XVIII. So far we have treated of the first work and of
the First Commandment, but very briefly, plainly and
hastily, for very much might be said of it. We will now
trace the works farther through the following
Commandments.
The second work, next to faith, is the work of the Second
Commandment, that we shall honor God's Name and not take
it in vain. This, like all the other works, cannot be
done without faith; and if it is done without faith, it
is all sham and show. After faith we can do no greater
work than to praise, preach, sing and in every way exalt
and magnify God's glory, honor and Name.
And although I have said above, and it is true, that
there is no difference in works where faith is and does
the work, yet this is true only when they are compared
with faith and its works. Measured by one another there
is a difference, and one is higher than the other. Just
as in the body the members do not differ when compared
with health, and health works in the one as much as in
the other; yet the works of the members are different,
and one is higher, nobler, more useful than the other;
so, here also, to praise God's glory and Name is better
than the works of the other Commandments which follow;
and yet it must be done in the same faith as all the
others.
But I know well that this work is lightly esteemed, and
has indeed become unknown. Therefore we must examine it
further, and will say no more about the necessity of
doing it in the faith and confidence that it pleases God.
Indeed there is no work in which confidence and faith are
so much experienced and felt as in honoring God's Name;
and it greatly helps to strengthen and increase faith,
although all works also help to do this, as St. Peter
says, II. Peter i: "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give
diligence through good works to make your calling and
election sure."
XIX. The First Commandment forbids us to have other gods,
and thereby commands that we have a God, the true God, by
a firm faith, trust, confidence, hope and love, which are
the only works whereby a man can have, honor and keep a
God; for by no other work can one find or lose God except
by faith or unbelief, by trusting or doubting; of the
other works none reaches quite to God. So also in the
Second Commandment we are forbidden to use His Name in
vain. Yet this is not to be enough, but we are thereby
also commanded to honor, call upon, glorify, preach and
praise His Name. And indeed it is impossible that God's
Name should not be dishonored where it is not rightly
honored. For although it be honored with the lips,
bending of the knees, kissing and other postures, if this
is not done in the heart by faith, in confident trust in
God's grace, it is nothing else than an evidence and
badge of hypocrisy.
See now, how many kinds of good works a man can do under
this Commandment at all times and never be without the
good works of this Commandment, if he will; so that he
truly need not make a long pilgrimage or seek holy
places. For, tell me, what moment can pass in which we do
not without ceasing receive God's blessings, or, on the
other hand, suffer adversity? But what else are God's
blessings and adversities than a constant urging and
stirring up to praise, honor, and bless God, and to call
upon His Name? Now if you had nothing else at all to do,
would you not have enough to do with this Commandment
alone, that you without ceasing bless, sing, praise and
honor God's Name? And for what other purpose have tongue,
voice, language and mouth been created? As Psalm li.
says: "Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall show
forth Thy praise." Again: "My tongue shall sing aloud of
Thy mercy."
What work is there in heaven except that of this Second
Commandment? As it is written in Psalm Ixxxiv: "Blessed
are they that dwell in Thy house: they will be for ever
praising Thee." So also David says in Psalm xxxiv: "God's
praise shall be continually in my mouth." And St. Paul,
I. Corinthians x: "Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or
whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." Also
Colossians iii: "Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all
in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and
the Father." If we were to observe this work, we would
have a heaven here on earth and always have enough to do,
as have the saints in heaven.
XX. On this is based the wonderful and righteous judgment
of God, that at times a poor man, in whom no one can see
many great works, in the privacy of his home joyfully
praises God when he fares well, or with entire confidence
calls upon Him when he fares ill, and thereby does a
greater and more acceptable work than another, who fasts
much, prays much, endows churches, makes pilgrimages, and
burdens himself with great deeds in this place and in
that. Such a fool opens wide his mouth, looks for great
works to do, and is so blinded that he does not at all
notice this greatest work, and praising God is in 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 cease or end. For who can praise Him perfectly
for the gift of natural life, not to mention all other
temporal and eternal blessings? And so through this one
part of the Commandment man is overwhelmed with good and
precious works; if he do these in true faith, he has
indeed not lived in vain. And in this matter none sin so
much as the most resplendent saints, who are pleased with
themselves and like to praise themselves or to hear
themselves praised, honored and glorified before men.
Therefore the second work of this Commandment is, to be
on one's guard, to flee from and to avoid all temporal
honor and praise, and never to seek a name for oneself,
or fame and a great reputation, that every one sing of
him and tell of him; which is an exceedingly dangerous
sin, and yet the most common of all, and, alas! little
regarded. Every one wants to be of importance and not to
be the least, however small he may be; so deeply is
nature sunk in the evil of its own conceit and in its
self-confidence contrary to these two first Commandments.
Now the world regards this terrible vice as the highest
virtue, and this makes it exceedingly dangerous for those
who do not understand and have not had experience of
God's Commandments and the histories of the Holy
Scriptures, to read or hear the heathen books and
histories. For all heathen books are poisoned through and
through with this striving after praise and honor; in
them men are taught by blind reason that they were not
nor could be men of power and worth, who are not moved by
praise and honor; but those are counted the best, who
disregard body and life, friend and property and
everything in the effort to win praise and honor. All the
holy Fathers have complained of this vice and with one
mind conclude that it is the very last vice to be
overcome. St. Augustine says: "All other vices are
practised in evil works; only honor and self-satisfaction
are practised in and by means of good works."
Therefore if a man had nothing else to do except this
second work of this Commandment, he would yet have to
work all his life-time in order to fight this vice and
drive it out, so common, so subtile, so quick and
insidious is it. Now we all pass by this good work and
exercise ourselves in many other lesser good works, nay,
through other good works we overthrow this and forget it
entirely. So the holy Name of God, which alone should be
honored, is taken in vain and dishonored through our own
cursed name, self-approval and honor-seeking. And this
sin is more grievous before God than murder and adultery;
but its wickedness is not so clearly seen as that of
murder, because of its subtilty, for it is not
accomplished in the coarse flesh, but in the spirit.
XXII. Some think it is good for young people that they be
enticed by reputation and honor, and again by shame of
and dishonor, and so be induced to do good. For there are
many who do the good and leave the evil undone out of
fear of shame and love of honor, and so do what they
would otherwise by no means do or leave undone. These I
leave to their opinion. But at present we are seeking how
true good works are to be done, and they who are inclined
to do them surely do not need to be driven by the fear of
shame and the love of honor; they have, and are to have a
higher and far nobler incentive, namely, God's
commandment, God's fear, God's approval, and their faith
and love toward God. They who have not, or regard not
this motive, and let shame and honor drive them, these
also have their reward, as the Lord says, Matthew vi; and
as the motive, so is also the work and the reward: none
of them is good, except only in the eyes of the world.
Now I hold that a young person could be more easily
trained and incited by God's fear and commandments than
by any other means. Yet where these do not help, we must
endure that they do the good and leave the evil for the
sake of shame and of honor, just as we must also endure
wicked men or the imperfect, of whom we spoke above; nor
can we do more than tell them that their works are not
satisfactory and right before God, and so leave them
until they learn to do right for the sake of God's
commandments also. Just as young children are induced to
pray, fast, learn, etc., by gifts and promises of the
parents, even though it would not be good to treat them
so all their lives, so that they never learn to do good
in the fear of God: far worse, if they become accustomed
to do good for the sake of praise and honor.
XXIII. But this is true, that we must none the less have
a good name and honor, and every one ought so to live
that nothing evil can be said of him, and that he give
offence to no one, as St. Paul says, Romans xii: "We are
to be zealous to do good, not only before God, but also
before all men." And II. Corinthians iv: "We walk so
honestly that no man knows anything against us." But
there must be great diligence and care, lest such honor
and good name puff up the heart, and the heart find
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