works of all the members. So faith also
must be in all works the master-workman and captain, or they are
nothing at all.

[Sidenote: Why Laws are Given]

XIV. You might say: "Why then do we have so many laws of the
Church and of the State, and many ceremonies of churches,
monastic houses, holy places, which urge and tempt men to good
works, if faith does all things through the First Commandment?" I
answer; Simply because we do not all have faith or do not heed
it. If every man had faith, we would need no more laws, but every
one would of himself at all times do good works, as his
confidence in God teaches him.

[Sidenote: Four Kinds of Men]

But now there are four kinds of men: the first, just mentioned,
who need no law, of whom St. Paul says, I. Timothy "The law is
not made for a righteous man," [1 Tim. 1:9] that is, for the
believer, but believers of themselves do what they know and can
do, only because they finally trust that 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, I. Peter ii, "Ye shall live as free men, but
not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness," [1 Pet.
2:16] 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
good works 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, Galatians v: "Use not your liberty for an occasion to the
flesh." [Gal. 5:13] 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, Romans xiii: "The worldly ruler bears the sword, and serves
God with it, not as a terror to the good, but to the evil." [Rom.
13:3 f.] The fourth class, who are still lusty, and childish in
their understanding of faith and of the spiritual life, must be
coaxed like young children and tempted 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 great danger here, whe