hing"; and he wanted to infer that I had
forbidden the works of all his limbs; whereas, on the contrary, I meant
that he must first have health, which will work all the works of all
the members. So faith also must be in all works the master-workman and
captain, or they are nothing at all.

XIV. You might say: "Why then do we have so many laws of the Church and
of the State, and many ceremonies of churches, monastic houses, holy
places, which urge and tempt men to good works, if faith does all
things through the First Commandment?" I answer: Simply because we do
not all have faith or do not heed it. If every man had faith, we would
need no more laws, but every one would of himself at all times do good
works, as his confidence in God teaches him.

But now there are four kinds of men: the first, just mentioned, who
need no law, of whom St. Paul says, I. Timothy i, "The law is not made
for a righteous man," that is, for the believer, but believers of
themselves do what they know and can do, only because they firmly trust
that God's favor and grace rests upon them in all things. The second
class want to abuse this freedom, put a false confidence in it, and
grow lazy; of whom St. Peter says, I. Peter ii, "Ye shall live as free
men, but not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness," as if he
said: The freedom of faith does not permit sins, nor will it cover
them, but it sets us free to do all manner of good works and to endure
all things as they happen to us, so that a man is not bound only to one
work or to a few. So also St. Paul, Galatians v: "Use not your liberty
for an occasion to the flesh." Such men must be urged by laws and
hemmed in by teaching and exhortation. The third class are wicked men,
always ready for sins; these must be constrained by spiritual and
temporal laws, like wild horses and dogs, and where this does not help,
they must be put to death by the worldly sword, as St. Paul says,
Romans xiii: "The worldly ruler bears the sword, and serves God with
it, not as a terror to the good, but to the evil." The fourth class,
who are still lusty, and childish in their understanding of faith and
of the spiritual life, must be coaxed like young children and tempted
with external, definite and prescribed decorations, with reading,
praying, fasting, singing, adorning of churches, organ playing, and
such other things as are commanded and observed in monastic houses and
churches, until they also learn to know the