powerful, strong example
of it, His only, dear Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who on the Sabbath
lay in the tomb the entire day of rest, free from all His works, and
was the first to fulfil this Commandment, although He needed it not for
Himself, but only for our comfort, that we also in all suffering and
death should be quiet and have peace. Since, as Christ was raised up
after His rest and henceforth lives only in God and God in Him, so also
shall we by the death of our Adam, which is perfectly accomplished only
through natural death and burial, be lifted up into God, that God may
live and work in us forever. Lo! these are the three parts of man:
reason, desire, aversion; in which all his works are done. These,
therefore, must be slain by these three exercises, God's governance,
our self-mortification, the hurt done to us by others; and so they must
spiritually rest before God, and give Him room for His works.

XXIV. But such works are to be done and such sufferings to be endured
in faith and in sure confidence of God's favor, in order that, as has
been said, all works remain in the First Commandment and in faith, and
that faith, for the sake of which all other commandments and works are
ordained, exercise and strengthen itself in them. See, therefore, what
a pretty, golden ring these three Commandments and their works
naturally form, and how from the First Commandment and faith the Second
flows on to the Third, and the Third in turn drives through the Second
up into the First. For the first work is to believe, to have a good
heart and confidence toward God. From this flows the second good work,
to praise God's Name, to confess His grace, to give all honor to Him
alone. Then follows the third, to worship by praying, hearing God's
Word, thinking of and considering God's benefits, and in addition
chastising one's self, and keeping the body under.

But when the evil spirit perceives such faith, such honoring of God and
such worship, he rages and stirs up persecution, attacks body, goods,
honor and life, brings upon us sickness, poverty, shame and death,
which God so permits and ordains. See, here begins the second work, or
the second rest of the Third Commandment; by this faith is very greatly
tried, even as gold in the fire. For it is a great thing to retain a
sure confidence in God, although He sends us death, shame, sickness,
poverty; and in this cruel form of wrath to regard Him as our
all-gracious Father, as must be