_Formula of Pious Consensus Among the Pastors of the Saxon Churches Entered into the Public Record at the Synod of Mediasch 22 June 1572_. by Lucas Ungleich [aka Lukas Unglerus], 1526-1600 Latin Text Published in: _Urkundenbuch der Evangelischen Landeskirche A. B. in Siebenbuergen, Vol. 2: Die Synodalverhandlungen_. Georg Daniel Teutsch, Ed. (Hermannstadt, 1883), pp. 139-175 Translated by Christopher B. Brown Translation Edited by Jon Alan Schmidt PREFACE-ARTICLE IX PREFACE There is a very sweet declaration in the eleventh chapter of the prophet Hosea [11:9]: "I will not destroy Ephraim, as I destroyed the towns near Sodom, nor will I execute my fierce anger, for I am God and not man, and the Holy One dwells in your midst." These words set forth a precious doctrine of consolation, describing the greatest gift of God to the human race: the marvelous preservation of the church of God in this life. For our Heavenly Father in his boundless wisdom, mercy, and goodness not only gathers to himself by his voice a church pleasing to him in this world, but even in the great multitude of the wicked, amid unending and miserable confusions, he preserves her and mightily defends her with his right hand, as the apple of his eye. There is, therefore, a true church of the Lord gathered in this world, a low and contemptible assembly in the sight of the flourishing part of mankind, and dispersed through the whole world as if in exile, scattered among different governments, and surrounded on every side by an infinite host of wicked enemies, by whom she is oppressed and scorned and afflicted with many woes. And nevertheless the everlasting God does not forget this abject assembly, nor does he watch her idly, but rather in the midst of perils and tumults he is her very present help, and he preserves, rules, and watches over her unto the end of the age. Indeed, it is for the sake of this church, as the prophet here shows, that God repeatedly spares the most wicked empires, unjust kingdoms, and the whole world. For though he could justly and deservedly pour out his wrath because of the sins of men, punishing, ruining, and entirely destroying them like Sodom, nonetheless for the sake of his holy seed he preserves some governments so that they may be the appointed shelters for his church in this world; and so that this holy assembly of the church may have its dwelling place even in the midst of the wicked, he mitigates and very often removes the deserved punishment. Even amid the most terrible confusion and collapse of empires, he mightily defends his church: by whom he wishes to be truly known, worshipped, and invoked; from whom he wishes to hear the sound of his Gospel; and through [whom he wishes] to spread the glory of his most holy Name to all eternity. Concerning this marvelous defense and preservation of the Church of God there are also very sweet promises elsewhere, as in Isaiah 59[:21]: "This is my covenant with them, says the Lord: my Spirit which is in you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your seed, or out of the mouth of your seed's seed, says the Lord, from this time forth and for evermore." And thus chapter 46[:3-4]: "Hearken to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been carried from my womb; even to your old age I am He, and to grey hairs I will carry you and save you." And again chapter 54[:10]: "The mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my lovingkindness shall not depart from you, and the covenant of my peace shall not be removed, says the Lord who has compassion on you." And again [?]: "Be steadfast, for you shall see the help of the Lord upon you." And Christ the Son of God speaks often of this defense of the church [Matthew 16:18, John 10:27-28, Matthew 28:20]: "And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, and no one shall take my sheep from out of my hand; I will be with you always, even to the end of the age." These and similar promises are not empty or vain words, but are truly effective, for they proceed from the mouth of him who is [Psalm 33:4] "the Lord, faithful in all his words," and they are welcome to pious minds, providing sure consolations, in which we too, who exercise the teaching office in the Saxon churches, share by the gift of God, as fellow citizens of the true church of God. For we see clearly and have in fact experienced the result of the divine promises, that is, the present help of God, for he has thus far marvelously preserved and defended the church which by the voice of Christ he has gathered together in these lands, [though she is] surrounded by cruel enemies and many perils. [He has defended her] not only against the savage and monstrous cruelty of [foreign] nations, and the incursions and devastation of the enemy, but much more against the mad wrath of the devil, who was raging against the church of Christ with horrible errors, blasphemies, and lies through his pestilent instruments and fierce wolves, tearing and disturbing the Lord's flock. But [God] did not permit them to uproot his holy seed among us, but mercifully protected his church beneath the shadow of his wings, preserving in her the truth and light of the true doctrine of his Gospel. Our Saxon churches have thus far enjoyed the rich fruit of this greatest divine gift, while amid the ragings of many severe perils and the frequent upsets of the kingdom they have by God's protection remained unharmed. Nor even, amid the confusion of the horrible errors with which restless spirits troubled this kingdom for a number of years (to the hurt of many souls), were our churches shaken or contaminated; rather, they stood firm in the same confession of faith, true doctrine, and conviction of mind [_disciplinae mentis_]. For this great lovingkindness and mercy of God we give thanks to God from our inmost hearts, insofar as the present fragility of our nature permits, and we acknowledge that the defense and preservation of our churches has not come about by chance, nor has it been the product of human prudence or wisdom; rather, [it has come] through the singular counsel, prudence, and goodness of God, by which he wished to make these churches of the Saxon people as it were an example to the neighboring peoples of his divine nature and mercy. This great gift of God was very evident for many years under the happy government of the serene and pious King John [Sigismund], of holy memory, who deserved so well of our entire country. For since he was adorned with great learning, and supplied with a nearly divine intelligence, he never let himself be deceived by the false counsels of the wicked, who endeavored to make him harm the Saxon churches or hinder the course of the Gospel in them. Instead, he was their generous and faithful guard and defender, so that even as the churches of other peoples in this kingdom were repeatedly disturbed by horrible contentions and errors, he nevertheless wished that ours should always remain untroubled and pure, nor did he ever permit the impertinence of the mad Arians to rage as they desired against our congregations. By such piety, prudence, and mercy, worthy of a Christian prince, he has obtained the immortal praise of all posterity, and surely all the pious were of the hope that, had God willed this most serene prince to continue longer in authority, he would have repudiated all those false seductions with which false teachers troubled him, and would have joined himself at last in true faith to the confession of our churches. But the great gift of God in preserving the church now shines forth much more brightly in the fact that, after the death of the most serene King John, Almighty God has again had mercy on our afflicted country and has by his goodness raised up and given as it were from heaven a truly heroic prince [Stephen Bathory], in whose breast shines Christian prudence, erudition, virtue, piety, and love and care for true religion. He cares not only for the external administration of the country, its peace, and its physical defense, but much more indeed for the salvation of his subjects' souls, praying above all else that in this kingdom, which has as yet been spared from the cruelty of the Turks, true religion, faith, piety, and concord, which are the highest gifts of God, might flourish, and that the stirring up of dissensions, the raging of perverse teachings, and the scandal of errors might be removed. For he is showing in the happy and well-favored beginning of his reign the true, genuine, and studious zeal of a Christian prince by defending not only the second table [of the Law], but also the first, in which true religion and the pure worship of God is taught. This holy and pious intention our most illustrious and merciful prince has recently made clearly manifest to our people by sure indications, in using his authority to enjoin the pastors and ministers of the Saxon churches to gather in synod. There he set forth his pious thoughts and will concerning religion through the eminent and reverend lord Denis [_dominum Dionysium_], the faithful preacher of his highness, and wished that there should take place among all the ministers of these churches a peaceable discussion from the Word of God of the several articles of faith, and that a firm concord should be preserved in the true and salutary doctrine, ecclesiastical discipline, and external rites; and this in such a way that the minds of our teachers should be fully set forth, and that the state of the churches of these regions might be clearly seen by all. For since this kingdom of Transylvania has sometimes been falsely accused and denounced before all Christian princes and peoples as if it had fallen away altogether from true religion and Christian faith, and were everywhere infected by the detestable heresies of the Arians and Anabaptists--the occasion for this pernicious rumor being given by certain troublesome, wrong-headed, and pestiferous men, enthusiasts, wicked disciples of Servetus, who disturbed the unified state of these churches with perverse and blasphemous doctrines, hateful struggles, and poisonous writings--it was therefore necessary that this Christian [_piam_] synod should be held, so that the stains of this belief, with which this kingdom has been falsely branded, should be uncovered, and that it should be manifest to everyone that there still remain many truly orthodox Hungarian and Saxon churches, proclaiming the uncorrupted voice of the Gospel, and observing the right [_legitimum_] use of the sacraments, and standing far apart from blasphemies and damnable errors. At this synod the pastors of the Saxon churches, in humble and faithful obedience to the command of their most illustrious prince, assembled in great number, and having gathered all the articles [of faith] from the Word of God [_facta ex verbo dei collatione de omnibus articulis_], have established a true concord, which they have confirmed not only in faith and by public confession, but also by their own free subscription. We give thanks, then, to God the eternal Father with his Son and the Holy Spirit, for the salutary prosecution and outcome of this proposal, for he gathers among us a true church for himself by his Word and reveals the light of the Gospel, preserves the assembly of teachers and hearers in one religion and pious concord, and protects our assemblies from impious errors and abominable blasphemies. We will indeed pray ceaselessly to God with ardent minds and words that he may preserve the most illustrious prince of the realm in this most pious counsel and intention; [that he may] more and more stir up his mind by the Holy Spirit to the true knowledge and fear of God, to the love of the true Christian religion, and to the advance and defense of the church of God; and that he may give [him] a prosperous rule over the kingdom, prudence, and a brave and sound spirit [_animus_], so that all his counsels and deeds may be above all pleasing to God, salutary for the church, and most prosperous for the kingdom and all his subjects! Amen. But since we have been commanded to set down the acts of the synod in writing and bear public witness to our agreement [_consensum_], we wish in the following propositions to teach very briefly, summarily, simply, and in order, the individual articles of the doctrine as it is taught in our churches. We bear witness that we proclaim, establish, and teach nothing new, unfamiliar, or foreign; nor do we like Ecebolius suddenly dream up or invent religions of the year or of the month; but [we hold to] the established [_usitatam_] truth, received once for all from the word of God. This faith and doctrine has now for thirty years been restored and approved in our churches, and constantly proclaimed with the greatest unanimity; and, with the help of God, we will endeavor to pass it on to our posterity. ARTICLE I _On Doctrine_ With one mind, heart, and faith we believe, and openly confess with our mouths before God and the holy church in heaven and on earth, that in all the human race there is only one true doctrine concerning God and eternal salvation, which is contained in the writings of the prophets and apostles. This [doctrine] we embrace with all our hearts according to the natural sense which is produced by a pious comparison of the divine Scriptures among themselves [_in ea nativa sententia, quam pia scripturarum divinarum inter se collatio gignit_], and which was then set forth in the creeds: the Apostles', the Nicene, and the Athanasian, with which the pious confession which the reformed churches of Germany presented to the emperor Charles V and thee states of the German Empire at Augsburg also agrees. With this [confession] our Saxon churches in Transylvania have also by God's gift firmly agreed thus far, and in the same true confession of Christian doctrine they will, with God's help, faithfully persevere to the end. We pray, therefore, to the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that he would govern our minds by his Holy Spirit, preserving them in the true faith and salutary doctrine, that we may be members [_cives_] of Christ's church in all eternity! Amen. But whatever departs from this norm of true doctrine, or shall befound to differ from it, we anathematize [_exsecramur_] and condemn, such as the idolatry of the heathen, the blasphemies of the Jews and Muslims [Mahometans], the insane inventions of the Manichaeans, and the wicked and monstrous opinions of the enthusiasts, Anabaptists, and Arians, both old and new. And we abhor [_detestamur_] also the idolatrous worship and wicked corruptions of the Roman pontiffs and the Jesuits, which are contrary to the Word of God and the orthodox church, as are the many horrible blasphemies which have been recently scattered in our country by the fanatical spirits begotten by the devil. ARTICLE II _On God and the Three Persons of the Godhead_ With unanimous hearts and lips we confess and by the help of God faithfully defend the doctrine of the Trinity on the basis of the Word of God: that there is only one true God and three consubstantial [_homoousioi_] Persons, the eternal Father, the Son and Word [_logos_], and the Holy Spirit, as the eternal Godhead has revealed itself in the divine testimonies. The same doctrine is purely explained in the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene, and the Athanasian, and also in the Augsburg Confession and elsewhere. We believe, then, in the unity of the divine essence in God, and in the trinity of subsisting [_existentium_] persons in the same, not because of human or philosophical arguments [_rationes_] and speculations, but because the eternal Godhead has thus revealed himself in his clear Word by shining testimonies and images, as in the baptism of Christ, and in the Symbol of Christian faith. We make the same confession as the apostolic church, that the eternal Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one and the same God, eternal, infinite, and perfect in himself, in which God we believe with true faith, are baptized, and are saved. And we gladly use this manner of speaking about God along with the orthodox church, so that our true confession may be distinguished from the blasphemies of the Jews, Muslims [Mahometan], and Arians, both because these forms of speech [phrases] agree with the Word of God and the foundation [of our faith], and because their signification describes very accurately the only true God. Nor do we, in naming the three persons of the Godhead, affirm three Gods, nor make a Quaternity, but we say that these three, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are true God, one and undivided in the essence, threefold and distinct in the persons, according to the divine revelation in the Word of God. Thus, therefore, we distinguish these three persons of the Godhead by their own characteristics [_certis proprietatibus_], neither confusing them nor separating them in essence. For the eternal Father is unbegotten, and he eternally [_ab aeterno_] begets the Son, his coeternal and consubstantial image. In the fullness of time he sent this Son into the world to assume human nature and to fulfill the promise which had been made concerning the redemption of the human race. The eternal Son of God was eternally begotten of the Father before the ages, according to his divine nature, and at the promised time he descended from heaven and was made man, born of the Virgin Mary according to the flesh. This Son and Mediator is true God and man, not by confusion of substance, but by the unity of the person, because in the unbegotten Son of God these two natures, the divine and the human, are inseparably united, so that God and man are only one Christ, the Redeemer, Savior, and Mediator, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The Holy Spirit is not simply a movement created in the saints, but is a real person subsisting of the same essence and Godhead with the Father and the Son, consubstantial and true God; for the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son and is sent into the hearts of believers, in whom he works. This doctrine is proclaimed in its purity in our churches according to the word of God and is fully set forth with the divine testimonies. But in the profound mystery of the most Holy Trinity, we teach that the minds of the pious are not to indulge in curious human speculations or in pernicious disputations, by which faith and truth are shaken, but that we must simply assent to [_acquiescendum_] the pure Word of God and the divine revelations. But since this doctrine is the special foundation and basis of Christian faith, the most bitter enemy of the human race, the devil, the author of all evil and the father of lies, could not leave this truth unchallenged and unshaken. Rather, to overthrow it he poured out all his force against the church of God, and strove with all his powers to obscure and utterly destroy this true knowledge and worship [_invocationem_] of God. Therefore he stirred up against this immovable truth horrible errors and pernicious heresies, with which he tried to topple Christ, the eternal Son of God, from his heavenly glory and despoil him of his divinity. And to accomplish these detestible ends, Satan as ever calls forth his pestilent instruments, men full of contention, swelled up with pride, haters of truth and piety. Such, in the times of John the evangelist, were Ebion and Cerinthus, enemies of the church of God who denied and opposed the divinity of the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. And their blasphemy gradually spread itself far and wide, until it was renewed after many years by the impious Samosathenes and Arius. Then there followed many disciples of Antichrist and false apostles, spreading the same impiety, while many other and various blasphemies against the Son of God then gained in strength. For some denied the divinity of Christ and some his humanity; others confused the two natures in Christ, or entirely separated them, stumbling horribly on the rock of offense, among whom were Photinus, Sabellius, Eutiches, Praxeas, Macedonius (who denied the divinity of the Holy Spirit), Eunomius, Nestorius, and also many others, of whom the ecclesiastical histories treat. These were all enemies and plagues of the church of the Son of God in the east, and they drew astray the greater part of the world to their blasphemy, so that not only were the churches shaken and despoiled by their madness, but even the cities, kingdoms, and empires of the east were stirred up to mutual destruction and overthrow, until at last the impious plague of the Arians somehow found a place for itself in the empire of the Muslims [Mahometans], where even now it holds its own. Having in mind these horrible tumults, we shudder with all our hearts when we see similar contentions being stirred up in these last days in the Lord's church in these regions by certain perverse men, who again with diabolic audacity and temerity revive and summon up from the pit deadly heresies long ago condemned and confuted by the orthodox church. Of these troublers of the Christian [_piarum_] churches, these fanatic spirits who do not come from the school of the Holy Spirit but from the devil's pit, disciples of Mohammed [Mahomet] and the Koran, such in our time were Servetus of Spain, who was burned in Gaul; Valentin Gentile, truly a "gentile"; and Socinus, Alciatus, and other men of Italian name, who as heretics wandered here and there through the Christian kingdoms, being members of no church, stirring up their fires of blasphemy to the destruction of many souls. The followers of these men, the Antitrinitarians, were to our great peril brought even into our country, already otherwise afflicted, by the efforts of George Blandrata, the doctor, and Francis David Claudiopolitanus, who defend the same damnable errors as the Arians. But all of these men who oppose the doctrine of the holy and undivided Trinity, spewing forth blasphemous voices with foul tongues against the Son of God and the Holy Spirit and denying their divinity, we abhor with all our hearts, and with the orthodox church we deservedly condemn such men and give them over to the judgment of God. And since they have now been warned many times to emend their errors by the pious churches and their teachers, and by learned men both of these regions and from afar, and yet tenaciously persist in them, we judge that they are incorrigible and should henceforth not be heard by the true church, but according to the warning of Christ and Paul should be feared and avoided. Meanwhile we will pray to God that in his mercy he would look on them and by his Holy Spirit deign to lead them back to the path of truth and to pious concord with the true church. ARTICLE III _On the Law and the Gospel_ The whole Christian doctrine contained in the books of the prophets and the apostles is divided into the Law and the Gospel. These two kinds of teaching have always been proclaimed [_sonuerunt_] in the church, and now are proclaimed among us, for by them God has revealed his essence and will to the human race. And the shining distinction between these doctrines must always be observed. For it casts light on the whole of Holy Scripture, just as ignorance of this distinction has always given birth to great darkness and errors in the church. Now the Law is a divinely revealed doctrine which God placed in the hearts of men at the beginning of creation, and later repeated at Mount Sinai and elsewhere: teaching what we should be, and what we ought to do and not to do; requiring perfect obedience or conformity with the will of God without any sin; promising good things to those who show obedience; and threatening with wrath and eternal punishment all those who do not continue steadfast in the things written in the Law of God. The Gospel, on the other hand, is a doctrine not known by nature, but revealed from the secret counsel of the Godhead through the Son, in which God through Christ freely promises the forgiveness of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and eternal life to all those who repent and embrace the promise by faith. But although what the law teaches is impossible for us in the present corruption of our nature, and we cannot fulfill it by our own powers, much less obtain thereby righteousness and the forgiveness of sins--"for by works of the law shall no flesh be justified" [Galatians 2:16]-- nevertheless this doctrine in its kind is necessary in the church and has its proper use. For it gives testimony concerning God, who and what he is, and what he requires of us; and finally it prescribes the rule of right living and the norm of government; it reproves sin in all men and condemns all uncleanness, terrifies consciences by threatening grave punishments, and calls to repentence. The Law is also a schoolmaster [_paedagogus_] leading us to Christ. For since the Law cannot heal our wounds, it shows that the true remedy must be sought elsewhere, that is, in Christ the Mediator. These things are to be set against the Antinomians, who expel the Law of Moses from the church in its entirety and cry out that it ought not to be taught; for they assert that repentence should not be set forth from the decalogue but from the Gospel of Christ. But in fact the Gospel does not abolish the Law, but rather clarifies it and restores it to its true and proper use, and teaches how the Law of God may be fulfilled, that is, through Christ who is the end of the Law. ARTICLE IV _On Sin_ As God is in himself most perfect, thus too from the beginning of creation he established all his creatures in perfection, without any stain, defect, or fault; for all things which God made were very good. Thus he created both angels and men with the greatest wisdom; not for corruption, sin, or death, but according to his image he created them perfectly good, righteous, and holy, in the greatest perfection, conformed to the mind and will of God, and possessed of full liberty of the will. He shared with them his own light, wisdom, goodness, righteousness, holiness, and immortality, that they might be temples and dwelling-places of God, in whom God himself might dwell and be all in all. They err, therefore, who rashly dare to assert that men were so created by God that they sinned of necessity, making God the author of sin, when in fact, as Psalm 5[:4] says: "For thou art not a God who delights in wickedness." God neither created nor wills, nor delights in, nor approves, nor commands sin, nor does he compel it, but rather he is moved to terrible wrath by sins, and punishes them most severely, as the divine voice in the decalogue and many examples bear witness. Therefore, the cause and origin of sin must be sought elsewhere, and not insolently cast upon God, who with his own voice uncovers sins and wickedness as abominable things, and abhors and punishes them in all men, apart from forgiveness through Christ the Mediator. The cause of sin, then, is the free will of the devil and our first parents, who abusing the freedom of their will, fell away from God by their own choice. By this disobedience they became guilty of the wrath of God, and lost entirely the righteousness, wisdom, and justice with which they had been created by God. We condemn, therefore, the madness of Marcion and the Manichaeans, and of those who assert a Stoic necessity for sinning; for these are repugnant to the consensus of the church of God. Concerning original sin we declare clearly that we teach along with the church of God from the first fathers, prophets, and apostles, that since the fall of Adam all men by nature are burdened with sins, according to their carnal generation and by propagation from their parents [_omnes homines post lapsum Adae a natura, carnali generatione et propagatione a parentibus secum afferant peccata_], as Paul bears witness in Romans 5:12: "Through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin"; Ephesians 2[:3]: "We were by nature children of wrath"; Romans 8[:7]: "The mind of the flesh is at enmity with God"; Psalm 51[:5]: "I was conceived in iniquity." This original sin, the defects, and the wicked inclinations remain even after baptism in children and the regenerate, though what pertains to guilt and condemnation is freely remitted by the mercy of God, and is not imputed to the believers. Therefore the opinion of the Pelagians is perverse, and we condemn it, as well as those who have followed the delusion of those, like the Manichaeans and Anabaptists, who deny that there is sin in baptized infants and deny that the evil desire [_concupiscentiam_] which remains is something which fights against the Law of God, and in this way extenuate and destroy the original sin with which we are born. ARTICLE V _On Forgiveness of Sins and on the Justification of Man before God_ Since this article of faith concerning the justification of man before God is above all else the center of our life and salvation, to which everything must be related, it is diligently taught and explained in our churches according to the pure Word of God, and defended against all the corruptions and errors by which the Gospel is darkened, the benefits of the Son of God are obscured, and true consolation is taken from our minds. For we distinguish between the true righteousness of faith, which alone avails before God, and the righteousness of the Law, works, or discipline, even though this is commanded by God, and despite the fact that it is a great ornament to man that he can, [even] in the present infirmity of his nature, decently regulate his external actions in [this] life. And yet this is in no way a fulfillment of the law, nor does it merit the forgiveness of sins, nor is it the righteousness by which we are righteous and acceptable before God [Galatians 2:16]: "for by works of the Law shall no flesh be justified." But the righteousness of faith, of which the Son of God teaches us in the Gospel, is very different. For it alone by faith in Christ obtains the forgiveness of sins, the Holy Spirit, and eternal life from the free goodness and mercy of God, through and on account of the merit, obedience, grace, atonement, and intercession of the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ--who suffered, was crucified, and was raised for us--and him alone, without any worthiness on our part, apart from our works, virtues, and merits. For this gift of justification is freely given and imputed to those who believe in Christ, through the faith by which we acknowledge both the person and the benefits of the Son of God and apply them to ourselves, and assent to all the articles of faith, and are certain that [our] sins are forgiven us for the sake of Christ according to the promise revealed in the Gospel. This is a very brief but very true summary of the justification of man before God: that only by true faith in Christ are we received into grace, when our minds with true consolation rest in the only Mediator, and with firm trust, through the Holy Spirit, lay hold of the merit of the Son of God, by which our sins are expiated, and righteousness, salvation, and eternal life are given and distributed [donata et parta] to believers. And in explaining this article it is necessary that we retain the exclusive terms [_particulae exclusivae_] which St. Paul uses, namely: we are justified freely [_gratis_], without works, without the Law. For they speak of the imputation of righteousness and free acceptation by which those who believe are justified by God freely, without their own merits. And this way of speaking pays the proper honor to Christ the Justifier, for through him these gifts are freely given to us. Finally, our consciences too draw a sure and firm consolation from this [doctrine] in the midst of the despair and fear which arise from the awareness of the wrath of God against sins. And there is also certainty in prayer and confident trust, for a mind doubtful of its reconciliation flees from God and cannot approach the throne of grace with firm trust and prayer. And thus the other exclusive term, by faith alone, must also be retained in the church and rightly explained; that is, that the word _"sola"_ does not exclude repentance, or contrition, fear of God, a new life, and the other virtues which are present in conversion, as if they were not present. Nor indeed does it attribute our justification to the worthiness or merit of our faith, insofar as it is a virtue in us, as if it were a cause. But it denies that our contrition and other virtues are the cause or merit of the forgiveness of sins, and asserts that the obedience, passion, and death of Christ alone constitute the cause and merit for the sake of which the remission of sins and the inheritance of eternal life are given to believers; and this gift is acknowledged, received, and applied to us by faith alone. Therefore we reject and condemn all errors and corruptions in this article, as repugnant to the Word of God, such as the doctrine of the papists and monks concerning the _"opus operatum"_, in which they pretend that men can attain rightousness, the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life by their own virtues, qualities, and merits. We condemn as well the Pharasaic righteousness of external discipline which Pelagius and Origen asserted along with others, as if we could satisfy the law of God by it. We also reject the cold synecdoche concerning "formed faith" and the conjuncture of all virtues or works with faith in justification, which the modern papal teachers artfully seek to defend, asserting that faith is merely knowledge and a preparation, so that thereafter we may be truly justified through love and the other virtues. Likewise [we reject] those who say that the terms "freely" and "alone" must be cast away, and who teach concerning justification that it is sufficient to believe in the forgiveness of sins in general, but in such a way that when it comes to the application of the benefits and merits of Christ to the individual, we must always be doubtful because of our unworthiness. We also reject along with the Christian [_piis_] churches the vain robbery [_kenophohrian_] of Osiander concerning a newly-created, essential, and indwelling righteousness, which takes away from the merit and righteousness of the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom alone we attribute glory, righteousness, redemption, and our salvation. ARTICLE VI _On Good Works and their Necessity, or on the New Obedience_ Concerning this article of doctrine we faithfully maintain agreement and in our churches assiduously teach from the Word of God the function [_usum_] and exercise of good works. For we know that they are pleasing to God in the reborn and are absolutely required in conversion. For the Holy Spirit does not work in those who perservere in crimes against conscience, nor does he dwell in them, but such men are enemies of God who do not have true faith. We teach, therefore, that a new obedience in conformity with the will of God, or good works, must necessarily follow in all those who have been reconciled by faith through Christ. For there is a necessary and immutable order whereby the rational creature obeys God the Creator, and we are converted and received by God for this purpose, that we may thenceforth avoid sins and exercise ourselves in the new obedience and a life conformed to the divine will. And it is certain that the grace of God, the Holy Spirit, and the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven are lost by those who pollute themselves with evil works, as is expressly stated in 1 Corinthians 6, Ephesians 5, and elsewhere. And God punishes evil works or crimes with horrible punishments, both temporal and eternal, and wishes that in this life discipline should be cultivated, and that the tranquility of political society should be preserved, and that men should be invited to the knowledge of God and the exercise of virtues by the honorable example of others. And yet it must by no means be asserted that good works are necessary to the attainment of salvation and eternal life, as if they were some kind of cause. For as the forgiveness of sins is freely given for the sake of Christ alone, without any works, and is received by faith alone, so too are salvation and the inheritance of eternal life given freely, apart from any works. Romans 6[:23]: "But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Therefore it is a horrible blasphemy to attribute to our works and merits the honor due to Christ alone, who alone by his death and resurrection fully merited the righteousness and eternal life given to all believers [_piis_]. And it is an awful slaughter of consciences, and drives timid minds to despair, to transfer the cause of justification to our works. For it is impossible that a man should be justified by works of the Law. Now we call those works good and necessary which are taught in the Decalogue, and which are done by shining faith in Christ. These works are pleasing to God in the reborn, by faith, and they have moreover very sweet promises and rewards both spiritual and corporal, by which God wishes to be known as the author of all our benefits. For he wishes these corporal goods to be sought from him in faith, with a good conscience, concerning which it is said in 1 Timothy 4[:8]: "Godliness [_pietas_] holds promise for the present life, and also for the life to come;" Mark 10[:30]: "They shall receive a hundredfold in this life;" Matthew 5[:12]: "Your reward is great in heaven." But these rewards are to be received, not because our works have obtained them by desert [_merito_], but from the free [_gratuita_] mercy and lovingkindness of God, which is firmly promised to the believers because of faith in Christ [_credentibus fide in Christum_]. But concerning other works, not commanded by God, such as superstitious kinds of worship, dreamed up by the popes apart from the Word of God, we pronounce according to the rule of Christ: "In vain you worship me with the precepts of men," Matthew 15[:9], 19[:17?]. For such works are not necessary, rather, they are displeasing to God, and are to be entirely condemned, such as the sale of masses, the invocation of the saints, the worship of idols, and similar horrible profanations. ARTICLE VII _On Predestination_ In the mystery of predestination we do not teach the people that the hidden counsel of God and the number of the elect are to be investigated by human curiosity, but we lead the minds of the pious to the express will of God revealed in the Word, by which without doubt he wills all men to be saved. Neither are we to imagine discrimination [_prosohpolehpsia_], or respect of persons, or unfairness, or injustice in God, but God in his great mercy is rich toward all those who call on him and flee to him in true faith. These he receives out of pure grace through the Son, and [he] calls all sinners to salvation and repentance. For he does not wish the destruction or death of a sinner, but rather that he should be converted Word receive the offered grace and that many are rejected, we teach that the cause is not to be attributed to God, who created man in his own image for eternal life, not for destruction or eternal damnation; but the blame falls back on ourselves, who stubbornly resist the divine will, and by our sins call the wrath of God and punishments upon ourselves, as is said in Hosea [13:9?]: "Destruction is thine own, O Israel; thy salvation is only in me." But in the article of predestination we teach that the eternal God, before the foundations of the world had been laid, in his secret counsel foreknew and foresaw all future things in creation, for nothing is ever hidden from him. He, foreknowing and foreseeing everything, created heaven and earth and all creatures, that his glory might be revealed. Having made the whole creation very good, he foreknew and foresaw the fall of angels and men, whom nevertheless he had created in his image and endowed with a free will, so that they might incline either to good or to evil. God, foreknowing this freely-willed [_spontaneum_] and lamentable fall, even when no creature had been created, planned the redemption and restoration of the human race, and this according to the good pleasure of his will, which he set forth in himself according to his love and grace. But by this predestination or inevitable decree [_fato_] God imposed no necessity either of salvation or of perdition on any man, but he foreordained a certain definite manner [_formam_] of election, by which God resolved to save the lost human race by grace through the Son, and to free them by his mercy. And he did not will this to be done immediately [_simpliciter_], but through certain means, that is, through Christ, and indeed through faith which assents to the Word and its promises, so that as many as lay hold of his only-begotten Son in true faith are elect, and shall not perish, but have eternal life. But as many as scorn the Son by their unbelief are condemned, and the wrath of God remains upon them. Thus we teach concerning the predestination of those who are to be saved, that the election and decree of God are not to be taken in particular, at least not as concerning certain persons [_de aliquibus_], but concerning each and every recipient [_de singulis et universis recipiendis_], as many as acknowledge the Son. This rule, according to which God established this election, must be reverently observed, as is said in John 1[:12]: "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, who believe in his name." Nor are we to imagine violent seizures [_raptus_], divine possession [_enthusiasmi_], or any compulsion beyond the Word of God in predestination. For outside of the assembly of those who are called, no one is elect, as Paul says in Romans 8[:30]: "Whom he chose, them he also called, and whom he called, them he also sanctified." But in this doctrine we abhor the opinion of those who teach that the predestination of God is the cause of sins in men, and who press a Stoic necessity in all acts; and who assert an unfairness in God, and that God has inscribed only a certain few into the tablets of fate, and these he draws to himself even though they are unwilling and struggle against him, but rejects the others, even if they flee for refuge to the Son. For such fantasy beyond the Word of God is pernicious and produces doubt and despair in the minds of men who are otherwise faint. ARTICLE VIII _Concerning the Freedom of the Human Will, or Free Choice_ Concerning free choice we embrace this simple and true statement, that there remains in man, even if he is not reborn, such freedom of the will that he can at least command his external members in external discipline or external actions. But this freedom of the will has no place at all in conversion to God and justification. For this spiritual renewal comes from God alone, who rules and leads us through his life-giving Son by his Holy Spirit, as Paul says [Romans 8:9-17]: "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his; as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God, and if sons, then heirs." These things, then, must be especially observed in this article: First: In this doctrine we oppose the madness of the Stoics, who contend that all events and human actions, good and evil, such as the sins of Judas, Nero, and Caligula, take place by necessity and with the compulsion and effacacious will of God. For these statements are most certain: "Our God is just and righteous, without any sin" [Daniel 9:14?]; and again, "You are not a God that desires iniquity" [Psalm 5:4]; "As I live, I do not desire the death of a sinner." [Ezekiel 33:11] Second: The source of contingency is the freedom of the will in God, the angels, and men; that is, the faculty by which the will is able to choose an action or not choose it, or suspend its choice, or do this or that. Third: It is certain that there remains freedom of the human will in external actions, in directing movements, as in the actions of artists, and in honorably regulating external behavior. Fourth: In spiritual actions, in the true knowledge of God, repentance, contrition, the fear of God, faith, prayer, patience, and perserverance, it is certain that the human will cannot of its own powers will or accomplish anything, unless preceded by the Holy Spirit or God himself through the Word and divine inspiration, moving and impelling the will, so that it may assent and obey. Fifth: After this movement and impulse of the will, imparted by God, the human will is not merely passive, nor is it like a log or a stone, but moved and aided by the Holy Spirit it does not struggle but assents to and obeys God, and is a "co-worker" [_sunergos_], as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 16 [sic, Romans 16:9, 21?]. When Joseph retains his chastity, modesty, and honor and abstains from the wife of his master [Genesis 39], the will is not simply passive, but moved and helped by God; through the Holy Spirit he assents, fights against temptations, and restrains his external members. When David hears the absolution from Nathan [2 Samuel 12:13], "The Lord has taken away thy sin," the will is not entirely idle, but assents, fights against faithlessness and doubt, and struggles with itself. This statement we judge to be true and pious, consistent with the Word of God and agreeable to piety. ARTICLE IX _On the Sacraments_ We say that the doctrine of the sacraments must always be joined and taught with the Word of God. For sacraments are, as Augustine says, visible words, as if to the Word certain testimonies and signs were added which strike our eyes and confirm the true doctrine and faith in our minds. Nor are they merely marks of profession, or merely rites distinguishing the true church from other peoples, but they are in fact signs of grace and the kind of external ceremonies which remind us of the forgiveness of sins and all the benefits of the Son of God, and that these pertain to all of those who make use of these sacraments in true faith. There are, then, two sacraments of the New Testament, baptism and the Lord's Supper, to which absolution is joined. That the Roman church enumerates more sacraments, we judge to be done improperly and falsely. __________________________________________________________________ This text was translated for Project Wittenberg by Christopher B. Brown and edited by Jon Alan Schmidt, and is in the public domain. You may freely distribute, copy, or print this text. Please direct any comments or suggestions to: Rev. Robert E. Smith of the Walther Library at Concordia Theological Seminary. E-mail: bob_smith@ctsfw.edu Surface Mail: 6600 N. Clinton St., Ft. Wayne, IN 46825 USA Phone: (219) 452-2148 Fax: (219) 452-2126 __________________________________________________________________