For example: a man has the intention to make his living by killing people. To be sure, he knows from the Word of God that this is not permissible, that God's will is: thou shalt not kill! "All right," thinks he, "but this way of serving God will not serve my purposes--at the same time I don't care to be among the ungodly ones, either." So what does he do but get hold of some priest who in God's name blesses his dagger. Ah, _c'est bien autre chose!_ In the Scriptures the single state is recommended. "But," says man, "that kind of worship really does not serve my purposes--and surely, you can't say that I am an ungodly person; and such an important step as marriage (which _nota bene_ God counsels against, His opinion being, in fact, that the important thing is not to take "this important step")--should I take such an important step without making sure of God's blessing?" Bravo! "That is what we have the priest for, that man of God, he will bestow the blessing on this important step (_nota bene_ concerning which the most important thing was not to take it at all) and so it will be acceptable to God"--and so I have my own way; and my own way becomes the way of worshipping God; and the priest has his own way and gets his ten dollars, which are not earned in such a simple way as, for example, by brushing people's clothes, or by serving out beer and brandy--oh no! Was he not active on behalf of God? To earn ten dollars in this fashion is: serving God. Bravissimo! What depth of nonsense and abomination! If something is not pleasing to God, does it perhaps become pleasing to Him by having--why, that is aggravating the mischief!--by having a clergyman along who--why, that is aggravating the mischief still more!--who gets ten dollars for declaring it pleasant to God?