t it is
written even of death in Psalm cxvi, "Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of His saints." And just as the confidence and faith are
better, higher and stronger at this stage than in the first stage, so
and to the same degree do the sufferings which are borne in this faith
excel all works of faith. Therefore between such works and sufferings
there is an immeasurable difference and the sufferings are infinitely
better.

VIII. Beyond all this is the highest stage of faith, when; God punishes
the conscience not only with temporal sufferings, but with death, hell,
and sin, and refuses grace and mercy, as though it were His will to
condemn and to be angry eternally. This few men experience, but David
cries out in Psalm vi, "O Lord, rebuke me not in Thine anger." To
believe at such times that God, in His mercy, is pleased with us, is
the highest work that can be done by and in the creature; but of this
the work-righteous and doers of good works know nothing at all. For how
could they here look for good things and grace from God, as long as
they are not certain in their works, and doubt even on the lowest step
of faith.

In this way I have, as I said, always praised faith, and rejected all
works which are done without such faith, in order thereby to lead men
from the false, pretentious, pharisaic, unbelieving good works, with
which all monastic houses, churches, homes, low and higher classes are
overfilled, and lead them to the true, genuine, thoroughly good,
believing works. In this no one opposes me except the unclean beasts,
which do not divide the hoof, as the Law of Moses decrees; who will
suffer no distinction among good works, but go lumbering along: if only
they pray, fast, establish endowments, go to confession, and do enough,
everything shall be good, although in all this they have had no faith
in God's grace and approval. Indeed, they consider the works best of
all, when they have done many, great and long works without any such
confidence, and they look for good only after the works are done; and
so they build their confidence not on divine favor, but on the works
they have done, that is, on sand and water, from which they must at
last take a cruel fall, as Christ says, Matthew vii. This good-will and
favor, on which our confidence rests, was proclaimed by the angels from
heaven, when they sang on Christmas night: "Gloria in excelsis Deo,
Glory to God in the highest, peace to earth, gracious favo