his eyes a
very small matter compared with the great idea he has formed of the
works of his own devising, in which he perhaps praises himself more
than God, or takes more pleasure in them than he does in God; and thus
with his good works he storms against the Second Commandment and its
works. Of all this we have an illustration in the case of the Pharisee
and the Publican in the Gospel. For the sinner calls upon God in his
sins, and praises Him, and so has hit upon the two highest
Commandments, faith and God's honor. The hypocrite misses both and
struts about with other good works by which he praises himself and not
God, and puts his trust in himself more than in God. Therefore he is
justly rejected and the other chosen.

The reason of all this is that the higher and better the works are, the
less show they make; and that every one thinks they are easy, because
it is evident that no one pretends to praise God's Name and honor so
much as the very men who never do it and with their show of doing it,
while the heart is without faith, cause the precious work to be
despised. So that the Apostle St. Paul dare say boldly, Romans ii, that
they blaspheme God's Name who make their boast of God's Law. For to
name the Name of God and to write His honor on paper and on the walls
is an easy matter; but genuinely to praise and bless Him in His good
deeds and confidently to call upon Him in all adversities, these are
truly the most rare, highest works, next to faith, so that if we were
to see how few of them there are in Christendom, we might despair for
very sorrow. And yet there is a constant increase of high, pretty,
shining works of men's devising, or of works which look like these true
works, but at bottom are all without faith and without faithfulness; in
short, there is nothing good back of them. Thus also Isaiah xlviii.
rebukes the people of Israel: "Hear ye this, ye which are called by the
name of Israel, which swear by the Name of the Lord, and make mention
of the God of Israel neither in truth, nor in righteousness"; that is,
they did it not in the true faith and confidence, which is the real
truth and righteousness, but trusted in themselves, their works and
powers, and yet called upon God's Name and praised Him, two things
which do not fit together.

XXI. The first work of this Commandment then is, to praise God in all
His benefits, which are innumerable, so that such praise and
thanksgiving ought also of right never to