_The Smalcald Articles.
                      Articles of Christian Doctrine
               which were to have been presented on our part
           to the Council, if any had been assembled at Mantua
               or elsewhere, indicating what we could accept
                      or yield, and what we could not._
                         by Dr. Martin Luther, 1537
                   Translated by F. Bente and  W. H. T. Dau
                                Published in:
                  _Triglot Concordia: The Symbolical Books
                        of the Ev. Lutheran Church_.
        (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921), pp. 453-529.
 
        THE THIRD PART OF THE ARTICLES.
         
        Concerning the following articles we may [will be able to]
        treat with learned and reasonable men, or among ourselves. The
        Pope and his [the Papal] government do not care much about
        these. For with them conscience is nothing, but money, [glory]
        honors, power are [to them] everything. 
         
        I. Of Sin. 
         
        Here we must confess, as Paul says in Rom. 5, 11, that sin
        originated [and entered the world] from one man Adam, by whose
        disobedience all men were made sinners, [and] subject to death
        and the devil. This is called original or capital sin. 
         
        The fruits of this sin are afterwards the evil deeds which are
        forbidden in the Ten Commandments, such as [distrust]
        unbelief, false faith, idolatry, to be without the fear of
        God, presumption [recklessness], despair, blindness [or
        complete loss of sight], and, in short not to know or regard
        God; furthermore to lie, to swear by [to abuse] God's name [to
        swear falsely], not to pray, not to call upon God, not to
        regard [to despise or neglect] God's Word, to be disobedient
        to parents, to murder, to be unchaste, to steal, to deceive,
        etc. 
         
        This hereditary sin is so deep and [horrible] a corruption of
        nature that no reason can understand it, but it must be
        [learned and] believed from the revelation of Scriptures, Ps.
        51, 5; Rom. 6, 12 ff.; Ex. 33, 3; Gen. 3, 7 ff. Hence, it is
        nothing but error and blindness in regard to this article what
        the scholastic doctors have taught, namely: 
         
        That since the fall of Adam the natural powers of man have
        remained entire and incorrupt, and that man by nature has a
        right reason and a good will; which things the philosophers
        teach. 
         
        Again that man has a free will to do good and omit evil, and,
        conversely, to omit good and do evil. 
         
        Again, that man by his natural powers can observe and keep
        [do] all the commands of God. 
         
        Again, that, by his natural powers, man can love God above all
        things and his neighbor as himself. 
         
        Again, if a man does as much as is in him, God certainly
        grants him His grace. 
         
        Again, if he wishes to go to the Sacrament, there is no need
        of a good intention to do good, but it is sufficient if he has
        not a wicked purpose to commit sin; so entirely good is his
        nature and so efficacious the Sacrament. 
         
        [Again,] that it is not founded upon Scripture that for a good
        work the Holy Ghost with His grace is necessary. 
         
        Such and many similar things have arisen from want of
        understanding and ignorance as regards both this sin and
        Christ, our Savior and they are truly heathen dogmas, which we
        cannot endure. For if this teaching were right [approved],
        then Christ has died in vain, since there is in man no defect
        nor sin for which he should have died; or He would have died
        only for the body, not for the soul, inasmuch as the soul is
        [entirely] sound, and the body only is subject to death. 
         
        
 
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