l the prophets had to contend, and for this reason they
were all slain, only because they rejected such self-devised works and
preached only God's commandments, as one of them says, Jeremiah vii:
"Thus saith the God of Israel unto you: Take your burnt offerings unto
all your sacrifices and eat your burnt-offerings and your flesh
yourselves; for concerning these things I have commanded you nothing,
but this thing commanded I you: Obey My voice (that is, not what seems
right and good to you, but what I bid you), and walk in the way that I
have commanded you." And Deuteronomy xii: "Thou shalt not do whatsoever
is right in thine own eyes, but what thy God has commanded thee."

These and numberless like passages of Scripture are spoken to tear man
not only from sins, but also from the works which seem to men to be
good and right, and to turn men, with a single mind, to the simple
meaning of God's commandment only, that they shall diligently observe
this only and always, as it is written, Exodus xiii: "These
commandments shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a
memorial between thine eyes." And Psalm i: "A godly man meditates in
God's Law day and night." For we have more than enough and too much to
do, if we are to satisfy only God's commandments. He has given us such
commandments that if we understand them aright, we dare not for a
moment be idle, and might easily forget all other works. But the evil
spirit, who never rests, when he cannot lead us to the left into evil
works, fights on our right through self-devised works that seem good,
but against which God has commanded, Deuteronomy xxviii, and Joshua
xxiii, "Ye shall not go aside from My commandments to the right hand or
to the left."

XXV. The third work of this Commandment is to call upon God's Name in
every need. For this God regards as keeping His Name holy and greatly
honoring it, if we name and call upon it in adversity and need. And
this is really why He sends us so much trouble, suffering, adversity
and even death, and lets us live in many wicked, sinful affections,
that He may thereby urge man and give him much reason to run to Him, to
cry aloud to Him, to call upon His holy Name, and thus to fulfil this
work of the Second Commandment, as He says in Psalm 1: "Call upon Me in
the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me; for
I desire the sacrifice of praise." And this is the way whereby thou
canst come unto salvation; for th