easing to God, he would be lowering God to the level of a
"broker or a laborer who will not dispense his grace and kindness
gratis."

This understanding of faith and good works, so Luther now addresses his
opponents, should in fairness be kept in view by those who accuse him
of declaiming against good works, and they should learn from it, that
though he has preached against "good works," it was against such as are
falsely so called and as contribute toward the confusion of
consciences, because they are self-elected, do not flow from faith, and
are done with the pretension of doing works well-pleasing to God.

This brings us to the end of the fundamental part of the treatise. It
was not Luther's intention, however, to speak only on the essence of
good works and their fundamental relation to faith; he would show, too,
how the "best work," faith, must prove itself in every way a living
faith, according to the other commandments. Luther does not proceed to
this part, however, until in the fundamental part he has said with
emphasis, that the believer, the spiritual man, needs no such
instruction (I. Timothy 1:9), but that he of his own accord and at all
times does good works "as his faith, his confidence, teaches him." Only
"because we do not all have such faith, or are unmindful of it," does
such instruction become necessary.

Nor does he proceed until he has applied his oft repeated words
concerning the relation of faith to good works to the relation of the
First to the other Commandments. From the fact, that according to the
First Commandment, we acquire a pure heart and confidence toward God,
he derives the good work of the Second Commandment, namely, "to praise
God, to acknowledge His grace, to render all honor to Him alone." From
the same source he derives the good work of the Third Commandment,
namely, "to observe divine services with prayer and the hearing of
preaching, to incline the imagination of our hearts toward God's
benefits, and, to that end, to mortify and overcome the flesh." From
the same source he derives the works of the Second Table.

The argument on the Third and Fourth Commandments claims nearly
one-half of the entire treatise. Among the good works which, according
to the Third Commandment, should be an exercise and proof of faith,
Luther especially mentions the proper hearing of mass and of preaching,
common prayer, bodily discipline and the mortification of the flesh,
and he joins the former and