 section one of a treatise on good works this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Philip Nautis a treatise on good works by Martin Luther translated by Johann Michael Roy the occasion of the work Luther did not impose himself as reformer upon the church in the course of a conscientious performance of the duties of his office to which he had been regularly and divinely called and without any urging on his part he attained to this position by inward necessity in 1515 he received his appointment as the standing substitute for the sickly city pastor Simon Haynes from the city council of Wittenberg before this time he was obliged to preach only occasionally in the convent apart from his activity as teacher in the university and convent through this appointment he was in duty bound by divine and human right to lead and direct the congregation at Wittenberg on the true way to life and it would have been a denial of the knowledge of salvation which God had led him to acquire by way of ardent inner struggles if he had led the congregation on any other way than the one God had revealed to him in his word he could not deny before the congregation which had been entrusted to his care what up to this time he had taught with ever-increasing clearness in his lectures at the university for in the lectures on the Psalms which he began to deliver in 1513 he declares his conviction that faith alone justifies as can be seen from the complete manuscript published since 1885 and with still greater clearness from his commentary on the epistle to the Romans 1515 through 1516 which is accessible since 1908 nor what he had urged as spiritual advisor of his convent brethren when in deep distress compare the charming letter to George Splenane did April 8th 1516 Luther's first literary works to appear in print were also occasioned by the work of his calling and of his office in the Wittenberg congregation he had no other object in view than to edify his congregation and to lead it to Christ when in 1517 he published his first independent work the explanation of the seven penitential Psalms on October 31st of the same year he published his 95 theses against indulgences these were indeed intended as controversial theses for theologians but at the same time it is well known that Luther was moved by his duty toward his congregation to declare his position in this matter and to put an issue the whole question as to the right and wrong of indulgences by means of his theses his sermon of indulgences in grace occasioned by Tetzel's attack and delivered in the later part of March 1518 as well as his sermon on penitence delivered about the same time were also intended for his congregation before his congregation September 1516 through February 1517 he delivered the sermons on the Ten Commandments which were published in 1518 and the sermons of the Lord's Prayer which were also published in 1518 by Agricola though Luther in the same year published a series of controversial writings which were occasioned by attacks from outside sources still he never was diverted by this necessary rebuttal from his paramount duty the edification of the congregation the autumn of the year 1518 when he was confronted with Khajetan as well as the whole year 1519 when he held his distributions with Eck etc. were replete with disquietude and pressing labors still Luther served his congregation with a whole series of writings during this time and only regretted that he was not entirely at its disposal of such writings we mentioned explanation of the Lord's Prayer for the simple laity and elaboration of the sermons of 1517 brief explanation of the Ten Commandments instruction concerning certain articles which might be ascribed and imputed to him by his adversaries brief instruction on how to confess of meditation on the sacred passion of Christ of twofold righteousness of the matrimonial estate brief form to understand and to pray the Lord's Prayer explanation of the Lord's Prayer of prayer and processions in Rogation Week of usury of the sacrament of penitence of preparation for death of the sacrament of baptism of the sacrament of the sacred body of excommunication with but few exceptions these writings all appeared in print in the year 1519 and again it was the congregation which Luther sought primarily to serve if the bonds of his congregation spread ever wider beyond Wittenbug so that his writings found a surprisingly ready sale even afar that was not Luther's fault even the Tesseratica's Consulatoria written in 1519 and printed in 1520 a book of consolation which was originally intended for the sick elector of Sanctuary was written by him only upon solicitation from outside sources to the circle of writings the treatise of good works also belongs though the incentive for his composition came from George's Blenheim court preacher to the elector who reminded Luther of a promise he had given still Luther was willing to undertake it only when he recalled that in a previous sermon to his congregation he occasionally had made a similar promise to deliver a sermon on good works when Luther actually commenced the composition he had nothing else in view but the preparation of a sermon for his congregation on this important topic but while the work was in progress the material so accumulated that it far outgrew the bonds of a sermon for his congregation on March 25th he wrote this Blenheim that it would become a whole booklet instead of a sermon on May 13th he speaks of his completion at an early date on June 8th he could send the length in a printed copy it was entitled Vanaguten Woken DML Wuttenburg on the last page it bore the printer's mark it filled not less than 58 leaves in spite of his volume however the intention of the book for the congregation remained now however not only for the narrow circle of the Wittenburg congregation but for the Christian layman in general in the dedicatory preface Luther lays the greatest stress upon this for he writes though I know of a great many and must hear it daily who think lightly of my poverty and say that I write only small tracks of small volume and German sermons for the untaught laity I will not permit that to move me would to God that during my life I had served but one layman for his betterment with all my powers it would be sufficient for me I would thank God and suffer all my books to Paris thereafter most willingly I will leave the honor of greater things to others and not at all will I be ashamed of preaching and writing German to the untaught laity since Luther had dedicated the aforementioned Tesseraticus consolatoria to the reigning prince he now probably on split pains recommendations dedicated the treatise on good works to his brother John who afterward in 1529 succeeded Frederick the electorate there was probably good reason for dedicating the book to a member of the reigning house princes have reason to take a special interest in the fact that preaching a good works should occur within their realm for the safety and sane development of their kingdom depend largely upon the cultivation of morality on the part of their subjects time and again the papal church had commended herself to princes and statesmen by her empathetic teaching on good works Luther on the other hand had been accused like the apostle Paul before him Romans 3 31 that the zealous performance of good works had abated that the bounds of discipline has slackened and that as necessary consequence lawlessness and shameless immorality were being promoted by the doctrine of justification by faith alone before 1517 the rumor had already spread that Luther intended to do away with good works Duke George of Saxony had received no good impression from a sermon Luther had delivered at Dresden because he feared the consequences which Luther's doctrine of justification by faith alone might have upon the morals of the masses under these circumstances it would not have been surprising if a member of the electoral house should harbor like scruples especially since the full comprehension of Luther's preaching on good works dependent on an evangelical understanding of faith as deep as was Luther's own the Middle Ages had differentiated between fetus and formus a formless faith and fetus of formata a form or ornate faith the former was held to be a knowledge without any life or effect the latter to be identical with love or as they said love which proves itself and is effective in good works must be added to the formless faith as is compliment and content well pleasing to God in Luther's time everyone who is seriously interested in religious questions was reared under the influence of these ideas now since Luther had opposed the doctrine of justification by love and its good works he was in danger of being misunderstood by strangers as though he had held the bare knowledge and ascent to be sufficient for justification and such preaching would indeed have led to frivolity and disorderly contact but even apart from the question whether or not the brother of the elector was disturbed by such scruples Luther must have welcomed the opportunity when the summons came to him to dedicate his book of good works to a member of the electoral house at any rate the book could serve to acquaint him with the thoughts of his much abused pastor and professor at Wittenberg for never before had Luther expressed himself on the important question of good works in such a fundamental thorough and profound way end of section one recording by Philip Nautis section two of a treatise on good works this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Philip Nautis a treatise on good works by Martin Luther translated by Johann Michael Roy the contents of the work a perusal of the contents shows at the book in the course of his production attained a greater length than was originally intended to this fact it must be attributed that a new numeration of sections begins with the argument on the third commandment and is repeated at every commandment thereafter while before this the sections were consecutively numbered but in spite of this the plan of the whole is clear and lucid evidently the whole treatise is divided into two parts the first comprising sections one through seventeen while the second comprises all the following sections the first being fundamental is the most important part Luther well knew of the charges made against him that faith is so highly elevated and works are rejected by him but he knew to that neither silver gold and precious stone nor any other precious thing had experienced so much augmentation and diminution as had good works which should all have but one simple goodness or they are nothing but color glitter and deception but especially was he aware of the fact that the church was urging nothing but the so-called self-elected works such as running to the convent singing reading playing the organ saying the mass praying martins vespers and other hours founding and ornamenting churches altars convents gathering chimes jewels vestments gems and treasures going to roam into the saints curtsying and bowing the knees praying the rosary and the sultr etc and that she designated these alone as truly good works while she represented the faithful performance of the duties of one's calling as a morality of a lower order for these reasons it is Luther's highest object in this treatise to make it perfectly clear what is the essence of good works whenever the essence of good works has been understood then the accusations against him will quickly collapse in the fundamental party therefore argues truly good works are not self-elected works of monastic or any other holiness but such only as God has commanded and as our comprehended within the bounds of one's particular calling and all works let their name be what it may become good only when they flow from faith the first greatest and noblest of good works John 6 29 in this connection the essence of faith the only source of all truly good works must of course be rightly understood it is the sure confidence in God that all my doing is while pleasing to him it is trust in his mercy even though he appears angry and puts sufferings and adversities upon us it is the assurance of the divine and good will even though God should reprove the conscience with sin death and hell and deny it all grace and mercy as though he would condemn and show his wrath eternally where such faith lives in the heart there the works are good even though they were as insignificant as the picking up of a straw but where is wanting there are only such works as heathen Jew and Turk may have and do where such faith possesses the man he needs no teacher in good works as little as does the husband or the wife who only look for love and favor from one another nor need any instruction therein how they are to stand towards each other what they are to do to leave undone to say to leave unsaid to think this faith Luther continues is the true fulfillment of the first commandment apart from which there is no work that could do justice to this commandment with this sentence he combines on the one hand the whole argument on faith and the best and noblest of good works with his opening proposition there are no good works besides those commanded of God and on the other hand he prepares the way for the following argument wherein he proposes to exhibit the good works according to the ten commandments for the first commandment does not forbid this and that nor does it require this and that it forbids but one thing unbelieve it requires but one thing faith that confidence in God's goodwill at all times without this faith the best works are as nothing and if a man should think that by them he could be well pleasing to God he would be lowering God to a level of a broker a laborer who will not dispense his grace and kindness gratis this understanding of faith and good works so Luther now addresses his opponents should in fairness be kept in view by those who accuse him of declining against good works and they should learn from it that though he has preached against good works it was against such as are falsely so called and has contributed towards the confusion of consciences because they are so self-elected do not flow from faith and are done with the pretension of doing works well pleasing to God this brings us to the end of the fundamental part of the treatise it was not Luther's intention however to speak only on the essence of good works and their fundamental relation to faith he would show too how the best work faith must prove itself in every way a living faith according to the other commandments Luther does not proceed to this part however until in the fundamental part he has said with emphasis that the believer the spiritual man needs no such instruction 1st Timothy 1 9 but that he of his own accord and at all times does good works as his faith his confidence teaches him only because we do not all have such faith or are unmindful of it does such instruction become necessary nor does he proceed until he has applied his oft-repeated words concerning the relation of faith to good works to the relation of the 1st to the other commandments from the fact that according to the 1st commandment we acquire a pure heart and confidence toward God he derives the good work of the 2nd commandment namely to praise God to acknowledge his grace to render all honor to him alone for from the same sources he derives the good work of the 3rd commandment namely to observe divine services with prayer and the hearing of preaching to incline the imagination of our hearts toward God's benefits and to that end to mortify and overcome the flesh from the same source he derives the works of the 2nd table. The argument on the 3rd and 4th commandments claims nearly one half of the entire treatise among the good works which according to the 3rd commandment should be an exercise and proof of faith. Luther especially mentions the proper hearing of mass and preaching common prayer bodily discipline and the mortification of the flesh and he joins the former and the latter by an important fundamental discussion of the New Testament conception of the Sabbath rest. Luther discusses the 4th commandment as fully as the 3rd. The exercise of faith according to this commandment consists in the faithful performance of the duties of children toward their parents of parents toward their children and of subordinates toward their superiors in the ecclesiastical as well as in the common civil sphere. The various duties issue from the various callings for faithful performance of the duties of one's calling with the help of God and for God's sake is the true good work. As he now proceeds to speak of the spiritual powers the government of the church he frankly reveals their faults and demands a reform of the present rulers honor and obedience and all things to be rendered unto the church the spiritual mother as it is due to natural parents unless it be contrary to the first three commandments but as matters stand now the spiritual matters traits neglect their peculiar work namely the fostering of godliness and discipline like a mother who runs away from her children and follows a lover and instead they undertake strange and evil works like parents whose commands are contrary to God. In this case members of the church must do as godly children do whose parents have become mad and insane kings princes the nobility municipalities and communities must begin their own accord and put a check to those conditions so that the bishops and the clergy who are now too timid may be induced to follow but even the civil magistrates must also suffer reforms to be enacted in their particular spheres especially are they called on to do away with the rude gluttony and drunkenness luxury and clothing the usurious sale of rents and the common brothels this by divine and human right is a part of their enjoined works according to the fourth commandment Luther at last briefly treats the second table of the commandments but in speaking of the works of these commandments he never forgets to point out their relation to faith thus holding fast this fundamental thought of the book to the end faith which does not doubt that god is gracious he says will find it an easy matter to be graciously and favorably minded towards one's neighbor and overcome all angry and wrathful desires in this faith in god the spirit will teach us to avoid unchaste thoughts and thus to keep the sixth commandment when the heart trusts in the divine factor it cannot seek after the temporal goods of others nor cleave to money but according to the seventh commandment will use it with cheerful liberality for the benefit of the neighbor where such confidence is present there is also a courageous strong and intrepid heart which will at times defend the truth as the eighth commandment demands whether neck or coat be at stake whether it be against pope or kings where such faith is present there is also strife against the evil lust as forbidden in the ninth and tenth commandments and that even under death. End of section two recording by Philip Nautis section three of a treatise on good works this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Philip Nautis a treatise on good works by Martin Luther translated by Johann Michael Roy the importance of the work inquiring now into the importance of the book we know that Luther's impression evidently was perfectly correct when he wrote to Spalatin long before his completion as early as March 25th that he believed it to be better than anything he had here to for written the book indeed surpasses all his previous German writings in volume as well as all his latin and german ones in clearness, richness, and the fundamental importance of its content the comparison the prevalent urging of self-elected works of monkish holiness which had arisen from a complete misunderstanding of the soul called evangelical councils compare especially Matthew 19 16 through 22 and which were at the time accepted as self-evident and zealously urged by the whole church Luther's argument must have appeared to all thoughtful and earnest souls as a revelation when he so clearly amplified the proposition that only these works are to be regarded as good works which God has commanded and that therefore not the abandoning of one's earthly calling but the faithful keeping of the Ten Commandments in the course of one's calling is the work which God requires of us over against the widespread opinion as though the will of God as declared in the Ten Commandments referred only to the outward work always especially mentioned Luther's argument must have called to mind the explanation of the law which the Lord had given in the Sermon on the Mount when he taught men to recognize only the extreme point and manifestation of a whole trend of the thought in the work prohibited by the text and when he directed Christians not to rest in the keeping of the literal requirement of each commandment but from this point of vantage to require into the whole depth and breadth of God's will positively and negatively and to do his will in its full extent as the heart has perceived it though this thought may have been occasionally expressed in the expositions the Ten Commandments which appeared at the dawn of the Reformation still it had never before been so clearly recognized as the only correct principle much less had it been so energetically carried out from beginning to end as is done in this treatise over against the deep-rooted view that the works of love must bestow upon faith its form its content and its worth before God it must have appeared in the dawn of a new era Galatians 3 22 through 25 when Luther in this treatise declared and with victorious certainty carried out the thought that it is true faith which invests the works even the best and greatest of works with their content and worth before God this proposition which Luther here amplifies more clearly than ever before demanding nothing less than a breach with the whole of prevalent religious views and at that time must have been perceived as the discovery of new world though it was no more than return to the clear teaching of the New Testament scriptures concerning the way of salvation this too accounts for the fact that in this writing the accusation is more impressively repelled than before that the doctrine of justification by faith alone resulted in moral laxity and that on the other hand the fundamental and radical importance of righteousness by faith for the whole moral life is revealed in such a heart-refreshing manner. Luther's appeal in this treatise to kings princes the nobility municipalities and communities to declare against the misuse of spiritual powers and to abolish various abuses in civil life marks this treatise as the forerunner of the great Reformation writings which appeared in the same year 1520 while on the other hand his espousal of the rights of the poor man to be met here for the first time shows that the monk of Wittenberg coming from the narrow limits of the convent had an intimate and sympathetic knowledge of the social needs of his time thus he proved by his own example that to take a stand in the center of the gospel does not narrow the vision nor heart in the heart but rather produces courage in the truth and symphony for all manner of misery. Luther's contemporaries at once recognized the great importance of the treatise for within the period of seven months it passed through eight editions these were followed by six more editions between the years 1521 and 1525 in 1521 it was translated into latin and in this form passed through three editions up to the year 1525 and all this in spite of the fact that in those years the so-called three great Reformation writings of 1520 were casting all else into the shadow Melanchthon on a contemporaneous letter to John Hess called it Luther's best work John Matthews the well-known pastor at Joachimistol and Luther's biographer acknowledged that he had learned the rudiments of Christianity from it even today this book has its peculiar mission to the church the seeking after self-electric works the indolence regarding the works commanded of God the foolish opinion that the path of works leads to God's grace and goodwill are even today widely prevalent within the kingdom of God to all this Luther's treatise answers be diligent in the works of your earthly calling as commanded of God but only after having first strengthened by the consideration of God's mercy the faith within you which is the only source of all truly good works and well-pleasing to God M. Rohr, Wartburg Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa end of section three recording by Philip Nottis section four of a treatise on good works this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Larry Wilson a treatise on good works by Martin Luther translated by Johan Michael Rohr dedication Jesus to the illustrious Highborn Prince and Lord John Duke of Saxony land grave of Turingia mark grave of my son my gracious Lord and patron illustrious Highborn Prince gracious Lord by humble duty in my feeble prayer for your grace always remembered for a long time gracious Prince and Lord I wish to show my humble respect and duty toward your princely grace by the exhibition of some such spiritual wares as are at my disposal but I have always considered my powers too feeble to undertake anything worthy of being offered to your princely grace since however my most gracious Lord Frederick Duke of Saxony Elector and vicar of the Holy Roman Empire your gracious brother has not despised but graciously accepted my slight book dedicated to his electoral grace and now published though such was not my intention I have taken courage from his gracious example and venture to think that the princely spirit like the princely blood may be the same in both of you especially in gracious kindness and goodwill I have hoped that your princely grace likewise would not despise this my humble offering which I have felt more need of publishing than another of my sermons or tracks for the greatest of all questions has been raised the question of good works and which is practiced immeasurably more trickery and deception than in anything else and in which the simple-minded man is so easily misled that our Lord Christ has commanded us to watch carefully for the sheep's clothing under which the wolves hide themselves. Neither silver, gold, precious stones, nor any rare thing has such manifold alloys and flaws as have good works which ought to have a single simple goodness and without it our mere color show and deceit. And although I know and daily hear many people who think slightingly of my poverty and say that I write only little pamphlets and German sermons for the unlearned laity this shall not disturb me would to God I had in all my life with all the ability I have helped one layman to be better I would be satisfied thank God and be quite willing then to let all my little books perish whether the making of many great books is an art and a benefit to the church I leave others to judge but I believe that if I were minded to make great books according to their art I could with God's help do it more readily perhaps than they can prepare a little discourse after my fashion if accomplishment were as easy as persecution Christ would long since have been cast out of heaven again and God's throne itself overturned although we cannot all be writers we all want to be critics I will most gladly leave to anyone else the honor of greater things and not be at all ashamed to preach and to write in German for the unlearned layman although I too have little skill in it I believe that if we had hitherto done and should henceforth do more of it Christendom might have reaped no small advantage and have been more benefited by this than by the great deep books and questions which are used only in the schools among the learned then too I have never forced or begged anyone to hear me or to read my sermons I have freely ministered to the church of that which God has given me which I owe the church whoever likes it not may hear and read what others have to say and if they are not willing to be my debtors it matters little for me it is enough and even more than too much that some layman come to sin to read what I say even though there was nothing else to urge me it should be more than sufficient that I have learned that your princely grace is pleased with such German books and is eager to receive instruction in good works and the faith with which instruction it was my duty humbly and with all diligence to serve you therefore in dutiful humility I pray that your princely grace may accept this offering of mine with a gracious mind until if God grant me time I prepare a German exposition of the faith in its entirety for this time I have wished to show how in all good works we should practice and make use of faith and let faith be the chief work if God permit I will treat it another time of faith itself how we are daily to pray or recite it I humbly commend myself here with to your princely grace your princely grace's humble chaplain dr martin luther from vittenberg march 29th ad 1520 in the section four section five of a treatise on good works this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Randy Carlson Sacramento California a treatise on good works by martin luther translated by Johann Michael Row section five one we ought first to know that there are no good works except those which God has commanded even as there is no sin except that which God has forbidden therefore whoever wishes to know and to do good works needs nothing else than to know God's commandments thus Christ says Matthew 19 if thou wilt enter into life keep the commandments and when the young man asks him Matthew 19 what he shall do that he may inherit eternal life Christ sets before him not else but the 10 commandments accordingly we must learn how to distinguish among good works from the commandments of God and not from the appearance the magnitude or the number of the works themselves nor from the judgment of men or of human law or custom as we see has been done and still is done because we are blind and despise the divine commandments two the first and highest the most precious of all good works is faith in Christ as he says John 6 when the Jews asked him what shall we do that we may work the works of God he answered this is the work of God that ye believe on him whom he has sent when we hear or preach this word we hasten over it and deem it a very little thing and easy to do whereas we ought here to pause a long time and to ponder it well for in this work all good works must be done and receive from it the inflow of their goodness like a loan this we must put bluntly that men may understand it we find many who pray fast establish endowments do this or that lead a good life before men and yet if you should ask them whether they are sure that what they do pleases God they say no they do not know or they doubt and there are some very learned men who mislead them and say that it is not necessary to be sure of this and yet on the other hand these same men do nothing else but teach good works now all these works are done outside of faith therefore they are nothing and altogether dead for as their conscience stands toward God and as it believes so also are the works which grow out of it now they have no faith no good conscience toward God and therefore the works lack their head and all their life and goodness is nothing hence it comes that when I exalt faith and reject such works done without faith they accuse me of forbidding good works when in truth i am trying hard to teach real good works of faith three if you ask further whether they counted also a good work when they work at their trade walk stand eat drink sleep and do all kinds of works for the nourishment of the body or for the common welfare and whether they believe that God takes pleasure in them because of such works you will find that they say no and they define good works so narrowly that they are made to consist only of praying in church fasting and almsgiving other works they consider to be in vain and think that God cares nothing for them so through their damnable unbelief they curtail and lessen the service of God who is served by all things whatsoever that are done spoken or thought in faith so teaches Ecclesiastes nine go thy way with joy eat and drink and know that God accepted thy works let thy garments always be white and let thy head lack no ointment live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thine vanity let thy garments be always white that is let all our works be good whatever they may be without any distinction and they are white when I am certain and believe that they please God then shall the head of my soul never lack the ointment of a joyful conscience so Christ says John eight I do always those things that please him and Saint John says first John three hereby we know that we are of the truth if we can comfort our hearts before him and have a good confidence and if our heart condemns or frets us God is greater than our heart and we have confidence that whatsoever we ask we shall receive of him because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight again whosoever is born of God that is whoever believes and trusts God doth not commit sin and cannot sin again Psalm 34 none of them that trust in him shall do sin and in Psalm two blessed are all they that put their trust in him if this be true then all that they do must be good or the evil that they do must be quickly forgiven behold then why I exalt faith so greatly draw all works into it and reject all works which do not flow from it end of section five recording by Randy Carlson sacramento california section six of a treatise on good works this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Randy Carlson sacramento california a treatise on good works by Martin Luther translated by Johann Michael Rowe section six four now everyone can note and tell for himself when he does what is good or what is not good for if he finds his heart confident that it pleases God the work is good even if it were so smaller thing as picking up a straw if confidence is absent or if he doubts the work is not good although it should raise all the dead and the man should give himself up to be burned this is the teaching of Saint Paul Romans 14 whatsoever is not done of or in faith is sin faith as the chief work and no other work has given us the name of believers on Christ for all other works a heathen a Jew a Turk a sinner may also do but to trust firmly that he pleases God is possible only for a Christian who is enlightened and strengthened by grace that these words seem strange and that some call me a heretic because of them is due to the fact that men have followed blind reason and heathen ways have set faith not above but beside other virtues and have given it a work of its own apart from all works of the other virtues although faith alone makes all other works good acceptable and worthy in that it trusts God and does not doubt that for it all things that a man does are well done indeed they have not let faith remain a work but they have made a habitus of it as they say although scripture gives the name of a good divine work to no work except to faith alone therefore it is no wonder that they have become blind and leaders of the blind and this faith brings with it at once love peace joy and hope for God gives his spirit at once to him who trusts him as Saint Paul says to the Galatians you receive the spirit not because of your good works but when you believe the word of God five in this faith all works become equal and one is like the other all distinctions between works fall away whether they be great small short long few or many for the works are acceptable not for their own sake but because of the faith which alone is works and lives in each and every work without distinction however numerous and various they are just as all the members of the body live work and have their name from the head and without the head no member can live work and have a name from which it further follows that a Christian who lives in this faith has no need of a teacher of good works but whatever he finds to do he does and all is well done as Samuel said to Saul the spirit of the Lord will come upon thee and thou shalt be turned into another man then do thou as occasion serves thee for God is with thee so also we read of Saint Anna Samuel's mother when she believed the priest Eli who promised her God's grace she went home in joy and peace and from that time no more turned hither and thither that is whatever occurred it was all one to her Saint Paul also says where the spirit of Christ is there all is free for faith does not permit itself to be bound to any work nor does it allow any work to be taken from it but as the first Psalm says he bringeth forth his fruit in his season that is as a matter of course six this we may see in a common human example when a man and a woman love and are pleased with each other and thoroughly believe in their love who teaches them how they are to behave what they are to do leave undone say not say think confidence alone teaches them all this and more they make no difference in works they do the great the long the much as gladly as the small the short the little and vice versa and that too with joy peaceful confident hearts and each is a free companion of the other but where there is a doubt search is made for what is best then a distinction of works is imagined whereby a man may win favor and yet he goes about it with a heavy heart and great disrelish he is as it were taken captive more than half in despair and often makes a fool of himself so a Christian who lives in this confidence toward God and knows all things can do all things undertakes all things that are to be done and does everything cheerfully and freely not that he may gather many merits and good works but because it is a pleasure for him to please God thereby and he serves God purely for nothing content that his service pleases God on the other hand he who is not at one with God or doubts hunts and worries in what way he may do enough and with many works move God he runs to Saint James of Compostella to Rome to Jerusalem hither and yon praise Saint Bridget's prayer and the rest fasts on this day and on that makes confession here and makes confession there questions this man and that and yet finds no peace he does all this with great effort despair and disrelish of heart so that the scriptures rightly call such works in Hebrew avanama that is labor and travail and even when they are not good works and are all lost many have been crazed thereby their fear has brought them into all manner of misery of these it is written wisdom of Solomon five we have wearied ourselves in the wrong way and have gone through deserts where there lay no way but as for the way of the Lord we have not known it and the son of righteousness rose not upon us end of section six recording by Randy Carlson Sacramento California section seven of a treatise on good works this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Randy Carlson Sacramento California a treatise on good works by Martin Luther translated by Johann Michael Rao section seven number seven in these works faith is still slight and weak let us ask further whether they believe that they are well pleasing to God when they suffer in body property honor friends or whatever they have and believe that God of his mercy appoints their sufferings and difficulties for them whether they be small or great this is real strength to trust in God when to all our senses and reason he appears to be angry and to have greater confidence in him than we feel here he is hidden as the bride says in song of songs behold he standeth behind our wall he looketh forth at the windows that is he stands hidden among the sufferings which would separate us from him like a wall yay like a wall of stone and yet he looks upon me and does not leave me for he is standing and is ready graciously to help and through the window of dim faith he permits himself to be seen and Jeremiah says in lamentations he casts off men but he does it not willingly this faith they do not know at all and give up thinking that God has forsaken them and has become their enemy they even lay the blame of their ills on men and devils and have no confidence at all in God for this reason too their suffering is always in offense and harmful to them and yet they go and do some good works as they think and are not aware of their unbelief but they who in such suffering trust God and retain a good firm confidence in him and believe that he is pleased with them these see in their sufferings and afflictions nothing but precious merits and the rarest possessions the value of which no one can estimate for faith and confidence make precious before God all that which others think most shameful so that it is written even of death in Psalm 116 precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints and just as the confidence and faith are better higher and stronger at this stage than in the first stage so and to the same degree do the sufferings which are born of this faith excel all works of faith therefore between such works and sufferings there is an immeasurable difference and the sufferings are infinitely better number eight beyond all this is the highest stage of faith when God punishes the conscience not only with temporal sufferings but with death hell and sin and refuses grace and mercy as though it were his will to condemn and to be angry eternally this few men experience but David cries out in Psalm 6 oh Lord rebuke me not in line anger to believe at such times that God in his mercy is pleased with us is the highest work that can be done by and in the creature but of this the work righteous and doers of good works know nothing at all for how could they here look for good things in grace from God as long as they are not certain in their works and doubt even on the lowest step of faith in this way I have as I said always praised faith and reject all works which are done without such faith in order thereby to lead men from the false pretentious fair sake unbelieving good works with which all monastic houses churches homes low and higher classes are overfilled and lead them to the true genuine thoroughly good believing works in this no one opposes me except the unclean beasts which do not divide the hoof as the law of Moses decrees who will suffer no distinction among good works but go lumbering along if only they pray fast establish endowments go to confession and do enough everything shall be good although in all this they have had no faith in God's grace and approval indeed they consider the works best of all when they have done many great and long works without any such confidence and they look for good only after the works are done and so they build their confidence not on divine favor but on the works that they have done that is on sand and water from which they must at last take a cruel fall as Christ says Matthew seven this goodwill and favor on which our confidence rests was proclaimed by the angels from heaven when they sang on Christmas night Gloria in excelsis Deo glory to God in the highest peace to earth gracious favor to men nine now this is the work of the first commandment which commands thou shalt have no other gods which means since I alone am God thou shalt place all thy confidence trust and faith on me alone and no one else for that is not to have a god if you call him god only with your lips or worship him with the knees or bodily gestures but if you trust him with the heart and look to him for all good grace and favor whether in works or sufferings in life or death in joy or sorrow as the Lord Christ says to the heathen woman John for I say unto thee they that worship God must worship him in spirit and in truth and this faith faithfulness confidence deep in the heart is the true fulfilling of the first commandment without this there is no other work that is able to satisfy this commandment and as this commandment is the very first highest and best from which all the others proceed in which they exist and by which they are directed and measured so also its work that is the faith or confidence in God's favor at all times is the very first highest and best from which all others must proceed exist remain be directed and measured compared with this other works are just as if the other commandments were without the first and there were no God therefore St. Augustine well says that the works of the first commandment are faith hope and love as I said above such faith and confidence brings love and hope with them nay if we see it a right love is the first or comes at the same instant with faith for I could not trust God if I did not think that he wished to be favorable and to love me which leads me in turn to love him and to trust him heartily and to look to him for all good things end of section seven recording by Randy Carlson Sacramento California section eight of a treatise on good works this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Philip Nottis a treatise on good works by Martin Luther translated by Johann Michael Roy treatise 10 through 12 10 now you see for yourself that all those who do not at all times trust God and do not in all their works or sufferings life and death trust in his favor grace and goodwill but trust his favor and other things or in themselves do not keep this commandment and practice real idolatry even if they were to do the works of all the other commandments and in addition had all the prayers fasting obedience patience chastity and innocence of all the saints combined for the chief work is not present without which all the others are nothing but mere sham show and pretense but nothing back of them against which Christ warns us in Matthew seven beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing such are all who wish with their many good works as they say to make God favorable to themselves and to buy God's grace from him as if he were a huckster or a day laborer unwilling to give his grace and favor for nothing these are the most perverse people on earth who will hardly or never be converted to the right way such two are all who in adversity run hither and thither and look for counsel and help everywhere except from God from whom they are most urgently commanded to seek it whom the prophet Isaiah reproves thus in Isaiah 9 the many mad people turneth not to him that smited them that is God smote them and sent them sufferings and all kinds of adversity that they should run to him and trust him but they run away from him to men now to Egypt now to Assyria per chance also to the devil and of such idolatry much is written in the same prophet and in the books of the kings this is also the way of all holy hypocrites when they are in trouble they do not run to God but flee from him and only think of how they may get rid of their trouble through their own efforts or through human help and yet they consider themselves and let others consider them pious people 11 this is what saint paul means in many places where he ascribes so much to faith that he says just as exfira sud vivit that is the righteous man draws his life out of the faith and faith is that because of which he is counted righteous before God if righteousness consists of faith it is clear that faith fulfills all the commandments and makes all works righteous since no one is justified except he keep all the commands of God again the works can justify no one before God without faith so utterly and roundly does the apostle reject works and prays faith that some have taken offense at his words and say well then we will do no more good works although he condemns such men as erroring and foolish so men still do when we reject the great pretentious works of our time which are done entirely without faith they say men are only to believe in not to do anything good for nowadays they say that the works of the first commandment are singing reading organ playing reading the mass saying martins and vespers and the other hours the founding and decorating of churches altars and monastic houses the gathering of bells jewels garments trinkets treasures running to rome and to the saints further when we are dressed up and bow kneel pray the rosary and the sultan and all this not before an idol but before the holy cross of God or the pictures of his saints this we call honoring and worshiping God and according to the first commandment having no other gods although these things users adulterers and all manner of sinners can do too and do them daily of course if these things are done with such faith that we believe they please God then they are praiseworthy not because of their virtue but because of such faith or which all works are of equal value as has been said but if we doubt or do not believe that God is gracious to us and is pleased with us or if we presumptuously expect to please him only through and after our works then it is all peer deception outwardly honoring God but inwardly setting up self as a false God this is the reason why I have so often spoken against the display magnificence and multitude of such works and have rejected them because it is as clear as day that they are not only done in doubt without faith but there is not one in a thousand who does not set his confidence upon the works expecting by them to win God's favor and anticipate his grace and so they make a fair of them a thing which God cannot endure since he has promised his grace freely and wills that we begin by trusting that grace and in it perform all works whatever they may be 12 note for yourself then how far apart these two are keeping the first commandment with outward works only and keeping it with inward trust for this last makes true living children of God the other only makes worse idolatry and the most mischievous hypocrites on earth who with their apparent righteousness bleed unnumbered people into their way and yet allow them to be without faith so that they are miserably misled and are caught in the pitiable babbling and murmuring of such Christ says in Matthew 24 beware if any man shall say unto you lo here is Christ or there and John 4 I say unto the the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship God for the Father seeketh spiritual worshipers these and similar passages have moved me and ought to move everyone to reject the great display of bulls seals flags indulgences by which the poor folk are led to build churches to give to endow to pray and yet faith is not mentioned and is even suppressed for since faith knows no distinction among works such exaltation and urging of one work above another cannot exist beside faith for faith desires to be the only service of God and will grant this name and honor to no other work except insofar as faith imparts it as it does when the work is done in faith and by faith this perversion is indicated in the Old Testament when the Jews left the temple and sacrificed at other places in the green parks and on the mountains this is what these men also do they are zealous to do all works but this chief work of faith they regard not at all end of section eight recording by philip nodus section nine of a treatise on good works this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Philip nodus a treatise on good works by Martin Luther translated by Johann Michael Roy treatise 13 through 15 where now are they who ask what works are good what they shall do how they shall be religious yes and where are they who say that when we preach of faith we shall neither teach nor do works does not this first commandment give us more work to do than any man can do if a man were a thousand men or all men or all creatures this commandment would yet ask enough of him and more than enough since he is commanded to live and walk at all times in faith and confidence toward god to play such faith in no one else and so to have only one the true god and none other now since the being and nature of man cannot for an instant be without doing or not doing something enduring or running away from something for as we see life never rests let him who will be pious and filled with good works begin and in all his life and works at all times exercise himself in his faith let him learn to do and leave undone all things in such continual faith then he will find how much work he has to do and how completely all things are included in faith how he dare never grow idle because his very idling must be the exercise and work of his faith in brief nothing can be in or about us and nothing can happen to us but that it must be good and meritorious if we believe as we ought that all things please god so says saint paul dear brethren all that you do whether you eat or drink do all in the name of jesus christ our lord now it cannot be done in this name except to be done in the faith likewise roman seven we know that all things work together for good to the saints of god therefore when some say that good works are forbidden when we preach faith alone it is as if i said to a sick man if you had health you would have the use of all your limbs but without health the works of all your limbs are nothing and he wanted to infer that i had forbidden the works of all his limbs whereas in the contrary i meant that he must first have health which will work all the works of all the members so faith also must be in all the works of the master workmen and captain or they are nothing at all 14 you might say why then do we have so many laws of the church and of the state and merry ceremonies of the church monastic houses holy places which urge and tempt men to good works if faith does all these things through the first commandment i answer simply because we do not have all the faith or do not heed it if every man had faith we would need nowhere laws but everyone would of himself at all times do good works as his confidence in god teaches him but now there are four kinds of men the first just mentioned who need no law of whom st paul says in first timothy one the law is not made for a righteous man that is for the believer but believers of themselves do what they know and can do only because they firmly trust the god's favor and grace rests upon them in all things the second class want to abuse this freedom put a false confidence in it and grow lazy of whom st peter says in first peter too ye shall live as a free man not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness as if he said the freedom of faith does not permit sins nor will it cover them but it sets us free to do all manner of work and to endure all things as they happen to us so that a man is not bound only to one work or to a few so also st paul in galatians five use not your liberty for an occasion to the flesh such men must be urged by laws and hemmed in by teaching and exhortation the third class are wicked men always ready for sins these must be constrained by spiritual and temporal laws like wild horses and dogs and where this does not help they must be put to death by the worldly sword as st paul says in romans 13 the worldly ruler bears the sword and serves god with it not as a terror to the good but to the evil the fourth class who are still lusty and childless in their understanding of faith and of the spiritual life must be coaxed like young children attempted with external definite and prescribed decorations with reading praying fasting singing adorning of churches organ playing and such other things as are commanded and observed in monastic houses and churches until they also learn to know the faith although there is a great danger here when the rulers as is now alas the case busy themselves with and insist upon such ceremonies and external works as if they were the true works and neglect faith which they ought always to teach along with these works just as a mother gives her child other food along with the milk until the child can eat the strong food by itself 15 since then we are not all alike we must tolerate such people share their observances and burdens and not despise them but teach them the true way of faith so st paul teaches in romans 14 him that is weak in the faith receive you to teach him and so he did himself first Corinthians 9 to them that are under the law i became as under the law although i was not under the law and christ in matthew 17 when he was asked to pay tribute which he was not obliged to pay argues with st peter whether the children of kings must give tribute or only other people st peter answers only other people christ said then are the children of kings free notwithstanding lest we should offend them go down to the sea and cast and hook and take up the fish that first cometh up and in his mouth thou shalt find a piece of money take that and give it for me and thee hence we shall see that all works and things are free to a christian through his faith and yet because the others do not yet believe he observes and bears with them what he is not obliged to do but this he does freely for he is certain that this is pleasing to god and he does it willingly accepts it as any other free work which comes to his hand without his choice because he desires and seeks no more than that he may in his faith do works to please god but since in this discourse we have undertaken to teach what righteous and good works are and now speaking of the highest work it is clear that we do not speak of the second third and fourth classes of men but of the first into whose likeness all the others are to grow and until they do so the first class must endure and instruct them therefore we must not despise as if they were hopeless these men of weak faith who would greatly do right and learn and yet cannot understand because of the ceremonies to which they cling we must rather blame their ignorant blind teachers who have never taught them the faith and have led them so deeply into works they must be gently and gradually led back again to faith and as a sick man is treated and must be allowed for a time for their conscience sake to cling to some works and do them as necessary to salvation so long as they rightly grasp the faith lest if we try to terror them out so suddenly their weak consciences be quite shattered and confused and retain neither faith nor works but the hard head who harden in their works give no heed to what is said of faith and fight against it these we must as christ did and taught let go their way the blind may lead the blind end of section nine recording by philip nautis section 10 of a treatise on good works this is a liberovox recording all liberovox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit liberovox.org recording by philip nautis a treatise on good works by martin luther translated by yohan michael roy treatise 16 through 18 16 but you say how can i trust surely that all my works are pleasing to god when at times i fall and talk eat drink and sleep too much or otherwise transgress as i cannot help doing answer this question shows that you still regard faith as a work among other works and do not set it above all works for it is the highest work for this very reason because it remains and blots out these daily sins by not doubting that god is so kind to you as to wink at such daily transgressions and weakness i even as a deadly sin should occur which however never or rarely happens to those who live in faith and trust toward god yet faith arises again and does not doubt that its sin is already gone and as it is written in first john too my little children these things are right unto you that ye sin not and if any men sin we have an advocate with god the father jesus christ who is the propitiation of all our sins and wisdom 15 for if we sin we are thine knowing thy power and proverbs 24 for adjustment fall us seven times and rises up again yes this confidence and faith must be so high and strong the man knows that all life and works are nothing but damnable sins before god's judgment as it is written in psalm 143 in thy sight shall no man living be justified and he must entirely despair of his works believing that they cannot be good except through this faith which looks for no judgment but only for pure grace favor kindness and mercy like david in psalm 26 thy loving kindness is ever before mine eyes and i have trusted in thy truth psalm four the light of thy countenance is lift up upon us that is the knowledge of thy grace through faith and thereby hast thou put gladness in my heart for as faith trusts so it receives see thus our works forgiven are without guilt and are good not by their own nature but by the mercy and grace of god because of the faith which trusts on the mercy of god therefore we must fear because of the works but comfort ourselves because of the grace of god as it is written in psalm 147 the lord take the pleasure in them that i fear him in those that hope in his mercy so we pray with perfect confidence our father and yet petition forgive us our trespasses we are children and yet sinners are acceptable and yet do not do enough and all this is the work of faith firmly grounded in god's grace 17 but if you ask where the faith and the confidence can be found and whence they come this it is surgingly most necessary to know first without doubt faith does not come from your words or merit but alone from jesus christ and is freely promised and given as st paul writes in romans 5 god commanded his love to us as exceeding sweet and kindly in that while we were yet sinners christ died for us as if he said ought not this give us a strong unconquerable confidence that before we prayed or cared for it yes while we still continually walked in sins christ dies for our sin st paul concludes if while we were yet sinners christ died for us how much more than being justified by his blood shall we be saved from wrath through him and if when we were enemies we were reconciled to god by the death of his son much more being reconciled shall we be saved by his life lo thus must thou draw from christ within thyself and see how in him god holds before thee and offers thee his mercy without any previous merits of thine own and from such a view of his grace thou must draw faith and confidence of the forgiveness of all thy sins faith therefore does not begin with works neither do they create it but it must spring up and flow from the blood wounds and death of christ if thou see in these that god is so kindly affectioned toward the that he gives even his son for thee then their heart also must in its turn grow sweet and kindly affectioned toward god and so they confidence must grow out of pure goodwill and love god's love toward thee and thine toward god we never read that the holy spirit was given to anyone when he did works but always when men had heard the gospel of christ and the mercy of god from this same word and from no other source must faith still come even in our day and always for christ is the rock out of which men suck oil and honey as Moses said in Deuronomy 32 18 so far we've treated of the first work and of the first commandment but very briefly plainly and hastily for very much might be said of it we will now trace the works farther through the following commandments the second work next to faith is the work of the second commandment that we shall honor god's name and not take it in vain this like all other works cannot be done without faith and if it is done without faith it is all sham and show after faith we can do no greater work than to praise preach sing and in every way exalt and magnify god's glory honor and name and although i have said above and it is true that there's no difference in works where faith is and does the work yet this is true only when they are compared with faith and its works measured by one another there is a difference and one is higher than the other just as in the body the members do not differ when compared with health and health works in the same one as much as in the other yet the works of the members are different and one is higher nobler more useful than the other so here also to praise god's glory and name is better than the works of the other commandments which follow and yet it must be done in the same faith as all the others but i know well that this work is lightly esteemed and has indeed become unknown therefore we must examine it further and we'll say no more about the necessity of doing it in the faith and confidence that it pleases god indeed there is no work in which confidence and faith are so much experienced and felt as in honoring god's name and it greatly helps to strengthen and increase faith although all works also helped to do this as st peter says in second peter one where for the rather brethren give diligence through good works to make your calling an election sure end of section 10 recording by philip nautis section 11 of a treatise on good works this is a liberovox recording all liberovox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit liberovox.org recording by philip nautis a treatise on good works by martin luther translated by yohan michael roy treatise 19 through 21 19 the first commandment forbids us to have any other gods and thereby commands that we have a god the true god by a firm faith trust confidence hope and love which are the only works whereby a man can have honor and keep a god for by no other work can one find or lose god except by faith or unbelief by trusting or doubting of the other works none reaches quite to god so also in the second commandment we are forbidden to use his name in vain yet this is not to be enough but we are thereby also commanded to honor call upon glorify preach and praise his name and indeed it is impossible that god's name should not be dishonored where it is not rightly honored for although it be honored with the lips bending of the knees kissing and other postures if this is not done in the heart by faith in confident trust in god's grace it is nothing else than an evidence and badge of hypocrisy see now how many kinds of good works a man can do under this commandment at all times and never be without the good works of this commandment if you will so that you truly need not make a long pilgrimage or seek holy places for tell me what moment can pass in which we do not without ceasing receive god's blessings or on their other hand suffer adversity but what else are god's blessings and adversities that are constant urging stirring up to praise honor and bless god and call upon his name now if you had nothing else at all to do would you not have enough to do with this commandment alone that you without ceasing bless sing praise and honor god's name and for what other purpose have tongue voice language and mouth been created as Psalm 31 says lord open thou my lips my mouth shall show forth I praise again my tongue shall sing loud thy mercy what work is there in heaven except that of the second commandment as it is written in Psalm 134 blessed are they that dwell in thy house they will be forever praising thee so also David says in Psalm 34 God's praise shall be continually in my mouth in st paul 1 Corinthians 10 whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do do all the glory of god also Colossians 3 whatsoever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the lord jesus giving thanks to god and the father if we were to observe this work we would have a heaven here on earth and always have enough to do as have the saints in heaven 20 on this is based the wonderful and righteous judgment of god that at times a poor man in whom no one can see many great works in the privacy of his home joyfully praises god when he fares well or with entire confidence calls upon him when he fares ill and therefore does a greater more acceptable work than another who fasts much prays much endows churches makes pilgrimages burdens himself with great deeds in this place and that such a fool opens wide his mouth looks for great works to do and it's so blinded that he does not at all notice this greatest work and praising god in his eyes a very small matter compared with a great idea he has formed the works of his own devising in which he perhaps praises himself more than god or takes more pleasure in them than he does in god and thus with his good works he storms against the second commandment and his works of all this we have an illustration in the case of the Pharisee and the public in the gospel for the sinner calls one god in his sins and praises him and so has hit upon the two highest commandments faith and god's honor the hypocrite misses both and struts about with any other good works by which he praises himself and not god and puts his trust in himself more than in god therefore he is justly rejected and the other chosen the reason of all this is that the higher and better the works are the less show they make and that everyone thinks that they are easy because it is evident that no one pretends to praise god's name and honor so much as the very men who never do it and with their show of doing it while the heart is without faith cause the precious work to be despised so that the apostles sing it to paul dare say boldly in Romans 2 that they blaspheme god's name who make their boast of god's law for to name the name of god and to write his honor on paper and on the walls is an easy matter but genuinely to praise and bless him in his good deeds and confidently to call upon him in all adversities these are truly the most rare highest works next to faith so that if we were to see how few of them there are in Christendom we might despair for very sorrow and yet there is a constant increase of high pretty shining works of men's devising or of works which look like these true works but at bottom are all without faith without faithfulness in short there is nothing good back of them thus also isaia 48 rebukes the people of Israel here ye this ye which are called by the name of Israel which swear by the name of the lord and make mention of god of Israel neither in truth nor in righteousness that is they did it not in the true faith and confidence which is the real truth in righteousness but trusted in themselves their works and powers and yet called upon god's name and praised him two things which do not fit together 21 the first work of this commandment then is to praise god and all his benefits which are innumerable so that such praise and thanksgiving ought also of right never to cease or end for who can praise him perfectly for the gift of natural life not to mention all other temporal and eternal blessings and so through this part of the commandment man is overwhelmed with good and precious works if he do these in true faith he has indeed not lived in vain and in this matter none sinned so much as the most resplendent saints who are pleased with themselves and like to praise themselves or to hear themselves praised honored and glorified before men therefore the second work of this commandment is to be on one's guard to flee from and avoid all temporal honor and praise and never to seek a name for oneself or fame and a great reputation that everyone sing of him and tell of him which is an exceedingly dangerous sin and yet the most common of all and alas little regarded everyone wants to be of importance and not to be the least however small he may be so deeply his nature sunk in the evil of its own conceit and in itself confidence contrary to these two first commandments now the world regards this terrible vice as the highest virtue and this may seem exceedingly dangerous for those who do not understand and have not had experience of God's commandments and the histories of the holy scriptures to read or hear heathen books and histories for all heathen books are poisoned through and through with this striving after praise and honor in them men are taught by blind reason that they were not nor could be men of power and worth who are not moved by praise and honor but those are counted the best who disregard body and life friend and property and everything in the effort to win praise and honor all the holy fathers have complained of this vice and with one mind conclude that it is the very last vice to be overcome st augustine says all other vices are practiced in evil works only honor and self satisfaction are practiced in and by means of good works therefore if a man had nothing else to do except the second work of this commandment he would yet have to work all his lifetime in order to fight this vice and drive it out so common so subtle so quick and insidious is it now we all pass by this good work and exercise ourselves in many other lesser good works nay through other good works we overthrow this and forget it entirely so the holy name of god which alone should be honored is taken in vain and dishonored through our own cursed name self-approval and honor seeking and this sin is more grievous before god than murder and adultery but its wickedness is not so clearly seen as that of murder because of its subtlety for it is not accomplished in the coarse flesh but in the spirit end of section 11 recording by philip nautus section 12 of a treatise on good works this is a libra vox recording all libra vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit libravox.org recording by philip nautus a treatise on good works by martin luther translated by yohan michael roy treatise 22 through 24 22 some think it is good for young people that they be enticed by reputation and honor and again by shame and of dishonor and so be induced to do good for there are many who do the good and leave the evil undone out of fear of shame and love of honor and so do what they would otherwise by no means do or leave undone these i leave to their opinion but at present we are seeking how true good works are to be done and they who are inclined to do them surely do not need to be driven by the fear of shame and love of honor they have and are to have a higher and far nobler incentive namely god's commandment god's fear god's approval and their faith and love toward god they who have not or regard not this motive and let shame and honor drive them these also have their reward as the lord says in matthew six and as the motive so is also the work and the reward none of them is good except only in the eyes of the world now i hold that a young person could be more easily trained and incited by god's fear and commandments than by any other means yet where these do not help we must endure that they do the good and leave the evil for the sake of shame and honor yet just as we must also endure wicked men or the imperfect of whom we spoke above nor can we do more and tell them that their works are not satisfactory and right before god and so leave them until they learn to do right for the sake of god's commandments also just as young children are induced to pray fast learn etc by gifts and promises of the parents even though it would not be good to treat them so as all their lives so that they never learn to do good in the fear of god far worse if they become accustomed to do good for the sake of praise and honor 23 but this is true that we must nonetheless have a good name and honor and everyone also to live that nothing evil can be said of him and that he give offense to no one as st paul says in romans 12 we are to be zealous to do good not only before god but also before all men and second chrithians four we walk so honestly that no men knows anything against us but there must be great diligence and care lest such honor and good name puff up the heart and the heart find pleasure in them hear the saying of salomon holds as the fire in the furnace proveeth the gold so is man proved by the mouth of him that praises him few and most spiritual men they be who when honored and praise remain indifferent and unchanged so that they do not care for it nor feel pride and pleasure in it but remain entirely free ascribe all honor and fame to god offering it to him alone and using it only to the glory of god to the edification of their neighbors and in no way to their own benefit or advantage so that a man trust not in his own honor nor exalt himself above the most incapable despised man on earth but acknowledged himself a servant of god who has given him the honor and order that with it he may serve god and his neighbor just as if he had commanded him to distribute some golden to the poor for his sake so he says in matthew five your light shall shine before men so that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven he does not say they shall praise you but your works shall only serve them to edification that through them they may praise god in you and in themselves this is the correct use of god's name and honor when god is thereby praised through the edification of others and if men want to praise us and not god in us we are not to endure it but with all our powers forbid it and flee from it as from the most grievous sin and robbery of divine honor 24 hence it comes that god frequently permits a man to fall into or remain in grievous sin in order that he may be put to shame in his own eyes and in the eyes of all men who otherwise could not have kept himself from this great vice of vain honor and fame if he had remained constant in his great gifts and virtues so god must ward off this sin by means of other grievous sins that his name alone may be honored and thus one sin becomes the others medicine because of our perverse wickedness which not only does the evil but also misuses all that is good now see how much a man has to do if he would do good works which always are at hand great number and with which he is surrounded on all sides but alas because of his blindness he passes them by and seeks and runs after others of his own devising and pleasure against which no man can sufficiently speak and no man can sufficiently guard with this all the prophets had to contend and for this reason they were all slain only because they rejected such self-devised works and preached only God's commandments as one of them says Jeremiah 7 thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto you take your burnt offerings unto all your sacrifices and eat your burnt offerings and your flesh yourselves for concerning these things I have commanded you nothing but this thing commanded I you obey my voice that is not what seems right and good to you but what I have bid you and walk in the way that I've commanded you and Deuteronomy 12 thou shall not do whatsoever is right in thine own eyes but what thy God has commanded thee these and numberless like passages of scripture are spoken to tear man not only from his sins but also from the works which seem to men to be good and right and to turn men with a single mind to the simple meaning of God's commandment only that they shall diligently observe this only and always as it is written in Exodus 13 these commandments shall be for a sign unto the upon thine hand for a memorial between thine eyes and Psalm 1 a godly man meditates in God's law day and night for we have more than enough and too much to do if we are to satisfy only God's commandments he has given us such commandments that if we understand them right we dare not for a moment be idle and might easily forget all other works but the evil spirit who never rests when he cannot lead us to the left into evil works fights on our right through self-divised works that seem good but against which God has commanded in Deuteronomy 28 and Joshua 23 ye shall not go aside from my commandments to the right hand nor to the left end of section 12 recording by Philip Nautis section 13 of a treatise on good works this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Philip Nautis a treatise on good works by Martin Luther translated by Johann Michael Roy treatise 25 through 27 25 the third work of this commandment is to call God's name in every need for this guy regards as keeping his name holy and greatly honoring it if we name and call upon it in adversity and need and this is really why he sends us so much trouble suffering and adversity even death and lets us live in many wicked sinful affections that he may thereby urge man and give him much reason to run to him to cry aloud to him to call upon his holy name and thus fulfill this work of the second commandment as he says in Psalm 1 call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify me for I desire the sacrifice of praise and this is the way whereby thou canst come unto salvation for through such works man perceives and learns what God's name is how powerful it is to help all who call upon it and whereby confidence and faith grow mightily and these are the fulfilling of the first and highest commandment this is the experience of David in Psalm 54 thou has delivered me out of all trouble therefore will I praise thy name and confess that this is lovely and sweet and Psalm 91 says because he hath set his hope upon me therefore will I deliver him I will help him because he hath known my name lo what man is there on earth who will not all his life have long enough to do with this work for who lives an hour without trials I will not mention the trials of adversity which are innumerable for this is the most dangerous trial of all when there is no trial and everything is and goes well for then a man is tempted to forget God to become too bold and to misuse the times of prosperity here he has 10 times more need to call upon God's name than when in adversity since it is written in Psalm 91 a thousand shall fall on the left hand and 10 000 on the right hand so too we see in a broad day in all men's daily experience that more heinous sins and vice occur when there is peace when all things are cheap and there are good times then when war pestilence sickness and all manner of misfortune burden us so that moses also fears for his people lest they forsake God's commandment for no other reason than because they are too full too well provided for and have too much peace as he says in Deuteronomy 32 my people is waxed rich full and fat therefore has it forsaken its God whereby also God let many of its enemies remain and would not drive them out in order that they should not have peace and must exercise themselves in the keeping of God's commandments as it is written in Judges 3 so he deals with us also when he sends us all kinds of misfortune so exceedingly careful is he of us that he may teach us and drive us to honor and call upon his name to gain confidence and faith toward him and so to fulfill the first two commandments 26 here foolish men run into danger and especially the work righteous saints and those who want to be more than others they teach men to make the sign of the cross one arms himself with letters another runs to the fortune tellers one to seek this another that if only they may thereby escape misfortune and be secure it is beyond telling what a devilish allurement attaches to this trifling with sorcery conjuring and superstition all of which is done only that men may not need God's name and put no trust in it here great dishonor is done to the name of God and the first two commandments in that men look to the devil men or creatures for that which should be sought and found in God alone through not but a pure faith and confidence and a cheerful meditation of and calling upon his holy name now examine this closely for yourself and see whether this is not a gross mad perversion the devil men and creatures they must believe and trust them for the best without such faith and confidence nothing holds or helps how shall the good and faithful god reward us for not believing and trusting him as much or more than man and the devil although he not only promises help and sure assistance but also commands us confidently to look for it and gives and urges all manner of reasons why we should play such faith and confidence in him is it not lamentable and pitiable that the devil or man who commands nothing and does not urge but only promises is set above God who promises urges and commands and that more is thought of them than of God himself we ought truly to be ashamed of ourselves and learn from the example of those who trust the devil or men for the devil who is a wicked lying spirit keeps faith with all those who ally themselves with him how much more will not the most gracious all truthful god keep faith if he trusts him nay it is not rather he alone who will keep faith a rich man trusts and relies upon his money and possessions and they help him and we are not willing to trust and rely upon the living god that he is willing and able to help us we say gold makes bold and it is true as barak 3 says gold is a thing wherein men trust but far greater is the courage which the highest eternal good gives wherein trust not men but only God's children 27 even if none of these adversities constrain us to call upon God's name and to trust him yet we're sin alone more than sufficient to train and to urge us on in this work for sin has hemmed us in with three strong mighty armies the first is our own flesh the second the world the third the evil spirit by which three we are without ceasing oppressed and troubled whereby God gives us occasion to do good works without ceasing namely to fight with these enemies and sins the flesh seeks pleasure and peace the world seeks riches favor power and honor the evil spirit seeks pride glory that a man be well thought of and other men despise and these are all so powerful that each one of them is alone sufficient to fight a man and yet there's no way we can overcome them except only by calling upon the name of God and affirmed faith as Solomon says in Proverbs 18 the name of the Lord is a strong tower the righteous runeth into it and is said a lot and David in Psalm 116 says I will drink the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord and again Psalm 18 I will call upon the Lord with praise so shall I be saved from all my enemies these works and the power of God's name have become unknown to us because we are not accustomed to it and have never seriously fought with sins and have not needed his name because we are trained only in our self-devised works which we were able to do with our own powers end of section 13 recording by Philip Knottis