n the
Second Commandment, which however are not good in themselves,
unless they are done in faith and in the assurance of divine
favor; and how much we must do, if we take heed to this
Commandment alone, and how we, alas! busy ourselves much with
other works, which have no agreement at all with it. Now follows
the Third Commandment: "Thou shalt hallow the day of rest." [22]
In the First Commandment is prescribed our heart's attitude
toward God in thoughts, in the Second, that of our mouth in
words, in this Third is prescribed our attitude toward God in
works; and it is the first and right table of Moses, on which
these three Commandments are written, and they govern man on the
right side, namely, in the things which concern God, and in which
God has to do with man and man with God, without the mediation of
any creature.

[Sidenote: Worship]

The first works of this Commandment are plain and outward, which
we commonly call worship,[23] such as going to mass, praying, and
hearing a sermon on holy days. So understood there are very few
works in this Commandment; and these, if they are not done in
assurance of and with faith in God's favor, are nothing, as was
said above. Hence it would also be a good thing if there were
fewer saint's days, since in our times the works done on them are
for the greater part worse than those of the work days, what with
loafing, gluttony, and drunkenness, gambling and other evil
deeds; and then, the mass and the sermon are listened to without
edification, the prayer is spoken without faith. It almost
happens that men think it is sufficient that we look on at the
mass with our eyes, hear the preaching with our ears, and say the
prayers with our mouths. It is all so formal and superficial! We
do not think that we might receive something out of the mass into
our hearts, learn and remember something out of the preaching,
seek, desire and expect something in our prayer. Although in this
matter the bishops and priests, or they to whom the work of
preaching is entrusted, are most at fault, because they do not
preach the Gospel, and do not teach the people how they ought to
look on at mass, hear preaching and pray. Therefore, we will
briefly explain these three works.

[Sidenote: The Mass]

II. In the mass it is necessary that we attend with our hearts
also; and we do attend, when we exercise faith in our hearts.
Here we must repeat the words of Christ, when He institutes the
mass and says, "