re 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 hugely 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.[5]

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_