n, and seem to men to be something extraordinary, and are
honored because of their beautiful, splendid life in manifold
good works.

[Sidenote: The Lord's Day]

XVII. Spiritually understood, this Commandment has a yet far
higher work, which embraces the whole nature of man. Here it must
be known that in Hebrew "Sabbath" means "rest," because on the
seventh day God rested and ceased from all His works, which He
had made. Genesis ii [Gen. 2:3]. Therefore He commanded also that
the seventh day should be kept holy and that we cease from our
works which we do the other six days. This Sabbath has now for us
been changed into the Sunday, and the other days are called
work-days; the Sunday is called rest-day or holiday or holy day.
And would to God that in Christendom there were no holiday except
the Sunday; that the festivals of Our Lady and of the Saints were
all transferred to Sunday; then would many evil vices be done
away with through the labor of the work-days, and lands would not
be so drained and impoverished. But now we are plagued with many
holidays, to the destruction of souls, bodies and goods; of which
matter much might be said.

This rest or ceasing from labors is of two kinds, bodily and
spiritual. For this reason this Commandment is also to be
understood in two ways.

[Sidenote: The Rest of the Body]

The bodily rest is that of which we have spoken above, namely,
that we omit our business and work, in order that we may gather
in the church, see mass, hear God's Word and make common prayer.
This rest is indeed bodily and in Christendom no longer commanded
by God, as the Apostle says, Colossians ii, "Let no man obligate
you to any holiday whatever" [Col. 2:16]--for they were of old a
figure, but now the truth has been fulfilled, so that all days
are holy days, as Isaiah says, chapter lxvi, "One holy day shall
it follow the other" [Is. 66:23]; on the other hand, all days are
workdays. Yet it is a necessity and ordained by the Church for
the sake of the imperfect laity and working people, that they
also may be able to come to hear God's Word. For, as we see, the
priests and clergy celebrate mass every day, pray at all hours
and train themselves in God's Word by study, reading and hearing.
For this reason also they are freed from work before others,
supported by tithes and have holy-day every day, and every day do
the works of the holy-day, and have no work-day, but for them one
day is as the other. And if w