with one accord\nto consider our need and the needs of all men, present them before God,\nand call upon Him for mercy.  But this must be done with heart-felt\nemotion and sincerity, so that we feel in our hearts the need of all\nmen, and that we pray with true sympathy for them, in true faith and\nconfidence. Where such prayers are not made in the mass, it were better\nto omit the mass. For what sense is there in our coming together into a\nHouse of Prayer, which coming together shows that we should make common\nprayer and petition for the entire congregation, if we scatter these\nprayers, and so distribute them that everyone prays only for himself,\nand no one has regard for the other, nor concerns himself for another's\nneed? How can that prayer be of help, good, acceptable and a common\nprayer, or a work of the Holy Day and of the assembled congregation,\nwhich they make who make their own petty prayers, one for this, the\nother for that, and have nothing but self-seeking, selfish prayers,\nwhich God hates?\n\nXII. A suggestion of this common prayer has been retained from ancient\npractice, when at the end of the sermon the Confession of Sins is said\nand prayer is made on the pulpit for all Christendom. But this should\nnot be the end of the matter, as is now the custom and fashion; it\nshould be an exhortation to pray throughout the entire mass for such\nneed as the preacher makes us feel; and in order that we may pray\nworthily, he first exhorts us because of our sin, and thereby makes us\nhumble. This should be done as briefly as possible, that then the\nentire congregation may confess their own sin and pray for every one\nwith earnestness and faith.\n\nOh, if God granted that any congregation at all heard mass and prayed\nin this way, so that a common earnest heart-cry of the entire people\nwould rise up to God, what immeasurable virtue and help would result\nfrom such a prayer! What more terrible thing could happen to all the\nevil spirits? What greater work could be done on earth, whereby so many\npious souls would be preserved, so many sinners converted?\n\nFor, indeed, the Christian Church on earth has no greater power or work\nthan such common prayer against everything that may oppose it. This the\nevil spirit knows well, and therefore he does all that he can to\nprevent such prayer. Gleefully he lets us go on building churches,\nendowing many monastic houses, making music, reading, singing,\nobserving many masses, and multiplying ceremonies beyond all measure.\nThis does not grieve him, nay, he helps us do it, that we may consider\nsuch things the very best, and think that thereby we have done our\nwhole duty. But in that meanwhile this common, effectual and fruitful\nprayer perishes and its omission is unnoticed because of such display,\nin this he has what he seeks. For when prayer languishes, no one will\ntake anything from him, and no one will withstand him. But if he\nnoticed that we wished to practise this prayer, even if it were under a\nstraw roof or in a pig-sty, he would indeed not endure it, but would\nfear such a pig-sty far more than all the high, big and beautiful\nchurches, towers and bells in existence, if such prayer be not in them.\nIt is indeed not a question of the places and buildings in which we\nassemble, but only of this unconquerable prayer, that we pray it and\nbring it before God as a truly common prayer.\n\nXIII. The power of this prayer we see in the fact that in olden times\nAbraham prayed for the five cities, Sodom, Gomorrah, etc., Genesis\nxviii, and accomplished so much, that if there had been ten righteous\npeople in them, two in each city, God would not have destroyed them.\nWhat then could many men do, if they united in calling upon God\nearnestly and with sincere confidence?\n\nSt. James also says: \"Dear brethren, pray for one another, that ye may\nbe saved. For the prayer of a righteous man availeth much, a prayer\nthat perseveres and does not cease\" (that is, which does not cease\nasking ever more and more, although what it asks is not immediately\ngranted, as some timid men do). And as an example in this matter he\nsets before us Elijah, the Prophet, \"who was a man,\" he says, \"as we\nare, and prayed, that it might not rain; and it rained not by the space\nof three years and six months. And he prayed again, and it rained, and\neverything became fruitful.\" There are many texts and examples in the\nScriptures which urge us to pray, only that it be done with earnestness\nand faith. As David says, \"The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous,\nand His ears are open unto their cry.\" Again, \"The Lord is nigh unto\nall them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth.\" Why\ndoes he add, \"call upon Him in truth\"? Because that is not prayer nor\ncalling upon God when the mouth alone mumbles.\n\nWhat should God do, if you come along with your mouth, book or\nPaternoster, and think of nothing except that you may finish the words\nand complete the number? So that if some one were to ask you what it\nall was about, or what it was that you prayed for, you yourself would\nnot know; for you had not thought of laying this or that matter before\nGod or desiring it. Your only reason for praying is that you are\ncommanded to pray this and so much, and this you intend to do in full.\nWhat wonder that thunder and lightning frequently set churches on fire,\nbecause we thus make of the House of Prayer a house of mockery, and\ncall that prayer in which we bring nothing before God and desire\nnothing from Him.\n\nBut we should do as they do who wish to ask a favor of great princes.\nThese do not plan merely to babble a certain number of words, for the\nprince would think they mocked him, or were insane; but they put their\nrequest very plainly, and present their need earnestly, and then leave\nit to his mercy, in good confidence that he will grant it. So we must\ndeal with God of definite things, namely, mention some present need,\ncommend it to His mercy and good-will, and not doubt that it is heard;\nfor He has promised to hear such prayer, which no earthly lord has done.\n\nXIV. We are masters in this form of prayer when we suffer bodily need;\nwhen we are sick we call here upon St. Christopher, there upon St.\nBarbara; we vow a pilgrimage to St. James, to this place and to that;\nthen we make earnest prayer, have a good confidence and every good kind\nof prayer. But when we are in our churches during mass, we stand like\nimages of saints; know nothing to speak of or to lament; the beads\nrattle, the pages rustle and the mouth babbles; and that is all there\nis to it.\n\nBut if you ask what you shall speak of and lament in your prayer, you\ncan easily learn from the Ten Commandments and the Lord's Prayer. Open\nyour eyes and look into your life and the life of all Christians,\nespecially of the spiritual estate, and you will find how faith, hope,\nlove, obedience, chastity and every virtue languish, and all manner of\nheinous vices reign; what a lack there is of good preachers and\nprelates; how only knaves, children, fools and women rule. Then you\nwill see that there were need every hour without ceasing to pray\neverywhere with tears of blood to God, Who is so terribly angry with\nmen. And it is true that it has never been more necessary to pray than\nat this time, and it will be more so from now on to the end of the\nworld. If such terrible crimes do not move you to lament and complain,\ndo not permit yourself to be led astray by your rank, station, good\nworks or prayer: there is no Christian vein or trait in you, however\nrighteous you may be. But it has all been foretold, that when God's\nanger is greatest and Christendom suffers the greatest need, then\npetitioners and supplicants before God shall not be found, as Isaiah\nsays with tears, chapter lxiv: \"Thou art angry with us, and there is\nnone that calleth upon Thy Name, that stirreth up himself to take hold\nof Thee.\" Likewise, Ezekiel xxii: \"I sought for a man among them, that\nshould make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land,\nthat I should not destroy it; but I found none. Therefore have I poured\nout Mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of\nMy wrath.\" With these words God indicates how He wants us to withstand\nHim and turn away His anger from one another, as it is frequently\nwritten of the Prophet Moses, that he restrained God, lest His anger\nshould overwhelm the people of Israel.\n\nXV. But what will they do, who not only do not regard such misfortune\nof Christendom, and do not pray against it, but laugh at it, take\npleasure in it, condemn, malign, sing and talk of their neighbor's\nsins, and yet dare, unafraid and unashamed, go to church, hear mass,\nsay prayers, and regard themselves and are regarded as pious\nChristians? These truly are in need that we pray twice for them, if we\npray once for those whom they condemn, talk about and laugh at. That\nthere would be such is also prophesied by the thief on Christ's left\nhand, who blasphemed Him in His suffering, weakness and need; also by\nall those who reviled Christ on the Cross, when they should most of all\nhave helped Him.\n\nO God, how blind, nay, how insane have we Christians become! When will\nthere be an end of wrath, O heavenly Father? That we mock at the\nmisfortune of Christendom, to pray for which we gather together in\nChurch and at the mass, that we blaspheme and condemn men, this is the\nfruit of our mad materialism. If the Turk destroys cities, country and\npeople, and ruins churches, we think a great injury has been done\nChristendom. Then we complain, and urge kings and princes to war. But\nwhen faith perishes, love grows cold, God's Word is neglected, and all\nmanner of sin flourishes, then no one thinks of fighting, nay, pope,\nbishops, priests and clergy, who ought to be generals, captains and\nstandard-bearers in this spiritual warfare against these spiritual and\nmany times worse Turks, these are themselves the very princes and\nleaders of such Turks and of the devil host, just as Judas was the\nleader of the Jews when they took Christ.  It had to be an apostle, a\nbishop, a priest, one of the number of the best, who began the work of\nslaying Christ. So also must Christendom be laid waste by no others\nthan those who ought to protect it, and yet are so insane that they are\nready to eat up the Turks and at home themselves set house and\nsheep-cote on fire and let them burn up with the sheep and all other\ncontents, and none the less worry about the wolf in the woods. Such are\nour times, and this is the reward we have earned by our ingratitude\ntoward the endless grace which Christ has won for us freely with His\nprecious blood, grievous labor and bitter death.\n\nXVI. Lo! where are the idle ones, who do not know how to do good works?\nWhere are they who run to Rome, to St. James, hither and thither? Take\nup this one single work of the mass, look on your neighbor's sin and\nruin, and have pity on him; let it grieve you, tell it to God, and pray\nover it. Do the same for every other need of Christendom, especially of\nthe rulers, whom God, for the intolerable punishment and torment of us\nall, allows to fall and be misled so terribly. If you do this\ndiligently, be assured you are one of the best fighters and captains,\nnot only against the Turks, but also against the devils and the powers\nof hell. But if you do it not, what would it help you though you\nperformed all the miracles of the saints, and murdered all the Turks,\nand yet were found guilty of having disregarded your neighbor's need\nand of having thereby sinned against love? For Christ at the last day\nwill not ask how much you have prayed, fasted, pilgrimaged, done this\nor that for yourself, but how much good you have done to others, even\nthe very least.\n\nNow without doubt among the \"least\" are also those who are in sin and\nspiritual poverty, captivity and need, of whom there are at present far\nmore than of those who suffer bodily need. Therefore take heed: our own\nself-assumed good works lead us to and into ourselves, that we seek\nonly our own benefit and salvation; but God's commandments drive us to\nour neighbor, that we may thereby benefit others to their salvation.\nJust as Christ on the Cross prayed not for Himself alone, but rather\nfor us, when He said, \"Father, forgive them, fort they know not what\nthey do,\" so we also must pray for one another. From which every man\nmay know that the slanderers, frivolous judges and despisers of other\npeople are a perverted, evil race, who do nothing else than heap abuse\non those for whom they ought to pray; in which vice no one is sunk so\ndeep as those very men who do many good works of their own, and seem to\nmen to be something extraordinary, and are honored because of their\nbeautiful, splendid life in manifold good works.\n\nXVII. Spiritually understood, this Commandment has a yet far higher\nwork, which embraces the whole nature of man. Here it must be known\nthat in Hebrew \"Sabbath\" means \"rest,\" because on the seventh day God\nrested and ceased from all His works, which He had made. Genesis ii.\nTherefore He commanded also that the seventh day should be kept holy\nand that we cease from our works which we do the other six days. This\nSabbath has now for us been changed into the Sunday, and the other days\nare called work-days; the Sunday is called rest-day or holiday or holy\nday. And would to God that in Christendom there were no holiday except\nthe Sunday; that the festivals of Our Lady and of the Saints were all\ntransferred to Sunday; then would many evil vices be done away with\nthrough the labor of the work-days, and lands would not be so drained\nand impoverished. But now we are plagued with many holidays, to the\ndestruction of souls, bodies and goods; of which matter much might be\nsaid.\n\nThis rest or ceasing from labors is of two kinds, bodily and spiritual.\nFor this reason this Commandment is also to be understood in two ways.\n\nThe bodily rest is that of which we have spoken above, namely, that we\nomit our business and work, in order that we may gather in the church,\nsee mass, hear God's Word and make common prayer.  This rest is indeed\nbodily and in Christendom no longer commanded by God, as the Apostle\nsays, Colossians ii, \"Let no man obligate you to any holiday\nwhatever\"--for they were of old a figure, but now the truth has been\nfulfilled, so that all days are holy days, as Isaiah says, chapter\nlxvi, \"One holy day shall follow the other\"; on the other hand, all\ndays are workdays. Yet it is a necessity and ordained by the Church for\nthe sake of the imperfect laity and working people, that they also may\nbe able to come to hear God's Word. For, as we see, the priests and\nclergy celebrate mass every day, pray at all hours and train themselves\nin God's Word by study, reading and hearing. For this reason also they\nare freed from work before others, supported by tithes and have\nholy-day every day, and every day do the works of the holy-day, and\nhave no work-day, but for them one day is as the other. And if we were\nall perfect, and knew the Gospel, we might work every day if we wished,\nor rest if we could. For a day of rest is at present not necessary nor\ncommanded except only for the teaching of God's Word and prayer.\n\nThe spiritual rest, which God particularly intends in this Commandment,\nis this: that we not only cease from our labor and trade, but much\nmore, that we let God alone work in us and that we do nothing of our\nown with all our powers. But how is this done? In this way: Man,\ncorrupted by sin, has much wicked love and inclination toward all sins,\nas the Scriptures say, Genesis viii, \"Man's heart and senses incline\nalways to the evil,\" that is, to pride, disobedience, anger, hatred,\ncovetousness, unchastity, etc., and summa summarum, in all that he does\nand leaves undone, he seeks his own profit, will and honor rather than\nGod's and his neighbor's. Therefore all his works, all his words, all\nhis thoughts, all his life are evil and not godly.\n\nNow if God is to work and to live in him, all this vice and wickedness\nmust be choked and up-rooted, so that there may be rest and a cessation\nof all our works, thoughts and life, and that henceforth (as St. Paul\nsays, Galatians ii.) it may be no longer we who live, but Christ Who\nlives, works and speaks in us.  This is not accomplished with\ncomfortable, pleasant days, but here we must hurt our nature and let it\nbe hurt. Here begins the strife between the spirit and the flesh; here\nthe spirit resists anger, lust, pride, while the flesh wants to be in\npleasure, honor and comfort. Of this St. Paul says, Galatians v, \"They\nthat are our Lord Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections\nand lusts.\" Then follow the good works,--fasting, watching, labor, of\nwhich some say and write so much, although they know neither the source\nnor the purpose of these good works.  Therefore we will now also speak\nof them.\n\nXVIII. This rest, namely, that our work cease and God alone work in us,\nis accomplished in two ways. First, through our own effort, secondly,\nthrough the effort or urging of others.\n\nOur own effort is to be so made and ordered that, in the first place,\nwhen we see our flesh, senses, will and thoughts tempting us, we resist\nthem and do not heed them, as the Wise Man says: \"Follow not thine own\ndesires.\" And Moses, Deuteronomy xii: \"Thou shalt not do what is right\nin thine own eyes.\"\n\nHere a man must make daily use of those prayers which David prays:\n\"Lord, lead me in Thy path, and let me not walk in my own ways,\" and\nmany like prayers, which are all summed up in the prayer, \"Thy kingdom\ncome.\" For the desires are so many, so various, and besides at times so\nnimble, so subtile and specious, through the suggestions of the evil\none, that it is not possible for a man to control himself in his own\nways. He must let hands and feet go, commend himself to God's\ngovernance, and entrust nothing to his reason, as Jeremiah says, \"O\nLord, I know that the way of man is not in his own power.\" We see proof\nof this, when the children of Israel went out of Egypt through the\nWilderness, where there was no way, no food, no drink, no help.\nTherefore God went before them, by day in a bright: cloud, by night in\na fiery pillar, fed them with manna from heaven, and kept their\ngarments and shoes that they waxed not old, as we read in the Books of\nMoses. For this reason we pray: \"Thy kingdom come, that Thou rule us,\nand not: we ourselves,\" for there is nothing more perilous in us than\nour reason and will. And this is the first and highest work of God in\nus and the best training, that we cease from our works, that we let our\nreason and will be idle, that we rest and commend ourselves to God in\nall things, especially when they seem to be spiritual and good.\n\nXIX. After this comes the discipline of the flesh, to kill its gross,\nevil lust, to give it rest and relief. This we must kill and quiet with\nfasting, watching and labor, and from this we learn how much and why we\nshall fast, watch and labor.\n\nThere are, alas! many blind men, who practise their castigation,\nwhether it be fasting, watching or labor, only because they think these\nare good works, intending by them to gain much merit. Far blinder still\nare they who measure their fasting not only by the quantity or\nduration, as these do, but also by the nature of the food, thinking\nthat it is of far greater worth if they do not eat meat, eggs or\nbutter. Beyond these are those who fast according to the saints, and\naccording to the days; one fasting on Wednesday, another on Saturday,\nanother on St. Barbara's day, another on St. Sebastian's day, and so\non. These all seek in their fasting nothing beyond the work itself:\nwhen they have performed that, they think they have done a good work. I\nwill here say nothing of the fact that some fast in such a way that\nthey none the less drink themselves full; some fast by eating fish and\nother foods so lavishly that they would come much nearer to fasting if\nthey ate meat, eggs and butter, and by so doing would obtain far better\nresults from their fasting. For such fasting is not fasting, but a\nmockery of fasting and of God.\n\nTherefore I allow everyone to choose his day, food and quantity for\nfasting, as he will, on condition that he do not stop with that, but\nhave regard to his flesh; let him put upon it fasting, watching and\nlabor according to its lust and wantonness, and no more, although pope,\nChurch, bishop, father-confessor or any one else whosoever have\ncommanded it. For no one should measure and regulate fasting, watching\nand labor according to the character or quantity of the food, or\naccording to the days, but according to the withdrawal or approach of\nthe lust and wantonness of the flesh, for the sake of which alone the\nfasting, watching and labor is ordained, that is, to kill and to subdue\nthem. If it were not for this lust, eating were as meritorious as\nfasting, sleeping as watching, idleness as labor, and each were as good\nas the other without all distinction.\n\nXX. Now, if some one should find that more wantonness arose in his\nflesh from eating fish than from eating eggs and meat, let him eat meat\nand not fish. Again, if he find that his head becomes confused and\ncrazed or his body and stomach injured through fasting, or that it is\nnot needful to kill the wantonness of his flesh, he shall let fasting\nalone entirely, and eat, sleep, be idle as is necessary for his health,\nregardless whether it be against the command of the Church, or the\nrules of monastic orders: for no commandment of the Church, no law of\nan order can make fasting, watching and labor of more value than it has\nin serving to repress or to kill the flesh and its lusts. Where men go\nbeyond this, and the fasting, eating, sleeping, watching are practised\nbeyond the strength of the body, and more than is necessary to the\nkilling of the lust, so that through it the natural strength is ruined\nand the head is racked; then let no one imagine that he has done good\nworks, or excuse himself by citing the commandment of the Church or the\nlaw of his order. He will be regarded as a man who takes no care of\nhimself, and, as far as in him lies, has become his own murderer.\n\nFor the body is not given us that we should kill its natural life or\nwork, but only that we kill its wantonness; unless its wantonness were\nso strong and great that we could not sufficiently resist it without\nruin and harm to the natural life.  For, as has been said, in the\npractice of fasting, watching and labor, we are not to look upon the\nworks in themselves, not on the days, not on the number, not on the\nfood, but only on the wanton and lustful Adam, that through them he may\nbe cured of his evil appetite.\n\nXXI. From this we can judge how wisely or foolishly some women act when\nthey are with child, and how the sick are to be treated.  For the\nfoolish women cling so firmly to their fasting that they run the risk\nof great danger to the fruit of their womb and to themselves, rather\nthan not to fast when the others fast. They make a matter of conscience\nwhere there is none, and where there is matter of conscience they make\nnone. This is all the fault of the preachers, because they continually\nprate of fasting, and never point out its true use, limit, fruit, cause\nand purpose.  So also the sick should be allowed to eat and to drink\nevery day whatever they wish. In brief, where the wantonness of the\nflesh ceases, there every reason for fasting, watching, laboring,\neating this or that, has already ceased, and there no longer is any\nbinding commandment at all.\n\nBut then care must be taken, lest out of this freedom there grow a lazy\nindifference about killing the wantonness of the flesh; for the roguish\nAdam is exceedingly tricky in looking for permission for himself, and\nin pleading the ruin of the body or of the mind; so some men jump right\nin and say it is neither necessary nor commanded to fast or to mortify\nthe flesh, and are ready to eat this and that without fear, just as if\nthey had for a long time had much experience of fasting, although they\nhave never tried it.\n\nNo less are we to guard against offending those who, not sufficiently\ninformed, regard it a great sin if we do not fast or eat as they do.\nThese we must kindly instruct, and not haughtily despise, nor eat this\nor that in despite of them, but we must tell them the reason why it is\nright to do so, and thus gradually lead them to a correct\nunderstanding. But if they are stubborn and will not listen, we must\nlet them alone, and do as we know it is right to do.\n\nXXII. The second form of discipline which we receive at the hands of\nothers, is when men or devils cause us suffering, as when our property\nis taken, our body sick, and our honor taken away; and everything that\nmay move us to anger, impatience and unrest. For God's work rules in us\naccording to His wisdom, not according to our wisdom, according to His\npurity and chastity, not according to the wantonness of our flesh; for\nGod's work is wisdom and purity, our work is foolishness and impurity,\nand these shall rest: so in like manner it should rule in us according\nto His peace, not our anger, impatience and lack of peace. For peace\ntoo is God's work, impatience is the work of our flesh; this shall rest\nand be dead, that we thus in every way keep a spiritual holiday, let\nour works stand idle, and let God work in us.\n\nTherefore in order to kill our works and the Adam in us, God heaps many\ntemptations upon us, which move us to anger, many sufferings, which\nrouse us to impatience, and last of all death and the world's abuse;\nwhereby He seeks nothing else than that He may drive out anger,\nimpatience and lack of peace, and attain to His work, that is, to\npeace, in us. Thus says Isaiah xxviii, \"He does the work of another\nthat He may come to His own work.\" What does this mean? He sends us\nsuffering and trouble that He may teach us to have patience and peace;\nHe bids us die that He may make us live, until a man, thoroughly\ntrained, becomes so peaceful and quiet that he is not disturbed,\nwhether it go well or ill with him, whether he die or live, be honored\nor dishonored. There God Himself dwells alone, and there are no works\nof men. This is rightly keeping and hallowing the day of rest; then a\nman does not guide himself, then he desires nothing for himself, then\nnothing troubles him; but God Himself leads him, there is naught but\ngodly pleasure, joy and peace with all other works and virtues.\n\nXXIII. These works He considers so great that He commands us not only\nto keep the day of rest, but also to hallow it or regard it as holy,\nwhereby He declares that there are no more precious things than\nsuffering, dying, and all manner of misfortune. For they are holy and\nsanctify a man from his works to God's works, just as a church is\nconsecrated from natural works to the worship of God. Therefore a man\nshall also recognise them as holy things, be glad and thank God when\nthey come upon him. For when they come they make him holy, so that he\nfulfils this Commandment and is saved, redeemed from all his sinful\nworks. Thus says David: \"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death\nof His saints.\"\n\nIn order to strengthen us thereto He has not only commanded us to keep\nsuch a rest (for nature is very unwilling to die and to suffer, and it\nis a bitter day of rest for it to cease from its works and be dead);\nbut He has also comforted us in the Scriptures with many words and told\nus, Psalm xci, \"I will be with him in all his trouble, and will deliver\nhim.\" Likewise Psalm xxxiv: \"The Lord is nigh unto all them that\nsuffer, and will help them.\"\n\nAs if this were not enough, He has given us a powerful, strong example\nof it, His only, dear Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who on the Sabbath\nlay in the tomb the entire day of rest, free from all His works, and\nwas the first to fulfil this Commandment, although He needed it not for\nHimself, but only for our comfort, that we also in all suffering and\ndeath should be quiet and have peace. Since, as Christ was raised up\nafter His rest and henceforth lives only in God and God in Him, so also\nshall we by the death of our Adam, which is perfectly accomplished only\nthrough natural death and burial, be lifted up into God, that God may\nlive and work in us forever. Lo! these are the three parts of man:\nreason, desire, aversion; in which all his works are done. These,\ntherefore, must be slain by these three exercises, God's governance,\nour self-mortification, the hurt done to us by others; and so they must\nspiritually rest before God, and give Him room for His works.\n\nXXIV. But such works are to be done and such sufferings to be endured\nin faith and in sure confidence of God's favor, in order that, as has\nbeen said, all works remain in the First Commandment and in faith, and\nthat faith, for the sake of which all other commandments and works are\nordained, exercise and strengthen itself in them. See, therefore, what\na pretty, golden ring these three Commandments and their works\nnaturally form, and how from the First Commandment and faith the Second\nflows on to the Third, and the Third in turn drives through the Second\nup into the First. For the first work is to believe, to have a good\nheart and confidence toward God. From this flows the second good work,\nto praise God's Name, to confess His grace, to give all honor to Him\nalone. Then follows the third, to worship by praying, hearing God's\nWord, thinking of and considering God's benefits, and in addition\nchastising one's self, and keeping the body under.\n\nBut when the evil spirit perceives such faith, such honoring of God and\nsuch worship, he rages and stirs up persecution, attacks body, goods,\nhonor and life, brings upon us sickness, poverty, shame and death,\nwhich God so permits and ordains. See, here begins the second work, or\nthe second rest of the Third Commandment; by this faith is very greatly\ntried, even as gold in the fire. For it is a great thing to retain a\nsure confidence in God, although He sends us death, shame, sickness,\npoverty; and in this cruel form of wrath to regard Him as our\nall-gracious Father, as must be done in this work of the Third\nCommandment.  Here suffering contains faith, that it must call upon\nGod's Name and praise it in such suffering, and so it comes through the\nThird Commandment into the Second again; and through that very calling\non the Name of God and praise, faith grows, and becomes conscious of\nitself, and so strengthens itself, through the two works of the Third\nand of the Second Commandment. Thus faith goes out into the works and\nthrough the works comes to itself again; just as the sun goes forth\nunto its setting and comes again unto its rising. For this reason the\nScriptures associate the day with peaceful living in works, the night\nwith passive living in adversity, and faith lives and works, goes out\nand comes in, in both, as Christ says, John ix.\n\nXXV. This order of good works we pray in the Lord's Prayer. The first\nis this, that we say: \"Our Father, Who art in heaven\"; these are the\nwords of the first work of faith, which, according to the First\nCommandment, does not doubt that it has a gracious Father in heaven.\nThe second: \"Hallowed be Thy Name,\" in which faith asks that God's\nName, praise and honor be glorified, and calls upon it in every need,\nas the Second Commandment says. The third: \"Thy kingdom come,\" in which\nwe pray for the true Sabbath and rest, peaceful cessation of our works,\nthat God's work alone be done in us, and so God rule in us as in His\nown kingdom, as He says, Luke xvii, \"Behold, God's kingdom is nowhere\nelse except within you.\" The fourth petition is \"Thy will be done\"; in\nwhich we pray that we may keep and have the Seven Commandments of the\nSecond Table, in which faith is exercised toward our neighbor; just as\nin the first three it is exercised in works toward God alone. And these\nare the petitions in which stands the word \"Thou, Thy, Thy, Thy,\"\nbecause they seek only what belongs to God; all the others say \"our,\nus, our,\" etc; for in them we pray for our goods and blessedness.\n\nLet this, then, suffice as a plain, hasty explanation of the First\nTable of Moses, pointing out to simple folk what are the highest of\ngood works.\n\nThe Second Table follows.\n\n\n\n\"Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother.\"\n\nFrom this Commandment we learn that after the excellent works of the\nfirst three Commandments there are no better works than to obey and\nserve all those who are set over us as superiors. For this reason also\ndisobedience is a greater sin than murder, unchastity, theft and\ndishonesty, and all that these may include.  For we can in no better\nway learn how to distinguish between greater and lesser sins than by\nnoting the order of the Commandments of God, although there are\ndistinctions also within the works of each Commandment. For who does\nnot know that to curse is a greater sin than to be angry, to strike\nthan to curse, to strike father and mother more than to strike any one\nelse?  Thus these seven Commandments teach us how we are to exercise\nourselves in good works toward men, and first of all toward our\nsuperiors.\n\nThe first work is that we honor our own father and mother. And this\nhonor consists not only in respectful demeanor, but in this: that we\nobey them, look up to, esteem and heed their words and example, accept\nwhat they say, keep silent and endure their treatment of us, so long as\nit is not contrary to the first three Commandments; in addition, when\nthey need it, that we provide them with food, clothing and shelter. For\nnot for nothing has He said: \"Thou shalt honor them\"; He does not say:\n\"Thou shalt love them,\" although this also must be done. But honor is\nhigher than mere love and includes a certain fear, which unites with\nlove, and causes a man to fear offending them more than he fears the\npunishment. Just as there is fear in the honor we pay a sanctuary, and\nyet we do not flee from it as from a punishment, but draw near to it\nall the more. Such a fear mingled with love is the true honor; the\nother fear without any love is that which we have toward things which\nwe despise or flee from, as we fear the hangman or punishment. There is\nno honor in that, for it is a fear without all love, nay, fear that has\nwith it hatred and enmity. Of this we have a proverb of St. Jerome:\nWhat we fear, that we also hate. With such a fear God does not wish to\nbe feared or honored, nor to have us honor our parents; but with the\nfirst, which is mingled with love and confidence.\n\nII. This work appears easy, but few regard it aright. For where the\nparents are truly pious and love their children not according to the\nflesh, but (as they ought) instruct and direct them by words and works\nto serve God according to the first three Commandments, there the\nchild's own will is constantly broken, and it must do, leave undone,\nand suffer what its nature would most gladly do otherwise; and thereby\nit finds occasion to despise its parents, to murmur against them, or to\ndo worse things. There love and fear depart, unless they have God's\ngrace.  In like manner, when they punish and chastise, as they ought\n(at times even unjustly, which, however, does not harm the soul's\nsalvation), our evil nature resents the correction. Beside all this,\nthere are some so wicked that they are ashamed of their parents because\nof poverty, lowly birth, deformity or dishonor, and allow these things\nto influence them more than the high Commandment of God, Who is above\nall things, and has with benevolent intent given them such parents, to\nexercise and try them in His Commandment. But the matter becomes still\nworse when the child has children of its own; then love descends to\nthem, and detracts very much from the love and honor toward the parents.\n\nBut what is said and commanded of parents must also be understood of\nthose who, when the parents are dead or absent, take their place, such\nas relatives, god-parents, sponsors, temporal lords and spiritual\nfathers. For every one must be ruled and be subject to other men.\nWherefore we here see again how many good works are taught in this\nCommandment, since in it all our life is made subject to other men.\nHence it comes that obedience is so highly praised and all virtue and\ngood works are included in it.\n\nIII. There is another dishonoring of parents, much more dangerous and\nsubtile than this first, which adorns itself and passes for a real\nhonor; that is, when a child has its own way, and the parents through\nnatural love allow it. Here there is indeed mutual honor, here there is\nmutual love, and on all sides it is a precious thing, parents and child\ntake mutual pleasure in one another.\n\nThis plague is so common that instances of the first form of\ndishonoring are very seldom seen. This is due to the fact that the\nparents are blinded, and neither know nor honor God according to the\nfirst three Commandments; hence also they cannot see what the children\nlack, and how they ought to teach and train them.  For this reason they\ntrain them for worldly honors, pleasure and possessions, that they may\nby all means please men and reach high positions: this the children\nlike, and they obey very gladly without gainsaying.\n\nThus God's Commandment secretly comes to naught while all seems good,\nand that is fulfilled which is written in the Prophets Isaiah and\nJeremiah, that the children are destroyed by their own parents, and\nthey do like the king Manasseh, who sacrificed his own son to the idol\nMoloch and burned him, II. Kings xxi. What else is it but to sacrifice\none's own child to the idol and to burn it, when parents train their\nchildren more in the way of the world than in the way of God? let them\ngo their way, and be burned up in worldly pleasure, love, enjoyment,\npossessions and honor, but let God's love and honor and the desire of\neternal blessings be quenched in them?\n\nO how perilous it is to be a father or a mother, where flesh and blood\nare supreme! For, truly, the knowledge and fulfilment of the first\nthree and the last six Commandments depends altogether upon this\nCommandment; since parents are commanded to teach them to their\nchildren, as Psalm lxxviii. says, \"How strictly has He commanded our\nfathers, that they should make known God's Commandments to their\nchildren, that the generation to come might know them and declare them\nto their children's children.\" This also is the reason why God bids us\nhonor our parents, that is, to love them with fear; for that other love\nis without fear, therefore it is more dishonor than honor.\n\nNow see whether every one does not have good works enough to do,\nwhether he be father or child. But we blind men leave this untouched,\nand seek all sorts of other works which are not commanded.\n\nIV. Now where parents are foolish and train their children after the\nfashion of the world, the children are in no way to obey them; for God,\naccording to the first three Commandments, is to be more highly\nregarded than the parents. But training after the fashion of the world\nI call it, when they teach them to seek no more than pleasure, honor\nand possessions of this world or its power.\n\nTo wear decent clothes and to seek an honest living is a necessity, and\nnot sin. Yet the heart of a child must be taught to be sorry that this\nmiserable earthly life cannot well be lived, or even begun, without the\nstriving after more adornment and more possessions than are necessary\nfor the protection of the body against cold and for nourishment. Thus\nthe child must be taught to grieve that, without its own will, it must\ndo the world's will and play the fool with the rest of men, and endure\nsuch evil for the sake of something better and to avoid something\nworse. So Queen Esther wore her royal crown, and yet said to God,\nEsther xiv, \"Thou knowest, that the sign of my high estate, which is\nupon my head, has never yet delighted me, and I abhor it as a\nmenstruous rag, and never wear it when I am by myself, but when I must\ndo it and go before the people.\" The heart that is so minded wears\nadornment without peril; for it wears and does not wear, dances and\ndoes not dance, lives well and does not live well. And these are the\nsecret souls, hidden brides of Christ, but they are rare; for it is\nhard not to delight in great adornment and parade. Thus St. Cecilia\nwore golden clothes at the command of her parents, but within against\nher body she wore a garment of hair.\n\nHere some men say: \"How then could I bring my children into society,\nand marry them honorably? I must make some display.\" Tell me, are not\nthese the words of a heart which despairs of God, and trusts more on\nits own providing than on God's care?  Whereas St. Peter teaches and\nsays, I. Peter v, \"Cast all your care upon Him, and be certain that He\ncares for you.\" It is a sign that they have never yet thanked God for\ntheir children, have never yet rightly prayed for them, have never yet\ncommended them to Him; otherwise they would know and have experienced\nthat they ought to ask God also for the marriage dower of their\nchildren, and await it from Him. Therefore also He permits them to go\ntheir way, with cares and worries, and yet succeed poorly.\n\nV. Thus it is true, as men say, that parents, although they had nothing\nelse to do, could attain salvation by training their own children; if\nthey rightly train them to God's service, they will indeed have both\nhands full of good works to do. For what else are here the hungry,\nthirsty, naked, imprisoned, sick, strangers, than the souls of your own\nchildren? with whom God makes of your house a hospital, and sets you\nover them as chief nurse, to wait on them, to give them good words and\nworks as meat and drink, that they may learn to trust, believe and fear\nGod, and to place their hope on Him, to honor His Name, not to swear\nnor curse, to mortify themselves by praying, fasting, watching,\nworking, to attend worship and to hear God's Word, and to keep the\nSabbath, that they may learn to despise temporal things, to bear\nmisfortune calmly, and not to fear death nor to love this life.\n\nSee, what great lessons are these, how many good works you have before\nyou in your home, with your child, that needs all these things like a\nhungry, thirsty, naked, poor, imprisoned, sick soul. O what a blessed\nmarriage and home were that where such parents were to be found! Truly\nit would be a real Church, a chosen cloister, yea, a paradise. Of such\nsays Psalm cxxviii: \"Blessed are they that fear God, and walk in His\nCommandments; thou shalt eat of the labor of thine hands; therefore\nthou shalt be happy, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be\nas a fruitful vine in thine house, and thy children shall be as the\nyoung scions of laden olive trees about thy table. Behold, thus shall\nthe man be blessed, that feareth the Lord,\" etc. Where are such\nparents? Where are they that ask after good works? Here none wishes to\ncome. Why? God has commanded it; the devil, flesh and blood pull away\nfrom it; it makes no show, therefore it counts for nothing. Here this\nhusband runs to St. James, that wife vows a pilgrimage to Our Lady; no\none vows that he will properly govern and teach himself and his child\nto the honor of God; he leaves behind those whom God has commanded him\nto keep in body and soul, and would serve God in some other place,\nwhich has not been commanded him. Such perversity no bishop forbids, no\npreacher corrects; nay, for covetousness' sake they confirm it and\ndaily only invent more pilgrimages, elevations of saints,\nindulgence-fairs. God have pity on such blindness.\n\nVI. On the other hand, parents cannot earn eternal punishment in any\nway more easily than by neglecting their own children in their own\nhome, and not teaching them the things which have been spoken of above.\nOf what help is it, that they kill themselves with fasting, praying,\nmaking pilgrimages, and do all manner of good works? God will, after\nall, not ask them about these things at their death and in the day of\njudgment, but will require of them the children whom He entrusted to\nthem. This is shown by that word of Christ, Luke xxiii, \"Ye daughters\nof Jerusalem, weep not for me, but for yourselves and for your\nchildren. The days are coming, in which they shall say: Blessed are the\nwombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.\" Why shall\nthey lament, except because all their condemnation comes from their own\nchildren? If they had not had children, perhaps they might have been\nsaved. Truly, these words ought to open the eyes of parents, that they\nmay have regard to the souls of their children, so that the poor\nchildren be not deceived by their false, fleshly love, as if they had\nrightly honored their parents when they are not angry with them, or are\nobedient in worldly matters, by which their self-will is strengthened;\nalthough the Commandment places the parents in honor for the very\npurpose that the self-will of the children may be broken, and that the\nchildren may become humble and meek.\n\nJust as it has been said of the other Commandments, that they are to be\nfulfilled in the chief work, so here too let no one suppose that the\ntraining and teaching of his children is sufficient of itself, except\nit be done in confidence of divine favor, so that a man doubt not that\nhe is wellpleasing to God in his works, and that he let such works be\nnothing else than an exhortation and exercise of his faith, that he\ntrust God and look to Him for blessings and a gracious will; without\nwhich faith no work lives, or is good and acceptable; for many heathen\nhave trained their children beautifully, but it is all lost, because of\ntheir unbelief.\n\nVII. The second work of this Commandment is to honor and obey the\nspiritual mother, the holy Christian Church, the spiritual power, so\nthat we conform to what she commands, forbids, appoints, orders, binds\nand looses, and honor, fear and love the spiritual authority as we\nhonor, love and fear our natural parents, and yield to it in all things\nwhich are not contrary to the first three Commandments.\n\nNow with regard to this work, things are almost worse than with regard\nto the first. The spiritual authority should punish sin with the ban\nand with laws, and constrain its spiritual children to be good, in\norder that they might have reason to do this work and to exercise\nthemselves in obeying and honoring it. Such zeal one does not see now;\nthey act toward their subjects like the mothers who forsake their\nchildren and run after their lovers, as Hosea ii. says; they do not\npreach, they do not teach, they do not hinder, they do not punish, and\nthere is no spiritual government at all left in Christendom.\n\nWhat can I say of this work? A few fast-days and feast-days are left,\nand these had better be done away with. But no one gives this a\nthought, and there is nothing left except the ban for debt, and this\nshould not be. But spiritual authority should look to it, that\nadultery, unchastity, usury, gluttony, worldly show, excessive\nadornment, and such like open sin and shame might be most severely\npunished and corrected; and they should properly manage the endowments,\nmonastic houses, parishes and schools, and earnestly maintain worship\nin them, provide for the young people, boys and girls, in schools and\ncloisters, with learned, pious men as teachers, that they might all be\nwell trained, and so the older people give a good example and\nChristendom be filled and adorned with fine young people. So St. Paul\nteaches his disciple Titus, that he should rightly instruct and govern\nall classes, young and old, men and women. But now he goes to school\nwho wishes; he is taught who governs and teaches himself; nay, it has,\nalas! come to such a pass that the places where good should be taught\nhave become schools of knavery, and no one at all takes thought for the\nwild youth.\n\nVIII. If the above order prevailed, one could say how honor and\nobedience should be given to the spiritual authority. But now the case\nis like that of the natural parents who let their children do as they\nplease; at present the spiritual authority threatens, dispenses, takes\nmoney, and pardons more than it has power to pardon. I will here\nrefrain from saying more; we see more of it than is good; greed holds\nthe reins, and just what should be forbidden is taught; and it is\nclearly seen that the spiritual estate is in all things more worldly\nthan the worldly estate itself. Meanwhile Christendom must be ruined,\nand this Commandment perish.\n\nIf there were a bishop who would zealously provide for all these\nclasses, supervise, make visitations and be faithful as he ought,\ntruly, one city would be too much for him. For in the time of the\nApostles, when Christendom was at its best estate, each city had a\nbishop, although the smallest part of the inhabitants were Christians.\nHow may things go when one bishop wants to have so much, another so\nmuch, this one the whole world, that one the fourth of it.\n\nIt is time that we pray God for mercy. Of spiritual power we have much;\nbut of spiritual government nothing or little. Meanwhile may he help\nwho can, that endowments, monastic houses, parishes and schools be well\nestablished and managed; and it would also be one of the works of the\nspiritual authority that it lessen the number of endowments, monastic\nhouses and schools, where they cannot be cared for. It is much better\nthat there be no monastic house or endowment than that there be evil\ngovernment in them, whereby God is the more provoked to anger.\n\nIX. Since, then, the authorities so entirely neglect their work, and\nare perverted, it must assuredly follow that they misuse their power,\nand undertake other and evil works, just as parents do when they give\nsome command contrary to God. Here we must be wise; for the Apostle has\nsaid, that those times shall be perilous in which such authorities\nshall rule. For it seems as if we resisted their power if we do not do\nand leave undone all that they prescribe. Therefore we must take hold\nof the first three Commandments and the First Table, and be certain\nthat no man, neither bishop, nor pope, nor angel, may command or\ndetermine anything that is contrary to or hinders these three\nCommandments, or does not help them; and if they attempt such things,\nit is not valid and amounts to nothing; and we also sin if we follow\nand obey, or even tolerate such acts.\n\nFrom this it is easy to understand that the commands of fasting do not\ninclude the sick, the pregnant women, or those who for other reasons\ncannot fast without injury. And, to rise higher, in our time nothing\ncomes from Rome but a fair of spiritual wares, which are openly and\nshamelessly bought and sold, indulgences, parishes, monastic houses,\nbishoprics, provostships, benefices, and every thing that has ever been\nfounded to God's service far and wide; whereby not only is all money\nand wealth of the world drawn and driven to Rome (for this would be the\nsmallest harm), but the parishes, bishoprics and prelacies are torn to\npieces, deserted, laid waste, and so the people are neglected, God's\nWord and God's Name and honor come to naught, and faith is destroyed,\nso that at last such institutions and offices fall into the hands not\nonly of unlearned and unfit men, but the greater part into the hands of\nthe Romans, the greatest villains in the world. Thus what has been\nfounded for God's service, for the instruction, government and\nimprovement of the people, must now serve the stable-boys,\nmule-drivers, yea, not to use plainer language, Roman whores and\nknaves; yet we have no more thanks than that they mock us for it as\nfools.\n\nX. If then such unbearable abuses are all carried on in the Name of God\nand St. Peter, just as if God's Name and the spiritual power were\ninstituted to blaspheme God's honor, to destroy Christendom, body and\nsoul: we are indeed in duty bound to resist in a proper way as much as\nwe can. And here we must do like pious children whose parents have\nbecome insane, and first see by what right that which has been founded\nfor God's service in our lands, or has been ordained to provide for our\nchildren, must be allowed to do its work in Rome, and to lapse here,\nwhere it ought to serve. How can we be so foolish?\n\nSince then bishops and spiritual prelates stand idle in this matter,\noffer no opposition or are afraid, and thus allow Christendom to\nperish, it is our duty first of all humbly to call upon God for help to\nprevent this thing, then to put our hand to work to the same end, send\nthe courtesans and those who bear letters from Rome about their\nbusiness, in a reasonable, gentle way inform them that, if they wish to\ncare for their parishes properly, they shall live in them and improve\nthe people by preaching or by good example; or if not, and they do live\nin Rome or elsewhere, lay waste and debauch the churches, then let the\npope feed them, whom they serve. It is not fitting that we support the\npope's servants, his people, yes, his knaves and whores, to the\ndestruction and injury of our souls.\n\nLo! these are the true Turks, whom the kings, princes and the nobility\nought to attack first: not seeking thereby their own benefit, but only\nthe improvement of Christendom, and the prevention of the blasphemy and\ndisgracing of the divine Name; and so to deal with the clergy as with a\nfather who has lost his sense and wits; who, if one did not restrain\nhim and resist him (although with all humility and honor), might\ndestroy child, heir and everybody. Thus we are to honor Roman authority\nas our highest father; and yet, since they have gone mad and lost their\nsenses, not allow them to do what they attempt, lest Christendom be\ndestroyed thereby.\n\nXI. Some think, this should be referred to a General Council. To this I\nsay: No! For we have had many councils in which this has been proposed,\nnamely, at Constance, Basel and the last Roman Council; but nothing has\nbeen accomplished, and things have grown ever worse, Moreover, such\ncouncils are entirely useless, since Roman wisdom has contrived the\ndevice that the kings and princes must beforehand take an oath to let\nthe Romans remain what they are and keep what they have, and so has put\nup a bar to ward off all reformation, to retain protection and liberty\nfor all their knavery, although this oath is demanded, forced and taken\ncontrary to God and the law, and by it the doors are locked against the\nHoly Spirit, Who should rule the councils. But this would be the best,\nand also the only remedy remaining, if kings, princes, nobility, cities\nand communities themselves began and opened a way for reformation, so\nthat the bishops and clergy, who now are afraid, would have reason to\nfollow. For here nothing else shall and must be considered except God's\nfirst three Commandments, against which neither Rome, nor heaven nor\nearth can command or forbid anything. And the ban or threatening with\nwhich they think they can prevent this, amounts to nothing; just as it\namounts to nothing if an insane father severely threatens the son who\nrestrains him or locks him up.\n\nXII. The third work of this Commandment is to obey the temporal\nauthority, as Paul teaches, Romans xiii, and Titus iii, and St.  Peter,\nI. Peter ii: \"Submit yourselves to the king as supreme, and to the\nprinces as his ambassadors, and to all the ordinances of the worldly\npower.\" But it is the work of the temporal power to protect its\nsubjects, and to punish thievery, robbery, and adultery, as St. Paul\nsays, Romans xiii: \"It beareth not the sword in vain; it serves God\nwith it, to the terror of evil doers, and to the protection of the\ngood.\"\n\nHere men sin in two ways. First, if they lie to the government, deceive\nit, and are disloyal, neither obey nor do as it has ordered and\ncommanded, whether with their bodies or their possessions. For even if\nthe government does injustice, as the King of Babylon did to the people\nof Israel, yet God would have it obeyed, without treachery and\ndeception. Secondly, when men speak evil of the government and curse\nit, and when a man cannot revenge himself and abuses the government\nwith grumbling and evil words, publicly or secretly.\n\nIn all this we are to regard that which St. Peter bids us regard,\nnamely, that its power, whether it do right or wrong, cannot harm the\nsoul, but only the body and property; unless indeed it should try\nopenly to compel us to do wrong against God or men; as in former days\nwhen the magistrates were not yet Christians, and as the Turk is now\nsaid to do. For to suffer wrong destroys no one's soul, nay, it\nimproves the soul, although it inflicts loss upon the body and\nproperty; but to do wrong, that destroys the soul, although it should\ngain all the world's wealth.\n\nXIII. This also is the reason why there is not such great danger in the\ntemporal power as in the spiritual, when it does wrong.  For the\ntemporal power can do no harm, I since it has nothing to do with\npreaching and faith and the first three Commandments. But the spiritual\npower does harm not only when it does wrong, but also when it neglects\nits duty and busies itself with other things, even if they were better\nthan the very best works of the temporal power. Therefore, we must\nresist it when it does not do right, and not resist the temporal power\nalthough it does wrong.  For the poor people believe and do as they see\nthe spiritual power believing and doing; if they are not set an example\nand are not taught, then they also believe nothing and do nothing;\nsince this power is instituted for no other reason than to lead the\npeople in faith to God. All this is not found in the temporal power;\nfor it may do and leave undone what it will, my faith to God still goes\nits way and works its works, because I need not believe what it\nbelieves.\n\nTherefore, also, the temporal power is a very small thing in God's\nsight, and far too slightly regarded by Him, that for its sake, whether\nit do right or wrong, we should resist, become disobedient and quarrel.\nOn the other hand, the spiritual power is an exceeding great blessing,\nand far too precious in His eyes, that the very least of Christians\nshould endure and keep silent, if it departs a hair's breadth from its\nown duty, not to say when it does the very opposite of its duty, as we\nnow see it do every day.\n\nXIV. In this power also there is much abuse. First, when it follows the\nflatterers, which is a common and especially harmful plague of this\npower, against which no one can sufficiently guard and protect himself.\nHere it is led by the nose, and oppresses the common people, becomes a\ngovernment of the like of which a heathen says: \"The spider-webs catch\nthe small flies, but the mill-stones roll through.\" So the laws,\nordinances and government of one and the same authority hold the small\nmen, and the great are free; and where the prince is not himself so\nwise that he needs nobody's advice, or has such a standing that they\nfear him, there will and must be (unless God should do a special\nwonder) a childish government.\n\nFor this reason God has considered evil, unfit rulers the greatest of\nplagues, as He threatens, Isaiah iii, \"I will take away from them every\nman of valor, and will give children to be their princes and babes to\nrule over them.\" Four plagues God has named in Scripture, Ezekiel xiv.\nThe first and slightest, which also David chose, is pestilence, the\nsecond is famine, the third is war, the fourth is all manner of evil\nbeasts, such as lions, wolves, serpents, dragons; these are the wicked\nrulers. For where these are, the land is destroyed, not only in body\nand property, as in the others, but also in honor, discipline, virtue\nand the soul's salvation. For pestilence and famine make people good\nand rich; but war and wicked rulers bring to naught everything that has\nto do with temporal and eternal possessions.\n\nXV. A prince must also be very wise and not at all times undertake to\nenforce his own will, although he may have the authority and the very\nbest cause. For it is a far nobler virtue to endure wrong to one's\nauthority than to risk property and person, if it is advantageous to\nthe subjects; since worldly rights attach only to temporal goods.\n\nHence, it is a very foolish saying: I have a right to it, therefore I\nwill take it by storm and keep it, although all sorts of misfortune may\ncome to others thereby. So we read of the Emperor Octavianus, that he\ndid not wish to make war, however just his cause might be, unless there\nwere sure indications of greater benefit than harm, or at least that\nthe harm would not be intolerable, and said: \"War is like fishing with\na golden net; the loss risked is always greater than the catch can be.\"\nFor he who guides a wagon must walk far otherwise than if he were\nwalking alone; when alone he may walk, jump, and do as he will; but\nwhen he drives, he must so guide and adapt himself that the wagon and\nhorses can follow him, and regard that more than his own will. So also\na prince leads a multitude with him and must not walk and act as he\nwills, but as the multitude can, considering their need and advantage\nmore than his will and pleasure. For when a prince rules after his own\nmad will and follows his own opinion, he is like a mad driver, who\nrushes straight ahead with horse and wagon, through bushes, thorns,\nditches, water, up hill and down dale, regardless of roads and bridges;\nhe will not drive long, all will go to smash.\n\nTherefore it would be most profitable for rulers, that they read, or\nhave read to them, from youth on, the histories, both in sacred and in\nprofane books, in which they would find more examples and skill in\nruling than in all the books of law; as we read that the kings of\nPersia did, Esther vi. For examples and histories benefit and teach\nmore than the laws and statutes: there actual experience teaches, here\nuntried and uncertain words.\n\nXVI. Three special, distinct works all rulers might do in our times,\nparticularly in our lands. First, to make an end of the horrible\ngluttony and drunkenness, not only because of the excess, but also\nbecause of its expense. For through seasonings and spices and the like,\nwithout which men could well live, no little loss of temporal wealth\nhas come and daily is coming upon our lands. To prevent these two great\nevils would truly give the temporal power enough to do, for the inroads\nthey have made are wide and deep. And how could those in power serve\nGod better and thereby also improve their own land?\n\nSecondly, to forbid the excessive cost of clothing, whereby so much\nwealth is wasted, and yet only the world and the flesh are served; it\nis fearful to think that such abuse is to be found among the people who\nhave been pledged, baptised and consecrated to Christ, the Crucified,\nand who should bear the Cross after Him and prepare for the life to\ncome by dying daily. If some men erred through ignorance, it might be\nborne; but that it is practised so freely, without punishment, without\nshame, without hindrance, nay, that praise and fame are sought thereby,\nthis is indeed an unchristian thing. Thirdly, to drive out the usurious\nbuying of rent-charges, which in the whole world ruins, consumes and\ntroubles all lands, peoples and cities through its cunning form, by\nwhich it appears not to be usury, while in truth it is worse than\nusury, because men are not on their guard against it as against open\nusury. See, these are the three Jews, as men say, who suck the whole\nworld dry. Here princes ought not to sleep, nor be lazy, if they would\ngive a good account of their office to God.\n\nXVII. Here too ought to be mentioned the knavery which is practised by\nofficiales and other episcopal and spiritual officers, who ban, load,\nhunt and drive the poor people with great burdens, as long as a penny\nremains. This ought to be prevented by the temporal sword, since there\nis no other help or remedy.\n\nO, would God in heaven, that some time a government might be\nestablished that would do away with the public bawdy-houses, as was\ndone among the people of Israel! It is indeed an unchristian sight,\nthat public houses of sin are maintained among Christians, a thing\nformerly altogether unheard of. It should be a rule that boys and girls\nshould be married early and such vice be prevented. Such a rule and\ncustom ought to be sought for by both the spiritual and the temporal\npower. If it was possible among the Jews, why should it not also be\npossible among Christians?  Nay, if it is possible in villages, towns\nand some cities, as we all see, why should it not be possible\neverywhere?\n\nBut the trouble is, there is no real government in the world. No one\nwants to work, therefore the mechanics must give their workmen holiday:\nthen they are free and no one can tame them. But if there were a rule\nthat they must do as they are bid, and no one would give them work in\nother places, this evil would to a large extent be mended. God help us!\nI fear that here the wish is far greater than the hope; but this does\nnot excuse us.\n\nNow see, here only a few works of magistrates are indicated, but they\nare so good and so many, that they have superabundant good works to do\nevery hour and could constantly serve God. But these works, like the\nothers, should also be done in faith, yea, be an exercise of faith, so\nthat no one expect to please God by the works, but by confident trust\nin His favor do such works only to the honor and praise of his gracious\nGod, thereby to serve and benefit his neighbor.\n\nXVIII. The fourth work of this Commandment is obedience of servants and\nworkmen toward their lords and ladies, masters and mistresses. Of this\nSt. Paul says, Titus ii: \"Thou shalt exhort servants that they highly\nhonor their masters, be obedient, do what pleases them, not cheating\nthem nor opposing them\"; for this reason also: because they thereby\nbring the doctrine of Christ and our faith into good repute, that the\nheathen cannot complain of us and be offended. St. Peter also says:\n\"Servants, be subject to your masters, for the fear of God, not only to\nthe good and gentle, but also to the froward and harsh. For this is\nacceptable with God, if a man suffers harshness, being innocent.\"\n\nNow there is the greatest complaint in the world about servants and\nworking men, that they are disobedient, unfaithful, unmannerly, and\nover-reaching; this is a plague sent of God. And truly, this is the one\nwork of servants whereby they may be saved; truly they need not make\npilgrimages or do this thing or the other; they have enough to do if\ntheir heart is only set on this, that they gladly do and leave undone\nwhat they know pleases their masters and mistresses, and all this in a\nsimple faith; not that they would by their works gain much merit, but\nthat they do it all in the confidence of divine favor (in which all\nmerits are to be found), purely for nothing, out of the love and\ngood-will toward God which grows out of such confidence. And all such\nworks they should think of as an exercise and exhortation ever to\nstrengthen their faith and confidence more and more. For, as has now\nbeen frequently said, this faith makes all works good, yea, it must do\nthem and be the master-workman.\n\nXIX. On the other hand, the masters and mistresses should not rule\ntheir servants, maids and workingmen roughly, not look to all things\ntoo closely, occasionally overlook something, and for peace' sake make\nallowances. For it is not possible that everything be done perfectly at\nall times among any class of men, as long as we live on earth in\nimperfection. Of this St. Paul says, Colossians iv, \"Masters, do unto\nyour servants that which is just and equal, knowing that ye also have a\nMaster in heaven.\" Therefore as the masters do not wish God to deal too\nsharply with them, but that many things be overlooked through grace,\nthey also should be so much the more gentle toward their servants, and\noverlook some things, and yet have a care that the servants do right\nand learn to fear God.\n\nBut see now, what good works a householder and a mistress can do, how\nfinely God offers us all good works so near at hand, so manifold, so\ncontinuously, that we have no need of asking after good works, and\nmight well forget the other showy, far-off, invented works of men, such\nas making pilgrimages, building churches, seeking indulgence, and the\nlike.\n\nHere I ought naturally also to say how a wife ought to be obedient,\nsubject to her husband as to her superior, give way to him, keep silent\nand give up to him, where it is a matter not contrary to God's\ncommands. On the other hand, the husband should love his wife, overlook\na little, and not deal strictly with her, of which matter St. Peter and\nSt. Paul have said much. But this has its place in the further\nexplanation of the Ten Commandments, and is easily inferred from these\npassages.\n\nXX. But all that has been said of these works is included in these two,\nobedience and considerateness. Obedience is the duty of subjects,\nconsiderateness that of masters, that they take care to rule their\nsubjects well, deal kindly with them, and do everything whereby they\nmay benefit and help them. That is their way to heaven, and these are\nthe best works they can do on earth; with these they are more\nacceptable to God than if without these they did nothing but miracles.\nSo says St. Paul, Romans xii: \"He that ruleth, let him do it with\ndiligence\"; as who should say: \"Let him not allow himself to be led\nastray by what other people or classes of people do; let him not look\nto this work or to that, whether it be splendid or obscure; but let him\nlook to his own position, and think only how he may benefit those who\nare subject to him; by this let him stand, nor let himself be torn from\nit, although heaven stood open before him, nor be driven from it,\nalthough hell were chasing him. This is the right road that leads him\nto heaven.\"\n\nOh, if a man were so to regard himself and his position, and attended\nto its duties alone, how rich in good works would he be in a short\ntime, so quietly and secretly that no one would notice it except God\nalone! But now we let all this go, and one runs to the Carthusians,\nanother to this place, a third to that, just as if good works and God's\nCommandments had been thrown into corners and hidden; although it is\nwritten in Proverbs i, that divine wisdom crieth out her commandments\npublicly in the streets, in the midst of the people and in the gates of\nthe cities; which means that they are present in profusion in all\nplaces, in all stations of life and at all times, and we do not see\nthem, but in our blindness look for them elsewhere. This Christ\ndeclared, Matthew xxiv: \"If they shall say unto you: Lo, here is\nChrist, or there, believe it not. If they shall say: Behold, He is in\nthe desert, go not forth; behold, He is in the secret chambers, believe\nit not; they are false prophets and false Christs.\"\n\nXXI. Again, obedience is the duty of subjects, that they direct all\ntheir diligence and effort to do and to leave undone what their\nover-lords desire of them, that they do not allow themselves to be torn\nor driven from this, whatever another do.  Let no man think that he\nlives well or does good works, whether it be prayer or fasting, or by\nwhatever name it may be called, if he does not earnestly and diligently\nexercise himself in this.\n\nBut if it should happen, as it often does, that the temporal power and\nauthorities, as they are called, should urge a subject to do contrary\nto the Commandments of God, or hinder him from doing them, there\nobedience ends, and that duty is annulled. Here a man must say as St.\nPeter says to the rulers of the Jews: \"We ought to obey God rather than\nmen.\" He did not say: \"We must not obey men\"; for that would be wrong;\nbut he said: \"God rather than men.\" Thus, if a prince desired to go to\nwar, and his cause was manifestly unrighteous, we should not follow nor\nhelp him at all; since God has commanded that we shall not kill our\nneighbor, nor do him injustice. Likewise, if he bade us bear false\nwitness, steal, lie or deceive and the like. Here we ought rather give\nup goods, honor, body, and life, that God's Commandments may stand.\n\nThe four preceding Commandments have their works in the understanding,\nthat is, they take a man captive, rule him and make him subject, so\nthat he rule not himself, approve not himself, think not highly of\nhimself; but in humility know himself and allow himself to be led, that\npride be prevented. The following Commandments deal with the passions\nand lust of men, that these also be killed.\n\nI. The passions of anger and revenge, of which the Fifth Commandment\nsays, \"Thou shalt not kill.\" This Commandment has one work, which\nhowever includes many and dispels many vices, and is called meekness.\nNow this is of two kinds. The one has a beautiful splendor, and there\nis nothing back of it. This we practice toward our friends and those\nwho do us good and give us pleasure with goods, honor and favor, or who\ndo not offend us with words nor with deeds. Such meekness irrational\nanimals have, lions and snakes, Jews, Turks, knaves, murderers, bad\nwomen.  These are all content and gentle when men do what they want, or\nlet them alone; and yet there are not a few who, deceived by such\nworthless meekness, cover over their anger and excuse it, saying: \"I\nwould indeed not be angry, if I were left alone.\" Certainly, my good\nman, so the evil spirit also would be meek if he had his own way.\nDissatisfaction and resentment overwhelm you in order that they may\nshow you how full of anger and wickedness you are, that you may be\nadmonished to strive after meekness and to drive out anger.\n\nThe second form of meekness is good through and through, that which is\nshown toward opponents and enemies, does them no harm, does not revenge\nitself, does not curse nor revile, does not speak evil of them, does\nnot meditate evil against them, although they had taken away goods,\nhonor, life, friends and everything.  Nay, where it is possible, it\nreturns good for evil, speaks well of them, thinks well of them, prays\nfor them. Of this Christ says, Matthew v: \"Do good to them that\ndespitefully use you. Pray for them that persecute you and revile you.\"\nAnd Paul, Romans xii: \"Bless them which curse you, and by no means\ncurse them, but do good to them.\"\n\nII. Behold how this precious, excellent work has been lost among\nChristians, so that nothing now everywhere prevails except strife, war,\nquarreling, anger, hatred, envy, back-biting, cursing, slandering,\ninjuring, vengeance, and all manner of angry works and words; and yet,\nwith all this, we have our many holidays, hear masses, say our prayers,\nestablish churches, and more such spiritual finery, which God has not\ncommanded. We shine resplendently and excessively, as if we were the\nmost holy Christians there ever were. And so because of these mirrors\nand masks we allow God's Commandment to go to complete ruin, and no one\nconsiders or examines himself, how near or how far he be from meekness\nand the fulfilment of this Commandment; although God has said, that not\nhe who does such works, but he who keeps His Commandments, shall enter\ninto eternal life.\n\nNow, since no one lives on earth upon whom God does not bestow an enemy\nand opponent as a proof of his own anger and wickedness, that is, one\nwho afflicts him in goods, honor, body or friends, and thereby tries\nwhether anger is still present, whether he can be well-disposed toward\nhis enemy, speak well of him, do good to him, and not intend any evil\nagainst him; let him come forward who asks what he shall do that he may\ndo good works, please God and be saved. Let him set his enemy before\nhim, keep him constantly before the eyes of his heart, as an exercise\nwhereby he may curb his spirit and train his heart to think kindly of\nhis enemy, wish him well, care for him and pray for him; and then, when\nopportunity offers, speak well of him and do good to him.  Let him who\nwill, try this and if he find not enough to do all his life long, he\nmay convict me of lying, and say that my contention was wrong. But if\nthis is what God desires, and if He will be paid in no other coin, of\nwhat avail is it, that we busy ourselves with other great works which\nare not commanded, and neglect this? Therefore God says, Matthew v, \"I\nsay unto you, that whosoever is angry with his neighbor, is in danger\nof the judgment; but whosoever shall say to his brother, Thou fool\n(that is, all manner of invective, cursing, reviling, slandering), he\nshall be in danger of everlasting fire.\" What remains then for the\noutward act, striking, wounding, killing, injuring, etc., if the\nthoughts and words of anger are so severely condemned?\n\nIII. But where there is true meekness, there the heart is pained at\nevery evil which happens to one's enemy. And these are the true\nchildren and heirs of God and brethren of Christ, Whose heart was so\npained for us all when He died on the holy Cross.  Even so we see a\npious judge passing sentence upon the criminal with sorrow, and\nregretting the death which the law imposes. Here the act seems to be\none of anger and harshness. So thoroughly good is meekness that even in\nsuch works of anger it remains, nay, it torments the heart most sorely\nwhen it must be angry and severe.\n\nBut here we must watch, that we be not meek contrary to God's honor and\nCommandment. For it is written of Moses that he was the very meekest\nman on earth, and yet, when the Jews had worshiped the golden calf and\nprovoked God to anger, he put many of them to death, and thereby made\natonement before God. Likewise it is not fitting that the magistrates\nshould be idle and allow sin to have sway, and that we say nothing. My\nown possessions, my honor, my injury, I must not regard, nor grow angry\nbecause of them; but God's honor and Commandment we must protect, and\ninjury or injustice to our neighbor we must prevent, the magistrates\nwith the sword, the rest of us with reproof and rebuke, yet always with\npity for those who have merited the punishment.\n\nThis high, noble, sweet work can easily be learned, if we perform it in\nfaith, and as an exercise of faith. For if faith does not doubt the\nfavor of God nor question that God is gracious, it will become quite\neasy for a man to be gracious and favorable to his neighbor, however\nmuch he may have sinned; for we have sinned much more against God.\nBehold, a short Commandment this, but it presents a long, mighty\nexercise of good works and of faith.\n\n\n\nThou shalt not commit adultery.\n\nIn this Commandment too a good work is commanded, which includes much\nand drives away much vice; it is called purity, or chastity, of which\nmuch is written and preached, and it is well known to every one, only\nthat it is not as carefully observed and practised as other works which\nare not commanded. So ready are we to do what is not commanded and to\nleave undone what is commanded. We see that the world is full of\nshameful works of unchastity, indecent words, tales and ditties,\ntemptation to which is daily increased through gluttony and\ndrunkenness, idleness and frippery. Yet we go our way as if we were\nChristians; when we have been to church, have said our little prayer,\nhave observed the fasts and feasts, then we think our whole duty is\ndone.\n\nNow, if no other work were commanded but chastity alone, we would all\nhave enough to do with this one; so perilous and raging a vice is\nunchastity. It rages in all our members: in the thoughts of our hearts,\nin the seeing of our eyes, in the hearing of our ears, in the words of\nour mouth, in the works of our hands and feet and all our body. To\ncontrol all these requires labor and effort; and thus the Commandments\nof God teach us how great truly good works are, nay, that it is\nimpossible for us of our own strength to conceive a good work, to say\nnothing of attempting or doing it. St. Augustine says, that among all\nthe conflicts of the Christian the conflict of chastity is the hardest,\nfor the one reason alone, that it continues daily without ceasing, and\nchastity seldom prevails. This all the saints have wept over and\nlamented, as St. Paul does, Romans vii: \"I find in me, that is in my\nflesh, no good thing.\"\n\nII. If this work of chastity is to be permanent, it will drive to many\nother good works, to fasting and temperance over against gluttony and\ndrunkenness, to watching and early rising over against laziness and\nexcessive sleep, to work and labor over against idleness. For gluttony,\ndrunkenness, lying late abed, loafing and being without work are\nweapons of unchastity, with which chastity is quickly overcome. On the\nother hand, the holy Apostle Paul calls fasting, watching and labor\ngodly weapons, with which unchastity is mastered; but, as has been said\nabove, these exercises must do no more than overcome unchastity, and\nnot pervert nature.\n\nAbove all this, the strongest defence is prayer and the Word of God;\nnamely, that when evil lust stirs, a man flee to prayer, call upon\nGod's mercy and help, read and meditate on the Gospel, and in it\nconsider Christ's sufferings. Thus says Psalm cxxxvii: \"Happy shall he\nbe, that taketh and dasheth the little ones of Babylon against the\nrock,\" that is, if the heart runs to the Lord Christ with its evil\nthoughts while they are yet young and just beginning; for Christ is a\nRock, on which they are ground to powder and come to naught.\n\nSee, here each one will find enough to do with himself, and more than\nenough, and will be given many good works to do within himself. But now\nno one uses prayer, fasting, watching, labor for this purpose, but men\nstop in these works as if they were in themselves the whole purpose,\nalthough they should be arranged so as to fulfil the work of this\nCommandment and purify us daily more and more.\n\nSome have also indicated more things which should be avoided, such as\nsoft beds and clothes, that we should avoid excessive adornment, and\nneither associate nor talk with members of the opposite sex, nor even\nlook upon them, and whatsoever else may be conducive to chastity. In\nall these things no one can fix a definite rule and measure. Each one\nmust watch himself and see what things are needful to him for chastity,\nin what quantity and how long they help him to be chaste, that he may\nthus choose and observe them for himself; if he cannot do this, let him\nfor a time give himself up to be controlled by another, who may hold\nhim to such observance until he can learn to rule himself. This was the\npurpose for which the monastic houses were established of old, to teach\nyoung people discipline and purity.\n\nIII. In this work a good strong faith is a great help, more noticeably\nso than in almost any other; so that for this reason also Isaiah xi.\nsays that \"faith is a girdle of the reins,\" that is, a guard of\nchastity. For he who so lives that he looks to God for all grace, takes\npleasure in spiritual purity; therefore he can so much more easily\nresist fleshly impurity: and in such faith the Spirit tells him of a\ncertainty how he shall avoid evil thoughts and everything that is\nrepugnant to chastity. For as the faith in divine favor lives without\nceasing and works in all works, so it also does not cease its\nadmonitions in all things that are pleasing to God or displease Him; as\nSt. John says in his Epistle: \"Ye need not that any man teach you: for\nthe divine anointing, that is, the Spirit of God, teacheth you of all\nthings.\"\n\nYet we must not despair if we are not soon rid of the temptation, nor\nby any means imagine that we are free from it as long as we live, and\nwe must regard it only as an incentive and admonition to prayer,\nfasting, watching, laboring, and to other exercises for the quenching\nof the flesh, especially to the practice and exercise of faith in God.\nFor that chastity is not precious which is at ease, but that which is\nat war with unchastity, and fights, and without ceasing drives out all\nthe poison with which the flesh and the evil spirit attack it. Thus St.\nPeter says, \"I beseech you, abstain from fleshly desires and lusts,\nwhich war always against the soul.\" And St. Paul, Romans vi, \"Ye shall\nnot obey the body in its lusts.\" In these and like passages it is shown\nthat no one is without evil lust; but that everyone shall and must\ndaily fight against it. But although this brings uneasiness and pain,\nit is none the less a work that gives pleasure, in which we shall have\nour comfort and satisfaction.  For they who think they make an end of\ntemptation by yielding to it, only set themselves on fire the more; and\nalthough for a time it is quiet, it comes again with more strength\nanother time, and finds the nature weaker than before.\n\n\n\nThou shalt not steal.\n\nThis Commandment also has a work, which embraces very many good works,\nand is opposed to many vices, and is called in German Mildigkeit,\n\"benevolence;\" which is a work ready to help and serve every one with\none's goods. And it fights not only against theft and robbery, but\nagainst all stinting in temporal goods which men may practise toward\none another: such as greed, usury, overcharging and plating wares that\nsell as solid, counterfeit wares, short measures and weights, and who\ncould tell all the ready, novel, clever tricks, which multiply daily in\nevery trade, by which every one seeks his own gain through the other's\nloss, and forgets the rule which says: \"What ye wish that others do to\nyou, that do ye also to them.\" If every one kept this rule before his\neyes in his trade, business, and dealings with his neighbor, he would\nreadily find how he ought to buy and sell, take and give, lend and give\nfor nothing, promise and keep his promise, and the like. And when we\nconsider the world in its doings, how greed controls all business, we\nwould not only find enough to do, if we would make an honorable living\nbefore God, but also be overcome with dread and fear for this perilous,\nmiserable life, which is so exceedingly overburdened, entangled and\ntaken captive with cares of this temporal life and dishonest seeking of\ngain.\n\nII. Therefore the Wise Man says not in vain: \"Happy is the rich man,\nwho is found without blemish, who does not run after gold, and has not\nset his confidence in the treasures of money. Who is he? We will praise\nhim, that he has done wondrous things in his life.\" As if he would say:\n\"None such is found, or very few indeed.\" Yea, they are very few who\nnotice and recognise such lust for gold in themselves. For greed has\nhere a very beautiful, fine cover for its shame, which is called\nprovision for the body and natural need, under cover of which it\naccumulates wealth beyond all limits and is never satisfied; so that he\nwho would in this matter keep himself clean, must truly, as he says, do\nmiracles or wondrous things in his life.\n\nNow see, if a man wish not only to do good works, but even miracles,\nwhich God may praise and be pleased with, what need has he to look\nelsewhere? Let him take heed to himself, and see to it that he run not\nafter gold, nor set his trust on money, but let the gold run after him,\nand money wait on his favor, and let him love none of these things nor\nset his heart on them; then he is the true, generous, wonderworking,\nhappy man, as Job xxxi says: \"I have never yet: relied upon gold, and\nnever yet made gold my hope and confidence.\" And Psalm lxii: \"If riches\nincrease, set not your heart upon them.\" So Christ also teaches,\nMatthew vi, that we shall take no thought, what we shall eat and drink\nand wherewithal we shall be clothed, since God cares for this, and\nknows that we have need of all these things.\n\nBut some say: \"Yes, rely upon that, take no thought, and see whether a\nroasted chicken will fly into your mouth!\" I do not say that a man\nshall not labor and seek a living; but he shall not worry, not be\ngreedy, not despair, thinking that he will not have enough; for in Adam\nwe are all condemned to labor, when God says to him, Genesis iii, \"In\nthe sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread.\" And Job v, \"As the birds\nto flying, so is man born unto labor.\" Now the birds fly without worry\nand greed, and so we also should labor without worry and greed; but if\nyou do worry and are greedy, wishing that the roasted chicken fly into\nyour mouth: worry and be greedy, and see whether you will thereby\nfulfil God's Commandment and be saved!\n\nIII. This work faith teaches of itself. For if the heart looks for\ndivine favor and relies upon it, how is it possible that a man should\nbe greedy and worry? He must be sure beyond a doubt that God cares for\nhim; therefore he does not cling to money; he uses it also with\ncheerful liberality for the benefit of his neighbor, and knows well\nthat he will have enough, however much he may give away. For his God,\nWhom he trusts, will not lie to him nor forsake him, as it is written,\nPsalm xxxvii: \"I have been young, and now am old; never have I seen a\nbelieving man, who trusts God, that is a righteous man, forsaken, or\nhis child begging bread.\" Therefore the Apostle calls no other sin\nidolatry except covetousness, because this sin shows most plainly that\nit does not trust God for anything, expects more good from its money\nthan from God; and, as has been said, it is by such confidence that God\nis truly honored or dishonored.\n\nAnd, indeed, in this Commandment it can be clearly seen how all good\nworks must be done in faith; for here every one most surely feels that\nthe cause of covetousness is distrust and the cause of liberality is\nfaith. For because a man trusts God, he is generous and does not doubt\nthat he will always have enough; on the other hand, a man is covetous\nand worries because he does not trust God. Now, as in this Commandment\nfaith is the master-workman and the doer of the good work of\nliberality, so it is also in all the other Commandments, and without\nsuch faith liberality is of no worth, but rather a careless squandering\nof money.\n\nIV. By this we are also to know that this liberality shall extend even\nto enemies and opponents. For what manner of good deed is that, if we\nare liberal only to our friends? As Christ teaches, Luke vi, even a\nwicked man does that to another who is his friend. Besides, the brute\nbeasts also do good and are generous to their kind. Therefore a\nChristian must rise higher, let his liberality serve also the\nundeserving, evil-doers, enemies, and the ungrateful, even as his\nheavenly Father makes His sun to rise on good and evil, and the rain to\nfall on the grateful and ungrateful.\n\nBut here it will be found how hard it is to do good works according to\nGod's Commandment, how nature squirms, twists and writhes in its\nopposition to it, although it does the good works of its own choice\neasily and gladly. Therefore take your enemies, the ungrateful, and do\ngood to them; then you will find how near you are to this Commandment\nor how far from it, and how all your life you will always have to do\nwith the practice of this work.  For if your enemy needs you and you do\nnot help him when you can, it is just the same as if you had stolen\nwhat belonged to him, for you owed it to him to help him. So says St.\nAmbrose, \"Feed the hungry; if you do not feed him, you have, as far as\nyou are concerned, slain him.\" And in this Commandment are included the\nworks of mercy, which Christ will require at men's hands at the last\nday.\n\nBut the magistrates and cities ought to see to it that the vagabonds,\npilgrims and mendicants from foreign lands be debarred, or at least\nallowed only under restrictions and rules, so that knaves be not\npermitted to run at large under the guise of mendicants, and their\nknavery, of which there now is much, be prohibited. I have spoken at\ngreater length of this Commandment in the Treatise on Usury.\n\n\n\nThou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.\n\nThis Commandment seems small, and yet is so great, that he who would\nrightly keep it must risk and imperil life and limb, goods and honor,\nfriends and all that he has; and yet it includes no more than the work\nof that small member, the tongue, and is called in German Wahrheit\nsagen, \"telling the truth\" and, where there is need, gainsaying lies;\nso that it forbids many evil works of the tongue. First: those which\nare committed by speaking, and those which are committed by keeping\nsilent. By speaking, when a man has an unjust law-suit, and wants to\nprove and maintain his case by a false argument, catch his neighbor\nwith subtilty, produce everything that strengthens and furthers his own\ncause, and withhold and discount everything that furthers his\nneighbor's good cause; in doing which he does not do to his neighbor as\nhe would have his neighbor do to him. This some men do for the sake of\ngain, some to avoid loss or shame, thereby seeking their own advantage\nmore than God's Commandment, and excuse themselves by saying: Vigilanti\njura subveniunt, \"the law helps him who watches\"; just as if it were\nnot as much their duty to watch for their neighbor's cause as for their\nown. Thus they intentionally allow their neighbor's cause to be lost,\nalthough they know that it is just. This evil is at present so common\nthat I fear no court is held and no suit tried but that one side sins\nagainst this Commandment. And even when they cannot accomplish it, they\nyet have the unrighteous spirit and will, so that they would wish the\nneighbor's just cause to be lost and their unjust cause to prosper.\nThis sin is most frequent when the opponent is a prominent man or an\nenemy. For a man wants to revenge himself on his enemy: but the ill\nwill of a man of prominence he does not wish to bring upon himself; and\nthen begins the flattering and fawning, or, on the other hand, the\nwithholding of the truth.  Here no one is willing to run the risk of\ndisfavor and displeasure, loss and danger for the truth's sake; and so\nGod's Commandment must perish. And this is almost universally the way\nof the world. He who would keep this Commandment, would have both hands\nfull doing only those good works which concern the tongue.  And then,\nhow many are there who allow themselves to be silenced and swerved\naside from the truth by presents and gifts! so that in all places it is\ntruly a high, great, rare work, not to be a false witness against one's\nneighbor.\n\nII. There is a second bearing of witness to the truth, which is still\ngreater, with which we must fight against the evil spirits; and this\nconcerns not temporal matters, but the Gospel and the truth of faith,\nwhich the evil spirit has at no time been able to endure, and always so\nmanages that the great among men, whom it is hard to resist, must\noppose and persecute it. Of which it is written in Psalm lxxxii, \"Rid\nthe poor out of the hand of the wicked, and help the forsaken to\nmaintain his just cause.\"\n\nSuch persecution, it is true, has now become infrequent; but that is\nthe fault of the spiritual prelates, who do not stir up the Gospel, but\nlet it perish, and so have abandoned the very thing because of which\nsuch witnessing and persecution should arise; and in its place they\nteach us their own law and what pleases them. For this reason the devil\nalso does not stir, since by vanquishing the Gospel he has also\nvanquished faith in Christ, and everything goes as he wishes. But if\nthe Gospel should be stirred up and be heard again, without doubt the\nwhole world would be aroused and moved, and the greater portion of the\nkings, princes, bishops, doctors and clergy, and all that is great,\nwould oppose it and rage against it, as has always happened when the\nWord of God has come to light; for the world cannot endure what comes\nfrom God. This is proved in Christ, Who was and is the very greatest\nand most precious and best of all that God has; yet the world not only\ndid not receive Him, but persecuted Him more cruelly than all others\nwho had ever come forth from God.\n\nTherefore, as at that time, so at all times there are few who stand by\nthe divine truth, and imperil and risk life and limb, goods and honor,\nand all that they have, as Christ has foretold: \"Ye shall be hated of\nall men for My Name's sake.\" And: \"Many of them shall be offended in\nMe.\" Yea, if this truth were attacked by peasants, herdsmen,\nstable-boys and men of no standing, who would not be willing and able\nto confess it and to bear witness to it? But when the pope, and the\nbishops, together with princes and kings attack it, all men flee, keep\nsilent, dissemble, in order that they may not lose goods, honor, favor\nand life.\n\nIII. Why do they do this? Because they have no faith in God, and expect\nnothing good from Him. For where such faith and confidence are, there\nis also a bold, defiant, fearless heart, that ventures and stands by\nthe truth, though it cost life or cloak, though it be against pope or\nkings; as we see that the martyrs did. For such a heart is satisfied\nand rests easy because it has a gracious, loving God. Therefore it\ndespises all the favor, grace, goods and honor of men, lets them come\nand go as they please; as is written in Psalm xv: \"He contemneth them\nthat contemn God, and honoreth them that fear the Lord\"; that is, the\ntyrants, the mighty, who persecute the truth and despise God, he does\nnot fear, he does not regard them, he despiseth them; on the other\nhand, those who are persecuted for the truth's sake, and fear God more\nthan men, to these he clings, these he defends, these he honors, let it\nvex whom it may; as it is written of Moses, Hebrews xi, that he stood\nby his brethren, regardless of the mighty king of Egypt.\n\nLo, in this Commandment again you see briefly that faith must be the\nmaster-workman in this work also, so that without it no one has courage\nto do this work: so entirely are all works comprised in faith, as has\nnow been often said. Therefore, apart from faith all works are dead,\nhowever good the form and name they bear. For as no one does the work\nof this Commandment except he be firm and fearless in the confidence of\ndivine favor; so also he does no work of any other Commandment without\nthe same faith: thus every one may easily by this Commandment test and\nweigh himself whether he be a Christian and truly believe in Christ,\nand thus whether he is doing good works or no. Now we see how the\nAlmighty God has not only set our Lord Jesus Christ before us that we\nshould believe in Him with such confidence, but also holds before us in\nHim an example of this same confidence and of such good works, to the\nend that we should believe in Him, follow Him and abide in Him forever;\nas He says, John xiv: \"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life,\"--the Way,\nin which we follow Him; the Truth, that we believe in Him; the Life,\nthat we live in Him forever.\n\nFrom all this it is now manifest that all other works, which are not\ncommanded, are perilous and easily known: such as building churches,\nbeautifying them, making pilgrimages, and all that is written at so\ngreat length in the Canon Law and has misled and burdened the world and\nruined it, made uneasy consciences, silenced and weakened faith, and\nhas not said how a man, although he neglect all else, has enough to do\nwith all his powers to keep the Commandments of God, and can never do\nall the good works which he is commanded to do; why then does he seek\nothers, which are neither necessary nor commanded, and neglect those\nthat are necessary and commanded?\n\nThe last two Commandments, which forbid evil desires of the body for\npleasure and for temporal goods, are clear in themselves; these evil\ndesires do no harm to our neighbor, and yet they continue unto the\ngrave, and the strife in us against them endures unto death; therefore\nthese two Commandments are drawn together by St. Paul into one, Romans\nvii, and are set as a goal unto which we do not attain, and only in our\nthoughts reach after until death. For no one has ever been so holy that\nhe felt in himself no evil inclination, especially when occasion and\ntemptation were offered. For original sin is born in us by nature, and\nmay be checked, but not entirely uprooted, except through the death of\nthe body; which for this reason is profitable and a thing to be\ndesired. To this may God help us.  Amen.","title":"A Treatise on Good Works","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":40426}