rough such works man perceives and
learns what God's Name is, how powerful it is to help all who call upon
it; and whereby confidence and faith grow mightily, and these are the
fulfilling of the first and highest Commandment. This is the
experience of David, Psalm liv: "Thou hast delivered me out of all
trouble, therefore will I praise Thy Name and confess that it is lovely
and sweet." And Psalm xci says, "Because he hath set his hope upon Me,
therefore will I deliver him: I will help him, because he hath known My
Name."

Lo! what man is there on earth, who would not all his life long have
enough to do with this work? For who lives an hour without trials? I
will not mention the trials of adversity, which are innumerable. For
this is the most dangerous trial of all, when there is no trial and
every thing is and goes well; for then a man is tempted to forget God,
to become too bold and to misuse the times of prosperity. Yea, here he
has ten times more need to call upon God's Name than when in adversity.
Since it is written, Psalm xci, "A thousand shall fall on the left hand
and ten thousand on the right hand."

So too we see in broad day, in all men's daily experience, that more
heinous sins and vice occur when there is peace, when all things are
cheap and there are good times, than when war, pestilence, sicknesses
and all manner of misfortune burden us; so that Moses also fears for
his people, lest they forsake God's commandment for no other reason
than because they are too full, too well provided for and have too much
peace, as he says, Deuteronomy xxxii "My people is waxed rich, full and
fat; therefore has it forsaken its God." Wherefore also God let many of
its enemies remain and would not drive them out, in order that they
should not have peace and must exercise themselves in the keeping of
God's commandments, as it is written, Judges iii. So He deals with us
also, when He sends us all kinds of misfortune: so exceedingly careful
is He of us, that He may teach us and drive us to honor and call upon
His Name, to gain confidence and faith toward Him, and so to fulfil the
first two Commandments.

XXVI. Here foolish men run into danger, and especially the
work-righteous saints, and those who want to be more than others; they
teach men to make the sign of the cross; one arms himself with letters,
another runs to the fortunetellers; one seeks this, another that, if
only they may thereby escape misfortune and be secure.