opera et scelera {qualia sunt libidines vagæ, rapinæ, cædes, furta, et similia) cogi. compelled to the committing of evil works and crimes, such as unlawful lusts, acts, rapine, murders, thefts, and the like. II. Repudiamus etiam crassum illum Pelagianorum errorem, qui asserere non dubitarunt, quod homo propriis viribus, sine gratia Spiritus Sancti, sese ad Deum convertere, Evangelio credere, legi divinæ ex animo parere, et hac ratione peccatorum remissionem ac vitam æternam ipse promereri valeat. II. We repudiate, also, that gross error of the Pelagians, who have not hesitated to assert that man by his own powers, without the grace of the Holy Spirit, has ability to convert himself to God, to believe the gospel, to obey the divine law from his heart, and in this way to merit of himself the remission of sins and eternal life. III. Præter hos errores rejicimus et Semipelagianorum falsum dogma, qui docent, hominem propriis viribus inchoare posse suam conversionem: absolvere autem sine Spiritus Sancti gratia non posse. III. Besides these errors, we reject also the false dogma of the Semi-Pelagians, who teach that man by his own powers can commence his conversion, but can not fully accomplish it without the grace of the Holy Spirit. IV. Item, cum docetur, licet homo non renatus, ratione liberi arbitrii, ante sui regenerationem infirmior quidem sit, quam ut conversionis suæ initium facere, atque propriis viribus sese ad Deum convertere, et legi Dei toto corde parere valeat: tamen, si Spiritus Sanctus prædicatione verbi initium fecerit, suamque gratiam in verbo homini obtulerit, tum hominis voluntatem, propriis et naturalibus suis viribus quodammodo aliquid, licet id modiculum, infirmum et languidum IV. Also the teaching that, although unregenerate man, in respect of free-will, is indeed, antecedently to his regeneration, too infirm to make a beginning of his own conversion, and by his own powers to convert himself to God, and obey the law of God with all his heart; yet if the Holy Spirit, by the preaching of the word, shall have made a beginning, and offered his grace in the word to man, that then man, by his own proper and natural powers, can, as it were, give some assistance and co-operation, though it be but
admodum sit, conversionem adjuvare, atque cooperari, et seipsam ad gratiam applicare, præparare, eam apprehendere, amplecti, et Evangelio credere posse. slight, infirm, and languid, towards his conversion, and can apply and prepare himself unto grace, apprehend it, embrace it, and believe the gospel. V. Item, hominem, post regenerationem, legem Dei perfecte observare atque implere posse, eamque impletionem esse nostrum coram Deo justitiam, qua vitam æternam promereamur. V. Also that man, after regeneration, can perfectly observe and fulfill the law of God, and that this fulfilling is our righteousness before God, whereby we merit eternal life. VI. Rejicimus etiam damnamusque Enthusiastarum [54] errorem, qui fingunt, Deum immediate, absque verbi Dei auditu, et sine Sacramentorum usu, homines ad se trahere, illuminare, justificare et salvare. VI. We also reject and condemn the error of the Enthusiasts, [55] who feign that God immediately, apart from the hearing of the Word of God, and without the use of the sacraments, draws men to himself, enlightens them, justifies and saves them. VII. Item, Deum in conversione et regeneratione hominis substantiam et essentiam veteris Adami, et præcipue animam rationalem penitus abolere, novamque animas essentiam ex nihilo, in illa conversione et regeneratione creare. VII. Also, that God in the regeneration of man utterly abolishes the substance and essence of the old Adam, and especially the rational soul, and creates from nothing in that conversion and regeneration a new essence of the soul. VIII. Item, cum hi sermones citra declarationem usurpantur, quod videlicet hominis voluntas, ante conversionem, in ipsa conversione, et post conversionem, Spiritui Sancto repugnet, et quod VIII. Also, when such statements as these are used without explanation, that the will of man, before conversion, in conversion itself, and after conversion, is set against the Holy Ghost, and that the Holy
Spiritus Sanctus iis detur, qui ex proposito et pertinaciter ipsi resistunt. Nam Deus in conversione ex nolentibus volentes facit, et in volentibus habitat, ut Augustinus loqui solet. Ghost is given to those who of set purpose and obstinately resist him. For God in conversion of unwilling men makes willing men, and dwells in the willing, as Augustine is wont to speak. Quod vero ad dicta quædam, tum Patrum, tum Neotericorum quorundam Doctorum attinet: Deus trahit, sed volentem trahit: et hominis voluntas in conversione non est otiosa, sed agit aliquid: judicamus hæc formæ sanorum verborum non esse analoga. Afferuntur enim hæc dicta ad confirmandam falsam opinionem, de viribus humani arbitrii in hominis conversione, contra doctrinam, quæ soli gratiæ divinæ id opus attribuit. Ideoque ab ejusmodi sermonibus, quando de conversione hominis ad Deum agitur, abstinendum censemus. But as concerns certain dicta, both of the Fathers and of certain modern doctors, such as the following: God draws, but draws a willing man, and man's will in conversion is not idle, but effects somewhat--we judge that these are not agreeable to the form of sound words. For these dicta are advanced for the confirming of the false opinion of the powers of the human will in the conversion of man, contrary to the doctrine which attributes that work to divine grace alone. And therefore we judge that we ought to abstain from expressions of such sort in treating of the conversion of man to God. Contra autem recte docetur, quod Dominus in conversione, per Spiritus Sancti tractionem (id est, motum et operationem) ex hominibus repugnantibus et nolentibus volentes homines faciat, et quod post conversionem in quotidianis poenitentiæ exercitiis hominis renati voluntas non sit otiosa, sed omnibus Spiritus Sancti operibus, quæ ille per nos efficit, etiam cooperetur. But, on the other hand, it is rightly taught that the Lord in conversion, through the drawing (that is, the movement and operation) of the Holy Spirit, of resisting and unwilling makes willing men, and that after conversion, in the daily exercises of penitence the will of man is not idle, but co-operates also with all the works of the Holy Spirit which he effects through us.
IX. Item, quod D. Lutherus scripsit, hominis voluntatem in conversione pure passive se habere: id recte et dextre est accipiendum, videlicet, respectu divinæ gratiæ in accendendis novis motibus, hoc est, de eo intelligi oportet, quando Spiritus Dei per verbum auditum, aut per usum Sacramentorum hominis voluntatem aggreditur, et conversionem atque regenerationem in homine operatur. Postquam enim Spiritus hoc ipsum jam operatus est atque effecit, hominisque voluntatem sola sua divina virtute et operatione immutavit atque renovavit: tunc revera hominis nova illa voluntas instrumentum est et organon Dei Spiritus Sancti, ut ea non modo gratiam apprehendat, verum etiam in operibus sequentibus Spiritui Sancto cooperetur. IX. Also, whereas Dr. Luther has written that the will of man in conversion is purely passive, that is to be received rightly and fitly, to wit: in respect of divine grace in kindling new motions, that is, it ought to be understood of the moment when the Spirit of God, through the hearing of the Word or through the use of the sacraments, lays hold of the will of man, and works conversion and regeneration in man. For after the Holy Spirit has already wrought and effected this very thing, and has changed and renewed the will of man by his own divine virtue and working alone, then, indeed, this new will of man is the instrument and organ of God the Holy Ghost, so that it not only lays hold of grace, but also co-operates, in the works which follow, with the Holy Spirit. Relinquuntur igitur ante conversionem hominis duæ tantum efficientes causæ (ad conversionem efficaces), nimirum Spiritus Sanctus, et verbum Dei, quod est instrumentum Spiritus Sancti, quo conversionem hominis efficit. [56] Hoc verbum homo certe audire debet, sed tamen ut illud ipsum There are, therefore, left before the conversion of man two efficient causes only (efficacious to conversion), that is to say, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, which is the instrument of the Holy Spirit whereby he effects the conversion of man. [57] This Word man is, without question, bound to hear; but,
vera fide amplectatur, nequaquam suis viribus propriis, sed sola gratia et operatione Dei Spiritus Sancti obtinere potest. nevertheless, he is in nowise by his own powers able to obtain the benefit of embracing it in true faith, but only by the grace and working of God the Holy Ghost. Art. III. Art. III. DE JUSTITIA FIDEI CORAM DEO. OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH BEFORE GOD. Status Controversiæ. Statement of the Controversy. Unanimi consensu {ad normam verbi divini, et sententiam Augustanæ Confessionis) in Ecclesiis nostris docetur, nos peccatores longe miserrimos sola in Christum fide coram Deo justificari et salvari, ita ut Christus solus nostra sit justitia. Hic autem Jesus Christus, Salvator noster, et justitia nostra, verus Deus est et verus homo: etenim divina et humana naturæ in ipso sunt personaliter unitæ. Quæsitum igitur fuit: secundum quam naturam Christus nostra sit justitia? Et hoc occasione duo errores, et quidem inter se pugnantes, Ecclesias quasdam perturbarunt. By unanimous consent (according to the rule of the divine Word and the judgment of the Augsburg Confession), it is taught in our churches that we most wretched sinners are justified before God and saved alone by faith in Christ, so that Christ alone is our righteousness. Now this Jesus Christ, our Saviour and our righteousness, is true God and true man; for the divine and human natures in him are personally united (Jer. xxiii. 6; 1 Cor. i. 30; 2 Cor. v. 21). It has therefore been asked: According to which nature is Christ our righteousness? And by occasion of this, two errors, and these contrary the one to the other, have disturbed certain churches. Una enim pars sensit, Christum tantummodo secundum divinam naturam, esse nostram justitiam, si videlicet ille per fidem in nobis habitet: etenim omnia For one part has held that Christ is our righteousness only according to the divine nature, if, that is, he dwell by faith in us; for that all the sins of men, compared
hominum peccata, collata nimirum cum illa per fidem inhabitante Divinitate, esse instar unius guttulæ aquæ, cum magno mari comparatæ. Contra hanc opinionem alii quidam asseruerunt, Christum esse nostram coram Deo justitiam, duntaxat secundum humanam naturam. with that Godhead thus indwelling by faith, are like one drop of water compared with the broad sea. Against this opinion others, indeed, have asserted that Christ is our righteousness before God, only according to his human nature. Affirmativa. Affirmative. Sincera doctrina piarum Ecclesiarum, utrique commemorato errori opposita. The sound doctrine of godly churches opposed to both of the fore-mentioned errors. I. Ad refellendum utrumque errorem, credimus, docemus et confitemur unanimiter, quod Christus vere sit nostra justitia, sed tamen neque secundum solam divinam naturam, neque secundum solam humanam naturam: sed totus Christus, secundum utramque naturam, in sola videlicet obedientia sua, quam Patri ad mortem usque absolutissimam Deus et homo præstitit, eaque nobis peccatorum omnium remissionem et vitam æternam promeruit. Sicut scriptum est: 'Sicut per inobedientiam unius hominis peccatores constituti sunt multi: ita et per unius obedientiam justi constituentur multi.' (Rom. v. 19). I. To overthrow both errors we unanimously believe, teach, and confess that Christ is truly our righteousness, but yet neither according to the divine nature alone, nor according to the human nature alone, but the whole Christ according to both natures, to wit: in his sole, most absolute obedience which he rendered to the Father even unto death, as God and man, and thereby merited for us the remission of all our sins and eternal life. As it is written: 'As by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous' (Rom. v. 19). II. Credimus igitur, docemus et confitemur, hoc ipsum nostram esse coram Deo justitiam, quod II. We believe, therefore, teach, and confess that this very thing is our righteousness before God, namely,
Dominus nobis peccata remittit, ex mera gratia, absque ullo respectu præcedentium, præscentium, aut consequentium nostrorum operum, dignitatis, aut rneriti. Ille enim donat atque imputat nobis justitiam obedientiæ Christi; propter eam, justitiam, a Deo in gratiam recipimur, et justi reputamur. that God remits to us oar sins of mere grace, without any respect of our works, going before, present, or following, or of our worthiness or merit. For he bestows and imputes to us the righteousness of the obedience of Christ; for the sake of that righteousness we are received by God into favor and accounted righteous. III. Credimus etiam, docemus et confitemur, solam fidem esse illud medium et instrumentum, quo Christum Salvatorem, et ita in Christo justitiam illam, quæ coram judicio Dei consistere potest, apprehendimus: propter Christum enim fides illa nobis ad justitiam imputatur (Rom. iv. 5). III. We believe, also, teach, and confess that Faith alone is the means and instrument whereby we lay hold on Christ the Saviour, and so in Christ lay hold oil that righteousness which is able to stand before the judgment of God; for that faith, for Christ's sake, is imputed to us for righteousness (Rom. iv. 5). IV. Credimus præterea, docemus et confitemur, fidem illam justificantem non esse nudam notitiam historiæ de Christo, sed ingens atque tale Dei donum, quo Christum, Redemtorem nostrum, in verbo Evangelii recte agnoscimus, ipsique confidimus: quod videlicet propter solam ipsius obedientiam, ex gratia, remissionem peccatorum habeamus, sancti et justi coram Deo Patre reputemur, et æternam salutem consequamur. IV. We believe, moreover, teach, and confess that this justifying faith is not a bare knowledge of the history of Christ, but such and so great a gift of God as that by it we rightly recognize Christ our Redeemer in the word of the gospel, and confide in him: to wit, that for his obedience' sake alone we have by grace the remission of sins, are accounted holy and righteous before God the Father, and attain eternal salvation. V. Credimus, docemus et confitemur, vocabulum 'justificare' V. We believe, teach, and confess that the word justify in this