rincely Grace is pleased with such German books
and is eager to receive instruction in Good Works and the Faith, with
which instruction it was my duty, humbly and with all diligence to
serve you.

Therefore, in dutiful humility I pray that your princely Grace may
accept this offering of mine with a gracious mind, until, if God grant
me time, I prepare a German exposition of the Faith in its entirety.
For at this time I have wished to show how in all good works we should
practice and make use of faith, and let faith be the chief work. If God
permit, I will treat at another time of the Faith itself--how we are
daily to pray or recite it.

I humbly commend myself herewith to your princely Grace, Your Princely
Grace's Humble Chaplain,

DR. MARTIN LUTHER.

From Wittenberg, March 29th, A. D. 1520.

THE TREATISE

I. We ought first to know that there are no good works except those
which God has commanded, even as there is no sin except that which God
has forbidden. Therefore whoever wishes to know and to do good works
needs nothing else than to know God's commandments. Thus Christ says,
Matthew xix, "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." And
when the young man asks Him, Matthew xix, what he shall do that he may
inherit eternal life, Christ sets before him naught else but the Ten
Commandments. Accordingly, we must learn how to distinguish among good
works from the Commandments of God, and not from the appearance, the
magnitude, or the number of the works themselves, nor from the judgment
of men or of human law or custom, as we see has been done and still is
done, because we are blind and despise the divine Commandments.

II. The first and highest, the most precious of all good works is faith
in Christ, as He says, John vi. When the Jews asked Him: "What shall we
do that we may work the works of God?" He answered: "This is the work
of God, that ye believe on Him Whom He hath sent." When we hear or
preach this word, we hasten over it and deem it a very little thing and
easy to do, whereas we ought here to pause a long time and to ponder it
well. For in this work all good works must be done and receive from it
the inflow of their goodness, like a loan. This we must put bluntly,
that men may understand it.

We find many who pray, fast, establish endowments, do this or that,
lead a good life before men, and yet if you should ask them whether
they are sure that what they do pleases God, they say, "No";