It is rightly said however, on the contrary, that in conversion, God, through the drawing of the Holy Spirit, makes willing men out of the obstinate and unwilling; and that after such conversion, the regenerated will of man does not remain inactive in the daily exercise of repentance, but it co-operates in all the works of the Holy Spirit, which he performs through us.

9. Also, that doctor Luther has written that the will of man in his conversion, remains purely passive, that is, that it does nothing at all, is to be understood respectu divinæ gratiæ in accendendis novis motibus; that is, when the Spirit of God through, the heard word, or through the use of the holy sacraments, lays hold on the will of man, and effects the new birth and conversion. For when the Holy Spirit has effected and accomplished this, and through his divine power and operation alone, has changed and renewed the will of man, then the new will of man is an instrument and organ of God, the Holy Spirit, so that it not only accepts the grace, but also co-operates in subsequent works of the Holy Spirit.

Consequently, that before the conversion of man, there are but two efficient causes found, namely, the Holy Spirit, and the word of God as the instrument of the Holy Spirit, through which he effects the conversion, and which man is to hear; he cannot, however, give credence to it and accept it through his own powers, but exclusively through the grace and operation of God, the Holy Spirit.

III. OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH.

Chief question in this controversy.

While it is unanimously confessed in our churches, by the authority of the word of God, and according to the contents of the Augsburg Confession, that we poor sinners become righteous before God and saved, alone through faith in Christ, and that consequently, Christ alone is our righteousness, who is true God and man, since in him the divine and human natures are personally united, Jer. 23, 6; 1 Cor. 1, 30; 2 Cor. 5, 20. A question has arisen,-according to which nature Christ is our righteousness. And thus two adverse errors have taken rise in several churches.

For, the one party has maintained that Christ becomes our righteousness according to his divinity alone, when he dwells in us through faith; in comparison with this indwelling divinity through faith, the

sins of all men are regarded as a drop of water in the great sea. On the contrary, others have maintained that Christ is our righteousness before God according to the human nature alone.

AFFIRMATIVE.

Pure doctrine of the Christian church against both the
errors now stated.

1. In opposition to both the errors now specified, we believe, teach, and confess unanimously, that Christ is our righteousness, neither according to the divine nature alone, nor yet according to the human nature alone, but the whole Christ according to both natures, exclusively in that obedience, which he, as God and man, rendered to the Father even in death, and by this has merited for us forgiveness of sins and eternal life; as it is written, Rom. 5, 19: "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners; so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."

2. Accordingly, we believe, teach, and confess, that our righte ousness before God is this-that God forgives us our sins out of pure grace, without any regard to our antecedent, present, or subsequent works, merit, or worthiness: granting and imputing to us the righteousness of the obedience of Christ; on account of which righteousness we are received into favor with God and reputed as just.

3. We believe, teach, and confess, that faith alone is the medium and instrument, by which we apprehend Christ; and, thus in Christ, we also apprehend this righteousness, which avails before God, for the sake of which, this faith is imputed to us for righteousness, Rom. 4, 5.

4. We believe, teach, and confess, that this faith is not a mere perception of the history concerning Christ, but a gift of God, through which we rightly perceive Christ our Redeemer in the word of the Gospel, and rely upon him that we have forgiveness of sins by grace for the sake of his obedience alone, and are accounted pious and righteous of God the Father, and eternally saved.

5. We believe, teach, and confess, that according to the phrase ology of holy writ, the word to justify, in this article, signifies to absolve, that is, to declare acquittal from sin. "He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord," Prov. 17, 15; again, "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth," Bom, 8, 33.

And whenever, instead of the word justification, the words regeneration and renewal of life are employed, as is done in the Apology to the Augsburg Confession, these words must be understood in the above sense, For these expressions, when used in reference to the renovation of man, must be understood differently from what is rightly discriminated by the justification by faith.

6. We believe, teach, and confess, that notwithstanding much weakness and imperfection still adhere to the true believer and truly regenerated even to their graves, yet they should not for that reason doubt, either of righteousness which is imputed to them through faith, or of the salvation of their souls; but hold as certain, that for Christ's sake, by virtue of the promise and word of the holy Gospel, they have a merciful God.

7. We believe, teach, and confess, that for the preservation of the pure doctrine concerning the justification by faith before God, the particulæ exclusive, that is, the following words of the holy apostle Paul, by which the merit of Christ is wholly separated from our works, and the honor attributed to Christ alone, are to be maintained with special diligence, where the holy apostle Paul writes, "by grace," Eph. 2, 5, 8; "freely," Rom. 3, 24; "not by the law," Gal. 3, 11; "without works," Rom. 4, 6; "without the deeds of the law," Rom. 3, 28; all of which words signify as much as that we are righteous and saved alone through faith in Christ.

8. We believe, teach, and confess, that although an antecedent contrition and subsequent good works, do not pertain to this article of justification before God, yet there must not be feigned such a faith as can consist with an evil intention to sin and to act contrary to conscience; but, after man is justified through faith, then there is a true and living faith working by love, Gal. 5, 6. So that good works always follow the justifying faith, and are certainly found with it, when it is true and living; as it is never alone, but always accompanied by love and hope.

ANTITHESIS OR NEGATIVE.

Rejection of the contrary doctrine.

Accordingly we reject and condemn all the following errors: 1. That Christ is our righteousness according to the divine nature alone.

2. That Christ is our righteousness according to the human nature alone.

3. That in the declarations of the Prophets and Apostles, in which the justification by faith is spoken of, the words to justify and to be justified, should not signify, to declare or to be declared free from sin, and to obtain forgiveness of sins; but, in reality to be made righteous before God, in consequence of the love and virtue infused by the Holy Spirit, and the works following from these.

4. That faith views not only the obedience of Christ, but his divine nature, so far as the same dwells and works in us, that through such indwelling our sins may be covered.

5. That faith is such a reliance on the obedience of Christ as can exist and remain in a person, who even has no genuine repentance, and where no love follows, but who, contrary to his conscience, persists in sins.

6. That not God himself, but only the gifts of God dwell in the believing.

7. That faith saves, because the renovation, which consists in love towards God and our neighbor, is begun in us by faith.

8. That faith has the pre-eminence in justification; nevertheless love and a reformation of life pertain also to our justification before God, not being indeed the principal cause of our righteousness; but our righteousness before God, without this love and reformation, would not be complete or perfect.

9. That believers are justified before God and saved, at the same time, by the imputed righteousness of Christ, and by the incipient new obedience, or partly by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ, and partly by the incipient new obedience.

10. That the promise of grace is appropriated to us by faith in the heart, by the confession which is made with the lips, and by other virtues.

11. That faith does not justify without good works; so that good works are required as necessary to righteousness, and without their influence no man can be justified.

IV. OF GOOD WORKS.

The chief question in controversy concerning good works.

With respect to the doctrine concerning good works, two different sources of dissension have arisen in several churches.

First, several theologians separated themselves in consequence the following declarations, which the one party wrote:

of

1. Good works are necessary to salvation: it is impossible to be saved without good works. Again, no one has ever been saved without good works.

The other party, however, maintained—

That good works are pernicious to salvation.

2. Afterwards a schism took place also between several theologians concerning the two words, necessity and freewill; the one party contended that the word necessity ought not to be used concerning the new obedience, which does not flow from necessity and constraint, but from a spontaneous will. The other party maintained the word necessity, since this obedience does not consist in our free choice, but the regenerated are constrained to render such obedi

ence.

From which disputation concerning these words, a controversy afterwards arose concerning the matter in itself; the one party contended that the law should not at all be urged among Christians, but the people should be admonished to good works out of the holy Gospel alone. This the other party opposed.

AFFIRMATIVE.

Pure doctrine of the Christian church in relation to this controversy.

For a fundamental explanation and decision of this controversy, our doctrine, faith, and confession, are:

1. That good works certainly and undoubtedly follow, as fruits of a good tree, true faith, if it be not a dead but a living faith.

2. We also believe, teach, and confess, that good works should be entirely excluded as well when the question is concerning salvation, as in the article of justification before God, as the Apostle testifies in distinct terms, where he writes thus: "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered," Rom. 4, 6, 7; again, "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," Eph. 2, 8, 9.

3. We also believe, teach, and confess, that all men, but especially those who are regenerated and renewed through the Holy Spirit, are under obligation to do good works.

4. And in this sense, the words, necessity, shall, and must, are used in a correct and Christian manner, even in regard to the regen