Article I. From God. 1)
1. The first article of our confession is acceptable to the adversaries, in which it is stated how we believe and teach that there is an eternal, one, undivided divine being,
1) Like J. T. Müller, we have numbered all articles of the Apology according to those of the Confession and provided them with headings. Only those articles which had been rejected by the opponents have been
and yet three distinct Persons in One Divine Being, equally powerful, equally eternal, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. We have always taught and defended this article so purely, and we also hold and are certain that it has such a strong, good, certain foundation in the Holy Scriptures that no one is able to reproach or overthrow it.
2 Therefore we freely conclude that all those who hold or teach otherwise are idolaters, blasphemers, and outside the church of Christ.
Article II. (I.) Of original sin.
(3) The other article, of original sin, is also accepted by the adversaries; but they dispute, as if we had not rightly said what original sin is, when by chance we have spoken of it only in that place.
4 The imperial majesty will soon find that our enemies often neither realize nor understand anything in this highly important matter, and that they often misuse our words maliciously and diligently, or misunderstand them. For if we have spoken in the most simple and clearest way about what original sin is or is not, they have, out of vain venom and bitterness, interpreted the words which they themselves have spoken rightly and wrongly, with diligence evil and wrongly. For thus they say: You say that original sin is this, that such a mind and heart is innate in us, in which there is no fear of God, no trust in God, that is ever a real guilt and even a work or actualis culpa, therefore it is not original sin. It is easy to notice and accept that such cavillatio comes from theologians, not from the emperor's council. Although we know well how to avoid such envious, dangerous, and wanton interpretations, yet that all honest and respectable people may understand that we do not teach anything unskillful in this matter, we ask you to look at our previous German Confession, delivered to Augsburg, which will indicate enough that we do not teach anything new or unheard of. For in it is thus written: "Further, it is taught that after the fall of Adae all men who are born naturally are conceived and born in sins, that is, that they are all full of evil lusts and inclinations from their mother's womb, have no true fear of God, no true knowledge of God, and are born in sin.
in the süitio xrinaexs a superscription, but no number. Where the first number refers to the Confession, the second number is in brackets, indicating the articles that have a superscription in the Confession.
can have true faith in God by nature."
5 In this it appears enough that we say of all who are born of the flesh that they are unfit for all things of God, not heartily fearing God, not believing Him nor trusting Him. There we speak of innate evil nature of the heart, not only of actuali culpa, or real guilt and sins. For we say that in all the children of Adam there is an evil inclination and desire, and that no one can or is able to make for himself a heart that knows God, or heartily trusts God, heartily fears God.
I would like to hear what they want or would like to reproach. For pious, honest people who love the truth see without a doubt that this is right and true. For in our Latin confession we say that my natural man does not have potentia, that is, not so much deceitfulness, even in innocent children, who even from Adam are incapable of always heartily fearing God and heartily loving God. In the elderly and adults, however, over and above the innate evil nature of the heart, there is also actus and real sin.
(7) Therefore, when we call inherent evil desire, we mean not only the actus, evil works or fruits, but inwardly the evil inclination, which does not cease until we are born again through the Spirit and faith. But after this we will indicate in more words that we have also spoken of original sin, namely what it is or is not, in the usual old way of the scholastics, and not so unusually. However, I must first indicate the reasons why I have primarily used such words in this place, and not others.
8 The adversaries themselves speak of it in their schools, and confess that the matter or material of original sin, as they call it, is evil desire. Therefore, if I wanted to say what original sin is, this could not be ignored, especially at this time, when some speak of this inherent evil desire more paganly from philosophy than according to the divine word or the holy Scriptures. For some say that original sin in human nature is not an inherent evil, but only an infirmity and an imposed burden, which all Adam's children must bear for the sake of another's sin, that is, because of Adam's sin, and therefore are all mortal, not that they themselves all inherit sin from their mother's womb.
9. about this they say that no man is eternal.
be condemned only for the sake of original sin or original sin, but, just as bondwomen and bondmen are born of a bondwoman, not because of their own fault, but because they must pay for and bear the mother's misfortune and misery, If they themselves, like other people, are born without change, then original sin is not an inherent evil, but only an affliction and burden that we bear from Adam, but for ourselves are not therefore in sins and inherited misfortunes.
(10) In order to show that we do not like such an unchristian opinion, I have used these words: "All men from the womb are full of evil lusts and inclinations," and also call original sin a pestilence for this reason, to indicate that not a piece, but the whole man, with his whole nature, is born with a hereditary disease of sorts in sins. Therefore we do not only call it an evil desire, but also say that all men are born in sins, without fear of God, without faith. We do not add this without cause. The scholasticists or scholastici speak of original sin as if it were only a wicked, minor affliction, and do not understand what original sin is, or how the other holy fathers meant it.
(11) When the sophists write what original sin is, what the fomes or evil inclination is, they speak of it, among other things, as if it were an affliction of the body, as they are wont to speak of things in a childish way, and pose questions: whether the same affliction came from poisoning the forbidden apple in Paradise or from blowing on the serpent Adam? Item, whether the longer the affliction, the worse the medicine? With such quarrelsome questions they have confused and suppressed this whole main matter and the most important question, what original sin is.
Therefore, when they speak of original sin, they leave out the greatest and most necessary thing, and they do not even think of our true greatest sorrow, namely, that we humans are all born in such a way that we do not know God or God's work, neither see nor notice it, despise God, do not seriously fear or trust God, and are hostile to His judgment or verdict. Item, that we all by nature flee from God as a tyrant, are angry and grumble against His will. We do not leave nor dare to trust in God's goodness, but always rely more on money, goods and friends. This swift hereditary disease, by which the whole of nature is corrupted, by which
we all inherit such a heart, mind and thought from Adam, which is straight against God and the first, highest commandment of God, the scholastici pass over.
(13) And they speak of it as if human nature were uncorrupted, able to respect God greatly, to love above all things, to keep God's commandments, etc., and do not see that they are against themselves. For to be able to do this by our own strength, namely, to esteem God great, to love Him dearly, to keep His commandments, what would that be but to be a new creature in paradise, even pure and holy? If we are able to do such great things with our own strength, to love God above all else, to keep His commandments, as the scholastics may bravely say, what then would original sin be? And if we would become righteous by our own efforts, the grace of Christ is in vain. What would we need the Holy Spirit for, if by human strength we can love God above all things and keep His commandments?
(14) Here everyone sees how clumsily the adversaries speak of this high commerce. They confess the small infirmities of the sinful nature, and they do not remember the greatest of all earthly fathers and miseries, since the apostles all complain about it, since all the Scriptures report it everywhere, since all the prophets cry out about it, as the 14th Psalm and many other Psalms say: "There is no one who is righteous, not even one; there is no one who asks for God, there is no one who does good, not even one. Their mouth is an open grave; viper's poison is under their lips; there is no fear of God before their eyes" [Rom. 3:10-13, 18], even though the Scriptures clearly say that all these things are not inborn, but inherent in us.
(15) Because the scholastics have mixed much philosophy with Christian doctrine, and speak much of the light of reason and the actibus elicitis, they think too much of free will and unrighteous works. Moreover, they have taught that people become pious before God through an outwardly honorable life, and have not seen the innate impurity within the hearts, which no one becomes aware of except through the word of God, which the scholastici act almost sparsely and rarely in their books. We also say that to live outwardly honorably is to some extent within our capacity, but to become pious and holy before God is not within our capacity.
(16) These are the reasons why, when I wanted to say what original sin is, I thought of the innate evil desire, and said that by natural powers no man is able to fear God or to trust in Him. For I have wanted to show that original sin also includes this misery in itself, namely, that
no man knows or respects God, no one can heartily fear or love Him or trust Him. These are the greatest pieces of hereditary pestilence, by which all of us, from Adam, have been turned against God, against the first table of Moses, and against the greatest, highest divine commandment.
17 And we have said nothing new there. The old scholastics, if they are understood correctly, said the same thing. For they say that original sin is a defect of the first purity and righteousness in paradise. But what is justitia originalis, or the first righteousness in paradise? Righteousness and holiness in Scripture does not mean only keeping the other table of Moses, doing good works and serving my neighbor, but Scripture calls him righteous, holy and just who keeps the first table, who keeps the first commandment, that is, who fears God with all his heart, loves him and relies on God.
Therefore, Adam's purity and unchanged nature was not only a fine perfect health and all over pure blood, untainted powers of the body, as they speak of it, but the greatest thing in such noble first creature was a bright light in the heart to know God and His work, a right fear of God, a right hearty trust in God, and all over a righteous certain mind, a fine good cheerful heart towards God and all divine things.
19 And this is also attested to by the Holy Scriptures, when they say that man is created in God's image and likeness. For what is this but that divine wisdom and righteousness, which is of God, are formed in man? by which we know God, by which God's clarity is reflected in us, that is, that man was first given these gifts when he was created, right clear knowledge of God, right fear, right trust, and the like.
20 For thus also Irenaeus interprets the image and likeness of God, and Ambrose, when he speaks all kinds of opinions, says among other things: The soul is not made in the image of God, in whom God is not always. And Paul to the Ephesians and Colossians sufficiently indicates that God's image in Scripture means nothing else than knowledge of God and righteousness and justice before God. ^Col. 3, 10. Eph. 4, 24.]
21 And Longobardus says freely: that the first-created righteousness in Adam is the image and likeness of God, which is formed in man by God. I am recounting the opinions and sayings of the ancients, who were interested in the
The first thing is that nothing can hinder the interpretation of Augustine, as he speaks of the image of God. Therefore, the ancients, when they say what original sin is, and say that it is a lack of the first acquired righteousness, their opinion is that man is not only corrupted in the body or in the lowest, basest powers, but that he has also thereby lost these gifts: right knowledge of God, right love and trust toward God, and the power, the light in the heart, which makes him love and delight in all of this. For the scholastici or theologians themselves teach in schools that this inherent righteousness would not have been possible for us without special gifts and without the help of grace.
(22) And these gifts we call the fear of God, the knowledge of God, and trust in God, so that it may be understood. From all this it appears sufficiently that the ancients, when they say what original sin is, agree with us, and their opinion is also that we come into misery through original sin, born of not having a good heart that loves God rightly toward God, not only not being able to do or perform pure good works.
(23) Augustine also means the same thing, since he also wants to say what original sin is, and uses to call original sin an evil desire, because he wants to indicate that after Adam's fall, instead of righteousness, evil desire is innate in us. For from the fall, since we, being born sinful, do not fear, love, or trust God, we do nothing but rely on ourselves, despise God, or are afraid and flee from God.
(24) And so, in Augustine's words, the opinion of those who say that original sin is a defect of the first righteousness, that is, the evil desire that clings to us instead of the same righteousness, is grasped and understood. And the evil lust is not only a corruption or a deformation of the first pure bodily health of Adam in paradise, but also an evil lust and inclination, since according to the very best, highest powers and light of reason we are nevertheless carnally inclined and minded against God. And those do not know what they are saying who teach that man is able to love God above all else by virtue of his powers, and yet at the same time must confess that evil desire remains as long as this life lasts, unless it is completely killed by the Holy Spirit.
(25) For this reason, we have actually mentioned and expressed both the evil desire and the sin of the original sin when we were trying to teach it.
The evil desire is the lack of the first righteousness in paradise, and say that the same lack is that we Adam's children do not trust God from the heart, do not fear Him nor love Him. The evil desire is that all our mind, heart and courage naturally go against God's word, since we not only seek all kinds of pleasures of the body, but also trust in our wisdom and righteousness, and forget God and pay little or no attention to Him. And not only the old fathers, as Augustine and the like, but also the most recent teachers and scholastici, who have had some understanding, teach that these two things are all original sin, namely, lack and evil desire. For thus St. Thomas says that original sin is not only a lack of the first righteousness, but also a disordered desire or lust in the soul. Therefore it is (he says) not only vain pure lack, but also aliquid positivum. And Bonaventure also says clearly: If one asks what original sin is, the right answer is that it is an unprotected evil desire; also the right answer is that it is a lack of righteousness: and one gives the other.
26 Hugo also means the same thing when he says: Original sin is blindness in the heart and evil desire in the flesh. For he wants to indicate that we Adam's children are all born in such a way that we do not know God, despise God, do not trust Him, yes, even flee and hate Him. For this is what Hugo wanted to understand briefly when he says: Ignorantia in mente, blindness or ignorance in the heart. And the sayings also of the newest teachers agree with the holy scripture. For Paul calls the original sin under times with clear words a lack of divine light etc. 1 Cor. 2, 14: "But the natural man hears nothing of the Spirit of God"; and in other places he calls it evil lust, as in Romans 7, v. 23, where he says: "I see another law in my members" etc., which lust bears all kinds of evil fruit.
(27) I could probably present here many more sayings of the Scriptures about both of these things, but in this public truth it is not necessary. Every man of understanding will easily see and perceive that thus without the fear of God, without confidence in the heart, are not only actus or real sins, but an inherent lack of the divine light and of all good, which remains as long as we are not born again by the Holy Spirit and enlightened by Him.
(28) Therefore, as we have written and taught about original sin, we teach nothing new, nothing different from the Scriptures, the common law, and the truth.
We do not want the holy Christian church, but such necessary, brave, clear sayings of the holy scriptures and the fathers, which had been suppressed by the clumsy quarrels of the sophists, we bring to light again and would like to have the Christian doctrine pure. For it is ever in evidence that the sophists and school wranglers have not understood what the Fathers meant by the word "lack of first righteousness.
29) But to teach this really and correctly, and what original sin is or is not, is of great need, and no one can long for Christ, for the unspeakable treasure of divine mercy and grace, which the gospel presents, or have a desire for it, who does not recognize his misery and pestilence, as Christ says: "The healthy do not need a physician," Matth. 9, 12. 9, 12. Marc. 2, 17. All holy, honorable life, all good works, as much as a man may do on earth, are vain hypocrisy and abomination before God, we only realize that we are wretched sinners of sorts, who are in disgrace to God, neither fearing nor loving God. Thus the prophet says: "Because you have shown it to me, I am terrified", Jer. 31, 19. and the Psalm: "All men are liars", that is, they are not rightly minded by God, Ps. 116,11.
(30) Here the opponents cry out vehemently against Doctor Luther for having written that original sin remains even after baptism, and they say that the same article is condemned by Pope Leo the Tenth.
But the imperial majesty will publicly find that they are doing us a great injustice. For the adversaries understand almost well what opinion Doctor Luther meant when he said that original sin remains after baptism. He has always written clearly that holy baptism takes away and eradicates the whole guilt and inheritance of original sin, although the material (as they call it) of sin, namely the evil inclination and lust, remains.
32 In all his writings, he adds from the same material that the Holy Spirit, who is given through baptism, begins to kill and extinguish the remaining evil desires daily, and brings a new light, a new mind and courage into the heart. Augustine also speaks to this opinion when he says: "Original sin is forgiven in baptism, not that it is no longer, but that it is not imputed.
33 Augustine publicly confesses that sin remains in us, even though it has not been inflicted on us.
is counted. And this saying of Augustine was so well received by the teachers that it is also referred to in the decree. And against Julianum Augustine says: "The law, which is in our members, is done away by the spiritual rebirth, and yet remains in the flesh, which is mortal. It is taken away, because the guilt is completely removed, through the sacrament, by which the faithful are born again; and still remains, because it works evil lusts, against which the faithful fight.
34 That Doctor Luther holds and teaches this way, the adversaries know almost well, and if they cannot dispute it, but must confess it themselves, they maliciously twist his words, and falsely interpret his opinion to suppress the truth and innocently condemn him.
35 But further, the opponents argue that evil desire is a burden and punishment imposed, and is not such a sin that is guilty of death and damnation. Against this, Doctor Luther says that it is such a damnable sin. I said above that Augustine also reports that original sin is the inherent evil desire. If this is a bad thing, let them fight it out with Augustine.
36 Paul says: "I did not know sin without the law. For I knew not of lust, where the law had not said, Let not thy lust be." There Paul says ever arid out: I knew not that lust was sin etc. Item: "I see another law in my members, which is contrary to the law in my mind, and takes me captive to the law of sin, which is in my members" [Rom. 7:7, 23].
37 These are Paul's bright, certain words and clear sayings; no gloss, no cunning little trick can do anything against them. All devils and all men will not be able to overthrow these sayings. He clearly calls evil desires a sin, but he says that such sin is not imputed to those who believe in Christ; nevertheless, in itself it is truly a sin, guilty of death and eternal damnation. And there is no doubt that this was also the opinion of the ancient fathers. For Augustine disputes and fights vehemently against those who held that the evil inclination and lust in man was not sin, and neither good nor evil, just as having a black or white body is neither good nor evil.
038 And if the adversaries shall pretend that fomes, or the evil inclination, is neither good nor evil; not only shall many sayings of the scripture be against it, but also the whole church and all the fathers. For all experienced Christian hearts know that these things, alas, do us in the skin.
We are not born with a sense of security, namely, that we should esteem money, goods, and all other things greater than God, and that we should walk and live securely. Item, that we always think, after the manner of carnal certainty, that God's wrath and severity is not so great over sin as it surely is. Let us not regard the noble, unspeakable treasure of the gospel and the atonement of Christ as dear and noble as it is. Item, that we grumble against God's work and will, that He does not soon help in tribulations and does as we please. Item, we experience daily that it hurts us, just as David and all the saints complained that it is good for the wicked in this world.
(39) All men feel how easily their hearts are inflamed with ambition, rather than with anger and wrath, rather than with fornication.
40 If then the adversaries themselves must confess that such unbelief, such disobedience against God is in the heart, if there is not even whole consent (as they speak of it), but only the inclination and desire: who will be so bold as to respect these gross pieces neither evil nor good? Now the clear psalms and clear words of the prophets are there to confess that they feel this way.
(41) But the sophists in the schools have spoken on this matter against the clear public Scriptures, and have invented their own dreams and sayings out of philosophy, saying that we are neither evil nor good, neither to be reproached nor praised, for the sake of evil lusts. Item, that lusts and thoughts inwardly are not sin, if I do not completely consent to them. The same speech and words in the philosophers' books are to be understood of outward respectability before the world, and also outward punishment before the world. For it is true, as the jurists say, L. cogitationis: Thoughts are free of duty and punishment; but God searches the hearts, with God's judgment and sentence it is different.
(42) So they also attach to this matter other inconsistent sayings, namely, that God's creature and nature cannot be evil in itself. I do not respect this, if it is said at all, since it is true; but this saying should not be used to belittle original sin. And the same sayings of the sophists have done much unspeakable harm, by which they mix philosophy and doctrine, which concern outward life before the world, with the gospel, and yet have not only taught it in the school, but have also preached it openly before the people. And the ungodly, erroneous, dangerous, harmful teachings had taken over in the whole world; nothing was preached about them.
Because of this our merit in all the world, the knowledge of Christ and the gospel was completely suppressed.
For this reason, Doctor Luther wanted to teach and explain from Scripture how a great mortal guilt original sin is before God, and how we are born in great misery, and that the remaining original sin, which remains after baptism, is not indifferent in itself, but requires the mediator of Christ, so that it is not imputed to us by God, and without ceasing the light and effect of the Holy Spirit, by which it is swept out and killed.
44 Although the Sophists and Scholastici teach differently, and both teach about original sin and about the same punishment according to Scripture, since they say that man is able to keep God's commandment with his own strength, the punishment that God inflicted on Adam's children for original sin is described much differently in the first book of Moses. For there human nature is condemned, not only to death and other bodily evils, but also subjected to the kingdom of the devil. For there this terrible judgment is pronounced: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, between her seed and your seed" etc. [Gen. 3:15.]
(45) The lack of first righteousness and evil desire are sin and punishment; but death and the other bodily evils, the tyranny and dominion of the devil are actually the punishment and poenae of original sin. For human nature, through original sin, is given over to the power of the devil, and is thus imprisoned under the devil's kingdom, who deceives and seduces many a great wise man in the world with terrible error, heresy and other blindness, and otherwise drags men away to all kinds of vice.
46 Just as it is not possible to overcome the cunning and powerful spirit of Satan without the help of Christ, so we cannot help ourselves out of prison by our own efforts.
In all histories from the beginning of the world it can be seen and found how the kingdom of the devil is an unspeakably great power. One sees that the world, from the highest to the lowest, is full of blasphemies, full of great error, ungodly teachings against God and his word. In the strong fetters and chains, the devil keeps miserably imprisoned many wise people, many hypocrites, who seem holy before the world; the others he leads into other gross vices, avarice, pride etc.
(48) Therefore if Christ is given to us to take away the same sins and grievous punishments of sin, the sin of death, the sin of death, the sin of death, the sin of death, the sin of death, the sin of death, the sin of death, the sin of death, the sin of death.
If the devil's kingdom overcomes us too well, no one can heartily rejoice in the great treasure; no one can recognize the abundant riches of grace, for he first feels the same burden of our innate great misery and sorrow. Therefore our preachers have taught of the necessary article with all the utmost diligence, and have taught nothing new, but only clear words of the holy Scriptures and certain sayings of the Fathers, Augustine and others.
49 We think that the imperial majesty should let this be enough for her against the loose, childish, unfounded arguments of the adversaries, by which they challenge our article without cause, quite unreasonably. For they sing, say, how much, what and how long they want, so we actually know that, and are truly certain that we teach Christianly and rightly, and agree with and hold to the common Christian church. If they continue to argue about this, they shall see that, God willing, there are not lacking people who will answer them and still preserve the truth.
50 For the adversaries do not know what they are saying. For how often do they speak and write things repugnant to themselves? Nor do they understand their own dialectics from the formal point of view of original sin, that is, what actually is or is not original sin in its essence, what also is the lack of first righteousness. In this place, however, we do not want to speak more subtly or further about their quarrelsome disputation, but only to relate the sayings and opinions of the holy fathers, whom we also teach in the same way, in clear, common, understandable words.
Article III. From Christo.
(51) The third article is acceptable to the adversaries, since we confess that in Christ there are two natures, namely, that the Son of God took on human nature, and thus God and man are One Person, One Christ, and that He suffered and died for us to make atonement for us to the Father, and that He rose from the dead to possess an everlasting kingdom, sanctifying and justifying all believers, as the Creed of the Apostles and Symbolum Nicaenum teaches.
Article IV. (II.) How to become pious and righteous before God.
52. in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and then twentieth articles, the opponents condemn our confession that we teach that believers receive forgiveness of sin through Christ without any merit by faith alone.
and even defiantly reject both. First, that we say no to men being forgiven their sins by their merit. Secondly, that we hold, teach and confess that no one is reconciled to God, no one obtains forgiveness of sins, except through faith in Christ alone.
Because such a dispute is over the highest, most noble article of the whole Christian doctrine, so that much depends on this article, which also serves primarily for a clear, correct understanding of the whole holy scripture, and shows the way to the ineffable treasure and the right knowledge of Christ alone, and also opens the door to the whole Bible alone, without which article also no poor conscience can have a right constant certain comfort or recognize the riches of Christ's graces, we ask, Imperial Majesty, to hear us about this great, brave, highly important matter according to necessity and grace. Maj. will hear of this great, brave, highly important matter according to necessity and graciously. For since the adversaries neither understand nor know what is to be understood by these words in Scripture, what forgiveness of sin is, what faith is, what grace is, what righteousness is, they have miserably defiled this noble, highly necessary, most distinguished article, without which no one will know Christ, and have even suppressed the high, precious treasure of the knowledge of Christ, or what Christ and his kingdom and grace are, and have miserably robbed the poor consciences of such a noble, great treasure and eternal consolation, in which they have great need.
(54) But that we may confirm our confession, and lay aside what the adversaries have brought forward, let us first show the reason and cause of both doctrines, that each part may be heard more clearly.
(55) All Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, is divided into two parts, and teaches these two parts, the law and the divine promises. For in some places it keeps us from the law; in others it gives grace through the glorious promises of Christ. As when in the Old Testament the Scriptures promise the Christ to come, and offer eternal blessing, benediction, eternal salvation, righteousness, and eternal life through him; or in the New Testament, when Christ, who came on earth, promises in the Gospel forgiveness of sins, eternal righteousness, and eternal life.
But here, in this place, we call the law the Ten Commandments of God, where they are read in the Scriptures. We will not speak here of the ceremonies and laws of the courts.
(57) Of these two things the adversaries take the law before them. For since the natural law, which agrees with the law of Moses or ten commandments, is innate and written in the hearts of all men, and therefore reason can grasp and understand the ten commandments to some extent, it wants to think that it has had enough of the law, and that through the law one can obtain forgiveness of sin.
The Ten Commandments do not only require an outwardly honorable life or good works, which reason is capable of doing to some extent, but they require something much higher, which is above all human powers, above all abilities of reason, namely, the law wants us to fear and love God with all earnestness, from the bottom of our hearts, to call upon Him alone in all troubles, and to put our trust in nothing else.
Item 59: The law wants us not to waver or waver, but to conclude in our hearts with the utmost certainty that God is with us, that He hears our prayer, and that our sighing and pleading is yes. Item, that we should still expect life and all kinds of comfort from God in the midst of death, that we should completely surrender to His will in all temptations, that we should not flee from Him in death and tribulation, but be obedient to Him, gladly bearing and suffering everything as we are able.
(60) Here the scholastics have followed the philosophers, and when they want to say how one becomes pious before God, they teach only a righteousness and piety in which a man outwardly leads an honorable life before the world and does good works, and invent this dream to the effect that human reason, without the Holy Spirit, is able to love God above all things. For it is true that when a man's heart is idle and not in temptation, and because he does not feel God's wrath and judgment, he may invent such a dream as if he loved God above all things and did much good, much work, for God's sake; but it is all hypocrisy. And in this way the adversaries have taught that men deserve forgiveness of sins if they do as much as is in them, that is, if reason makes it sorry for sin and devises a will to love God.
(61) And this opinion and erroneous doctrine, because people are naturally inclined to think that their merit and work are worthy of respect and merit in the sight of God, has caused innumerable abuses in the church, such as the monastic vows, abuses of the masses, and so on.
God's service over the other is conceived from this error. And that only such trust in our merit and work should be spread further and further, 1) they may impudently say and conclude: God the Lord must of necessity give grace to those who thus do good works; not that He is compelled, but that this is the order, which God neither overrules nor changes.
And in these pieces, in this very doctrine, many other great, quite harmful errors and terrible blasphemies of God are concealed and hidden, all of which it would now be too long to mention by name. But for God's sake, let every Christian reader consider this. Can we become pious and Christians before God through such works, I would like to hear (and try your best to answer here), what difference there would be between the philosophers' and Christ's teachings, if we could obtain forgiveness of sins through such our works, or actus elicitos? What good is Christ to us? Can we become holy and pious before God by natural reason and our own good works, what may we then do with the blood and death of Christ, or that we may be born again through Him? as Peter [1 Ep. 1,18.ff.] says. And from the annual error (because such is publicly taught in schools and practiced on the preaching benches) it has, unfortunately, come to pass that even great theologians at Louvain, Paris etc. have known of no other Christian piety or righteousness (although all the letters and syllables in Paul teach otherwise) than of the piety which philosophy teaches; and if it should be foreign to us, and we should laugh at them, they laugh at us, even mock Paul himself.
63 Thus, the shameful and abominable error has come to pass. I myself have heard a great preacher who did not think of Christ and the Gospel, and preached Aristotelis Ethicorum. Is this not called childish, foolish preaching among Christians? But if the adversary's teaching is true, the Ethicorum is a delicious book of sermons and a fine new Bible. For of outwardly honorable life no one will easily write better than Aristotle.
64 We see that some scholars have written books in which they indicate that the words of Christ and the sayings of Socrates and Zeno agree finely; as if Christ had come to give good laws and commandments, through
1) J. T. Müller: "worden"; Latin: auZsrsnt.
which we should earn forgiveness of sins, and not rather to proclaim the grace and peace of God and to distribute the Holy Spirit through His merit and blood.
Therefore, if we accept the doctrine of the adversaries that we can earn forgiveness of sins by the ability of natural reason and our works, we are already Aristotelian and not Christian, and there is no difference between respectable pagan, between Pharisaic and Christian life, between philosophy and the Gospel.
66. Although the adversaries, lest they should be silent about the name of Christ as godless, crude heathens, speak of faith in such a way that they say it is a knowledge of the history of Christ, and although they also say something about Christ, namely that he has earned for us a habitum, or as they call it, primam gratiam, the first grace, which they regard as an inclination by which we can nevertheless love God more easily than otherwise, it is nevertheless a weak, small, little, bad effect that Christ would thus have, or that would occur through such habitum.
67 For they say, nevertheless, that the works of our reason and will, before that habitus is there, and also after that, when that habitus is there, are ejusdem speciei, that is, before and after one and the same thing.
68 For they say that our reason and human will are able in themselves to love God, but the habitus brings an inclination that reason, which it is well able to do before, does all the more gladly and easily.
(69) Therefore they also teach that the same hadith must be earned by our previous works, and that by the works of the law we earn increase of such good inclination and eternal life.
(70) Thus men hide Christ from us, and bury him again, so that we cannot recognize him as a mediator. For they are even silent that we obtain forgiveness of sins through him purely by grace, without merit, but make up their dreams as if we could earn forgiveness of sin by good works and the works of the law, when all Scripture says that we are not able to fulfill or keep the law. And if reason does nothing by the law, except that it does outward works alone, but in the heart it does not fear God, neither does it believe that God is aware of it. And although they speak of the habitu in this way, it is certain that without faith in Christ there can be no true love of God in anyone's heart.
Also, no one can understand what God's love is without faith.
But that they invent a difference between the merito congrui and merito condigni, between due merit and right whole merit, they play and quarrel only with words, so that they do not let themselves be publicly noticed as Pelagians. For if God must give mercy from necessity for due merit, it is not due merit, but a right duty and whole merit, even though they themselves do not know what they are saying. For they invent and dream that if the habitus of God's love (said above) is there, then man duly or de congruo deserves God's grace, and yet they say that no one can be so sure whether the same habitus is there.
Now listen, dear sirs, how do they know, or when do they know, whether they deserve our Lord God's grace duly, or by whole merit, for full or half? But oh, dear Lord God, these are just cold thoughts and dreams of idle, hopeless, inexperienced people, who do not practice the Bible much, who neither know nor experience how a sinner's heart feels, what the temptations of death or the devil are, who do not know how purely we forget all merit, all works, when the heart feels God's wrath, or the conscience is in anguish. The secure, inexperienced people always go along in the delusion that they earn money with their works.
gruo grace;
For it is natural to us, without this, that we like to think much of ourselves and our works. But when a conscience really feels its sin and sorrow, all joking and playful thoughts are over, and there is great, real seriousness; then neither heart nor conscience can be satisfied, seeks all kinds of works and misdeeds, and would like to feel certainty, would like to feel grounded, and would like to rest on something. But these frightened consciences feel well that nothing can be earned by virtue of condigno or congruo; they soon sink into despair and despair if no other word is preached to them than the teaching of the law, namely the gospel of Christ, who was given for us.
Therefore, it is known in some histories that the monks of the Barefoot, when they have pledged their order and good works to some good consciences at the hour of death in vain, that they must at last keep silent of their order and of St. Francis, and say this word: "Dear man, Christ is for you.
you died. That has refreshed and cooled in anguish, giving peace and comfort alone.
(75) So the adversaries teach nothing but an outward piety of outward good works, which Paul calls the piety of the law, and so, like the Jews, see the hidden face of Moses, do nothing but strengthen the certainty and hardness in some secure hypocrites, lead people to a sandy ground, to their own works, thereby despising Christ and the gospel, give many a wretched conscience cause for despair. For they do good works on uncertain delusions, never learn how great a powerful thing faith is, and finally fall completely into despair.
76. We hold and speak of outward godliness in this way, that God demands and wants such an outwardly honorable life, and for the sake of God's command one must do the same good works that are commanded in the Ten Commandments. For the law is our disciplinarian [Gal. 3, 24], and the law is given to the unrighteous [1 Tim. 1, 9]. For God the Lord wills that gross sins be increased by outward discipline; and to maintain the same, He gives laws, ordains authorities, gives learned, wise men to serve as a regiment. Thus, reason is able to lead an outwardly honorable life and conduct itself with its own strength, although it is often prevented from doing so by inherent weakness and the wiles of the devil.
(77) Although I am happy to give such an outward life and good works as much praise as they deserve, for in this life and in the worldly being there is nothing better 1) than honesty and virtue. As Aristotle says that neither the morning star nor the evening star is more lovely and beautiful than honesty and righteousness, and as God also rewards such virtue with bodily gifts, so good works and such a life should not be so exalted that it brings dishonor to Christ.
(78) For thus I conclude, and am certain, that it is fictitious, and not true, that we should merit forgiveness of sins by our works.
It is also a lie and not true that a man can become righteous and pious before God by his works and outward piety.
80 It is also unfounded and not true that the human reason is out of its powers.
1) Müller: "nichtsbesser". But the Latin says: nutluni was us donum, and the Jena offers: "nothing better", so we have assumed the latter.
to love God above all things, to keep His commandments, to fear Him, to be certain that God will hear prayer, to give thanks to God and to be obedient in tribulations and other things that God's law commands, as not to covet other people's goods etc. For reason is not able to do all this, even though it is outwardly able to live honorably and do good works to some extent.
(81) It is also fictitious and untrue, and a blasphemy against Christ, that those should be without sin who keep God's commandments outwardly only, without spirit and grace in their hearts.
I have evidence of my decision not only from the holy Scriptures, but also from the ancient fathers. Augustine speaks and acts this most abundantly against the Pelagians, that grace is not given for our merit. And in the book de natura et gratia, that is, of nature and grace, he says thus: If the faculty of nature through free will is enough, both to know how to live and thus to live rightly, then Christ died in vain.
Why should I not cry out and shout with Paul here? I may just cry out: "You have lost Christ, who would be justified by the work of the law, and have fallen from grace" [Gal. 5:4]. "For ye know not the righteousness that is before God, and seek to establish your own righteousness, and are not subject unto the righteousness that is before God" [Rom. 10:3]. For as the end of the law is Christ, so also the Savior of the depraved nature is Christ. Item, Joh. 8, 36.: "If the Son makes you free, then you are free indeed."
For this reason, we cannot become free from sins or earn forgiveness of sins through reason or our good works. It is written in John 3:5: "Unless one is born again of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
85. If, then, we must be born again through the Holy Spirit, our good works or our own merit will not justify us before God, so we cannot keep or fulfill the Law. Item, Rom. 3, 23: "They are all sinners, and lack the glory that they should have in God," that is, they lack the wisdom and righteousness that is valid before God, by which they should rightly know, esteem and praise God. Item, Rom. 8, 7.8: "To be carnally minded is an enmity against God, since it is not subject to the law of God, nor is it able to be. The
but are carnally minded may not please God."
These are such clear, bright sayings of Scripture that they do not require such a sharp mind, but only that one reads them and sees the clear words well, as Augustine also says in the matter. Now if reason and being carnally minded is an enmity against God, no man can warmly love God without the Holy Spirit. If being carnally minded is against God, then the best good works are truly unclean and sinful, which an Adam's child can always do. If the flesh cannot be subject to God's law, then a man truly sins, even if he does noble, beautiful, delicious good works that the world esteems great.
The adversaries only see the commandments on the other tablet of Moses, which also speaks of outward respectability, which reason understands better, and want to think that they are keeping God's law with such outward good works. But they do not look at the first tablet, which commands us to love God with all our heart, not to waver or doubt, that God is angry because of sin, that we should fear God with all our heart, that we should certainly trust in our hearts that God is not far away, that He hears our prayer etc.
Now, before we are born again by the Holy Spirit, we are all of the Adamic kind, in that our hearts certainly despise God's wrath, judgment and forbearance, and are hateful and hostile to His judgment and punishments. If then all the children of Adam are born in great sins, so that we all despise God of a kind, doubting His word, promise and forbearance, then truly our best good works, which we do before we are born again by the Holy Spirit, must be sinful and condemned works before God, even if they are beautiful in the sight of the world. 1) For they proceed from an evil, ungodly, unclean heart, as Paul says Rom. 14:23: "Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." For all such works saints do works without faith, despise God in their hearts, and believe as little that God will take care of them as Epicurus believed. The contempt of God inwardly must always make the works obscene and sinful, even if they are beautiful in the eyes of men; for God searches the hearts.
89) Lastly, this is also most foolishly and clumsily spoken by the adversaries, that men, who are also guilty of everlasting wrath, should be forgiven.
1) Müller has replaced "his" with: "be". In Latin: et-iuru Huuni üouestu Opera iaoiunt,.
The first step is to obtain forgiveness of sins through love, or actum elicitum dilectionis, since it is impossible to love God if the heart has not first obtained forgiveness of sins through faith.
(90) For a heart that is in anguish and rightly feels God's wrath cannot love God, unless he gives the heart air, comforts it and shows himself merciful again. For since he terrifies and thus attacks us, as if he wanted to push us away from him in eternal disgrace to eternal death, the poor weak nature must lose heart and courage, and must tremble before such great wrath, which terrifies and punishes so horribly, and then, before God himself comforts, cannot feel a speck of love.
(91) Idle and inexperienced people may well invent a dream of love for themselves, which is why they speak so childishly that one who is guilty of a mortal sin can nevertheless love God above all else. For they do not yet know what a burden sin is, what a great torment it is to feel God's wrath.
But pious hearts, which have experienced it in the right fight with Satan and right anxieties of the conscience, know well that such words and thoughts are vain thoughts, vain dreams. Paul says: "The law only causes wrath", Rom. 4, 15. He does not say that through the law people deserve forgiveness of sins. For the law always accuses and terrifies the conscience.
Therefore, the Law does not make anyone pious and righteous before God, for a frightened conscience fears God and His judgment. Therefore, those who want to earn forgiveness of sins by their works or by the law are mistaken.
94 Let this be said enough of the righteousness of the saints of works or of reason, which the adversaries teach. For soon after, when we shall speak of the piety and righteousness that is valid in the sight of God, which comes from faith, the matter itself will bring about the introduction of more sayings from Scripture, all of which will serve equally well to overthrow the above-mentioned errors of the adversaries.
95 Since no man is able to keep God's law by his own strength, and since all are under sin, guilty of eternal wrath and death, we cannot be freed from sin by the law, nor become righteous before God, but are promised forgiveness of sin and righteousness through Christ, who was given for us to pay for the sin of the world, 2) and is the Lord of all.
2) Müller: "bezahlet"; Latin: sat-istueorot.
some mediator and redeemer. And this promise is not: Through Christ you have grace, salvation, where you deserve it, but only by grace he offers forgiveness of sin, as Paul says: "If forgiveness of sin is of works, it is not grace"; and in another place: "This righteousness, which is before God, is revealed without law", that is, forgiveness of sin is offered in vain.
96 And therefore it is not because of our merit that we are reconciled to God. For if it were up to our merit, the forgiveness of sin and the reconciliation of God from the law, it would be lost, and if we were truly wickedly united and reconciled to God, because we do not keep the law and are not able to keep it, it would follow that we would never attain the promised grace and reconciliation.
97 For so Paul saith unto the Romans, in the fourth chapter, v. 14: "If the inheritance be of the law, then faith is nothing, and the promise is abolished. Now if the promise was based on our merit and on the law, it follows that because we cannot keep the law, the promise is in vain.
98 But if we become righteous and just before God by grace and mercy alone, which is promised in Christ, we do not become righteous by our works. For what would be the need of the glorious, divine promise, and why should Paul exalt and praise grace so highly?
(99) Therefore the gospel teaches, praises, exalts, and glorifies the righteousness that comes by faith in Christ, which is not the righteousness of the law. So also the law teaches nothing of it, and is much higher righteousness than is the righteousness of the law. For the law requires of us our works, and would have us to be inwardly godly in heart, and wholly righteous. 1)
(100) But the divine promise offers us, as those who are overcome by sin and death, help, grace and reconciliation for Christ's sake; which grace no one can grasp with works, but only through faith in Christ. The same faith neither brings nor gives God any work, no merit of its own, but builds only on pure grace, and knows nothing to comfort or rely on, but only on mercy, which is promised in Christ. Now this same faith, when each one believes for himself that Christ was given for him, he alone obtains.
1) Müller: "are"; Jenaer: "be".
Forgiveness of sin for Christ's sake, and makes us pious and righteous before God.
101) And because this same faith is in righteous repentance, and it restores our hearts even in the terror of sin and death, we are born again through it, and through faith the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts, who renews our hearts so that we can keep God's law, love God rightly, fear Him with certainty, neither waver nor doubt, that Christ is given to us, that He hears our cries and supplications, and that we can rejoice in God's will even in the midst of death. Therefore, the same faith that receives and obtains forgiveness of sin by grace is righteous, which does not set its own merit or work against God's wrath, which would be a feather against a whirlwind, but which represents Christ as the mediator, and the same faith is a true knowledge of Christ.
(102) He that believeth therefore knoweth the great benefits of Christ, and becometh a new creature; and until such faith be in the heart, no man can fulfill the law. Of the same faith and knowledge of Christ there is not one syllable, not one tittle in all the books of the adversaries.
(103) For this reason we also rebuke the adversaries, because they teach only the law concerning our works, and not the gospel, which teaches that one is justified if he believes in Christ.
What is the faith that makes pious and righteous before God.
(104) The adversaries think that faith is this, that I know or have heard the stories of Christ; therefore they teach that I can believe, even though I am in mortal sin.
(105) Therefore, of the true Christian faith, of which Paul speaks so often in all places, that we become righteous before God through faith, they know or speak nothing at all. For those who are considered holy and righteous before God are not in mortal sin. Therefore, the faith that makes one pious and righteous before God is not only this, that I know the stories of how Christ was born, suffered etc. (the devils also know this), but is the certainty, or the certain, strong confidence in my heart, since I believe with all my heart that the promise of God is certain and true, by which I am offered, without my merit, forgiveness of sin, grace and all salvation, through the mediator Christ. And lest anyone think that it is only a mere knowledge of history, I add this: The faith is that my whole heart is in the same treasure.
It is not my doing, nor my giving, nor my work, nor my preparation, but that a heart may take comfort in this, and rely wholly on God to give us, to give us, and we not to Him, that He may shower us with all the treasure of grace in Christ.
From this it is easy to notice the difference between faith and piety, which comes through the law. For faith is such a service of God and latria, in that I let myself give and be given. But the righteousness of the law is such a service of God, which commends our works to God. So then God wants to be honored through faith, so that we receive from him what he promises and commends.
(107) That faith alone is not the knowledge of history, but the holding fast of the divine promise, is sufficiently shown by Paul, who says to the Romans in the 4th verse, 16: "Therefore righteousness must come by faith, that the promise may stand fast.
108: There Paul attaches and connects the two together, so that where there is promise, there must also be faith etc. And again correlative: where there is promise, God also demands faith.
109 Although it is even more difficult to show what the faith that justifies is, if we look at our own creed and faith. For in the Symbolo there is this article: "Forgiveness of sin. Therefore it is not enough that I know or believe that Christ was born, suffered, and rose again, if we do not also believe this article, because of which all this finally happened, namely: I believe that my sins are forgiven. The other thing must be drawn from this article, namely, that for Christ's sake, not for my merit, our sins are forgiven. For what need would there be for God to give Christ for our sin, if our merit could suffice for our sin?
(110) Therefore, as often as we speak of the faith that justifies, or fide justificante, these three things or objecta are always with one another. First, the divine promise; second, that the same imparts grace freely, without merit; third, that Christ's blood and merit is the treasure by which sin is paid for. The promise is received by faith; but that it accepts grace without merit, all our worthiness and merit goes under and to the ground, and the great grace and mercy is praised. But the merit of Christ is the treasure. For there must ever be a treasure and a noble pledge, by which the sins of all the world are paid for.
All the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, when speaking of God and faith, use much of this word: goodness, mercy, misericordia. And the holy fathers in all their books all say that we are saved by grace, by goodness, by forgiveness. Now as often as we find the word "mercy" in Scripture, or in the Fathers, we are to know that it teaches of faith, which grasps the promise of such mercy. Again, whenever the Scriptures speak of faith, they mean the faith that is built on pure grace. For faith does not make us righteous and just before God because it is our work and ours in Himself, but only because it receives the promised, offered grace without merit, given from a rich treasure.
And such faith and trust in God's mercy is praised as the greatest, most holy service of God, especially in the prophets and psalms. For although the Law does not preach mercy and forgiveness of sins as the Gospel does, the promises of the future Christ have been grounded from one patriarch to the next, and have known and believed that God would give blessing, grace, salvation and comfort through the blessed Seed, through Christ.
(113) Therefore, when they understood that Christ was to be the treasure by which our sins were paid, they knew that our works could not pay such a great debt. Therefore they received forgiveness of sins, grace and salvation without any merit, and were saved through faith in the divine promise, in the gospel of Christ, as well as we or the saints in the New Testament. Hence these words: mercy, goodness, faith are repeated so often in Psalms and Prophets, as in the 130th Psalm, v. 3: "If thou wilt, O Lord, take heed to iniquity, O Lord, who shall stand?" There David confesses his sin, does not boast of much merit, and says further: "For with you there is forgiveness, that one may fear you." Then he feels comfort again and relies on grace and mercy, relies on the divine promise and says: "My soul waits for the Lord, and I wait for his word." And, "Yet my soul waits upon the Lord," that is, because thou hast promised forgiveness of sins, I keep the promise, I rely and venture upon the gracious promise. Therefore, 1) the holy
1) Müller: "to become"; Latin: justiüeukantur.
Patriarchs pious and holy before God, not even by law, but by God's promise and faith.
(114) And if anyone should wonder why the adversaries teach so little or nothing at all about faith, they see very clearly in all the syllables of the Bible that faith is praised and extolled as the highest, noblest, holiest, greatest, most pleasing, and best service of God. So he says in the 50th Psalm, v. 15: "Call upon me in the time of trouble, and I will save you." So now and through this way God wants to be known to us, so he wants to be honored, that we should take and receive grace, salvation, all good things from him, and that by grace, not because of our merit.
This knowledge is a noble knowledge and a great comfort in all temptations, physical and spiritual, whether to die or to live, as pious hearts know. And the adversaries rob and deprive the poor consciences of this noble, precious, certain consolation when they speak and teach of faith so coldly, so contemptuously, and in contrast deal with God, the high Majesty, through our miserable beggarly works and merit.
That faith in Christ makes you righteous.
For the first, lest anyone think that we are speaking of a poor knowledge or understanding of the history of Christ, we must first say how it happens, how a heart begins to believe, how it comes to believe. Then we will show that the same faith makes one pious before God, and how this is to be understood, and we will reject the adversary's reasons actually, clearly and certainly. Christ commands Luke in the last place to preach repentance and forgiveness of sin. The gospel also reproves all men for being born in sins, and that they are all guilty of eternal wrath and death, and offers them forgiveness of sins and righteousness through Christ. And the same forgiveness, reconciliation and righteousness is received by faith.
For the preaching of repentance, or the voice of the gospel, "Repent, repent," when it enters the heart, frightens the conscience, and is not a joke, but a great terror, since the conscience feels its sorrow and sin and God's wrath. In the fright, the hearts should seek comfort again. This happens when they believe in the promise of Christ, that through Him we have forgiveness of sins. The faith that is found in such
The same strong consolation is a new birth, and a new life. The same strong consolation is a new birth, and a new life.
118 This is ever plainly and clearly spoken. Thus devout hearts know that it is alfo; thus the examples that it has been so with all the saints from the beginning are present in the church, as can be seen in the conversion of Paul and Augustine. The adversaries have nothing certain, can nowhere say rightly or speak intelligibly about how the Holy Spirit is given. They invent their own dreams, that by badly receiving and using the sacraments ex opere operato, people obtain grace and receive the Holy Spirit, when the heart is not there at all, as if the light of the Holy Spirit were such a bad, weak, null thing.
119. But if we speak of such faith, which is not an idle thought, but such a new light, life, and power in the heart, which renews the heart, mind, and spirit, and makes of us a different man and a new creature, that is, a new light and work of the Holy Spirit, then you must understand that we do not speak of such faith, which is mortal sin, as the adversaries speak of faith. For how can light and darkness be together? For faith, where it is, and while it is there, bears good fruit, as we shall say afterwards.
This is ever spoken with clear, plain, simple words, how it happens when a sinner converts rightly, what the new birth is or is not. In spite of all the Sen- tentiariis, whether they can produce one among the innumerable commentaries, glosses and scribes on Sententiarum, who puts a word, a tittle right of it, how it happens when a sinner is converted. When they speak of love, or when they speak of their habitu dilectionis, they may bring up their dreams that people deserve the same habitum by their works, but they speak nothing at all of God's promise or word, as the Anabaptists also teach at this time.
121 Now one can never deal with God; God cannot be known, sought or grasped, for only in the word and through the word, as Paul says [Rom. 1, 16]: "The gospel is the power of God to all who believe in it"; item, Rom. 10, v. 17: "Faith is from hearing. And from this alone it should ever be clear enough that we become godly before God by faith alone. For if we come to God through the word of God alone and are saved by faith, then we are
and no one can grasp the word except through faith: so it follows that faith makes righteous. But there are other causes that rhyme with this.
This is what I have said so far, that I show how it happens, how we are born again, and that one wants to understand what the faith is or is not, of which we speak.
Now let us show that this same faith, and nothing else, makes us righteous before God. And first of all, I want to warn the reader here, just as this saying must and should stand, and no one can overthrow it: "Christ is our only mediator" [1 Tim. 2:5]: so also no one can overthrow this saying: "By faith we are justified without works." For how will Christ be and remain the Mediator, if we do not by faith hold to Him as to the Mediator, and thus be reconciled to God, if we do not certainly hold in our hearts that for His sake we are esteemed righteous before God? This means to believe, to trust, to be comforted by the merit of Christ, that for His sake God will surely be gracious to us. Just as it is clear from Scripture that the promise of Christ is needed above the law for salvation, it is also clear that faith makes us righteous. For the law does not preach forgiveness of sin by grace. Item, we cannot fulfill nor keep the law until we receive the Holy Spirit.
124 Therefore it must be that the promise of Christ is necessary for salvation. Now no one can grasp or receive this, except by faith alone. Therefore, those who teach that we do not become righteous and godly before God by faith, what else do they do but suppress Christ and the gospel and teach the law?
(125) But some, when it is said that faith justifies before God, may understand this from the beginning, namely, that faith is only the beginning, or a preparation for justification, so that faith itself is not to be considered as pleasing and acceptable to God, but that we are acceptable to God because of the love and works that follow, not because of faith. And such think that faith is praised in Scripture only because it is the beginning of good works, as there is always much in the beginning. This, however, is not our opinion, but we teach of faith in this way, that through faith itself we are pleasing in the sight of God.
126. and after the word justificari on
is used in two ways, namely, to be converted or born again, item, to be esteemed righteous, we first want to indicate that we are converted, born again and become righteous from the ungodly nature by faith alone.
127) Some dispute the word SOLA, but Paul clearly says to the Romans in 3, v. 28: "Therefore we hold that a man is justified without the work of the law"; item, Eph. 2, 8: "It is the gift of God, not of yourselves nor of works, lest anyone should boast"; item, Romans in 3, v. 24, the like.
(128) Now, if this word and this exclusiva SOLA is so hard against some, and so displeasing, let them also scratch out in many places in the epistles of Paul these words: "by grace"; item, "not of works"; item, "God's gift" etc.; item, "that no one may boast" etc., and the like; for they are quite strong exclusivae. The word "by grace" excludes merit and all works, as the names have.
(129) And by the word SOLA, when we say that faith alone makes pious, we do not exclude the gospel and the sacraments, that therefore the word and sacraments should be in vain, if faith alone does all things, as the adversaries interpret all things dangerously to us; but we exclude our merit in them. For we have said above enough that faith comes through the word; so we praise the preaching ministry and word higher and more than the adversaries. So we also say that love and works should follow faith.
130 Therefore, by the word SOLA, we do not exclude works so that they should not follow; but the reliance on merit, on works, we exclude and say they do not deserve forgiveness of sins. And we want to show this even more correctly, brightly and clearly.
That we obtain forgiveness of sin only 1) through faith in Christ.
131 We hold that the adversaries must confess that forgiveness of sin is necessary above all things for justification. For we are all born under sin; therefore we conclude thus:
132 To obtain and have forgiveness of sins is to become righteous and pious before God, as the 32nd Psalm, v. 1, says: "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven. But it is by faith in Christ alone, not by the
1) This word is in brackets in Müller. But the ancients used the brackets to emphasize.
Love, not for the sake of love or works, only obtains forgiveness of sin, although love follows where faith is. Therefore it must follow that we are justified by faith alone. For to be justified means to become godly from a sinner and to be born again through the Holy Spirit. But that we obtain forgiveness of sin through faith alone, as the minor says, and not through love, we want to make clear now.
The adversaries speak childishly of these high things. They ask whether it is one change, forgiveness of sin and infusion of grace, or whether it is two. Idle, inexperienced people cannot speak of these things at all. For to feel sin rightly and God's wrath is not such a bad, sleepy thing. Again, to grasp forgiveness of sin is not such a weak comfort.
For Paul says 1 Cor. 15, 56. 57: "The sting of death is sin. The power of sin is the law. But praise be to God, who gives us conquest through Jesus Christ our Lord." That is, sin terrifies the conscience; this happens through the law, which shows us God's seriousness and wrath against sin, but we are overcomers through Christ. How does this happen? When we believe, when our hearts are set right and hold fast to the promise of grace through Christ. So now we prove this, that we obtain forgiveness of sin through faith in Christ, and not through works. Namely, God's wrath cannot be reconciled nor satisfied by our works, but Christ alone is the mediator and reconciler, and for his sake alone the Father will be gracious to us.
(135) Now no one can grasp Christ as a mediator by works, but only by believing the word that preaches him as a mediator.
Therefore, we obtain forgiveness of sin through faith alone, when our hearts are comforted and uplifted by the divine promise offered to us for Christ's sake. Item, Paul to Romans on the 5th, v. 2: "Through him we have access to the Father", and says clearly to it: "through faith".
137 So then, and not otherwise, we are reconciled to the Father, so we obtain forgiveness of sin, when we are instructed to hold fast to the promise of grace and mercy through Christ.
The adversaries who understand this of Christ the mediator and reconciler to mean that Christ
We do not say that we need him as a unifying mediator, but put Christ back into the grave, inventing otherwise, as if we have access through our works; item, as if we earn the habitum through works and can then come to God through love.
This means to put Christ back into the grave and to take away the whole doctrine of faith. On the other hand, Paul clearly teaches that we have access, that is, the reconciliation of God through Christ. And in order to show how this happens, he adds: "through faith we have access". By faith we receive forgiveness of sin from the merit of Christ, and cannot satisfy God's wrath except through Christ. So it is easy to understand that we do not earn forgiveness by our works or love.
140 Secondly, it is certain that sins will be forgiven because of the Atonement of Christ, Romans 3:25: "Whom God has set forth as a mercy seat" or a propitiator, and clearly adds, "through faith. So now the reconciler will be useful to us if we by faith grasp the word by which mercy is promised and keep it against God's wrath and judgment. And the same is written Hebr. 4, 14. 16: "We have a high priest, Christ" etc. "Let us approach him with joy." He calls us to approach God, not by trusting in our works, but by trusting in Christ the High Priest. For this reason he clearly demands faith.
141. for the third, Peter in Stories of the Apostles on the 10th, v. 43, says: "To JEsu all the prophets bear witness, that we should obtain forgiveness of sins through his name, all who believe in him." How could Peter have spoken more clearly? He says, "I receive forgiveness of sins through his name, that is, through him we receive it, not by our own merit, not by our newness or attrition, not by our love, not by our own worship, not by our own ordinances or works," and adds, "If we believe in him."
For this reason he wants faith to be in the heart; therefore he says, "All the prophets testify of Christ with one mouth. This, I think, is rightly called the Christian Church or Catholic Church allegory. For if all the holy prophets bear witness, this is a glorious, great, excellent, strong decree and testimony. But we will continue to talk about this saying below.
143. fourth, forgiveness of sin is
Promised for Christ's sake; therefore no one can obtain it except by faith. For the promise cannot be grasped, nor can it be made a part of, except by faith alone, Rom. 4:16: 1) "Therefore must righteousness come by faith, that it may stand fast by grace, and the promise stand fast." As if to say: If our salvation and righteousness were based on our merit, the promise of God would still be uncertain and useless to us, for we could never be certain of it if we had earned enough. And this pious hearts and Christian consciences understand almost well, if they did not assume a thousand things that our salvation would rest on us. With this Paul agrees with the Galatians: "God has decreed all things under sin, that the promise of the faith of Jesus Christ should come to those who believe. There Paul pushes down all our merit, for he says: "We are all guilty of death and decided under sin; and he remembers the divine promise, by which alone we obtain forgiveness of sin. And he adds to this how we become partakers of the promise, namely, through faith. And this reason of this argument, since Paul deduces from the nature and character of the divine promise, namely: If God's promise is to be certain and firm, as it cannot be lacking, then forgiveness of sin must not be of our own merit, otherwise it would be uncertain, and we would not know if we had merited enough. Yes, this argument, I say, and the reason is a real rock, and almost the strongest in the whole of Paul, and is quite often raised and attracted in all the epistles.
(144) No man shall ever strive or devise anything on earth to overthrow that one reason alone, if there were nothing else. Nor will pious hearts and Christian consciences allow themselves to be led astray from this, namely that we have forgiveness of sin through faith alone for the sake of Christ's merit. For there they have a certain, strong, eternal comfort against sin, the devil, death, hell; all the rest is a foundation of sand, and does not consist in temptations.
145. If then we obtain forgiveness of sin and the Holy Spirit through faith alone, faith alone makes us righteous before God. For those who are reconciled to God are righteous before God and are God's children, not because of their purity, but because of God's mercy.
1) Müller: Rom. 4, 13.
2) Müller: "can".
for their own sake, if they grasp and take hold of it through faith.
(146) Therefore the Scriptures testify that it is by faith that we become righteous before God. So let us now relate the sayings that clearly state that faith makes us godly and righteous, not because our faith is such a precious, pure work, but only because we receive the offered mercy through faith, and not by any other means.
In the Epistle to the Romans, Paul deals primarily with this matter, how a man becomes righteous before God, and he insists that all who believe that they have a gracious God through Christ become righteous before God without merit through faith. And this mighty resolution, this proposition, in which the main point of the whole epistle, indeed of the whole Scripture, is set forth, in the third chapter, v. 28, with dry, clear words: "We therefore hold that a man may be justified without the work of the law, through faith alone.
The opponents want to say that Paul excluded only the Jewish ceremonies and not other virtuous works. But Paul does not speak of ceremonies alone, but he certainly speaks of all other works, and of the whole law or ten commandments. For in the 7th chapter after this he refers to the saying from the ten commandments: "Do not be tempted. And if by other works, which are not Jewish ceremonies, we could obtain forgiveness of sins and thereby earn righteousness, what need would Christ and his promise have? Then everything that Paul speaks of the promise in so many places would already be in vain. Paul also wrote wrongly to the Ephesians when he said in Eph. 2:8: "Without merit you have been saved, for it is the gift of God, not of works. Item, Paul refers in the epistle to the Romans [Cap. 4, 3. 6.] to Abraham and David: the same had a command and God's commandment of circumcision. If any work made them righteous in the sight of God, then the works that had God's command at that time must also have made them righteous and righteous.
But Augustine clearly teaches that Paul is speaking of the whole law, as he discusses it at length de spiritu et litera, from the spirit and the letter, since he finally says: "Therefore, if we have considered and acted on this piece according to the ability that God has bestowed, we conclude that no man becomes righteous through the commandment of a good life, but through the faith of Jesus Christ.
150 And that no one should think that Paul has escaped this word, "Man is justified by faith alone," he elaborates at length in the fourth chapter to the Romans, and repeats it in all his epistles. For so he says in the fourth chapter, v. 4, 5: "To him that worketh, the reward is not by grace, but by duty. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
151 It is clear from these words that faith is the thing and the essence that he calls God's righteousness. And he adds that it is imputed by grace, and says that it could not be imputed to us by grace if there were works or merit. Therefore he certainly excludes all merit and all works, not only Jewish ceremonies, but also all other good works. For if we were to become righteous before God by these same works, faith would not be counted to us for righteousness without all works, as Paul clearly says. And then he says: "And we say that Abraham's faith was counted for righteousness. Item, Cap. 5, 1: "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," that is, we have a happy, quiet conscience before God. Rom.U, 10: "If one believes from the heart, he is justified." There he calls faith the righteousness of the heart. To Galatians 2, v. 10: "So we also believe in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law." Eph. 2, 8: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." Joh. 1, 12. 13.: "To those he gave power to become children of God, who believe in his name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." John 3:14, 15: "As Moses lifted up a serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish." Item, v. 17: "God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He that believeth on him shall not be judged." Apost. 13:38, 39: "Be it known unto you therefore, brethren, that there is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and of all things whereby ye are not saved.
can be justified in the law of Moses. But he that believeth on this is justified." How could he have spoken more clearly about the kingdom of Christ and justification? He says that the law could not justify anyone, and says that for this reason Christ was given to us so that we might believe and be justified through him. In clear words he says: The law cannot make anyone righteous; therefore righteousness is imputed to us through Christ, if we believe that God is gracious to us through Him. Apost. 4, 11. 12.: "This is the stone rejected by you builders, which became the cornerstone, and in no other is there salvation, neither is there any other name given to men, wherein we must be saved."
But I cannot believe in the name of Christ in any other way, except that I hear the preaching of the merit of Christ and grasp it. Therefore it is by believing in the name of Christ, and not by trusting in our works, that we are saved. For the word "name" in the place signifies cause, by which and because of which salvation comes. Therefore, to boast or confess the name of Christ is as much as to trust in Him who alone is Christ, and is called the causa of my salvation and treasure, by which I am saved. Apost. 15:9: "By faith he purified their hearts." Therefore faith, as the apostles speak of it, is not a poor knowledge of history, but a strong, powerful work of the Holy Spirit that changes hearts. Habak. 2, 4: "The righteous lives by faith." First, he says that the righteous is justified by faith, if he believes that God is gracious through Christ. Secondly, he says that faith gives life. For faith alone brings peace and joy to the heart and conscience and eternal life, which begins here in this life. Isa. 53, 11: "His knowledge will make many righteous. But what is the knowledge of Christ, but to know his good pleasure and his promise, which he preached and caused to be preached into the world? And to know the benefits means to truly believe in Christ, that is, to believe what God has promised through Christ that he will surely give. But the Scriptures are full of such sayings and testimonies. For the Scriptures deal with these two things: The law of God and the promise of God. Now the promises speak of the forgiveness of sin and God's atonement through Christ.
And with the fathers one finds also much of the sayings. For also Ambrose writes to Irenaeo: The whole world therefore becomes subject to God, subjected by the law. For by the commandment of the law we are all accused.
but by the works of the law no one is justified. For sin is known by the law, but guilt is redeemed by faith. And it seems as if the law has done harm, because it has made all sinners. But the Lord Christ came and gave us sin, which no one could avoid, and blotted out the handwriting by the shedding of his blood. And this is what Paul says to the Romans on the 5th, v. 20: "Sin was made mighty by the law, but grace was made mightier still by Jesus." For because the whole world became guilty, he took away sin from the whole world, as John testifies [John 1:36], "Behold, this is the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." And therefore let no one boast of his works, for by his own doing no one is justified. But to him that is justified it is given in baptism into Christ, being justified. For it is faith that makes us free through the blood of Christ. And blessed is he, whose sins are forgiven, and whose mercies are pardoned.
These are Ambrosii's clear words, which are quite publicly consistent with our doctrine. He says that works do not justify, and says that faith redeems us through the blood of Christ. If all the sententiarios, which have great titles (for some call them angelic, some angelicos, some subtle, some irrefragabiles, that is, doctores who cannot err), were to be melted together in one heap, and if they were all read, they would not be as useful in understanding Paul as the one saying of Ambrosii.
Augustine also wrote a great deal against the Pelagians, and in De spiritu et litera he says: "For this reason the law and its righteousness are held out to us, that whoever does them may live by them, and that each one, recognizing his weakness, may come to God, who alone makes righteous, not by his own strength nor by the letter of the law, which we cannot fulfill, but by faith. No one can do a good work unless he himself is righteous, pious and good. But we attain righteousness by faith alone. There he clearly says that God, who alone saves and sanctifies, is reconciled through faith, and that faith makes us righteous and just before God. And soon after: By the law we fear God, by faith we hope and trust in God. But those who fear punishment, grace is hidden from them. Under what fear, when a man is in fear etc.,
He shall flee by faith to the mercy of God, that He may give and grant grace, which He gave in the law. There he teaches that through the law the hearts are frightened and through faith they receive comfort again.
It is truly a wonder that the adversaries can be so blind, and not consider so many clear sayings, which clearly declare that we are justified by faith, and not by works. Where do these poor people think? Do they think that the Scriptures, without any cause, so often give clear words? Do they think that the Holy Spirit does not make his word sure and deliberate, or that he does not know what he is saying?
(157) The ungodly have invented a sophistical gloss on this, saying that the sayings of Scripture, when they speak of faith, are to be understood from fide formata, that is, they say that faith makes no one pious or righteous, except for the sake of love or works. And in sum, according to them, faith makes no one righteous, but love alone. For they say that faith can be next to mortal sin. What is this but overthrowing all the promise of God and the promise of grace, and preaching the law and works?
If faith obtains forgiveness of sins and grace because of love, the forgiveness of sin will always be uncertain. For we never love God as fully as we should; indeed, we cannot love God, for the heart is only certain that sins are forgiven. Thus, if the adversaries teach us to trust in God's love, which we are able to do, and in our own works, they are even pushing the gospel, which preaches the forgiveness of sin, to the ground; since no one can really have or understand love, unless he believes that we obtain forgiveness of sin by grace through Christ for nothing.
We also say that love should follow faith, as Paul says: "In Christ Jesus there is neither circumcision nor foreskin, but faith working through love. But we are not to trust in love or rely on it, as if we obtained forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God for the sake of love or through love. Just as we do not obtain forgiveness of sins for the sake of other works that follow, but through faith alone. For no one can grasp the promise of God by works, but only by faith. And faith really, or fides proprie dicta, is when my heart and the Holy Spirit in my heart say to me: The promise of God is true.
1160Section 6: Apologie d. Augsb. Conf. no. 1030. w. xvi, 1388-1390. 1161
God is true and yes. Scripture speaks of the same faith. And because faith, before we do or work anything, only gives and receives, faith is counted to us for righteousness, as it was to Abraham before we loved, before we did the law or any work.
160 Although it is true that fruit and work do not remain outside, and faith is not a mere bad knowledge of history, but a new light in the heart and powerful work of the Holy Spirit, through which we are born again, through which the frightened consciences are restored and gain life. And because faith alone obtains forgiveness of sin and makes us pleasing to God, it brings with it the Holy Spirit, and should be called gratia gratum faciens, that is, the grace that makes pleasing, rather than the love that follows.
161 Until now, we have abundantly indicated from the sayings of the fathers and the Scriptures, so that this matter would be quite clear, that we obtain forgiveness of sin through faith alone for Christ's sake, and that we are justified through faith alone, that is, we are born again from unrighteousness, holy and new. Pious hearts, however, see here and realize how utterly superfluous this doctrine of faith is. For through it alone one learns to recognize Christ and his good deeds, and through the doctrine alone do hearts and consciences find a certain peace and comfort. For if there is to be a Christian church, if there is to be Christian faith, there must be preaching and teaching in it, so that the consciences are not built on a delusion or on a foundation of sand, but on which they can safely rely and trust.
For this reason the adversaries are truly unfaithful bishops, unfaithful preachers and doctors, have until now advised the consciences evil, and still advise them evil, that they lead such teaching, since they leave the people in doubt, uncertain and hanging, 1) whether they attain forgiveness of sin or not. For how is it possible that those who have not heard or do not know this necessary doctrine of Christ, who are still wavering and in doubt as to whether they have forgiveness of sin or not, should remain in mortal peril and in final straits and anxieties? If there is to be a Christian church, then the gospel of Christ must remain in the church, namely this divine promise that sins are forgiven us without merit for Christ's sake. The same holy gospel is expressed by those who
1) So the Jena people. Müller: "bangen". In Latin only: (üGitnrk.
among those who teach nothing at all of the faith we are talking about.
Now the scholastics do not teach one word, not one tittle of faith, which is terrible to hear; they are followed by our adversaries, who reject this supreme doctrine of faith, and are so obdurate and blind that they do not see that they are trampling underfoot the whole gospel, the divine promise of the forgiveness of sin, and the whole of Christ.
(Article III.) Of love, and fulfillment of the law.
164 The adversaries accuse us of this saying: "If you want to live forever, keep the commandments of God"; item, Rom. 2:13: "Not those who hear the law will be righteous, but those who do the law"; and many other such things about the law and works. Now, before we answer this, we must speak of love, and what we think of the fulfillment of the law.
It is written in the prophet [Jer. 31:33], "I will put my law in their hearts." And Rom. 3,31. Paul says: "We do not abolish the law by faith, but establish the law." Item, Christ says [Luc. 10:28.], "If thou wilt live forever, keep the commandments." Item, to the Corinthians Paul says, "If I have not love, I am nothing" [1 Cor. 13:2]. These and similar sayings indicate that we are to keep the law when we have been justified by faith, and thus the longer the more we increase in the spirit. But we are not speaking here of ceremonies of Moses, but of the ten commandments, which demand of us that we should rightly fear and love God from the bottom of our hearts. Since faith brings with it the Holy Spirit, and works a new light and life in the heart, it is certain and necessary that faith renews and changes the heart. And what kind of change of heart this is, the prophet indicates, when he says: "I will put my law into their hearts.
When we are born again through faith and have recognized that God wants to be merciful to us, wants to be our Father and helper, we begin to fear God, to love Him, to thank Him, to praise Him, to ask and wait for all help from Him, and to be obedient to Him even in tribulations. We then also begin to love our neighbor. Inwardly, through the Spirit of Christ, there is a new heart, mind and spirit. All this cannot happen before we are justified by faith, before we are born again.
are born through the Holy Spirit. For first of all, no one can keep the law without the knowledge of Christ, and no one can fulfill the law without the Holy Spirit. But we cannot receive the Holy Spirit except by faith, as Paul says to the Galatians in Galatians 3, v. 14, that we receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Item: It is impossible for a man's heart to love God through the law or its work alone. For the law alone shows God's wrath and severity [Rom. 4, 15]. The law accuses us and shows how he will punish sins so terribly, both with temporal and eternal punishments. Therefore, what the scholastics speak of the love of God is a dream, and it is impossible to love God before we recognize and grasp mercy through faith. For only then does God become objectum amabile, a lovely, blissful sight.
168) Although reason is able to lead an honorable life and do outward works of the law without Christ, without the Holy Spirit of innate light, it is nevertheless certain, as indicated above, that the highest parts of the divine law, as turning the whole heart to God and esteeming Him great with the whole heart, which is required in the first table and in the first, highest commandment, no one is able to do without the Holy Spirit.
But our opponents are good, crude, lazy, inexperienced theologians; they only look at the other table of Moses and the works of the same. But the first table, where the highest theology is located, since it is all in order, they pay no attention at all; indeed, the same highest, holiest, greatest, noblest commandment, which surpasses all human and angelic understanding, which concerns the highest service of God, the Godhead itself and the honor of the eternal majesty, since God commands that we should warmly consider, fear and love Him as Lord and God, they consider so little, so small, as if it did not belong to the theology.
170. but Christ is presented to us so that for his sake sins are forgiven us and the Holy Spirit is given to us, who works in us a new light and eternal life, eternal righteousness, so that he shows us Christ in our hearts, as John 16:15 is written: "He will take of mine and proclaim it to you. Item, he also works other gifts, love, thanksgiving, chastity, patience etc. Therefore no one can fulfill the law without the Holy Spirit. Therefore Paul says [Rom. 3:31], "We establish the law by faith," and do not do away with it; for in this way
nly when the Holy Spirit is given to us do we fulfill and keep the law.
And Paul 2 Cor. 3:15 f. says that the covering of the face of Moses cannot be removed, but only through faith in the Lord Christ, through whom the Holy Spirit is given. For thus he says: "Until this day, when Moses is read, the covering is over their hearts; but when they turn to the Lord, the covering is taken away. For the Lord is a spirit. But where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." Paul calls the covering the human thought and delusion of ten commandments and ceremonies, namely that the hypocrites want to think that the law can be fulfilled and kept by outward works, and as if the sacrifices, item, all kinds of worship ex opere operato make someone righteous before God. But when the covering is removed from the heart, that is, the error and delusion is taken away, when God shows us our sorrow in the heart and makes us feel God's wrath and our sin. Only then do we realize how far and distant we are from the law; only then do we realize how secure and blinded all people are, how they do not fear God, in sum, how they do not believe that God created heaven, earth and all creatures, preserves our breath and life and the whole creature every hour, and protects us against Satan. Only then do we learn that unbelief, certainty and contempt for God are so deeply hidden in us. Only then do we learn that we are so weak, or do not believe at all, that God forgives sin, that He hears prayer etc. When we hear the Word and the Gospel, and by faith know Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit, so that we may think rightly of God, fear Him, believe Him etc.
172 In this it is sufficiently shown that we cannot keep God's law without faith, without Christ, without the Holy Spirit. Therefore we also say that one must keep the law, and every believer begins to keep it, and increases the longer the more in love and fear of God, which is rightly fulfilling God's commandment. And when we speak of keeping the law or of good works, we understand both, the good heart inwardly and the works outwardly.
For this reason, the adversaries do us an injustice by blaming us for not teaching good works, when we not only say that one must do good works, but also actually say how the heart must be, so that they are not loose, deaf, cold hypocritical works. Experience teaches that the hypocrites, even though they are under the impression that they do not do good works, out of
They are not able to keep the law with their strength, nor do they prove it with deeds. For how fine they are without hatred, envy, strife, wrath, anger, avarice, adultery, etc., so that nowhere are the vices greater than in monasteries and convents. All human powers are far too weak for the devil to resist his cunning and strength of his own ability, which imprisons all those who are not redeemed by Christ. It must be divine strength and Christ's resurrection that overcomes the devil. And if we know that we are made partakers of Christ's strength, of His victory through faith, we can, on the promise that we have, ask God to protect and govern us by His Spirit's strength, so that the devil does not overthrow us or overthrow us; otherwise we would fall into error and terrible vices every hour.
For this reason Paul does not say of us, but of Christ, "He has led captivity captive," Eph. 4:8. For Christ overcame the devil, and through the gospel promised the Holy Spirit, that by the help of Him we also might overcome all evil. And 1 John 3:8 is written, "For this purpose the Son of God appeared, that he might destroy the works of the devil."
175. 1) We teach not only how to keep the law, but also how to please God in all that we do. Namely, not that we can keep the law perfectly and purely in this life, but that we are in Christ, as we will say hereafter. So it is certain that ours also teach rightly of good works. And we add that it is impossible for true faith, which comforts the heart and receives forgiveness of sin, to be without the love of God. For through Christ one comes to the Father. And if we are reconciled to God through Christ, then we believe and conclude in our hearts that a true God lives and exists; that we have a Father in heaven who always looks upon us, who is to be feared, who is to be loved for such unspeakable good deeds, to whom we should always give heartfelt thanks and praise, who hears our prayers and also our longings and sighs; as John says in his first epistle, 1 John 4:19: "We love God. 4, 19: "We love him, because he loved us first." We, namely, because he gave his Son for us and forgave us our sins. John indicates enough that faith goes first and love follows.
176. item, this faith is in those who have right
1) Müller: "Therefore". The Jena has our reading, which is confirmed by the Latin: uon üoe tuntum.
Repentance is when a frightened conscience feels God's wrath and sin and seeks forgiveness of sin and grace. And it is in such terror, in such anguish and distress, that faith first proves itself, and must therefore be proven 2) and increase. Therefore faith cannot be in carnal, secure people who live according to the lust and will of the flesh. For so Paul says in Romans 8:1: "There is therefore nothing condemnable in them which are in Christ, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Item, v. 12, 13: "Therefore we are debtors, not to the flesh, in that we live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye by the spirit of the flesh kill business, ye shall live." Therefore, faith, which is only in the hearts and consciences of those who are heartily sorry for their sins, cannot at the same time be next to mortal sin, as the adversaries teach. Neither can it be in those who live carnally according to the world, according to the will of Satan and the flesh.
From these fruits and works of faith, the adversaries believe only one thing, namely love, and teach that love makes one righteous before God. So they are nothing else than preachers of works and teachers of the law. They do not first teach that we attain forgiveness of sin through faith. They do not teach anything about the mediator Christ, that through him we attain a gracious God, but speak of our love and our works, and yet do not say what kind of love it is, nor can they say.
They boast that they can fulfill or keep the law, when the honor belongs to no one but Christ; and so they hold their own work against God's judgment, saying that they deserve grace and eternal life. This is a completely vain and ungodly trust in one's own works. For in this life even Christians and saints 3) cannot fully keep God's law; for evil inclinations and lusts always remain in us, even though the Holy Spirit resists them.
But someone among them might ask: If we ourselves confess that love is a fruit of the Spirit, and if love is nevertheless called a holy work and the fulfillment of the Law, why do we not teach that it makes us righteous before God?
2) Müller: "bewahrt". Jenaer: "bewert". In Latin: eonürmari. Therefore, we have adopted the latter reading.
3) Müller: "the saints". In Latin only: non PO88UMU8.
180 Answer: First, it is certain that we do not receive forgiveness of sin through love or for love's sake, but only through faith for Christ's sake. For only faith in the heart sees God's promise, and only faith is the assurance that the heart is certain that God is merciful, that Christ did not die in vain etc. And the same faith alone overcomes the terror of death and sin. For whoever still wavers or doubts whether his sins are forgiven, does not trust in God, and despises Christ, because he considers his sin greater and stronger than the death and blood of Christ, even though Paul says in Romans 5:20 that grace is mightier than sin, that is, more powerful, richer and stronger.
181 Therefore, if anyone thinks that he will obtain forgiveness of sin because he has love, he dishonors and defiles Christ, and in the end, when he stands before God's judgment, he will find that such confidence is in vain; therefore it is certain that faith alone makes one righteous. And just as we do not obtain forgiveness of sin by other good works and virtues than for patience, chastity, obedience to authority, and yet the virtues follow where there is faith; so also we do not receive forgiveness of sin for the love of God 1); although it does not remain outside where this faith is.
182) But when Christ says in Luke 7:47, "Her sins will be forgiven much, because she has loved much," Christ himself interprets his word by saying, "Your faith has helped you. And Christ does not want the woman to have earned forgiveness of sin through the work of love; therefore he clearly says, "Your faith has helped you." Now this is the faith that relies on God's mercy and word, not on its own works. And if anyone thinks that faith can rely on God and its own works at the same time, he certainly does not understand what faith is. For a frightened conscience is not satisfied by its own works, but must cry out for mercy, and can only be comforted and uplifted by God's word. And history itself shows in this place what Christ calls love. The woman comes to Christ with the confidence that she will obtain forgiveness of sin from him; that is to say, to truly recognize and honor Christ. For greater honor can be
1) That is, for the sake of the love we have for God. Because this expression was misunderstood, in the old edition the preceding "not" is omitted. Cf. § 395.
Do not do this to Christ. For this is called truly knowing Messiah or Christ, seeking forgiveness of sin from him. To hold the same of Christ, that is, to recognize and accept Christ, is to truly believe in Christ.
183 Now Christ used this word, when he said, "She loved much," not when he spoke to the woman, but when he spoke to the Pharisee. For the Lord Christ holds up against each other all the honor that the Pharisee did to him, with the offering and works that the woman showed him. He punishes the Pharisee for not recognizing him as Christ, even though he honored him outwardly as a guest and a devout holy man. But the service of women, that they recognize their sin and seek forgiveness from Christ, this service Christ praises. And it is a great example that moved Christ to punish the Pharisee as a wise and honest man who does not believe in him. He reproaches him for unbelief and admonishes him by the example. As if to say, "You should be ashamed, you Pharisee, that you are so blind as not to recognize me as Christ and Messiah, if you are a teacher of the law, and the woman, who is an unlearned poor woman, recognizes me.
184 Therefore he praises not only love, but the whole cultum or worship, faith with its fruits, and yet calls it fruit before the Pharisee. For faith in the heart cannot be shown and signified to others except by the fruits, which prove faith in the heart before men. Therefore Christ does not want love and works to be the treasure by which sins are paid for, which is Christ's blood. Therefore this controversy is about a high and important matter, since pious hearts and consciences have their highest, most certain, eternal comfort in Christ, whether we should trust in the merit of Christ or in our works. For if we trust in our works, Christ is deprived of his glory, Christ is not the reconciler nor the mediator, and we will finally learn that such trust is in vain, and that consciences only fall into despair because of it. For if we do not obtain forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God through Christ without merit, no one will have forgiveness of sin unless he has kept the whole law. For the law makes no one righteous before God as long as it accuses us. Now no one can boast that he has done enough for the law. That is why we must seek comfort elsewhere, namely in Christ.
Now let us answer the question we posed above: why love or dilectio does not make anyone righteous before God. The adversaries think that love is the fulfillment of the law, so it would be true that love makes us righteous if we keep the law. But who may truthfully say or boast that he keeps the law and loves God as the law commands? We have shown above that this is why God has made the promise of grace, so that we cannot keep the law. That is why Paul says everywhere that we cannot be justified before God by the law.
The adversaries must be far off the mark here, and must be mistaken about the main question, for they regard only the law in this matter. For all human reason and wisdom cannot judge otherwise than that one must become godly by laws, and he who outwardly keeps the law is holy and godly. But the gospel moves us around and directs us from the law to the divine promises, and teaches that we are not justified by the law, for no one can keep it, but by the fact that reconciliation is given to us for Christ's sake, and this we receive through faith alone. For before we fulfill any part of the law, there must first be faith in Christ, through which we are reconciled to God and first receive forgiveness of sin. Dear Lord God, how can people call themselves Christians, or say that they have ever looked at or read the books of the Gospels, who dispute the fact that we obtain forgiveness of sin through faith in Christ? Is it terrible for a Christian man to hear this alone?
187 Secondly, it is certain that even those who are born again through faith and the Holy Spirit are still not pure as long as this life lasts, nor do they fully keep the law. For although they have received the firstfruits of the Spirit, and although the new, even eternal life has begun in them, there still remains something of sin and evil desire, and the law still finds much to accuse us of. Therefore, although love of God and good works should and must be in Christians, they are not righteous before God for the sake of their works, but for the sake of Christ through faith. And trusting in one's own fulfillment of the law is vain idolatry and blasphemy of Christ, and yet falls away in the end, and causes consciences to despair.
188 Therefore let this foundation stand firm, that we may please God for Christ's sake.
and are justified by faith, not because of our love and works. Let us therefore make this clear and certain, that it may be grasped.
(189) As long as the heart is not at peace with God, it cannot be righteous. For it flies in the face of God's wrath and despairs, wanting God not to judge; therefore, the heart cannot be righteous and pleasing to God unless it has peace with God. Now faith alone makes the heart satisfied, and obtains peace and life, Rom. 5:1, if it confidently and freely relies on God's promise for Christ's sake. But our works do not bring the heart to peace. For we always find that they are not pure. Therefore it must follow that we are pleasing and righteous to God through faith alone, if we conclude in our hearts that God will be gracious to us, not because of our works and fulfillment of the law, but out of pure grace for Christ's sake.
What can the adversaries raise against this reason? What can they invent or devise against the public truth? For this is ever certain, and experience teaches it strongly enough, that when we feel God's judgment and wrath rightly or come under challenge, our works or worship cannot quiet the conscience. And the Scriptures indicate this often enough, as in the 143rd Psalm, v. 2: "Thou wilt not enter into judgment with thy servant, for before thee none that liveth shall be just." There he clearly indicates that all saints, all godly children of God, who have the Holy Spirit, if God does not want to forgive their sin by grace, still have remaining sin in the flesh. For when David says in another place [Ps. 7:9], "Lord, judge me according to my righteousness," he is speaking of his own cause, not of his own righteousness, but asks that God protect his cause and his word, as he says, "Judge my cause. Again in the 130th Psalm, v. 3, he clearly says that no one, not even the highest saints, can bear God's judgment, if he will take heed to iniquity, as he says: "If you will take heed to iniquity, O Lord, who will stand?" And so Job says on the 9th, v. 28 [Vulg.], "I am astonished at all my works." Item, v. 30. f.: "Though I were washed white as snow, and though my hands shone with purity, yet shalt thou find uncleanness in me." And in Proverbs of Solomon [Cap. 20, 9.], "Who can say my heart is pure?" And 1 John 1:8: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Item, in the Lord's Prayer also the
Saints: "Forgive us our trespasses"; therefore also the saints have trespasses and sins. Item, in the 4th book of Moses [14, 18 .]: "Even the innocent will not be innocent." And Zechariah the prophet says in 2 Cap. v. 13: "Let all flesh be silent before the Lord." And Isaiah says [Cap. 40, 6.], "All flesh is grass," that is, the flesh and all righteousness, as we are able, cannot bear God's judgment. And Jonah says in the other chapter, v. 9: "Those who are vain in vanity forsake mercy." Therefore, mercy sustains us; our own works, merit and fortune cannot help us.
191 These sayings and the like in Scripture indicate that our works are unclean, and that we are in need of grace and mercy. Therefore, works do not satisfy consciences, but only mercy, which we take by faith.
Thirdly, Christ nevertheless remains the only Mediator and Reconciler before and after we are thus born anew in him. Therefore those are mistaken who say that Christ alone earns us primam gratiam, or the first grace, and that afterwards we must earn eternal life by our own works and merit. For He remains the only Mediator, and we are to be certain that for His sake alone we have a gracious God, even though we are unworthy of it, as Paul says [Rom. 5:2]: "Through Him we have access to God." For our best works, even after we have received the grace of the Gospel (as I said), are still weak and not pure. For it is not such a bad thing about sin and Adam's fall as reason thinks or imagines, and it is beyond all human understanding and thought what terrible wrath God has bequeathed upon us through disobedience, and even a terrible corruption has happened to the whole of human nature, which no works of man but God Himself alone can bring back. Therefore the Psalm [P2, 1.] says: "Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven." Therefore we may have grace, and God's gracious kindness, and forgiveness of sins, if we have done as many good works. But this grace can be grasped only through faith. So Christ alone remains the high priest and mediator, and what good we do or what we keep of the law is not pleasing to God for Himself, but that we hold to Christ and know that we have a gracious God, not for the sake of the law, but for the sake of Christ.
193. fourth. If we held that, when we have come to the gospel and are born again, we should afterwards merit by our works that God would be gracious to us henceforth, not by faith, then the conscience would never come to rest, but would have to despair. For the law accuses us without ceasing, because we cannot fully keep it, etc. as the whole holy Christian church and all the saints have always confessed and still confess. For so Paul says to the Romans on the 7th, v. 19: "The good that I want I do not do, but the evil that I do not want I do" etc. Item [v. 25.]: "With the flesh I serve the law of sins" etc. For there is no one who fears and loves God the Lord as wholeheartedly as he is guilty, no one who bears the cross and tribulations in complete obedience to God, no one who does not often doubt through weakness whether God will take care of us, whether he will respect us, whether he will hear our prayer. Because of this we often grumble against God out of impatience, that it is good for the wicked and bad for the pious. Who is he who does what is right for his profession, who does not rage against God in temptations when God hides Himself? Who loves his neighbor as himself? Who is without all kinds of evil lusts? Of the sins of all, Psalm s32:6 says: "For this all the saints will ask in due time." There he says that all saints must ask for forgiveness of sin.
194 Therefore, those are blind as blind who do not consider the evil desires in the flesh to be sin, of which Paul says: "The flesh strives against the spirit, and the spirit strives against the flesh. For the flesh does not trust in God, relies on this world and temporal goods, seeks human comfort and help in tribulations, even against God's will, doubts God's grace and help, murmurs against God in the cross and temptations; all of which is against God's command. Against the sin of Adam the Holy Spirit strives and strives in the hearts of the saints, so that he fights out and kills the poison of the old Adam, the evil, desperate way, and brings a different mind and courage into the heart.
And Augustine also says: "We keep all the commandments of God when all that we do not keep is forgiven us. Therefore, Augustine wants even the good works that the Holy Spirit works in us to please God in no other way than that we believe that we are pleasing to God for Christ's sake, not that they should please God in themselves.
196 And Jerome says against Pelagium: Then we are righteous if we consider ourselves sinners.
1172, Sect. 6. Apologie d. Augsb. Conf. no. 1030. w. xvi, i4o3-i4v6. 1173
and our righteousness is not in our merit, but in God's mercy. Therefore, even though we are rich in good works and have begun to keep God's law, as Paul did when he preached faithfully, etc., there must still be faith by which we trust that God is merciful and reconciled to us for Christ's sake and not for our works. For mercy cannot be grasped except by faith alone. Therefore, those who teach that we become pleasing to God because of works, not because of Christ, lead consciences into despair.
From all this it is clear enough that faith alone makes us righteous before God; that is, it obtains forgiveness of sins and grace for Christ's sake and brings us to a new birth. Item, it is clear enough that we receive the Holy Spirit through faith alone. Item, that our works, and since we began to keep the law, are not pleasing to God in Himself. Therefore, even if I am full of good works, as Paul and Peter were, I must still seek my righteousness elsewhere, namely, in the promise of Christ's grace, item, if faith alone satisfies the conscience, then it must always be certain that faith alone makes us righteous before God. For we must always remain true to this, if we want to teach correctly that we are pleasing to God not because of the law, not because of works, but because of Christ. For the glory due to Christ is not to be given to the law or to our wretched works.
Response to the arguments of the opponents.
(198) Now that we have shown the proper grounds of this matter, namely, the difference between the divine promise and the law, it is easy to disregard what the opponents say against it. For they introduce sayings about the law and good works, but they leave out the sayings that speak of divine promise. But a brief answer can be given to all the sayings they introduce about the law, namely, that no one can keep the law without Christ, and even if outward good works are done without Christ, God is not pleased with the person for that reason. Therefore, if one wants to teach or preach about good works, one should always add that there must first be faith, and that they are pleasing to God only because of faith in Christ, and that they are fruits and testimonies of faith.
This doctrine of ours is ever clear, it can also be seen in the light and against the holy Scriptures.
and is also clearly and correctly presented here, whoever wants to let him be told and not knowingly deny the truth. For in order to recognize Christ's good deeds and the great treasure of the gospel (which Paul exalts so highly), we must separate God's promise and grace offered on one side and the law on the other as far apart as heaven and earth. In dilapidated matters, much gloss is needed, but in good matters, there is always one or two solutios that go well, and resolve everything that one would think to oppose. So here in this matter, this one solutio resolves all the sayings that are raised against us, namely: that one cannot do the law rightly without Christ, and even if outward works are done, that God does not please the person apart from Christ. For we confess that the Scriptures teach these two doctrines: the law and the promise of grace.
200 But the adversaries tread badly underfoot the whole gospel and all the promises of grace in Christ, teaching 1) that we obtain forgiveness of sins because of our love and works, and not through faith. For if God's grace and help toward us is based on our works, it is not at all certain. For we can never be sure if we do works enough, or if the works are holy or pure enough; so also the forgiveness of sins is uncertain, and God's promise is lost, as Paul says [Rom. 4:14]: The divine promise is then overthrown, and everything is uncertain. Therefore we teach hearts and consciences to be comforted by the same promise of God, which stands firm, offering grace and forgiveness of sins for Christ's sake, not for our works.
201. After this we also teach about good works and the law; not that we earn forgiveness of sin through the law, or that we are pleasing to God because of the law, but that God wants good works. For one must (as Paul says 2 Tim. 2, 15.) rightly cut and divide God's word; the law in one place, the promise of God in another. One must see how the Scripture speaks of the promise, how it speaks of the law. For the Scriptures praise and commend good works in this way, yet they still place God's promise and the right treasure, Christ, a thousand times higher.
For good works should and must be done, for God wants them; so they are fruits of the Lord.
1) Müller: "so they teach". In Latin: qnnm (loetznt. The Jena has our reading.
faith, as Paul says in Eph. 2, 10: "For we were created in Christ Jesus for good works. Therefore good works should follow faith, as thanksgivings to God; item, that faith may be exercised, grow and increase thereby, and that through our confession and good conduct others may also be reminded. Thus Paul says [Rom. 4:11] that Abraham received circumcision, not that he was justified because of the work, but that he had a sign in his body by which he was reminded and always increased in faith; item, that he confessed his faith before others, and by his testimony also provoked others to believe. Thus Abel by faith offered a pleasing sacrifice to God [Genesis 4:4]. For the sacrifice did not please God ex opere operato, but Abel certainly believed that he had a gracious God. But the work he did was to exercise his faith and to provoke others to believe by his example and confession.
(203) If then, and not otherwise, good works should follow faith, those who do not believe that sins are forgiven them without merit for Christ's sake, do their works much differently. For when they see good works in the saints, they judge the saints humanly; they want to think that the saints have obtained forgiveness of sins by their works, or have been justified before God by works. Therefore, they imitate them and think that they also want to obtain forgiveness of sins and appease God's wrath.
We condemn such public error and false doctrine of works. First, that by it the honor of Christ, the true Mediator, is taken away, and is given to wretched works, if we want to present our works in Christ's stead as a treasure and propitiation of divine wrath and sin. For the glory belongs to Christ alone, not to our wretched works.
Secondly, the consciences do not find peace in such works. For even if they do many works and make an effort to do them, there is no work that is pure enough, important enough, delicious enough, to make God gracious, to obtain eternal life with certainty, in sum, to make the conscience calm and peaceful.
(206) For the third, those who build on works never come to know God rightly, nor His will. For a conscience that doubts God's grace cannot believe that it will be heard, and because it cannot call upon God,
it will also not be aware of divine help, and thus cannot come to know God. But if there is faith, namely that we have a gracious God through Christ, he may cheerfully call upon God and learn to know God and His will.
But the error of the works sticks to the world very hard. The heathen also have sacrifices, which originated with the patriarchs. They followed the same sacrifices and works of the fathers; they did not know about faith, but thought that these works made them a gracious God. The Israelites also invented works and sacrifices for them, thinking that they would thereby make a gracious God through their opus operatum, that is, through the mere work that was done without faith. There we see how vehemently the prophets cry out and shout against this, as in the 50th Psalm, v. 8: "Because of your sacrifice I do not punish you" etc. Item, Jeremiah says ^Cap. 7, 22.], "I have not spoken to your fathers of burnt offerings." There the prophets do not condemn the sacrifices in themselves, for God commanded them as an outward practice in the same people, but they hit primarily their godless heart, since they did the sacrifices in the opinion that they thought God would thereby be reconciled ex opere operato; thereby the faith was suppressed.
And since no work satisfies the conscience, the hypocrites, on a blind guess and venture, nevertheless invent one work over the other, one sacrifice over the other, and all without God's word and command, with an evil conscience, as we have seen in the papacy. And they are especially moved by the examples of the saints; for when they follow them in this way, they think they want to obtain forgiveness of sin, as the saints obtained etc. But the saints believed.
The people of Israel saw that the prophets sacrificed on the high places and in the groves; they imitated the work of atoning for God's wrath through the work. The prophets had sacrificed there, not to earn forgiveness of sin by the works, but to preach and teach in the places; therefore they did the sacrifices as a testimony of their faith.
210 Now the people had heard that Abraham had sacrificed his son: so that they also might do works that were grievous and sore to them, they also sacrificed their sons. But Abraham was not of the opinion to sacrifice his son, that this should be an atonement, by which he would be justified before God etc.
In the church, Christ instituted the Lord's Supper, in which forgiveness of sin is offered by divine promise, so that we are reminded that our faith is started by the outward sign, that we thereby also confess our faith before the people, and praise and preach the benefits of Christ, as Paul says [1 Cor. 11:26]: "As often as you do this, you shall proclaim the death of the Lord. The opponents, however, pretend that the mass is such a work that ex opere operato makes us righteous before God, and redeems those from chastisement and guilt for whom it is done.
St. Anthony, St. Bernard, St. Dominic, and other saints did themselves by a life of their own, so that they could read the Holy Scriptures more easily, or for the sake of other exercises. Nevertheless, they maintained that they were righteous before God through faith in Christ, that they obtained a gracious God through Christ alone. But the great multitude subsequently came, abandoned faith in Christ, looked only to the examples without faith, and undertook to obtain forgiveness of sin through the same monastic works. Thus reason always places good works too high and in an unjust place. The Gospel challenges this error and teaches that we are justified before God, not because of the law or our works, but solely because of Christ. Christ cannot be grasped but by faith alone, so we are justified before God by faith alone.
In contrast, the opponents draw on Paul's saying to the Corinthians on the 13th, v. 2: "If I had all faith, etc. but had not love, I would be nothing. There the adversaries shout with a great triumph and boast that they are certain through this saying that not only faith makes us righteous before God, but also love. But it is quite easy to answer after we have stated above what we think of love and works. In this saying, Paul wants Christians to have love for their neighbor. We also say this. For we have said above that when we are born again, we are to keep the law and be obedient to God's laws. Therefore, if someone neglects Christian love, even if he had great, strong faith, he has become cold, and is now carnal again, without spirit and faith; for there is not the Holy Spirit where there is not Christian love and other good fruits.
But it does not follow that love makes us righteous before God, that is, that we therefore obtain forgiveness of sin through love, that love overcomes the terror of sin and death, that love should be held in Christ's stead against God's wrath and judgment, that love fulfills the law, that we become reconciled and pleasing to God through love, and not for the sake of Christ. Paul says nothing about all this, and yet the opponents invent it from their brains.
For if we overcome God's wrath through our love, if we are pleasing to God through our law-keeping, the adversaries may also say that the divine promise, the whole gospel, is nothing. For this teaches that we have access to God through Christ alone, that we are pleasing to God not through our law-keeping, but for the sake of Christ, as the only Mediator and Reconciler.
216 The adversaries point out many sayings to their opinion, which are not so; but they add to them, as here. For this saying is clear enough, if only the adversaries did not add their own dreams outside the Scriptures, so that they do not understand what faith is, what Christ is, or how it happens when a man is justified before God.
217 The Corinthians and some of them had heard the gospel and received many excellent gifts, 1) and as it happens in such matters, in the beginning they were hot-tempered and brave in all things; after that, divisions and sects grew up among them, as Paul indicates; they began to despise the true apostles. Therefore Paul punishes them and reminds them to unity and Christian love. And Paul does not speak in this place of forgiveness of sin or how to become righteous before God, or how it happens when a sinner is converted to Christ, but speaks of the fruits of faith; he also does not speak of love toward God, but of love toward the neighbor.
Now it is almost foolish that love for one's neighbor, by which we deal with people here on earth, should make us righteous before God, when the righteousness that is valid before God includes this, that we obtain something by which God's wrath is quenched and the conscience against God in heaven comes to peace. He who has no
1) This is how all editions read, but it seems to us that the text is corrupted, and according to the Latin it should be read this way: The Corinthians heard the gospel, and some of them, who had been justified before, had received many excellent gifts etc.
is through love, but only through faith, by which one grasps Christ and God's promise.
219 But it is true that he who forsakes love forsakes the spirit and the faith. And so Paul says: "If I do not have love, I am nothing" [1 Cor. 13:2]. But he does not add the affirmative, that love makes one righteous before God.
But here they also say that love is preferred to faith and hope, for Paul says in 1 Cor. 13:13: "Love is the greatest of the three. Now it is to be considered that virtue, which Paul calls the greatest, makes us righteous and holy before God. Although Paul is actually speaking of love for one's neighbor, and when he says, "Love is the greatest," he says it because love goes far and bears much fruit on earth. For faith and hope deal with God alone. But love goes about on earth among people, and does much good, with comforting, teaching, instructing, helping, counseling, secretly and publicly. But let us admit that loving God and one's neighbor is the highest virtue. For this is the highest commandment: "You shall love God with all your heart. It does not follow that love makes us righteous.
Yes, they say, the highest virtue shall make just. Answer: It would be true if, for the sake of our! It would be true if we had a gracious God for the sake of our virtue. Now it is proved above that we are pleasing and righteous for the sake of Christ, not for the sake of our virtue. For our virtues are impure. Yes, as this law is the highest: "Thou shalt love God," so this virtue, loving God, can least of all make one righteous. For if the law and virtue are higher, so that we can do less, we are not righteous for love's sake; but faith makes righteous, not for our doing, but only because it seeks and receives mercy, and will not rely on any doing of its own. This is that we teach: The law does not justify, but the gospel does; which is to believe that we have a gracious God for Christ's sake, not for our own doing.
For this reason, the adversaries teach about love in order to reconcile us to God, for they know nothing of the Gospel, but look only at the law, wanting to have a merciful God for the sake of their own holiness, not out of mercy for the sake of Christ. Thus, they are teachers of the law alone, and not teachers of the gospel.
(223) Also, the adversaries use against us the saying to the Colossians [Cap. 3, 14]: "Love is a bond of perfection. Hence they conclude that love makes us righteous before God, for it makes us perfect. Although we could answer all kinds of questions about perfection here, we want to treat Paul's saying simply.
It is certain that Paul speaks of the love of one's neighbor. Nor should it be thought that Paul's opinion is that we should be justified before God by the works of the other table rather than by the works of the first table. If love is perfection or the complete fulfillment of the law, there is no need for Christ as mediator. But Paul, who teaches in all places that we are pleasing to God because of Christ, not because of our love or our works or law, for no saint (as said above) fulfills the law completely. Therefore, when he writes and teaches in all other places that in this life there is no perfection in our works, it is not to be remembered that he speaks to the Colossians of perfection of the person, but he speaks of unity of the church, and the word by which they interpret perfection means nothing else than to be undivided, that is, to be united. Now that he says, "Love is a bond of perfection," that is, it binds, joins, and holds together the many members of the church under itself. For just as in a city or in a house unity is preserved by the support of one to another, so peace and tranquility cannot remain unless one gives much to another, unless we bear with one another: So Paul wants to admonish Christian love, that one should tolerate and bear the other's faults and infirmities, that they should forgive one another, so that unity may be preserved in the church, so that the cluster of Christians may not be torn apart and divided into all kinds of factions and sects, from which great discord, hatred and envy, all kinds of bitterness and evil poison, and finally public heresy may result. For unity cannot remain if the bishops impose too heavy a burden on the people without any cause. It is also easy for mobs to develop, if the people want to master everything quickly and make a mess of the bishops' or preachers' lives, or if they soon tire of the preachers, for example because of a small ailment, much great evil follows. Then they soon seek other teachers and other preachers out of the same bitterness.
225. again, perfection is obtained
and unity, that is, the church remains unbroken and whole, if the strong tolerate and support the weak, if the people also have patience with their preachers, if the bishops and preachers in turn know how to take all kinds of weaknesses and infirmities into account for the people. Much is also written everywhere in the books of philosophers and worldly wise men about the way and manner of keeping unity. For we must forgive one another many things and consider them good, for the sake of unity. And Paul speaks of this more than in one place. Therefore the adversaries do not rightly conclude that love should make one righteous before God, for Paul does not speak of the perfection or holiness of persons, as they suppose, but says that love makes a quiet being in the church. And so Ambrose also interprets the saying: Just as a building is whole when all the pieces are joined together etc.
226 But the adversaries should also be ashamed that they write and preach so excellently about love, and write and shout love, love in all their books, and show no love at all. For what a beautiful Christian love is this, that they, by their outrageous tyranny, cut and tear asunder the unity of the church, so that they, in order to let nothing but blood letters and tyrannical commandments go forth, would gladly imagine the most ridiculous things to the most noble emperor. They strangle the priests, and many other pious, honest people, for no other reason than that they alone contest public, shameful abuses. They would like to see all those dead who speak out against their ungodly teachings. All this rhymes very badly with the great boast of love, of caritas etc. For if there were a drop of love in the adversaries, peace and unity could well be made in the church, if they would not thus, out of pure revengeful bitterness and Pharisaic envy against the recognized truth, despise their human statutes, which are of no use for Christian doctrine or life, especially if they themselves do not keep their statutes right.
227 From the apostle Peter they also draw the saying, when he says: "Love covers the multitude of sins. Now it is certain that Peter is also speaking of love for one's neighbor, for he is speaking of the commandment of love, where it is commanded that we love one another. So it never occurred to any apostle that love should overcome death or sin, that love should be a reconciliation without the mediator Christ, that love should be our righteousness without the reconciler Christ. For love, if
If we have it already, it is nothing more than the righteousness of the law; it is not Christ, through whom alone we are justified, if we believe that for the sake of the Mediator the Father is gracious to us, that his merit may be given to us. For this reason Peter shortly before admonishes us to cleave to Christ, that we may be built upon him as the cornerstone. For he says, "He that believeth on him shall not be put to shame." With our works and lives, we will truly stand before God's judgment and face with shame. But faith, through which Christ becomes ours, delivers us from such terrors of death. For through the promise we are quite sure that sin is forgiven us through Christ.
And the word 1 Petr. 4, 8: "Love covers the multitude of sins" etc. is taken from the Proverbs of Solomon, where he says: "Hatred causes strife, but love covers the multitude of sins. The text itself clearly shows that he is speaking of love for one's neighbor and not of love for God. And he wants the same thing that Paul's next saying to the Colossians says, namely, that we should be diligent to live in a brotherly, friendly manner, so that one may do much to benefit the other, that unpleasure and discord may be avoided. As if he were saying, "Discord grows out of hatred," as we see that from a small spark there is often great fire.
229 There were not so great things, about which only Caesar and Pompey disagreed, and if one had yielded to the other, the following great war, so much bloodshed, so many great misfortunes and misfortunes would not have come from it. But since everyone wanted to go through with his head, the great unspeakable damage, disruption of the whole Roman regime of the time occurred. And many heresies have arisen from it, that preachers have been embittered on each other.
230 So Peter's saying is to be understood as follows: "Love covers the multitude of sins," that is, love covers the neighbor's sin. That is, even though there is ill will among Christians, love bears all things, gladly overlooks, yields to the neighbor, tolerates and bears his infirmities brotherly, and does not seek all things most fiercely. Peter does not mean that love deserves forgiveness of sin before God, that love reconciles us to God without the mediator Christ, that through love we should be pleasing to God without the mediator Christ, but this is what Peter means: that the one in whom Christian love is, is not obstinate, not hard and unkind, but
easily hold his neighbor's infirmities and shortcomings, fraternally forgive his neighbor, calm down, teach himself, and soften for the sake of peace, as also teaches the saying: Amici vitia noris, non oderis, that is, I should learn my friend's way, but not hate him (whether it is not all the same) because of it.
And the apostles admonish not without cause to such love, which the philosophers called έπιείχειαν? For if people are to be or remain in unity with one another, whether in the church or also in secular government, they must not count all afflictions against one another on the gold scale, they must let one another pass by almost much with the water and always be kind to one another, as much as also always possible have brotherly patience with one another.
232) They also use the saying from the apostle Jacob [Cap. 2, 24] and say: "Do you see now that we are not justified before God by faith alone, but by works? And they want to think that the saying is almost strong*) against our doctrine. But if the adversaries alone leave their dreams outside, and do not mend what they will, the answer is easy. For the apostle Jacob's saying has its simple meaning, but the adversaries invent that by our works we earn forgiveness of sins, item, that good works are a propitiation by which God is gracious to us, item, that by good works we can overcome the great power of the devil, death and sin, item, that our good works are so pleasing and great in themselves before God that we do not need Christ's mediator. None of these things came into the heart of the apostle Jacob, which the adversaries are obliged to keep by the saying of Jacob.
233 So we must first notice that this saying is more against the adversaries than for them. For the adversaries teach that man becomes righteous and just before God through love and works. They speak nothing of the faith by which we hold to the Mediator Christ. And what is more, they do not want to hear or see anything about faith, and they dare to destroy this doctrine of faith with sword and fire. But Jacob does differently. He does not leave faith outside, but speaks of faith; thus he lets Christ remain the treasure and the mediator, through which we are justified before God, as also Paul, when he sets the summa of the Christian faith, does.
1) In Müller: "firm, strong". But the Latin shows that the reading of the Jena edition, which we have taken up, is the correct one.
faith, he puts faith and love together, 1 Tim. 1, 5.: "The summa of the law is love out of undyed faith."
234 Second, the matter itself indicates that he is speaking of works that follow faith, for he indicates that faith must not be dead, but alive, vigorous, active, and active in the heart. Therefore Jacobi's opinion was not that we earn grace or forgiveness of sin by works. For he speaks of the works of those who have already been justified by Christ, who have already been reconciled to God, and have obtained forgiveness of sins through Christ. Therefore, the opponents are far wrong if they want to conclude from this saying that we earn grace and forgiveness of sins through good works, or that Jacob wants this, that we have access to God through our works without the mediator and reconciler Christ.
Thirdly, St. James had previously said of the spiritual rebirth that it takes place through the gospel. For so he says in the first chapter, v. 18: "He begat us according to his will, by the word of truth, that we should be the firstfruits of his creation. Therefore, if he says that we are born again through the gospel, he wants us to be justified before God through faith. For the promise of Christ is grasped by faith alone, if we are comforted by it against the terror of death, of sin etc. Therefore, his opinion is not that we should be born again by our works.
236 From all this it is clear enough that the saying of Jacob is not against us. For he rebukes some lazy Christians who were too sure, making them think they had faith, when they were without faith. Therefore he makes a distinction between living and dead faith. He calls dead faith, if not followed by all kinds of good works and fruits of the spirit, obedience, patience, chastity, love etc. He calls living faith, where good fruits follow. Now we have often said what we call faith. For we do not call it faith, to know the bad history of Christ, which is also in devils, but the new light and power which the Holy Spirit works in the heart, by which we overcome the terror of death, of sins etc. This is what we call faith.
237 Such a right Christian faith is not such an easy bad thing as the adversaries want to think, as they say: Believe, believe! how soon can I believe etc. It is also not a
It is not a human thought that I can make for myself, but a divine power in the heart, by which I am born again, by which we overcome the great power of the devil and death, as Paul says to Colossians [Cap. 2, 12]: "In whom also ye are risen through the faith which God worketh" etc. This faith, because it is a new divine light and life in the heart, through which we get a different mind and courage, is alive, busy and rich in good works.
238 Therefore this is rightly said, that faith is not right which is without works. And though he said that we are justified by faith and works, he does not say that we are born again by works, nor does he say that Christ is half the reconciler, half our works, but he speaks of Christians as they should be, now that they have been born again through the gospel.
For he speaketh of works which must follow after faith, and it is well said, He that hath faith and good works is righteous; yea, not for works, but for Christ's sake through faith. And as a good tree should bear good fruit, and yet the fruit does not make the tree good, so good works must follow after the new birth, even though they do not make man pleasing to God, but as the tree must first be good, so man must first be pleasing to God through faith, for Christ's sake. Works are far too small for God to be gracious to us for their sake, when He would not be gracious to us for Christ's sake.
So Jacob is not contrary to St. Paul, nor does he say that we earn forgiveness of sin by works, nor does he say that our works overcome the power of the devil, death, sin, the horror of shells, and are equal to the death of Christ, nor does he say that we become pleasing to God by works, nor does he say that our works bring hearts to rest and overcome God's wrath, nor that we may not have mercy if we have works; which is not what Jacob says. What an addition the adversaries add to the words of Jacob.
241 They also have more sayings against us than this: Danielis on the 4th, v. 24. the text says: "Redeem your sin with righteousness, and your transgression with almsgiving to the poor." And Isa. 58, 7: "Break thy bread to the hungry." Item, Luc. 6, 37.: "Forgive, and you will be forgiven"; and Matth. 5, 7.: "Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy."
242. To these sayings and the like of works we first answer this: namely, that (as we said above) no one can keep the law without faith, so no one can please God without faith in Christ, as He says [John 15:5], "Without Me you can do nothing." Item [Heb. 11, 6.]: "Without faith it is impossible to please God." Item, as Paul says [Rom. 5, 2. Eph. 3, 12.]: "Through Christ we have access to God by faith." Therefore, as often as Scripture remembers works, it wants the gospel of Christ and faith to be communed with them everywhere.
Secondly, the sayings of Daniel and the others (as now told) are almost all sermons of repentance. First, they preach the law, point out sin, and exhort to repentance and good works. Secondly, there is a promise that God will be merciful. Now it is certain that for a right repentance it is not enough to preach the law alone, for it alone terrifies the conscience, but the gospel must also be added, namely that sins are forgiven without merit, for Christ's sake, that we obtain forgiveness of sin through faith. This is so certain and so clear that if the adversaries dispute it, and separate Christ and faith from repentance, they are rightly considered blasphemers of the gospel and of Christ.
Therefore, the words of the great, high prophet Daniel should not be interpreted and interpreted in terms of mere work, alms, but also in terms of faith. One must not regard the words of the prophets, which were full of faith and spirit, as pagan as Aristotle 1) or any other pagan. Aristotle also admonished Alexandrum that he should not use his power for his own good will, but for the betterment of countries and people. This is right and well written; nothing better can be preached or written about the royal office. But Daniel does not only tell his king about his royal office, but also about repentance, forgiveness of sins, reconciliation against God and about the high, great, spiritual things, which are very high and far above all human thoughts and works. Therefore, his words are not to be understood of works and alms alone, which even a hypocrite can do, but primarily of faith.
245. but that one must understand faith here, as we speak of, that is, believing that god is sin.
1) Müller: Aristotle.
The text itself proves that he forgives through mercy, not because of our merit. First of all, because there are two parts in Daniel's sermon. One is the preaching of the law and punishment, the other is the promise or absolution. Where there is promise, there must be faith. For the promise cannot be received in any other way than that the heart trusts in the word of God and does not consider its own worthiness or unworthiness. For thus the promise reads: Your sins will be healed. This word is a true prophetic and evangelical sermon, for Daniel knew 1) that through the future Seed, Christ, forgiveness of sins, grace and eternal life had been promised not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles, otherwise he would not have been able to comfort the king in this way. For it is not man's work to promise forgiveness of sins to a frightened conscience and to comfort that God will no longer be angry. Then one must have the testimony of God's will from God's Word, as Daniel knew and understood the great promises of the future Seed. Because he now sets a mission, it is clear and obvious that he demands faith, since we speak of.
246 But that he saith, "Repay thy sin with righteousness, and thy transgression with lovingkindness toward the poor," is a summa of a whole sermon, and is so much as, Correct thyself. And it is true that if we amend ourselves, we are freed from sin. Therefore he says rightly, "Loose thy sin." But it does not follow that we are freed from sin because of our works, or that our works are payment for sin. Nor does Daniel put works alone, but says, "Loose thy sin with righteousness." Now men only know that righteousness in Scripture does not mean outward works alone, but includes faith, as Paul says [Rom. 1:17]: Justus ex fide vivet, "the righteous lives by faith". Therefore Daniel first demands faith when he calls it righteousness, and says, "Repent of your sin with righteousness," that is, with faith toward God, by which you become righteous. In addition, do good works, namely, wait for your office, do not be a tyrant, but see to it that your rule is useful to the land and people, keep peace and protect the poor against unjust violence. These are princely eleemosynae.
So it is clear that this saying is not contrary to the doctrine of faith. But our contradictions
1) Müller: "knows"; Jenaer: "wisset"; in Latin: nornt.
The scribes, the rough asses, add their additions to such sayings, namely, that our sins are forgiven us because of our works, and teach to trust in works, when the sayings do not speak thus, but require good works, as it is true that another and better life must be in us; but yet these same works shall not take away Christ's glory.
248 So also to the saying from the Gospel [Luc. 6, 37.] is to be answered, "Forgive, and you will be forgiven." For it is equal to such a doctrine of repentance. The first part of this saying demands correction and good works. The other part adds the promise, and one should not conclude from this that our forgiving merits ex opere operato forgiveness of sins. For Christ does not say this, but as in other sacraments Christ attaches the promise to the outward sign, so also here he attaches the promise of forgiveness of sins to the outward good works. And just as in the Lord's Supper we do not obtain forgiveness of sins without faith ex opere operato, so also not in this work and our forgiveness, for our forgiveness is also not a good work, unless it comes from those whose sins have already been forgiven beforehand by God in Christ.
Therefore our forgiveness, if it is to please God, must follow after the forgiveness that God forgives us. For Christ used to put the two together, the law and the gospel, both faith and good works, to show that there is no faith unless good works follow. Item, that we have outward signs which remind us of the gospel and forgiveness of sins, by which we are comforted, so that our faith may be exercised in many ways.
(250) Such sayings should be understood in this way, for otherwise they would be contrary to the whole gospel, and our beggarly works would be put in the place of Christ, who alone is to be the propitiation, which is not to be despised. Item, if they should be understood of works, then the forgiveness of sin would be quite uncertain, because it would stand on a loose foundation, on our wretched works.
251 They also refer to a saying from Tobiä j^Cap. 4, 11]: "Alms deliver from sin and death." We do not mean to say that there is a Ii^perdole; though we would say it, that Christ's honor might be preserved; for this is Christ's office alone, to redeem from sin, from death etc. But we will keep to our old rule, namely, that the I law or works are not given to anyone apart from Christ.
to make myself right before God. Thus, the alms "which follow faith" are pleasing to God only after I have been reconciled through Christ, not before. Therefore, they do not redeem from death sx opere operato, but, as I said shortly before about repentance, that one must combine faith with the fruits at the same time. So also of the alms it is to be said that they please God, because they happen in the believers. For Tobias does not speak of alms alone, but also of faith, for he says, v. 20: "Praise God, and ask Him to guide you in your ways" etc. There he actually speaks of faith, as we speak of the one who believes that he has a gracious God, whom he owes to praise for His great goodness and grace, from whom he also waits daily for help, and asks Him to guide and govern him in life and death.
252 In this way, we may concede that alms are not unmeritorious against God, but not that they can overcome death, hell, the devil, sin, and put consciences at rest (for this must be done through faith in Christ alone), but that they deserve God's protection against future evil and against the body and soul. This is the simple mind, which also agrees with other sayings of Scripture. For where good works are commended in Scripture, it should always be understood according to the rule of Paul, that the law and works are not to be exalted above Christ, that Christ and faith are as high above all works as heaven is above the earth.
They also refer to the saying of Christ [Luc. 11, 41]: "Pray alms, and all things shall be clean unto you. The adversaries are deaf and have thick ears, therefore we must often repeat to them the rules that the law without Christ makes no one righteous before God, and that all works are pleasing for Christ's sake alone. But the adversaries exclude Christ everywhere, act as if Christ were nothing, and impudently teach that we obtain forgiveness of sin through good works etc.
But if we look at the saying in its entirety, we will see that it also speaks of faith. Christ chides the Pharisees for thinking that they would become holy and pure before God through all kinds of baptisimata carnis, that is, through all kinds of bodily bathing, washing and cleansing of the body, of vessels, of garments, just as a pope has placed in his canons a necessary papal part of the water of consecration, that when it is sprinkled with consecrated salt, it sanctifies it, and
cleanse the people from sins. And the gloss says: it cleanses from daily sins. So the Pharisees also had error among them, which Christ punishes, and sets against the purification that is sealed two kinds of purity, one inward, the other outward, and admonishes that they should be inwardly pure. This happens (as Peter says in the Acts of the Apostles, 15, v. 9) through faith. And he adds of outward purity, "Give alms of that ye have left, and all things shall be clean unto you."
(255) The adversaries do not use the word "all" correctly, for Christ makes the decision on both parts, on inward and outward purity, and says: "All things shall be clean unto you," that is, if you do not only bathe yourselves bodily, but believe in God, and thus are pure inwardly, and give alms outwardly, all things shall be clean unto you. And show that the right outward purity is also in the works which God has commanded, and not in human statutes, as there were the traditiones Pharisaeo- rum etc., and as in our time is the sprinkling and sprinkling of holy water, the snow-white monastic garments, the differences of food and the like.
The opponents, however, sophistically apply the signum universale, namely the word "all" to only one part, and say: All will be pure for you, if you give alms etc. As if one says: Andrew is there, therefore all the apostles are there. Therefore in the antecedent, or preceding part of this saying, both shall remain with each other: Believe and give alms. For the whole mission, the whole ministry of Christ, is based on this, therefore he is there, that they should believe. Now when both these things are put together, faith and almsgiving, it follows that they are all pure; the heart by faith, the outward walk by good works. So the sermon is to be understood in its entirety, and not the one piece turned around and interpreted, that the heart is cleansed from sins through our eleemosyna.
257 There are also some who think that it is ironic or mocking to speak against the Pharisees of Christ. As if to say, "Yes, my good men, rob and steal, and then go and give alms, and you will soon be clean, so that Christ may somewhat harshly and mockingly attack their Pharisaic hypocrisy. For though they were full of unbelief, avarice, and all evil, yet they kept their purification, gave alms, and thought they were pure, tender saints. The interpretation is not contrary to the text there.
The answer to other such sayings can easily be deduced from this one, which we have explained. For the rule states that all sayings about good works are not valid before God apart from Christ, but the heart must first have Christ and believe that it pleases God for Christ's sake, not because of its own works.
The adversaries also make a number of scholastic arguments, which are easy to answer if one knows what faith is. Experienced Christians speak much differently of faith than the sophists, as we indicated above, that to believe means to trust in God's mercy, that he will be merciful for Christ's sake, without our merit; and that is to believe the article "forgiveness of sin. This faith is not only the historia know, which also devils know, therefore the school argument is easily dissolved, that they speak: The devils also believe, therefore the faith does not make just. Yes, the devils know the historia, but do not believe forgiveness of sin.
(260) They say that to be righteous is obedience. Now doing works is obedience, therefore works must make one righteous. To this one should answer: To be righteous is such obedience that God accepts for it. Now God does not want to accept our obedience in works for righteousness, because it is not a heartfelt obedience, since no one keeps the law right. Therefore He has ordained another obedience, which He will accept for righteousness, namely, that we recognize our disobedience and trust that we please God for Christ's sake, not because of our obedience. Therefore, to be righteous here is to be pleasing to God, not because of our own obedience, but out of mercy for Christ's sake. Item, sin is hating God, therefore righteousness must love God. True, loving God is righteousness of the law. But no one fulfills this law. Therefore the gospel teaches a new righteousness, that we please God for Christ's sake, though we do not fulfill the law, yet we should begin to do the law. Item, what is the difference between faith and hope? Answer: Hoping awaits future goods and salvation from tribulation; believing receives present reconciliation, and locks in the heart that God has forgiven sin, and that He is now gracious to me. And this is a high service, which serves God by giving Him glory, and by keeping the mercy and promise so surely that he can receive and wait for all kinds of goods from Him without merit. And in this service the
The heart must be exercised and increase; the mad sophists know nothing about this.
And to all this it is easy to understand what is to be thought of the merito condigni, since the adversaries invent that we are righteous before God through love and our works. There they do not even think of faith, and instead of the mediator Christ they put our works, our fulfillment of the law; this is not to be suffered in any way. For although we said above that where the new birth is through the Spirit and grace, love will surely follow: yet the glory of Christ is not to be given to our works, but this is certain, that before and after, when we come to the gospel, we are justly esteemed for Christ's sake, and Christ remains the Mediator and Reconciler before than after, after than before, and through Christ we have access to God, not because we have kept the law and done much good, but that we so cheerfully, confidently build on grace, and so assuredly rely, that by grace we are justly esteemed before God for Christ's sake.
262 And this teaches, preaches, and confesses the holy catholic Christian church, that we are saved through mercy, as we have quoted above from Jerome. Our righteousness is not based on our own merit, but on God's mercy; and this mercy is obtained through faith.
Here, however, all those of understanding want to see what would follow from the doctrine of the adversaries. For if we hold that Christ alone has earned us primam gratiam, that is, the first grace (as they call it), and that afterwards we must first earn eternal life by our works, then the hearts or consciences will never be satisfied either at the hour of death or otherwise, will never be able to build on certain foundations, will never be certain whether God would be gracious to us. Thus, their teaching leads the consciences to endless heartache and finally to despair. For God's law is not a joke, which accuses consciences apart from Christ without ceasing, as Paul says [Rom. 4:15.]: "The law causes wrath." So then, when consciences feel God's judgment and have no certain comfort, they fall into despair.
Paul says [Rom. 14,23]: "Everything that is not of faith is sin. But those who cannot do anything by faith shall not receive a gracious God until they have fulfilled the law with their works. For they will always waver and doubt whether they have done enough works, whether they have fulfilled the law enough.
Yes, they will strongly feel and sense that they still owe the law; therefore, they will never think that they have a merciful God or that their prayer will be heard. For this reason, they can never love God rightly, nor do anything good for God, nor serve God rightly. For what are such hearts and consciences but hell itself, if there is nothing else in such hearts but doubting, despairing, grumbling, resentment and hatred against God? And yet in hatred they hypocritically call upon God, as the godless king Saul did.
Here we can appeal to all Christian consciences and all those who have tried temptations. They must confess and say that such great uncertainty, such restlessness, such anxiety and fear, such terrible trembling and despair result from such teaching of the adversaries, since they teach or think that we are justified before God by our works or the fulfillment of the law, which we do, and show us the wrong way to trust not in the rich, blessed promises of grace, which are offered to us through the Mediator Christ, but in our miserable works.
266 Therefore this decree remains firm as a wall, even as a rock, that even though we have already begun to do the law, we are not pleasing to God for the sake of such works, but for the sake of Christ through faith, and have peace with God. And God does not owe us eternal life for these works, but just as forgiveness of sins and righteousness are imputed to us for the sake of Christ, not for the sake of our works or the law, so also eternal life is offered to us not for the sake of our works, nor for the sake of the law, but for the sake of Christ, together with righteousness, as Christ says [Jn. 6:40], "This is the will of the Father which hath sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have everlasting life." Item [v. 47.], "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life."
267 Now the adversaries must be asked what advice they give to the poor consciences at the hour of death? whether they put off the consciences so that they may go well, be saved, have a gracious God for their own merit, or out of God's grace and mercy for the sake of Christ? For St. Peter, Sl. Paul and the like saints cannot boast that God owes them eternal life for their suffering, nor do they have any credit for their works.
but on the mercy promised in Christ.
268. Nor would it be possible for a saint, however great and high he is, to remain or stand against the accusation of divine law, against the great power of the devil, against the terror of death, and finally against the despair and fear of hell, if he did not grasp the divine promise, the gospel, like a tree or branch in the great flood, in the strong, mighty river, under the waves and bulges of the fear of death, if he did not by faith adhere to the word that proclaims grace, and thus without all works, without law, purely by grace, attain eternal life. For this doctrine alone sustains the Christian conscience in temptations and fears of death; of which the adversaries know nothing, and speak of it as the blind speak of dye.
269 But here they will say, If we are to be saved by pure mercy, what difference is there between those who are saved and those who are not? If there is no merit, then there is no difference between the bad and the good, and it follows that they will be saved at the same time. This argument moved the scholastics to invent the meritum condigni. For there must be a difference between those who are saved and those who are damned.
(270) As for the first, we say that eternal life belongs to those whom God esteems righteous, and if they are esteemed righteous, they have become God's children and Christ's fellow heirs, as Paul says to the Romans on the 8th, v. 30: "Whom He has justified, He has also glorified. Therefore no one is saved, except those who believe the gospel. But just as our reconciliation with God is uncertain if it is based on our works and not on God's gracious promise, which cannot be lacking, so also everything we expect through hope would be uncertain if it were based on our merit and works. For God's law accuses the conscience without ceasing, and feel nothing else in the heart, but this voice from the cloud and flames of fire, Deut. 5, v. 6 ff: "I am the Lord your God, this you shall do", this you owe, this I will have etc. And no conscience can have rest for a moment if the law and Moses press in the heart before it grasps Christ through faith. Nor can it rightly hope for eternal life, unless it has first come to rest 1). For a conscience,
1) Müller and the old editions: "to rest".
that doubts, that flees from God and despairs, that cannot hope. But now the hope of eternal life must be certain. So that it may not waver, but be sure, we must believe that we have eternal life, not by our works or merit, but by pure grace through faith in Christ.
In the hands of the world and in the secular courts, there are two things: grace and right. Law is certain by law and judgment; mercy is uncertain. Here before God it is a different matter, for grace and mercy are promised by a certain word, and the gospel is the word that gives us to believe that God is gracious to us and wants to make us blessed for Christ's sake, as the text reads: "God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in Him will not be judged" [John 3:17].
272 As often as mercy is spoken of, it is to be understood that faith is required, and this same faith makes the difference between those who are saved and those who are condemned, between the worthy and the unworthy. For eternal life is promised to none but those who are reconciled in Christ. But faith reconciles and makes us righteous before God, if and when we take hold of the promise through faith. Throughout our lives we should pray to God and work diligently to obtain and increase in faith. For, as said above, faith is where repentance is, and is not in those who walk according to the flesh. This same faith must grow and increase throughout life, even through all kinds of trials. And they that obtain faith are born again, that they may lead new lives, and do good works.
273 As we say then, that right repentance shall continue throughout life, so we say also, that good works and fruits of faith shall continue throughout life, though our works shall never be so dear as to be like the treasure of Christ, or to merit eternal life. As Christ also says [Luc. 17:10], "When ye have done all, say, We are unprofitable servants." And St. Bernard says rightly: "It is necessary and you must first believe that you cannot have forgiveness of sin, but only through God's grace, and then that you cannot have and do any other good work afterwards, if God does not give it to you. Finally, that you cannot earn eternal life by any works if God does not give it to you.
the same is also not given without merit. And soon after: Let no man deceive himself, for if thou wert to consider the matter aright, thou wouldst doubtless find that with ten thousand thou canst not meet him who meets thee with twenty thousand etc. These are strong sayings of St. Bernhardt, they would like to believe the same if they did not want to believe us.
Therefore, so that hearts may have a certain comfort and hope, we point them, as Paul does, to the divine promise of grace in Christ, and teach that one must believe that God does not give us eternal life for our works, not for the fulfillment of the law, but for the sake of Christ, as John the Apostle says in his epistle: "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son does not have life" [1 John 5:12]. 5, 12.].
Here the adversaries have shown their great skill, and have perverted the saying of Christ, "When ye have done all things, then say, We are unprofitable servants. Dragging him from works to faith, saying, Rather, if we believe all things, we are useless servants. These are the shameful sophists, who so pervert the comforting doctrine of faith. Say, ye asses, if a man lie at the point of death, and feel that he hath no work sufficient for God's judgment, and can trust in no work, what will ye counsel him? Will you also say to him: Even if you believe, you are still a useless servant, and will not help yourself? The poor conscience must fall into despair, if it does not know that the gospel demands faith for this very reason, because we are unprofitable servants and have no merit.
276 Therefore beware of the sophists, who thus blaspheme the words of Christ. For it follows not, that works profit not, neither doth faith profit. We must give the rough asses a rough example. It does not follow: The penny does not help, therefore the florin does not help either. Just as the florin is much higher and stronger than the penny, so it must be understood that faith is much higher and stronger than works. Not that faith helps because of its worthiness, but because it trusts in God's promise and mercy. Faith is strong, not because of its worthiness, but because of the divine promise. And that is why Christ does not trust in his own works, because they cannot help. On the other hand, he does not reject trust in God's promise; indeed, he demands the same trust in God's promise.
Therefore, because we are unfit servants, and works cannot help.
For this reason, the wicked unjustly change the words of Christ from trusting in their own worthiness to trusting in divine promise...) Thus their sophistry is clearly displaced and dissolved. May the Lord Christ soon put to shame the sophists who thus tear apart his holy word. Amen.
But the adversaries want to prove that we earn eternal life by works de condigno, so that eternal life is called a reward. We want to answer this briefly and correctly.
Paul calls eternal life a gift and a present [Eph 2:8], because if we are justified by faith, we become sons of God and joint heirs with Christ. In another place it is written: "Your reward is rich in heaven" [Matth.5,12. Luc. 6,35.]. Now if the adversaries think that this is contrary to one another, let them bring it about. They do as they like, they leave out the word donum, and leave out everywhere the main part, how we become righteous before God, item, that Christ always remains the mediator, and then they pick out the word merces or reward, and interpret it to their liking in the worst way, not only to speak against the Scriptures, but also against common custom, and thus conclude: There it is written: your reward etc., therefore our works are so worthy that we thereby earn eternal life. This is quite a new dialectic, since we find the single word "reward", therefore our works are sufficient for the law, therefore we are pleasing to God through our works, we do not need any grace nor any mediator of Christ. Our good works are the treasure by which eternal life is purchased and obtained, therefore by our good works we can keep the first supreme commandment of God and the whole law. Furthermore, we can also do opera super- erogationis, that is, other works and more than the law requires. Therefore, the monks, if they do more than they owe, have other, superfluous merit; they may give it to others, or share it for money, and may, as the new gods, institute a new sacrament of the gift, so that they may testify that they have sold and shared their merits with those, as the barefoot monks and other orders have done impudently, by putting on the dead bodies of religious caps. These are fine strong reasons, which
1) That is, the words that Christ spoke of his own worthiness, unjustly on trust of divine promise.
they can all spin "wages" from the one syllabus, so that they obscure Christ and the faith.
We do not quarrel about the word reward, but about these great, high, most important things, namely, where Christian hearts should seek right certain consolation. Whether our works can bring our consciences to rest or peace. Whether we should consider that our works are worthy of eternal life, or whether it is given for Christ's sake. These are the proper questions in these matters; if consciences are not rightly informed, they can have no certain comfort.
We have said clearly enough that good works do not fulfill the law, that we need God's mercy, and that we become pleasing to God through faith, and that good works, however delicious they may be, even if they were St. Paul's works themselves, cannot make a conscience at rest. From all this it follows that we should believe that we attain eternal life through Christ by grace, not because of works or the law.
282 But what do we say of the reward which the Scriptures commemorate? For the first, if we said that eternal life is called a reward because it belongs to the believers in Christ from the divine promise, we would have said right. But the Scriptures call eternal life a reward, not that God is obligated to give eternal life for works, but that, since eternal life is otherwise given for other reasons, our works and tribulations are nevertheless rewarded with it, even though the treasure is so great that God would not owe it to us for works. Just as the inheritance or all the goods of a father are given to the son, and find a rich comparison and reward for his obedience; but still he does not receive the inheritance for his merit, but that the father grants it to him as a father etc.
283 Therefore it is enough that eternal life should be called a reward, that the afflictions which we suffer, and the works of love which we do, should be recompensed thereby; though it be not merited thereby. For there are two kinds of recompense: one that is due, the other that is not due. As when the emperor gives a servant a principality, the servant's work is repaid, and yet the work is not worthy of the principality, but the servant confesses that it is a fief. So God does not owe us eternal life for works, but nevertheless, if He gives it for Christ's sake, He will give it to us.
W. xvi, >4:;7-i4:;9. 1199
the believers, our suffering and work will be repaid.
We further say that good works are truly meritorious and meritorious, not that they should merit forgiveness of sins or make us righteous before God, for they do not please God, they are done by those whose sins have already been forgiven. So they are not worthy of eternal life, but they merit other gifts that are given in this life and after this life, for God consumes many gifts until that life, after which God will honor the saints. For here in this life He will crucify and kill the old Adam with all kinds of trials and tribulations.
And to this belongs the saying of Paul: "Each one will receive a reward according to his work. For the blessed will have reward, one higher than the other. Such is the difference in merit, which is pleasing to God, and is merit because those who do such good works, whom God has adopted as children and heirs, have their own and special merit, like a child before another.
The adversaries also use other sayings to prove that works deserve eternal life than these: Paul says [Rom. 2, 6.], "He will give to each one according to his works." Item, John 5:29: "They that have done good shall rise again unto the resurrection of life." Item, Matth. 25, 35.: "I was hungry and you fed me." Answer: All these sayings praising works we are to understand according to the rule which I have set above, namely, that works apart from Christ do not please God, and that in no way should one exclude the Mediator Christ. Therefore, when the text says that eternal life is given to those who have done good, it indicates that it is given to those who have been justified beforehand through faith in Christ. For God is not pleased with good works, unless faith is involved, by which they believe that they are pleasing to God for Christ's sake, and those who have thus been justified by faith certainly bring forth good works and good fruits, as the text says: "I hungered, and you fed me" etc. There one must confess that Christ does not understand the work alone, but wants to have the heart that thinks rightly of God and believes that it pleases God through mercy. Thus Christ teaches that eternal life is given to the righteous, as Christ says [v. 46]: "The righteous shall enter into eternal life,
and yet name the fruits above, that we may learn that righteousness and faith are not hypocrisy, but a new life, where good works must follow.
We are not looking for an unnecessary subtlety here, but there is a great reason why one must have a certain report in these matters. For soon, if one allows the adversaries to say that works merit eternal life, they spin this clumsy doctrine from it, that we are able to keep God's law, that we do not need mercy, that we are righteous before God, that is, pleasing to God by our works, not for Christ's sake, that we can also opera supererogationis, and do more than the law requires. Thus the whole doctrine of faith is suppressed. But if a Christian church is to be and remain, the pure doctrine of Christ, of the righteousness of faith, must always be preserved. Therefore we must challenge such great Pharisaic errors, so that we may save the name of Christ and the honor of the gospel and of Christ, and preserve a right, constant, certain comfort for Christian hearts. For how is it possible that a heart or conscience can come to rest or hope for salvation, if in temptations and fears of death our works become so much dust before God's judgment and eyes, if it does not become certain by faith that we are saved by grace for Christ's sake, not for our works, for our fulfillment of the law.
Of course, St. Lawrence, when he was lying on the grate and martyred for the sake of Christ, was not so minded that his work would fulfill God's law completely and purely, that he would be without sin, that he would not need the mediator of Christ or grace. He has admittedly left it at the word of the prophet David: "Thou wilt not go into judgment, O Lord, with thy servant" etc. [Ps. 143, 2.]
Neither did St. Bernard boast that his works were worthy of eternal life when he said, "Perdit6 vixi, I have lived sinfully. etc. But he confidently straightens up again, holds to the promise of grace, and believes that for Christ's sake he has forgiveness of sin and eternal life, as the Psalm says, "Blessed are they whose sins are forgiven" [Ps. 32:1], and Paul to the Romans on the 4th, v. 6: "This is man's blessedness, when righteousness is imputed to him without works." So Paul says that he is blessed to whom righteousness is imputed through faith in Christ, even though he has done no good work.
This is the right constant consolation, which consists in temptations, so that the hearts and consciences can be strengthened and comforted, namely, that for Christ's sake, through faith, we are given forgiveness of sin, righteousness and eternal life. Now if the sayings that speak of works are understood in such a way that they include faith, they are not at all contrary to this teaching. And faith must always be understood, so that we do not exclude the mediator Christ. But faith is followed by the fulfillment of the law, for the Holy Spirit is there who makes a new life. That is enough of this article.
Articles VII and VIII. (IV.) Of the Church.
290) The seventh article of our confession, where we say that the Christian church is the assembly of the saints, condemns the adversaries and introduces wide talk that the wicked or ungodly should not be separated from the church, because John the Baptist compares the church to a threshing floor in which grain and chaff lie together [Matth. 3, 12.], item [Cap. 13, 47.], Christ compares the church to a net in which evil and good fish are found.
We see that it is true, as they say, that one cannot speak so clearly, evil tongues can pervert it. For this very reason and for this reason we have added the eighth article, so that no one may think as if we wanted to separate the wicked and hypocrites from the outward society of Christians or the church, or as if our opinion were that the sacraments, when administered by the ungodly, are without power or effect.
292 Therefore, this false, wrong interpretation must not be answered at length; the eighth article excuses us sufficiently. We also confess and say that the hypocrites and the wicked may also be members of the church, in outward communion of name and offices, and that the sacraments may be rightly received from the wicked, especially if they are not banned. And the sacraments are not without power or effect because they are administered by the ungodly. For Paul also prophesied that Antichrist would sit in the temple of God, rule and reign in the church, and have rule and office therein [2 Thess. 2:4].
But the Christian Church is not only in the company of external signs, but is primarily in communion with the eternal goods in the heart, such as the Holy Spirit, faith, fear and love of God. And
This church also has outward signs by which it is known, namely, where God's word is pure, where the sacraments are administered according to the same, there is certainly the church, there are Christians, and this church alone is called Christ's body in Scripture. For Christ is its head, and sanctifies and strengthens it by his Spirit, as Paul says to the Ephesians in 1, v. 22: "And hath made him the head of the church, which is his body, and the fullness of him that filleth all in all." Therefore, in whom Christ works nothing by His Spirit, they find not the members of Christ. And this is also confessed by the adversaries, that the wicked alone are dead members of the church.
294 Therefore I cannot wonder enough why they dispute our decision about the church, when we speak of the living members of the church; and we have said nothing new. For Paul, speaking to the Ephesians in chapter 5, v. 23, immediately says what the church is, and also sets forth the outward signs, namely the gospel and the sacraments. For thus he says: "Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify it, and cleanse it with the bath of water in the word, that he might fashion it for himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, but that it should be holy and without blemish" etc.
295 This saying of the apostle we have put very closely from word to word in our confession, and so we also confess in our holy symbol and faith: "I believe in a holy Christian church. There we say that the church is holy; but the ungodly and the wicked cannot be the holy church. In our faith, this is soon followed by "the communion of saints," which explains even more clearly what the church means, namely, the group and the assembly that confess one gospel, have the same knowledge of Christ, and have one Spirit who rejuvenates, sanctifies, and governs their hearts.
296 And the article about the Catholic or common church, which is sent together from every nation under the sun, is quite comforting and highly necessary. For the multitude of the ungodly is much greater, even innumerable, who despise the word, hate it bitterly and persecute it to the utmost, as they find Turks, Mahometists, other tyrants, heretics etc. In addition, the right doctrine and church is often so completely suppressed and lost, as happened under the papacy, as if there were no church, and can often be seen as if it had even perished.
On the other hand, that we may be sure, not doubt, but firmly and completely believe that a Christian church will actually be and remain on earth until the end of the world, that we also do not doubt at all that a Christian church lives and is on earth, which is Christ's bride, although the ungodly multitude is more and greater, that also the Lord Christ here on earth in the multitude, which is called church, works daily, forgives sin, daily answers prayer, daily in temptations with rich, strong consolation refreshes His own, and always again delivers, so the consoling article is set in faith: "I believe a catholic, common Christian church," so that no one may think that the church, like another external police force, is bound to this or that country, kingdom or city, as the pope of Rome wants to say, but that it certainly remains true, that the multitude and the people are the true church, who now and then in the world, from the going out of the sun to the going down, truly believe in Christ, who then have one gospel, one Christ, one baptism and sacrament, and are ruled by one Holy Spirit, even though they have different ceremonies.
297 For also in the decree Gratiani the gloss clearly says that the word "church" is to be taken in a large sense to mean evil and good. Item, that the wicked are in the church by name alone, not by deed; but the good are both in it by name and deed. And on this opinion many sayings were found among the fathers. For Jerome says, "Whoever is a sinner, and lies still unclean in sins, cannot be called a member of the church, nor be in the kingdom of Christ.
298 Although the wicked and ungodly hypocrites keep company with the true church in outward signs, names, and offices, yet if one is to speak truly of what the church is, one must speak of this church, which is called the body of Christ, and has fellowship not only in outward signs, but has goods in the heart, the Holy Spirit and faith.
299 For it is necessary to know what makes us members of Christ, and what makes us living members of the church. For if we were to say that the church is merely an outward police force, like other regiments, in which there are evil and good, etc., no one would learn from this, nor understand, that Christ's kingdom is spiritual, as it is, in which Christ inwardly rules, strengthens, comforts, and distributes the Holy Spirit and various spiritual gifts to the hearts, but it would be thought to be an outward police force.
The outward way, certain order of some ceremonies and services. Item, what difference would there be between the people of the law and the church, if the church were only an outward police? Now Paul distinguishes the church from the Jews by saying that the church is a spiritual people, that is, such a people, which is not only distinguished from the Gentiles in police and civil nature, but is a true people of God, enlightened in heart and born again by the Holy Spirit. Item, in the Jewish people, all those who were Jews by nature and born of Abraham's seed, had, over and above the promise of spiritual goods in Christ, also much promise of bodily goods, as of the kingdom etc. And because of the divine promise, even the wicked among them were called God's people. For God had separated the physical seed of Abraha and all born Jews from other Gentiles by the same physical promises, and these wicked and evil ones were not God's true people, nor did they please God. But the gospel, which is preached in the church, does not only bring with it the shadow of eternal goods, but every right Christian, here on earth, becomes partaker of the eternal goods themselves, also of the eternal comfort, of eternal life and the Holy Spirit, and of the righteousness that is of God, 1) until he is fully saved there.
Therefore, according to the gospel, those alone are God's people who have received spiritual goods, the Holy Spirit, and this church is the kingdom of Christ, distinct from the kingdom of the devil. For it is certain that all the ungodly are in the power of the devil and are members of his kingdom, as Paul says to the Ephesians [Cap. 2, 2] that the devil reigns powerfully in the children of unbelief. And Christ says [John 8:44] to the Pharisees (who were the holiest, and also had the name that they were God's people and the Church, who also did their sacrifice): "Ye are of your father the devil."
Therefore the true church is the kingdom of Christ, that is, the assembly of all the saints. For the ungodly are not ruled by the Spirit of Christ. But what need are many words in such a clear public matter? Only the adversaries contradict the bright truth. If the church, which is certainly Christ's and God's kingdom, is distinguished from the devil's kingdom, then it is not possible to distinguish the church from the devil's kingdom.
1) So the Jenaer; "theilhaftig" is missing in J. T. Müller.
he ungodly, who are in the devil's kingdom, will never be the church, although in this life, because Christ's kingdom has not yet been revealed, they are among the true Christians and in the church, in which they also have teaching authority and other offices. And the ungodly are therefore in the meantime not a part of the kingdom of Christ, because it is not yet revealed. For the true kingdom of Christ, the true body of Christ, is and always will be those whom God's Spirit has enlightened, strengthened, and governed, even though it has not yet been revealed to the world, but is hidden under the cross. Just as it is and always remains One Christ, who was crucified for time, and now reigns and rules in heaven in eternal glory.
302 And here also the parables of Christ rhyme, as he clearly says Matth. 13, 38. 39. that the good seed are the children of the kingdom, the tares find the children of the devil, the field is the world, not the church. This is also the meaning of John's words when he says Matth. 3, 12: "He will sweep his threshing floor and gather the wheat into his sheds, but he will burn up the chaff. There he speaks of the whole Jewish people and says that the right church should be separated from the people. The same saying is more contrary to the adversaries than for them, for it clearly indicates how the right, believing, spiritual people should be separated from the physical Israel. And since Christ says [Matth. 25, 1. 13,47.]: "The kingdom of heaven is like a net", item, "the ten virgins", he does not want the wicked to be the church, but teaches how the church appears in this world. Therefore he says that it is like these etc., that is, as in the heap of fishes the good and the bad lie one with another, so the church is hidden here among the great heap and multitude of the wicked, and wants the pious not to be offended. Let us know that the word and the sacraments are not without power, even though the ungodly preach or administer the sacraments. And thus Christ teaches us that the ungodly, though they may be in the church according to outward society, are not members of Christ, not the true church, for they find members of the devil.
And we do not speak of a fictitious church that is nowhere to be found, but we truly say and know that this church, in which saints live, is and remains true on earth, namely, that there are some children of God now and then in all the world, in all kinds of kingdoms, islands, countries, cities, from the beginning of the sun to the end, who have rightly known Christ and the gospel, and say that the same
Church has these outward signs, the preaching office or gospel and the sacraments.
304 And this same church is actually, as St. Paul says [1 Tim. 3:15], a pillar of truth, for it keeps the pure gospel, the right foundation; and as St. Paul says [1 Cor. 3:11], "No other foundation can any man lay, but that which is laid, which is Christ." Christians are built on this foundation.
305 And though in the multitude which is built upon the right foundation, that is, Christ and the faith, there are many weak ones, which build upon such foundation straw and hay [1 Cor. 3:12], that is, some human thoughts and opinions, with which they neither overthrow nor reject the foundation, that is, Christ. For this reason they are still Christians, and such errors are forgiven them, and they are also enlightened and taught better. So we see in the fathers that they also sometimes built straw and hay on the foundation, but they did not want to overthrow the foundation with it.
(306) But many of the articles of our adversaries destroy the right ground, the knowledge of Christ and faith. For they reject and condemn the high and greatest article, in which we say that we obtain forgiveness of sin through Christ by faith alone, without any works. On the other hand, they teach to trust in our works to earn forgiveness of sins, and instead of Christ they put their works, orders, mass, just as the Jews, pagans and Turks intend to be saved by their own works. Item, they teach that the sacraments make pious ex opere operato, without faith. Whoever does not consider faith necessary has already lost Christ. Item, they establish the service of saints, call them instead of Christ, as mediators etc.
Just as there are clear promises of God in Scripture that the church will always have the Holy Spirit, there are also serious warnings in Scripture that false teachers and wolves will creep in next to the right preachers. But this is actually the Christian church that has the Holy Spirit. The wolves and false teachers, although they rage and do harm in the church, are not the church or the kingdom of Christ, as Lyra also testifies when he says: "The true church does not stand on prelates because of their authority, for many of the high class, princes and bishops, as well as many of the lower class, have fallen away from the faith. Therefore the church stands on those in whom is a right knowledge of Christ, a right confession and confession of faith and truth.
Now, in our Confession, we have said nothing different in essence, but just that which Lyra thus says in clear words, that he could not speak more clearly. But the opponents would like to have a new Roman definition of the church, so that we should say: The church is the supreme monarchy, the greatest, most powerful sovereignty in the whole world, in which the Roman Pontiff, as the head of the church, is quite powerful in all high and low things and affairs, worldly, spiritual, as he wants and may think; of which power (he uses, abuses as he wants) no one may dispute, speak or murmur. Item: in which church the pope has the power to make articles of faith, to establish all kinds of worship, to alter, pervert and interpret the holy scriptures according to his liking, against all divine laws, against his own decree, against all imperial rights, how often, how much and when he desires, to sell liberty and dispensation for money. From whom the Roman emperor, all kings, princes, and potentates owe to receive their royal crown, their glory, and titles, as from the governor of Christ. Therefore the pope is an earthly god, a supreme majesty and the only most powerful lord in all the world, over all kingdoms, over all lands and people, over all goods, spiritual and temporal, and thus has in his hand everything, both temporal and spiritual sword. This definition, which does not rhyme at all with the true church, but does rhyme well with the Roman Pontiff's nature, is not only found in the Canonist books, but Daniel the Prophet paints the Antichrist in this way.
309 If we were to make such a definition, and say that the church is such a splendor as the pope's being is, we might not have such ungracious judges. For there are books of the adversaries in the day, wherein the authority of the pope is exalted too high; no one punishes them. But we must stand our ground, because we praise and exalt Christ's good deeds, and write and preach the clear words and teachings of the apostles, namely, that we obtain forgiveness of sin through faith in JESUS Christ, and not through hypocrisy or fictitious worship, which the pope has done countless times. But Christ and the prophets and apostles write and speak very differently about what the church of Christ is, and the pope's kingdom does not rhyme with this church at all, but looks very unlike it.
310 Therefore, the sayings that speak of the true church should not be interpreted as referring to the popes or bishops, namely, that they are pillars of truth.
that they cannot be mistaken. For how many can be found, or how many have been found up to now, among bishops, popes, etc., who have accepted the gospel with earnestness and heart, or who would have considered it worth their while to read a leaf or a letter in it? It is well known, unfortunately, that there are many examples of them in Switzerland and elsewhere, who ridicule the whole religion, Christ and the Gospel, and publicly consider them a mockery. And if they like something, they like that which is according to human reason; the rest they consider to be fables.
311 Therefore we say and conclude according to the Holy Scriptures that the true Christian church is the multitude now and then in the world of those who truly believe the gospel of Christ and have the Holy Spirit. And we also confess that as long as this life on earth lasts, there are many hypocrites and evil men in the church, among the true Christians, who are also members of the church, as far as outward signs are concerned. For they have offices in the church, preach, administer sacraments, and bear the title and name of Christians. And the sacraments, baptism etc., are not therefore without effect or power, that they are administered by the unworthy and ungodly. For for the sake of the profession of the church such are there, not for their own persons, but as Christ, as Christ testifies [Luc. 10:16.], "He that heareth you heareth me." So also Judas is sent to preach. When the ungodly preach and administer the sacraments, they administer them in the place of Christ. And this is what the word of Christ teaches us, that in such a case we should not let the unworthiness of the ministers deceive us.
312 But of this we have spoken clearly enough in our Confession, namely, that we do not hold with the Donatists and Viklefists, who held that those sin who receive the sacraments in the church from ungodly ministers. This, we consider, should be enough to protect and preserve the definition we gave of what the church is; and since the true church is called Christ's body in Scripture, it is not possible to speak of it in any other way than as we have spoken of it.
For it is ever certain that the hypocrites and the ungodly cannot be Christ's body, but belong to the kingdom of the devil, who has caught them and drives them where he wills. All this is quite public, and so clear that [it] no one can deny. But if the adversaries continue with their calumnies, they shall be answered further.
314 The opponents also condemn this part of the seventh article, since we have said that it is enough for the unity of the church that one gospel and one sacrament be administered, and that it is not necessary that the statutes of men be uniform everywhere. These pieces therefore allow that it is not necessary for the unity of the church that traditiones particulares be equal, but that traditiones universales be equal, that is necessary for the true unity of the church.
This is a good rough distinction. We say that those who believe in One Christ are called a united church. Have one gospel, one spirit, one faith, one sacrament. And thus we speak of spiritual unity, without which faith and Christianity cannot exist. To the same unity we now say: it is not necessary that human statutes, whether universal or particular, should be the same everywhere. For the righteousness that is valid before God, which comes through faith, is not bound to external ceremonies or human statutes. For faith is a light in the heart that renews the heart and makes it alive. External statutes or ceremonies, whether they are universal or particular, are of little help.
316 And it was for no small reason that we wrote this article. For many a great error and foolish opinion about the statutes has broken out in the church. Some have wanted to think that Christian holiness and faith are not valid before God without such human statutes, and that no one can be a Christian because he holds such traditiones, when they are nothing else but external orders, which are often different in one place than in another by chance, often also for reasons, just as in the secular regime one city has different customs than another. In history, too, one church banished another because of such statutes, as for the sake of Easter Day, for the sake of the images, and the like.
For this reason, the inexperienced have not held otherwise than that by such ceremonies one would become pious before God, and that no one could be a Christian without such services and ceremonies. For there are still many clumsy books of the Summists and others before our eyes.
318 But just as the unity of the church is not divided by whether the days are naturally longer or shorter in one place than in another, so we also hold that the unity of the church is not divided by whether such human statutes have this order in one place and that order in another. Even though it may well be
It is the will of the people that the universal ceremonies be kept uniform for the sake of unity and good order, just as we keep the Mass, the Sunday celebration, and the other high celebrations in our churches.
319 And we accept all good, useful human statutes, especially those that serve the fine outward discipline of the youth and the people. But here the question is not whether human statutes are to be kept for the sake of outward discipline, for the sake of peace. It is much more a different question, namely, whether keeping such human statutes is a service of God, by which one reconciles God, and that without such statutes no one may be righteous before God? This is the main question; if this is finally answered, then it is clear to judge whether this means being united or in harmony with the church, if we keep such statutes everywhere at the same time.
For if such ordinances of men are not a necessary service, it follows that some may be pious, holy, righteous, children of God, and Christians, who have not the ceremonies in use in other churches. As an analogy, if it is stated that wearing German and French clothing is not a necessary service, it follows that some can be righteous, holy, and in the church of Christ, even if they do not wear German or French clothing. So Paul also teaches clearly, Col. 2, 16. 17.: "Let no man therefore make you conscience of meat, or drink, or certain feasts, or new moons, or sabbaths, which are the shadow of things to come, but the body itself is in Christ." Item, v. 20-23: "If ye then be dead with Christ unto the statutes of the world, why then be ye entangled with statutes, as though ye lived yet in the world? Which say, Thou shalt not touch this, thou shalt not taste that, thou shalt not touch that; which yet are all consumed under the hands, and are the commandments and doctrines of men, which have a semblance of wisdom through self-chosen spirituality and humility."
For this is Paul's opinion: Faith in the heart, by which we become devout, is a spiritual thing and light in the heart, by which we are renewed, gain other mind and courage. But the ordinances of men are not such a living light and power of the Holy Spirit in the heart, they are not eternal, therefore they do not make life eternal, but are external, bodily exercises that do not change the heart. Therefore it is not to be held that they are necessary for the righteousness that is valid before God. And Paul also refers to this opinion in Romans 14:17, 18: "The kingdom of God is not food and drink.
but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. But it is not necessary to give many sayings here, since the whole Bible is full of them, and we have also given many in our Confession in the last articles, so we will also deal with this main question hereafter, namely, whether such statutes of men are a service of God, which is necessary for salvation? since we want to speak more abundantly and more about this matter.
322 The opponents say: one must therefore keep such statutes, especially the universal ceremonies, because it is probable that they were grounded on us by the apostles. O how great, holy, excellent, apostolic people, how pious and spiritual they have become! They want to keep the statutes and ceremonies established by the apostles, as they say, and they do not want to keep the apostles' teaching and clear words. But we say and know that it is right.
323 Thus, and not otherwise, shall all statutes be taught, judged, and spoken of, as the apostles themselves have taught them in their writings. The apostles, however, fought in the strongest and most vehement manner everywhere, not only against those who would exalt the statutes of men, but also against those who would consider the divine law, the ceremonies of circumcision, etc. as necessary for salvation.
The apostles did not want to put such a burden on the consciences, that such rules of certain days, of fasting, of food and the like should be sin, if one did not keep them. And that is more, Paul clearly calls such teaching "doctrine of devils" [2 Tim. 4:1]. Therefore, what the apostles considered to be good and right must be sought from their clear writings, and not shown by examples alone. They kept a number of certain days, not that they needed to be righteous and just before God, but that the people might know when to come together. They also kept some customs and ceremonies, as a proper reading of the Bible, when they came together etc. Also, in the beginning of the Church, the Jews, when they became Christians, kept much of their Jewish feasts and ceremonies, which the apostles then directed to the histories of the Gospel. Thus our Easter is derived from the Easter of the Jews, and our Pentecost from the Pentecost of the Jews, and the apostles not only with doctrines, but also by such festivals from history, wanted to inherit the knowledge of Christ and the great treasure to the descendants.
If such ceremonies and the like are necessary for salvation, why then do the
Bishops changed much in it? For, if they are appointed by God's command, no man has had power to change them.
326 Before the Council of Nicene, Easter was held at a different time in one place than in another, and the disparity did no harm to the faith or Christian unity. After that, Easter Day was diligently changed so that our Easter Day would not coincide with the Jews' Easter Day. The apostles, however, commanded that Easter Day be kept in the churches at the same time as the brethren who were converted from Judaism kept it. That is why some bishoprics and peoples, even after the Nicene Council, were adamant that Easter Day should be kept at the same time as the Jewish Easter Day. But the apostles did not want to impose such a burden on the churches with their decree, as if such were necessary for salvation, as the clear words of their decree indicate. For they express it in clear words that no one should worry whether the brethren who keep Easter Day etc. do not actually reckon the time. For Epiphanius refers to the words of the apostles, from which every person who understands them can clearly see that the apostles want to keep people from error, so that no one will be conscience-stricken about holidays, certain times etc. For they clearly state that one should not worry much about whether one has already erred in the reckoning of Easter Day. I could bring up countless such things from the histories, and show even more clearly that such inequality in outward statutes does not separate or separate anyone from the common Christian church.
The adversaries do not understand what faith is, what the kingdom of Christ is, who teach that the unity of the Christian church is found in the statutes that speak of food, days, clothing and such things that God has not commanded. But here everyone may see and notice how devout, exceedingly holy people the opponents are. For if universal ordinances are necessary, and are not to be changed, who commanded them to change the ordinance in the Lord's Supper of Christ? which is not a human ordinance, but a divine ordinance. But we will deal with this in detail hereafter.
328 The eighth article the adversaries leave entirely to their liking, since we say that hypocrites and ungodly men are also found in the church, and that the sacraments are not without power because they are administered by hypocrites. For they minister in Christ's stead, and not for their per-
son, as the saying goes: "He who hears you hears me" [Luc. 10:16]. But false teachers are not to be accepted or heard, for the same are no longer in Christ's stead, but are antichrists, and Christ clearly commanded of them [Matt. 7:15], "Beware of false prophets." And Paul to the Galatians [Cap. 1, 8.], "Whosoever shall preach any other gospel unto you, let him be accursed."
329 As for the priests' own lives, Christ has admonished us in the parables of the church that we should not cause schism or separation unless the priests or the people everywhere live purely Christian lives, as the Donatists have done. But those who have caused schism and separation in some places by pretending that the priests are not allowed to have goods or property, we consider them rebellious. For having one's own things and goods is a worldly order. But Christians may use all kinds of worldly order as freely as they use air, food, drink, and common light. For just as heaven, earth, sun, moon and stars are God's order and are preserved by God, so the police and everything that belongs to the police are God's order and are preserved and protected by God against the devil.
Article IX: Baptism.
The ninth article is also acceptable to them, since we confess that baptism is necessary for salvation, and that the baptism of young children is not in vain, but necessary and blessed. And because the Gospel is preached among us purely and with all diligence, we also have (praise God!) the great benefit and blessed fruit of not having Anabaptists break into our churches. For our people are (praise God!) instructed by God's Word, against the godless, seditious mobs of these murderous evildoers. And even though we curb and condemn many other errors of the Anabaptists, we have nevertheless especially fought against them and maintained that infant baptism is not useless.
331 For it is quite certain that the divine promises of the graces of the Holy Spirit do not only concern the aged, but also the children. Now the promises do not concern those who are outside the Church of Christ, since there is neither Gospel nor Sacrament. For the kingdom of Christ is nowhere except where the Word of God and the sacraments are.
332 Therefore it is also rightly Christian and necessary to baptize children, so that they may be made partakers of the gospel, the promise of salvation and grace, as Christ commanded: "Go, baptize all the Gentiles" [Matth. 28, 19]. As grace and salvation are offered to them in Christ, so baptism is offered to them, both male and female, boys and young children. It certainly follows that young children may and should be baptized, for in and with baptism common grace and the treasure of the gospel are offered to them.
333 Secondly, it is in the day that God the Lord pleases Him with the baptism of young children. Therefore, the Anabaptists teach wrongly, condemning this baptism. But that God is pleased with the baptism of young children, he shows by the fact that he has given the Holy Spirit to many who were baptized in childhood, for there have been many holy people in the church who were baptized in no other way.
Article X. Of the Holy Communion.
The opponents do not contest the tenth article, in which we confess that the body and blood of our Lord Christ are truly present in the supper of Christ, and are presented and taken with the visible things, bread and wine, as has hitherto been held in the church, as the Greek canon also testifies. And Cyril says that Christ is given to us bodily in the Lord's Supper, for thus he says: "We do not deny that we are spiritually united to Christ through right faith and pure love. But that we should not have any union with him according to the flesh, we say no to that. And this is also contrary to the Scriptures. For who can doubt that Christ is also the vine and we the branches, that we have juice and life from him? Hear how Paul says [1 Cor. 10:17.], "We are all one body in Christ; though ours be many, yet in him we are one, for we all partake of one bread." Do you think that we do not know the power of the divine blessing in the Lord's Supper? For when this takes place, it makes Christ also dwell in us bodily through the enjoyment of the flesh and body of Christ. Item: Therefore it is to be noted that Christ is not only in us through spiritual unity, through love, but also through natural fellowship, and we speak of the presence of the living body. For we know, as Paul says [Rom. 6:9], that death shall not henceforth have dominion over him.
Article XI: Confession.
335 The eleventh article, where we speak of absolution, the adversaries allow them. But as for confession, they add this, that confession should be kept according to the chapter Omnis utriusque sexus, that every Christian confesses once every year; and though he cannot tell all his sins so purely, yet he should be diligent to remember them all, and as much as he can remember, that he should tell them in confession.
336 We shall deal with the whole article hereafter, when we speak of Christian repentance. It is in the day, and the adversaries cannot deny it, that ours have preached, written and taught about absolution, about the keys, in such a Christian, correct, pure way, that many afflicted, challenged consciences receive great consolation from it, after they have been clearly instructed in this necessary matter, namely, that it is God's commandment, that it is the right custom of the Gospel that we believe in absolution, and that we certainly believe that sins are forgiven us through Christ without our merit, that we are also truly reconciled to God when we believe the word of absolution, as if we heard a voice from heaven.
This teaching, which is almost necessary, has been almost comforting to many troubled consciences. Also, many honest, sensible people, many pious hearts, at the beginning of this teaching of ours, praised half of Luther, and had a special joy that the necessary, certain consolation was again brought to light. For before, the whole necessary doctrine of repentance and absolution was suppressed, since the sophists did not teach a right and constant consolation of the conscience, but pointed people to their own works, out of which comes vain despair in frightened consciences.
338 As for the certain time of confession, it is true, and undisclosed to the adversaries, that in our churches many people need confession, absolution, and the holy sacrament not only once but often during the year; and the preachers, when they teach about the use and benefit of the holy sacrament, teach it in such a way that they diligently exhort the people to use the holy sacrament often. And there are also the books and writings of ours in the light, which are written in such a way that the adversaries, who are respectable, God-fearing people, must not challenge them, but praise them.
339. Our preachers also always report that those who live in public vices, fornication, adultery, etc. are to be banished and excluded. Item, so the holy
Despise the Sacrament. So we keep this according to the Gospel, and according to the old canonibus.
340 But on certain days or times of the year no one is urged to the sacrament. For it is not possible for all the people to be sent at the same time, and if they all go to the altar at one time in a whole parish, they cannot be interrogated and instructed as diligently as they are instructed in ours. And the old canons and fathers do not set a certain time; but the canon says: If some go to church and are found not to need the sacrament, they are to be admonished. If some do not communicate, they are to be admonished to repentance. But if they want to be considered Christians, they should not always consider themselves Christians. Paul 1 Cor. 11:29 says that those who receive the sacrament unworthily receive it for judgment. Therefore, our pastors do not force those who are not fit to receive the Sacrament.
341 But our preachers instruct the people in the telling and remembrance of sins in confession, so that they do not entangle the consciences, as if it were necessary to tell all sins by name. Although it is good to instruct the coarse and inexperienced to name some of their sins in confession, so that they can be taught more easily, we do not discuss this here, but whether God has commanded that all sins must be told, and whether sins cannot be forgiven without being told.
342 Therefore, the adversaries should not have attracted to us the chapter Omnis utriusque sexus, which we know very well, but should have proved to us from the Holy Scriptures, from God's Word, that such telling of sin was commanded by God.
343 It is, alas, all too clear in the day, and notorious throughout all the churches in Europe, how this particula, of the chapter Omnis utriusque sexus, where it states that one should be guilty of confessing all sin, has brought the conscience into misery, sorrow and entrapment. And the text itself has not done as much damage as the Summist books, in which the circumstances, circumstance of sin are summarized. For in this way they have first made the consciences quite mad, and troubled them unspeakably, and in addition they have made good-hearted people vain. For the naughty and the savage did not ask much about it.
344. after the text reads: each one should confess to his own priest what is great strife and what is like murderous envy and hatred.
Did this question cause trouble between priests and monks of all kinds of orders, which one was the own priest? Because all brotherhood, all friendship was over, when it was about the rule, about the confession penny.
Therefore, we hold that God has not commanded the naming and telling of sin. And this is also held by Panormitanus and many other scholars. Therefore, we do not want to put a burden on consciences through the chapter Omnis utriusque sexus, but say of it, as of other human statutes, that it is not a service of God that is necessary for salvation. Also in this way an impossible thing is commanded in the chapter, namely, that we should confess all sins. Now it is certain that we cannot remember many sins, nor can we see the greatest sins, as the Psalm says: "Who knows his own sins? [Ps. 19:13.]
346 Where there are sensible, God-fearing pastors and preachers, they will well know how far it may be necessary and useful to ask the youth and otherwise inexperienced people in confession. But this tyranny over the consciences, since the summists, as the cane-masters, have plagued the consciences without ceasing, we cannot nor will not praise. Which, nevertheless, would have been less burdensome, if they had thought with one word of faith in Christ, by which consciences are rightly comforted.
347 But of Christ, of faith, of the forgiveness of sins, there is not a syllable, not a tittle, in so many great books of their Decretal, their Commentary, their Summisten, their Confessional; there shall no man read a word, from which he may learn Christ, or what Christ is. But they go about with these registers to gather and heap up sins. And if only they understood the sin that God considers sin. Now the greater part of their sums is nothing else but of fool's work, of human statutes. Oh what despair the unholy, godless teaching has brought to many pious hearts and consciences, who would have liked to do right, and who could not rest! For they knew nothing else, so they had to eat and bite themselves with the telling, adding up of sin, and yet always found restlessness, and that it was impossible for them. But the adversaries have taught no less clumsy things about the whole atonement, which we shall relate hereafter.
Article XII. (V.) Of repentance.
348 In the twelfth article, the adversaries let them have the first part, since we say that all those who, after baptism, are in sin
fall, obtain forgiveness of sin, at what time and how often they convert. The other part they reject and condemn, because we say that repentance has two parts, contritionem and fidem, that is, to repentance belong these two, a repentant broken heart and the faith that I believe that I obtain forgiveness of sin through Christ.
349 Now listen to what the adversaries say no to. They may impudently deny that faith is not a part of repentance. What shall we do here, most gracious emperor, against these people? It is certain that we obtain forgiveness of sin through faith. This word is not our word, but the voice and word of Jesus Christ, our Savior. These masters of confutation condemn the clear word of Christ. Therefore, we cannot consent to confutation in any way. We will not, if God wills, deny the clear words of the Gospel, the holy divine truth and the blessed Word, in which all comfort and blessedness are found. For to deny this, that we obtain forgiveness of sin by faith, what else would it be but to blaspheme and profane the blood of Christ and his death?
Therefore, we ask, most gracious Emperor, that Your Imperial Majesty graciously and diligently hear and recognize this great, highest, most important matter, which concerns our own souls and consciences, as well as the entire Christian faith, the entire gospel, the knowledge of Christ, and the highest, greatest thing, not only in this transient life, but also in the life to come, and indeed our eternal salvation and destruction before God. All God-fearing, pious and respectable people should not find otherwise than that in this matter we have taught and let teach the divine truth and vain salutary, most highly necessary, most comforting instruction of the consciences, in which all pious hearts of the whole Christian church have the most important and greatest interest, indeed all their salvation and welfare, without which instruction no preaching ministry, no Christian church can be nor remain.
Let all who fear God find that this doctrine of ours concerning repentance has brought the gospel and pure understanding to light again, and that thereby much harmful, ugly error has been done away with, as this doctrine, which is true repentance, was even suppressed by the scholastics' and canonists' books. And before we get to the point, we must indicate this: All respectable, honest, learned people, high and low, even the theologians themselves, will have to confess, and no doubt even the enemies will be convinced by their
convinced in my own heart that before and before D. Luther wrote. Luther wrote, all dark, confused writings and books of repentance existed, as can be seen in the Sententiaries, where there are countless useless questions, which no theology itself has yet been able to sufficiently discuss, much less has the people been able to comprehend a sum from their sermons and confused books of repentance, or notice what belongs primarily to true repentance, how, or by what means a heart and conscience must seek rest and peace. And in spite of this, let there come forth one more who will teach some man from their books, when sins are surely forgiven.
Dear Lord God, how blind they are, how they know nothing about it, how their writings are all night, all darkness. They raise questions as to whether sins are forgiven in attrition or contrition, and if sin is forgiven for the sake of repentance or contrition, what need is there of absolution? And if the sin is already forgiven, what need is there of the power of the keys? And then they are afraid, and first they commit a crime, and even destroy the power of the keys. Some of them invent and say: by the power of the keys the guilt before God is not forgiven, but the eternal chastisement is thereby changed into temporal, and thus they turn the absolution, the power of the keys, by which we should expect comfort and life, into such a power, by which only punishment is inflicted upon us. The others want to be wiser, who say that by the power of the keys sins are forgiven before the people, or before the Christian community, but not before God.
This is also almost a harmful error. For if the power of the keys, which is given by God, does not comfort us before God, how then will the conscience come to rest? About this they teach and write even more clumsy and confused things. They teach that one can earn grace through repentance. And when they are asked why Saul and Judas and the like did not deserve mercy, in whom there was a terrible controversy? - To this question they should answer that Judas and Saul lacked the gospel and faith, that Judas was not comforted by the gospel, and did not believe; for faith distinguishes the repentance of Peter and Judas. But the opponents do not think of the gospel and faith at all, but of the law; they say that Judas did not love God, but was afraid of the punishment. But is this not uncertain and unrealistic?
taught about repentance? For if a frightened conscience, especially in the right great fears described in Psalms and Prophets, wants to know whether it fears God as its God out of love, or whether it fears and hates His wrath and eternal damnation.
354 Those may not have experienced much of these great fears, because they play with words and make a difference according to their dreams. But in the heart, and when it comes to experience, it is much different, and with the bad syllables and words no conscience finds peace, as the good, gentle, idle sophists dream. Here we appeal to the experience of all God-fearers, to all honest, sensible people who also like to know the truth; they will confess that the adversaries have taught nothing righteous about repentance in all their books, but vain, useless babble; and yet this is a main article of Christian doctrine, of repentance, of forgiveness of sin.
Now the same doctrine of questions that is now told is full of great error and hypocrisy, by which the right doctrine of Christ, of the keys, of faith, has been suppressed to the unspeakable harm of consciences.
356 Furthermore, they cause even more error when speaking of confession; there they teach nothing but making long registers and recounting sins, and several sins against the commandment of men, and drive people here as if such counting were de jure divino, that is, commanded by God. And this would not be so burdensome, if they had only taught correctly about absolution and faith. But there they pass by, and leave the high consolation, and think that the work, confession and repentance, make pious ex opere operato, without Christ, without faith. These are called true Jews.
The third part of this game is the satisfactio or satisfaction for sin. There they teach even more clumsily, more confusedly, throwing the hundred into the thousand, so that there not a drop of good or necessary consolation might find a poor conscience. For there they invent for themselves that the eternal chastisement will be changed before God into the chastisement of the purgatory, and a part of the chastisement will be forgiven and remitted through the keys; but for a part one must do enough with works. They say further about this and call the satisfaction opera supererogationis, which are then with them the childish, foolish works, as pilgrimage, rosaries and the like, since there is no commandment of God.
358 And further, as they buy and redeem the chastisement of purgatory with their indulgences, so they have devised still another little bundle to redeem the same indulgences for purgatory also, which then became a quite enjoyable, rich buying and great fair. For they brazenly sold their indulgences and said: whoever redeems indulgences, he thus buys himself off, since otherwise he would have to do enough. And they were unashamed of the cremation, the fair, not only to sell indulgences to the living, but also to buy indulgences for the dead. They also introduced the terrible abuse of the mass, that they wanted to redeem the dead by keeping the mass. And under such devilish teachings the whole Christian doctrine of faith, of Christ, how we are to be comforted by it, has been suppressed.
359 Therefore all respectable, honest, honorable, understanding people, let alone Christians, realize and understand here that it has been highly necessary to rebuke such ungodly doctrine of repentance of the Sophists and Canonists. For this doctrine of theirs is openly false, unjust, contrary to the clear words of Christ, contrary to all the Scriptures of the apostles, contrary to all the Holy Scriptures and the Fathers, and these are their errors:
1) That God must forgive us our sin if we do good works, even outside of grace.
2) That we earn grace through attrition or repentance.
3) That to erase our sin is enough, if I hate and rebuke the sin in myself.
4) That we obtain forgiveness of sin through our repentance, not for the sake of faith in Christ.
5) That the power of the keys confers forgiveness of sin, not before God, but before the church or the people.
6) That by the power of the keys not only are sins forgiven, but that the same power is instituted to change eternal chastisement into temporal chastisement, and to make some amends to the consciences, and to establish worship and satisfaction, and to bind and obligate the consciences before God.
7) That the telling and actual reckoning of all sin is commanded by God.
8) That satisfactiones, which are imposed by men, are necessary to pay the chastisement or the debt. For although in the school the satisfactiones are counted only for the punishment, it is understood only by men that one thereby earns forgiveness of the guilt.
9) That we obtain grace by receiving the Sacrament of Penance, ex opere operato, if the heart is not present> without faith in Christ.
10) That from the power of the keys, through indulgences, souls will be delivered from purgatory.
11) That in reserve cases not the punishment of the canonum, but the guilt of sins before God may be reserved by the pope in those who truly convert to God.
(360) In order that we may help the consciences out of the innumerable snares and tangled nets of the sophists, we say that repentance or conversion has two parts, contritionem and fidem. Now if someone wants to add the third part, namely the fruits of repentance and conversion, which are good works that should and must follow, I will not argue much with him. But when we speak de contritione, that is, of right repentance, do we cut off the innumerable useless questions, since they pretend to be questions when we repent out of the love of God, item, when we repent out of fear of punishment? For they are mere words and vain babblings of those who have not experienced how to make a frightened conscience feel.
We say that contritio or true repentance is when the conscience is frightened and begins to feel its sin and the great wrath of God over sin, and is sorry that it has sinned. And the same contritio occurs when our sin is punished by God's word. For the sum of the Gospel is in these two parts. First, it says: Correct yourselves and make everyone a sinner. Secondly, it gives forgiveness of sin, eternal life, blessedness, all salvation, and the Holy Spirit through Christ, by whom we are born again. So also the summary of the gospel of Christ, when he says Luc. 24, 47: "To preach repentance and remission of sins in my name among all the Gentiles." And of the terror and anguish of conscience the Scripture speaks in the 38th Psalm, v. 5: "For my iniquities are gone over my head, like a heavy burden they have become too heavy for me." And in the 6th Psalm, v. 3. f.: "O Lord, be merciful to me, for I am weak; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled, and my soul is greatly distressed etc. Ah, O Lord, how long?" Isa. 38, 10. ff: "I said, Now must I go to the gates of hell, when I thought to live longer etc. I thought I would live until tomorrow; but he broke all my bones like a lion." Item: "My eyes would break, O Lord, I am in distress" etc. In
In the same anxiety, the conscience feels God's anger and seriousness against sin, which is an unknown thing to such idle and carnal people as the Sophists and their like. For only then does the conscience realize what a great disobedience to God sin is, only then does the conscience feel the terrible wrath of God, and it is impossible for human nature to bear it if it is not raised up by God's word.
So Paul says [Gal. 2:19]: "Through the law I died to the law. For the law alone accuses the consciences, tells them what to do, and frightens them. And there the adversaries do not speak a word of faith; they do not teach a word of the Gospel, nor of Christ, but only the doctrine of the law, and say that people deserve grace with such pain, sorrow and suffering, with such anguish, but where they repent out of the love of God, or love God. Dear Lord God, what kind of sermon is this for the consciences that need consolation? How can we love God when we are in such high, great anguish and unspeakable struggle, when we feel such great, terrible God's seriousness and wrath, which feels stronger than any man on earth can say or speak? What do such preachers and doctors teach but vain despair, who in such great anguish preach to a poor conscience no gospel, no comfort, only the law? But we add the other part of repentance, namely faith in Christ, and say that in such terror the consciences should be held up to the gospel of Christ, in which forgiveness of sin by grace through Christ is promised. And let such consciences believe that sins are forgiven them for Christ's sake. This faith restores, comforts and revives such broken hearts, as Paul says in Romans 5:1: "Therefore, if we have been justified, we are at peace with God. This faith shows the difference between the repentance of Judah and Peter, Saul and David. And therefore Jude's and Saul's repentance was of no use. For there was no faith that kept the promise of God through Christ.
In contrast, David's and St. Peter's repentance were righteous, for there was faith that grasped the promise of God, which implies forgiveness of sin through Christ. For there is actually no love of God in any heart, unless we are first reconciled to God through Christ. For God's law or the
No one can fulfill or keep the first commandment without Christ, as Paul says to the Ephesians: "Through Christ we have access to God. And faith fights against sin throughout life, and is tested and increased by many temptations. Where there is faith, there follows the love of God, as we said above.
364 And this is what timor filialis fei means, namely such fear and fright before God, when nevertheless faith in Christ comforts us again. Servilis timor untern, servile fear is fear without faith; there becomes vain anger and despair.
Now the power of the keys proclaims the gospel to us through absolution. For the word of absolution proclaims peace to me and is the gospel itself. Therefore, when we speak of faith, we want to understand absolution as well. For faith is of hearing. And when I hear absolution, that is, the promise of divine grace or the gospel, my heart and conscience are comforted. And because God truly gives new life and comfort to the heart through the Word, sins are truly counted away here on earth by the power of the keys, so that they are loosed before God in heaven, as the saying goes [Luc. 10:16.], "He who hears you hears me." Therefore, we should not respect nor believe the word of absolution less than when we hear God's clear voice from heaven, and absolution, the blessed comforting word, should be called the sacrament of repentance, as some scholastics, more learned than others, speak of it.
366 And the same faith in the word is to be strengthened for and for by hearing sermons, by reading, by the use of the sacraments. For these are the seals and signs of the covenant and graces in the New Testament. These are signs of reconciliation and forgiveness of sin. For they offer forgiveness of sin, as clearly testified 1) by the words in the Lord's Supper: "This is my body, which is given for you" etc. "This is the cup of the new testament" etc. So also faith is strengthened by the word of absolution, by the preaching 2) of the Gospel, by the reception of the Sacrament, so that it may not perish in such terror and anguish of conscience.
367 This is a clear, certain, correct doctrine of repentance; through it one can understand and
1) Müller: "show". Latin: tkstnntur.
2) Müller: "Preacher. Latin: per nuäituin.
know what the keys are or are not, what the sacraments are useful for, what Christ's good deed is, why and how Christ is our mediator.
368 But because the adversaries condemn that we have set the two parts of repentance, we must show that not we, but the Scripture thus expresses these two parts of repentance or conversion. Christ says Match. 11:28, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you." There are two parts, the burden or burden, since Christ speaks of, that is the lamentation, the great fright of God's wrath in the heart. The second is the coming to Christ. For coming is nothing else than believing that for Christ's sake our sins are forgiven, and that we are born again and made alive by the Holy Spirit. Therefore these two must be the most prominent pieces in repentance, repentance and faith. And Marci 1:15. Christ says, "Repent, and believe the gospel." For the first, he makes us sinners and terrifies us. For the second, he comforts us and proclaims forgiveness of sin. For to believe the gospel is not only to believe the stories of the gospel, which faith the devils also have, but it is actually to believe that sins are forgiven us through Christ, for the gospel preaches this same faith to us. There you also see the two parts, repentance or the terror of conscience, when he says, "Repent," and faith, when he says, "Believe the gospel." Whether anyone would say that Christ also understands the fruits of repentance, the whole new life, we do not dispute this very much. It is enough for us here that Scripture expresses these two things primarily, repentance and faith.
In all the epistles of Paul, as often as he speaks of how we are converted, he summarizes these two things, the death of the old man, which is repentance, fear of God's wrath and judgment, and on the other hand renewal through faith. For by faith we are comforted and brought back to life, and saved from death and hell. He clearly speaks of these two things in Romans 6:2: that we have died to sin, this happens through repentance and terror, and again, that we shall rise again with Christ, this happens when we receive comfort and life through faith. And since faith brings comfort and peace to the conscience, according to Romans 5:1: "If we have been justified by faith, we have peace," it follows that before there is terror and fear in the conscience. So repentance and faith go side by side.
370. however, what is noth much sayings or
To introduce testimonies of the Scriptures, as the whole Scripture of Proverbs is full, as in the 118th Psalm, v. 18: "The Lord chasteneth me, but giveth me not unto death." And in the 119th Psalm, v. 28: "My soul is consumed with anguish; raise me up according to thy words." First he says of terror, or of repentance. In the other part of the verse he clearly shows how a repentant, poor conscience is comforted again, namely through the word of God, which gives grace and restores it. Item, 1 Sam. 2, 6: "The Lord killeth, and quickeneth; he leadeth into hell, and out again." There also the two pieces are touched, repentance and faith. Item, Is. 28, 21: "The Lord will be angry that he does his work, which is not his work." He says: God will terrify, although it is not God's work; for God's own work is to make alive. Other works than to terrify, to kill, are not God's own works. For God alone makes alive, and when He terrifies, He does it so that His blessed comfort may be the more pleasant and sweet to us. For secure and carnal hearts, which do not feel God's wrath and their sin, have no regard for comfort.
371 In this way, the Scriptures place the two parts together, first the terror, then the consolation, showing that these two parts belong to a right repentance or conversion, first heartfelt repentance, then faith, which restores the conscience. And it is certain that it is not possible to speak of the matter more clearly or more correctly. So we truly know that God works in his Christians in the church in this way.
These are the two most important works by which God works in His own. All Scripture speaks of these two things: first, that He terrifies our hearts and shows us sin; and second, that He again comforts us, establishes us, and makes us alive. This is why all Scripture has these two teachings. One is the law, which shows us our sorrow and punishes sin. The other teaching is the gospel. For God's promise of grace through Christ and the promise of grace is repeated throughout the Scriptures from Adam onward. For first of all the promise of grace or the first gospel is promised to Adam: "I will set enmity" etc. [Then the promise of grace was made to Abraham and other patriarchs by the same Christ, which was then preached by the prophets, and finally the same promise of grace was preached by Christ Himself, when He came, among the Jews, and finally by the apostles among the Gentiles.
Gentiles spread throughout the world. For by faith in the gospel or in the promise of Christ, all the patriarchs, all the saints from the foundation of the world, have been justified before God, and not because of their repentance or sorrow or any works.
373 And the examples of how the saints became devout also indicate the above two things, namely, the law and the gospel. For Adam, when he had fallen, was first punished so that his conscience was frightened and came into great anguish; this is the right repentance or contritio. Afterwards, God promised him grace and salvation through the seed that had been given, that is, Christ, through whom death, sin and the devil's kingdom were to be broken; then he offered him grace and forgiveness of sin again.
These are the two pieces. For even though God subsequently inflicts punishment on Adam, he does not earn forgiveness of sin through the punishment. And of the punishment inflicted we will say hereafter.
Thus David is spoken to harshly by Nathan the prophet and is terrified, so that he speaks and confesses: "I have sinned before the Lord" [2 Sam. 12:13], which is repentance; then he hears the gospel and absolution: "The Lord has taken away your sin, you shall not die. When David believed the word, his heart received comfort, light and life again. And even though the punishment is laid upon him, he does not earn forgiveness of sin through the punishment. And there are also examples where such special punishments are not added, but these two things always belong primarily to a right repentance. The first, that our conscience may know and be afraid of sin; the second, that we may believe the divine promise. As Luke 7:38, the poor sinful woman comes to Christ and weeps bitterly. The weeping indicates repentance. Afterwards she hears the gospel: "Your sins are forgiven, your faith has helped you, go in peace. This is the other most important part of repentance, namely faith, which comforts her again. From this, all Christian readers can note that we are not introducing unnecessary disputations, but are clearly, correctly and actually setting forth the pieces of repentance, without which sins cannot be forgiven, without which no one can be pious, holy, or born again before God.
376. but the fruits and good works, item, patience, that we gladly suffer the cross and punishment, which God lays out for the old Adam, all this follows, when therefore only by faith sin is removed.
is forgiven, and we are born again. And we have set these two pieces clearly, so that the faith in Christ, of which the sophists and canonists are all silent, may also be taught once, so that one may also see all the more clearly what faith is or is not, if it is thus held against the great terror and fear.
377 But because the adversaries condemn this clear, certain, and most excellent article without any shame, since we say that men obtain forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ, let us give some reasons and proofs from which it may be understood that we do not obtain forgiveness of sins ex opere operato, or through works done, through repentance or sorrow, but through faith alone, since everyone believes for himself that his sins are forgiven him. For this article is the noblest and most necessary, for which we contend with the adversaries, which is also the most necessary for all Christians to know. But since we have said enough about it in the article on justification above, we will deal with it all the more briefly here.
The adversaries, when they speak of faith, say that faith must precede repentance. And they do not understand the faith that justifies before God, but the faith by which in general, that is, in general, it is believed that there is a God, that there is a hell etc. But we are talking about a faith in which I believe for certain that my sins are forgiven for Christ's sake. This is the faith we are talking about, which must follow after the terror, and which comforts the conscience and makes the heart content again in the difficult struggle and fear.
And this, God willing, we will forever uphold, and keep against all the gates of hell, that the same faith must be there if anyone is to be forgiven of sins. That is why we put this piece also to repentance. The Christian church cannot hold otherwise than that sins are forgiven by such faith, although the adversaries bark against it like raging dogs.
380 For the first, I ask the opponents here whether hearing or receiving absolution is also a part of repentance. For if they separate absolution from confession, as they want to be subtle about distinguishing, then no one will know or be able to say what confession is useful without absolution. But if they do not separate absolution from confession, they must say that faith in the word of Christ is a part of repentance, if absolution cannot be received, because only faith in the word of Christ is a part of repentance.
by faith. That one cannot receive the word of absolution except by faith alone is proven by Paul, Rom. 4:16, where he says that no one can grasp the promise of God except by faith alone.
But absolution is nothing other than the gospel, a divine promise of God's grace and mercy etc. Therefore, it cannot be had or obtained except by faith alone. For how can the word of absolution be useful to those who do not believe? But not believing the absolution, what is that but to prove God false? Because the heart wavers, doubts, considers it uncertain that God promises. That is why it is written in 1 John 5:10: "He who does not believe God punishes Him by lying, because he does not believe the testimony that God bears about His Son.
382 Secondly, the adversaries must certainly confess that the forgiveness of sin is a part or, that we speak in their way, is finis, the end, or terminus ad quem of the whole atonement. For what good is repentance if forgiveness of sin is not obtained? Therefore, that by which forgiveness of sin is obtained should and must be the most important part of repentance. But it is actually true, clear and true, when all the devils, all the gates of hell cry out against it, that no one can grasp the word of the forgiveness of sins, but only through faith, Rom. 3, 25: "Whom God hath set forth to be a mercy seat through faith" etc. Item, Rom. 5, 2: "Through whom we also have access by faith to this grace" etc. For a frightened conscience that feels its sin soon realizes that God's wrath cannot be atoned for with unrighteous works, but a conscience comes to peace when it holds on to the mediator Christ and believes the divine promises. For those do not understand what forgiveness of sin is, or how to obtain it, who think that hearts and consciences can be satisfied without faith in Christ.
Peter the Apostle introduces the saying of Is. 49:23: "He who believes in Him will not be put to shame. Therefore, the hypocrites must be ashamed before God, who think they want to obtain forgiveness of sins through their works, not for the sake of Christ. And Peter Apost. 10, 43. says: "All the prophets bear witness to Jesus that those who believe in him obtain forgiveness of sins through his name." He could not have spoken more clearly than to say "through his name," and to this he adds, "All who believe in him."
Therefore we obtain forgiveness of sins through the name of Christ, that is, for Christ's sake, not for our own merit or works, and this happens when we believe that sins are forgiven us for Christ's sake.
The adversaries cry out that they are the Christian church, and they hold what the catholic, common church holds. But Peter, the apostle, here in our cause and our highest article, also praises a catholic, common church, when he says: "All the prophets bear witness to Jesus that we obtain forgiveness of sins through his name. I think that if all holy prophets unanimously agree (since God also considers one prophet as a world treasure), it should also be one decree, one voice and one strong decision of the common catholic, Christian, holy church, and it should be considered as such. We will not concede to Pope, Bishop or Church the power to hold or conclude anything against the unanimous voice of all prophets. Nor has Pope Leo X been allowed to condemn this article as erroneous. And the opponents condemn this also.
Therefore it is enough in the day what a fine Christian church this is, which may not only condemn by public, written decree and mandate this article, namely, that we obtain forgiveness of sin without works through faith in Christ, but also condemn and strangle innocent blood above the confession of this article. They may issue a commandment that pious, honest people who teach in this way are to be driven out, and they seek their life and limb by all kinds of tyranny as bloodhounds.
But they will perhaps say: they also have teachers for themselves, Scotum, Gabrielum and the like, who also have great names, plus the sayings of the fathers, which are dressed mutilated in the decree. Yes, it is true, they are all called teachers and scribes, but by their singing you can tell which birds they are. These scribes taught nothing but philosophy and knew nothing of Christ and God's work. Their books clearly prove this.
For this reason we do not allow ourselves to be mistaken, but truly know that we may cheerfully hold the word of the holy apostle Peter, as a great doctor, against all the sententiarios in a heap, even if there were many of them. For Peter clearly says that it is a unanimous voice of all the prophets, and this glorious sermon of the great, great apostle has been powerfully confirmed by God this time through the giving of the Holy Bible.
the Holy Spirit. For thus the text says: "While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on all who listened to the word."
Therefore, let the Christian conscience know that this is God's word and commandment, that sins are forgiven us without merit through Christ, not because of our works. And such God's word and commandment is a right, strong, certain, everlasting comfort against all terror of sin, death, against all temptation and despair, torment and anguish of conscience.
The idle sophists know little of this, and the blessed preaching, the gospel, which preaches forgiveness of sins through the given seed, that is, Christ, has been the greatest treasure and comfort of all patriarchs, of all pious kings, of all prophets, of all believers from the beginning of the world. For they believed in the same Christ as we believe in. For from the beginning of the world no saint has been saved except through faith in the same gospel. Therefore Peter also says that there is one voice of all the prophets, and the apostles also preach the same thing with one voice, showing that the prophets spoke alike as through one mouth.
The testimonies of the holy fathers are about this. For St. Bernard says in clear words: "Therefore it is necessary above all things to know that we cannot have forgiveness of sin in any other way than by the grace of God. But you should add this to the fact that you believe that sins are also forgiven you, not only others, through Christ. This is the testimony of the Holy Spirit inwardly in your heart, when he himself tells you in your heart that your sins are forgiven. For thus the apostle calls it, that a man without merit is justified by faith.
392 These words of St. Bernard first emphasize this doctrine of ours and bring it to light. For he says that we should not only believe in general that our sins are forgiven, but that this must be added to my believing for myself that my sins are forgiven. And teaches about this still more actually and clearly, how we are assured inwardly in the heart of grace, of the forgiveness of our sins, namely, when the hearts are comforted and quenched inwardly by this comfort. But how now, you adversaries? Is St. Bernard also a heretic? What more do you want? Do you still deny that we obtain forgiveness of sin through faith?
393 For the third, the opponents say that sin is thus forgiven, quia attritus vel contritus elicit actum dilectionis Dei, when we resolve by reason to love God, by the work (they say) we obtain forgiveness of sin. This is no different from rejecting the gospel and the divine promises, and teaching vain law. For they speak of the law and our works, because the law demands love.
394 Therefore they teach us to trust that we may obtain forgiveness of sins through such repentance and our love. What is this but trusting in our works, not in the promise of Christ? If then the law is enough to obtain forgiveness of sin, what need is there of Christ, what need is there of the gospel? But we turn away consciences from the law, from their works to the gospel and the promise of grace. For the gospel, which accepts Christ and is grace, makes us trust in the promise that we will be reconciled to the Father for Christ's sake, not for our repentance or love, for there is no other mediator or reconciler but Christ. Thus we cannot fulfill the law unless we are first reconciled through Christ, and even if we do something good, we must still consider it that we do not obtain forgiveness of sin for the sake of works, but for the sake of Christ.
395 For this reason, if anyone would hold that we obtain forgiveness of sin through the Law or in any other way than through faith in Christ, this is called reviling Christ and rejecting the Gospel. And this we have also done above de justificatione, when we said why we teach that we are justified by faith, and not by the love of God or by our love toward God.
396 Therefore, when the adversaries teach that we obtain forgiveness of sin through repentance and love, and trust in this, it is no different than teaching the Law, which they nevertheless do not understand as to what love towards God it demands, but look, like the Jews, only into the hidden face of Moses. For I will equate that works and love are there, yet neither works nor love can reconcile God, or be considered much as Christ, as the Psalm says: "Thou wouldest not go into judgment with thy servant" etc. [Therefore, we should not give the glory of Christ to our works.
397 For this reason Paul argues that we are not justified by the law, and he holds that we are not justified by the law.
against the law the promise of God, the promise of grace, which is given to us for Christ's sake. Paul moves us around [Rom. 4, 3] and points us from the law to the divine promise, so that we should look to God and His promise and consider the Lord Christ as our treasure. For this promise will be in vain if we become righteous before God through the work of the law, if we earn forgiveness of sin through our righteousness.
Now it is certain that God makes the promise, therefore Christ also came, that we cannot keep the law nor fulfill it; therefore we must first be reconciled through the promise before we fulfill the law. But the promise cannot be grasped except by faith.
Therefore all those who have true repentance take hold of the promise of grace through faith, and believe assuredly that we are reconciled to the Father through Christ. This is also the opinion of Paul Rom. 4, 16: "Therefore we obtain grace through faith, that the promise may stand firm." And Gal. 3, 22: "The Scripture has decreed all things under sin, that the promise of Jesus Christ should be given through faith to those who believe", that is: All men are under sin, and cannot be saved, unless they take hold of forgiveness of sin through faith. Therefore, before we fulfill the law, we must first obtain forgiveness of sin through faith. Although, as we said above, love certainly follows from faith, for those who believe receive the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they begin to hold the law and obey it.
We wanted to introduce more sayings here, but the Scriptures are full of them everywhere. I also did not want to make it too long, so that this matter would be the clearer. For there is no doubt at all that this is Paul's opinion, that we obtain forgiveness of sin for Christ's sake through faith, that we must also set the Mediator against God's wrath, not our works.
Even pious Christian consciences should not be mistaken about whether the adversaries misinterpret and wrongly interpret the clear sayings of Paul. For nothing so simple, so certain and pure, so clear can be spoken or written; one can make a different nose at him with words.
402 But we are certain of this, and know it truly, that the opinion we have set, the opinion we have set, is the opinion we have set.
is the right opinion of Paul. So there is no doubt that this doctrine alone is a certain comfort to calm the hearts and consciences in the right struggle and in the agony of death and temptation, as experience shows.
403. Therefore, only far, far from us with the Pharisaic teachings of the adversaries, since they say that we do not obtain forgiveness of sin by faith, but that we must earn it with our works and with our love for God. Item, that we should propitiate God's wrath with our works and love. For it is quite a Pharisaic doctrine, a doctrine of the Law, not of the Gospel, since they teach that man is first justified by the Law before he is reconciled to God through Christ, when Christ says [John 15:5], "Without me you can do nothing." Item: "I am the vine, you are the branches."
The adversaries, however, speak as if we were not Christ's branches but Moses', for they first want to become pious and righteous before God through the law, and first sacrifice our works and actions to God before they are branches on Christ's vine. Paul, however, who is of course a much higher doctor than the adversaries, speaks clearly and again denies this alone, that no one can do the law without Christ. Therefore, those who feel or have experienced sin and anguish of conscience must keep the promise of grace that they will first be reconciled to God through faith for Christ's sake before they fulfill the law. All this is public and clear enough in God-fearing consciences. And from this Christians will well understand why we said above that we are justified before God by faith alone, not by our works or dilection etc. For all our abilities, all our deeds and works are too weak to take away and satisfy God's wrath, therefore we must present Christ as the mediator.
405 Finally, the adversaries should consider, if a poor conscience will come to peace and be still, if we obtain grace and forgiveness of sin because we love God, or because we fulfill the law. The law will always accuse us, because no man fulfills the law, as Paul says [Rom. 4, 15.]: "The law causes wrath."
406 Chrysostom asks, and so do the Sententiarii: how does one know that his sins are forgiven? It is truly worth asking; good for him who gives a correct answer. To this most necessary question it is not possible to answer, nor is it possible to answer the question of the forgiveness of sins.
know how to comfort or soothe in temptations, so respond to this opinion:
407. It is God's decree, God's command from the beginning of the world, that through faith in the Seed given, that is, through faith for Christ's sake, sins shall be forgiven us without merit. But if anyone doubts or wavers in this, he is lying to God about His promise, as John says. So we say that a Christian should take this for certain as God's command, and if he keeps it, he is certain and feels peace and comfort.
408. The adversaries, when they preach and teach long apart from this doctrine, leave the poor consciences in doubt. It is not possible that there should be peace, a quiet or peaceful conscience, when they doubt whether God is gracious. For if they doubt whether they have a gracious God, whether they do right, whether they have forgiveness of sin, how can they call upon God in doubt? How can they be sure that God will respect and listen to their prayer? So all their lives are without faith, and they cannot serve God properly. This is what Paul says to the Romans [Cap. 14, 23]: "What is not of faith is sin." And because they are always and forever stuck in doubt, they never know what God is, what Christ is, what faith is. In the end, they die in despair, without any knowledge of God.
The adversaries "lead such a harmful doctrine, namely, such a doctrine that the whole gospel is taken away, Christ is suppressed, people are led into heartache and anguish of conscience, and finally, when temptations come, into despair.
410 Let this now be graciously considered by Your Imperial Majesty. Majesty graciously consider it, and look upon it well; it concerns not gold or silver, but souls and consciences. Also, all respectable, intelligent people want to pay attention to what this matter is or is not. Here we may suffer all respectable people to judge which part has taught the most useful thing for the Christian conscience, we or the adversaries. For truly it should be considered that we are not well with strife and discord. And if it were not for the greatest, most important reasons, namely, concerning our conscience, salvation and soul, why we have to quarrel so vehemently with the adversaries, we would well keep silent: But after they have rejected the holy gospel, all the clear. But since they condemn the holy gospel, all the clear Scriptures of the apostles, the divine truth, we can with God and conscience the blessed doctrine and divine truth, which we finally believe.
When this poor temporal life ceases, and all creatures' help is ended, wait for the one, eternal, highest consolation, not denying it, nor departing in any way from this cause, which is not ours alone, but the whole of Christendom's, and concerns the highest treasure, JESUS CHRIST.
411 We have now stated from what causes we have set the two parts of repentance, namely, repentance and faith. And this we have done, because one finds all kinds of sayings from time to time in books of the adversaries about repentance, which they introduce from Augustine and the other old fathers in a mutilated way, which they have then interpreted and stretched everywhere to completely suppress the doctrine of faith. As, they have set this saying: Repentance is a pain by which sin is punished. Item: Repentance is that I repent of the former sin and do not commit the sins I have sinned against again. In the Proverbs, faith is not considered at all, and even in their schools, when they act such proverbs according to length, they do not consider faith at all.
412 Therefore, in order that the doctrine of faith might be more widely known, we have made faith a part of repentance, for the sayings that teach our repentance and our good works, and do not remember faith at all, are very dangerous, as experience shows. Therefore, if they had considered the great danger to souls and consciences, the Sententiarii and canonists should have written more wisely about their decree. For if the fathers also speak of the other part of repentance, not only of one part, but of both, repentance and faith, they should have put both together.
413 Tertullian also speaks comfortingly of faith, and especially praises the divine oath, of which the prophet says: "As truly as I live, says the Lord, I do not want the death of the sinner, but that he may repent and live. Since God swears that He does not want the death of the sinner, He certainly requires faith that we should believe His oath and swear that He will forgive us sin. Without this, God's promises should be highly regarded and respected by us. Now the promise is confirmed with an oath. Therefore, if anyone thinks that sins will not be forgiven him, he is punishing God with a lie, which is the greatest blasphemy. For thus says Tertullianus: Invitat praemio ad salutem, jurans etiam etc., that is, God entices us for our own salvation, with His own oath, that we may believe Him. O good to those for whose sake God swears! Oh woe to us wretched
People, if we also do not believe the divine oath!
414 And here we must know that faith must certainly believe that God forgives us sin by grace for the sake of Christ, not for the sake of our works, for the sake of confession and satisfaction. For as soon as we base ourselves on works, we become uncertain. For a frightened conscience soon realizes that its best works are of no value against God. Therefore Ambrose says a fine word about repentance: "We must repent, and also believe that grace will come to us; but so that we hope for grace by faith, for faith waits for and obtains grace, as if from a handwriting. Item: Faith is the very thing by which sins are covered.
For this reason there are clear sayings in the books of the fathers, not only about works, but also about faith. But the adversaries, not understanding the manner of repentance, not understanding the sayings of the fathers, pick out some of them mutilated from one part of repentance, that is, from repentance and from works, and what is spoken of faith they pass over.
(Article VI.) Confession and satisfaction.
416 God-fearing, respectable, pious, Christian people can well notice here that much is at stake that one has and maintains a right certain doctrine of repentance and faith in the church. For the great fraud of indulgences etc., item, the clumsy teaching of the Sophists has shown us enough what great evil and danger arise from it, if it fails here. How many a pious conscience under the papacy has sought the right path here with such great labor, and has not found it under such darkness.
417 Therefore, we have always taken great pains to teach this subject clearly, confidently, and correctly. We have not particularly quarreled about confession and atonement. For we keep confession also for the sake of absolution, which is God's word, by which the power of the keys absolves us from sins. Therefore, it would be against God to refuse absolution from the church. etc.
Those who despise absolution do not know what forgiveness of sin is, or what the power of the keys is. But of the telling of sins we have said above in our confession that we hold that it is not commanded by God. For when they say, "Every judge must first understand the things and infirmities
before he pronounces the sentence, so the sins must first be told etc., that does not matter. For absolution is badly the command to absolve, and is not a new judgment to investigate sin. For God is the judge, who commanded the apostles not the office of judgement, but the execution of grace, to absolve those who desire it, and to absolve and absolve them also from sins that do not occur to us. Therefore, absolution is a voice of the gospel by which we receive comfort, and is not a judgment or law. And it is foolish and childish enough for those with understanding to introduce the saying of Solomon, when he says on the 27th, v. 23: Diligenter cognosce vultum pecoris tui, that is, take heed to your sheep etc., in the place of confession or absolution. For Solomon speaks nothing at all of confession, but gives commandment to the fathers of the house, that they should be content with their own, and abstain from other people's goods. And commands with the word: each one should take care of his livestock and goods diligently; but he should not forget God's fear, God's commandment and word out of stinginess.
419. But the adversaries make black and white out of the Scripture, if and how they want, against all natural way of clear words. In the place: Cognosce vultum pecoris etc., there cognoscere must mean to hear confession, cattle or sheep must mean people. Stabulum, we note, is also called a school, where such doctores and oratores are present. But it serves them right, who thus despise the holy scriptures, all good arts, that they are so grossly lacking in "grammar". If someone in that place would ever want to compare a householder, of whom Solomon speaks, with a pastor, then vultus would not have to mean arcana conscientiae, but the outward walk.
420 But I will let that go. In several places in Psalms the word confessio is used, as in the 32nd Psalm, v. 5: "I will confess my transgression against myself to the Lord. The same confession and confessing that happens to God is repentance itself. For when we confess to God, we must recognize ourselves as sinners in our hearts, and not only with our mouths, as the hypocrites do, but only by repeating the words. Thus, the same confession that God makes is such a repentance in the heart, since I feel God's seriousness and anger, and I agree with God that He is justly angry, that He cannot be reconciled even with our merit, and since we seek mercy, since God has promised mercy in Christ. So this is a confession in the 51st Psalm, v. 6: "In You alone
I have sinned, that thou mayest be found righteous when thou art judged," that is: I confess myself a sinner, and that I have deserved eternal wrath, and cannot with my works, nor with my merit, appease thy wrath; therefore I say that thou art righteous, and justly punish us. I agree with thee, though the hypocrites judge thee, that thou art unjust, because thou regardest not their merit and good works. Yes, I know that my works do not stand before your judgment, but so we are justified if you judge us to be just by your mercy.
421. Someone would also like to use Jacob's saying: "Confess your sins to one another" [Jac. 5, 16]. But he is not talking about confession, which is done to the priest etc., but about reconciliation and confession, when I otherwise reconcile myself with my neighbor.
422 The adversaries must also condemn their own teachers very much, if they want to say that confession of sin must take place and is commanded by God. For although we also keep confession and say that it is not useless to ask the young and inexperienced people, so that they may be taught all the better. But all this is to be tempered, so that consciences are not caught, which can never be satisfied as long as they are under the delusion that they are guilty of telling God about their sins.
423 Therefore the word of the adversaries, when they say that a completely pure confession is necessary for salvation, since no sin is concealed, etc., is completely false. For such confession is impossible. O Lord God, how miserably they have plagued and tormented many a pious conscience by teaching that confession must be completely pure, and that no sin must remain unconfessed! For how can a man always be sure when he has confessed completely purely?
424 The Fathers also remember confession, but they do not speak of the recounting of secret sin, but of a ceremony, a public penance. For in times past, those who had been in public vices were not accepted back into the church without a public ceremony and punishment. Therefore, they had to confess their sin to the priests, so that the satisfactiones could be imposed according to the magnitude of the transgression. The whole thing, however, was not the same as the telling of sins that we are talking about. For the same confession and confession did not take place because forgiveness of sin before God could not take place without the same confession, but so that no external punishment could be imposed on them, unless they knew of the sin.
425 And from the outward ceremony of public repentance the word satisfactio or satisfaction is also derived. For the fathers did not want to accept again without punishment those who were found guilty of public vices. And this had many causes. For it served as an example that public vices were punished, as also the gloss in the decree says. It was also unwise that those who had fallen into open vices should soon be admitted to the sacrament without being tried. All of these ceremonies have now long since been discontinued, and there is no need for them to be instituted again. For they do nothing at all for reconciliation before God. Nor has it been the opinion of the fathers in any way that men should thereby obtain forgiveness of sin, although such outward ceremonies easily lead the inexperienced to think that they help something toward salvation. Whoever teaches or holds this, teaches and holds completely Jewish and pagan. For the pagans have also had some purification, where they wanted to think that they would be reconciled to God through it.
426 But now, when the same way of public penance has departed, the name satisfactio has remained, and still remains the shadow of the ancient custom that they apply satisfaction in confession, and call it opera non debita. We call it satisfactiones canonicas. Of this we teach, as of the telling of sins, namely that these same public ceremonies are not commanded by God, are not necessary, and do not help to forgive sin. For this doctrine must be preserved and remain above all things, that we obtain forgiveness of sin by faith, not by our works, which take place before or after we are converted or born again in Christ.
427 And we have spoken of satisfactionibus primarily for this reason, so that no one would understand satisfaction in such a way that the doctrine of faith would be suppressed, as if we could earn forgiveness of sin by our works. For the dangerous error of satisfactionibus has thus been torn down and confirmed by some clumsy teaching, so that the adversaries write that satisfaction is such a work, by which the divine wrath and displeasure are reconciled.
However, the adversaries themselves confess that the satisfactiones do not absolve the guilt before God, but they invent that they alone redeem and absolve the chastisement or punishment. For thus they teach that when sin is forgiven, the guilt or culpa is released without remedy, only through
God forgives; and yet, because He is a just God, He does not leave sin without punishment, and turns the eternal punishment into a temporal punishment. They teach that a part of the temporal punishment is remitted by the power of the scourge; but a part is to be paid by satisfactiones or pardon. And it cannot be understood which part of the punishment or chastisement is remitted by the power of the keys, for they would say that a part of the chastisement of the purgatory is remitted, from which it would follow that the satisfactiones alone served to redeem the chastisement of the purgatory. And further, they say that the satisfactiones are good in the sight of God, even if they are done by those who have fallen into mortal sin; as if God were reconciled by those who are in mortal sin and are His enemies.
429 All these are vainly dreamed up, invented doctrines and words, without any foundation in Scripture, and against all Scripture of the ancient Fathers. Nor does Longobardus himself speak of the satisfactionibus in this way. The Scholastici may have had hearsay that there were satisfactiones in the church, and did not consider that it was an outward ceremony, in which the publice poenitentes or penitents had to show themselves to the church with a ceremony that was used: first, as a fright and example that others might take offense at; second, as a test whether the same sinners or penitents, who desired mercy again, had also heartily converted. In sum, they did not see that such satisfactio was an outward discipline, punishment, and disciplina, and that such a thing, like other worldly discipline, was erected to a shyness or fear. They taught that they served not only for discipline, but also to propitiate God, and were necessary for salvation. As 1) in many other things they boiled the kingdom of Christ, which is spiritual, and the kingdom of the world and outward discipline into one another, so they also did with the satisfactionibus. But the glosses in canonibus indicate in some places that these satisfactiones are intended only as an example for the church.
Here, however, let us see how the adversaries base and prove their dreams in the confutation which they finally hung on the Emperor's Majesty. Majesty hung at last. They use many sayings of the Scriptures to make the inexperienced believe that their doctrine of satisfactionibus is founded in the Scriptures, which was still unknown in Longobardi's time. They bring these sayings
1) Müller: Because. Latin: 8icut.
"Repent, bring forth fruits of repentance." Item: "Pray your limbs to serve righteousness." Item: Christ said, "Repent." Item: Christ commands the apostles to preach repentance. Item: Peter preaches repentance in the stories of the apostles on the 2nd, v. 38. After that they point to some sayings of the fathers and the canons, and decide: "The penances in the church against the gospel, against the decree of the fathers and the canons, against the decree of the holy church, are not to be done, but those who obtain absolution are to perform their penance and satisfaction, the penance imposed on them by the priest.
431. May God disgrace and punish such desperate sophists, who so treacherously and wickedly interpret the holy gospel to their dreams. What pious, honorable man would not be hurt in his heart by such a great public abuse of the divine word? Christ says, "Repent." The apostles also preach, "Repent." Therefore, is it proven by the Proverbs that God does not forgive sin without the sake of fictitious satisfaction? Who taught such dialectics to the rude, insolent asses? It is neither dialectica nor sophistica, but it is knavery to play with God's word in such a way, and to do so with annoying willfulness. That is why they take the saying from the Gospel as obscure and hidden: "Repent," etc. so that when the inexperienced hear that this word from the Gospel is taken against us, they should think that we are such people who do not think anything of repentance. With such wickedness they deal with us. Although they know that we teach rightly about repentance, they want to scare people away, and like to embitter many people against us, so that the inexperienced should cry out: Crucify, crucify such harmful heretics, who think nothing of repentance; and so are publicly overcome as the liars here.
432 But we take comfort in this and know for a fact that with God-fearing people, even with respectable, pious, honest people, such insolent lies and falsification of the holy Scriptures are of no avail. Thus, even God the Lord, as true as He is a living God, will not long suffer such insolent blasphemy and unheard malice; they will certainly burn themselves on the first and other commandments of God.
433 And having understood in our Confession almost all the highest articles of the whole Christian doctrine, that is, that about this matter there can be no greater, more highly important thing under the sun, one should add to these high, all-important
We have sought out and selected so many innumerable souls and consciences throughout the world, now and in our descendants, who are concerned about the whole holy Christian religion, the welfare and unity of the whole Christian church, and 1) this time, with all faithful, utmost diligence, who would be more God-fearing, more understanding, more experienced, more capable and more honest, and also more faithful, good of heart and mind for the common good, for the unity of the church, for the welfare of the kingdom, than the loose, careless sophists who wrote the Confutation.
434. And you, Cardinal Campegi, as the wise man who is trusted with this matter in Rome, whose wisdom is to be praised, even if you would not respect or regard anything but the honor of the pope and see of Rome, should have kept better house here, and done this with the utmost diligence, so that in such a great and excellent matter such a clumsy confutation would not have been written by such or such sophists, in such a great and excellent matter, such a clumsy confutation would not have been written by the or such sophists, which both at this time and in the future with the descendants, will do you no other than to vain ridicule, to the diminishment of your reputation and name, to eternal, unavoidable disgrace and damage.
435 You Romanists see that these are the last times before the last day, of which Christ warns that many dangers shall befall the church. You, then, who would be called guardians, shepherds and heads of the church, should take care in this time with special, faithful, highest diligence. There are already many signs before your eyes that, where you do not manage and direct yourselves well in time and things, a great and strong change is about to take place in the whole Roman See and in its nature. And you must not take it into your minds, indeed you must not think that you want to keep the congregations and churches with you and the Roman See by the sword and force alone. For good consciences cry out for the truth and right instruction from God's Word, and death is not so bitter to them as it is bitter to them when they doubt in one thing. Therefore, they must seek where they can find instruction. If you want to keep the church with you, you must strive to teach and preach rightly; in this way you can establish good will and constant obedience.
436 Let us return to the matter at hand. The sayings from the Scriptures, so attracted by the adversaries, do not speak of the satisfaction of the Lord.
1) Müller: "now and". Jenaer: "itzund".
and satisfaction, which the opponents argue about. Therefore, it is only a counterfeit of the Scriptures that they interpret God's word in their own opinion. We say that where there is true repentance, renewal of the Holy Spirit in the heart, good fruits, good works will surely follow. And is it not possible that a man should turn to God, do right repentance, have heartfelt remorse, and good works, good fruits, should not follow. For a heart and conscience that has rightly felt its sorrow and sin, that is rightly frightened, will not regard or seek much of the pleasures of the world. And where faith is, it is grateful to God, and warmly respects and loves His commandments. Also, there is certainly no true repentance in the heart, if we do not outwardly show good works, Christian patience. And so does John the Baptist, when he says [Luc. 3, 8. Matth. 3, 8.]: "Produce the right fruits of repentance. Item, Paul, when he says to Romans 6, v. 19: "Give your members weapons of righteousness" etc. And Christ, when he says, "Repent," is truly speaking of the whole repentance, and of the whole new life and its fruits. He does not speak of the hypocritical satisfactions of which the scholastic dream, and may say that they are valid before God for punishment, if they are done in mortal sins. Of course, this should be a delicious service.
437 There are also many other arguments and reasons why the aforementioned sayings of Scripture do not rhyme with the satisfaction of which the scholastics speak. They invent and say: the satisfactiones are fine works, which we do not owe. But the holy Scriptures in the Proverbs, so introduced, demand such works as we owe. For this word of Christ, when he says, "Repent," is a word of divine commandment.
438 The adversaries write that those who confess, even if they do not want to accept the satisfaction, do not sin because of it, but will have to bear punishment and satisfaction in purgatory. Now there is no doubt that these sayings: "Repent" etc., item Pauli: "Pray your limbs to serve righteousness", and similar sayings are those of Christ and the apostles, which do not concern purgatory at all, but only this life. Therefore, they cannot be stretched to the satisfactionibus that I may or may not accept. For God's commandments are not thus freely given to us. etc.
439 Thirdly, the pope's law and canon teach that through indulgences such satisfactiones are remitted, chap. Cum ex eo de poenitentiis. But the indulgence does not absolve anyone
Of these commandments: "Repent", "Produce right fruits of repentance" etc.
440 Therefore it is bright in the day, that one quite clumsily introduces the sayings of the Scriptures of the satisfactionibus. For if the penances of purgatory are satisfactiones or satispassiones, or if the satisfactiones are acknowledgments of the chastisement of purgatory, then the above-mentioned sayings of Christ and Paul must also prove and test that the souls go into purgatory and suffer chastisement there. If this follows from necessity from the opposing opinion, then the sayings must all put on new skirts, and thus be interpreted: fructus etc., show true fruits of repentance, that is, suffer in purgatory after this life. But it is annoying to make more words of such 1) public error of the adversaries. For indeed it is known that the Scriptures speak in places of works which we owe, and of the whole new life of a Christian, etc. not of the fictitious works which we do not owe, of which the adversaries speak. And yet with these lies they defend monasticism, the buying and selling of masses, and countless other traditions, namely, that it is works that are enough for penance and punishment, although they are not enough for guilt against God.
441 If then the Proverbs, drawn from the Scriptures, do not say at all that eternal chastisement or purgatory will be paid by works for which we are not guilty, then the adversaries say without any reason that by such satisfaction the chastisements of purgatory will be redeemed.
442 The keys are not commanded to inflict punishment, or to partially or completely acknowledge the punishment. Such dreams and lies are nowhere found in Scripture. Christ speaks of forgiveness of sin when he says: "What you dissolve" etc. When sin is forgiven, death is also taken away and eternal life is given. Also in this way the text: "What you dissolve" etc. does not speak of imposing punishment, but that sins remain on those who do not convert.
443 Although we now hold that good fruits and works should follow right repentance, to praise and thank God, and of the same good works and fruits we have God's commandment, as of fasting, prayer, almsgiving, etc., yet nowhere in Scripture is it found that God's wrath or eternal chastisements should be relieved by the chastisement of the purgatory, or by satisfactiones or satisfactiones, that is, by some
1) Müller: "so von".
Works that we would not be guilty of without this, or that the authority of the keys have command to interpret chastisement, or to remit a part of the chastisement. Now the adversaries should prove these things from the Scriptures. They will probably leave it at that.
444. It is certain that Christ's death is a satisfaction, not only for the guilt against God, but also for eternal death, as the saying of Hosea [Cap. 13, 14] clearly states: "Death, I will be your death. What an abomination it is to say that Christ's death is enough for our guilt against God, but that the punishment we suffer redeems us from eternal death? So that this word of the prophet, "Death, I will be your death," is to be understood not from Christ, but from our works, and in addition from miserable human statutes, which God has not commanded. And yet they may say that these works are enough for eternal death, even if they are done in mortal sins.
445 The completely clumsy speech of the adversaries must certainly hurt a pious heart. For whoever reads and considers it, must be heartily grieved by such public teachings of the devil, which the wicked Satan has spread into the world to suppress the true teaching of the gospel, so that no one or few may be taught what is law or gospel, what is repentance or faith, or what are the benefits of Christ.
446 For of the law they say thus: God has considered our weakness, and has set for man a goal and measure of the works which he is obligated to do, that is, the works of the ten commandments, etc. that he may suffice from the rest, from the operibus supererogationis, that is, from the works which he is not obligated to do, for his shortcoming and sin.
447. Then they invent a dream for themselves, as if a man could or could fulfill God's law in such a way that he would do something more and above and beyond what the law requires, when all of the holy Scriptures testify, and all of the prophets also testify, that God's law demands much more than we are always able to do. But they want to think that the law of God and God are satisfied with external works, and do not see how the law demands that we love God with all our heart etc. and be rid of all evil lusts. Therefore, there is no man on earth who does as much as the law requires.
For this reason, it is quite foolish and childish for those with understanding to imagine that we can do something more than the divine law requires. For even though we can do the poor outward works, which are not God's, but
If I have commanded men, whom Paul calls mendicant statutes, this is a foolish, vain trust, that I would trust that I have fulfilled God's law, yes, done more than God requires.
449. Item, right prayers and right alms, right fasting, these are commanded by God, and in the case that they are commanded by God, one cannot slacken them without sinning. On the other hand, these works, if they are not commanded by God's laws, but have a form according to human choice, are nothing but human statutes, of which Christ says [Matt. 15:9], "They serve me in vain with the commandments of men," as then are some certain fasts, not invented to tame the flesh, but to honor God with it, and as Scotus says, to get rid of eternal death. Item, how then are some prayers, some certain alms, which are supposed to be a divine service, which ex opere operato reconciles God, and redeems from eternal damnation. For they say and teach that such works ex opere operato, that is, by the work done, are sufficient for sin, and teach that such satisfaction is valid, even if one is in mortal sin.
450 Above these are works that have even less divine command or commandment, such as rosaries and pilgrimages, which are of various kinds. For some go to St. James in full armor, some with bare feet, and the like. Christ calls these vain, useless services. Therefore they are of no use to reconcile God, as the adversaries say. And these works, as pilgrimages, they praise highly, 1) and consider them great, delicious works, calling them opera supererogationis. And, what is more shameful, what is even more blasphemous, they give them the honor that is due to Christ's death and blood alone, that they should be the pretium, that is, the treasure, so that we may be redeemed from eternal death. Fie on the wretched devil, who may so revile and blaspheme Christ's holy and precious death!
So these pilgrimages are preferred to the righteous works expressed in the Ten Commandments, and thus God's law is obscured in two ways. First, that they think they have done enough for the law when they have done the outward works. Second, that they esteem the wretched statutes of men more highly than the works that God has commanded.
452 The doctrine of repentance and grace is also suppressed. For eternal death and the fears of hell cannot be explained in this way.
1) Müller: "doch" instead of: "hoch".
as they would like to think. We must have a different and greater treasure, by which we are bought from death, eternal anguish and pain, than our works are. For such holiness of works is an idle thing, and the saints of works do not even taste what death is; but, as God's wrath cannot be overcome in any other way than through faith in Christ, so also death is overcome through Christ alone, as Paul says: "Praise be to God, who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord" [1 Cor. 15:57]. He does not say, who gives us victory through our satisfaction.
The adversaries speak almost coldly and sleepily of the forgiveness of sin against God, and do not see that forgiveness of such guilt and redemption from God's wrath and eternal death is such a great thing that it is obtained only through the one Mediator Christ and through faith in Him.
If the death and blood of Christ is the right payment for eternal death, and the adversaries themselves confess that such works of satisfaction are works that we do not owe, but are ordinances of men, of which Christ says in Matt. 15:9 that they are vain works of God, then we may freely conclude, even from their own words, that such satisfactions are not commanded by God, nor do they redeem eternal chastisement and guilt, or the chastisement of purgatory.
(455) Perhaps the adversaries will reproach us here that chastisement and punishment actually belong to repentance. For Augustine says that penance is a revenge, fear and punishment for sin. Answer: Our adversaries are gross asses, that they interpret the words of Augustine, who speaks of repentance and whole penance, to the ceremonies of satisfaction, and further hang on it, that such satisfactio is to earn forgiveness of eternal death.
456 We also teach that in repentance is the punishment of sin, for the great terror by which sin is judged in us is a punishment much greater and higher than pilgrimages and the like. But such terror does not concern satisfaction, so it does not deserve forgiveness of sin or eternal death, but, if we were not comforted by faith, such terror and punishment would be vain sin and death. Thus Augustine teaches about punishment. But our adversaries, the gross asses, do not even know what repentance or contrition is, but go about with their jugglery, rosaries, pilgrimages and the like.
But then they say: God, being a just judge, must not leave sin without punishment. Yea, verily he punisheth sin, when in such terror he presseth and distresseth the consciences so strongly with his wrath, as David saith in the 6th Psalm, v. 1, "O Lord, punish me not in thy wrath"; and Jeremiah in the 10th Cap. v. 24, "Punish me, O Lord, yet with mercy, not in thy wrath, lest I perish." There he truly speaks of great, unspeakable anguish, and the adversaries themselves confess that repentance can be so bitter and swift that satisfaction is not necessary. Therefore, contritio or repentance is more of a torment than satisfactio.
The saints must bear death, all kinds of crosses and tribulations, just like the others, as Peter says in 1 Peter 4:17: "It is time to approach the judgment of the house of God. And although these tribulations are often penance and punishment for sin, they have another cause in Christians, namely, that they should drive and train Christians to realize their weak faith in temptation, and to seek God's help and comfort, as Paul says of himself 2 Cor. 1:8 f.: "Since we were weighed down by measure, and by power, so that we had resolved with ourselves that we should die, lest we should learn to trust in us." And Isaiah [Cap.26, 16.] says: "The distress and anguish in which they are in, and in which they call upon you, is a discipline to them, that is, the tribulation is a discipline of children, by which God trains the saints. God also sends us the tribulations to kill and dampen the sin that is still left in us, so that we are regenerated in spirit, as Paul says in Romans 8:10: "The body is dead because of sin," that is, it is being killed more and more every day because of the sin that is still left in the flesh. And death itself serves to put an end to sinful flesh, so that we may rise from the dead all holy and renewed.
459 We are not freed from these afflictions and torments by the satisfactiones, therefore it cannot be said that the satisfactiones apply to this cross and affliction, and take away the temporal punishment of sin. For this is certain, that the power of the keys can absolve no one from the cross or other common afflictions. And if they want the word poenae, by which enough is done, to be understood of common tribulations, how then do they teach that one must do enough in purgatory?
They set before us examples of Adam and David, who was punished for his adultery. From the example they make a
Rule that every sin must have its certain temporal punishment before the sin is forgiven. I have said before that Christians suffer tribulations by which they are chastened; thus they suffer terror in their consciences, many a struggle and temptation; thus our Lord God also imposes his own penance and punishment on some sinners, as an example. And the power of the keys has nothing to do with the penalties, but only God has to interpret and solve them as He wills.
461 Neither does it follow that there is a separate punishment imposed on David, that there is a chastisement of purgatory on top of the common cross and tribulation of all Christians, since every sin has its degree and measure of chastisement. For it is nowhere to be found in Scripture that we cannot be redeemed from eternal torment and death except by such an acknowledgment of our suffering and satisfaction. But Scripture everywhere testifies that we obtain forgiveness of sin without merit through Christ, and that Christ alone has overcome sin and death. Therefore, we should not attach our own merit to it. And although Christians must suffer all kinds of penalties, punishments and tribulations, the Scriptures indicate that these are laid upon us to kill and humble the old Adam, not to redeem us from eternal death.
Job is excused in the Scriptures because he was not afflicted because of some evil deeds. Therefore, afflictions and temptations are not always signs of divine wrath, but consciences must be diligently instructed so that they learn to regard afflictions much differently, namely as signs of grace, so that they do not think that God has rejected them when they are in affliction. They should look at the other true fruits of the cross, namely that God attacks us and therefore does a foreign work, as Isaiah says, so that he may have his own work in us; as he then makes a long comforting sermon about it in chapter 28, v. 19 ff. And when the disciples asked about the blind man, John 9:3, Christ says that neither the blind man's parents nor he sinned, but God's glory and work must be revealed. And so also Jeremiah the prophet says [Cap. 49, 12.]: "Those who are not guilty of it shall also drink the cup" etc. So the prophets are strangled, so John Baptist is killed and other saints.
463 Therefore, the tribulations are not always punishments or penalties for past sins, but are God's works, directed to our benefit, that God's strength and power may be seen all the more clearly in our weakness, as He is in the midst of the
Death can help etc. So Paul says [1 Cor. 12, 9.1: "God's power and strength can be experienced and seen in weakness." Therefore we are to sacrifice our bodies in God's will, to show our obedience and patience, not to deliver us from eternal death or eternal torment. For God has decreed another treasure, namely the death of His Son, our Lord Christ.
464 And so St. Gregory interprets the example of David [2 Sam. 12, 14], when he says: "If God has punished him for the same sin, so that he should be humiliated by his own son, why did he let this happen, since the sin was already forgiven? the answer is that the forgiveness happened so that the man would not be prevented from receiving eternal life. Nevertheless, the punishment that was inflicted followed, so that he would test him and keep him in humility. So God also put natural death on man, and did not take it away when sin was forgiven, so that those who were forgiven sin and sanctified might be proved and tested. Now it is public that the keys do not take away this common punishment, as war, torment and similar plagues. Item, that even canonicae satisfactiones do not make us free from such plagues, so that our satisfactiones should help or apply to them, if we are already in mortal sins. Also, the adversaries themselves confess that they do not apply the satisfactiones for such common plagues, but for purgatory. Therefore, their satisfactiones are vain imaginary dreams.
465. but here some refer to the saying of Paul 1 Cor. 11, 31: "If we judged ourselves, we would not be judged. From this they conclude: If we would punish ourselves, God would punish more mercifully. Answer: Paul speaks of punishment of the whole life, not of outward punishment and ceremonies, therefore this saying does nothing for satisfactio. For what does God ask about punishment without correction? Yes, it is an atrocious blasphemy to teach that our satisfaction alleviates God's punishment, when it already occurs in mortal sins. Paul speaks of repentance and faith and of the whole correction, he does not speak of the outward punishment alone. Therefore, nothing more can be enforced from this, except that if we amend ourselves, God will avert His punishment. This is true, and it is useful, comforting and necessary to preach that God will relieve the punishment if we mend our ways, as He did with Nineveh. And so Isaiah teaches in chapter 1, v. 18: "When
Even though your sins are as red as blood, they will be gone and as white as snow when you repent. And this correction is not in the canonica satisfactione, but in other pieces of repentance, in repentance, in faith, in good works, which follow after faith. But our adversaries interpret these comforting sayings to their lies and jugglery of satisfaction.
466 But that the ancient teachers and fathers remembered satisfaction, that the concilia were made of the satisfactionibus canones, I have said above that it was an outward ceremony, and it was not the opinion of the fathers that these ceremonies of repentance should be an extinguishing of guilt against God or of chastisement. For although some of the fathers are like those who think of the fire of sweeping, they themselves interpret it as meaning that, even if it were, it would not be redemption from eternal death and torment, which Christ alone does, but that it would be a cleansing and sweeping (as they say) of imperfect souls. Alfo Augustine says: The daily sins are burned and extinguished, as weak faith against God and the like etc.
467 One also finds in some places that the fathers use the word satisfactio or satisfaction, which originally comes from the ceremony of public penitence, as I said, for right repentance and killing of the old Adam. Thus Augustine says: The right satisfactio or satisfaction is to cut off the cause of sins, that is, to kill the flesh etc., item, to tame and mortify the flesh, not that eternal death or torment may be acknowledged thereby, but that the flesh may not draw us to sins.
Thus Gregory says of the restitution of other people's goods that it is a false repentance if not enough is done to those whose goods we have wrongfully taken. For he does not repent of having stolen who still steals; for as long as he holds other people's goods, he is a thief or robber. The same satisfaction against those who are guilty shall be made against the same; and of the same civil satisfaction there is no need to dispute here. Item, the fathers write that it is enough that once in the whole life the publica penitenz or the public repentance happens, of which the canones satisfactionum are made. From this it can be seen that their opinion was not that these canons should be necessary for the forgiveness of sins. For without these ceremonies of public repentance, they otherwise teach much about Christian repentance, since they do not remember the canones satisfactionum.
469 The donkeys that have made the confutation.
They say that it is not acceptable to deny satisfactiones against the public gospel. But we have shown this clearly enough, that these same canonicae satisfactiones, that is, such works (as they speak of them) as we are not guilty of, are not founded in Scripture or the Gospel. Thus the matter indicates itself: for if the satisfactiones are works which one is not guilty of, why do they say that we teach against the clear gospel? For if it were stated in the Gospel that eternal punishment and death would be taken away by such works, then they were works that one would be guilty of doing before God. But they speak in such a way as to make a pretense before the noses of the inexperienced, and they use sayings of the Holy Scriptures that speak of right Christian works that we owe, while they base their satisfaction on works that we do not owe, and which they call opera non debita. They teach and even admit in their schools that one can remit such satisfaction without mortal sin. Therefore, it is wrong for them to say that the clear gospel allows one to keep the satisfactiones.
We have often said that righteous repentance cannot be without good works and fruits. The Ten Commandments teach us what good works are, namely, to truly and most sincerely esteem, fear and love God the Lord, to cheerfully call upon Him in times of need, to always give thanks to Him, to confess His word, to hear the same word, and to comfort others with it, To be obedient to parents and authorities, faithful to his office and profession, not bitter, not hateful, not killing, but comforting, kind to your neighbor, helping the poor according to your ability, not fornicating, not committing adultery, but keeping the flesh in check at all times. And all this, not to do enough for eternal death or eternal torment, which is due to Christ alone, but to do it in such a way that the devil is not given room, and God is angered and the Holy Spirit is grieved and displeased. These fruits and good works are commanded by God and have their rewards, and for the sake of God's glory and divine commandment, they should be done.
471 But that the eternal punishments are not remitted in any other way than only through satisfaction in purgatory, or some good works of human tradition, is not mentioned anywhere in the Holy Scriptures. By means of indulgences, such imposed penances and satisfactions are acknowledged to the publice poenitentibus or penitents, so that the people are not so much burdened. Now, if people have power to make the satis
If a man is to remit the punishment or chastisement imposed on him, such satisfactio is not commanded by God. For a human being cannot disobey a divine command and commandment.
472 But since the old way of public penance and satisfaction has long since been done away with, which the bishops have allowed to happen from one time to the next, indulgences are not necessary, and yet the name indulgentia or indulgence has remained in the church. Just as the word satisfactio is understood differently than for a church order and ceremony, so the word indulgence or indulgence has also been wrongly interpreted and interpreted for such grace and indulgence by which souls are redeemed from purgatory, although the whole power of the keys in the church does not extend further than here on earth alone, as the text reads: "What you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. What thou shalt loose on earth, that shall be loosed in heaven."
The power of the keys, then, is not such a power to establish special punishment or worship, but only to forgive sin to those who convert and to banish those who do not. For to dissolve in that place is to forgive sin; to bind is not to forgive sin. For Christ speaks of a spiritual kingdom, and God has commanded to absolve from sins those who convert, as Paul says: "The power is given to us to edify, and not to break" [2 Cor. 10:8].
474 For this reason, the reservatio casuum, that is, in which the pope and the bishops reserve certain cases, is an external, secular thing. For they reserve for them the absolutio a poena canonica, not from guilt against God. Therefore, the opponents teach rightly, since they themselves confess and say that at the hour of death such a reservatio or reservation should not hinder the right Christian absolution.
475 Herewith we have presented the summa of our doctrine of repentance, and know truly that it is quite useful and highly necessary for Christian and pious hearts. And if God-fearing, pious, respectable people will consider this most important matter according to necessity, and hold this doctrine of ours, and indeed of Christ and the apostles, against so much unsophisticated, confused, childish disputation and books of the adversaries, they will find that they have omitted the very highest, most necessary part, namely, faith in Christ, without which no one can teach or learn anything righteous, Christian, through which alone the consciences may have right consolation. They
will also see that the adversaries invent much from their own brains about the merit of attrition, about the narration of the sin, about satisfaction, all of which is unfounded in Scripture and neither sufficient above nor below, which the adversaries themselves do not understand.
Article XIII (VII) Sacraments and their proper use.
476 In the thirteenth article, the adversaries allow us to say that the sacraments are not bad signs by which people know one another, like slogans in war and court scar etc., but are powerful signs and certain testimonies of divine grace and will toward us, by which God reminds and strengthens our hearts to believe all the more surely and joyfully.
477 But here they want us to confess that there are seven sacraments, neither more nor less. Then we say that it is necessary to preserve these ceremonies and sacraments, which God has instituted by His Word, how many and in what number they are. But of this number of the seven sacraments it is found that the fathers themselves did not count them equally, so these seven ceremonies are not all equally necessary.
If we call sacraments the outward signs and ceremonies that have God's command and have a divine promise of grace attached to them, we can soon conclude what sacraments are. For ceremonies and other external things, instituted by men, are not sacraments in this way. For men without command do not have to promise God's grace. Therefore, signs that are instituted without God's command are not signs of grace, although they may otherwise bring a reminder to children and rude people, as a painted cross.
479 So the proper sacraments are baptism and the Lord's Supper, and absolution. For these have God's command and the promise of grace, which actually belongs to the New Testament and is the New Testament. For this is the purpose of the outward signs, that by them the hearts may be moved, namely, by the word and outward signs at the same time, that they may believe when we are baptized, when we receive the body of the Lord, that God truly wants to be gracious to us through Christ, as Paul says [Rom. 10:17]: "Faith is of hearing." As the word enters the ears, so the outward sign is set before the eyes, so as to stir up the heart inwardly and move it to faith, for the word and the outward sign are not the same.
Signs work in the heart in the same way as Augustine spoke a fine word. The sacrament, he says, is a visible word, for the outward sign is like 1) a painting, by which is signified that which is preached by the word. Therefore, both are one and the same.
480 But the confirmatio and the last rites are ceremonies which are of ancient origin and which the Church has never considered necessary for salvation. For they do not have God's command or commandment. Therefore, it is good to distinguish these from the above-mentioned ceremonies, which are instituted and commanded by God's Word and have an attached promise from God.
481 By the sacrament of the order or priesthood, the adversaries do not understand the ministry of preaching and the ministry of administering and distributing the sacraments, but understand it of priests who are ordained to sacrifice. As if there had to be a priesthood in the New Testament, as the Levitical priesthood was, since the priests sacrifice for the people and obtain forgiveness of sins for the others. But we teach that the one sacrifice of Christ on the cross was enough for all the sin of the world, and that we do not need another sacrifice for sin. For we do not have in the New Testament such a priesthood as the Levitical priesthood was, as the epistle to the Hebrews teaches.
But if one wanted to call the sacrament of the order a sacrament of the ministry of preaching and the gospel, there would be no objection to calling ordination a sacrament. For the ministry of preaching was instituted and commanded by God, and has glorious promise of God, Rom. 1, 16: "The gospel is a power of God to all those who believe in it" etc. Isa. 55, 11: "The word that goeth out of my mouth shall not return unto me void, but shall do according to my pleasure."
If one wanted to understand the sacrament of the order in this way, one would also call the laying on of hands a sacrament. For the church has God's command that it should appoint preachers and deacons. Since this is very comforting when we know that God wants to preach and work through men and those who are elected by men, it is good that such election be highly praised and honored, especially against the devilish Anabaptists, who despise and blaspheme such election along with the ministry of preaching and the bodily word.
484 But the conjugal state is not first instituted in the New Testament, but soon as the
1) "Like" is missing in Müller. Latin: quasi.
He is also commanded and ordered by God. It also has divine promises, which do not really belong to the New Testament, but rather concern the bodily life. Therefore, if someone wants to call it a sacrament, we do not contest it highly. But it should nevertheless be separated from the previous two, which are the actual signs and seals of the New Testament. For if the marriage state should be called a sacrament only because God has instituted and commanded it, then the other offices and states should also be called sacraments, which also go by God's word and command, as authorities or magistrates etc.
And finally, if all things were to be called sacraments with such a glorious title, because they have God's word and command, then prayer should be called a sacrament above all others, because there is a strong command of God and a much more glorious, divine promise. It would also be justified, for if prayer were given such a great title, people would be encouraged to pray. Alms could also be counted among the sacraments. Item, the cross and the tribulation of the Christians. For they also have God's promise. But no prudent man will make a great quarrel about whether seven or more sacraments are counted, but only so far as God's word and command are not interrupted.
486 But this is more necessary to discuss and to know what is the right use of the sacraments. We must freely condemn the whole bunch of scholasticorum, and punish their error, since 1) they teach that those who use the sacraments badly, if they do not set obicem, obtain God's grace ex opere operato, if the heart then already has no good thoughts. But this is a Jewish error, so they hold that we should become righteous and holy by a work and outward ceremony without faith, and if the heart is already not in it, and yet this harmful doctrine is preached and taught far and wide, absolutely and everywhere in the whole of Pabst's kingdom and Pabst's church. Paul cries out against this and says [Rom. 4, 11.] that Abraham was justified before God, not through circumcision, but that circumcision was a sign to practice and strengthen faith. Therefore we also say that to the right use of the sacraments belongs faith, which believes the divine promise, and receives promised grace, which is offered through sacrament and word. And this is a certain, right
1) Müller: "that". Latin: qui ckoeent.
Custom of the holy sacraments, because a heart and a conscience may dare and let themselves. For no one can grasp the divine promise except through faith alone. And the sacraments are external signs and seals of the promise.
487 Therefore, the proper use of the same requires faith. When I receive the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, Christ clearly says: "This is the New Testament. I must believe that I will receive the grace and forgiveness of sins promised in the New Testament. And this I shall receive in faith, and thereby comfort my frightened, stupid conscience, and stand certain that God's word and promise are not lacking, but be as certain, and even more certain, as if God had given me a new voice, or new miraculous signs from heaven, through which grace would be promised to me. But what good are miraculous signs if there is no faith? And we are speaking here of faith, since I certainly believe for myself that my sins are forgiven, not only of fide generali, since I believe that there is a God. The same right use of the sacraments is quite comforting and refreshes the conscience.
488 But what the ugly, shameful, ungodly doctrine of the opere operato, since it teaches that if I use the sacraments, the work done makes me pious before God and obtains me grace, even though the heart has no good thoughts about it, has introduced for abuse and error, no one can think, write, or say enough. For that is where the unspeakable, innumerable, horrible abuse of the masses came from. And they cannot point to a tittle or a letter from the old fathers that proves the scholastic opinion; indeed, Augustine says straight against it that faith in the use of the sacrament, not the sacrament, makes us pious before God.
Article XIV: The Church Regiment.
489 In the fourteenth article, where we say that no one is allowed to preach or to administer the sacraments in the church, but only those who are duly called, that is what they accept, if we understand the calling thus of priests who are ordained or consecrated according to the content of the Canonum. We let ourselves hear about this matter several times at this Imperial Diet, that we are highly inclined to help preserve the old church order and the bishops' rule, which is called oarionioarn politianp, if the bishops would tolerate our doctrine and accept our priests.
490 Now the bishops have persecuted ours until now, and murdered them against their own rights. Thus we cannot yet obtain that they desist from such tyranny. Therefore, it is our fault that the bishops are deprived of obedience, and we are excused before God and all pious people. For since the bishops will not tolerate ours, for they abandon this doctrine that we have confessed, and yet we owe it to God to confess and uphold this doctrine, we must let the bishops go, and be more obedient to God, and know that the Christian Church is there, where God's Word is taught rightly. Let the bishops see how they will take responsibility for 1) tearing apart and desolating the churches through such tyranny.
Article XV. (VIII.) Of the human statutes in the church.
491 In the fifteenth article they let them have their way, since we say that ceremonies and statutes should be kept in the church, which can be kept with a good conscience without sin, and which serve for good order and peace. The other part they condemn, because we say that the statutes, which are established to propitiate God and to obtain forgiveness of sins, are strictly contrary to the gospel. Although we have said much in the Confession about the difference between food and ordinances, we must briefly repeat it here.
492 Although we thought that the adversaries would seek other causes to protect the human statutes, we would not have thought that they should condemn this article, namely: through human tradition no one deserves forgiveness of sin. But because the same whole article is unashamedly condemned, we have an easy, bad thing. For this is openly Jewish, that is, openly suppressing the gospel with the devil's teaching. For the Scriptures and Paul call such doctrines true doctrines of the devil only when they are praised for serving to obtain forgiveness of sin. For then they are contrary to Christ, contrary to the gospel, as fire and water are contrary to one another.
The gospel teaches that through faith in Christ we receive forgiveness of sins without merit and are reconciled to God. But the adversaries set up another mediator, namely the laws of men, by which they want to obtain forgiveness of sins.
1) Thus the Jenaer. Müller: there.
They want to obtain the forgiveness of sin, through which they want to appease the wrath of God. But Christ clearly says: "They serve me in vain by the commandment of men."
494. Above we have abundantly shown that we are justified before God by faith, when we believe that we have a gracious God, not by our works, but through Christ. Now it is quite certain that this is the pure gospel. For Paul clearly says to the Ephesians in chapter 2, v. 8: "Without merit you have been saved; and that not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God, not of works." Now the adversaries say that people deserve forgiveness of sins by such human statutes and works. What is this different than putting and placing another mediator, another propitiator above Christ? Paul says to the Galatians [Cap. 5, 4]: "You have fallen away from Christ, if you want to be justified by the law", that is, if you think that you are justified before God by the law, Christ is of no use to you. For what may those of Christ's mediator who trust in the works of the law to propitiate God? God has shown Christ that He will be gracious to us for the sake of the same Mediator, not for the sake of our righteousness. But they think that God is gracious to us for the sake of their works and for the sake of such tradition. So they take and rob Christ of his honor, and there is no difference between the ceremonies of the Law of Moses and such statutes as far as this matter is concerned. Paul rejects the ceremonies of Moses for the very reason that he also rejects the commandments of men, namely, that the Jews considered them to be works that earned forgiveness of sins. For by this Christ was suppressed. Therefore he rejects the works of the law and the commandment of men at the same time, and disputes this: that not for our works, but for Christ's sake without merit, forgiveness of sins is promised, but so that we grasp it by faith. For the promise cannot be grasped in any other way than by faith.
495 If then we obtain forgiveness of sins through faith, if we have a gracious God through faith for Christ's sake, it is a great error and blasphemy that we should obtain forgiveness of sins through such statutes.
496 If then they would say that we do not obtain forgiveness of sins by such works, but if we have forgiveness now through faith, we should then merit by such works that God may be gracious to us. But Paul argues against that, to the
Galatians 2, v. 17, where he says: "But if we ourselves, who seek to be justified by Christ, should also be found sinners, Christ would be a minister of sin." Item sCap. 3, 15]: "To a man's testament let no man add anything." Therefore, even to the testament of God, where He promises us that He will be gracious to us for Christ's sake, nothing should be added, nor should this be suggested, as if we first deserve that God should be gracious to us for the sake of such works.
497. And if someone else wanted to establish or choose such works to propitiate God, to earn forgiveness of sin, how would he be sure that the works pleased God, if he had neither God's command nor His word about them? How will he assure the consciences and hearts how they stand with God? Item, that the works are pleasing to God, if there is no word of God nor command?
The prophets forbid everywhere to establish their own, chosen, special worship without God's word and command, Ezek. 20, 18: "Walk not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their customs, nor be defiled by their idols. I am the Lord your God, walk in my commandments, and keep my statutes and my judgments, and do them." If men have power to worship, that we may thereby pay for sin and become godly before God, then all the worship of the Gentiles, all the idolatry of all the godless kings of Israel, Jeroboam and others, must also be good. For there is no difference. If men have the power to establish worship to earn salvation, why should the worship of the Gentiles and Israelites be unjust? For this is why the services of the Gentiles and Israelites were rejected, because they thought that such services pleased God, and knew nothing of the highest service, which is called faith. Item, how can we be sure that such services and works without God's word make one righteous before God, if no man can know or experience God's will other than by His word alone? How, if such services are not only despised by God the Lord, but also considered an abomination? How can the adversaries say that they justify themselves before God? Without God's word, no one can ever say that. Paul says to the Romans [Cap. 14, 23.]: "Everything that does not come from faith is sin." If these services have no divine command, the hearts must be in doubt as to whether they please God.
499 And what may this public matter of many words? If the adversaries defend these services as if they were works, by which one earns forgiveness of sins and salvation, they establish public antichristian doctrine and kingdom. For the kingdom of Antichrist is actually such a new worship, invented by men, by which Christ is rejected, as Mahomet's kingdom has its own chosen worship, its own works, by which they pretend to become holy and pious before God, and do not believe that one is justified by faith in Christ alone.
So the papacy also becomes a part of the kingdom of Antichrist, if it teaches to obtain forgiveness of sins by human commandment and to reconcile God. For Christ's honor is taken away when they teach that we are not justified by faith through Christ without merit, but through such worship, especially when they teach that such self-chosen worship is not only useful, but also necessary, as they hold in the eighth article above, where they condemn that we said: for the right unity of the church it is not necessary that there be uniform statutes of men everywhere. Daniel in the 11th chapter, v. 38, describes the kingdom of Antichrist in such a way that he indicates that such new services, invented by men, will be the politia and the true essence of the Antichristian kingdom. For thus he says: "He will honor the God of Maosim, and the God whom his fathers did not recognize he will serve with gold, silver and precious stones." There he describes such new services, because he says of such a God, of which the fathers did not know.
For the holy fathers, though they had ceremonies and statutes, they did not think that such ceremonies were useful and necessary for salvation, yet they did not suppress Christ with them, but taught that God was gracious to us for Christ's sake, not for the sake of such services. But they kept the same statutes for the sake of bodily exercise, as the festivals, so that the people would know, when they came together, that everything in the churches was done properly and chastely, for the sake of good examples, so that even the common, coarse people would be kept in fine child discipline. For such a difference of time and such various services serve to keep the people in discipline and to remind them of history. The fathers had these causes to preserve human order.
502 And in this way we do not dispute that good custom is kept. And we can-
We are not surprised enough that the adversaries are allowed to teach against all the scriptures of the apostles, against the Old and New Testaments, that we should obtain eternal salvation and forgiveness of sins through such church services. For what is that but, as Daniel says, to honor God with gold, silver and precious stones, that is, to hold that God will be gracious to us through various church decorations, through flags, candles, such as are innumerable in such statutes of men? Paul writes to the Colossians [Cap. 2, 23] that such statutes have an appearance of wisdom. And also has a great appearance, as if it were almost holy, because disorder is evil, and such orderly child discipline is useful in the church etc. But because human reason does not understand what faith is, those who judge by reason fall into it from the beginning, and make such a work out of it, which is to help us to heaven and reconcile God.
503 Thus the falsities and harmful idolatries have broken down among the Israelites. Therefore they made one worship above another, as in our time one altar is set up above another, one church above another. So also human reason judges of other bodily exercises than fasting etc. For fasting serves to tame the old Adam; soon reason falls upon it and makes a work out of it that reconciles God, as Thomas writes, fasting is a work that is suitable to erase guilt against God and to prevent it further. These are the clear words of St. Thomas. So these services, which are very glittering, have a great appearance and a great reputation of holiness before the people. And the examples of the saints help in this, when they say: St. Francis wore a cap, and the like. Here they look only at the external practice, not at the heart and faith.
504 And when people are thus deceived by such great and splendid appearances of holiness, innumerable dangers and evil ensue, namely, that the knowledge of Christ and the gospel are forgotten, and that all trust is placed in such works. Moreover, through such hypocritical works, the true good works that God demands in the Ten Commandments are completely suppressed (which is terrible to hear). For the works must be called only spiritual, holy, perfect life, and are then far preferred to the right, holy good works, since each one must walk according to God's commandment in his profession, to rule the authorities diligently, faithfully, the fathers of the house, the married people, wife and child, servants,
to keep them in Christian discipline. Item, as a maid, a servant is obligated to serve his master faithfully. These works are not regarded as divine, but as worldly beings, so that many people have a heavy conscience about them. For it is known that some have left their princely state, some their married state, and have gone into monasteries to become holy and spiritual.
505 And in addition to the error, there is the lamentation that when people are under the delusion that such statutes are necessary for salvation, their consciences are in unrest and torment without ceasing, because they have not kept their orders, their monasticism, and their established works so strictly. For who could tell all the statutes? There are innumerable books in which not one tittle, not one syllabus is written of Christ, of faith, or of the right good works that God gives, which each one is obliged to do according to his profession, but of such statutes alone do they write, as, to grasp the forty days, to hear mass, to pray four tides etc. There is no end to interpretation and dispensation.
How miserably the good pious man Gerson agonizes, writhes and wriggles over things, since he would like to help the consciences with the right consolation, since gradus unb latitudines ^φεί praeceptorum, how far the same commandments bind, and yet cannot find a certain degree, since he may assure the heart of security and peace. Therefore, he also complains quite vehemently, how in great danger the consciences and consciences stand by the fact that one demands such statutes thus in a mortal sin and wants to have kept.
507 But against such hypocritical, glittering statutes, by which much is touched and the consciences are miserably troubled without cause, we are to arm ourselves and strengthen ourselves with God's word. First of all, we must be sure that forgiveness of sin is not earned by such statutes. We have the apostle above, to Colossians [Cap. 2, 16.]: "Let no one make you conscience about food, drink, new moons, Sabbaths." And the apostle wants to understand the whole law of Moses and such tradition at the same time, so that the adversaries would not fall asleep here, as they tend to do, as if Paul were speaking only of the law of Moses. But he indicates clearly enough that he also speaks of human statutes. Although the opponents themselves do not know what they are saying. For if the gospel and Paul clearly state that even the ceremonies and works of the Law of Moses do not help in the sight of God, much less will i human statutes.
For this reason, the bishops do not have the power or authority to establish their own chosen services, which are to make the people holy and devout before God. For the apostles also say, Apost. 15,10: "Why do you tempt God and put a burden on the disciples" etc. Peter chides it as a great sin to blaspheme and tempt God. Therefore, it is the apostle's opinion that this freedom should remain in the church, that no ceremonies, neither the Law of Moses nor other statutes, should be valued as necessary services, as some ceremonies in the Law of Moses had to be held as necessary in the Old Testament for a time. Therefore, we must also prevent the preaching of grace and of Christ, of the forgiveness of sins out of pure grace, from being suppressed, and the harmful error from taking hold, as if 1) the statutes were necessary to be pious before God.
They sought relief, how one might help the consciences, so that they would not be tortured by tradition in such manifold ways, and could not find anything certain to help the consciences out of their bonds. The holy Scriptures and the apostles, however, have gone through it briefly, and have badly acknowledged everything with one stroke, and have stated clearly and plainly that we are free in Christ, free from all traditions, especially if we seek to attain salvation and forgiveness of sin through them. This is why the apostles teach that the harmful Pharisaic doctrine should be resisted with doctrines and counterexamples.
(510) Therefore, we teach that such statutes do not make one righteous in the sight of God, nor are they necessary for salvation, nor should anyone make or accept such statutes in the belief that he will thereby become righteous in the sight of God. But whoever wants to keep them, let him keep them, just as I would keep another city custom where I live, without any confidence that I would thereby become righteous before God. As that I wear German clothes with the Germans, with the whales I hold as a custom of the country, not to be blessed by it.
511 The apostles, as the gospel indicates, break such statutes freshly, and are praised by Christ for it. For it is necessary to show and prove to the Pharisees, not only by teaching and preaching, but also by deed, that such services are of no use for salvation.
1) Müller and the Jenaers: are.
And therefore, even if ours omit some traditions and ceremonies, they are sufficiently excused. For the bishops demand such things as necessary for salvation. This is an error that is not to be suffered.
Furthermore, the oldest statutes in the church, such as the three high feasts etc., the Sunday celebration and the like, which were invented for the sake of good order, unity and peace etc., we like to keep. Our people also preach about them in the mildest way possible, but they also say that they do not make people righteous in the sight of God. Therefore, the adversaries speak their authority, and do us all wrong before God, when they blame us for taking away and putting down all good ceremonies, all order in the church. For we may say with truth that it is more Christian and honest in our churches with proper services than with the adversaries. And where there are God-fearing, respectable, sensible, impartial people who want to consider and look at this matter quite carefully, we keep the old canons and mentem legis more, purer and more diligently than the adversaries. For the adversaries unashamedly trample underfoot the most honest canons, as they also do to Christ and the Gospel. The priests and monks in the monasteries abuse the Mass in the most terrible and atrocious way, holding masses in large numbers every day, just for the sake of interest, for money, for the sake of the shameful belly. Thus they sing the Psalms in pens, not that they study or pray earnestly (for the majority does not understand one verse in Psalms), but they keep their matins and vespers as a proper service, which carries their pensions and interest. They cannot deny all this. Even some of the righteous among them are ashamed of this fair, and say: clerus may be a reformation.
513 In our country, however, the people need the holy sacrament willingly and without hesitation every Sunday, and they are first questioned as to whether they know or understand Christian doctrine, the Lord's Prayer, the faith, and the Ten Commandments. Item, the youth and the people sing Latin and German psalms properly, so that they get used to the sayings of the Scriptures and learn to pray. With the adversaries there is no catechism, since the canons speak of it. With us, the canons are kept so that the pastors and church servants, publicly and at home, instruct the children and youth in God's Word. And the catechism is not a child's note, like flags, carrying candles, but an almost useful instruction.
514 In many countries, such as in Italy and Hispania, the opponents do not preach throughout the year, but only during Lent. Then they should cry out and lament, for this means that all church services have been overturned. For the greatest, holiest, most necessary, highest service, which God demanded as the greatest in the first and second commandments, is to preach God's word. For the office of preaching is the highest office in the church; now, if the service is omitted, how can there be knowledge of God, the teaching of Christ, or the gospel? Therefore, even if they preach during Lent or at other times, they teach nothing but such human statutes, calling on the saints, holy water, and such foolish works; and the use is that their people soon run out of the church when the text of the Gospel is said, which may have begun because they do not like to hear the other lies. Some few of them now also begin to preach about good works. But of the knowledge of Christ, of faith, of the consolation of consciences, they can preach nothing, but the same blessed doctrine, the dear holy gospel, they call Lutheran.
515 In our church, however, preachers teach these following necessary things with the greatest diligence: of right repentance, of the fear of God, of faith, what it is, of the knowledge of Christ, of righteousness, which comes from faith. How consciences should seek comfort in anxieties and temptations, how faith must be exercised through all kinds of temptations, what is right prayer, how one should pray. Item, that a Christian should certainly comfort himself that his call and petition will be heard by God in heaven. About the holy cross, about obedience to the authorities. Item, how each one may live and drive Christianly in his state, from the obedience of the lords commandment, all worldly order and laws. How to distinguish the spiritual kingdom of Christ from the regiments and kingdoms of the world, from the state of marriage, and how to conduct it in a Christian manner, from the Christian discipline of children, from chastity, and from all kinds of works of love toward one's neighbor. Thus, our church is equipped with doctrine and conduct, from which impartial people can easily notice and accept that we do not reject Christian, right ceremonies, but maintain them with diligence in the most faithful way.
516. and the mortification of the flesh or old Adam we teach thus, as our confession reports, that the right mortification happens when God breaks our will, cross and tribulation.
that we learn to be obedient to His will, as Paul says to the Romans on the 12th [v. 1]: "Commit your own bodies as a holy sacrifice." And these are right, holy mortifications, thus in tribulations learning to know God, to fear Him, to love Him etc. Above these tribulations, which are not at our will, there are also the bodily exercises, since Christ says: "Beware that your bodies are not weighed down with food and drink" [Luc. 21,34.]. And Paul to the Corinthians [1 Ep. 9, 27]: "I tame my body" etc. The exercises are to be done, not that they are necessary divine services, by which one becomes pious before God, but that we keep our flesh in check, so that we do not become secure and idle through gluttony and burdening of the body, following the devil's temptations and the lusts of the flesh. This fasting and fasting should not only be done for a certain time, but all the time. For God wants us to live moderately and soberly at all times. And as experience shows, certain days of fasting do not help much. For with fish and all kinds of fasting food, people have done more intemperance and quaffing than apart from fasting. And the adversaries themselves have never kept fasts as indicated in the canons.
517 This article of human tradition or statutes has been the subject of much heavy disputation and questioning, and experience has made it all too clear that such statutes are heavy chains and ropes to torment the conscience. For if there is this delusion that they are necessary for salvation, then they torment a poor conscience beyond measure, as pious hearts well experience when they have omitted a comple etc. in horis canonicis, or have done something similar against it. Again, to teach liberty par excellence has also its concern and question, according to which the common people need external discipline and instruction.
518. But the adversaries themselves make this thing certain and bad. For they condemn us because we teach that by human statutes we do not deserve forgiveness of sin before God. Item, they want to keep their statutes universally throughout the whole church, worse than necessary, and put them in place of Christ. We have a strong patron saint for us, the apostle Paul, who argues in all places that such statutes do not make us righteous before God and are not necessary for salvation.
519. Our people also teach clearly and distinctly that Christian freedom in things should be used in such a way as to protect the weak from those who are so
The church is not to be changed without special and unmoving cause, but for the sake of peace and unity, those customs should be kept which without sin are not changed. Therefore our preachers also teach that nothing should be changed in the church customs without special and moving causes, but for the sake of peace and unity, those customs should be kept which can be kept without sin and without burdening the consciences. And on this Augsburg day of celebration, we found ourselves and let ourselves be heard immediately enough that we wanted to be unburdened for love's sake to keep some adiaphora with the others. For we have also well considered among ourselves that common unity and peace, as much as these could be maintained without burdening the consciences, would be preferred to all other minor matters. But of all this we shall speak further hereafter, when we shall deal with monastic vows and the potestate ecclesiastica.
Article XVI: The Secular Regiment.
520 The XVIth article the adversaries leave to them without any further questions, since we say and teach in the Confession that a Christian may be in authority with God and conscience, govern land and people, pronounce judgement and law, from imperial and other common rights, punish evildoers with the sword and otherwise according to severity, wage wars, buy and sell, have and keep house, farm and other property, swear oaths taken in courts. In sum, since we teach that authority and government, item, their right and punishment, and everything that belongs to it, are good creatures of God and God's order, which a Christian may use with a good conscience. This article pleases them well.
521 This very important, necessary article of the difference between the spiritual kingdom of Christ and the temporal kingdom, which is almost necessary to know, has been given by ours quite properly, correctly and clearly, to the noticeable great comfort of many consciences. For we have clearly taught that Christ's kingdom is spiritual, since he reigns through the Word and the preaching, works through the Holy Spirit, and increases in us faith, godliness, love, patience inwardly in the heart, and here on earth sows in us God's kingdom and eternal life. But as long as this life lasts, he nevertheless leaves us in need of the laws, order and status that exist in the world, according to which each one's profession is, just as he leaves us in need of medicines, items, building and planting, air and water.
And the gospel does not bring new law into the government of the world, but commands and wills that we should be obedient to the laws and to the authorities under whom we live, whether Gentiles or Christians, and that in such obedience we should show our love. For Carolostadius was foolish and foolish in this case, that he taught that one should order the city and country regiments according to the law of Moses.
522 For this reason, ours have written about this piece all the more diligently. For the monks had taught many and quite harmful errors in the church. For they called this an evangelical life, that one should not have one's own, that one should not practice punishment and revenge, that one should not have a wife and child. Such teaching has completely suppressed the pure evangelical doctrine, that one has not understood at all what is Christian or the spiritual kingdom of Christ, and have boiled the worldly and spiritual kingdom into one another, from which much unrighteousness and seditious, harmful teaching has resulted etc. For the gospel does not tear down worldly rule, housekeeping, buying, selling and other worldly police, but confirms authority and rule, and commands to be obedient to the same as God's order, not only for the sake of punishment, but also for the sake of conscience.
523 Julianus Apostata, Celsus and some others have accused Christians that their gospel was tearing and disrupting the world regiments and police, because it forbids not to take revenge and the like. And the same questions have caused much trouble to Origen, Nazianzeno and some others, so that it is easy to answer them, if only we know that the evangelical doctrine does not make new laws of world regimes, but preaches forgiveness of sin, and that the spiritual kingdom and eternal life begins in the heart of the believer.
524 The Gospel does not only leave the same external police, world government and order, but also wants us to be obedient to them, just as in this temporal life we should be obedient and subject to the common course of nature as God's order. We let it become winter and summer etc. There is nothing to prevent the spiritual kingdom. The gospel alone bequeaths privatam vindictam, that no one may encroach upon the office of the authorities. And this is why Christ so often indicates that the apostles should not think that they should become world rulers, and take the kingdoms and authorities from those who were in authority at the time, as the Jews thought of the kingdom of the Messiah.
but that they would know that their office was to preach the spiritual kingdom, not to change some world rule. For this reason the commandment that Christ betrayed to avenge Himself is not only a counsel but a serious commandment, Matth. 5, 39. and Rom. 12, 19.
525 The vengeance and punishment of evil done by the authorities is not forbidden, but rather commanded, for it is God's work, as Paul says Romans 13:1, 2. The same vengeance occurs when one punishes evildoers, wages war for the sake of public peace, uses the sword, horses and armor etc. Some teachers have taught such harmful errors that nearly all princes, lords, knights, and servants have considered their rightful status to be worldly, ungodly, and damned etc. And it is not easy to explain in words what unspeakable harm and damage to souls and consciences this has caused. For they have taught as if the gospel and Christian doctrine were vain monastic life, and have not seen that the gospel teaches how one is saved from sin, hell, and the devil in the sight of God and in conscience, and by heart leaves to the world its rule in outward things.
526 It has also been a lie and a deception that they have unashamedly taught that Christian perfection consists in having nothing of one's own. For Christian perfection does not consist in being outwardly pious and in separating myself from the world, but in faith and the true fear of God in the heart. For Abraham, David, Daniel have been in royal status, in great princely estates and offices, have also had great riches, and yet have been more holy, more perfect, than ever a monk or a Carthusian has come on earth.
But the monks, especially the barefooted, made a pretense before the eyes of the people, about which no one knew what true holiness was. For how highly evangelical, how great holiness the monks have praised only this, that one should have nothing of one's own, that one should be willingly poor. But these are very harmful doctrines, since Scripture says nothing about them, but teaches them directly against them. The Ten Commandments of God clearly say: "Thou shalt not steal. God is relenting, so that each one may have his own.
528 In this matter, Wiclefus has been quite furious, insisting that no bishop or priest should have anything of his own. Thus are innumerable, confused disputations of contracts,
since Christian consciences can never be satisfied, they have been taught this necessary part, so that a Christian with a good conscience may abide by the law of the land and its usage. For this instruction saves many consciences, since we teach that the contracts are without danger before God, as far as they are accepted in common law and custom of the land, which are equal to the law.
529 This high, necessary article, namely of authority, of world laws, is given by ours quite clearly and correctly, so that many great, high, honorable people, who according to their status must deal with regiments and are in great dealings, confess that their consciences have received noticeable consolation, who before suffered unspeakable agony through such errors of the monks, and were in doubt whether their status was also Christian, and whether the gospel would allow such.
We have told this so that even the strangers, enemies and friends may understand that through this doctrine the authorities, land regiment, imperial law and others are not suppressed, but rather highly honored and protected. That this doctrine also only gives right instruction, how a glorious, great office, full of Christian good works, is the office of the regiment, etc., all of which was previously held by the hypocritical monastic doctrine for sinful, worldly states, life and being, to unspeakable danger to the conscience. For the monks have invented such hypocrisy, praised and held their humility and poverty much higher than that of princes and lords, fathers, mothers and heads of households, even though these ranks have God's word and command, while monasticism has no command from God.
Article XVII: From the Second Coming of Christ to the Judgment.
531 The adversaries accept the XVII article, since we confess that Christ will come on the last day, raise the dead, give eternal life and joy to the pious, and condemn the wicked to eternal torment with the devil.
Article XVIII. Of free will.
532. The adversaries accept the XVIIIth article of free will, even though they use several sayings of Scripture that do not rhyme with the matter. They also make a great clamor that free will should not be exalted too high, like the Pelagians; so it should not be taken too much with the Manichaeans. Yes,
all well said. But what is the difference between the Pelagians and our opponents? They both teach that without the Holy Spirit men can love God, keep God's commandment quoad substantiam actuum, that is, they can do the works by natural reason, without the Holy Spirit, thereby earning God's grace.
533 How many innumerable errors result from this Pelagian doctrine, which they nonetheless practice and preach very strongly in their schools. These same errors are most vehemently refuted by Augustine of Paul, whose opinion we have set forth above in de justificatione. And we also say that reason has free will to some extent. For in the things that can be grasped and understood by reason, we have a free will. There is in us a capacity to live outwardly honorably, to speak of God, to perform outward worship, or holy offerings, to obey authorities and parents, not to steal, not to kill. For since, after Adam's fall, natural reason remains, that I know evil and good in things that can be understood by sense and reason, so also is to some extent our free will's ability to live honorably or dishonorably. This is what the Scriptures call the righteousness of the flesh, which reason is able to do to some extent without the Holy Spirit, although the inherent evil desire is so powerful that people follow it more often than reason, and the devil, who, as Paul says, works powerfully in the ungodly, incites the poor, weak nature to all sins without ceasing.
534 And this is the reason why even few lead an honorable life according to natural reason, as we see that even few philosophers, who nevertheless strive hard for it, have led an honorable external life properly. But this is false and fictitious, that those should be without sin who do such works apart from grace, or that such good works should merit forgiveness of sins and grace. For such hearts, which are without the Holy Spirit, are without fear of God, without faith, without trust, do not believe that God will hear them, that He will forgive their sins, that He will help them in need; therefore they are godless.
Now an evil tree cannot bear good fruit, and without faith no one can please God. Therefore, although we concede that it is in our power to do such an outward work, we say that free will and reason are not able to do anything in spiritual matters.
To truly believe in God, to rely on God to be with us, to hear us, to forgive our sins etc. For these are the right, high, noblest good works of the first table in the Ten Commandments, which no human heart can do without the light and grace of the Holy Spirit, as Paul says to the Corinthians [1 Ep. 2, 14]: "The natural man hears nothing of the Spirit of God," that is, a man who is not enlightened by God's Spirit hears nothing at all from natural reason about God's will or divine things.
536 And this is what people feel when they ask their hearts how they are against God's will, whether they are certain that God is aware of them and hears them. For to believe this with certainty, and thus to dare and rely completely on an invisible God, and, as Peter says [1 Ep. 1, 8], to love and esteem great the Christ whom we do not see, is difficult even for the saints; how then should it be easy for the ungodly? But then 1) we begin to believe rightly, when our hearts are first frightened, and are raised up again through Christ, being born again through the Holy Spirit, as said above.
537 Therefore it is good to distinguish clearly between these things, namely, that reason and free will are able to live outwardly honorably to some extent. But to be born anew, to get a different heart, mind and courage inside, that is only the work of the Holy Spirit. Thus, worldly outward discipline remains. For God does not want a clumsy, wild, impudent nature and life, and yet a proper distinction is made between outward worldly life and piety and the piety that is valid before God, which is not philosophically outward, but inwardly in the heart.
538 And we did not invent this difference, but the holy scripture clearly states it. So does Augustine, and recently Guilielmo Parisiensi has also written and acted diligently. But those who invent and dream for themselves, as if men were able to keep God's law without the Holy Spirit, and as if the Holy Spirit would give us grace in view of our merit, have shamefully suppressed this necessary teaching.
Article XIX: The Cause of Sins.
539. the XIX article the adversaries leave to them, since we teach that, although the one God created the whole world and the whole nature, and all hours he created all creatures, he did not create the whole world and the whole nature.
1) "but" is missing in Müller. Latin: autsm.
But the evil will in devils and men, which turns away from God, is a cause of sin, as Christ says of the devil: "When he speaks lies, he speaks from his own mouth.
Article XX: Of Good Works.
540 In the XX article they clearly put these words, that they reject and condemn our doctrine, since we say that people do not deserve forgiveness of sins by good works. Let everyone be aware of this. They condemn and reject this very article with clear words. Now what need is there to say much in this public matter? The great doctors and masters of the Confutation publicly show what kind of spirit speaks out of them. For in the Christian church this is no small article, but the very highest and chief article, that we obtain forgiveness of sin without our merit through Christ; and that not our works, but Christ is the propitiation for our sin, as Peter says [Acts 10:43]: "To Jesus all the prophets bear witness, that we obtain forgiveness of sins, all who believe in him."
541 Such a strong testimony of all holy prophets may be called a decision of the Catholic Christian Church. For even a single prophet is held in high esteem by God, and is a world treasure of the same holy church. And we are to believe the unanimous mouth of all prophets more cheaply than the unholy, godless sophists who have made the confutation and blaspheme Christ so brazenly. For although some teachers have written that afterward, when our sins are forgiven, we obtain grace not by faith but by our own works, they have not held that the forgiveness of sins in themselves comes to us because of our works and not because of Christ.
Therefore, it is an abominable blasphemy to give the glory of Christ to our human works. And we pledge and pledge ourselves to the imperial majesty and also to other princes of this imperial, princely virtue, that they would not have left in any way, if they had been warned, such public untruth and falsehood, by which God and the Gospel are blasphemed before all the world. For that this article is certainly divine and true, and that this is the holy divine truth, we could here very nearly bring forward innumerable sayings of Scripture, even from the Fathers. And there is not a single leaf in the Bible, not a single passage, in the pre
The most beautiful books of the Holy Scriptures, because this would not be clearly reported. We have also said much about these things above; and godly, pious hearts, who know why Christ is given, who would not spare for all the world's goods and kingdoms that Christ should not be our only treasure, our only mediator and reconciler, are shocked and horrified that God's holy word and truth should be so publicly despised and condemned by poor men. Isaiah the prophet says [Cap. 53, 6.]: "The Lord has laid on him all our sin." The adversaries, however, lied to Isaiah and the whole Bible and Scripture, saying: he has laid on us our sin and our works and beggarly satisfaction. Nevertheless, I will be silent here about childish works, rosaries, pilgrimages etc. and the like.
543 We are well aware of the serious mandates and the imperial edict that have gone out against us and our doctrine; we should be reasonably frightened if we had to deal with minor matters or matters that were in doubt. But since we are certain (praise God!) by God's word in distant hearts and minds that the adversaries condemn the public, divine truth and the right Christian, blessed, holy doctrine, without which no Christian church can exist, which every Christian, as far as his body and life reach, is obliged to confess, save and protect for the glory of God, we will not be deterred by such salutary doctrine. For who would not wish him at his last end to die in the confession of the article, that we may obtain forgiveness of sin by faith, without our merit or works, through the blood of Christ?
There is experience, as the monks themselves must confess, that consciences cannot be quieted nor brought to peace except by faith in Christ; and consciences cannot have proper constant comfort in the great anxieties at the hour of death, and in contestation against the great terror of death, of sin, if they do not hold to the promise of grace in Christ. Nor can they have constant comfort against the devil, who first presses strongly upon the hearts, distresses them, and provokes them to despair, and blows away all our works in a moment like dust, if they do not hold fast to the gospel, to this doctrine, that we obtain forgiveness of sins through the precious blood of Christ without any merit. For faith alone refreshes and sustains us in the
In the great agony, in the great anguish, when no creature can help, yes, when we are to pass away and die outside of this whole visible creature into another being and world.
545 Therefore, it is a matter that is truly worth talking about, for the sake of which every Christian should gladly dare and set everything in motion. Therefore, all those who adhere to this confession of ours must not be frightened or misled, but in all joyfulness in God and the Lord Christ, may confidently and cheerfully dare to confess this public truth against all the tyranny, wrath, anger, terror, and also against all tyrannical daily murder and persecution. For who would want to deprive him of such great, even eternal comfort, in which all salvation of the entire Christian church is at stake?
If you take the Bible in your hand and read it seriously, you will soon realize that this doctrine is founded everywhere in Scripture. For Paul clearly says in Romans 3 and 4 that sins are forgiven without merit for Christ's sake; therefore he says, "We are justified by faith without merit, that the promise may stand firm," that is, if the promise were of our works, it would not be firm. And if grace or forgiveness of sin were given because of our works, when would we be sure that we had obtained grace? When would the conscience find such a work that would be enough to propitiate God's wrath? We have said enough about this above; each one may search the sayings of the Scriptures that establish this doctrine. For in this place I have been moved to complain so vehemently of the abominable, impudent, overpowering, preconceived wickedness of the adversaries, when they state in plain words that they reject this article, that we obtain forgiveness of sin, not by our works, but without merit through faith in Christ.
547 The adversaries also introduce some sayings of Scripture why they condemn this article; namely, they bring forth the saying of Peter [2 Ep. 1, 10]: "Be diligent to make your profession firm by good works. There everyone sees that our adversaries have not invested their money badly, since they have studied dialeeticam. For they may introduce the sayings of the Scriptures rhymed, unrhymed, finally, unfinished, as they will and as they please. For so they conclude, Peter says, "Make your profession firm by good works," therefore only by works earn forgiveness of sin. It is truly a fine argumentation, as if one were to say
In the case of a defendant in a court of law, whose life had been forfeited, the judge commanded that he should henceforth abstain from such wrongdoing; therefore, by such abstention, he deserved to have his life forfeited. Thus to argue, that is, to make ex non causa causam. For Peter speaks of good works and fruits that follow faith, and teaches why they should be done, namely, that we may establish our profession, that is, that we may not again fall from the gospel if we sin again. I want to say: Do good works, so that you stay with the gospel, with your heavenly calling, so that you do not fall away again, become cold, lose your spirit and gifts, which have come to you by grace through Christ, not for the sake of the following works. For in the profession one remains firm through faith, and faith and the Holy Spirit do not remain in those who lead a sinful life.
They set more sayings and testimonies that rhyme just as well. In addition, they may say that this opinion was condemned a thousand years ago in Augustine's time. This is not true, but a lie. For the Christian church has always held that forgiveness of sin comes to us without merit, and the Pelagians are therefore condemned who said that grace is given to us because of our works.
(549) We have said enough above that we also teach that where there is faith, good fruits and good works should follow. For "we do not abolish the law, but establish it," as Paul says [Rom. 3:31]. For when we have received the Holy Spirit through faith, good fruits follow; so we increase in love, in patience, in chastity, and other fruits of the Spirit.
Article XXI. (IX.) Of invocations of the saints.
(550) The twenty-first article the adversaries condemn entirely, that we teach nothing of invoking the saints. And they do not act at all with such rambling talk, and yet accomplish nothing, except that they say: one should honor the saints. They try to prove that the living saints pray one for another; from this they conclude that the dead saints should and must be invoked.
They refer to Cyprianum, who asked Cornelium, while he was still alive, that if he had died, he would pray for the brothers. In this way they prove that one must invoke the dead saints. They also draw on Hieronymum against Vigilantium, saying: In this matter, a thousand years ago, Jerome overcame Vigilantium.
den. So they go on, thinking that they have won by far, and they do not see that in Jerome against Vigilantium there is no syllable about calling the saints. Jerome does not speak of invoking the saints, but of honoring the saints. Also, the ancient teachers before Gregory's time did not think of the invocation of the saints. And the invocation of the saints, as well as the applicatio of the merit of the saints, of which the adversaries teach, has no basis in Scripture.
552 In our confession we do not deny that one should honor the saints. For there are three kinds of honor in honoring the saints. For the first, that we give thanks to God that he has shown us examples of his grace in the saints, that he has given teachers in the church and other gifts; and the gifts, because they are great, are to be praised highly, also the saints themselves, who have used such gifts well; as Christ in the Gospel praises the faithful servants [Matth. 25, 21. 23.].
The other honor we may do to the saints is to strengthen our faith by their example. When I see that Petro's sin is forgiven by such abundant grace, because he denied Christ, my heart and conscience are strengthened, so that I believe that grace is more powerful than sin.
For the third, we honor the saints by following their examples of faith, love, and patience, each according to his profession.
555 The adversaries speak nothing of this right honor of the saints, only of the invocation of the saints, which, even if it were without danger to the consciences, is not necessary. There they quarrel. So we give in to them and let the angels pray for us. For it is written in Zech. 1:12, that the angel prayeth, "O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem?" And though we concede that, as the living saints pray for the whole church in general or in genere, so may the saints in heaven pray for the whole church in general or in genere. But this has no testimony in Scripture, but only the dream, which is taken from the other book Maccabaeorum [Cap. 15, 14].
556 Further, although the saints pray for the church, it does not follow that one should call upon the saints. Although our Confession alone states this: there is nothing in Scripture about calling upon the saints, or that one should seek help from the saints. If then neither commandment, nor promise, nor example can be brought forward from Scripture, it follows that neither heart nor conscience
can rely on it. For since every prayer is to be done by faith, how will I know that God pleases Him with the invocation of the saints, if I do not have God's word about it? How can I be sure that the saints will hear my prayer and everyone else's?
Some make bad gods out of the saints, and say that they can know our thoughts and see into our hearts. They invent these things, not to honor the saints, but to defend their cretinism and the fair, which brings them money. We still say, as before, that in the Word of God, in the Scriptures, it is not written that the saints understand our appeals; and if they understand that God would have him like such appeals, there is never any reason for it. Against this the adversaries can muster nothing; therefore the adversaries should not force or press us to uncertain things, for a prayer without faith is not a prayer. For that they say that the church has it in use, it is certain that such is a new custom in the church. For the old congregations, though they remember the saints, yet they do not call upon the saints.
558 The adversaries not only speak of calling upon the saints, but also say that God accepts the saints' merit for our sin, and thus make the saints not only intercessors, but mediators and propitiators. Now this is not to be suffered at all, for there they give the honor due to Christ alone to the saints. For they make of them mediators and reconcilers.
559 And though they make a distinction between the mediators who pray for us and the mediator who redeems us and reconciles us to God, yet they make the saints mediators, through whom people are reconciled. And that they say that the saints are mediators to pray for us, they say this even without all Scripture. And even if one wants to speak of this in the most unobjectionable way, Christ and his good deeds are suppressed by such teaching, and they trust in the saints when they should trust in Christ. For they invent a delusion for themselves, as if Christ were a severe judge, and the saints gracious, kind mediators, and so flee to the saints, shying away from Christ as from a tyrant, trusting more in the kindness of the saints than in the kindness of Christ; running away from Christ, and seeking the help of the saints; thus, at bottom, they make mediatores redemptionis out of the saints.
560 Therefore let us prove that they make of the saints not only intercessors, but
Reconcilers and mediatores redemptionis. We are not yet talking about gross abuses, such as the common rabble committing public idolatry with the saints and pilgrimages; we are talking about what their scholars preach, write and teach in their schools about this matter. The other than the gross abuses, even inexperienced, coarse people can judge and judge.
There are two parts to a mediator or reconciler. For the first, a certain, clear word of God and promise that God will hear through the mediator all who call upon him. Such a divine promise is found in the Scripture of Christ: "Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Nowhere in Scripture is there such a promise about the saints; therefore no one can be sure that he will be heard when he calls upon the saints. Therefore, such calling is not of faith. We have God's word and commandment that we should call upon Christ, for He says [Matt. 11:28], "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Ps. 45, 13.: "Before thy face shall all the rich among the people worship." And Ps. 72:11: "And shall worship him all the kings of the earth." And soon after [v. 19.], "They shall kneel before him daily," etc. And John 5:23. says Christ, "That they all may honor the Son, as they honor the Father." Item, 2 Thess. 2, 17. says Paul, praying, "Our Lord Jesus Christ, and God our Father, admonish your hearts, and strengthen you." These are vain sayings of Christ. But of appeals to the saints, the adversaries cannot bring forward any commandment of God, any example of Scripture.
562 Secondly, it belongs to a reconciler that his merit pays for other people, that others share in his merit and payment as if they had paid themselves. As when a good friend pays for another's debt, the debtor is released from the debt by another's payment as by his own. So Christ's merit is given to us and imputed to us when we believe in him, just as if his merit were ours, so that his righteousness and merit are imputed to us, and his merit becomes our own.
Christian prayer must be based on both the divine promise and the merit of Christ. Such faith in the divine promise and in the merit of Christ belongs to prayer. For we should certainly believe that we will be heard for Christ's sake, and that we have a gracious God for his sake.
The adversaries teach that we should call upon the saints, when we have neither commandment, nor promise, nor example in Scripture; and yet they make us trust more in the saints than in Christ, when Christ says, "Come unto me," not to the saints.
565 Secondly, they say that God accepts the merit of the saints for our sin, and thus teach trust in the merit of the saints, not in the merit of Christ. And they clearly teach this about indulgences, in which they give out the saints' merit as satisfaction for our sin.
And Gabriel, who interprets the canonem missae, may freely say: We should flee to the saints according to the order that God has instituted, so that we may be saved through their help and merit. These are the clear words of Gabrieli. And now and then in the books of the adversaries one finds much more clumsy talk about the merit of the saints. Does this mean that the saints are not made propitiators? For then they become like Christ, if we are to trust that we will be saved through their merit.
567. But where is the order instituted by God, when Gabriel speaks of that we should flee to the saints? He brings one word, one example from the holy scriptures. Perhaps they make the order of the custom that is in secular princes' courts, where the councils of the prince present things to poor people and promote them as mediators. But how if a prince or a king appointed a single mediator, and did not want to hear the matters in grace through any other, or to hear all requests through him alone? Therefore, if Christ alone is appointed high priest and mediator, why do we seek others? What can the adversaries say against this?
568 A common form of absolution has been used until now, which reads thus: The suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ, the merits of the Mother of Mary and of all the saints shall be for the forgiveness of sins. There the absolution is pronounced publicly, not only through the merit of Christ, but also through the merit of the other saints, so that we may obtain grace and forgiveness of sins through the same merit. 1) The sins of the saints are forgiven.
569. some of us have seen a doctor of sacred scripture in agone or at his
1) Wittenberger: as if the saints' merit had paid for our sin.
A monk was assigned to him to comfort him. Now he called and shouted nothing else to the dying man, but only this prayer: Mary, mother of goodness and graces, protect us from the enemy, and in the hour of death receive us, Mary mater gratiae, etc.".
570 Although Mary, the Mother of God, prays for the Church, it is too much that she should overcome death, that she should protect us from the great power of Satan. For what would Christ need if Mary were able to do this? For although she is worthy of all the highest praise, she does not want to be held like Christ, but rather wants us to follow the 1) example of her faith and humility. Now this is publicly known, that through such false teaching Mary has come in Christ's place. They have called upon her, they have trusted in her goodness, through her they have wanted to reconcile Christ, as if he were not a reconciler, but only a terrible, vengeful judge.
We say, however, that we are not to be taught to trust in the saints, as if their merit made us blessed, but for Christ's merit alone we obtain forgiveness of sins and blessedness, if we believe in him. Of the other saints it is said: "Each one will receive wages according to his work," etc., that is, they cannot share their merit with one another, as the monks of their orders have sold their merit to us unashamedly. And Hilarius says of the foolish virgins [Matth. 25, 8. 9.]: Because the foolish cannot go to meet the bridegroom, because their lamps have gone out, they ask the wise to lend them oil. But they answer that they cannot lend it to them, because both of them would be lacking, and there would not be enough for all of them. etc. There he indicates that no one among us can help the other through foreign works or merit.
572 If then the adversaries teach that we should trust in the invocation of the saints, when they have no command from God, no word of God, nor example of the Old or New Testament, when they exalt the merit of the saints as high as the merit of Christ, and give the honor due to Christ to the saints, we cannot praise or accept their opinion and custom of worshiping or invoking the saints. For we know that we should place our trust in Christ, since we have God's promise that he is to be the mediator; thus
1) In the old editions and in Müller: "die Exempel", because in Latin it says 6X6uax>Ia.
we know that Christ's merit alone is a propitiation for our sin. For Christ's sake we are reconciled if we believe in Him, as the text says: All who believe in Him shall not be put to shame. And we are not to be trusted that we are righteous before God on account of Mary's merit.
573 Their scholars also impudently preach that each of the saints can give a special gift, as St. Anne protects against poverty, St. Sebastian against pestilence, St. Valten for the falling pestilence, the holy knight St. Jörgen was called upon by the horsemen for stabbing and womb and all kinds of driving to protect; and all this is basically of pagan origin.
574 And I will also say that the adversaries did not teach such impudent pagan lies about calling upon the saints, yet the example is dangerous. If they have neither God's command nor His word, nor can they find anything certain from the old fathers, what is the need to defend such an unfounded argument?
575 First of all, however, it is quite dangerous, because if one seeks other mediators than Christ, then one puts one's trust in them, and thus Christ and the knowledge of Christ are completely suppressed, as we, unfortunately, have experience. For it may be that at first some have thought of the saints in their prayers; soon after that the invocation of the saints followed; soon after the invocation the strange pagan abominations and abuses occurred, as that it was thought that the images had a secret power of their own, as the sorcerers and magicians think that if one digs or forms some star signs at a certain time in gold or other metal, these should have a special secret power and effect. Some of us have seen an image of the Virgin Mary in a monastery, carved from wood, which could be pulled inside with strings, so that it appeared from the outside as if it moved itself, as if it waved its head at the worshippers whom it heard, and as if it turned its face away from worshippers who did not offer much, whom it did not hear.
576 And whether such abominations, such idolatry, pilgrimages and fraud with the images would not have been innumerable and unspeakable: but even more horrible and ugly were the many fables and lies of the legends of saints, which were preached publicly. As, of St. Barbara, they preached that at her death she asked God to give [her] the reward for her torture, whoever called upon her, that he could not do without her.
Sacrament. St. Christopher, which in German is called Christbearer, was painted by a wise man to the children in such great length, and he wanted to indicate that a greater strength than human strength must be in those who are to carry Christ, who are to preach and confess the gospel. For they must wade through the great sea by night, etc. that is, endure all manner of great trials and perils. Then the foolish, unlearned, unholy monks came and taught the people to call Christophorus, as if such a great giant had existed in the flesh and had carried Christ across the sea.
577 If God Almighty, through His saints, as special people, has wrought many great things in both regimes, in the church and in worldly affairs, then there are many great examples in the lives of the saints, which would be quite useful to princes and lords, right priests and pastors, both for the worldly regime and church government, especially for strengthening the faith against God; they have let them go, and preached the least of the saints, from their hard camp, from hard shirts etc., which, for the most part, are lies.
578. Now it would be useful and almost comforting to hear how some great holy men (as it is told in the holy scriptures about the kings of Israel and Judah) had ruled the country and the people in their regiment, how they had taught and preached, what many trials and temptations they had endured; How many learned men were able to advise and comfort the kings, princes and lords in great perilous runs; how they taught and preached the gospel; what various battles they endured with the heretics. So also the examples, where the saints were shown great special mercy by God, were almost useful and comforting. As when we see that Peter, who denied Christ, obtained mercy, that Cyprian's magia was forgiven. Item, we read that Augustine, having been deathly ill, first experienced the power of faith, and publicly confessed God with these words: Now I have felt that God hears the sighs and prayers of the faithful. Such examples of faith, where one learns to fear God, to trust God, from which one can see how God-fearing people fared in the church, even in great matters of the high worldly regiments, should have been written and preached diligently and clearly by the saints.
Now, some idle monks and loose boys (who did not know how great and how
The saints have invented fables, partly from the books of the pagans, since there are nothing but examples of how the saints wore their shirts, how they prayed their seven times, how they ate water and bread, and have made all this out of their creeds, out of the pilgrimages to make money. How then are the miraculous signs which they boast of the rosary, and how the barefoot monks boast of their wooden grains. And there is no great need to show examples, their false legends still exist, so that one cannot deny it.
And such abominations against Christ, such blasphemies, shameful, impudent lies and fables, such lying preachers, the bishops and theologians can suffer, and have suffered for a long time, to the great detriment of the consciences, that it is terrible to remember, for such lies have borne money and interest. But they would gladly destroy us, who preach the gospel purely, if we therefore dispute the calling of the saints, so that Christ alone may remain the mediator and the great abuse may be stopped. Just as long before this time, before Luther wrote, their theologians themselves, as well as all pious, God-fearing, respectable people, cried out about the bishops and preachers, that they were over punishing abuses for the sake of belly and money, so our opponents in their confutation do not think of such abuses with a single word, that if we accepted the confutation, we would at the same time have to go into all their public abuses.
So their whole confutation is full of deceit and dangerous deception, not only in this place but everywhere. They present themselves as if they were pure as gold, as if they had never grieved a victim. For in no place do they distinguish from their dogmatibus or doctrines the public abuses, and yet many among them are so honorable and honest, confessing themselves that much error is in the scholasticorum and canonists' books, that also much abuse is torn in the church by unlearned preachers, and by such great, shameful imprudence of the bishops.
582. Luther was not alone, nor the first to cry out and complain about such innumerable abuses. There have been many learned, honest people before this time, who have pitifully complained about the great abuse of the monks, about abuse of monasticism, item, about such avarice and money market of the pilgrimages. And especially that the most necessary article, of penance, of Christ, without which no Christian church can be nor remain, which before all an-
The teaching of the pure and correct, which was so miserably suppressed.
For this reason, the adversaries have not acted faithfully or Christianly in their confutation of public abuses. And if they were really serious about helping the church and the poor consciences, and not rather about preserving splendor and avarice, they would have had right access and cause here; and especially in this place they should have most humbly petitioned the imperial majesty, our most gracious lord, to abolish such great, public, shameful abuses, which are also a mockery to us Christians among Turks, Jews and all unbelievers.
For we note clearly enough in many things that His Imperial Majesty, our most gracious Lord, undoubtedly researches and seeks the truth with all faithful diligence, and would like to see the Christian church properly ordered and arranged. But the adversaries are not much interested in how they do enough for the imperial majesty's imperial Christian mind, will and laudable concern, or how they help things, but how they only suppress the truth and us. For they do not lie much unslept for the Christian doctrine and the gospel to be preached purely. They leave the preaching ministry completely desolate, defend public abuses, still shed innocent blood daily from unheard tyranny and rage, just to defend their public lies.
They also do not want to tolerate pious Christian preachers. Where this finally wants to go out, sensible people can well accept. For they will not long rule churches with vain violence and tyranny. And although the adversaries sought to preserve nothing but the kingdom of the pope, this will not be the way, but a vain desolation of the kingdom and the church. For even if they had thus strangled all pious Christian preachers, and the gospel had been suppressed, there will come after them red spirits and fanatics, who will also fight seditiously with their fists, 1) who will distress the congregation and the church with false doctrines, 1) and destroy all church order, which we would like to preserve.
586 Therefore, most gracious Lord Emperor, since we have no doubt that your Imperial Majesty's mind and heart are that the divine truth, the glory of Christ and the Gospel may prevail. Majesty's mind and heart that the divine truth, the honor of Christ, and the gospel may prevail.
1) Müller: "would". In Latin, the future tense is used.
and always increase abundantly, we most humbly request that your imperial majesty will not grant the unreasonable actions of the adversaries, but will graciously seek other ways of unity, so that Christian consciences will not be so burdened, so that divine truth will not be so violently suppressed, or so that innocent people will be strangled by vain tyranny, as has happened until now.
587. Your Majesty knows without a doubt that this is especially true of Your Imperial Majesty. Majesty. Majesty is to preserve the Christian doctrine, as much as humanly possible, so that it may reach to the descendants, and also to protect and handle pious, right preachers. For this is what God the Lord requires of all kings and princes when He communicates His title to them, and calls them gods, saying [Ps. 82:6], "You are gods." For this reason he calls them gods, that they should protect, save and handle divine things, that is, the gospel of Christ and the pure divine doctrine on earth, as much as possible, and also have true Christian teachers and preachers, in God's stead, against unrighteous power, under their protection.
Article XXII. (X.) Of Both Forms in the Lord's Supper.
There is no doubt that it is divine and right, and according to the command of Christ and the words of Paul, to use both forms in the Lord's Supper. For Christ instituted both forms, not only for one part of the church, but for the whole church. For not only the priests, but the whole church needs the sacrament by the command of Christ, not by the command of men; and this the adversaries must confess.
589 If Christ has instituted the sacrament for the whole church, why do they take away the one form of the church? Why do they change the order of Christ, especially if he calls it his will? For if one should not break a man's testament, much less should one break the testament of Christ. And Paul says, "I have received it of the Lord, which I gave unto you." Now he has given them both form, as the text clearly indicates 1 Cor. 11:23: "This do," he says, "in remembrance of me." There he speaks of the body; then he lifts up the same words from the blood of Christ, and soon after [v. 28.] says, "But let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread, and so drink of the cup. "etc. There he calls them both. These are the clear words of the apostle Paul; and he makes a preface just before that, that those who need the Sacrament
shall use it at the same time in One Lord's Supper. Therefore it is certain that it is not instituted for the priests alone, but for the whole church.
590 And such a custom is also held today in the Greek church; so it was also in the Latin or Roman church, as Cyprian and Jerome testify. For so Jerome says about the prophet Sophoniam: "The priests who administer the sacrament and distribute the blood of Christ to the people etc. Synodus Toletana also testifies to the same. And
It would be easy to introduce many sayings and testimonies here, but for the sake of brevity we will refrain from doing so. For every Christian reader will be able to judge for himself whether it is proper to forbid and change the order and institution of Christ.
The adversaries do not even consider in their confutation how to comfort or excuse those consciences that are deprived of a form under the papacy. This would have been appropriate for learned and God-fearing doctors, who would have shown constant cause to comfort such consciences.
592 Now they insist that it is Christian and right to forbid both forms, and do not want to permit the use of both forms. For the first, they invent from their heads that in the beginning of the church there was a use that the laity alone were given one form, and yet they can show no certain example of the use. They draw some sayings from the Evangelist Luke about the breaking of bread, where it is written that the disciples recognized the Lord in the breaking of bread. They also refer to more sayings about the breaking of bread. Although we do not object strongly to some of these sayings being understood of the sacrament, it does not follow that only the one form was initially administered. For it is common to call a piece and mean the whole. They also refer to the laica communio as if it were one form, which is not true. For when the canons enjoin the priests to use the laica communio, they mean that they should not consecrate a punishment themselves, but receive it from another, although in both forms. And the opponents themselves know this well, but they make a pretense to the unlearned and inexperienced. For when they hear the word communio laica, they think from the beginning that it was a communio, as in our time, that the laity were fed in one form.
But let us see further, how impudently the adversaries write against Christ's institution and order. Among other reasons why the laity are not given both forms, Gabriel also puts this one: there should have been a difference, he says, between priests and laity. And I think it is the greatest and most noble reason why they hold so firmly today, so that the priesthood seems holier than the laity. Now this is a human thought; what it is based on can be assumed. And in the confutation they refer to the children of Heli, 1 Sam. 2, 36. where the text says: "He that is left of thy house shall come and worship him for a morsel of bread, and shall say, O let me be a priest, that I may eat a morsel of bread" etc. There, they say, the one and the same figure is meant, and now they say: So also our laymen shall be satisfied with a priestly portion, that is, with a one and the same figure.
594 The masters of the Confutation are right impudent, rough asses, they play and juggle with the Scriptures as they want, so the history of the children of Heli point to the Sacrament. For in that place is described the serious punishment of Heli and his children. Do they also want to say that the laymen are given a figure for a punishment? They are foolish and mad!
The sacrament is instituted by Christ to comfort frightened consciences, to strengthen their faith when they believe that Christ's flesh was given for the life of the world, and that through the food we are united with Christ, have grace and life. But the adversaries conclude that those who receive such a sacrament in one form are thus punished, saying: The laity should and must be sufficient for them. That is proudly enough said. How, sirs, may we also ask why they should be sufficient for them? Or shall what you will and what you say be called the truth?
But look at the miracles, how impudent and insolent the adversaries are, they may set their words as vain commandment of the Lord, they say freely, the laity must be enough for them. But how, if they do not have to? Are these the reasons and causes by which those should be excused from God's judgment who until now have kept people from both forms and innocently strangled them for it? Shall they console themselves with the fact that it is written of the children of Heli: They will beg? This will be a lame excuse before God's judgment.
597 But they attract even more causes,
Why both forms should not be served, namely, for the sake of danger, lest a droplet be spilled from the cup. They bring up more such dreams, for the sake of which Christ's order should not be changed.
598 But I want to set equal that it would be free to use one or both forms. How could they prove that they had the power to forbid both forms? Although it is not the duty of men or of the church to make freedom themselves, or that they want to make res indifferent, that is, free on both sides, out of Christ's order. The poor consciences, from whom the one form has been forcibly taken, and who have had to suffer such injustice, we do not want to judge here. But those who have forbidden both forms, and not only forbid them, but also teach them publicly, preach them, and strangle the people because of them, invite upon themselves God's terrible judgment and wrath. And we do not know how to excuse them. They may see how they want to give God an account of their conduct. And it is not so soon the church decides what the bishops and priests decide, especially as the Scripture and the prophet Ezekiel [Cp.7,26.] say: There will come priests and bishops who know neither God's commandment nor law.
Article XXIII (XI) On the marriage of priests.
599 Although the great unheard fornication with fornication and adultery among priests and monks etc. from high monasteries, other churches and monasteries all over the world is so reprehensible that people sing and say about it, yet the opponents who have made the confutation are so completely blinded and insolent that they defend the pope's law forbidding marriage, and in addition with false pretenses, as if it were spirituality; Although they should be ashamed in their hearts of the exceedingly shameful, lewd, free, loose boy life in their monasteries and convents, and for the sake of the play alone not boldly look at the sun; Even though their evil, restless hearts and consciences make them so afraid to be frightened and shy to lift their eyes before such a praiseworthy, honor-loving emperor, they are nevertheless bold executioners, act like the devil himself, and all bold, wicked people, go in their blind defiance, forgetting all honor and shame. And the pure, chaste people are allowed to give imperial majesty the electorate. Majesty admonish the Electors and Princes that they should not suffer the marriage of priests ad infamiam et ignominiam imperii, that is to say, to the
Roman Empire to disgrace and dishonor. For
These are her words. As if their shameful life of the church is very honest and praiseworthy.
How could the adversaries be more clumsy, impudent and speak more publicly of their own disgrace and harm? Such impudent presentations before a Roman emperor will not be found in any history. If all the world did not know them, if many pious, honest people, their own concanonics among themselves, had not long ago complained about such disgraceful, lewd, dishonest beings, if their dishonorable, disgraceful, ungodly, lewd, pagan, epicuric life, and the basic soup of all fornication at Rome were not so much in the open, which neither wants to be covered nor colored nor adorned, one might think that their great purity and their unchanged virginal chastity would be a cause that they do not like to hear called a woman or marriage, that they baptize holy matrimony, which the pope himself calls a sacrament of holy matrimony, infamiam imperii.
Now, their arguments and reasons we will relate hereafter. Let every Christian reader, every respectable, honor-loving, pious person take this to heart and consider how completely without honor and shyness and all shame people must be, who may call holy marriage, which the Holy Scriptures praise and extol to the highest degree, a stain of shame, an infamy of the Roman Empire, just as if it were such a great honor of the church and the empire to have its blasphemous, abominable fornication, as one knows the Roman and the priests' nature.
602 And, most gracious Lord Emperor, by your imperial Majesty, who is called a chaste prince and king in all writings, for indeed this saying is said by your imperial Majesty: Pudicus facie regnabit ubique, yes, by your Majesty and the laudable estates such people may seek and impudently demand that your Majesty (God forbid!) should use such abominable fornication.) should deal with such abominable fornication, should use their imperial power, which the Almighty has so far graciously bestowed upon your imperial majesty to be used victoriously and blessedly, to protect and defend shameful fornication and unheard-of vices, which are also considered abominable by the heathen. And as they are minded in their bloodthirsty, blinded hearts, that they would gladly, disregarding all divine and natural rights, disregarding the councils and their own canons, break up such priestly marriages by force at once, many poor, innocent people, for no other reason than for the sake of the marriage state alone, tyrannically with gallows and sword.
judge the priests themselves, who in greater cases have also spared the heathen, than to strangle the great malefactors for the sake of marriage, to drive so many pious, innocent women and children into misery, to make them poor, abandoned widows and orphans, and to avenge their diabolical hatred on innocent blood: to this they may admonish your imperial majesty.
603. Since God Almighty graces Your Majesty with special innate goodness and discipline, that Your Majesty, out of a high, noble, Christian mind, should have such great fornication to handle, or such unheard-of tyranny to presume, and should doubtless consider this action much more princely and Christian than the loose people: We hope that Your Majesty will show Yourself to be quite imperial and gracious in this, and consider that we have good reason and cause from the holy Scriptures, whereas the adversaries bring forth vain lies and error.
604 Even so, they are certainly not serious about advocating such celibacy and celibate status, for they know well how pure virgins they are, how few among them keep chastity. But they stick to their word of comfort, which they find in their scripture: Si non caste, tamen caute, and know that to boast or call oneself chaste, and yet not to be, has a semblance of chastity in the world, so that even their vile and priestly ways seem all the more holy before the world. For Peter the apostle rightly warned that such false prophets will deceive the people with fictitious words [2 Pet. 2:1].
The adversaries are not at all serious about the cause of religion, which is the main thing. What they write, speak, act, are vain words ad hominem; there is no earnestness, no loyalty, no right heart for the common benefit of helping the poor consciences or the church. Basically, they are concerned about the rule, they care about it, and they support it finely with vain, godless, hypocritical lies; so it will also stand like butter in the sun.
For this reason we cannot accept the law of celibacy, for it is contrary to divine and natural law, contrary to all sacred Scripture, contrary to the Councils and Canons themselves. Moreover, it is pure hypocrisy and dangerous to the conscience and quite harmful, so that innumerable troubles, ugly, terrible sin and disgrace result from it, and, as one sees in the right priestly cities and residences, as they call it, disruption of all worldly honor and discipline.
607. the other articles of our confession, such as
The two articles, which are certainly well founded, are nevertheless not so clear that they cannot be contested with a sham. But this article is so clear that on both sides it needs no speech at all. But he who is respectable and God-fearing can soon be a judge here. And even though we now have the public truth for ourselves, the adversaries are still looking for little funds to challenge our reasons.
First, it is written in Genesis 1:28 that man and woman were created by God to be fruitful, to beget children, etc. that the woman should be inclined toward the man, and the man toward the woman. And we are not speaking here of the disorderly heat that followed after Adam's fall, but of natural inclination between man and woman, which would also have been in nature if it had remained pure. And this is God's creature and order, that the man is inclined to the woman, the woman to the man. Since no one can and should change the divine order and the created nature except God Himself, it follows that the marriage state cannot be changed by any human statute or vow.
609) Against this strong reason the adversaries play with words, saying: in the beginning of creation the word still had place: "Grow and multiply, and fill the earth. But now that the earth has been filled, marriage is not commanded. But behold, how wise are the adversaries! By this divine word, "Grow and multiply," which still continues and does not cease, man and woman were created to be fruitful, not only at the beginning, but as long as this nature lasts. For as by the word of Genesis 1:11, when God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass and herbs," etc., the earth was created not only to bring forth fruit in the beginning, but also to bring forth grass, herbs, and other plants throughout the year, as long as this nature endures: so also man and woman were created to be fruitful as long as this nature endures. Now as the commandment and law of man cannot change that the earth should not become green etc., so also no monastic vow, no commandment of man, can change human nature, that a woman should not desire a man, a man a woman, without a special work of God.
Secondly, since the divine creature and God's order is naturally right and law, the jurisconsulti have rightly said that man and woman being together and belonging together is naturally right. But as the natural law can not change anyone, so must
marriage should be free for everyone. For where God does not change nature, the nature that God has implanted in nature must remain, and it cannot be changed by human laws.
611 Therefore it is quite childish for the adversaries to say that in the beginning, when man was created, marriage was commanded, but now it is not. For it is as if they said: In the days of Adam and the patriarchs, when a man was born, he had a man's nature; when a woman was born, she had a woman's nature; but now it is different. In former times a child from the womb brought natural kind with itself, but now not.
612 So we now remain with the ruling, as the Jurisconsulti have wisely and rightly said: That man and woman are with each other is naturally right. If it is natural law, then it is God's order, thus planted in nature, and is therefore also divine law. But since the divine and natural right is not to be changed by anyone but God alone, the marriage state must be free to everyone, for the natural, innate inclination of the woman toward the man, of the man toward the woman, is God's creature and order. Therefore it is right, and no angel nor man can change it. God the Lord did not create Adam alone, but also Evam, not only a man but also a woman, and blessed them to be fruitful.
613 And we speak, as I have said, not of the disorderly heat, which is sinful, but of the natural inclination which would also have existed between man and woman if nature had remained pure. The evil lust after the fall has made such inclination even stronger, that we are now much more entitled to the marriage state, not only to beget children, but also to prevent worse sin. This is such a clear reason that no one will overthrow it, but the devil and all the world will have to leave it alone.
614. For the third, Paul says [1 Cor. 7:2], "To avoid fornication, have every man his own wife." This is a common command and precept, and concerns all those who are unable to remain without marriage. The adversaries demand that we show God's commandment, since he commanded that the priests should take wives, as if the priests were not men. What the Scriptures speak in general of the whole human race, that truly concerns the priests. Paul then says that those who do not have the gift of virginity should take wives, for he interprets himself soon after when he says, "It is better to be married than to burn.
1, 9.]. And Christ clearly says: "They do not all grasp the word, but to whom it is given" Matth. 19, 11].
Since after Adam's fall there are in all of us both the natural inclination and the inherent evil desire, which makes the natural inclination stronger, so that the marriage state is more necessary than when nature was undefiled, Paul speaks of marriage in this way, so that our weakness may be helped. And to avoid such burning, he commands that those who need it should become married, and this word, "It is better to become married than to burn," cannot be done away by any human law, by any monastic vow. For no law can make nature different from what it is created or designed to be. Therefore we have freedom and power to become married, all who feel the burning. And all who are not able to remain truly pure and chaste are guilty of following this commandment and word of Paul. Let every man have his own wife, to avoid fornication; in this every man must examine his own conscience.
For that the adversaries say that one should ask God for chastity and call upon one to mortify the body with fasting and work, they should justly begin such mortification. But, as I said above, the adversaries are not serious about this matter; they play and joke to please themselves. If virginity were possible for everyone, no one would be able to have it but God's gift. Now the Lord Christ says, Matt. 19:11, that it is a special, high gift of God, and not everyone grasps the word; but the others, God wants them to use the marriage state that God has instituted. For God does not want His creatures and ordination to be despised; nevertheless, He wants them also to be chaste, that is, to have need of the marriage state, which He has instituted to preserve marital purity and chastity, just as He wants us to have need of the food and drink that He has created for us for the preservation of the body.
617 And Gerson indicates that there have been many pious, great people who have wanted to keep chastity through corporal mortification, and yet have not succeeded. That is why St. Ambrose says rightly: "Only virginity is a thing that may be advised and not commanded.
618. If anyone would say here: Let him also consider that Christ speaks of those who have the gift of virginity. For therefore
he adds: "Whoever can grasp it, let him grasp it. For the Lord Christ is not pleased with such impure chastity as is found in monasteries and convents. We also let true chastity be a fine, noble gift of God. But we say here that such a law and prohibition of marriage is unjust, and of those who do not have God's gift. Therefore, it shall be free, and such cords shall not be cast upon the poor consciences.
619 Fourth, this is also Pabst's law against the canons and ancient conciliarities. For the old canons do not forbid marriage, nor do they destroy the marriage state, although they deprive those who enter into marriage of their ecclesiastical office; this was at the time, according to opportunity, more a mercy than a punishment. But the new Canons, which were not made in the Conciliis, but by the Popes, forbid marriage, and tear up the jam contracta matrimonia, etc. It is now evident that this is contrary to Scripture, and also contrary to Christ's commandment, since he says [Matt. 19:6]: "Those whom God has joined together, let not man put asunder."
The opponents almost cry out that celibacy or chastity of priests is commanded in the Conciliis. We do not contest the Conciliis in part because they do not forbid marriage, but we contest the new law which the popes have made against the Conciliis. Thus the popes themselves despise the concilia, when they may command others to keep the concilia in the face of God's wrath and eternal damnation. Therefore, the law forbidding the marriage of priests is quite Pabst's law of Roman tyranny. For the prophet Daniel depicted the antichristian kingdom as 1) teaching marriage and wives, even despising the female sex [Dan. 11, 37].
621 The fifth: Although they do not defend the ungodly law for the sake of holiness or out of ignorance, for they know well that they do not keep chastity, yet they give rise to innumerable hypocrisies, because they pretend to holiness. They say that therefore priests should keep chastity, because they must be holy and pure; as if the marriage state were an impurity, as if one would become holy and righteous before God through celibacy rather than through the marriage state. And to this they refer to the priests in the Law of Moses, for they say, "When the priests served in the temple, they must abstain from their wives.
1) So the Jenaer in agreement with the Latin. Müller lacks: "therefore".
According to the will, priests must pray at all times, and they must also keep chastity at all times. Such a clumsy, foolish simile they take as a very clear and certain reason that the priests are obligated to keep eternal chastity, but even if the simile is suitable or rhymes, they get nothing more from it than that the priests should abstain from their wives for a time, namely, when they intend to do church service. Another thing is to pray; another thing is to minister in the church. For many saints have prayed, even if they have not served in the temple, and their conjugal attendance has not prevented them from doing so.
622 But we will answer such dreams one after the other. For the first, the adversaries must confess, and cannot deny, that the married state of believers in Christ is a purely holy state; for it is ever sanctified by the word of God. For it is instituted by God, it is confirmed by God's word, as the Scriptures abundantly testify. For Christ says [Matt. 19:6], "What God has joined together, let no man put asunder." Christ says that if God joins together husband and wife, it is a pure, holy, noble, praiseworthy work of God. And Paul says of marriage, food and the like, "that they are sanctified by the word of God, and by prayer" [1 Tim. 4:5]. First, through the divine word, by which the heart becomes certain that the marriage state pleases the Lord. Secondly, through prayer, that is, through thanksgiving, which is done in faith, as we use the marriage state, food, drink with thanksgiving. 1 Cor. 7, 14: "The unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing wife," that is, the marriage state is pure, good, Christian and holy for the sake of faith in Christ, which we may use with thanksgiving as we use food, drink etc. Item, 1 Tim. 2, 15: "But the woman shall be saved through childbearing, if she continue in the faith" etc. If the adversaries of their priestly chastity could bring forward such a saying, how they should triumph! St. Paul says that the woman will be blessed through childbearing. What could the holy apostle have said against the shameful hypocrisy of the foul, lying chastity, but to say: they will be blessed by conjugal works, by childbearing, by suckling and bringing up children, by housekeeping etc.? Yes, how does Paul mean that? He adds in clear words: "If they continue in the faith" etc. For the works and labor in the marriage state for themselves, without faith, are not praised here alone.
623 Therefore, first of all, he wants them to have God's word and to believe, through which faith (as he says everywhere) they receive forgiveness of sin and are reconciled to God. After that he remembers the work of their female ministry and profession. Just as in all Christians good works are to follow from faith, that each one may do something according to his profession, so that he may be useful to his neighbor, and as these good works please God, so also such works as a believing woman does according to her profession please God. And such a woman will be blessed, who thus does her feminine work according to her profession in the conjugal state.
These sayings indicate that the marriage state is a holy and Christian thing. Now if purity also means that which is holy and acceptable in the sight of God, then the marriage state is holy and acceptable, for it is confirmed by the word of God, and, as Paul says [Titus 1:15], "To the pure all things are pure," that is, to those who believe in Christ. Therefore, as virginity is unclean in the ungodly, so the marriage state is holy in believers, for the sake of the divine word and faith.
625 But if the adversaries call it purity, when there is no fornication, then purity of heart is called, when the evil desire is killed. For God's law does not forbid marriage, but fornication, adultery, fornication. Therefore, to be without a wife outwardly is not right purity, but there can be greater purity of heart in a husband than in Abraham and Jacob, than in many who keep their chastity right after physical purity.
Finally, if they call chastity purity, that by it one should be justified before God before marriage, it is an error. For without merit, for Christ's sake alone, we obtain forgiveness of sin if we believe that through Christ's blood and death we have a gracious God. But here the adversaries will cry out that we, like Jovinianus, consider the married state equal to virginity. But for the sake of their clamor, we will not deny the divine truth and the doctrine of Christ, of the righteousness of faith, which we indicated above. Nevertheless, we leave to virginity its praise and honor, and also say that one gift is higher than the other. For as wisdom to govern is a higher gift than other arts, so virginity or chastity is a higher gift than the married state. And yet again, just as the ruler is not more righteous in the sight of God because of his gift and wisdom than another is from
because of his art, so the chaste is no more righteous before God on account of his gift than married people are on account of their status, but each one should serve faithfully with his gift, knowing that for Christ's sake he has forgiveness of sin through faith, and is justified before God.
The Lord Christ and Paul also praise virginity, not because it makes one righteous before God, but so that those who are single without a wife or without a husband may be all the freer, unhindered with housekeeping, child rearing, reading, praying, writing, and serving. Therefore Paul says to the Corinthians [1 Cor. 7, 32]: "For this reason virginity is praised, that in this state one has more room to learn God's word and to teach others. So Christ does not praise those who are made virgins, but adds, "for the sake of the kingdom of heaven," that is, so that they may learn and teach the gospel more easily. He does not say that virginity deserves forgiveness of sin.
628 To the example of the Levitical priests we have answered that it does not prove at all that the priests should be without marital status. Also, the Law of Moses with the ceremonies of purity or impurity does not concern us Christians. In the Law of Moses, if a man touched his wife, he was unclean for some time. Now a Christian husband is not unclean. For the New Testament says [Titus 1:5], "To the pure all things are pure." For through the gospel we are freed from all the ceremonies of Moses, not only from the laws of uncleanness. But if someone wants to defend celibacy on the grounds that he wants to oblige consciences to such Levitical purities, we must resist this just as vehemently as the apostles resisted the Jews, Acts 15:10 ff. 15, 10. f., because they wanted to oblige the Christians to the law of Moses and to circumcision.
Here, however, Christian, God-fearing spouses will know how to be moderate in their marital duties. For those who are in government or church offices and have to work, they will also have to be chaste in marriage. For to be burdened with great things and dealings, as is appropriate to lands and people, regencies and churches, is a good remedy, so that the old Adam does not become horny. So also the godly know that Paul says in 1 Thess. 4, 4. 5: "Let every one of you keep his barrel in sanctification and honor, not in lust." On the other hand, what chastity can there be among so many thousands of monks and priests, who without
Do they live in all lust, idle and full, have no word of God for it, do not learn it, and do not respect it? All fornication must follow. Such people can keep neither Levitical nor eternal chastity.
Many heretics, who do not understand the law of Moses or how it is to be applied, speak shamefully of the state of marriage, which is considered sacred for the sake of such hypocritical appearances. And Epiphanius complains vehemently that the encratites have gained a reputation among the inexperienced with the hypocritical appearance, especially chastity. They did not drink wine, not even in the Lord's Supper, and abstained from eating both fish and meat, being even holier than the monks who eat fish. They also abstained from marriage. This had a great appearance. And so they thought that by these works and imaginary holiness they were propitiating God, as our adversaries teach.
Against such hypocrisy and angel holiness Paul fiercely argues with the Colossians [Cap. 2, 18]. For by this Christ is suppressed, when people fall into such error that they hope to be pure and holy before God through such hypocrisy. So also such hypocrites do not know God's gift nor commandment; for God wants us to use His gifts with thanksgiving.
And I would be able to give examples of how many a pious heart and poor conscience has been saddened and has fallen into disarray because it has not been taught that the married state, the obligation to marry, and all that is sacred and Christian about marriage. The great misfortune was caused by the clumsy preaching of the monks, who practiced celibacy, chastity, without moderation, and proclaimed the marital state to be an impure life, so that it would be a great hindrance to salvation and full of sins.
But our adversaries do not hold so hard against the celibate state, for the sake of the appearance of holiness, for they know that in Rome, even in all her foundations, without hypocrisy, without appearance, is vain fornication; so also it is not their earnestness to live chastely, but knowingly they make hypocrisy before the people. For this reason they are worse, and their hypocrisy is uglier, than the heretics, who were more serious. But these Epicureans are not serious, but they mock God and the world, and use only this pretense to preserve their free life.
Sixth, if we have so many reasons why we cannot accept the pope's law of celibacy, there are innumerable dangers of conscience about it, unspeakably much annoyance. Therefore, even if such Pabst's law does not
If it were unjust, then all respectable people should be deterred from such a burden on their consciences that so many souls perish as a result.
635 Long before this time, many honorable people, including their own bishops, canonici etc. complained about the great, heavy burden of the celibacy, and found that they themselves and other people get into great trouble of their consciences because of it. But no one has taken up the complaint; it is in the day about how in many places, where there are priesthoods, common discipline is shattered by it, what ghastly fornication, sin and disgrace, what great unheard-of vice is caused by it. There are poets' writings and satyrae, in which Roma may be reflected.
Thus God Almighty avenges the contempt of His gift and His commandments in those who forbid the marriage state. Now, if some necessary laws have often been changed for cause, when the common good requires it, why should not this law be changed, since there are so many good causes, so many innumerable grievances of the consciences, for which it should be justly changed?
We see that these are the last times, and as an old man is weaker than a young one, so also the whole world and the whole nature is in its last age and in decline. Sin and vice do not decrease, but increase daily. Therefore, the more help God has given against fornication and vice, the more we should need it than the marriage state. We see in the 1st book of Moses that such vices of fornication had also prevailed before the flood. Item, in Sodoma, in Sybari, in Rome and other cities, abominable fornication occurred before they were destroyed. These examples show how it will be in the last times, shortly before the end of the world. Therefore, if there is also experience that now and in these last times fornication has unfortunately broken out more than ever, faithful bishops and authorities should rather make law and commandment to enjoin marriage than to forbid it, also to exhort the people to the marriage state with words, works and examples, that would be the authority's office. For they should be diligent to preserve honor and discipline.
Now God has blinded the world so that adultery and fornication are tolerated without punishment, but punishment is inflicted for the sake of matrimony. Is this not terrible to hear? The preachers should teach both: those who have the gift of chastity should be admonished not to despise it, but to use it for the glory of God, and those who need the marital state should also be admonished.
Otherwise, the pope dispenses daily in many necessary laws, which are much in the interest of the common good, since he should be reasonably firm. But in this law of celibacy he shows himself to be as hard as stone and iron, although it is known that [it] is nothing but a human law. Many pious, honest, God-fearing people, who have done no harm to anyone, have been strangled usuriously and tyrannically, solely for the sake of marriage, because they were married out of the necessity of their consciences. Therefore it is to be feared that Abel's blood cries out to heaven so strongly that they will never get over it, but, like Cain, will have to tremble. And this Cainian murder of innocent blood shows that this doctrine of celibacy is the doctrine of the devil. For the Lord Christ calls the devil a murderer, who would gladly defend such a tyrannical law with blood and murder.
We know very well that some are crying out that we are making schisms. But our consciences are quite sure, after we have sought peace and unity with all faithful diligence, and do not want to let the adversaries suffice them, we deny (God forbid!) the public divine truth, we agree to accept the ugly papal law with them, to tear pious, innocent spouses from each other, to strangle the married priests, to drive innocent wives and children into misery, to shed innocent blood without any cause. For since it is certain that such things are not pleasing to God, let us be pleased that we have no unity nor fellowship, nor guilt of so much innocent blood with the adversaries.
641 We have shown cause why we cannot in good conscience hold with the opponents who defend celibacy. For it is against all divine and natural rights, against the canons themselves; in addition, it is vain hypocrisy and driving. For they do not hold sanctity so harshly above this fictitious chastity, or that they do not understand it otherwise. They know well that everyone knows the nature of the high priests, which we would be well advised to name, but only to maintain their tyranny and rule. And no respectable person will be able to raise anything against the strong, clear reasons given above. The gospel leaves the marriage state free to all those who need it, so it does not force those to the marriage state who have the gift of chastity, if it is only true chastity and not hypocrisy. We believe that priests should also be granted this freedom, and we want to
We do not want to force anyone into celibacy, nor do we want to drive pious spouses away from each other or break up their marriage.
642 We have now briefly indicated some of our reasons for this time, and we have also reported how the opponents have raised such clumsy expedients and dreams against it. Now we want to show with what strong reasons they defend their papal law. First, they say that such a law was revealed by God. There you can see how completely impudent the unholy people are. They may say that their prohibition of marriage is revealed by God, when it is publicly contrary to Scripture, contrary to Paul, when he says: "To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife" [1 Cor. 7:2]. Item, if the Scriptures and Canons strongly forbid that the marriage, already consummated, should not be broken in any way: what may the boys say, and abuse the high, most holy name of the divine Majesty so insolently and impudently? Paul the Apostle rightly says who is the God who first introduced such a law, namely the wretched Satan, because he calls it "doctrine of the devil" [2 Tim. 4:1]. And truly, the fruit teaches us to know the tree, when we see that so many terrible, horrible vices are caused by it, as can be seen in Romans. Item, that also over this law of strangling and bloodshed the devil makes no end.
643 The other reason of the adversaries is that the priests should be pure, as the Scripture says [Isa. 52:11]: "You should be pure who carry the vessels of the Lord. We have left the argument here above. For we have indicated enough that chastity without faith is not purity before God, and the married state is holiness and purity for the sake of faith, as Paul says [Tit. 1:15]: "To the pure all things are pure." So we have said clearly enough that Mosi's ceremonies of purity and impurity are not to be drawn there, for the gospel wants to have purity of marriage. And there is no doubt that Abraham's, Isaac's, Jacob's, and the archfathers' hearts, which had many wives, were purer than many virgins, who were pure virgins immediately after the purity of their bodies. But that Isaiah says: "You should be pure who carry the vessel of the Lord", is to be understood from whole Christian holiness, and not from virginity. And this very saying gives the unclean priests who are not married to become pure priests who are married, for, as was said before, marriage is purity among Christians.
The third is, first of all, a terrible argument that the priestly marriage should be heresy. Gna-
det our poor soul, dear sirs! go beautiful! it is quite a novelty that the holy matrimony, which God created in paradise, should have become heresy. In that way, the whole world would be vain heretics.
It is a great impudent lie that the marriage of priests should be Jovinian heresy, or that such priestly marriage should be condemned by the Church at that time. For in Joviniani's time the Church did not yet know about this papal law, by which priests are completely forbidden to marry, and our adversaries know this well. But they often attract old heresies, and rhyme our doctrine with them, against their own conscience, only to make the unlearned believe that our doctrine was condemned by the church ages ago, and thus to be moved against us manfully. They use such methods, and that is why they did not want to deliver the confutation to us. They were afraid that they would be publicly accused of lying, which would be an eternal disgrace for them among all their descendants. As for Joviniani's teaching, we have said above what we think of chastity and what we think of the state of marriage. For we do not say that matrimony is equal to virginity, although neither virginity nor matrimony makes one righteous before God.
With such weak, loose reasons they protect and defend the pope's law of celibacy, which has given rise to so many vices and fornications. The princes and bishops who believe these teachers will well see whether such reasons hold the sting when it comes to the hour of death, that one should give account before God why they have torn apart pious people's marriages, why they have strangled and staked them, why they have strangled so many priests, and shed innocent blood over all the lamenting, weeping and crying of so many widows and orphans. For they must not take this into their minds; the ears and tears of the poor widows, the blood of the innocent is unforgotten in heaven, it will cry out in its hour as strong as the holy, innocent blood over them in high heaven, and cry out before God, the rightful judge. Now when God will judge such tyranny, they will learn that their arguments are straw and hay, and God is a consuming fire, before which nothing can remain except divine word, 1 Petr. 1, 24. 25.
647 Our princes and lords, be it as it may, must take comfort in the fact that they have acted with a good conscience. For I want to set equal that the priest's marriage is to be contested, as it is not, but that is strictly against God's will.
Word and will, that the adversaries thus tear apart the consummated marriages, chase poor, innocent people into misery and strangle them. Our princes and rulers have no desire for innovation and discord, but they are still guilty of allowing the divine word and truth to be more valid in such a just and certain matter than all other things. May God have mercy on them. Amen.
Article XXIV Of the Mass.
First, however, we must say again that we do not abolish the mass, for masses are held in our churches every Sunday and feast day, and the sacrament is administered to those who desire it, but in such a way that they are first interrogated and absolved. Christian ceremonies are also held with reading, chants, prayers and the like etc.
649 The adversaries make a great fuss about the Latin mass, and talk quite clumsily and childishly about how even an unlearned man who does not understand Latin deserves great things by hearing mass in the faith of the church. Then they themselves invent that the bad work of hearing mass is a service of God, which is useful even if I do not hear or understand a word. I do not want to make such a point here as it would be worthwhile; we want to let sensible people judge here. We therefore remember that we indicate that the Latin mass, lection and prayer are also held here.
If the ceremonies are to be held so that the people learn the Scriptures and God's Word, and thereby come to the fear of God and attain comfort, and thus pray correctly, for that is why ceremonies are instituted, we keep Latin for the sake of those who know Latin, and let German Christian chants go alongside it, so that the common people also learn something and are taught the fear of God and knowledge. The custom is always considered praiseworthy in the church. For although in some places more, in some places fewer German hymns are sung, yet in all churches something has ever been sung by the people in German, therefore it is not so new. But where is this Pharisaic doctrine written that hearing mass without understanding ex opere operato is meritorious and blessed? Shame on you, you sophists, with such dreams.
That we do not hold private masses, but only one public mass, when the people communicate, is nothing against the common Christian church. For in the Greek church, no private masses are held on this day, but only one mass, and that the same
on Sundays and high feasts. This is all an indication of the old custom of the church. For the teachers who existed before the time of St. Gregory do not remember the private masses in any place. But how the individual masses or private masses had a beginning, we leave pending now. This is certain, since the mendicant orders and monks thus gained the upper hand, the masses were founded more and more every day from the false teachings of the same and torn down for the sake of money and avarice, so that the theologians themselves complained about it all the time. And even though St. Francis, out of right good opinion, wanted things to happen, and ordered his own that every monastery should be satisfied with a common mass every day, this same useful statute was subsequently changed by hypocrisy or for the sake of money. Thus they change the order of the old fathers when and where they desire, when it suits them in the kitchens, and tell us afterwards: one must keep the order of the old fathers holy. Epiphanius writes that in Asia communion was held three times every week, and mass was not held daily, and says that the custom was thus traditional from the apostles.
652 Although the opponents in this place have boiled many words and sayings one into the other, trying to prove that the mass is a sacrifice, the great clamor is soon quieted with this single answer, and their mouths are soon shut, when we say: The sayings, the arguments, reasons, and all that is presented do not prove that the masses ex opere operato deserve forgiveness of sins, remission of chastisement and guilt for the priest or others for whom they are applied. This few clear answers knock down in a heap all that the opponents put forward, not only in the Confutation, but in all their books and writings that they have written about the Mass.
653 And this is the main question in this whole matter, of which we want to warn every Christian reader that he should look carefully at the opponents to see whether they also stick to the main question. For they are in the habit of making much futile, unrhymed circumlocutions out of the main point. For if one sticks to the main question immediately and unvariedly, and does not add anything extraneous, it is all the easier to judge on both sides.
654 We have indicated in our Confession that we hold that the Lord's Supper or the Mass does not make anyone pious ex opere operato, and that the Mass said for others does not merit them forgiveness of sin, remission of chastisement, and guilt; and of the principal part we have entirely
strong, certain reason, namely this. It is impossible that we should obtain forgiveness of sins through our work ex opere operato, that is, through the work done in Himself, sine bono motu utentis, if the heart already has no good thought, but through faith in Christ the terror of sin, of death, must be overcome, if our hearts are raised and comforted through the knowledge of Christ, as said above. When we feel that we have a gracious God for Christ's sake, that is, that His merit and righteousness are given to us, Rom. 5, v. 1: "If then we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God" etc. This is such a strong and certain reason that all the gates of hell can do nothing against it. Of this we are certain.
And this would be just enough of the whole thing. For no sensible or understanding person will praise the Pharisaic or pagan hypocrisy and the great abuse of the opere operato. And yet the same error has taken hold all over the world. That is why so many innumerable masses have been founded all over the world, in all monasteries, convents, churches, cloisters, in all corners. For this purpose, masses are held for money, to propitiate God's wrath, to obtain forgiveness of sins, redemption from torment and guilt, to redeem the dead from purgatory, to obtain health, wealth, happiness and prosperity in handling etc. The hypocritical, pharisaic opinion was planted in the church by the monks and sophists. Although the error of the abuse of the Mass is sufficiently dispelled by the fact that one does not obtain forgiveness of sins by our work, but by faith in Christ, nevertheless, since the opponents introduce many sayings of Scripture quite clumsily to defend their error, we want to add something more here.
In their confutation the adversaries speak much of sacrifice, although in our confession we have diligently avoided the word sacrificium for the sake of uncertain understanding, but have expressed in clear words their highest abuse, which they mean and practice by the name sacrificium. In order that we may now dispense with the sayings which they have unjustly and falsely introduced, we must first say what the word sacrificium or sacrifice means.
They have written many books for ten years that the mass is a sacrifice, and none of them has ever defined what sacrifice is or is not. They seek only the vocabulum or
The word sacrificium, where they find it in the concordance of the biblia, and extend it here, it rhymes or not. So they do also in the old fathers' books. Then they invent their dreams about it, as if sacrificium must mean whatever they want it to mean.
What sacrifice is or is not, and how many kinds of sacrifice.
And so that one does not fall blindly into the matter, we must first indicate the difference between what is a sacrifice and what is not a sacrifice. And this is useful and good for all Christians to know. The theologians use to distinguish sacrificium and sacramentum, sacrifice and sacrament. Now the genus we want to let be ceremonia or sacred work. Sacramentum is a ceremonia or outward sign or work, by which God gives us that which the divine promise attached to the same ceremony implies. Thus, baptism is a ceremony and a work, not that we give or offer to God, but in which God gives and offers to us, in which God baptizes us, or the servant in God's stead. There, God appoints us and gives us forgiveness of sins according to His promise: "He who believes and is baptized shall be saved" [Marc. 16, 16.]. Again, sacrificium or sacrifice is a ceremonia or work that we give to God so that we may honor Him.
659 But it is primarily two kinds of sacrifice and no more, among which all other sacrifices are included. One is a propitiatory sacrifice, by which enough is done for pain and guilt, God's wrath is appeased and atoned for, and forgiveness of sin is obtained for others. For another is a thank offering, by which forgiveness of sin or atonement is not obtained, but is made by those who have already been atoned for, that they give thanks for the forgiveness of sin obtained and other graces and gifts.
660 These two kinds of sacrifice must be diligently observed in this transaction, and in many other disputations care must be taken that these two are not mixed together. And this different division has strong evidence from the epistle to the Hebrews, and in many places in Scripture. And all the sacrifices in the law of Moses, as various as they may be, are to be divided and comprehended under these two kinds of sacrifices, as under their genera. For some sacrifices in the Law of Moses are called expiatory sacrifices or sacrifices for sin, for the sake of meaning; not that forgiveness of sin is merited thereby 1)
1) Müller: "will". Latin: msrsrsutur.
before God, but that they were outward atonements for the sake of meaning; for those for whom they were made atonement by such sacrifices, that they might not be cast out from among the people of Israel. Therefore they were called atonement sacrifices, but the other sacrifices were thank offerings.
661 Thus in the law there were meanings of the right sacrifice, but there was only one true atonement, sacrifice for sin in the world, namely the death of Christ, as the epistle to the Hebrews says: "It was impossible that the blood of oxen and goats should take away sin. And soon after it says of the obedience and will of Christ [v. 10], "In which will we are sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Christ once. "etc. And Isaiah the prophet also before interpreted the law of Moses, indicating that the death of Christ is the payment for sin, and not the sacrifices in the law, since he says of Christ [Cap. 53, 11.], "If he hath given his life for a trespass offering, he shall have seed, and live unto length." For the prophet applied the word trespass offering to Christ's death to indicate that the trespass offerings in the law were not the right sacrifice to pay for sin, but that another sacrifice had to come, namely Christ's death, by which God's wrath was to be atoned for. The guilt offerings in the law had to cease when the gospel was revealed and the right sacrifice was made. Therefore, they were not true atonements before God, for they had to fall and another had to come. Therefore, they were only meanings and examples of the right atonement. Therefore, it is certain that there was only one sacrifice, namely the death of Christ, which was to be applied for others to atone for God's wrath.
662. In addition to this one atonement, namely the death of Christ, there are other sacrifices, all of which are only thank offerings, such as all the suffering, preaching, and good works of the saints. These are not the kind of sacrifices by which we are atoned for, which can be done for others, or which merit ex opere operato forgiveness of sin or atonement. For they are made by those who have already been atoned for by Christ. And such sacrifices are our sacrifices in the New Testament, as Peter the Apostle says in 1 Peter 2:5: "Ye are a holy priesthood, that ye should offer spiritual sacrifices." And in the New Testament no sacrifice is ex opere operato sine bono motu utentis, that is, the work without a good thought in the heart. For Christ says John 4:23: "The right worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."
that is, with heart, with heartfelt fear and heartfelt faith. Therefore, it is a devilish, Pharisaic and antichristic doctrine and worship that our adversaries teach that their mass deserves forgiveness of guilt and chastisement ex opere operato.
The Jews did not understand their ceremonies well either, and thought that they would be pious before God if they had done the works ex opere operato. The prophets cried out against this in the most earnest manner, so that they would point the people from their own works to the promise of God, and bring them to faith and right worship. Jer. 7, v. 22 f.: "I did not speak to your fathers about sacrifices or burnt offerings when I brought them out of Egypt, but I commanded them this word: Hear my voice, and I will be your God. "etc. What will the stiff-necked Jews have said to this sermon and teaching, which seems to be quite publicly against the Law and Moses? For it was ever public that God had commanded the fathers of sacrifices. Jeremiah could not deny this. But Jeremiah condemned their error concerning the sacrifices, of which there was no command from God, namely, that they thought that the sacrifices ox opere operato atoned for and pleased God. Therefore Jeremiah adds this to the faith that God has commanded: "Hear me," that is, believe me that I am your God, that I sustain you, have mercy on you, help you all hours, and do not permit your sacrifice; believe that I am your God, who justifies you and sanctifies you, not because of your merit, but because of my promise; therefore you shall wait for all comfort and help from me.
The 50th Psalm, v. 13, also rejects the pagan opinion of the opere operato, saying: "Do you think that I will eat ox meat or drink the blood of a goat? Call upon me in the time of trouble" etc. Then the opus oporaturu is rejected, saying, "Call upon me." There he indicates the highest service of God when we call upon him from the heart. Item, in the 40th Psalm, v. 7. "Thou hast no pleasure in sacrifice and meat offering; but thou hast opened mine ears," that is, thou hast given me a word to hear, demanding that I believe thy word, and thy promises to help me. Item, Ps. 51, 18. 19.: "You have no desire for sacrifice, otherwise I would give it to you etc. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit" etc. Item, in the 4th Psalm, v. 6.: "Offer sacrifices of righteousness, and hope in the Lord." There he commands that we should hope in the Lord, and calls this a righteous sacrifice; there he indicates that the others are not righteous.
Sacrifices etc. Item, Ps. 116, 17: "To You I will offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and call upon the name of the Lord" etc.
And all Scripture is full of such sayings, which indicate that no sacrifice, no work ex opere operato atones for God. Therefore, it teaches that in the New Testament, the sacrifices of the Law of Moses have been removed, and are pure sacrifices without blemish, namely, faith toward God, thanksgiving, praise of God, preaching of the Gospel, the cross and suffering of the saints, and the like.
666. and of these sacrifices Malachias speaks, when he says [Cap.1,11.]: "From the going out of the sun to its going down my name is great among the Gentiles, and in all places a pure sacrifice shall be offered to my name." The same saying the adversaries interpret falsely and foolishly from the mass, and attract the old fathers. But it is soon answered: If Malachias spoke of the Mass when he did not, it does not follow from this that the Mass ex opere operato makes us pious before God, or that one can say Mass for others to obtain forgiveness of sin. The prophet says none of these things, but the sophists and monks unashamedly invent them from their own brains.
The words of the prophet themselves bring the right understanding. For first the prophet says: let the name of the Lord be magnified; this happens through the preaching of the gospel. For by this the name of Christ is confessed, and the grace promised in Christ is made known. Through the preaching of the gospel people come to faith, they call on God, they give thanks to God, they suffer persecution for God's sake, they do good works. Therefore, the prophet calls it the pure sacrifice, not the ceremonies of the mass alone ex opere operato, but all spiritual sacrifices by which God's name is magnified, namely a pure, holy sacrifice is the preaching of the Gospel, faith, calling, prayer, confessing the Gospel and Christ before the world etc.
668 And we do not greatly contest whether someone would ever want to apply it to the ceremonies of the Mass, if only he does not say that the bad ceremonia makes atonement for God ex opere operato. For as we call the sermon a sacrifice of praise, so the ceremony of the Lord's Supper may be a sacrifice of praise in itself; but not such a sacrifice that ex opere operato makes one righteous before God, or that one can do for others to obtain forgiveness of sin for them. But soon after, we will also say how the ceremony is a sacrifice. Because
But Malachias speaks of all services and sacrifices of the New Testament, so he does not speak only of the mass or the Lord's Supper. Item, while he clearly refutes the same Pharisaic error of the opere operato, the saying does nothing against us, but rather for us, because it demands inwardly the heart to make sacrifices of thanksgiving to God, through which the name of the Lord becomes truly great.
669 There is also a saying drawn from Malachi [Cap. 2, 3.]: "And he shall make the sons of Levi to be as gold and as silver, and they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness unto God. There he says of sacrifices of righteousness, therefore the text is against the opus operatum. But the sacrifices of the sons of Levi, that is, of those who preach in the New Testament, is the preaching of the gospel, and the good fruits of preaching, as Paul says Rom. 15:16: "I am to be a minister of Christ among the Gentiles, to offer the gospel of God, that the Gentiles may become an offering acceptable to God through faith." For the slaughter of oxen and sheep in the law has the death of Christ and the preaching of the gospel, by which the old Adam is killed daily, and the new and eternal life begins.
670 But the adversaries everywhere apply the word sacrifice or sacrificium only to the ceremonies of the mass. They speak nothing of the preaching of the Gospel, of faith, of giving thanks and invoking the divine name, even though the ceremony is instituted for this purpose, since the New Testament has only spiritual sacrifices within the heart, and not such sacrifices as the Levitical priesthood.
671 The adversaries also refer to the juge sacrificium, that is, the daily sacrifice, and say: as in the Law of Moses there was a daily sacrifice, so the mass is the juge sacrificium of the New Testament. If the matter were to be settled with allegories, everyone would find allegories useful to him. But all those of understanding know that in such highly important matters before God, one must have God's word, certain and clear, and not forcefully drag in dark and strange sayings; such uncertain interpretations do not hold the sting before God's judgment.
672 Although we wanted to please the adversaries by calling the mass juge sacrificium or daily sacrifice, if they called the whole mass, that is, the ceremonies with thanksgiving, with faith in the heart, with the heartfelt invocation of divine grace, juge sacrificium, because all of this together would like to
juge sacrificium of the New Testament. For the ceremonial of the Mass or of the Lord's Supper is established for the sake of all this; for it is instituted for the sake of preaching, as Paul says [1 Cor. 11:26]: "As often as ye eat the bread and drink the cup, ye shall proclaim the death of the Lord." But it does not follow at all from the figure of the daily sacrifice that the Mass is such a sacrifice, which ex opere operato atones for God, or which one can hold for others or do to obtain forgiveness of sin for them.
673 And if the daily sacrifice or juge sacrificium is rightly considered, it does not only cover the ceremonies, but also the preaching of the Gospel. For in the 4th book of Moses, 28th, v. 3. ff., three parts are set, which belonged to the same daily sacrifice. First, a lamb was sacrificed for a burnt offering, and wine was poured on it. Then a cake was offered, mixed with bread flour and oil.
The whole law of Moses is a shadow and figure of Christ and the New Testament. That is why Christ is painted in it. The lamb signifies the death of Christ; pouring wine on it signifies that all believers in all the world are sprinkled with the blood of the lamb through the gospel, that is, that they are sanctified, as Peter says 1 Peter 1:2: "Through sanctification of the Spirit, in obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." The kuche means the invocation and thanksgiving in all believers' hearts. As in the Old Testament is the shadow and the meaning of Christ or the Gospel, so in the New Testament is to be sought the same Gospel and the truth which is signified by the figure, and is not first to be sought a new type or figure which they would or would call sacrificium.
Therefore, although the mass or ceremonial in the Lord's Supper is a memorial of Christ's death, the ceremonial alone is not the juge sacrificium or daily sacrifice, but the memorial of Christ's death, together with the ceremonial, is the daily sacrifice, that is, the preaching of faith and Christ, which faith truly believes that God was atoned for through Christ's death. To the same juge sacrificio also belongs the fruit of the sermon, that we are sprinkled with the blood of Christ, that is, sanctified, that the old Adam is killed, and the spirit increases, that is, the watering. After this we should also give thanks and praise God, and confess the faith with suffering and good works, which is signified by flour and oils.
676 Thus, when the gross Pharisaic error of the opere operato is removed, it is found that by the juge sacrificium is signified the spiritual sacrifice and daily oblation of the heart; for Paul says, [Col. 2:17]: "In the old testament is the shadow of things to come; but the body and the truth are in Christ. Now this is the knowledge of Christ and the Holy Spirit in the heart, which works vain thanksgiving and daily spiritual sacrifices in the heart. From this it appears enough that the likeness of sacrificio or daily sacrifice is nothing against us, but rather for us. For we have clearly shown that everything that belonged to the daily sacrifice in the Law of Moses must mean a true heartfelt sacrifice, not opus operatum. The opponents' dream is false, because they want to think that it means only the bad external work and ceremonies, when faith in the heart, preaching, confession, thanksgiving and heartfelt invocation are the true daily sacrifices and the best part of the mass, they call it sacrifice or otherwise.
Now all godly, pious, honorable, Christian people can easily notice that the accusation of the adversary is wrong, because they say, we deny the juge sacrificium. But experience shows that they are the true Antiochians, who show themselves as raging tyrants with vain thirst and violence in the church, who, under a pretense of spirituality, draw to themselves all the power of the world, and yet ask nothing about the preaching ministry, about Christ or the gospel. Above all this, they are subject to set up new services of their liking in the church and to defend them with vain violence. For the adversaries keep only the ceremonies of the mass, but they abandon the proper custom of the mass, and use the mass only for avarice and shameful fairs, and then pretend that it is a work that benefits others, that earns others forgiveness of sins, torment and guilt. In their sermons, however, they do not teach the gospel, nor do they comfort consciences, nor do they preach that sins are forgiven without merit for Christ's sake, but they preach about calling on the saints, about satisfactionibus, about pardon, about human statutes, and say that this makes people devout before God. And although these public blasphemous abuses are many, they want to preserve them by force, because they carry money. And the most learned preachers among them preach confused philosophical quarrels and questions/which neither they themselves nor the people understand. Finally, whether some among them are not
unlearned, they teach only the law, and teach nothing of Christ or of faith.
The adversaries draw on Daniel, who says [Cap. 9, 27]: "There will be abominations and desolation in the church," and point this to our church, because the altars are not covered, lights are not burning in them, and the like. Although it is not true that we do away with all such external ornaments. Nevertheless, if it were so, Daniel does not speak of such things, which are quite external, and do not belong to the Christian church, but rather means another more horrible desolation, which is strong in Pabstism, namely, the desolation of the most necessary, greatest service, the ministry of preaching, and the suppression of the gospel. For the adversaries preach the more part of the statutes of men, by which the consciences are led away from Christ to their own works and trust. Thus it is certain that under the papacy no one understood the sermon on repentance or de poenitentia, as the adversaries taught it, and yet this is the most necessary part of the whole Christian doctrine.
The adversaries have tormented the poor consciences and plagued them with sins; they have not taught anything rightly about faith in Christ, by which one obtains forgiveness of sin, about the right struggle and temptation, which are the exercise of faith, by which the consciences might have had comfort. All their books, all their sermons have been of no more use than nothing, and have done untold harm. In addition to this, there is the terrible, horrible abuse of the mass by the adversaries, the like of which has hardly ever been seen on earth, and countless other unchristian, foolish services; this is the real devastation of which Daniel says.
680. In our churches, however, the priests attend to their office, teach and preach the gospel, preach Christ, that we have forgiveness of sin and a gracious God, not because of our works, but because of Christ. This teaching gives the hearts a right, certain, constant comfort. They also teach the Ten Commandments, and of righteous good works, which God has commanded. They also teach about the proper Christian use of the holy sacraments.
681 And if the Abandonment or the Mass should be called the Daily Sacrifice, then the Mass would be called so in our country. For in their churches, their priests all say mass for the sake of their prebends and money. In our churches, the holy sacraments are not abused in this way. For there is never-
The people are taught about the proper Christian use of the sacrament, that it is a seal and certainly a sign of the forgiveness of sins, by which the hearts are reminded and the faith is strengthened, so that they certainly believe that their sins are forgiven. If we keep the preaching of the Gospel and the right use of the sacrament, we will undoubtedly have the daily sacrifice.
682 And even if one should say of external well-being, our churches are better adorned than the opposite. For the proper outward adornment of the church is also proper preaching, proper use of the sacraments, and that the people be accustomed to them in earnest, and come together, learn, and pray with diligence and discipline. Because, by God's grace, Christian and wholesome things are taught in our churches, from comfort in all trials, the people gladly stay with good preaching. For there is no thing that keeps people in the church more than good preaching. But our adversaries preach their people out of the church, because they teach nothing of the necessary pieces of Christian doctrine, telling legends of the saints and other fables.
683 Above that, where our adversaries consider their candles, altar cloths, images and such adornments to be necessary pieces and worship with them, they are the Antichrist's servants, of whom Daniel says that they honor their God with silver, gold and such adornments.
684. also so they draw from the epistle to the Hebrews Cap.5, 1.: "Every high priest that is taken from men is set for men against God, that he may offer gifts and sacrifices for sin." There they conclude: Since in the New Testament there are bishops and priests, it follows that there must also be a sacrifice for sin. This mm would move most the unlearned and inexperienced, especially when they see the splendid splendor in temples and churches. Item, the clothing of Aaronis, since in the old testament also much decoration of gold, silver and purple was, they think, it must be in the new testament likewise a service, such ceremonies and sacrifices, since one sacrifices for other people sin, as in the old testament. For the whole abuse of the masses and papal services is nowhere customary, because they wanted to follow the ceremonies of Moses, and have not understood that the New Testament deals with other things, and
Such external ceremonies, whether or not they are needed for child rearing, should be kept in moderation.
685 And although our cause is especially well founded in the epistle to the Hebrews, yet the adversaries draw from the same epistle some sayings garbled, as in the very place indicated above, where the text says: "Every high priest etc. is set to sacrifice" etc. The text soon refers to Christ. The words that precede speak of the Levitical priesthood, and say that the Levitical priesthood is an interpretation of the priesthood of Christ. For the Levitical sacrifices for sin did not merit forgiveness of sin before God, but were only an image of Christ, who was the right, only, true sacrifice for sin, as I said above. And almost the entire epistle to the Hebrews deals with the fact that the Levitical priesthood and the sacrifices in the Law were not intended to merit forgiveness of sin or atonement before God, but only to signify the future true sacrifice, Christ. For the patriarchs and saints in the Old Testament were also justified and atoned for by God through faith in the promise of the future Christ, through whom salvation and grace were promised, just as we in the New Testament obtain grace through faith in Christ, who is revealed. For all believers from the beginning have believed that a sacrifice and payment for sin would take place, namely Christ, who was future and promised, as Isaiah Cap. 53, 10. says: "When he will give his soul as a guilt offering for sin" etc.
686 If then in the Old Testament no one obtained forgiveness of sin through the sacrifices, for they alone signified the one sacrifice of Christ, it follows that there is only one sacrifice, namely Christ, who paid for all the sin of the world and was sufficient. Therefore no other sacrifice is to be made in the New Testament to pay for sins, but only the one death of Christ, which was offered once on the cross.
687 Therefore, when they say that in the New Testament there must be a priest who sacrifices, this alone is to be accepted and understood by Christ. And this is what the whole epistle to the Hebrews urges and strongly agrees upon. And that would also mean to represent and to invade other mediators besides Christ, if we allowed another satisfaction for sin and atonement than the death of Christ.
688. and because the priesthood of the new
If the Holy Spirit works through the ministry of the Last Testament, it cannot be a sacrifice that helps others ex opere operato. For unless my own faith and life are wrought by the Holy Spirit, another's opus operatum cannot make me devout and blessed. Therefore, the mass cannot apply to others; that is clear and certain.
689 We have now shown the reason why the mass does not justify anyone before God ox opere operato, and why masses cannot be held for others. For both are strictly contrary to the faith and the doctrine of Christ. For it is impossible that sins should be forgiven, or that the terrors of death and hell should be overcome by another's work, but only by faith in Christ; as the saying is Rom. 5:1: "If we have been justified, then we have peace with God" etc. In addition, we have shown that the sayings of Scripture, which are accused against us, also prove nothing for the pagan and antichristian doctrine of the adversaries of the opere operato; and this can now be noticed and judged by all God-fearing, respectable people in all the world, in all nations. Therefore, the error of St. Thomas is to be rejected, who writes that the body of the Lord was sacrificed once on the cross for original sin, and is sacrificed daily for daily sins on the altar, so that the church has a sacrifice to reconcile God daily. The other errors are also to be rejected, that the mass is credited ex opere operato to the one who says it; item, if one says mass for others who do not say obicem, even if they are godless, that the latter obtain forgiveness of sin and redemption from pain and guilt. All these are vain errors and false, and invented by vain unlearned, unholy monks, who know nothing at all of the Gospel, of Christ and of the faith.
From this error, from such abuses of the masses, countless others have arisen, namely, that they dispute whether a mass, if it is said for many, is also [as] powerful as if each person has his own mass said for him. From this disputation the masses have grown and been sold higher and higher.
691 Further, they still say mass for the dead, to deliver souls from purgatory (which is a shameful fair), when the sacrament is useful neither to the living nor to the dead without faith. And the adversaries cannot produce one letter, not one syllable, from the Scriptures, to confirm the dreams and fables, which they have unashamedly and unashamedly, with great clamor, in great adulation.
They preach the truth when they have neither the church's nor the fathers' testimony. Therefore, they are unholy, blinded people who knowingly despise the public truth of God and trample it underfoot.
What the old teachers or fathers from the victim
write.
692 Having rightly interpreted and accounted for the sayings which the adversaries draw from Scripture, we must also answer the sayings of the ancient fathers which they draw. We know well that the fathers call the mass a sacrifice. But the opinion of the Fathers is not that by saying Mass ex opere operato one obtains forgiveness of sin, or that one should say Mass for the living and the dead in order to obtain for them forgiveness of sin, indulgence from chastisement and guilt. For they will never prove that the fathers taught anything of such an abomination against all Scripture, but the books of the fathers speak of thanksgiving and sacrifice of thanksgiving, therefore they call the mass eucharistiam. But we have shown above that the sacrifices of thanksgiving do not obtain forgiveness of sin for us, but are made by those who have already been atoned for through faith in Christ. Just as the cross and tribulation do not merit atonement against God, but are thank-offerings when those who are atoned for bear and suffer such tribulation.
693 And these short words are answer enough against the sayings of the fathers, protect us also enough against our adversaries. For it is certain that the dreams of the opere operato are nowhere found in the books or writings of the Fathers. But in order that this whole matter and trade of the Mass may be the more clearly understood, let us also speak of the proper use of the Sacrament, and thus, as it is also found in the Holy Scriptures and in all the writings of the Fathers.
Of the right custom of the sacrament and of the sacrifice.
694 Some rascally scholars themselves invent that the Lord's Supper was instituted for two reasons. First, that it is a motto and sign of an order, as the monk's caps of their orders are a difference and sign. Then they think that Christ was particularly pleased to give or establish the same motto by means of a meal or supper, so as to indicate the friendship of brotherly kinship that should exist among Christians. For eating and drinking with one another is a sign of friendship. But this is a human thought, and
does not indicate the right custom of the sacrament. It speaks only of love and friendship, which worldly people also understand. But there is no mention of faith or of the promise of God, which is the greatest thing; which faith is a much higher, greater thing than is thought.
695 The sacraments are signs of the divine will toward us, and are not only a slogan or sign by which people know each other. And those are right who say that the sacraments are signus gratiae, that is, the sacraments are signs of grace. And because in the sacrament there are two things, the outward sign and the word, so in the New Testament the word is the promise of grace, which is attached to the sign. And the same promise in the New Testament is a promise of forgiveness of sin, as the text says: "This is my body, which is given for you. This is the cup of the new testament in my blood, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sin." The word beuts us to forgiveness of sin. The outward sign is like a seal and confirmation of the words and promise, as Paul also calls it. Therefore, just as the promise is in vain unless it is made by faith, so also the ceremony or outward sign is not useful unless there is faith, which truly believes that we are forgiven of sin. And the same faith comforts the frightened conscience. And as God gives the promise to awaken such faith, so also the outward sign is given beside it and set before the eyes, that it may move the hearts to believe and strengthen the faith. For through the two, the word and the outward sign, the Holy Spirit works.
And this is the right custom of the holy sacrament, when the frightened consciences are restored through faith in the divine promise. And this is the right service in the New Testament. For in the New Testament the highest divine service takes place inwardly in the heart, that we are killed after the old Adam and are born again through the Holy Spirit. And for this purpose Christ also instituted the sacrament, saying, "Do these things in remembrance of me." For to do these things in remembrance of Christ is not a thing that is done only with gifts and works, only for a remembrance and an example, as is remembered in the Histories of Alexandria and the like, but it means to know Christ rightly, to seek and desire Christ's good deeds. Faith, then, which recognizes the abundant grace of God, makes one alive.
697 And this is the noblest use of the sacrament, to note well those who are rightly sent to the sacrament, namely, the frightened consciences that feel their sin, are terrified by God's wrath and judgment, and long for consolation. Therefore the Psalm says: "He has made a memorial of his wonders, the gracious and merciful Lord; he has given food to those who fear him." And the faith that knows such mercy makes alive. And this is the right use of the sacrament.
698 This is also where the sacrifice of thanksgiving is found. For when the heart and conscience feel the great hardship, fear and terror from which it has been delivered, it gives thanks from the heart for such great, unspeakable treasure, and also needs ceremonies or outward signs to praise God, and shows that it accepts such God's grace with gratitude, and respects it greatly and highly. Thus, the Mass becomes a sacrifice of thanksgiving or praise.
699 And so the fathers speak of two effects or benefits of the sacrament. First, that thereby the consciences are comforted. Second, that praise and thanks be given to God. The first actually belongs to the proper use of the sacrament, the other to the sacrifice. Of consolation Ambrose says: "Go to him, that is, to Christ, and receive grace, etc. for he is the forgiveness of sin. But do you ask who he is? Hear him himself say, "I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall not thirst." There he indicates that with the sacrament forgiveness of sin is offered. He also says that one should grasp this with faith. There are countless sayings in the Fathers' books, all of which the adversaries point to the opus operatum and to the keeping of the Mass, which is done for others, while the Fathers speak of faith in the promise of God and of the consolation that consciences receive, and say nothing at all about application.
700. There are sayings in the Fathers about thanksgiving, as Cyprianus speaks almost sweetly of Christian communication: "A Christian heart (he says) divides its thanks in one part for the treasure given; in the other part for the sins forgiven, and gives thanks for such abundant grace, that is: A Christian heart looks at what has been given to it in Christ, and what has also been forgiven it for great sins by grace; holds our sorrow and the great mercy of God against each other, and gives thanks to God etc. And
Therefore, it is called Eucharistia in the Church. Therefore the mass is not such a thanksgiving, which one should do or hold ex opere operato for others, to obtain forgiveness of sins for them. For this would be contrary to faith, just as if the mass or the external ceremony without faith made someone pious and blessed.
From the word Mass.
701 Here it is seen what gross asses our adversaries are. They say that the word missa comes from the word misbeach, which means an altar; from this it should follow that the mass is a sacrifice, because on the altar one sacrifices. Item, the word liturgia, as the Greeks call the mass, is also said to mean a sacrifice. To this we will briefly reply. All the world sees that for these reasons this pagan and antichristic error need not follow, that the mass helps ex opere operato, sine bono motu utentis. That is why they are asses, that they bring up such inconsistent things in such important matters. Even so the asses know no grammatica. For missa and liturgia do not mean sacrifice. Missa in Hebrew means a collected tax. For this was the way that Christians brought food and drink to the poor in the assembly. And such a way is of Jewish origin, who had to bring such a tax to their feasts, which they called missa. Thus liturgia in Greek actually means an office in which one serves the congregation. This fits in well with our doctrine, that the priest serves as a common minister to those who want to communicate, and administers the holy sacrament.
702 Some think that missa does not come from the Hebrew, but is so much as remissio, forgiveness of sin. For when one communicated, one spoke: Ite, missa est, Go, you have forgiveness of sin. And that it is so, they attract, that one has spoken with the Greeks, Lais aphesis "--?), that is also so much: they are forgiven. If so, this would be a fine understanding, for forgiveness of sin is always to be preached and proclaimed at this ceremony. But this trade is little helped, the word Missa means whatever it wants.
From the masses for the dead.
703 But that the adversaries still want to defend this, that the mass helps the dead, of which they have made their own fair and special unspeakable cretinism, they have no
testimony nor command of God in the Scriptures. Now it is an unspeakable, great abomination, and not a small sin, that they are allowed to conduct a service in the church without God's Word, without all Scripture, and are allowed to take the Lord's Supper, which Christ instituted to preach the Word, to commemorate His death, to strengthen the faith of those who need the ceremony, and to impudently draw on the dead. For this is rightly taking God's name in vain against the other commandment.
704 For first of all, it is the greatest dishonor and blasphemy of the Gospel and of Christ that the evil work of the mass ex opere operato should be a sacrifice that atones for God and is sufficient for sin. It is a rather terrible, ugly sermon and doctrine, and a great, unspeakable abomination, that the bad work done by a priest should be considered as much as the death of Christ. It is certain that sin and death cannot be overcome except through faith in Christ alone, as Paul says in Romans 5:1. Therefore, masses cannot help the dead in any way ex opere operato.
705 We do not want to tell here how weak reasons the opponents of purgatory have. Item, from where the doctrine of pardon and satisfaction first arose; as we have indicated above, that it is a vain dream and a fictitious man's work. But we want to tell them that it is certain that the Lord's Supper actually belongs to the forgiveness of guilt. For what consolation would we have if we were offered forgiveness, and yet it should not be forgiveness of guilt? If then the ceremonies imply forgiveness of sins, it follows that it is impossible for them to be a satisfaction ex opere operato, or to help the dead. For if it belongs to the forgiveness of guilt, it must serve only to comfort the consciences, so that they believe that their guilt is truly forgiven.
And truly, it would be no wonder that all pious, Christian people would think they were bleeding from fear and suffering if they really thought about how unspeakable, horrible and terrible the abuse of the masses under the papacy is, namely, that the mass is not used for anything else than for the dead and to relieve the torment of purgatory.
707 They cry, we do juge sacrificium or the daily sacrifice. That is right juge sacrificium, the daily sacrifice taken away from the church, that is a real tyranny and rage of the godless Antiochi, thus undermining the whole gospel, the whole doctrine of faith, of Christ.
and on such dreams of satisfactionibus preach such lies of the opere operato instead. This means to trample the Gospel underfoot, to shamefully pervert the use of the sacraments. These are the right blasphemers, since Paul says that they are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, who suppress the doctrine of Christ, of faith, and abuse the mass and the Lord's Supper to a shameful, impudent, public avarice, to a fair and cretinism. And all this under a hypocritical appearance of satisfaction. And precisely because of this great, unspeakable blasphemy, the bishops will have to await severe punishment from God. One day God will make the other commandment truly true and pour out a great, fierce wrath upon them. Therefore, we and all of us must take care that we do not allow the adversaries to abuse us.
708 But let us return to the matter in hand. If the mass is not a satisfaction, neither for pain nor for guilt ex opere operato, then it follows that the mass, if one holds it for the dead, is useless and nothing. And it must not be a long disputation. For it is certain that there is no reason in Scripture for such a mass for the dead. Now it is an abomination to worship in church without all God's Word, without all Scripture. And if it will be necessary, we want to talk about this piece more and more and according to all necessity. For why should we now quarrel much with the opponents, if they do not understand what sacrifice, what sacrament, what forgiveness of sin, what faith is?
The Greek canon does not apply the mass as a satisfaction for the dead, because it applies it at the same time for all patriarchs, prophets, apostles. From this it appears that the Greeks also sacrifice as a thanksgiving, but not as a satisfaction for the chastisement of the purgatory. For it will certainly not be their opinion to redeem the prophets and apostles from purgatory, but only to offer thanksgiving, beside and with them, for the high, eternal goods, which are given to them and to us.
710 The adversaries claim that it should be condemned for heresy that one, called Aerius, should have held that the mass is not a sacrifice for the dead. But here they make do with their usual handles, that they fabricate that our doctrine has been rejected from time immemorial. But the donkeys are not ashamed of lies. Thus they do not know who Aerius was or what he taught. Epiphanius writes that Aerius held
that prayer for the dead is useless. Now we are not talking about prayer, but about Christ's supper, whether the ex opere operato is a sacrifice to help the dead? This trade of ours does not concern Aerium.
711 Whatever else is said about the mass by the fathers does not affect this trade. For the good, pious fathers did not teach this abominable, blasphemous, antichristic error, that the mass ex opere operato merits forgiveness of chastisement and guilt for the living and the dead. For this error of the opere operato is a public heresy against all Scripture, against all prophets and apostles. And all Christians should learn that such papist masses are vile and terrible idolatry.
712 But such idolatry remains in the world as long as the Antichrist reigns and remains. For as in Israel a false worship was established with Baal, even unrighteous worship was under the semblance of the worship that God has established, so the Antichrist has also made a false worship in the church out of the supper of Christ. And yet, just as God nevertheless preserved His Church, that is, some saints, among Israel and Judah, so God nevertheless preserved His Church, that is, some saints, among the papacy, so that the Christian Church did not completely perish. Although the Antichrist will remain with his false worship until Christ the Lord comes in public and judges, all Christians should be warned to beware of such idolatry and learn how to serve God rightly and obtain forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ, so that they may honor God rightly and have constant comfort against sin. For this reason God has graciously made His gospel shine, that we might be warned and saved.
713 We have briefly said this about the mass, so that all God-fearing, pious, respectable people in all nations may understand that with all faithful diligence we have preserved the right honor and the right custom of the mass, and that we have great, highly important reasons why we do not keep it with the adversaries. And we want to warn all pious, honorable people that they do not share the great abomination and abuse of the Mass with the adversaries, so that they do not weigh themselves down with other people's sins. It is a great deal and a very important thing. For this abuse is no less than the matter was in Elijah's time with the false worship of Baal. We have to
This time we will present this matter with mild words and without profanity; but if the adversaries do not stop blaspheming, let them realize that we also want to be harder on them.
Article XXVII (XIII) Of the monastic vows.
714 In the city of Eisenach, in the country of Thuringia, there was about thirty years ago a barefoot monk, called Johannes Hilten, who was thrown into a dungeon by his brothers, because he had challenged some public abuses in the monastic life. We have also seen some of his writings, from which it is well to note that he preached Christianly and according to the Holy Scriptures; and those who knew him say today that he was a pious, quiet, old man, completely honest, respectable in character and conduct. He would have prophesied many things about these times, and said beforehand that things had already happened, and also some things that were yet to happen; which we do not want to tell here, so that no one will think that we are doing this out of envy or to please someone. Finally, when he had fallen into an illness due to his age and also because the prison had ruined his health, he asked the guardian to come to him and told him of his weakness; and when the guardian, out of Pharisaic bitterness and envy, attacked him with harsh words, because such a sermon would not be useful in the kitchen, he refrained from complaining of his body's weakness, sighed deeply, and said with serious gestures: he would gladly bear and suffer such injustice for the sake of Christ, even though he had neither written nor taught anything detrimental to the monks, but had only attacked gross abuses. Finally he said: "Another man will come when it is written in 1516, who will destroy you monks, and he will remain well before you, whom you will not be able to resist. The same word, how monasticism would fall, and the same year, was found afterwards in other of his books, and especially in the Commentariis on the Danielem. But what to think of this man's speech, we leave to each his own judgment. But there are other signs that the monk's being could not last long.
715 It is evident that the monasteries are nothing but insolent hypocrisy and deceit, full of avarice and pride, and the more unlearned asses the monks are, the more stiff-necked, fierce and bitter, the more poisonous vipers they are,
to pursue the truth and God's word. Thus their sermons and writings are all childish, unrational, foolish things, and all their being is directed to fill their belly and their avarice.
In the beginning, the monasteries were not such dungeons or eternal prisons, but schools where the youth and others were educated in the Holy Scriptures. Now such noble gold has become dung, and wine has become water. Almost in the right, greatest monasteries and convents there are vain, useless, idle monks, who under the appearance of holiness live on common alms in all splendor and pleasure. But Christ says that the dead salt is of no use except to be thrown away and trampled under foot. Therefore, if the monks lead such an ungodly life, they are in fact singing their own requiem, and they will soon be finished.
717 Another sign is that the monks will perish, that they are the originators, founders and instigators, that many learned, honest people will be innocently strangled and judged, that Abel's blood will cry out over them, and God will avenge it. We do not say of all of them; there may be some in monasteries who know the holy gospel of Christ and do not put holiness on their traditions, who are also not guilty of the blood that the hypocrites shed among them.
718 But we speak here of the doctrine which the masters of confutation praise and defend. We do not dispute whether one should keep vows to God? For we also hold that one is obligated to keep true vows; but of this we speak, whether by the vows and such monasticism one obtains forgiveness of sin before God; whether they are satisfaction for sin; whether they are equal to baptism; whether they are perfection, by which the praecepta and consilia, that is, not only the commandments, but also the counsels are kept; whether they are evangelical perfection; whether the monks have merita supererogationis, that is, so much remaining merit and holy works that they cannot do all of them; whether their merits, if they communicate them to others, make them blessed; whether the monastic vows are Christian, according to the opinion thus done? Item, whether the monastic vows, which are enforced by the unwilling, and those who, because of their youth, do not understand what they are doing, whom parents or friends thrust into the monasteries, because of their belly, to save only their paternal inheritance, are Christian and divine; whether the monastic vows are Christian, which certainly give rise to sins,
That is, that the religious must praise and accept the ugly abuse of the mass, the invocation and worship of the saints, and make themselves partakers of the innocent blood that has been shed until now? Item, since the vows are not kept because of weakness, whether these are true vows and Christian?
719 Of these questions is our controversy and disputation. And as we have also said in our Confession of many unfit vows, which the canons of the popes themselves reject, nor do the adversaries wish all that we have put forward to be rejected. For so they say in plain words, that all things which we have put forward are to be rejected.
But it is necessary here to show how they dispute our reasons, and what they argue to maintain their cause. Therefore, we will briefly describe what the opponents argue. And now, since this trade has been diligently and abundantly dealt with in the book Doctoris Martini von Klostergelübden, we want to consider the same book here as renewed and raised.
721 For the first, it is certain that such vows are not divine nor Christian, if I thus make my monastic vow thinking to obtain forgiveness of sins against God, or to do enough for sin. For this is an error that is publicly against the gospel, and is a blasphemy against Christ. For the gospel teaches that we obtain forgiveness of sins through Christ without merit, as we have abundantly said here above. For this reason we have rightly introduced St. Paul's saying to the Galatians on the 5th, v. 4: "If ye would be justified by the law, ye are fallen from Christ and from grace." For those who seek forgiveness of sins, not through faith in Christ, but through monastic vows and monasticism, rob Christ of His glory and crucify Him anew. But hear. Dearly beloved, hear how the masters of the Confutation would gladly seek a remedy here, saying that Paul is to be understood only from the law of Moses; but the monks do and keep everything for Christ's sake, and take pains to live most closely according to the Gospel, that they may merit eternal life, and add a terrible word to it: Therefore it is unchristian and heretical what is brought against the monastic life. O Lord Jesus Christ, how long will you suffer and endure such public dishonor of your holy gospel, when our enemies blaspheme your word and truth?
722 We have said in our Confession,
that one must obtain forgiveness of sins without merit through faith in Christ. If this is not the true and pure gospel preached by the apostles, if this is not the voice of the gospel of the eternal Father, which you, O Lord, seated in the bosom of the Father, have revealed to the world, then we shall be punished. But your bitter, bitter death on the cross, your Holy Spirit, whom you have abundantly distributed, your whole holy, Christian church, gives strong, mighty and certain testimony, which is as bright and clear as the sun, that this is the summa, the core of the gospel, that we obtain forgiveness of sins, not because of our merit, but through faith in Christ.
723 If Paul may say that we do not deserve forgiveness of sins by the holy divine law of Moses and its works, he wants us to do much less by human statutes; and this he indicates clearly enough to the Colossians. For if the works of the Law of Moses, which was revealed by God, do not deserve forgiveness of sins, how much less do the foolish works, monasticism, rosaries and the like, which are neither necessary nor useful for worldly life, much less do they give eternal life to the sea.
724 The adversaries invent a dream for themselves that Christ has abolished the Law of Moses and has come after Moses and brought a new good law, by which one must obtain forgiveness of sins. By the raving, foolish thought they suppress Christ and his good deeds. Then they go on to invent that among those who keep the new laws of Christ, the monks live and walk in the closest likeness to Christ and the apostles by their obedience, poverty and chastity, when the whole monasticism is vain, shameful hypocrisy. They speak of poverty, when they have never been able to experience, before great abundance, what a true poor person's heart is like. They praise their obedience, as no people on earth is freer than the monks, who have masterfully united themselves out of obedience to bishops and princes. Of their holy, great, dangerous chastity I cannot say; I will let Gerson say it, who also says of those who earnestly resolved to live chastely, truly not much purity and holiness; although that is more hypocrisy and not one in a thousand who earnestly intends to live purely and chastely, that we keep silent inwardly of the thoughts of our hearts.
725 Is this the great holiness? Does this mean that we are being sanctified according to Christ and the Gospel?
lives? Christ did not come after Moses to bring new laws to forgive sins because of our works, but he set his merit, his own works, against God's wrath for us, so that we might obtain grace without merit. But whoever, without the atonement of Christ, sets his own works against God's wrath, and wants to obtain forgiveness of sins for his own merit, if he does the works of the Law of Moses, the Ten Commandments, the Rules of Benedict, Augustine, or other 1) rules, he casts away the promise of Christ and falls away from Christ and His grace.
726 But here the imperial majesty, all princes and estates of the empire want to notice how exceedingly insolent the adversaries are, that they are allowed to say, in spite of themselves, that everything we have brought forward against monasticism is ungodly, when we have taken up quite certain and clear sayings of Paul, and there is nothing clearer, more certain in the whole Bible, than that we attain forgiveness of sins only through faith in Christ. And this 2) certain divine truth may be called godless doctrine by the masters of confutation, the desperate evildoers and unholy knaves. We have no doubt, however, where Imperial Majesty and the princes de. Majesty and the princes will be warned of this, they will have such public blasphemy eradicated from the Confutation and torn out.
727 But since we have abundantly shown above that it is a mistake that we should obtain forgiveness of sin for our own merit, we will speak all the more briefly here. For any understanding reader can easily accept that we cannot be redeemed from death and the devil's power and earn forgiveness of sin through the wretched works of the monks. Therefore, the blasphemous, ugly word that Thomas writes is not to be suffered in any way, that going to a monastery should be a new baptism or be equal to baptism. For it is a devilish madness and error that one should compare an unholy human statute and commandment, which has neither God's commandment nor promise, to holy baptism, which is a promise and promise of God.
728 Secondly, these things, willing poverty, obedience, chastity, if they are not otherwise impure, are mere adiaphora and bodily exercise, in which neither sin nor righteousness is to be sought. Therefore, the saints used it much differently than St. Bernard,
1) Müller: "other", but according to the Latin (aliarura reAularuin) it must be "other".
2) Müller: "the". Latin: 1ia,oe.
Franciscus and others, than now the monks. For these have used such things for the exercise of the body, so that they can more easily wait for teaching, preaching and other such things, not that such works should be the service of God, to make righteous before God or to earn eternal life, but Paul quite disparages the works, saying [1 Tim. 4:8]: "Physical exercise is of little use. And it is possible that in some monasteries there are still some pious people who read and study, who need such rules and statutes without hypocrisy, and with this report that they do not consider their monasticism to be holiness. But to hold that these works are a service of God, by which we become righteous before God and merit eternal life, is contrary to the gospel and contrary to Christ. For the gospel teaches that through faith in Christ we are justified and attain eternal life. It is also contrary to the word of Christ [Matth. 15, 9]: "They serve me in vain with the commandments of men. So it is contrary to this saying of Paul [Rom. 14:23.], "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin." But how can they say that they are services that please God and are pleasing in His sight, if they have neither the word of God nor the command?
729 But here it is first to be noted how impudent hypocrites and boys they are. They may say that their monastic vows and orders are not only divine services that make them righteous and pious before God, but add to this that they are states of perfection; that is, holier and higher states than others, such as the married state, the regency state. And so, in their monkish hypocrisy and pharisaic nature, there are countless other horrible, heretical errors. For they boast of being the most holy people, who not only keep the commandments or praecepta, but also the consilia, that is, the high counsels, which the Scriptures give of high gifts not a commandment but a counsel. After that, if they themselves pretend that they are so rich in merit and holiness that they still have some left over, the pious saints are nevertheless so lenient that they offer their merita supererogationis, their other merits, to others, and let them have it for an equal penny, for money. All this is vain, cruel, lying, impostor holiness, and vain Pharisaic hypocrisy and glitter.
730. for since the first commandment of God, "You shall love God your Lord with all your heart, with all your soul" etc. is higher than a
It is the highest theology, from which all prophets, all apostles have drawn their best, highest teachings as from the well; Indeed, if it is such a high commandment, then all worship, all honor to God, all sacrifices, all thanksgiving in heaven and on earth must be regulated and judged according to it, so that all worship, no matter how high, delicious and holy it seems, if it is outside the commandment, is vain shells and husks without a core, even vain filth and abomination before God; which high commandment no saint has ever perfectly fulfilled, so that Noah and Abraham, David, Peter and Paul still confess themselves to be imperfect, sinners, and must remain here below: it is outrageous Pharisaic, even diabolical pride, that a lousy barefoot monk or such unholy hypocrite should say, even preach and teach, that he has thus fully kept and fulfilled the holy high commandment, and according to the requirement and will of God has done so many good works that he still has merits left over. Yes, dear hypocrites, if the holy ten commandments and the high first commandment of God could be fulfilled in such a way as bread and parcels can be put into sacks! They are impudent hypocrites, so that the world is plagued in these last times.
The prophet David says [Ps. 116, 11]: "All men are liars", that is, no man on earth, not even the saints, esteem or fear God as high and great as they should. No man on earth believes and trusts God as fully as he should etc. Therefore, it is lies and hypocritical imaginary dreams that the monks boast that they live according to the perfection of the Gospel and the commandments of God, or that they do more than they owe, so that good works and several cents of superfluous holiness remain in their store.
732 It is also false and untruthful that the monastic life should be a fulfillment of the counsels in the Gospel. For the Gospel has nowhere advised such a difference of clothing, of food, or to suck out people's goods through such begging. For they are vain ordinances of men, of which Paul says [1 Cor. 8:8], "Food does not make us more holy before God. "etc. Therefore, it is not worship that makes us holy before God, nor is it evangelical perfection; rather, when they are taught, preached and proclaimed with these magnificent titles, they are, as Paul calls them, true doctrines of the devil [1 Tim. 4:1].
733 Paul praises virginity and preaches it as a good advice to those who have the
have the same gift, as I have said here above. Therefore it is a shameful, infernal error to teach and hold that evangelical perfection stands in human statutes. For in this way also the Mahometists and Turks would boast (for they also have hermits and monks, as credible histories exist) that they hold evangelical perfection. So also the evangelical perfection is not in the things that are adiaphora, but because this is the kingdom of God, that inwardly the Holy Spirit enlightens, cleanses, strengthens our hearts, and that He works a new light and life in the hearts, so the right evangelical Christian perfection is that we daily increase in faith, in the fear of God, in faithful diligence of the profession and office that is commanded to us, as also Paul describes the perfection, since he says 2 Cor. 3:18: "We are being transformed into the same image, from one clarity to another, as by the Spirit of the Lord." He does not say, we pass from one order to another, we put on nowand this, then those caps, nowand this belt, then that rope etc. It is pitiful that in the Christian church such Pharisaic, even Turkish and Mahometan doctrine has gained the upper hand, that they teach that evangelical perfection and the kingdom of Christ, through which eternal goods and eternal life are lifted up here, are to be found in caps, in garments, in food and such childish things.
734 But here let us hear further the excellent teachers, how they have put such a public blasphemy and ugly word in their confutation. They may impudently say that it is written in the Holy Scriptures that the monastic life and the holy orders deserve eternal life, and that Christ has promised the same especially to the monks, who thus leave house, court, brothers, sister; these are the clear words of the adversaries. But is this not a very impudent, ugly lie, that it is written in the holy scriptures that one could earn eternal life through the monastic life? How bold you are! Where does the Scripture speak of monasticism? Thus the adversaries do these great and excellent things, thus they introduce the Scriptures. The whole world knows, the histories are before their eyes, that the orders and monasticism is a completely new thing, nor may they boast that the holy scripture speaks of their monasticism.
735 Thus they blaspheme and revile Christ, saying that one can earn eternal life through monastic life. God does not honor His own law, that by works one can earn eternal life.
of the law should earn eternal life, as he clearly says Ezekielis on the 20th, v. 25: I have given them law, so that they can not have life. For the first thing is certain, that through monasticism no one can earn eternal life, but for the sake of Christ's merit, through pure mercy, eternal life is given to those who through faith obtain forgiveness of sin, and hold the same against God's judgment, not their poor merit. As St. Bernard also spoke a fine word, that we cannot have forgiveness of sin, but only through God's grace and goodness. Item, that we can have nothing at all of good works, if he does not give it. Item, that we cannot earn eternal life by works, but it is also given to us by grace; and St. Bernard speaks much of the same opinion, as we have told above. And at the end St. Bernard adds: Therefore, let no one deceive or seduce himself in this; for, if he will consider it rightly himself, he will certainly find that with ten thousand he cannot meet him (namely, God) who is pressing toward him with twenty thousand. If then we do not earn forgiveness of sin or eternal life by the works of the divine law, but must seek the mercy promised in Christ, we deserve it much less by monastic life, monasticism, which are vain human statutes, and the honor should be given much less to mendicant statutes.
736 Those who teach that we can earn forgiveness of sin through monasticism, and thus place the trust that belongs to Christ alone in wretched statutes, trample the holy gospel and the promise of Christ underfoot. And for the Savior Christ they honor their shameful caps, their monkish mad works. And if they themselves still lack grace, they act as godless, unholy people, that they still invent their merita supererogationis, and sell other people the remaining part of heaven.
737 We speak of this matter all the more briefly here, because from what was said above about repentance, de justificatione, about the ordinances of men etc., it is enough to note that the monastic vows are not the treasure by which we are saved and attain eternal life etc. And if Christ calls these same statutes vain services [Matth. 15, 9], they are in no way an evangelical perfection. But some sensible monks have been shy to praise their monasticism so highly that it should be called Christian perfection,
Those who have moderated this high glory have said: it is not Christian perfection, but it is a state that should serve to seek Christian perfection. Gerson also remembers such moderation and rejects the unchristian speech that monasticism is Christian perfection.
738 If monasticism is only a state of seeking perfection, then it is no more a state of perfection than the state of farmers and farm workers, of tailors and bakers. For all these are also states of seeking Christian perfection. For all men, in whatsoever state they may be, each according to his profession, should strive for perfection as long as this life lasts, and always increase in the fear of God, in faith, in love toward their neighbor, and in such spiritual gifts.
739 One reads in vitis patrum of St. Anthony and several other great saintly hermits who, through experience, have finally come to realize that their works do not make them more pious before God than the works of others. For St. Anthony at one time asked God to show him how far he had come in the life of perfection. A shoemaker in Alexandria was shown to him, and he was told that he was like a craftsman in holiness. Soon the next day Antonius set out, went to Alexandria, spoke to the same shoemaker, and asked with diligence what kind of holy life and conduct he was leading. The shoemaker answered, "I do nothing special, for in the morning I say my prayers for the whole city, and after that I work at my trade and wait on my house. etc. Then Antonius soon understood what God had meant by the revelation. For one is not justified before God by this or that life, but only by faith in Christ.
740 But the adversaries, though they are ashamed to call monasticism perfection, still consider it to be so, for they sell their works and merits, and pretend that they keep not only the commandments, but also the counsels, and think that they still have merit left. Does this not mean that they boast of perfection and holiness in deed, even if they moderate the matter a little in words? It is also clearly stated in the Confutation that the monks live closer and more exactly according to the Gospel than other worldly people. Where their opinion is that one lives closer to the Gospel by not having one's own things, by living outside of marriage, by wearing special clothing or a cap, by fasting and praying in this way, then it is true that they do not live more closely to the Gospel.
their opinion that their monasticism is Christian perfection, because it is supposed to be closer to the Gospel than common life.
741 It is written in the Confutation that the monks attain eternal life more abundantly than others, and they refer to the scripture Matth. 19, 29: "He who leaves house and home" etc. There they also praise a perfection that should be in monasticism. But the saying does not speak of monasticism. For Christ does not want that leaving father, mother, wife, child, house and farm is such a work, so that one earns forgiveness of sin and eternal life, but leaving father and mother in this way does not please God at all, and is condemned to hell. For if anyone leaves parents, house, and farm to earn forgiveness of sin and eternal life, he blasphemes Christ.
742 But there are two kinds of abandonment. One is by profession and God's command. The abandonment that happens without a calling and God's commandment is not at all acceptable to the Lord Christ. For the works that we choose ourselves, the Lord Christ [Matth. 15, 9.] calls useless, futile service. But from this it is even clearer that Christ does not mean such a fleeing of wife and child. He says: "Whoever leaves wife, child, house and farm" etc. Now we know that God commanded not to leave wife and child. But it is a different abandonment when we leave parents, wife, child etc. out of God's commandment, and when we do it ourselves. For if tyrants would force me to deny the gospel, or drive me out, we have God's command that we should suffer injustice before we are driven out, not only from wife and children, house and farm, but also that our life and limb should be taken from us. Christ speaks of abandonment; therefore he also adds: "for the sake of the gospel," and indicates enough that he speaks of those who suffer for the sake of the gospel, not abandon wife and child of their own accord. For we also owe it to ourselves to lay down our own lives for the sake of the gospel. So it would be foolish, and quite absurdly understood, if I wanted to kill myself without God's command. It is also foolish to consider this as holiness and worship, that I leave my wife and child on my own initiative, without God's command.
743 Because of this, Christ's saying is badly interpreted to monasticism. However, it could rhyme with the monks that they received a hundredfold in this life. For many monks
for the sake of the belly, and that they have idleness and soapy kitchens, since they nevertheless come to rich monasteries as beggars. But as all monasticism is full of hypocrisy and deceit, so they also put on the Scriptures falsely. So they do two terrible sins. One, that they deceive the world with idolatry; the other, that they falsely put on God's name and word to adorn their idolatry.
744 There is also a saying used like this [Matth. 19, 21]: "If you want to be perfect, go, sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and follow me. The saying has troubled many, that they want to think that this is the highest holiness and perfection, not to have their own, not to have house, farm, goods. But the Cynici, as Diogenes, who did not want to have a house, but lay in a barrel, may praise such pagan holiness; Christian holiness stands much on higher things than on such hypocrisy. For having goods, house and yard, are worldly regiment orders, which are confirmed by God, as in the seventh commandment: "Thou shalt not steal" etc. Therefore to leave goods, house and farm is neither commanded nor advised in Scripture. For evangelical Christian poverty does not consist in leaving goods, but in not trusting in them, just as David was nevertheless poor, with a great power and kingdom.
745 Therefore, since such abandonment of goods is nothing but a human statute, it is a useless service of God. And the pope's extravagant praises and extols far too highly such monkish hypocritical poverty, saying that not having one's own for God's sake is a meritoriously holy thing and a way of perfection. When inexperienced people hear such boasting, they fall for it, it is unchristian to sit in goods. From this follows much error and sedition. Münzer was deceived by such boasting, and many Anabaptists are seduced by it.
746 But they say, "Christ himself called it perfection. I say no to this, for they do violence to the text, that they do not put it on completely. Perfection is found in this passage, where Christ says, "Follow me. And therein is the perfection of every Christian, that he should follow Christ, every man according to his calling; and yet the callings are unequal. One is called to be a ruler, another to be a householder, the third to be a preacher. Therefore, although that young man is called to sell, his calling does not concern others, just as David's calling to be a king does not concern all; Abraham's calling to sacrifice his son is not the same.
Cap. 13. from the Imperial Diet at Augsburg in 1530. w. xvi, 1617-1620.1339
should not concern others. So the professions are unequal, but obedience should be equal; and therein stands perfection, if I am obedient in my profession, not if I take on a foreign profession, since I do not have command or God's command of it.
747 For the third, one of the substantive monastic vows is chastity. Now we said above about priestly marriage that no law or monastic vow can change natural or divine law, and if all people do not have the gift of chastity, they also keep the same, that [it] may be pleaded to God; so also no monastic vows nor law can change the Holy Spirit's commandment, since Paul says [1 Cor. 7:2]: "To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife." Therefore monastic vows are not Christian in those who do not have the gift of chastity, but fall and make it worse from weakness. We have spoken of this article above. And it is truly a wonder that the adversaries see before their eyes so many innumerable dangers of the consciences and troubles, that they nevertheless, as the foolish, furious people, insist on such statutes of men, against the public commandment of God, and do not see that the Lord Christ so severely punishes the Pharisees, who taught statutes against God's commandment.
748 Fourth, everyone should be deterred from the monastic life by the horrible, terrible abuse of the masses, which are said for the living and for the dead. Item, the invocation of the saints, which is all directed to avarice, to vain abominations of the devil. For there are two abominations in the calling of the saints. One is that the service of the saints is directed toward avarice. The other is that the saints are put in the place of Christ, and that they are idolatrously worshipped and taken for mediators against God. How alone the preacher monks (let alone the countless mad dreams of the other monks) with the brotherhood of the rosary have caused a quite impudent idolatry, which now enemy and friend themselves mock. Item, the gospel, which preaches forgiveness of sin for the sake of Christ, of right repentance, of right good works, which have God's command, they do not hear, they do not teach it either, but teach from their sermons fables of saints, and their own imaginary works, by which Christ is suppressed. The bishops have suffered all this.
749 We want to keep quiet here about the innumerable childish ceremonies and foolish services with lessons, with songs and the like, which might be tolerated in part if they had a
They say that these ceremonies are of great importance, and that they are used for good practice, just as lessons in school and sermons are used to improve the listeners. But now they themselves invent that such various ceremonies should be a service of God to earn forgiveness of sins for themselves and others; therefore they also make new ceremonies without ceasing. For if they directed such church services and ceremonies so that the youth and the common man might be trained in God's word, then short and diligent lessons would be much more useful than their babbling in the choir, which has neither measure nor end. Thus, the whole monastic life is full of idolatry and hypocritical errors against the first and other commandments, against Christ. In addition, there is the danger that those who are in monasteries or convents must knowingly help to persecute the truth. For this reason, there are many great causes why pious, honest people may flee or even leave the monastic life.
750 The canons themselves absolve those who have been persuaded with good words before they have reached their proper age, or who have been expelled by their friends into a monastery against their will. From all this it appears that there are many causes which indicate that the monastic vows which have been made up to now are not truly Christian, covenant vows. Therefore, one may leave monastic life with a clear conscience, after it is full of hypocrisy and all kinds of abominations.
Here the adversaries accuse us of the Nazarenes in the Law of Moses. But they did not take their vows in order to obtain forgiveness of sins, as we said above about the monks' vows. The Nazarene order was a bodily exercise with fasting, with certain food, by which they confessed their faith; not that they thereby obtained forgiveness of sins, or would thereby be redeemed from eternal death, for that they sought elsewhere, namely in the promise of the blessed Seed. Item, as the circumcision in the law of Moses or the sacrifice is not to be set up for a service now, so the fasting or ceremonies of the Nazarene are not to be set up or put on as a service, but are to be kept for a mean thing and bodily exercise. For this reason, they cannot compare their monastic state, which is ordained without God's word, as a worship service to appease God, with the Nazarene state, which God had commanded; and it was not intended that the Nazarenes should thereby attain a gracious God, but rather that it should be a means of physical exercise.
An outward discipline and exercise of the body, like other ceremonies in the Law of Moses. Item, the same is to be answered of other various vows, which are set in the law of Moses.
752 The adversaries also use the example of the Rechabites, who had no goods, nor did they drink wine, as Jeremiah says Cap. 35, 6. f. Yes, indeed, the example of the Rechabites rhymes with our monks, for their monasteries are built more splendidly than the palaces of kings, and they live in abundance. Even so the Rechabites, with their poverty, have been married; our monks, when they have all splendor, all abundance, pretend chastity in their hypocrisy.
Now the wise and learned know well that all examples are to be interpreted or instituted according to the rule, that is, according to the clear Scriptures, and not contrary to the rule or Scriptures. Therefore, if the Rechabites are praised in Scripture, it is certain that they did not keep their ways and ceremonies in order to earn forgiveness of sin or eternal life, or that their works in themselves could atone for them before God, but they believed as pious, God-fearing children in the blessed, blessed Seed, in the future Christ. And because they had the commandment and commandment of their parents, their obedience is commended in the Scriptures, of which the fourth commandment speaks: "You shall honor your father and your mother."
754 Item, the Rechabite way has another cause. They were among the Gentiles, and their father distinguished them from the Gentiles by some signs, that they should not fall again into ungodliness and idolatry. Therefore their father wanted to remind them of the fear of God, of faith, of the resurrection of the dead; and this is a good cause. But monasticism has many other causes. They invent that monasticism is a service of God, through which one earns forgiveness of sin and is propitiated to God. Therefore, it is no comparison at all with the Rechabite example, that I, let alone others, have innumerable troubles and annoyances, which are still in the monastic life.
755 They also bring forward from the first epistle to Timothy 5, v. 11, 12, of the widows who served the churches and were fed by the common church goods, since Paul says: "For if they have been lewd against Christ, they want to be free, and have their judgment that they have committed the first faith. I will put it in the same way that, since the apostle speaks of the vows
(which is not the case), the saying does nothing to make the monastic vows Christian. For the monastic vows are made to be a service of God, by which one earns forgiveness of sin. But Paul rejects all laws, all works, all services of God, which are thus kept and accepted, in order to merit forgiveness of sin and eternal life, which we obtain through Christ alone. Therefore it is certain that even if the widows had made some vows, they would have been unlike the present monastic vows.
756 If the adversaries ever want to apply Paul's saying to monastic vows, they must also accept that Paul decrees that no widow younger than sixty years of age should be taken. So then all monastic vows made before the time of old age by younger people will be unbinding and nothing. But the church has not known about the monastic vows for a long time. So Paul does not condemn widows because they become married (for he calls the young ones married), but because they let themselves be nourished from the common church treasury, abused it for their lust and lustfulness, and thus broke the first faith. That is, he means that they abandoned the first faith, not the monastic vows, but their baptism, their Christian duty, their Christianity. And so he also speaks of faith in the same chapter, v. 8: "If anyone does not provide for the members of his household, he has denied his faith. For he speaks differently of faith than the sophists. Therefore he says that those deny the faith who do not provide for their household. In the same way, he says of the forward women that they forsake the faith.
757 We have shown some of the causes and explained what the adversaries have brought forward. This we have told not only for the sake of the adversaries, but much more for the sake of some Christian hearts and consciences, that they may have clearly before their eyes why the monastic vows and the various forms of monasticism are not right or Christian, which also all with one another may push to the ground the one word of Christ, when he says, "They serve me in vain with the commandments of men." For from the Word alone it is clear that all monasticism, caps, robes, belts, and all one's own imaginary holiness before God are useless, futile services. And all Christian pious hearts should consider this quite certain, that this is certainly a Pharisaic, damned, ugly error, that we should lose forgiveness of sin or eternal life through such monasticism.
serve, and not rather obtain, through faith in Christ.
Therefore, pious people who have been saved and preserved in the monastic life must finally have come to despair of all their monastic life, to despise all their works like dung, to condemn all their hypocritical services, and to hold fast to the promise of grace in Christ, as is exemplified by St. Bernard, who said: Perdite vixi, I have lived sinfully. For God does not want to have any other services than those He Himself has established through His Word.
Article XXVIII. (XIV.) Of the could Ecclesiastica.
The adversaries here make a great clamor about the liberties and privileges of the clergy (as they call them), and then make such a resolution: "It is all nothing and incompetent that is brought forward in this article against the liberties and privileges of the churches and priests. Here, however, the masters of the Confutation act^once again^as knaves to denigrate us. For in our Confutation nothing is said against the liberties of churches or priests, so that they are graced by secular authorities, emperors, kings and princes. For we teach that secular order and law are to be observed.
But, God willed, that the adversaries would also hear the unspeakable, pitiful, great lamentation of all churches, the great cries and groans of so many pious hearts and consciences. The adversaries do not forget the freedom of the churches and what concerns money and goods. But they care nothing for the most necessary and useful offices in the church; they ask nothing about how to teach or preach; they ask nothing about how to preserve the Christian rites of the sacraments; they ordain crude asses; thus Christian doctrine has perished, because the churches are not staffed with competent preachers. They make traditions and infallible burdens to corrupt souls. And because of their traditions they hold much tighter than God's commandments. Many poor souls are now in doubt and do not know what to do. The prelates should hear what is right and what is wrong, and change the abuses, help the poor people out of their doubts, and take the burden off their burdened consciences. But what they do is in daylight; they make edicts against public truth, show outrageous tyranny against pious people for the preservation of some of their traditions, which are publicly against God. So they
now boast of their privileges, they should also consider their office, and listen to the sighs and complaints of many pious Christians, which God undoubtedly hears, and will one day demand an account from the prelates.
761 The Confutatio also does not answer our reasons, but rather takes a papal stand, says that the bishops have great power, and does not prove it; thus it says: that the bishops have power to rule, to judge, to punish, to force, to make law, for the sake of eternal life. Thus the Consutatio praises the power of the bishops, and yet does not prove it. Now from this article the controversy is: whether the bishops have power to make laws apart from the Gospel, and to command to keep the same as worship, thereby earning eternal life.
762. We then make this report: This doctrine must be kept in the church, that without merit we obtain forgiveness of sin through faith for Christ's sake; so also must the doctrine be kept that all the ordinances of men are of no use in making atonement for God. Therefore neither sin nor righteousness is to be put into food, drink, clothing and the like. For Paul says [Rom. 14:17.], "The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking." Therefore the bishops have no power to make statutes apart from the Gospel, that is, to obtain forgiveness of sin by them, or that they should be divine services for the sake of which God counts us righteous, and to which they oblige the consciences in case of mortal sin. All this is taught by some of the sayings in the Acts of the Apostles in the 15th chapter, v. 9, 10, where Peter says, "that hearts are purified by faith. And after that they forbid to put a yoke or burden on the disciples, saying how dangerous it is. They also state that those who sin terribly and act against God and tempt God, thus burdening the church, sin terribly and act against God. For they say, "Why do you tempt God?" This hard, serious word of the apostles, which should frighten them as a thunderclap, the adversaries do not let them go to their hearts at all, but still want to defend their imaginary church services with all tyranny and violence.
763 For the XV. Article, in which we have stated that we do not earn forgiveness of sin through the ordinances of men, they condemn, saying here: "The ordinances of men are useful and useful for earning eternal life. On the other hand, it is public that they do not comfort the heart inwardly, so they do not bring new light or life into the heart, as Paul says to Colossians [Cap. 2:8] that therefore the statutes do not help,
To obtain eternal righteousness or eternal life. For the statutes teach of the difference of food, raiment, and things that consume themselves under hands. But eternal life, which begins inwardly by faith in this life, the Holy Spirit works in the heart through the gospel. Therefore, the adversaries will never prove that eternal life is earned through the deeds of men.
764 If the gospel clearly states that the church and conscience are not to be burdened with such statutes, that is, that one must thereby obtain forgiveness of sins, or must hold them as necessary services, without which Christian holiness cannot be, or that one should be obliged to hold them in the case of mortal sin, then the adversaries will never prove that the bishops have the power to establish such services.
765 But what office or power the bishops have in the church, we have said in the Confession. The bishops, who now bear the name of bishop in the church, do not do their episcopal office according to the Gospel. But let them be bishops according to the canonica politia, which we leave in its value, but we speak of true Christian bishops. And I do not dislike the old division or partition, that they said: episcopal power stands in these two, potestate ordinis and potestate jurisdictionis, that is, in the administration of the sacraments and spiritual jurisdiction. Thus every Christian bishop has potestatem ordinis, that is, to preach the gospel, to administer the sacraments. He also has power of spiritual jurisdiction in the church, that is. Power and authority to exclude from the Christian community those who are found in public vices and, if they convert, to accept them again and to give them absolution. They do not have a tyrannical power, that is, to judge without certain laws; nor do they have a royal power, that is, to create over the given laws; but they certainly have God's command and measured order, under which they are to use their spiritual power and jurisdiction. Although they have such jurisdiction over public vices, it does not follow that they therefore have power to establish new religious services. For jurisdictio, and making new services, are far apart. Item, the jurisdictio also does not extend to sins against their new laws, but only to such sins that are against God's commandment. For the gospel does not judge them a re
giment other than the gospel, that is clear and certain.
766 Although we have now stipulated in the Confession how far the bishops may make statutes, namely, that they do not establish and teach them as necessary services, but that they take place quietly and orderly in the church. But the consciences should not be caught up in this, as if they were necessary services. For Paul says to the Galatians in chapter 5, v. 1: "Stand therefore in liberty, as Christ hath made you free, and be not brought again under the yoke of bondage." So now one must leave free to need such outward statutes, or not to need them, so that they are not considered or kept for such divine services as should be necessary for salvation. However, one is obliged to avoid trouble. So the apostles ordered many things in the church for the sake of good discipline, which have changed with time. And they did not make statutes so that they should be necessary or remain forever, for they did not act against their own Scripture and doctrine, in which they argued vehemently that the church should not be burdened or bound with statutes as if they were necessary for salvation.
767 This is a simple, clear teaching of the ordinances of men, namely, that we know that they are not necessary services, and that they should nevertheless be held according to opportunity, in order to avoid trouble. And so many learned, great people have held and taught in the church, and it is certain that the opponents can raise nothing against it; so it is also certain that this word of the Lord Christ [Luc. 10, 16], "He who hears you hears me," does not speak of the ordinances of men, but is strictly against them. For the apostles did not receive a mandatum cum libera, that is, a completely free, appropriate command and authority, but a measured command, namely, not to preach their own words, but God's word and the gospel. And the Lord Christ wants to strengthen all the world in the words: "He who hears you hears me," just as it was necessary that we should be completely certain that the bodily word of God was power, and that no one from heaven should seek or wait for another word. Therefore this word, "He that heareth you heareth me," cannot be understood of statutes. For Christ wants them to teach in this way, so that Christ himself may be heard through their mouths. So they do not have to preach their own words, but his word, his voice and gospel, Christ is to be heard. This comforting word, which is most powerfully un-
The words that confirm our doctrine and contain much necessary teaching and consolation for Christian consciences are pointed out by the rude asses to their foolish statutes, to their food, drink, clothing, and such childish works.
768 They also use this saying to the Hebrews, Cap. 13, 17: "Obey those who go before you" etc. This saying demands that one be obedient to the Gospel, for it does not give the bishops their own dominion or lordship apart from the Gospel. So also the bishops are not to make statutes against the gospel, nor to interpret their statutes against the gospel. For if they do, the gospel bequeaths us to be obedient to them, as Paul says to the Galatians [Cap. 1:3], "If any man preach any other gospel unto you, let him be accursed."
769 We answer in the same way to the saying of Matthew 23:2, 3: "The scribes sit on Moses' throne, etc.; all things therefore which they say unto you, that ye ought to observe, observe and do them"; which is certain that it is not commanded universally, in general, that we should observe all things which they command, even against the commandment and word of God. For in another place the Scripture says [Acts 5:29], "One must obey God more than men." Therefore, if they teach unchristianly and against the Scriptures, one should not listen to them. So this saying also does not establish a regiment apart from the gospel; therefore they cannot prove their authority, which they have established apart from the gospel, by the gospel. For the gospel does not speak de traditionibus, but to teach from God's word.
770 But that the opponents, at the end of the confutation, revile us and complain that this doctrine gives rise to disobedience and other more grievances, such is unreasonably laid to the charge of this doctrine of ours. For it is public that authority is highly praised by this doctrine. Thus it is known that in the places where this doctrine is preached, by the grace of God, the authorities have been held in all honor by the subjects until now.
That there is disunity and division in the church is known, as these quarrels first occurred, and who gave cause for separation, namely the Jndulgenzkrämer, who preached insolent lies impudently, and later condemned Luther, that he did not approve of the same lies, and caused more quarrels for and for, that Luther was caused to challenge other errors. But because our opponents did not want to tolerate the truth, and were
If you are still able to handle public errors by force, it is easy to judge who is guilty of the separation. All the world, all wisdom, all power should give way to Christ and his holy word. But the devil is God's enemy, therefore he exerts all his power against Christ to suppress and suppress God's word. Thus the devil with his members, who opposes God's word, is the cause of division and disunity. For we have sought peace to the highest, which we still desire to the highest, so far that we are not urged to blaspheme and deny Christ. For God knows, who is the judge of all hearts, that we have no pleasure or joy in this terrible disunity; so the opposite has not wanted to make peace until now, so that we should not seek to drop the wholesome doctrine of the forgiveness of sins through Christ, without our merit, thereby blaspheming Christ to the highest.
772 And although it is not unknown that, as the world is wont to do, there may nevertheless have been some trouble in this division through sacrilege and unskilful men, for the devil causes such trouble to the shame of the gospel, yet they are all not to be esteemed against the high consolation which this doctrine has brought with it, which teaches that for Christ's sake, without our merit, we have forgiveness of sins and a gracious God. Item, that it teaches that worship is not leaving worldly statuses and authorities, but that such statuses and authorities are pleasing to God, and are right holy works and worship.
773. If we were to tell the opposite story, which we really do not want to do, it would be a terrible record of how the mass has been turned into a shameful, blasphemous fair by the opposite party, and how an indecent life has been caused by their celibacy, how the popes have been in war with the emperors for more than four hundred years and have forgotten the Gospel, seeking only to be emperors themselves and to bring all of Italy under them, how they have gambled with the church goods, how much false doctrine and false worship has been established by the monks through their carelessness. Their worship of saints is a public pagan idolatry. All their scribes do not say a word about this faith in Christ, through which one attains forgiveness of sins; they place the highest holiness in human statutes, of which they write and preach primarily. So it is also to be counted among their annoyances that they publicly show what spirit they have, that they have so much innocent piety.
The people are murdered now and then for the sake of Christian doctrine. But we do not want to talk about this now, because these things should be judged according to God's word, and the anger of both sides should not be considered in the meantime.
774 We hope that all God-fearing people will see sufficiently in this scripture of ours that our
teaching be Christian and comforting and salutary to all the pious. Therefore, we ask God to grant grace that His holy Gospel may be known and honored by all to His praise, and to the peace, unity and blessedness of all of us, and we hereby request, where necessary, to report further on all articles.