y
much exercise would speedily prepare himself for death and soon
attain the work of baptism, let him bind himself to chastity, or
the spiritual order; for the spiritual estate,[15] if it is as it
ought to be, should be full of torment and suffering, in order
that he who belongs to it may have more exercise in the work of
his baptism than the man who is in the estate of matrimony, and
through such torment quickly grow used to welcome death with joy,
and so attain the purpose of his baptism. Now above this estate
there is another and a higher, that which rules in the spiritual
order, viz., the estate of bishop, priest, etc. And these men
should be well practised in sufferings and works, and ready at
every hour for death, not only for their own sake, but for the
sake of those who are their subjects.

Yet in all these estates the standard, of which we spoke above,
should never be forgotten, viz., that a man should so exercise
himself only to the end that sin may be driven out, and should
not be guided by the number or the greatness of works. But, alas
how we have forgotten our baptism and what it means, and what
vows we made there, and that we are to walk in its works and
attain its purpose! So, too, we have forgotten about the ways to
that goal, and about the estates, and do not know to what end
these estates were instituted, and how we are in them to keep at
the fulfilling of our baptism. They have been made a gorgeous
show, and little more remains of them than worldly display, as
Isaiah says, "Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with
water." [Isa. 1:22] On this may God have mercy! Amen.

[Sidenote: The Joy of Baptism]

XIX. If, then, the holy sacrament of baptism is a thing so great,
so gracious and full of comfort, we should pay earnest heed to
thank God for it ceaselessly, joyfully, and from the heart, and
to give Him praise and honor. For I fear that by our
thanklessness we have deserved our blindness and become unworthy
to behold such grace, though the whole world was, and still is,
full of baptism and the grace of God. But we have been led astray
in our own anxious works, afterwards in indulgences and such like
false comforts, and have thought that we are not to trust God
until we are righteous and have made satisfaction for our sin, as
though we would buy His grace from Him or pay Him for it. In
truth, he who does not see in God's grace how it bears with him
as a sinner, and will make him blessed, and