r such a magistrate, or of my neighbour as an example to him;
for this cause I will do and suffer all things, just as Christ did and
suffered much more for me, though He needed not at all to do so on His
own account, and made Himself for my sake under the law, when He was
not under the law. And although tyrants may do me violence or wrong in
requiring obedience to these things, yet it will not hurt me to do them,
so long as they are not done against God.

From all this every man will be able to attain a sure judgment and
faithful discrimination between all works and laws, and to know who
are blind and foolish pastors, and who are true and good ones. For
whatsoever work is not directed to the sole end either of keeping under
the body, or of doing service to our neighbour--provided he require
nothing contrary to the will of God--is no good or Christian work. Hence
I greatly fear that at this day few or no colleges, monasteries, altars,
or ecclesiastical functions are Christian ones; and the same may be said
of fasts and special prayers to certain saints. I fear that in all these
nothing is being sought but what is already ours; while we fancy that
by these things our sins are purged away and salvation is attained, and
thus utterly do away with Christian liberty. This comes from ignorance
of Christian faith and liberty.

This ignorance and this crushing of liberty are diligently promoted by
the teaching of very many blind pastors, who stir up and urge the people
to a zeal for these things, praising them and puffing them up with their
indulgences, but never teaching faith. Now I would advise you, if you
have any wish to pray, to fast, or to make foundations in churches, as
they call it, to take care not to do so with the object of gaining any
advantage, either temporal or eternal. You will thus wrong your faith,
which alone bestows all things on you, and the increase of which, either
by working or by suffering, is alone to be cared for. What you give,
give freely and without price, that others may prosper and have increase
from you and your goodness. Thus you will be a truly good man and a
Christian. For what to you are your goods and your works, which are done
over and above for the subjection of the body, since you have abundance
for yourself through your faith, in which God has given you all things?

We give this rule: the good things which we have from God ought to flow
from one to another and become common to all, so