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_[7] of it, [John 6:29] 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. [Matt. 15:14] 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 became of your good
works, but when you believed the Word of God." [Gal. 3:2]

[Sidenote: Faith makes all Works Equal]

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." [1 Sam. 10:6] 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," [1 Sam. 1:17 f.] that
is, whatever occurred, it was all one to her. St. Paul also says:
"Where the Spirit of Christ is, there all is free." [Rom. 8:2]
For faith does not permit itself to be bound to any work [1 Cor.
3:17], nor does it allow any work