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ercy, or be justly condemned
Ks, which no one should consider to constitute true righteousness, as do those
hypocrites who employ and throw away their whole life in the pursuit of works,
and yet never attain to that for the sake of which the works are done. As the
Apostle
says, they are "ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the
truth" (2
Tim. iii. 7). They appear
to wish to build, they make preparations, and yet they never
do build; and thus they continue in a show of godliness, but never attain to
its power. Meanwhile they please
themselves with this zealous pursuit, and even dare to judge all others, whom
they
do not see adorned with such a glittering display of works; while, if they had
been imbued
with faith, they might have done great things for their own and
others' salvation, at the same cost which they now waste in abuse of the gifts
of God. But since human nature and natural reason, as they call it, are
naturally superstitious, and quick to believe that justification can be
attained by any laws or works proposed
to them, and since nature is also exercised and confirmed in the
same view by the practice of all earthly lawgivers, she
can never of her own
power free herself from this bondage to works, and come to a recognition of the
liberty of faith. We have therefore need to pray that God will lead us and make
us taught of God,
that is, ready to learn
fr
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