A Treatise on Good Works
together with the Letter of Dedication
by Dr. Martin Luther, 1520
INTRODUCTION
1. 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 Heinse, 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
intrusted 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 (1515-1516),
which is accessible since 1908; nor what he had urged as spiritual
adviser of his convent brethren when in deep distress--compare the
charming letter to Georg Spenlein, dated April 8, 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 Oct 31 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 in issue the whole question as to the right and
wrong of indulgences by means of his theses. His sermon Of Indulgences
and Grace, occasioned by Tetzel's attack and delivered in the latter
part of March, 1518, as well as his sermon Of Penitence, delivered
about the same time, were also intended for his congregation. Before
his congregation (Sept., 1516-Feb., 1517) he delivered the Sermons on
the Ten Commandments, which were published in 1518 and the Sermons on
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, viz.,
the Resolutiones disputationis de Virtute indulgentiarum, the Asterisci
adversus obeliscos Joh. Eccii, and the Ad dialogum Silv. Prieriatis
responsio, 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 Cajetan, as well as the
whole year of 1519, when he held his disputations 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
mention: Explanation of the Lord's Prayer for the simple Laity (an
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 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 "vor sich
und hinter sich"; 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 bounds of his congregation spread
ever wider beyond Wittenberg, so that his writings found a surprisingly
ready sale, even afar, that was not Luther's fault. Even the
Tessaradecas consolatoria, written in 1519 and printed in 1520, a book
of consolation, which was originally intended for the sick Elector of
Saxony, was written by him only upon solicitation from outside sources.
To this circle of writings the treatise Of Good Works also belongs
Though the incentive for its composition came from George Spalatin,
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; and 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 bounds of a sermon for his congregation. On March 25.
he wrote to Spalatin that it would become a whole booklet instead of a
sermon; on May 5. he again emphasizes the growth of the material; on
May 13. he speaks of its completion at an early date, and on June 8. he
could send Melanchthon a printed copy. It was entitled: Von den guten
werckenn: D. M. L. Vuittenberg. On the last page it bore the printer's
mark: Getruck zu Wittenberg bey dem iungen Melchior Lotther. Im Tausent
funfhundert vnnd zweyntzigsten Jar. It filled not less than 58 leaves,
quarto. In spite of its volume, however, the intention of the book for
the congregation remained, now however, not only for the narrow circle
of the Wittenberg 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
Sexternlein (tracts 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 perish 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 afore-mentioned Tessaradecas
consolatoria to the reigning Prince, he now, probably on Spalatin's
recommendation, dedicated the Treatise on Good Works to his brother
John, who afterward, in 1525, succeeded Frederick in 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 on 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 emphatic teaching of good works. Luther, on the other
hand, had been accused--like the Apostle Paul before him (Rom. 3
31)--that the zealous performance of good works had abated, that the
bonds of discipline had slackened and that, as a necessary consequence,
lawlessness and shameless immorality were being promoted by his
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 depended on an evangelical understanding of faith, as
deep as was Luther's own. The Middle Ages had differentiated between
fides informis, a formless faith, and fides formata or informata, a
formed or ornate faith. The former was held to be a knowledge without
any life or effect, the latter to be identical with love for, as they
said, love which proves itself and is effective in good works must be
added to the formless faith, as its complement and its content, well
pleasing to God. In Luther's time every one who was 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 held the bare knowledge and assent to be sufficient for
justification, and such preaching would indeed have led to frivolity
and disorderly conduct. 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.
2. The Contents of the Work.--A perusal of the contents shows that the
book, in the course of its 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 1-17,
while the second comprises all the following sections. The first, being
fundamental, is the more 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, too, 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 matins, vespers, and other hours, founding and ornamenting
churches, altars, convents, gathering chimes, jewels, vestments, gems
and treasures, going to Rome and to the saints, curtsying and bowing
the knees, praying the rosary and the psalter," 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 part he 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 are 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, that 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 wellpleasing 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 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 it 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 toward each other, what they are to do, to leave
undone, to say, to leave unsaid, to think."
This faith, Luther continues, is "the true fulfilment 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, as 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, unbelief; it requires but one thing, faith, "that confidence
in God's good will at all times." Without this faith the best works are
as nothing, and if man should think that by them he could be
well-pleasing to God, he would be lowering God to the level of a
"broker or 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 declaiming 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 as contribute toward the confusion of
consciences, because they are 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 (I. 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
First to the other Commandments. From the fact, that according to the
First Commandment, we acquire a pure heart and confidence toward God,
he derives the good work of the Second Commandment, namely, "to praise
God, to acknowledge His grace, to render all honor to Him alone." From
the same source he derives the good work of the Third 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 Second Table.
The argument on the Third and Fourth Commandments claims nearly
one-half of the entire treatise. Among the good works which, according
to the Third Commandment, should be an exercise and proof of faith,
Luther especially mentions the proper hearing of mass and of 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 Sabbath rest.
Luther discusses the Fourth Commandment as fully as the Third. 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 in all things should 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 magistrates 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 of their own
accord and put a check to these 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 in 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 of 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 toward one's neighbor and to 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 favor, 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 all 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 unto death.
3. The Importance of the Work.--Inquiring now into the importance of
the book, we note that Luther's impression evidently was perfectly
correct, when he wrote to Spalatin, long before its completion--as
early as March 2 5.--that he believed it to be better than anything he
had heretofore 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. In
comparison with the prevalent urging of self-elected works of monkish
holiness, which had arisen from a complete misunderstanding of the
so-called evangelical counsels (comp. esp. Matthew 19:16-22) and which
were at that 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 those 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 wide-spread 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 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 inquire 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 of 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 as the dawn of a new era (Galatians 3:22-25) 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, demanded nothing less than a breach with the whole of prevalent
religious views, and at that time must have been perceived as the
discovery of a new world, though it was no more than a 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 a 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
with here for the first time--shows that the Monk of Witttenberg,
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 harden the heart, but rather produces
courage in the truth and sympathy 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 of
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, in a contemporaneous letter to John Hess, called it
Luther's best book. John Mathesius, the well-known pastor at
Joachimsthal and Luther's biographer, acknowledged that he had learned
the "rudiments of Christianity" from it.
Even to-day this book has its peculiar mission to the Church. The
seeking after self-elected works, the indolence regarding the works
commanded of God, the foolish opinion, that the path of works leads to
God's grace and good-will, are even to-day 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. REU.
WARTBURG SEMINARY, DUBUQUE, IOWA.
TREATISE ON GOOD WORKS
1520
DEDICATION
JESUS
To the Illustrious, High-born Prince and Lord, John Duke of Saxony,
Landgrave of Thuringia, Margrave of Meissen, my gracious Lord and
Patron.
Illustrious, High-born Prince, gracious Lord! My humble duty and my
feeble prayer for your Grace always remembered!
For a long time, gracious Prince and Lord, I have wished 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 Grace's 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 ventured to think that
the princely spirit, like the princely blood, may be the same in both
of you, especially in gracious kindness and good will. I have hoped
that your princely Grace likewise would not despise this my humble
offering which I have felt more need of publishing than an other of my
sermons or tracts. For the greatest of all questions has been raised,
the question of Good Works; in which is practised immeasurably more
trickery and deception than in anything else, and in which the
simpleminded man is so easily misled that our Lord Christ has commanded
us to watch carefully for the sheep's clothings 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 are 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 could 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 any one else the honor of greater things,
and not be at all ashamed to preach and to write in German for the
unlearned laymen. Although I too have little skill in it, I believe
that if we had hitherto done, and should henceforth do more of it,
Christendom would have reaped no small advantage, and have been more
bene fited by this than by the great, deep books and quaestiones, which
are used only in the schools, among the learned.
Then, too, I have never forced or begged any one to hear me, or to read
my sermons. I have freely ministered in the Church of that which God
has given me and 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 laymen condescend to read what I say. Even though there
were 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 at 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 at another time of the Faith itself--how we are
daily to pray or recite it.
I humbly commend myself herewith to your princely Grace, Your Princely
Grace's Humble Chaplain,
DR. MARTIN LUTHER.
From Wittenberg, March 29th, A. D. 1520.
THE TREATISE
I. 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 xix, "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." And
when the young man asks Him, Matthew xix, what he shall do that he may
inherit eternal life, Christ sets before him naught else but the Ten
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.
II. The first and highest, the most precious of all good works is faith
in Christ, as He says, John vi. 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 hath 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, 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.
III. If you ask further, whether they count it 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 ix: "Go thy way with joy, eat and drink, and
know that God accepteth thy works. Let thy garments be always white;
and let thy head lack no ointment. Live joyfully with the wife whom
thou lovest all the days of the life of thy 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 viii: "I do always those things that please Him."
And St. John says, I. John iii: "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 xxxiv: "None of them that trust in Him shall do
sin." And in Psalm ii: "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.
IV. Now every one 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 small a 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 to be burned. This is the teaching of St. Paul, Romans
xiv: "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 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 St. Paul says to the Galatians: "You received the Spirit not
because of your good works, but when you believed the Word of God."
V. 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 St. 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. St. 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.
VI. 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 joyful, 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, a 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 St. James of Compostella, to Rome, to
Jerusalem, hither and yon, prays St. 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 Avenama, that is,
labor and travail. And even then 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 v: "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 sun of righteousness rose not upon us."
VII. 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 the 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, yea, 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 is 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 an offence 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 cxvi, "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 borne in this faith
excel all works of faith. Therefore between such works and sufferings
there is an immeasurable difference and the sufferings are infinitely
better.
VIII. 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 vi, "O Lord, rebuke me not in Thine 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 and 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 rejected all
works which are done without such faith, in order thereby to lead men
from the false, pretentious, pharisaic, 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
they have done, that is, on sand and water, from which they must at
last take a cruel fall, as Christ says, Matthew vii. This good-will 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 man."
IX. 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
on 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 iv:
"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 bring love and hope with
them. Nay, if we see it aright, 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.
X. Now you see for yourself that all those who do not at at all times
trust God and do not in all their works or sufferings, life and death,
trust in His favor, grace and good-will, but seek His favor in other
things or in themselves, do not keep this Commandment, and practise
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 pretence, with nothing back of them; against which
Christ warns us, Matthew vii: "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 too 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, Isaiah ix: "The mad people turneth not to Him that
smiteth 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, perchance
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.
XI. This is what St. Paul means in many places, where he ascribes so
much to faith, that he says: Justus ex fide sua vivit, "the righteous
man draws his life out of his faith," and faith is that because of
which he is counted righteous before God. If righteousness consists of
faith, it is clear that faith fulfils all 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 praise
faith, that some have taken offence at his words and say: "Well, then,
we will do no more good works," although he condemns such men as erring
and foolish.