\ 
 
 N 
 
 LIBRARY OF PRINCETON 
 
 m I 7 2008 
 
 THEOLOGICAL SCMWARY 
 
 BX8069 .K7 1868 
 
 Krauth, Charles Porterfield, 
 
 1823-1883. 
 
 Augsburg confession : 
 
 literally translated from 
 
 the original Latin. 
 

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 >^ /^^ 
 
THE 
 
 JUN 2 7 2008 
 
 THHOLOGICAL SEMINAR 
 
 AUGSBURG CONFESSION, 
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL LATIN. 
 
 WITH THE MOST IMPORTANT ADDITIONS OP 
 
 THE GERMAN TEXT INCORPORATED: 
 
 XOOXTHEB WITH 
 
 THE GENERAL CKEEDS; 
 
 Ain> 
 
 AN INTRODUCTION, NOTES, AND ANALYTICAL INDEX. 
 
 BT 
 
 CHARLES P. KRAUTH, D.D., 
 
 NORTON PE0FE8S0B IN THE THEOIOGIOAI. SEMINARY OF THE EVANGEUOAL 
 LUTHERAN OHUROH, PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 Tract and Book Society of St. John's Evangelical 
 
 Lutheran Church. 
 
 LUTHERAN BOOKSTORE, 
 
 807 Vine Street. 
 
 18 6 8. 
 
CAXTON PRESS OF SHERMAN k CO., 
 PHIIiADELPHIA. 
 
adyepvTiseme:n't. 
 
 For the edification of its members in the Doctrines of our Church, 
 and to have within reach of all a complete and approved edition, 
 in English, of the great Augsburg Confession, — the fundamental 
 Confession of Protestant Christianity, — Tfie Tract and Book Socieiy 
 of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, of this city, two years 
 ago, entered into arrangements to have this desideratum supplied. 
 The book has been delayed beyond anticipation. The Board of 
 Managers regret that they have been unable to present it sooner; 
 but they congratulate the members of the Society, and the Church 
 at large, that, in the good Providence of God, they now have it in 
 their power to deliver an English edition of our Confession, at once 
 complete in itself, and accompanied with an Introduction and 
 !No*es, which will doubtless be appreciated according to their ex- 
 alted worth. Numerous have been the issues of our Society during 
 the many years of its existence, but none of them are at all to be 
 compared with this, in the importance of the place which it is to 
 fill, or in the labor, scholarly care, and valuable learning which 
 have been bestowed upon it. May the Lord bless it to the good of 
 all into whose hands it may come ! 
 
 A lasting debt of gratitude is due to Dr. C. P. Krauth for the 
 very able manner in which he has prepared what is herewith re- 
 spectfully submitted by 
 
 The Board of Managers. 
 
 Philadelphia, April, 1868. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 § 1. THE NATURE AND NECESSITY OF CREEDS. 
 
 The Holy Scriptures are a perfect rule of faith. Be- 
 eauBe they are such they beget a true faith in the heart 
 which receives them aright. The faith, thus begotten, 
 instinctively expresses itself in words. Those words, 
 whether simply thought in the mind, uttered with the 
 lips, written by our own hand, or assented to when writ- 
 ten by another, are a Creed. A Christian Creed is simply 
 the human expression, oral or mental, of the faith which 
 has been received from God's Word. When, indeed, 
 there can be and is no dispute whatever, on the part of 
 any one, as to the meaning of God's Word, its own lan- 
 guage is the most perfect mode of expressing our faith. 
 Then, and then only, is it true that the Bible is our 
 Creed. But when there can be and is a dispute as to 
 the meaning of certain words in it, we can no longer ex- 
 press our Creed or Confession in its words, because, as 
 the object of a public Confession is to testify to others 
 what we hold, and the very words we use are under- 
 stood in more senses than one, we do not really confess 
 or testify by using them — as some will understand them 
 in one sense, and others in another. In this case we 
 conceal our faith, instead of making it known. When 
 God uses words to exj)ress His mind, they are a rule of 
 faith because His meaning is absolute truth. When we 
 use these same words to express our mind they are but 
 a Creed, for we use them as we understand them, and 
 that understanding may be incorrect. When He uses 
 
 (iii) 
 
IV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 them the question is, What does He mean? and what 
 He means, is the rule of faith. When we use them the 
 question is, What do we mean? and what we mean, is 
 our Confession of faith. As a rule of faith the Word of 
 God is absolute truth, but the meaning intended in the 
 use of those very same words, by an errorist, may be 
 false. When our Lord, for instance, says the wiclied 
 shall "go away into everlasting punishment," his words 
 are a rule of faith, and bind us to believe that there shall 
 be literally no end to the misery of the wicked; but 
 when a Universalist uses these same words as his Creed, 
 they mean the very reverse of what the Saviour meant; 
 their sense, as a Universalist Creed, is exactly the oppo- 
 site of their sense as a divine rule of faith, and so used 
 they cease to mean the truth. 
 
 g 2. EAELY CREEDS. 
 
 Not, therefore, as opposed to the supreme authority 
 of the Word of God, but as the result of recognizing it, 
 not to set up the opinions of man against divine truth, 
 but to prevent their being thus set up, to show^that she 
 has taken to her inmost heart the faith set forth in the 
 Holy Scriptures, the Church, from the beginning, has 
 had Creeds, or statements of faith. The oldest and most 
 universally received of these is the Apostles' Creed, so 
 called, not because it was written by them, but because 
 it is a summary of their teachings. Our blessed Lord 
 himself gave the germ of the Apostles* Creed, both as to 
 its substance and its form, when He ordained his Apos- 
 tles to go into all the world, and to make disciples of all 
 nations, by baptizing them into the name of the Father, 
 Son, and Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things 
 whatsoever he had commanded them. Next to the Apos- 
 tles' is the NiCENE Creed, so called from the j^lace at 
 which the General Council met at which it was set forth. 
 The third General Confession is the Athanasian Creed, 
 which, tho^h not the work of Athanasius, correctly 
 
INTRODUCTION. V 
 
 exhibits the great doctrines which he so earnestly main- 
 tained. These three Creeds the Lutheran Cburcli ac- 
 cepts as her own, and by them testifies to her historical 
 unity with the Ancient Church. 
 
 g 3. KOMANISM AND ITS CREED. 
 
 An age of darkness is a creedless age ; corruption in 
 doctrine works best when it is unfettered by an explicit 
 statement of that doctrine. Between the Athanasian 
 Creed (probably about A.D. 434) and the sixteenth cen- 
 tury, there is no new General Creed. Error loves ambi- 
 guities. In the contest with Rome the Reformers com- 
 plained bitterly that she refused to make an explicit 
 official statement of her doctrine. " Our opponents/' 
 says the Apology,* "do not bestow the labor, that there 
 may be among the people some certain statement of the 
 chief points of the ecclesiastical doctrines." Just in pro- 
 portion to the blind devotion of men to Popery were 
 they reluctant to have its doctrines stated in an author- 
 ized form, and only under the compulsion of a public sen- 
 timent which was wrought by the Reformation, did the 
 Church of Rome at length convene the Council of Trent. 
 Its decisions were not completed and set forth until 
 seventeen years after Luther's death, and thirty-three 
 years after the Augsburg Confession. The proper date 
 of the distinctive life of a particular Church is furnished 
 bj^ her Creed. Tested by the General Creeds, the Evan- 
 gelical Lutheran Church has the same claim as the Ro- 
 mish Church to be considered in unity with the early 
 Church, — but as a particular Church, with a distinctive 
 bond and token of docjtrinal union, she is more than 
 thirty years older than the Romish Church. Our Church 
 has the oldest distinctive Creed now in use in any large 
 division of Christendom. That Creed is the Confession 
 of Augsburg. Could the Church have set forth and main- 
 
 * 231, 43. 
 1* 
 
VI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 tained snch a Confession as that of Augsburg before the 
 time over which the Dark Ages extended, those Dark 
 Ages could not have come. There would have been no 
 Eeformation, for none would have been needed. 
 
 §4. THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION: PKELIMINAKIES 
 TO PREPARATION OF. . 
 
 The mighty agitations caused by the restoration of 
 divine truth by Luther and his great co-workers, had 
 led to attempts at harmonizing the conflicting elements, 
 especially by action at the Diets of the Empire. At the 
 Diet of Worms (1521) Luther refuses to retract, and the 
 Edict goes forth commanding his seizure and the burn- 
 ing of his books; at the Diet of Nuremberg (1522) Chere- 
 gati, the Papal Nuncio, demands the fulfilment of the 
 Edict of Worms, and the assistance of all faithful friends 
 of the Church against Luther. The first Diet at Spires 
 (1526) had virtually annulled the Edict of Worms, by 
 leaving its execution to the unforced action (Jf the dif- 
 ferent Estates, and it promised the speedy convocation 
 of a General Council, or at least of a National Assembly. 
 The second Diet at Spires (1529) quenched the hopes in- 
 spired by this earlier action. It decreed that the Edict 
 of Worms should be strictly enforced where it had al- 
 ready been received; the celebration of the Romish Mass 
 protected, and the preachers bound to confine them- 
 selves to the doctrine of the Eomish Church in their 
 teachings. The Protest of the Evangelical Princes 
 against this decision, originated the name Protestants. 
 
 The Protestant Princes made their appeal to a free 
 General Council. Charles V, after vainly endeavoring 
 to obtain the consent of the Pope to the convocation of 
 a General Council, summoned the Diet at Augsburg, 
 promising to appear in pei'son, and to give a gracious 
 hearing to the whole question, so that the "one only 
 Christian truth might be maintained, that all might be 
 subjects and soldiers of the one Christ, and live in the 
 
INTRODUCTION. VU 
 
 fellowship and unity of one Church." To this end the 
 Emperor directed the friends of the Evangelical faith to 
 prepare for presentation to the Diet, a statement on the 
 points of division. 
 
 In consequence of this order of the Emperor, the 
 Elector of Saxony, who was the leader of the Evangeli- 
 cal Princes, directed Luther, in conjunction with the 
 other theologians at Wittenberg, to draw up a summary 
 of doctrine, and a statement of the abuses to be corrected. 
 The statement drawn up in consequence of this, had, as 
 its groundwork, Articles which were already prepared; 
 and as the Augsburg Confession is the ripest result of a 
 series of labors, in which this was one, and as much con- 
 fusion of statement exists on the relations of these labors, 
 it may be useful to give the main points in chronological 
 order. 
 
 1. 1529. October 1, 2, 3. The Conference at Mar- 
 burg took place between Luther and the Saxon divines 
 upon the one side, and Zwingle and the Swiss divines on 
 the other. Luther, in conjunction with others of our 
 great theologians, prepared the XV Marburg Articles, 
 October, 1529. These Articles were meant to show on 
 what points the Lutherans and Zwinglians agreed, and 
 also to state the point on which they did not agree, and 
 as a fair statement of the points, disputed and undis- 
 puted, were signed by all the theologians of both parties. 
 
 2. 1529. Oct. 16. On the basis of these XY Articles 
 were prepared, by Luther, with the advice and assistance 
 of the other theologians, the XXII Articles of Schwa- 
 bach, so called from the place at which they were pre- 
 sented. 
 
 3. 1529. Nov. 29. From the presentation of these 
 XXII Articles at Smalcald, they are sometimes called 
 the Smalcald Articles. 
 
 4. 1530. March 20. These XVII Articles of Luther 
 revised were sent to Torgau, and were long called the 
 Torgau Articles, though they are in fact the revised 
 
Vm INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Articles of Schwabach. These Articles are mainly doc- 
 trinal. 
 
 5. March 20. In addition to these, a special writing, 
 of which Luther was the chief author, in conjunction 
 with Melancthon, lonas, and Bugenhagen, was prepared 
 by direction of the Elector, and sent to Torgau. These 
 articles are on the abuses,* and are the Torgau Articles 
 proper. 
 
 6. The XYII doctrinal articles of Schwabach formed 
 the basis of the doctrinal articles of the Augsburg Con- 
 fession ; the Articles of Torgau are the basis of its arti- 
 cles on abuses, and both these are mainly from the hand 
 of Luther. 
 
 In six instances, the very numbers of the Schwabach 
 Articles correspond with those of the Augsburg Confes- 
 sion. They coincide throughout, not only in doctrine, 
 but in a vast number of cases word for word, the Augs- 
 burg Confession being a mere transcript, in these cases, 
 of the Schwabach Articles. The differences are either 
 merely stylistic, or are made necessary by the larger ob- 
 ject and compass of the Augsburg Confession; but so 
 thoroughly do the Schwabach Articles condition and 
 shape every part of it, as to give it even the peculiarity 
 of phraseology characteristic of Luther. 
 
 § 5. ITS AUTHOKSHIP : LTJTHEE'S PvELATIONS TO. 
 
 To a large extent, therefore, Melancthon's work is but 
 an elaboration of Luther's, and to a large extent it is 
 not an elaboration, but a reproduction. To Luther be- 
 long the doctrinal power of the Confession, its inmost 
 life and spirit, and to Melancthon its matchless form. 
 Both are in some sense its authors, but the most essen- 
 tial elements of it are due to Luther, who is by pre- 
 
 * For the latest and amplest results of historical investigation on 
 these points, see Corpus Eeformat., vol. xxvi (1858), cols. 97-199. 
 
INTRODUCTION. IX 
 
 eminence its author, as Melanctbon is its composer. If 
 the authorship of the Confession should be claimed for 
 Melancthon to the exclusion of Luther, it would open 
 the second great Eeformer to the charge of the most un- 
 scrupulous plagiarism. Even had Luther, however, had 
 no direct share in the Augsburg Confession, the asser- 
 tion would be too sweeping that he was in no sense its 
 author. Great leading minds are in some sense the au- 
 tbors of all works that have germinated directly from 
 their thoughts. But Luther was, in a peculiar sense, the 
 author of Melancthon's theological life; he w^as, as Me- 
 lancthon loved to call him, ''his most dear father." All 
 the earliest and purest theology of Melancthon is largely 
 but a repetition, in his own graceful way, of Luther's 
 thoughts; and the Augsburg Confession is in its inmost 
 texture the theology of the New Testament as Luther 
 believed it. 
 
 § 6. ABSENCE OF LUTHEK FKOM AUGSBURG. 
 
 For the absence of Luther from Augsburg, the reasons 
 constantly assigned in history are obviously the real 
 ones. Luther was not only under the Papal excommu- 
 nication, but he was an outlaw under the imperial ban. 
 In the rescript of the Emperor he was styled "the evil 
 fiend in human form," "the fool," and "the blasphemer." 
 His person would have been legally subject to seizure. 
 The Diet at Spires (1529) had repeated the Decree of 
 Worms. The Elector would have looked like a plotter 
 of treason had Luther been thrust by him before the 
 Emperor, and with the intense hatred cherished by the 
 Papistical party toward Luther, he would not have been 
 permitted to leave Augsburg alive. The Elector w^as so 
 thoroughly anxious to have Luther with him, that at 
 first he allowed his wishes to obscure his judgment, — he 
 attached such importance to the mild language of Charles 
 V, that he allowed himself to hope, yet, as his letter of . 
 March 14th shows, rather feebly, that even Luther might 
 
X INTRODUCTION. 
 
 be permitted to appear. Luther left Wittenberg on tho 
 assumption that be perhaps might be permitted to come 
 to Augsburg. But a safe conduct was denied him. Had 
 it been desired by the Elector to bave Luther out of the 
 way, it would have been far easier to the Elector, and 
 pleasanter to Luther, to have kept him at Wittenberg. 
 
 That Luther came to Coburg, is proof of the ardent 
 desire to have his counsel and co-operation ; tbat he 
 stopped there, shows the greatness of the peril that 
 would have attended his going further. But Luther's 
 safety was not merely provided for by his detention here, 
 but by placing him in the old castle of the Duke of Co- 
 burg, which occupies a commanding height, more than 
 five hundred feet above the town, and which is so well 
 fortified by nature and art, that during the Thirty Years' 
 War, Wallenstein besieged it in vain. 
 
 The awful loneliness of such a spot would have im- 
 pressed the soul of Luther under any circumstances, but 
 the isolation of the place seems to have been meant to 
 give him additional security. The arrangements were 
 planned by loving friends for his safety. Luther per- 
 fectly understood the character and object of the ar- 
 rangements, before they were made, while they were in 
 progress, and after all was over. Thus, April 2d, writing 
 before his journey, be says: " I am going with the Prince, 
 as far as Coburg, and Melancthon and Jonas with us, un- 
 til it is known what will be attempted at Augsburg." In 
 another letter of same date: "I am not summoned to go 
 to Augsburg, but for certain reasons, I only accompany 
 the Prince on his journey through his own dominions." 
 June 1, he writes : " I am waiting on the borders of Sax- 
 ony, midway between Wittenberg and Augsburg, for it 
 was not safe to take me to Augsburg." 
 
 The expressions of impatience which we find in his 
 letters during his stay at Coburg, only show that in the 
 ardor of his great soul, in moments of intense excitement, 
 the reasons for his detention at the castle, which com- 
 
INTRODUCTION. XI 
 
 mended themselves to his cooler judpjment, seemed rea- 
 sons no longer — death seemed nothing — he would gladly 
 face it as he had faced it before, only to be in body where 
 he was already in heart. "I burn," he says, "to come, 
 though uncommanded and uninvited." His seeming im- 
 patience, his agony, his desire to bear often, his refusal 
 for the moment to listen to any excuses, were all inev-i 
 table with such a spirit as Luther's under the circum- 
 stances; yet for places four days' journey apart, in those 
 troublous times, of imperfect communication, with special 
 couriers carrying all the letters, there was an extraor- 
 dinary amount of correspondence. Wq have about sev- 
 enty letters of Luther written to Augsburg during the 
 Diet, and we know of thirty-two written by Melancthon 
 to Luther, and of thirty-nine written by Luther to Me- 
 lancthon in the five months of correspondence, during 
 the Diet, or connected with it in the time preceding.* 
 
 § 7. CORRESPONDENCE WITH LUTHER. 
 Melancthon's Letters of May 4th. 
 
 Luther and Melancthon went in company to Coburg, 
 and at Coburg the "Exordium" of the Confession was 
 written. At Augsburg, Melancthon, as w^as his wont, 
 elaborated it to a yet higher finish. May 4, he writes to 
 Luther: "I have made the exordium of our Apology" 
 (that is, the Confession) " somewhat more finished in 
 style (retorikoteron), than I wrote it at Coburg." Speak- 
 ing of his work he says: " In a short time, I myself will 
 bring it, or if the Prince will not permit me to come, I 
 will send itJ^ 
 
 By the Apology or Defence is meant the Confession, 
 which was originally designed to be in the main a de- 
 fence of the Evangelical (Lutheran) Confessors, espe- 
 cially in regard to their practical application of their 
 principles in the correction of abuses. The second part 
 
 * Luther's Letters, De Wette's Edit., iii, iv. 
 
Xll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 was the one which at the time of the preparation of the 
 Confession was regarded as the more difficult, and for 
 the immediate objects contemplated, the more important. 
 The articles of faith were designed as a preparation for 
 the second part, and the judgment of Forstemann and 
 others that by the "Exordium," Melancthon meant not 
 the Preface, which there seems to be evidence was writ- 
 ten in German by Bruck, and translated into Latin by 
 Jonas, " but the whole first part of the Confession, is not 
 without much to render it probable." 
 
 If we take Melancthon'a language, in his letter of May 
 5, grammatically, it seems to settle it, that the Exordium 
 was the whole first part, for it is inconceivable that he 
 would desire to come all the way to Coburg to show Lu- 
 ther merely the Preface, more especially as we know 
 that the Confession itself was nearly finished at the 
 time. In a letter of the same date (May 4th), to Viet 
 Dietrich, who was with Luther, he says: " I will shortly 
 run over to you, that I may bring to the Doctor (Lu- 
 ther), the Apology which is to be offered to the Em- 
 peror, that he (Luther) may examine it." 
 
 The Elector's Letters of Mat 11th. 
 
 For very obvious reasons, Melancthon could not be 
 spared from Augsburg at this time even for an hour, to 
 say nothing of the hazards which might have been in- 
 curred by the journey, which his great anxiety for a per- 
 sonal conference with Luther inclined him to make. But 
 on May 11th, the Elector sent to Luther the Confession, 
 with a letter, in which he speaks of it as meant to be a 
 careful revision of those very articles of which Luther 
 was the main author. He says to Luther (Augsburg, 
 May 11th) : "As you and our other theologians at Wit- 
 tenberg, have brought into summary statement the arti- 
 cles of religion about which there is dispute, it is our 
 wish to let you know that Melancthon has further re- 
 
INTRODUCTION. Xlii 
 
 vised the same, and reduced them to a fornix which we 
 hereby send you." "And it is our desire that you would 
 further revise the same, and give them a thorough exam- 
 ination, and at the same time (daneben) you would also 
 write how you like it, or what you think proper to add 
 about it or to it, and in order that, on his Majesty's ar- 
 rival, which is looked for in a short time, we may be 
 ready, send back the same carefully secured and sealed, 
 without delay, to this place, by the letter-carrier who 
 takes this/' 
 
 Luther had been the chief laborer in the articles of 
 which the Elector declared the Confession to be but a 
 revision and reducing to shape — there could be little 
 room for large changes, and as the Emperor was ex- 
 pected speedily, the time was too pressing to allow of 
 elaborate discussions, which were indeed unneeded where 
 all were so absolute a unit in faith as our Confessors were. 
 That margin would have been narrow, and that time 
 short, indeed, on which and in which Luther could not 
 have written enough to kill any Confession which tam- 
 pered with the truth. 
 
 The Elector's whole letter expressly assigns the natu- 
 ral and cogent reason, that Luther's judgment might be 
 needed at once, in consequence of the expected advent 
 of the Emperor, a point which Melancthon's letter of 
 the same date also urges. The haste is evidence of the 
 anxiety to have Luther's opinion and approval, as a sine 
 qua non. 
 
 The Diet had been summoned for April 8th. It was 
 soon after postponed to the 1st of May, and at this later 
 date, had it not been for the delay of the Emperor in 
 appearing, the articles of Luther, on which the Confes- 
 sion was afterwards based, would themselves have been 
 offered. As it was, it was needful to be ready at any 
 hour for the approach of Charles. The letter of the 
 Elector seems to imply that the original of the Confession 
 was sent to Luther. Great care was taken to prevent 
 
 2 
 
XIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 copies from being multiplied, as the enemies were eager 
 to see it. Even on June 25th, the day of its presenta- 
 tion, the Latin Confession, in Melancthon's own hand- 
 writing, was given to the Emperor. 
 
 Melancthon's Letter of Mat 11th. 
 
 With this letter of the Elector was sent a letter from 
 Melancthon addressed " to Martin Luther, his most dear 
 father." In it he says: " Our Apology is sent to you, 
 although it is more properly a Confession, for the Em- 
 peror will have no time for protracted discussion. Never- 
 theless, I have said those things which I thought most 
 profitable or fitting. With this design I have embraced 
 nearly all the articles of faith, for Eck has put forth the 
 most diabolical slanders against us, to which I wished 
 to oppose a remedy. I request you, in accordance with 
 your own spirit, to decide concerning the whole writing 
 (Pro tuo spiritu de toto scripto statues). A question is 
 referred to you, to which I greatly desire an answer from 
 you. What if the Emperor . . . should prohibit our 
 ministers from preaching at Augsburg? I hav^ an- 
 swered that we should yield to the wish of the Emperor, 
 in whose city we are guests. But our old man is diffi- 
 cult to soften." (The "old man" is either the Elector 
 John, so called to distinguish him from his son, John 
 Frederick, or the old Chancellor Bruck.) " Whatever 
 therefore you think, I beg that you will write it in Ger- 
 man on separate paper'' 
 
 What Luther was to write was his judgment both as 
 to the Confession and the question about preaching, and 
 the " separate paper," on which he was particularly re- 
 quested to write, must mean separate from that which 
 held the Confession. One probable reason why Luther 
 was so particularly requested not, as was very much his 
 wont, to write upon the margin, was, that this original 
 draft of the Confession might have been needed for pre- 
 sentation to the Emperor. The original of Luther's re- 
 
INTRODUCTION. XV 
 
 plies to the Elector on both points (for to the Elector 
 .and not to Melancthon they were to be made, and were 
 made), still remains. Both are together — neither is on 
 the margin of anything, but both are written just as Me- 
 lancthon specially requested, "in German," and on ''sep- 
 arate paper."* It shows the intensest desire to have 
 the assurance doubly sure of Luther's concurrence, that 
 under all the pressure of haste, the original of the Con- 
 fession was sent him. 
 
 That the highest importance was attached to Luther's 
 judgment on this form of the Confession, is furthermore 
 proved by the fact that after the Confession was dis- 
 patched (May 11), everything was suspended at Augsburg, 
 till he should be heard from. " On the 16th of May, the 
 Elector indicated to the other States, that the Confession 
 was ready, but was not entirely closed up, but had been 
 sent to Luther for examination." Shortly after Luther's 
 reply of May 15, heartily indorsing the Confession, with- 
 out the change of a word, was received at xiugsburg.f 
 
 It is called ''form of Confession," in the Elector's let- 
 ter to Luther, because the matter of the Confession had 
 been prepared by Luther himself. Melancthon's work 
 was but to revise that matter, and give it "form,'* which 
 revised form was to be subjected to the examination of 
 all the Lutheran authorities and divines at Augsburg, 
 and especially to Luther. 
 
 As to the articles of faith, and the abuses to be cor- 
 rected, the matter of the Confession was already finished 
 and furnished— much of it direct from Luther's hand, 
 and all of it with his co-operation and approval. It was 
 only as to the "form," the selection among various 
 abuses, the greater or less amplitude of treatment, that 
 
 * Ccelestinus, i, p. 40. Luther's Epistol. supplem. Buddei, 93. 
 Salig. Hist. d. Aug. Conf., i, 169. Cyprian Beylage xiv, Ex Auto- 
 grapho. Luther's Briefe : De Wette (Lett. 1213) himself compared 
 the original in the Weimar Archives. 
 
 t Corpus Keform, No. 700. Kollner, pp. 171, 175. 
 
XVI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 all the questions lay. The "form of Confession " sent 
 on May 11th was the Augsburg Confession, substantially 
 identical with it as a whole, and, in all that is really 
 essential to it, verbally identical. We have copies of it 
 so nearly at the stage at which it then was as to know 
 that this is the case. Melancthon's letter expressly de- 
 clares that nearly all the articles of faith had been 
 treated, and the Augsburg Confession, in its most fin- 
 ished shape, only professes to give "about the sum of 
 the doctrines held by us.'^ 
 
 But we need not rest in inferences, however strong, in 
 regard to this matter. We have direct evidence from 
 Melancthon himself, which will be produced, that Luther 
 did decide, before its presentation, upon what, in Me- 
 lancthon's judgment, was the Augsburg Confession itself. 
 His words prove that the changes which Luther did not 
 see were purely those of niceties of style, or of a more 
 ample elaboration of a very few points, mainly on the 
 abuses; in fact, that Luther's approval had»been given 
 to the Confession, and that without it the Confession 
 never would have been presented. 
 
 The Elector's letter of May 11th was answered by 
 Luther, who heartily indorsed the Confession sent him, 
 without the change of a word. Nothing was taken out, 
 nothing was added, nothing was altered. He speaks ad- 
 miringly, not reprovingly, of the moderation of its style, 
 and confesses that it had a gentleness of manner of which 
 he was not master. 
 
 As the Emperor still lingered, Melancthon used the 
 time to improve, here and there, the external form of 
 the Confession. He loved the most exquisite accuracy 
 and delicacy of phrase, and never ceased filing on his 
 work. What topics should be handled under the head 
 of abuses, was in the main perfectly understood, and 
 agreed upon between him and Luther. The draft of the 
 discussion of them was largely from Luther's hand, and 
 all of it was indorsed by him. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XVU 
 
 The main matters were entirely settled, the principles 
 were fixed, and the questions which arose were those of 
 stjde, of selection of topics, of the mode of treating them, 
 or of expediency, in which the faith was not involved. 
 In regard to this, Luther speedily hears again from his 
 son in the GospeL 
 
 Melancthon's Letter of May 22. 
 
 May 22d, Melancthon wrote to Luther :* " In the 
 Apology, we daily change many things ; the article on 
 Vows, as it was more meagre than it should be, I have 
 removed, and supplied its place with a discussion a little 
 more full, on the same point. I am now treating of the 
 power of the keys also. I wish you would run over the 
 Articles of Faith; if you think there is no defect in them, 
 we will treat of the other points as we best may (ut- 
 cunque). For they are to be changed from time to time, 
 and adapted to the circumstances." In the same letter 
 he begs Luther to write to George, Duke -of Saxony, be- 
 cause his letter would carry decisive weight with him: 
 " there is need of your letters." 
 
 This letter shows : 
 
 1. That Melancthon desired Luther to know all that 
 he was doing. 
 
 2. That the Articles of Faith were finished, and that 
 the changes were confined to the Articles on Abuses. 
 
 3. That in the discussions on Abuses, there were 
 many questions which would have to be decided as the 
 occasions, in the providence of God, would determine 
 them. 
 
 From three to four days seems to have been the ordi- 
 nary time of the letter-carrier between Augsburg and 
 Coburg. The Elector sent the Confession May 11th; 
 Luther rejjlied May 15th, probably the very day he re- 
 
 * Corpus Eeformatorum, II. Epist., No. 680. 
 2* 
 
XVlll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ceived it ; his reply probably reached Augsburg May 
 20tli, and two days after, Melancthon sends him the 
 Articles of Faith, with the elaboration which had taken 
 place in the interval, and informs him of what he had 
 been doing, and designs to do. 
 
 In part, on the assumption that Luther was not per- 
 mitted to receive this letter, a theory was built by 
 Eiickert, a Eationalistic writer of Germany, that the 
 Augsburg Confession was meant to be a compromise 
 with Eome, and that it was feared that if Luther were 
 not kept in the dark he would spoil the scheme. But 
 even if Luther did not receive Melancthon's letter and 
 the Articles of May 22d, we deny that the rational so- 
 lution would be that they were fraudulently held back 
 by the friends of the Confession at Augsburg. Grant 
 that Luther never received them. What then? The 
 retention of them would have been an act of flagrant im- 
 morality; it was needless, and foolish, and hazardous; it 
 is in conflict with the personal character of the great 
 princes and leaders, political and theological, who were 
 as little disposed as Luther, to compromise any principle 
 with Eome. The Elector and Brtick were on some points 
 less disposed to be yielding than Luther. The theory is 
 contradicted by the great body of facts, which show that 
 Luther, though absent in body, was the controlling spirit 
 at Augsburg. It is contradicted by the Confession itself, 
 which is a presentation, calm in nlanner, but mighty in 
 the matter, in which it overthrows Popery from the very 
 foundation. It is contradicted by the tierce replies of 
 the Papists in the Council, by the savage assaults of 
 Popery upon it through all time, by the decrees of the 
 Council of Trent, whose main polemical reference is to 
 it. It is contradicted by the enthusiastic admiration 
 which Luther felt, and expressed again and again, for 
 the Confession. 
 
 The millions of our purified churches have justly re- 
 garded it for ages as the great bulwark against Eome, 
 
INTRODUCTION. XIX 
 
 and the judgment of the whole Protestant world ha.s 
 been a unit as to its fundamentally Evangelical and 
 Scriptural character over against Eome. Its greatest- 
 defenders have been the most able assailants of Pop-ery. 
 
 It might as well be assumed that the Bible is a com- 
 promise with the Devil, and that the Holy GLiost was ex- 
 cluded from aiding in its production, lest he should em- 
 barrass the proceedings, as that the Augsburg Confession 
 is, or was meant to be, a compromise with Popery, and 
 that Luther was consequently prevented from having a 
 share in producing it. 
 
 If the letter really never reached Luther, the theory 
 that it was fraudulently kept at Augsburg by the friends 
 of the Confession, that the whole thing was one of the 
 meanest, and at the same time, most useless crimes ever 
 committed, is so extreme, involves such base wickedness 
 on the part of its perpetrators, that nothing but the 
 strongest evidence or the most overwhelming presump- 
 tions justify a man in thinking such an explanation 
 possible. 
 
 If this letter, or others, never reached Luther, it is to 
 be attributed either to the imperfect mode of transmis- 
 sion, in which letters were lost, miscarried or destroyed 
 by careless or fraudulent carriers, of which bitter com- 
 plaints constantly occur in the letters of Luther and 
 others at that time, or if there were any steps taken to 
 prevent Luther's letters reaching him, these steps would 
 be taken by the Eomanists, who were now gathering in 
 increasing force at Augsburg. The difficulty in the way 
 of communicating with Luther increased, as his being at 
 Coburg was kept secret from his enemies, and at his re- 
 quest, in a letter which we shall quote, was kept secret 
 in June even from the body of his friends. 
 
 So much for the theory, granting its fact for argu- 
 ment's sake. 
 
 But the fact is that Luther did receive Melancthon's 
 letter of the 22d. The letter was not lost, but aj^pears 
 
XX INTRODUCTION. 
 
 in all the editions of Melancthon's letters, entire,* and in 
 the earliest histories of the Augsburg Confession, with- 
 out a hint, from the beginning up to Etickert's time, that 
 it had not been received. When we turn to Luther's 
 letters, complaining of the silence of his friends, we find 
 no evidence that Melancthon's letter had not been re. 
 ceived. They create, on the contrary, the strongest pre- 
 sumption that it had been received. As it was sent at 
 once (Melancthon says that he had hired a letter-carrier 
 before he began the letter), it would reach Luther about 
 May 25th. 
 
 Luther's letter of June 1st to Jacob Probst, in Bremcn,f 
 shows that he had intelligence of the most recent date 
 from Augsburg, that he was sharing in the cares and 
 responsibilities of what was then passing: "Here, also, 
 I am occupied with business for God, and the burden of 
 the whole empire rests upon us." He then uses, in part, 
 the very language of Melancthon's letter of May 22d, as 
 to the time when the Emperor would be at Augsburg.| 
 He quotes from that letter Melancthon's very words in 
 regard to Mercurinus :§ " He would have nothing tp do 
 with violent councils — that it had appeared at Worms 
 what violent councils would do. He desired the affairs 
 of the Church to be peacefully arranged." He closes 
 his account of things at Augsburg by saying : " You have 
 an account of matters now as they are to-day at Augs- 
 burg" (Jiodie habet). 
 
 * In the original Latin, in Corpus Reform., ii, No. 698. In Ger- 
 man in Walch's Luther's Werke, xvi, No. 927. 
 
 f De Wette's Bri^fe, No. 1217. Buddeus Suppl., No. 123. 
 
 :j: Melancthon : vix ante Pentecosten. Luther : forte ad Pente- 
 costen. 
 
 § Melanc. : Nolle se violentis consiliis interesse. Luth. : Se nolle 
 interesse violentis consiliis. Mel. : Wormatiae apparuisse, quam 
 nihil proficiant violenta consilia. Luth. : Wormatiae vidisset, quid 
 eflacerentviolentaconsilia. Mel. : Vir summus Mercurinus. Luth.: 
 Summus Mercurinus. Mel.: Res ecclesiasticae rite constituerentur. 
 Luth. : Ecclesiae res cum pace constitui. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXI 
 
 Luther did receive Melancthon's letter of the 22d, and 
 on June 1st quotes largely from it. 
 
 Up to this time, too, there is no complaint of suspen- 
 sion of communication with Augsburg, but, on the con- 
 trary, he reports up to the da}'" on which he writes. 
 
 On June 2d Luther writes to Melancthon.* There is 
 no word of complaint in this letter of any silence on the 
 part of Melancthon, or of others at Augsburg. He com- 
 plains that he is so overrun with visitors as to be com- 
 pelled to leave Coburg for a day, to create the impres- 
 sion that he is no longer there. "I beg of you, and the 
 others with you, in future to speak and write so that no 
 one will seek me here any longer; for I wish to remain con- 
 cealed^ and to have you, at the same time, to keep con- 
 cealed, both in your words and letters.'^ He then speaks 
 of the report that the Emperor would not come to Augs- 
 burg at all, and of his deep anxiety. This letter shows 
 what was the subject of Luther's intense anxiety on the 
 following days. A thousand alarming rumors reached 
 him, and he was anxious to hear, by every possible op- 
 portunity, from Augsburg; at the same time, wishing to 
 be concealed, he had requested Melancthon and his other 
 friends to avoid sending letters in a way that would 
 make it known that he was at Coburg. These two facts 
 help to solve Luther's great solicitude to hear news, and 
 also, in part, as we have said, to account for the irregu- 
 larity in his receiving letters, as they would, in accord- 
 ance with his direction of June 2d, be sent with secrecy. 
 In Luther's letter of June 5th, he complains not that 
 there had been a long delay, but that they did not write 
 by every opportunity. These were sometimes quite fre- 
 quent. In some cases more than one opportunity oc- 
 curred in a day. None of Luther's anxiety is about the 
 Confession. In Luther's letter to Melancthon, of June 
 
 * De Wette Briefe, No. 1219. Buddeus, No. 124. In German 
 Walch xvi, p. 2826. 
 
XXU INTRODUCTION. 
 
 7th, he complains of the silence of his friends at Augs- 
 burg, but in a playful tone. In his letter of June 19th, to 
 Cordatus,* he says : '' We have no news from Augsburg. 
 Our friends at Auo-sbura; write us none." In his letter 
 to Gabriel Zwilling,f June 19th, he says: "You will, per- 
 haps, get the news from Bernhard, for our friends have 
 not answered our letters through the whole month" 
 (June). Luther's letter of June 20th, to Justus Jonas,^ 
 gives direct evidence how long the interruption of cor- 
 respondence continued: " Your letters have come at last, 
 my Jonas, after we were well' fretted for three whole weeks 
 with your silence." The period, therefore, does not em- 
 brace May 22d, but only the first three weeks in June. 
 There is no reason whatever, therefore, for doubting that 
 Luther received Melancthon's letter, and the Articles of 
 Faith of May 22d. On June 1st, the Elector, John, sent 
 Luther secret advices of an important proposition which 
 he had received from the Emperor. If, therefore, there 
 were any furtive and dishonorable course pursued toward 
 Luther, the causes and results of it must, in some special 
 manner, be found between the Elector's secret advices 
 of June 1st and the letter to Luther from Augsburg, June 
 15th; but there is nothing in the course of events to sug- 
 gest any such reason, even if there were a fact which 
 seemed to require something of the sort — but there is no 
 such fact. On the contrary, we shall produce a fact 
 which will sweep away all necessity for any further dis- 
 cussion of this point. 
 
 We have seen, 1st, that the Confession was sent by the 
 Elector, May 11th, to Luther, at Coburg, for his written 
 judgment upon it, in its first form. 
 
 2d. That it was sent again, on the 22d of the same 
 
 * De Wette Briefe, No. 1229. Buddeus, No. 125. Walch xvi, 
 2833. 
 
 t De Wette, No. 1230. Buddeus, No. 126. Walch. xvi, 2836. 
 t De Wette, No. 1232. Buddeus, No. 127. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXlll 
 
 Tnonth, by Melancthon, and was received by Luther, in 
 its second form. 
 
 3d. We shall now show that it was sent as nearly as 
 possible in its complete shape to Luther, for a third time, 
 before it was delivered, and was approved by him in 
 what may probably be called \i^ final form. 
 
 The evidence to which we shall appeal is that of Me- 
 lancthon himself It is first found in the Preface to his 
 Body of Christian Doctrine (Corpus Doctrinae), 1560, and 
 also in the Preface to the first volume of the Wittenberg 
 edition of his works in folio. It is reprinted in the Cor- 
 pus Reformatorum, vol. ix, No. 6932. He there says, in 
 giving a history of the Augsburg Confession : 
 
 1. " I brought together the principal points of the Con- 
 fession, embracing pretty nearly the sum of the doctrine 
 of our Churches." 
 
 II. " I assumed nothing to myself, for in the presence 
 of the Princes and other officials, and of the preachers, it 
 was discussed and determined upon in regular course, 
 sentence by sentence." 
 
 III. " The complete form of the Confession was subse- 
 quently (deinde) sent to Luther, who wrote to the Princes 
 that he had read the Confession and approved it. That 
 these things were so done, the Princes, and other honest 
 and learned men, yet living, well remember." 
 
 IV. ^' After this (postea), before the Emperor Charles, 
 in a great assemblage of the Princes, this Confession was 
 read." 
 
 This extract shows, 1, that this complete Confession — 
 the tota forma — the Articles on Doctrines and Abuses, as 
 contrasted with any earlier and imperfect form of the 
 Confession, was submitted to Luther. 
 
 2. This is wholly distinct from Luther's indorsement 
 of the Confession as sent May 11th, for that was not 
 the "fo^a forma,'' but relatively unfinished ; that had not 
 been discussed before Princes, officials, and preachers, for 
 they were not yet at Augsburg. Nor was it then meant 
 
XXIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 that the Confession should be made in the name of all 
 the Evangelical States. It was to be limited to Saxony. 
 Luther's reply to the letter of May 11th was not to the 
 Princes, but to John alone. Up to May 11th, the Elector 
 (with his suite) was the only one of the Princes at Augs- 
 burg. On the 12th, the Landgrave of Hesse came; on 
 the 15th the Nurembergers. Not until after May 22d 
 did that conference and discussion take place, of which 
 Melancthon speaks. After the whole form of the Con- 
 fession had been decided upon, it was sent to Luther, re- 
 ceived his filial indorsement, and was presented to Charles. 
 This complete form was identical in matter with the Con- 
 fession as exhibited, although verbal changes were made 
 by Melancthon up to the very time of its delivery. 
 
 § 8. LUTHEK'S OPINION OF THE AUGSBUKG 
 CONFESSION. 
 
 On this point, we propose to let Luther speak for him- 
 self 
 
 1. 1530, May 15. In Luther's reply to the Elector, he 
 says: " I have read the Apology (Confession), of Pjiilip, 
 from beginning to end; it pleases me exceedingly well, 
 and I know of nothing by which I could better it, or 
 change it, nor would I be fitted to do it, for I cannot 
 move so moderately and gently. May Christ our Lord 
 help, that it may bring forth much and great fruit, as we 
 hope and pray. Amen."* 
 
 These words of admiration for Melancthon's great gifts, 
 came from Luther's inmost heart. Less than six months 
 before he had written to Jonas :t " All the Jeromes, Hil- 
 larys, and Macariuses together, are not worthy to un- 
 loose the thong of Philip's sandal. What have the whole 
 of them together done which can be compared with one 
 
 * Luther's Briefe, De Wette, 1213, Walch xvi, 785. In Latin : 
 Ccelestinus i, 40, Buddeus 93. In French : (Le Cop's) Chytraeus, 
 p. 29. 
 
 t Buddeus, No. 100. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXV 
 
 year of Philip's teaching, or to his one book of Common 
 Places V Had Luther been at Augsburg, he would have 
 allowed the work of finishing '' the form of the Confes- 
 sion" to be given to no other hands than Melancthon's : 
 " I prefer," he says, " Melancthon's books to my own, 
 and would rather have them circulated than mine. I 
 was born to battle with conspirators and devils, there- 
 fore my books are more vehement and warlike. It is 
 my work to tear up the stumps and dead roots, to cut 
 away the thorns, to fill up the marshes. I am the rough 
 forester and pioneer. But Melancthon moves gently and 
 calmly along, with his rich gifts from God's own hand, 
 building and planting, sowing and watering."* 
 
 2. Between June 8th 'and 25th, we have Melancthon's 
 declaration, cited in our former article, as to Luther's 
 approval of the Confession in the form it took after the 
 discussion. 
 
 3. June 3d. Luther to Melancthon : ''I yesterday re- 
 read your Apology entire, with care (diligenter), and it 
 pleases me exceedingly."-)- 
 
 4. July 6th, to Hausman:| he speaks lovingly of "owr 
 Confession which our Philip hath prepared." 
 
 5. July 6, to Cordatus :§ " The Confession of ours was 
 read before the whole empire. I am glad exceedingly to 
 have lived to this hour, in which Christ through his so 
 great Confessors, in so great an Assembly, has been 
 preached in so glorious a Confession, and that word has 
 been fulfilled : ' I will speak of thy testimonies in the 
 presence of kings,' -and this also has been fulfilled : ' and 
 shall not be ashamed,' for ' him who confesseth me before 
 men' (it is the word of him who cannot lie), 'I also will 
 confess before my Father who is in heaven.' " 
 
 * Pref. to Melancthon on Colossians. 
 
 t In Latin : De Wette, No. 1243. Buddeus, No. 137. German : 
 Walch xvi, 1082. 
 
 X De Wette, No. 1245. 
 
 § De Wette, 1246. Walch xvi, 1083. 
 
XXvi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 6. July 6, to the Cardinal Albert, Archbishop of Mentz, 
 Primate of Germany:* "Your Highness, as well as the 
 other orders of the empire, has doubtless read the Con- 
 fession, delivered by ours, which I am persuaded is so 
 composed, that with joyous lips, it may say with Christ: 
 ^ If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if 
 well, why smitest thou me ?' It shuns not the light, and 
 can sing with the Psalmist : ' I will speak of thy testi- 
 monies before kings, and will not be ashamed.' But I 
 can well conceive that our adversaries will by no means 
 accept the doctrine, but much less are they able to con- 
 fute it. I have no hope whatever that we can agree in 
 doctrine; for their cause cannot bear the light. Such is 
 their bitterness, with such hatred are they kindled, that 
 they would endure hell itself rather than yield to us, and 
 relinquish their new wisdom. I know that this our doc- 
 trine is true, and grounded in the holy Scriptures. By 
 this Confession we clearly testify and demonstrate that 
 we have not taught wrongly or falsely." 
 
 7. July 9, to Duke John, Elector of Saxony if "Our 
 adversaries thought they had gained a great poin^ in 
 having the preaching interdicted by the Emperor, but 
 the infatuated men did not see that by this written Con- 
 fession, which was offered to the Emperor, this doctrine 
 was more preached, and moje widel}^ propagated, than 
 ten preachers could have done it. It was a fine point 
 that our preachers were silenced, but in their stead came 
 forth the Elector of Saxony and other princes and lords, 
 with the written Confession, and prea'ched freely in sight 
 of all, before the Emperor and the whole empire. Christ 
 surely was not silenced at the Diet, and mad as they 
 were, they were compelled to hear more from the Con- 
 fession, than they would have heard from the preachers 
 
 * De Wette, No. 1247. Walch xvi, 1085. In Latin : Buddeus, 
 No. 139. 
 
 t De Wette, No. 150. Walch xvi, 969. Latin : Buddeus, No. 142. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXVli 
 
 in a year. Paul's declaration was fulfilled: * The word 
 of God is not bound :' silenced in the pulpit, it was heard 
 in the palace ; the poor preachers were not allowed to 
 open their lips — but great princes and lords spoke it 
 forth." 
 
 8. July 9, to Jonas :* " There will never be agreement 
 concerning doctrine" (between the Evangelical and Ro- 
 mish Churches), "for how can Christ and Belial be in 
 concord? But the first thing, and that the greatest at 
 this Council has been, that Christ has been proclaimed 
 in a public and glorious Confession; he has been confessed 
 in the light and to their face, so that they cannot boast 
 that we fled, or that we feared, or concealed our faith. 
 My only unfulfilled desire about it is that I was not pres- 
 ent at this noble Confession. I have been like the gen- 
 erals who could take no part in defending Vienna from 
 the Turks. But it is my joy and solace that meanwhile 
 my Vienna was defended by others." 
 
 9. July 15, Luther addresses a letter to his " most dear 
 brother in Christ, Spalatine, steadfast Confessor of Christ 
 at Augsburg ;"f and again, July 20th, "to Spalatine, faith- 
 ful servant and Confessor of Christ at Augsburg."J 
 
 10. July 20, to Melancthon : " It was a great affliction 
 to me that I could not be present with you in the body 
 at that most beautiful and holy Confession of Christ "§ 
 (^pulcherima et sanctissima). August 3d, he sends a letter 
 to Melancthon, " his most dear brother in Christ, and 
 Confessor of the Lord at Augsburg." 
 
 11. But perhaps nowhere has Luther's enthusiastic 
 admiration for the Augsburg Confession blazed up more 
 brightly than in his eloquent summary of what our Con- 
 fessors had done at the Diet. It is in the last letter he 
 wrote to Melancthon, before they again met at Coburg 
 
 * De Wette, No. 1251. W»lch xvi, 1098. 
 
 t Buddeus, No. 150. % Buddeus, No. 154. 
 
 g Buddeus, No. 155. 
 
XXVlll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 (September 15th) : " You have confessed Christ, you have 
 offered peace, you have obeyed the Emperor, you have 
 endured injuries, you have been drenched in their re- 
 vilings, you have not returned evil for evil. In brief, 
 you have worthily done God's holy work as becometh 
 saints. Be glad then in the Lord, and exult, ye righteous. 
 Long have ye borne witness in the world, look up and 
 lift up your heads, for jonr redemption draweth nigh. 
 I will canonize you as faithful members of Christ, and what 
 greater glory can ye have than to have yielded Christ 
 faithful service, and shown yourself a member worthy 
 of him?" 
 
 12. In his Table Talk Luther said : " Such is the effi- 
 cacy and power of God's word, that the more it is perse- 
 cuted, the more it flourishes and spreads. Call to mind 
 the Diet at Augsburg, where the last trumpet before the 
 judgment-day sounded. How the whole world then 
 ra2:ed against our doctrine ! Our doctrine and faith 
 were brought forth to light in our Confession. Our doc- 
 trines fell into the souls of many of the noblest men, and 
 ran like sparks in tinder. They were kindled, and kin- 
 dled others. Thus our Confession and Defence came 
 forth in the highest glory."* 
 
 13. In the year ISSS,"}" Luther united in demanding of 
 candidates as a prerequisite to entering the ministry, the 
 declaration, " that they embraced the uncorrupted doc- 
 trine of the Gospel, and so understood it, as it is set forth 
 in the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds, and as 
 it is repeated in the Confession, which our Churches 
 offered to the Emperor at the Diet of Augsburg, 1530, 
 and promise that with God's help they will remain stead- 
 fast in that conviction to the end, and will faithfully per- 
 form their duty in the Church." 
 
 It is not wonderful that Melancthon himself con- 
 
 * Leipz., XX, 200. Tischreden (Foerstemann), iv, 354. 
 t Buddeus, No. 178. 
 
INTRODUCTION. ' XXIX 
 
 sidered the Confession as rather Luther's than his own, 
 and called it " the Confession of the revered Doctor 
 Luther."* 
 
 This, then, is the result of the whole: The Holy Ghost 
 in His ordinary illumination through the Word, is the 
 true source and original of thw Augsburg Confession; its 
 secondary source is the whole Evangelical Church of 
 1530, the main organ of whose utterance was, as to the 
 matter and the substance of the form, Luther; as to the 
 finish and grace of the form, Melancthon. Melancthon 
 was its composer, Luther, by pre-eminence, as the divinely 
 called representative of the Church, its author, and hence 
 all candid writers have most heartily indorsed Luther's 
 own declaration, in which he not only claims the Augs- 
 burg Confession as his own, but ranks it among his most 
 precious works :f " The Catechism, the Exposition of the 
 Ten Commandments, and the Augsburg Confession are 
 mme." 
 
 But are there not a few words of Luther in regard to 
 the Confession, which are in conflict with this enthusias- 
 tic approval ? We reply, there is not one word of the 
 kind. The words which have been so tortured, only show 
 that Luther wished that among the Articles on Abuses 
 there should have been a declaration that the Pope is 
 Antichrist, and a full handling of the doctrine of Purga- 
 tory. But the Confession, as a conjoint public docu- 
 ment, could only discuss what a majority of those who 
 were to unite in it thought best to present. Melancthon 
 himself was overruled in regard to matters he desired to 
 introduce. The Augsburg Confession was no private 
 document, but in the labors of both Luther and Melanc- 
 thon in connection with it, both were the organs of the 
 whole Church, and were compelled to sacrifice their mere 
 
 * Melancthon Orat. (1553). Pref. to Confessio Doctrinse, 1551, 
 in Corp. Ref., lib. xii, No. 5349. 
 
 t Werke (Walch), xxii, 4532. Koellner, 181 (45). 
 
 3* 
 
XXX * INTRODUCTION. 
 
 private preferences to the common judgment. Every 
 sentence, every word of the Augsburg Confession as it 
 stands, embodies the faith of Luther, and received his 
 unqualified, repeated, and enthusiastic assent. 
 
 If, in the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jeffer- 
 son, in preparing his staffement of the political abuses 
 which justified our separation from Great Britain, had 
 wished to specify one or two more than the Committee 
 thought necessary, and which were consequently not in- 
 serted, it would not weaken his claim to the authorship 
 of that document. Nor would the fact, that he continued 
 to think that it would have improved it to have specified 
 the one or two additional abuses, affect the conscientious 
 heartiness with which he indorsed that document, nor 
 impair the value of his testimony. But even the prefer- 
 ence of Luther, to which this is a fair parallel, was but 
 transient, and he came to see clearly what the whole 
 world has since seen, that in its silence, the Augsburg 
 Confession is a model of exquisite judgment, as in its 
 utterances it is a masterpiece of style. 
 
 V 
 
 § 9. OBJECT OF THE AUGSBUKG CONFESSION. 
 
 The occasion of the Augsburg Confession was the com- 
 mand of the Emperor, — not that he demanded such a 
 Confession, but that under the leadings of God's provi- 
 dence it grew out of his summons. The last was destined 
 to become first, and the first last. The Confessors them- 
 selves did not at first realize the full value of the opening 
 which had been made for the proclamation of the truth, 
 but when it dawned upon them they showed themselves 
 worthy of their great position. They at first meant but 
 an Apology. The faith they cherished, and the usages 
 they practised, they simply wished to defend from the 
 current libels. This object they did not lose sight of, 
 but it became secondary. Their distinctive object soon 
 became the setting forth the great points in the whole sys- 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXI 
 
 tem of heavenly truth, and the showing how, in its light, 
 they had endeavored cautiously, and gently, yet firmly 
 to remove the abuses which had arisen in the Church of 
 the West. The Apology was transfigured into a Con- 
 fession. It was not only not meant to be a compromise 
 with Popery, but it clearly showed, and was designed to 
 show, that such a compromise is impossible. Our Re- 
 formers had indeed cherished a noble hope, which bitter 
 experience was constantly rendering feebler, that the 
 whole Church of the West, redeemed from the thrall of 
 the Pope, might return to her ancient Scriptural faith, 
 and, abjuring Roman Catholicism, attain once more to 
 Christian Catholicity, and become a Communion of saints. 
 If such a return had been possible, the Augsburg Confes- 
 sion, alike in the simplicity and purity of its statement 
 of doctrine, the conservatism of its whole tone, its firm- 
 ness and its gentleness, would have hel}^>ed to facilitate 
 it; but the bridge it made, was not meant to open the 
 way back to error, but to aid men to come ove/*to the 
 pure faith. 
 
 § 10. THE PRESENTATION^ OF THE CONFESSION : 
 LATIN AND GERMAN TEXT. 
 
 The Confession, in Latin and German, was presented 
 to the Diet on Saturda}^, June 25th, 1530. Both texts 
 are originals; neither text, is properly a translation of 
 the other; both present precisely the same doctrines, but 
 with verbal differences, which make the one an indispen- 
 sable guide in the full understanding of the other; both 
 texts have, consequently, the same authority. The Ger- 
 man copy was the one selected, on national grounds, to 
 be read aloud. Both copies were taken by the Emperor, 
 who handed the German to the Elector of Mentz, and 
 retained the Latin. It is not now known where either 
 of the originals is, nor with certainty that either is in 
 existence. In addition to seven unauthorized editions 
 
XXXU INTRODUCTION. 
 
 in the year 1530, the Confession was printed, under Me- 
 lancthon's own direction, both in Latin and German, 
 while the Diet was still sitting. Authorized editions of 
 this year, both in Latin and German, are in the hands of 
 the writer, and have been examined in preparing this 
 work. The Confession began to be multiplied at once. 
 Innumerable editions of the originals, and translations 
 into the chief languages of Europe appeared. Its ene- 
 mies have helped its friends to circulate it, and to pre- 
 serve the reissues of these originals from any change in- 
 volving more than questions of purely literary interest. 
 
 g 11. THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION ALTERED. 
 
 When Melancthon, in 1540, issued a varied Edition of 
 the Latin, though he declared that the changes were but 
 verbal, and that he designed only to state more clearly the 
 precise doctrine of the Confession in its original shape, 
 the changes were marked by foe and friend. The Eo- 
 manists at once brought the charge that Melancthon had 
 changed, not merely the phraseology, but the meaning 
 of the Confession. The Calvinists and Crypto-Calvibists 
 showed that they did not believe Melancthon's state- 
 ment that no alteration of doctrine had been intended. 
 In the Lutheran Church different views were taken of 
 the matter. Those who believed Melancthon's declara- 
 tion that the changes were purely verbal, the better to 
 express the very doctrine set forth at Augsburg, either 
 passed them over without disapproval, or were compara- 
 tively lenient in their censure. Every instance of the 
 seeming toleration of them in the Lutheran Church was 
 connected with the supposition that the Altered Confes- 
 sion in no respect whatever differed from the doctrine 
 of the Unaltered. There never was any part of the Lu- 
 theran Church which imagined that Melancthon had any 
 right to alter the meaning of the Confession in a single 
 particular. Melancthon himself repeatedly, after the 
 appearance of the Variata, acknowledged the Unaltered 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXIU 
 
 Augsburg Confession as a statement of his own un- 
 changed faith, as for example, at the Diet of Ratisbon in 
 ir)41. In 1557, at the Colloquy at Worms, he not only 
 acknowledged as his Creed, the Unaltered Augsburg Con- 
 fession, the Apology, and the Smalcald Articles, but by 
 name, and in writing, condemned the Zwinglian doc- 
 trine. But a few days before his death (15(30), he said: 
 ''I confess no other doctrine than that which Luther 
 propounded, and in this will abide to the end of my life." 
 Any man who professes to accept the Altered Confession 
 therefore, though he rejects the Unaltered, either is dis- 
 honest, or assumes that Melancthon was, and shows him- 
 self willing to take advantage of his moral weakness. 
 The history of the Altered Confession demonstrates that 
 not only is it no gain to the peace of the Church, but pro- 
 duces a yet more grievous disturbance of it, when the 
 effort is made to harmonize men by an agreement in 
 ambiguous phraseolog}^, the adoption of terms which are 
 to be accepted in one sense by one set of men, and in 
 another sense by another. 
 
 § 12. THE CUERENT EDITIONS OF THE AUGSBURG 
 CONFESSION: LATIN AND GERMAN. 
 
 The Current Edition of the Augsburg Confession in 
 Latin, the one which is found in the Book of Concord, 
 is the reprint of Melancthon's own first Edition of 1530. 
 The Current Edition of the Confession in Geriman, how- 
 ever, which is the one found in the Book of Concord, is 
 not a reprint of Melancthon's first Edition, and this fact 
 requires some explanation. 
 
 The original German was, as we have seen, deposited 
 in the imperial archives at Mentz. The Emperor had 
 forbidden the Confession to be printed without his per- 
 mission; nevertheless it appeared surreptitiously several 
 times in the year, printed in no case from a copy of the 
 original, but from copies of the Confession m^de before 
 it had reached the perfect form in which it was actually 
 
XXXIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 presented to the Diet. These editions of the Confession 
 not only being unauthorized, but not presenting it in the 
 shape in which it had actually been delivered, Melancthon 
 issued the Confession both in German and Latin. The 
 German was printed from his own manuscript, from 
 which the copy had been taken to be laid before the Diet. 
 It reached Augsburg and was read and circulated there, 
 while the Diet was still in session. Melancthon issued it 
 expressly in view of the fact that the unauthorized edi- 
 tions were not accurate. 
 
 The first authorized edition, the editio princeps, coming 
 from the hand of its composer, and presenting not only 
 in the nature of the case the highest guarantee for strict 
 accuracy, but surrounded by jealous and watchful ene- 
 mies, in the very Diet yet sitting, before which it w^as 
 read, surrounded by men eager to mark and to exaggei*- 
 ate the slightest appearance of discrepance, was re- 
 ceived by Luther and the whole Lutheran Church. Lu- 
 ther knew no other Augsburg Confession in the German 
 than this. It was received into the Bodies of Doctrine 
 of the whole Church. It appears in the Jena edition of 
 Luther's works, an edition which originated in the pur- 
 pose of having his writings in a perfectly unchanged 
 form, and was there given as the authentic Confession in 
 antithesis to all the editions of it in which there were 
 variationSfclarge or small. 
 
 In the Convention of the Evangelical (Lutheran) 
 Princes at Naumberg in 1561, among whom were two 
 of the original signers, this edition was declared to be 
 authentic, and was again solemnly subscribed, and the 
 seals of the signers appended. Nothing could seem to 
 be more certainly fixed than that this original edition of 
 Melancthon presented the Confession in its most perfect 
 form, just as it was actually delivered in the Diet. 
 
 But unhappy causes, connected largely with Melanc- 
 thon's latir attempts to produce unity by skilful phrases 
 and skilful concealments, led to a most groundless sus- 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXV 
 
 picion, that even in the original edition there might be 
 variations from the very letter of the Confession as actu- 
 ally delivered. That there were any changes in mean- 
 ing was not even in those times of morbid jealousy pre- 
 tended, but a strong anxiety was felt to secure a copy 
 of the Confession perfectly corresponding in words, in 
 letters, and in points, with the original. The original of 
 the Latin had been taken by Charles with him, but the 
 German original was still supposed to be there, placed in 
 the archives at Mentz. Joachim II, in 1566, directed 
 Coelestinus and Zochius to make a copy from the Mentz 
 original. Their copy was inserted in the Brandenburg 
 Body of Doctrine in 1572. In 1576, Augustus of Sax- 
 ony obtained from the Elector of Mentz, a copy of the 
 same document, and from this the Augsburg Confes- 
 sion as it appears in the Book of Concord was printed. 
 Wherever the Book of Concord was received, Melanc- 
 thon's original edition of the German was displaced, 
 though the corresponding edition of the Latin has been 
 retained. Thus half a century after its universal recog- 
 nition, the first edition of the Augsburg Confession in 
 German gave way to what was believed to be a true 
 transcript of the original. 
 
 Two hundred years after the delivery of the Confes- 
 sion, a discovery was communicated to the theoloo-ical 
 world by PfafP, which has reinstated Melancthon's oris;!- 
 nal edition. Pfaff discovered that the document in the 
 archives at Mentz was not the original, but a copy 
 merely, and the labors of Weber have demonstrated that 
 this copy has no claim to be regarded as made from the 
 original, but is a transcript from one of the less finished 
 copies of the Confession, made before it had assumed, 
 under Melancthon's hand, the exact shape in which it 
 was actually presented. While therefore the .ordinary 
 edition of the Augsburg Confession, the one found in 
 the Book of Concord, and from which the current trans- 
 lations of the Confession have been made, does not 
 
XXXvi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 differ in meaning at all from the original edition of Me- 
 lancthon, it is, nevertheless, not so perfect in style, and 
 where they differ, not so clear. The highest critical 
 authority, then, both German and Latin, is that of Me- 
 lancthon's own original editions.* 
 
 The current edition of the German, and the earliest 
 edition of Melancthon, are verbally identical in the largest 
 part of the articles, both of doctrine and of abuses. The 
 only difference is, that Melancthon's edition is occasion- 
 ally somewhat fuller, especially on the abuses, is more 
 perfectly parallel with the Latin at a few points, and 
 occasionally more finished in style. When the question 
 between them has a practical interest, it is simply be- 
 cause Melancthon's edition expresses in terms, or with 
 greater clearness, what is simply implied, or less explicitly 
 stated in the other. 
 
 The translation here given is from the Latin original 
 Edition, with the most important additions from the 
 German in brackets. These additions are common to 
 both texts of the German. 
 
 V 
 
 § 13. STKUCTUKE AND DIVISIONS OF THE 
 
 AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 The structure of the Augsburg Confession bears traces 
 of the mode of its growth out of the Articles which formed 
 its groundwork. It contains, as its two fundamental 
 parts, a positive assertion of the most necessary truths, 
 and a negation of the most serious abuses. It com- 
 prises : I. The Preface; II. Twenty-one Principal 
 Articles OF Faith ; III. An Epilogue-Prologue, which 
 unites the first part with the second, and makes a grace- 
 ful transition from the one to the other; IV. The Second 
 great Division, embracing Seven Articles on Abuses; 
 V. The Epilogue, followed by the Subscriptions. 
 
 * For the facts here presented, compare Weber Krit. Geschichte: 
 Hase. Lib. Symb., Francke do. KoUner Symb., Luther. Kirch., 342. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXVU 
 
 The Articles are not arranged as a whole with refer- 
 ence to a system. They may be classified thus : 
 
 I. The Confessedly Catholic, or Universal Christian 
 Articles, those which Christendom, Greek and Roman, 
 have confessed, especially in the Apostles' and Nicene 
 Creed. These were the doctrines of the Trinity (I), the 
 Incarnation (III), the Second Coming of Christ, the Gen- 
 eral Resurrection, the Eternity of Rewards and Punish- 
 ments (XVII), the Validity of Administration by Unwor- 
 thy Ministers (VIII), the Offer of Grace in Baptism, and 
 the Right of Children to it (IX), Church Government 
 (XIV), Civil Government (XVI), Free Will (XVIII), and 
 the Cause of Sin (XIX). 
 
 II. The Protestant Articles, — those opposed to the 
 errors in doctrine, and the abuses in usage, of the Papal 
 part of the Church of the West. To this the Confession, 
 in its whole argument, based upon the Holy Scriptures 
 as a supreme rule of faith, was opposed. But more par- 
 ticularly to the Pelagianisra of Rome, in the doctrine of 
 Original Sin (Art. II) : its corruption of the doctrine of 
 Justification (Art. IV) : its doctrine of Merit in Works 
 (Art. VI, XX), of the Ministerial Ofiice, as an Order of 
 Priests (Art. V), of Transubstantiation (Art. X), of Au- 
 ricular Confession (Art. XI), of Rej^entance (Art. XII), 
 of the Opus Operatum in Sacraments (Art. XIII), of 
 Church Order (Art. XX), of the very nature of the 
 Christian Church (Art. VII), and of the Worship of 
 Saints (Art. XXI). 
 
 The entire second part was devoted to the argument 
 against the Abuses in the Church of Rome, especially in 
 regard to Communion in One Kind (Abus., Art. I), Celi- 
 bacy of the Priesthood (Art. II), the Mass (Art. Ill), 
 Confession (IV), Human Traditions (V), Monastic Vows 
 (VI), Church Power, and especially the Jurisdiction of 
 the Bishops (VII). 
 
 III. The Evangelical Articles, or parts of Articles, — 
 
 4 
 
XXXVlll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 those articles which especially assert the doctrines which 
 are connected most directly with the Gospel in its essen- 
 tial character as tidings of redemption to lost man, — the 
 great doctrines of grace. These articles are specially 
 those which teach the fall of man, the radical corruption 
 of his nature, his exposure to eternal death, and the ab- 
 solute necessity of regeneration (Art. II); the atonement 
 of Christ, and the saving work of the Holy Spirit (Art. 
 Ill); justification by faith alone (lY), the true character 
 of repentance, or conversion (XII); and the impotence 
 of man's own will to effect it (XVIII). 
 
 lY. The articles which set forth distinctive Bibli- 
 cal doctrines which the Lutheran Church holds in pe- 
 culiar purity, over against the corruptions of Eomanism, 
 the extravagance of Eadicalism, the perversions of Ra- 
 tionalism, or the imperfect development of theology. 
 Such are the doctrines of the proper inseparability of 
 the two natures of Christ, both as to time and space 
 (Art. Ill), the objective force of the Word and Sacra- 
 ments (Art. Y), the reality of the presence of both the 
 heavenly and earthly elements in the Lord's Suppea* (Art. 
 X), the true value of Private, that is, of individual Ab- 
 solution (Art. XI), the genuine character of Sacramental 
 grace (Art. XIII), the true medium in regard to the rites 
 of the Church (Art. XY), and the freedom of the will 
 (XYIII), and the proper doctrine concerning the Cause 
 of Sin (XIX). On all these points the Augsburg Confes- 
 sion presents views which, either in matter or measure, 
 are opposed to extremes, which claim to be Protestant 
 and Evangelical. Pelagianizing, Rationalistic, Fatalis- 
 tic, Fanatical, unhistorical tendencies, which, more or 
 less unconsciously, have revealed themselves, both in 
 Romanism and in various types of nominally Evangeli- 
 cal Protestantism, are all met and condemned by the 
 letter, tenor, or spiritof these articles. 
 
 Througli the whole flows a spirit of earnest faith and 
 of pure devotion. The body of the Confession shows the 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXIX 
 
 hand of consummate theologians, its soul reveals the in- 
 most life of humble, earnest Christians. 
 
 § 14. THE LITEKATUEE OF THE AUGSBURG 
 CONFESSION. 
 
 The books that have been written on or about the 
 Augsburg Confession would, in themselves, form a large 
 library. The most important of them may be thus classi- 
 fied:* 
 
 I. The Literature of the Confession ; in works of a 
 general character; and in special works. 
 
 II. Collected works, bearing on its History and In- 
 terpretation. 
 
 III. Interpretation of the Confession : official writ- 
 ings which prepared the way for it; Manuscripts, Latin 
 and German; Editions and Translations; Commentaries, 
 Notes, and Sermons. 
 
 lY. Works on Dogmatics, Polemics, Symbolic, Irenic, 
 or the History of them, of value in its interpretation or 
 defence, or as illustrating the theology based upon or 
 deviating from it. 
 
 Y. Works connected with its History. 
 
 YI. Practical and Devotional works based upon it. 
 
 § 15. THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION AS A CREED: WHAT 
 IS INVOLVED IN A RIGHT RECEPTION OF IT? 
 
 The very heart of all the agitation of our Church in 
 this country lies in this question ; Can we honorably bear 
 the name of Evangelical Lutherans, honestly profess to 
 receive the Augsburg Confession as our Creed, and hon- 
 estly claim to be part of the Church of our fathers, while 
 we reject, or leave open to rejection, parts of the doc- 
 trine whose reception gave our Church her separate 
 being and distinctive name, and led to the formation of 
 
 * See Select Analytical Bibliography of the Augsburg Confes- 
 sion. By C. P. Krauth. 1858. 8vo, pp. 22. 
 
Xlii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 possible, deceive the very elect/' atid which Melancthon 
 considered worthy of a reply — after the unflinching au- 
 dacity of Carlstadt, and the plausible argument of Zwin- 
 gle, which was so shallow, and therefore seemed so clear, 
 it is not probable that the feeble echo of their arguments 
 which is now alone heard in the maintenance of their 
 views, would shake our fathers were they living. The 
 Scripture argument stands now where it stood then, and 
 the Word, which was too strong for Luther's human 
 doubts then, would prove too strong for them now. It 
 is not the argument which has changed: it is as over- 
 whelming now as then ; but the singleness of faith, the 
 simple-hearted trust — these have too often yielded to the 
 Rationalizing s])irit of a vain and self-trusting genera- 
 tion. If our fathers, with their old spirit, were living 
 now, we would have to stand with them, on their Con- 
 fession, or be obliged to stand alone. Luther would sing 
 now, as he sung then : 
 
 " The Word they shall permit remain, 
 And not a thank have for it." 
 
 V 
 
 TV. The very name of Augsburg, which tells us where 
 our Confession was uttered, reminds us of the nature of 
 the obligations of those who profess to receive it. Two 
 other Confessions were brought to that city: the Confes- 
 sion of Zwingle, and the Tetrapolitan Confession: the 
 former openly opposed to the faith of our Church, espe- 
 cially in regard to the Sacraments; the latter ambiguous 
 and evasive on some of the vital points of the same doc- 
 trine. These two Confessions are now remembered only 
 because of the historical glory shed by ours over every 
 thing which came into any relation to it. But can it be, 
 that the doctrine which arrayed itself against the Augs- 
 burg Confession at Augsburg can be the doctrine of that 
 Confession, or capable of harmonizing with it anywhere 
 else; that what was not Lutheranism there is Lutheran- 
 ism here; that what was Lutheranism then is not Lu- 
 
INTRODUCTION. xliii 
 
 tlieranism now; that Zwingle or Hedio of Stranburg 
 could, without a change of views, honestly Kubncribe the 
 Confession against which they had arrayed themselves, 
 that very Confession, the main drift of some of whose most 
 important Articles was to teach the truth these men de- 
 nied, and to condemn the errors these mf^n fostered, or 
 that men, who hold now what they held then, can now 
 honestly do what they would not and could not do then ? 
 What could not be done then, cannot be done now. A 
 principle is as little affected by the lapse of three hun- 
 dred years as of one 3'ear. It cannot be, that, consist- 
 ently with the principles of our fathers, consistently with 
 Church unity with them, consistently with the Church 
 name which their principles and their faith defined, men 
 holding Romish, or Rationalistic, or Zwinglian error, 
 should pretend to receive the Confession as t,heir own. 
 8uch a course effaces all the lines of historical identity, 
 and of moral consistency, and opens the way to error of 
 every kind. 
 
 Y. The language of the Confession, when it speaks 
 of itself, is well worthy of attention. 
 
 1. It calls itself a Confession^ not a rule. The Bible is 
 the only rule of faith, and this document confesses the 
 faith of which the Bible is the rule. 
 
 2. It calls itself a Confession o^ faith ; of faith, not of 
 men's opinions or views, but of that divine conviction of 
 saving truth, which the Holy Ghost works through the 
 Word. It speaks of that with which it has to do as " the 
 holy faith and Christian religion," " the one onl}^ and 
 true religion," "our holy religion and Christian faith." 
 The title of the doctrinal portion of the Confession is, 
 ^^ Principal Articles of Faith." 
 
 3. The Confessors speak of this Confession of faith as 
 "the Confession of th<dir preachers, and their own Confes- 
 sion," " the doctrine which their preachers have presented 
 and taught in the Churches, in their lands, principalities, 
 and cities." The Preface closes with the words : "This 
 
Xliv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 is the Confession of ourselves and of ours, as now distinctly 
 follows, Article by Article." They separate their faith 
 alike from the errors of Rome and of the fanatical and 
 rationalizing tendencies of the day. 
 
 4. The Confession declares that : " The Churches 
 among us teach" the doctrines set forth in the Articles. 
 It is not simply great princes, nor great theologians; it is 
 the Churches which teach these doctrines. The private 
 opinions of the greatest of men are here nothing. It is 
 the faith of the Churches which is set forth, and those 
 who acted for them spoke as their representatives, know- 
 ing the common faith, and not mingling with it any mere 
 private sentiments or peculiar views of their own, how- 
 ever important they might regard them. 
 
 It is a great mistake to suppose that our Evangelical 
 Protestant Church is bound by consistency to hold a 
 view simply because Luther held it. Her faith is not to 
 be brought to the touchstone of Luther's private opinion, 
 but his private opinion is to be tested by her confessed 
 faith, when the question is. What is genuinely Lutheran? 
 The name Lutheran, as our Church tolerates it, ^fieans 
 no more than that she heartily accepts that New Testa- 
 ment faith in its integrity, in whose restoration Luther 
 was so glorious a teader. When, at the conferences at 
 Augsburg, Eck produced certain passages from Luther's 
 writings, Brentius and Schnepf replied: "We are not 
 here to defend Luther's writings, but to maintain our 
 Confession." In showing that the Augsburg Confession 
 is the Symbol of our time, the Formula of Concord rests 
 its authority on its being " the unanimous consent and 
 declaration of our faith." The private opinions of in- 
 dividuals, however influential, can in no sense establish 
 or remove one word of the Creed of the Church Any 
 man, who, on any pretence, gives ecclesiastical authority 
 to private opinions, is robbing the Church of her free- 
 dom. She is to be held responsible for no doctrines which 
 she has not oflicially declared to be her own. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xlv 
 
 6. The Confessors say, at the end of the doctrinal Ar- 
 ticles: "Tliis is almost the main portion (summa : chief 
 points, principal matters) of the doctrine which is preached 
 and taught in our Churches, in order to the true Chris- 
 tian instruction and comfort of the conscience, as also for 
 the edification of believers." It calls the things it sets 
 forth "the one, simple truth," and styles them "the 
 chief," or fundamental, "Articles" (Hauptartikeln). 
 
 The Confessors style and characterize the Confession 
 as "our Confession," as "the chief points of the doctrine 
 taught in our Churches," as "the main (or fundamental) 
 Articles," as " the Articles of faith." They say: " Those 
 things only have been recited which seemed necessary to be 
 said, that it might be understood, that, in doctrine and 
 ceremonies, nothing is received by us contrary to Scrip- 
 ture;" and they declare, at the close of their work, that 
 it was meant as " a sum of doctrine," or statement of its 
 chief points, "for the making known of our Confession, 
 and of the doctrine of those who teach among us."* 
 
 6. The Confessors say of this statement of the main 
 points of doctrine: "In it may be seen, that there is 
 NOTHING which departs from the Scriptures ;'^ "it is clearly 
 founded in the hol}^ Scriptures, "f "in conformity with 
 the pure, Divine word and Christian truth." They de- 
 clare, that, in these "main" or fundamental "Articles, 
 no falsity or deficiency is to be found, and that this their 
 Confession is godly and Christian (gottlich und Christ- 
 lich)." They open the Articles on Abuses by reiterating, 
 that their Confession is evidence, that, " in the Articles 
 of faith, NOTHING is taught in our- Churches contrary to 
 the Holy Scripture, "J and the Confessors close with the 
 declaration, that, if there be points on which the Con- 
 fession has not touched, they are prepared to furnish 
 
 * Epilogue, 69, 5. . f Epilogue, 70, 6. 
 
 X Nihil, inesse, quod discrepat a Scripturis — in heiliger Schrift 
 klar gegrundet. 
 
Xlvi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ample information, ''in accordance with the Scriptures/* 
 "on the ground of holy Divine writ." 
 
 7. The Confessors say that in the Confession : " There 
 is NOTHING which departs from the Church Catholic^ the 
 Universal Christian Church.''''^ 
 
 8. The Confessors moreover declare, that they set forth 
 their Confession that they may "not put their soul and 
 conscience in the very highest and greatest peril before 
 God by abuse of the Divine name or word/' 
 
 9. They declare, moreover, that it is their grand de- 
 sign in the Confession, to avoid the " transmission as a 
 heritage to their children and descendants of another doc- 
 trine, a doctrine not in conformity with the pure Divine 
 word and Christian truth." 
 
 Our fathers knew well that human opinions fluctuate, 
 that men desert the truth, that convictions cannot be 
 made hereditary; but they knew this also, that when 
 men assume a name, they assume the obligations of the 
 name, that they may not honestly subscribe Confessions 
 unless they believe their contents; and they knew that 
 after this, their great Confession, men could not tOng 
 keep up the pretence of being of them who were anti- 
 Trinitarian, Pelagian, Eomish, Eationalistic, or Fanati- 
 cal. They could transmit the heritage of their faith to 
 their children, trusting in God that these children w^ould 
 not, for the brassy glitter of Eationalism, or the scarlet 
 rags of Eome, part with this birthright, more precious 
 than gold. 
 
 Our lathers believed, with St. Paul, that the true faith 
 is "one faith,'' and, therefore, never changes. It is the 
 same from age to age. The witness of a true faith is a 
 witness to the end of time. When, therefore, Briick, the 
 Chancellor of Saxony, presented the Confession, he said: 
 " By the help of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ, this 
 
 * Ab Ecclesia Catholica — gemeiner Christlicher, Kirchen. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xlvii 
 
 Confession shall remain invincible, against the gates of 
 
 hell, TO ETERNITY I'^ 
 
 § 16. THE CHAKACTER AND VALUE OF THE 
 AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 The Augsburg Confession was exquisitely adapted to 
 all its objects, as a Confession of faith, and a Defence of 
 it. In it the very heart of the Gospel beat again. It 
 gave organic being to what had hitherto been but a ten- 
 dency, and knit together great nationalities in the ho- 
 liest bond by which men can be held in association. It 
 enabled the Evangelical Princes, as a body, to throw 
 their moral weight for truth into the Empire. These 
 were the starting-points of its great work and glory 
 among men. To it, under God, more than to any other 
 cause, the whole Protestant world owes civil and re- 
 ligious freedom. Under it, as a banner, the pride of 
 Eome was broken, and her armies destroyed. It is the 
 symbol of pure Protestantism, as the three General 
 Creeds are symbols of that developing Catholicity to 
 which genuine Protestantism is related, as the maturing 
 fruit is related to the blossom. To it the eyes of all deep 
 thinkers have been turned, as to a star of hope amid 
 the internal strifes of nominal Protestantism. Gieseler, 
 the great Eeformed Church historian, says:* ''If the 
 question be, Which, among all Protestant Confessions, is 
 best adapted for forming the foundation of a union among 
 Protestant Churches, we declare ourselves unreservedly 
 for the Augsburg Confession." But no genuine union 
 can ever be formed upon the basis of the Augsburg Con- 
 fession, except by a hearty consent in its whole faith, an 
 honest reception of all its statements of doctrine in the 
 sense which the statements bear in the Confession itself. 
 If there be those who would forgive Eome her unre- 
 
 * Theolog. Stud, u, Kritik, 1833, ii, 1142. 
 
% 
 
 Xlviii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 pented sins, they must do it in the face of the Augsburg 
 Confession. If there be those who would consent to a 
 truce at least with Nationalism or Fanaticism, they must 
 begin their work by making men forget the great Con- 
 fession, which refused its covert to them from the be- 
 ginning. "With the Augsburg Confession begins the 
 clearly recognized life of the Evangelical Protestant 
 Church, the purified Church of the West, on which her 
 enemies fixed the name Lutheran. With this Confession 
 her most self-sacrificing struggles and greatest achieve- 
 ments are connected. It is hallowed by the prayers of 
 Luther, among the most ardent that ever burst from the 
 human heart; it is made sacred by the tears of Melanc- 
 thon, among the tenderest which ever fell from the eyes 
 of man. It is embalmed in the living, dying, and undy- 
 ing devotion of the long line of the heroes of our faith, 
 who, through the world which was not- worthy of them, 
 passed to their eternal rest. The greatest masters in the 
 realm of intellect have defended it with their labors; the 
 greatest princes have protected it from the sword, by the 
 sword ; and the blood of its martyrs, speaking l>etter 
 things than vengeance, pleads forever, with the blood of 
 Him whose all-availing love, whose sole and all-atoning 
 sacrifice, is the beginning, middle, and end of its witness. 
 But not alone on the grand field of historical -events 
 has its power been shown. It led to God's Word mil- 
 lions, who have lived and died unknown to the great 
 world. In the humblest homes and humblest hearts it 
 has opened, through ages, the spring of heavenly influ- 
 ence. It proclaimed the all-sufficiency of Christ's merits, 
 the justifying power of faith in Him; and this shed 
 heavenly light, peace and joy on the darkest problems 
 of the burdened heart. " It remains forever," says Giese- 
 ler, " a light to guide in the right path those who are 
 struggling in error." It opened the way to the true 
 unity of the Church of Christ; and if it has seemed to 
 divide, for a little time, it has divided only to consolidate 
 
INTRODUCTION. xlix 
 
 at length, the whole Church, under Christ's sole rule, and 
 in the one pure faith. 
 
 Its history, in its full connections, is the histor^^ of the 
 centuries midway in the fourth of which we stand, and 
 the future of the Church, which is the future of the race, 
 can unfold itself from the present, only in the power of 
 the life which germinates from the great principles which 
 the Augsburg Confession planted in the world. 
 
 § 17. OBJECT AND CHAEACTER OF THE PRESENT 
 
 WORK. 
 
 The distinctive peculiarities of this Edition of the 
 Augsburg Confession are these : 
 
 First. After the Three General Creeds, which are 
 presupposed as an historical foundation, it gives a lit- 
 eral TRANSLATION of the Coufcssion from the Latin, 
 with the most important additions from the German [in 
 brackets]. 
 
 Second. The Articles are reduced to a uniform nu- 
 meration from One to Twenty-eight, with a second 
 number marking the Articles on Abuses as such. 
 
 Third. The Articles are divided into paragraphs, each 
 one of which contains a distinct thought. These are 
 numbered in correspondence with the best editions of 
 the original, so as to facilitate reference. 
 
 Fourth. It furnishes, in an Introduction, a new col- 
 lection of materials for an understanding; of the orifrin 
 and character of the Confession, and also gives refer- 
 ences to the chief original sources of its history. 
 
 Fifth. In a series of Notes, it endeavors, chiefly by 
 official evidence, to remove the most important misap- 
 prehensions of the meaning of the Confession. It gives, 
 in this connection, the titles of other works in Entj-lish. 
 in which the same topics are' treated. 
 
 5 
 
1 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Sixth. It gives a more thorough Index of the Confes- 
 sion, than, so far as the writer knows, has ever been pre- 
 pared before, in fact, to a large extent, a Concordance 
 of its most important words. Tliis Index is meant as 
 an aid in making the Confession its own interpreter. 
 
 Seventh. This Edition, while it excludes what could 
 be interesting to the scholar merely, has endeavored to 
 compress within a moderate compass what will be of 
 most general utility to our ministers and people. It is 
 designed as an humble aid, by God's help, in the work 
 of deepening an intelligent devotion to the great doc- 
 trines of His Word, the doctrines which have been the 
 life of His Church, the revival of which created the 
 Eeformation, and the conservation of which, as the only 
 hope of the world, is the holiest duty of those who love 
 the faith once delivered to the Saints. 
 
Part I. 
 THE GENERAL CREEDS. 
 
 /. THE APOSTLES' CREED. 
 11. THE NICENE CREED. 
 III. THE ATHANASIAN CREED 
 
 ( 1) 
 
THE THREE GENERAL CREEDS. 
 
 I. THE APOSTLES' CREED. 
 
 1. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, 
 Maker of heaven and earth : 
 
 2. And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, 
 
 3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, 
 
 4. Born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under 
 Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried: 
 
 5. He descended into Hell, the third day he 
 rose again from the dead. He ascended into 
 heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God 
 the Father Almighty; 
 
 6. From thence he shall come to judge the 
 quick and the dead. 
 
 7. I believe in the Holy Ghost ; the holy Cath- 
 olic [Christian] Church, the Communion of Saints; 
 The forgiveness of sins ; 
 
 8. The Resurrection of the body, And the life 
 everlasting. Amen. 
 
 II. THE NICENE CREED. 
 
 1. I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, 
 Maker of heaven and earth, And of all thino-s 
 visible and invisible. 
 
 5* (3) 
 
4 THE THREE GENERAL CREEDS. 
 
 2. And in one Lord Jesus Christy the only- 
 begotten Son of God, 
 
 3. Begotten of his Father, before all Worlds, 
 God of God, Light of Light, Very God of very 
 God, Begotten, not made, Being of one Substance 
 with the Father; By whom all things were made, 
 
 4. Who for us men, and for our salvation came 
 down from heaven, And was incarnate by the 
 Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made 
 man, 
 
 5. And was crucified also for us under Pontius 
 Pilate. He suffered and was buried, And the 
 third day he rose again according to the Scrip- 
 tures, And ascended into heaven, And sitteth on 
 the right hand of the Father. 
 
 6. And he shall come again with glory to judge 
 both the quick and the dead : Whose kingdom ^all 
 have no end. 
 
 7. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, The Lord 
 and Giver of life. Who proceedeth from the Father 
 and the Son, Who with the Father and the Son 
 together is worshipped and glorified. Who spake 
 by the Prophets. 
 
 8. And I believe in one holy. Catholic [Chris- 
 tian] and Apostolic Church. 
 
 9. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remis- 
 sion of sins, 
 
 10. And I look for the Resurrection of the 
 dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. 
 
THE CREED OF ATHANASIUS. 5 
 
 III. THE CREED OF ATHANASIUS. 
 
 Written against the Arians. 
 
 1. Whosoever will be saved, before all things 
 it is necessary that he hold the Catholic [true 
 Christian] faith, 
 
 2. Which Faith except every one do keep whole 
 and undefiied, without doubt he shall perish ever- 
 lastingly. 
 
 3. And the Catholic [true Christian] faith is 
 this: that we warship one God in Trinity, and 
 Trinity in Unity; 
 
 4. Neither confounding the Persons; nor di- 
 viding the Substance. 
 
 5. For there is one Person of the Father, ano- 
 ther of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 6. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, 
 and of the Holy Ghost, is all one: the Glory 
 Equal, the Majesty Coeternal. 
 
 7. Such as the Father is, such is the Son : and 
 such is the Holy Ghost. 
 
 8. The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate: 
 and the Holy Ghost uncreate. 
 
 9. The Father incomprehensible, the Son in- 
 comprehensible : and the Holy Ghost incompre- 
 hensible. 
 
 10. The Father eternal, the Son eternal: and 
 the Holy Ghost eternal. 
 
 11. And yet they are not three Eternals : but 
 one Eternal. 
 
6 THE THREE GENERAL CREEDS. 
 
 12. As also there are not three incomprehensi- 
 bles, nor three uncreated: but one eternal, and 
 one incomprehensible. 
 
 13. So likewise the Father is Almighty, the 
 Son Almighty: and the Holy Ghost Almighty. 
 
 14. And yet they are not three Almighties: 
 but one Almighty. 
 
 15. So the Father is God, the Son is God: and 
 the Holy Ghost is God. 
 
 16. And yet they are not three Gods : but one 
 God. 
 
 17. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son 
 Lord : and the Holy Ghost Lord. 
 
 18. And yet not three Lords : but one Lord. 
 
 19. For like as we are compelled by the Chris- 
 tian verity : to acknowledge every Person by him- 
 self to be God and Lord ; v 
 
 So are we forbidden by the Catholic [Christian] 
 Religion : to say, There be three Gods, or three 
 Lords. 
 
 20. The Father is made of none: neither cre- 
 ated nor begotten. 
 
 21. The Son is of the Father alone : not made, 
 nor created, but begotten. 
 
 22. The Holy Ghost is of the Father, and of 
 the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begot- 
 ten, but proceeding. 
 
 23. So there is one Father, not three Fathers ; 
 one Son, not three Sons: one Holy Ghost, not 
 three Holy Ghosts. 
 
THE CREED OF ATHANASIUS. 7 
 
 24. And in this Trinity none is before, or after 
 other : none is greater, or less than another ; 
 
 25. But the whole three Persons are coeternal 
 together, and coequal : So that in all things, as 
 is aforesaid: the Unity in Trinity, and the Trin- 
 ity in Unity is to be worshipped. 
 
 26. He therefore that will be saved must thus 
 think of the Trinity. 
 
 27. Furthermore, it is necessary to Everlasting 
 Salvation : that we also believe rightly the Incar- 
 nation of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 28. For the right Faith is, that we believe and 
 confess : that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of 
 God, is God and Man ; 
 
 29. God, of the Substance of the Father begot- 
 ten before the worlds : and Man of the Substance 
 of his mother, born in the world; 
 
 30. Perfect God, and perfect Man : of a reason- 
 able soul and human flesh subsisting. 
 
 31. Equal to the Father, as touching his God- 
 head : and inferior to the Father, as touching hi^ 
 Manhood. 
 
 32. Who although he be God and Man : yet he 
 is not two, but one Christ; 
 
 33. One; not by conversion of the Godhead 
 into flesh: but by taking the Manhood into God; 
 
 34. One altogether; not by confusion of Sub- 
 stance : but by Unity of Person. 
 
 35. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one 
 man : so God and Man is one Christ ; 
 
8 THE THREE GENERAL CREEDS. 
 
 36. Who suffered for our salvation : descended 
 into hell, rose again the third day from the dead. 
 
 37. He ascended into heaven; he sitteth on 
 the right hand of the Father, God Almighty: 
 from whence he shall come to judge the quick 
 and the dead. 
 
 38. At whose coming all men shall rise again 
 with their bodies : and shall give account for 
 their own works. 
 
 39. And they that have done good shall go 
 into life everlasting : and they that have done 
 evil into everlasting fire. 
 
 40. This is the Catholic [true Christian] faith : 
 which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot 
 be saved. 
 
Part IL 
 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 PEEFACE TO THE EMPEEOE CHAELES Y. 
 
 I. 
 
 CHIEF AETICLES OF FAITH. 
 /. OF GOD. 
 IL OF ORIGINAL SIN. 
 IIL OF TEE SON OF GOD. 
 ■IV. OF JUSTIFICATION. 
 
 V. OF THE MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH. 
 VL OF NEW OBEDIENCE. 
 VIL OF THE CHURCH. 
 VIIL WHAT THE CHURCH IS. 
 IX. OF BAPTISM. 
 X. OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 
 XL OF CONFESSION. 
 XIL OF REPENTANCE. 
 XIIL OF THE USE OF SACRAMENTS. 
 XIV. OF ECCLESIASTICAL ORDERS. 
 
 ( 9 ) 
 
10 CONTENTS. 
 
 XV. OF ECCLESIASTICAL RITES. 
 
 XVL OF CIVIL MATTERS. 
 
 XVIL OF THE RETURN OF CHRIST TO JUDGMENT. 
 
 XVIIL OF FREE WILL. 
 
 XIX. OF THE CA USE OF SIN. 
 
 XX. OF FAITH AND GOOD WORKS. 
 
 XXL OF THE WORSHIP OF SAINTS. 
 
 XXIL CONCLUSION. 
 
 n. 
 
 AKTICLES IN WHICH AKE ENUMEKATED THE 
 ABUSES COERECTED. 
 
 L OF BOTH KINDS. 
 
 IL OF THE MARRIAGE OF PRIESTS. 
 
 i 
 
 IIL OF THE MASS. 
 
 IV. OF CONFESSION. 
 V. OF THE DISTINCTION OF MEATS, AND OF TRA^ 
 
 DITIONS. 
 VL OF MONASTIC VO WS. 
 VIL OF ECCLESIASTICAL POWER. 
 EPILOGUE. 
 
CONFESSION OF FAITH 
 
 PRESENTED TO THE INVINCIBLE EMPEROR CHARLES V, 
 
 C^SAR AUGUSTUS, AT THE DIET OF AUGSBURG, 
 
 ANNO DOMINI MDXXX. 
 
 **I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed." 
 
 Psalm 119:46. 
 
 Preface to the Emperor Charles V. 
 
 Most Invincible Emperor, Caesar Augustus, Most 1 
 Clement Master : Inasmuch as Tour Imperial Maj- 
 esty has summoned a Convention of the Empire 
 at Augsburg, to deliberate in regard to aid against 
 the Turk, the most atrocious, the hereditary, and an- 
 cient enemy of the Christian name and religion, in 
 what way, to wit, resistance might be made to his 
 rage and assaults, by protracted and perpetual prepa- 
 ration for war : Because, moreover, of dissensions in 2 
 the matter of our holy religion and Christian faith, 
 and in order that in this matter of religion the opin- 
 ions and judgments of diverse parties may be heard 
 in each other's presence, may be understood and 
 weighed among one another, in mutual charity, meek- 
 ness, and gentleness, that those things which in the 3 
 writings on either side have been handled or under- 
 stood amiss, being laid aside and corrected, these 
 things may be harmonized and brought back to the 
 one simple truth and Christian Concord; so that here- 4 
 after the one unfeigned and true religion may be em- 
 
 6 ( 11 ) 
 
12 . THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 braced and preserved by us, so that as we are subjects 
 and soldiers of the One Christ, so also, in unity and 
 concord, we may live in the one Christian Church : 
 and inasmuch as We, the Electors and Princes, whose 5 
 names are subscribed, together with others who are 
 conjoined w4th us, in common with other Electors and 
 Princes, and States, have been called to the afore- 
 named Diet, we have, in order to render most humble 
 obedience to the Imperial Mandate, come early to 
 Augsburg, and with no desire to boast would state 
 that we were among the very first to be present. 
 
 When therefore Your Imperial Majesty, among 6 
 other things, has also at Augsburg, at the very be- *• 
 ginning of these sessions, caused the proposition to 
 be made to the Princes and States of the Empire, 
 that each of the States of the Empire, in virtue of the 
 Imperial Edict, should propose and offer in the Ger-* 
 man and in the Latin language its opinion and decis- 7 
 ion ; after discussion on Wednesday we replied to Your 
 Imperial Majesty, that on the following Friday we 
 would offer on our part the Articles of our Confession : 
 
 Wherefore, in order that we may do homage to the 8 
 will of Your Imperial Majest}^, we now offer in the mat- 
 ter of religion the Confession of our preachers and of 
 ourselves, the doctrine of which derived from the Holy 
 Scriptures and pure Word of God they have to this 
 time set forth in our lands, dukedoms, domains, and 
 cities, and have taught in the churches. If the other 9 
 Electors, Princes, and States of the Empire, should 
 in the writings, to wit, in Latin and German, accord- 
 ing to the aforementioned Imperial proposition, pro- 
 duce their opinions in this matter of religion : we here 
 in the presence of Your Imperial Majesty our most 10 
 Clement Lord, offer ourselves, prepared, in conjunc- 
 tion with the Princes and our friends already desig- 
 nated, to compare views in a kindly manner in re- 
 gard to mode and ways which may be available, so 
 
PREFACE TO THE EMPEKOR CHARLES V. 13 
 
 that as far as may honorably be done, we may agree, 
 and the matter between us of both parts being peace- 
 /ally discussed, with no hateful contention, by God's 
 help the dissension may be removed, and may be 
 brought back to one true accordant religion (as we 11 
 are all subjects and soldiers under one Christ, so also 
 we ought to confess one Christ, in accordance with 
 the tenor of the decree of Your Imperial Majesty), 
 and all things should be brought back to the truth 
 of God, which with most fervent prayers we beseech 
 God to grant. 
 
 But if, as regards the rest of Electors, Princes, and 12 
 States, those of the other party, this treatment of the 
 matter of religion, in the manner in which Your Im- 
 perial Majesty has wisely thought fit it should be con- 
 ducted and treated, to wit, with such a mutual pre- 
 sentation of writings and calm conference between 
 us, should not go^ on, nor be attended by any result; 13 
 yet shall we leave a clear testimony that in no manner 
 do we evade anything which can tend to promote 
 Christian concord (anything which God and a good 
 conscience allow); and this Your Imperial Majesty 14 
 and the other Electors and States of the Empire, and 
 all who are moved by a sincere love of religion and 
 concern for it, all who are willing to give an equitable 
 hearing in this matter, will kindly gather and under- 
 stand from the Confession of ourselves and of ours. 
 
 Since, moreover, Your Imperial Majesty has not 15 
 once only^ but repeatedly signified to the Electors, 
 Princes, and other States of the Empire; and at the 
 Diet of Spires, which was held in the year of our 
 Lord 1526, caused to be recited and publicly pro- 
 claimed, in accordance with the form of Your Impe- 
 rial instruction and commission given and prescribed: 
 That Your Imperial Majesty in this matter of reli- 16 
 gion for certain reasons, stated in the name of Your 
 Majesty, was not willing to determine, nor was able 
 
14 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 to conclude touching anything, but that Your Impe- 
 rial Majesty would diligently endeavor to have the 
 Eoman Pontiff, in accordance with his office, to assem- 
 ble a General Council : as also the same matter was 17 
 more amply set forth a year ago in the last public 
 Convention, which was held at Spires, where through 18 
 His Highness Ferdinand, King of Bohemia and Hun- 
 gary, our friend and clement Lord, afterward through 
 the Orator and the Imperial Commissioners, Your 
 Imperial Majesty, among other propositions, caused 
 these to be made, that Your Imperial Majesty had 
 known and pondered, the resolution to convene a 19 
 Council, formed by the Eepresentatives of Your Im- 
 perial Majesty in the Empire, and by the Imj)erial 
 President and Counsellors, and by the Legates of other 
 States convened at Eatisbon, and this Your Imperial 
 Majesty also judged that it would be useful to assem- 
 ble a Council, and because the matters which were to 
 be adjusted at this time between Your Imperial Maj- 
 esty and the Eoman Pontiff were approaching agree- 
 ment and Christian reconciliation. Your Imperial 
 Majesty did not doubt that, but that the Pope could 
 be induced to summon a General Council: Wherefore 20 
 Your Imperial Majesty signified that Your Imperial 
 Majesty would endeavor to bring it to pass that the 
 Chief Pontiff, together with Your Imperial Majesty, 
 would consent at the earliest o^:>portunity to issue 
 letters for the convening of such a General Council. 
 
 As the event, therefore, has been that in this mat- 21 
 ter of religion the differences between us and the 
 other party have not been settled in friendship and 
 love, we here present ourselves before Your Imperial 
 Majesty, in all obedience, and in more than mere obe- 
 dience, ready to compare views, and to defend our 
 cause in such a general, free, and Christian Council, 
 concerning the convening of which, there has been 
 concordant action and a determination by agreeing 
 
PREFACE TO THE EMPEROR CHARLES V. 15 
 
 votes on the part of the Electors, Princes, and the 
 other States of the Empire, in all the Imperial Diets 
 which have been held in the reign of Your Imperial 
 Majesty. To this Convention of a General Coimcil, 22 
 as also to Your Imperial Majesty, we have in the due 
 method and legal form, before made our protestation 
 and appeal in this greatest and gravest of matters. 
 To which appeal both to Your Imperial Majesty and 23 
 a Council we still adhere; nor do we intend, nor would 
 it be possible for us to forsake it by this or any other 
 document, unless the matter between us and the other 
 party should, in accordance with the tenor of the 
 latest Imperial citation, be compared, settled, and 
 brought to Christian concord, in friendship and love; 
 concerning which appeal we here also make our sol- 24 
 emn and public protest. 
 
 6* 
 
16 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 L 
 
 CHIEF AETICLES OF FAITH. 
 
 Article I. 
 
 Of God. 
 
 The churches with common consent among us, do 1 
 teach that the decree of the ISTicene Synod [Council] 
 concerning the unity of the divine essence and of the 
 three persons is true, and without doubt to be be- 
 lieved: to wit, that there is one divine essence which 2 
 is called and is God, eternal, without body, indivisi- 
 ble [without part], of infinite power, wisdom, good- 
 ness, the Creator and Preserver of all things, visible 
 and invisible; and that yet there be three persons of 3 
 the same essence and power, who also are coeternal, 
 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 
 
 A-nd they use the name of person in that significa- 4 
 tion in which the ecclesiastical writers [the fathers] 
 have used it in this cause, to signify, not a part or 
 quality in another, but that which properly subsisteth. 
 
 They condemn all heresies which have sprung up 5 
 against this Article, as the Manichees, who set down 
 two principles, good and evil; in the same manner 
 the Yalentinians, Arians, Eunomians, Mahometans, 
 and all such like. 
 
 They condemn also the Samosatenes, old and new; 6 
 who, when they earnestly contend that there is but 
 one person, do craftily and wickedly trifle after the 
 manner of Rhetoricians, about the Word and Holy 
 Ghost, that they are not distinct persons, but that the 
 Word signifieth a vocal word, and the Spirit a motion 
 created in things. 
 
CHIEF ARTICLES OF FAITH. 17 
 
 Article II. 
 
 Of Original Sin. 
 
 Also they teach that after Adam's fall, all men be- 1 
 gotten after the common course of nature, are born 
 with sin ; that is, without the fear of God, without 2 
 trust in him, and with fleshly appetite; and that this 3 
 disease, or original fault is truly sin, condemning and 
 bringing eternal death now also upon all that are not 
 born again by baptism and the Holy Spirit. 
 
 They condemn the Pelagians, and others, who deny 4 
 this original fault to be sin indeed; and who, so as to 
 lessen the glory of the merits and benefits of Christy 
 argue that a man may, by the strength of his own 
 reason, be justified before God. 
 
 Article III. 
 
 Of the Son of God, and of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 Also they teach that the Word, that is, the Son of 1 
 God took unto him man's nature, in the womb of the 
 blessed Virgin Mary, so that there are two natures, 2 
 the Divine and the human, inseparably joined together 
 in unity of person ; one Christ, true God and true man : 
 who was born of the Virgin Mary, truly suffered, was 
 crucified, dead, and buried, that he might reconcile 3 
 the Father unto us, and might be a sacrifice, not only 
 for original guilt, but also for all actual sins of men. 
 
 The same also descended into hell, and truly rose 4 
 again the third day. Afterward he ascended into 
 the heavens, that he might sit at the right hand of 
 the Father; and reign forever, and have dominion 
 over all creatures; might sanctify those that believe 
 in him, by sending the Holy SjDirit into their hearts, 5 
 who shall rule [purify, strengthen], comfort, and 
 quicken them, and shall defend them against the 
 devil, and the power of sin. 
 
18 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 The same Christ shall openly come again, to judge 6 
 the quick and the dead, according as the Apostles' 
 Creed declareth these and other things. 
 
 Article IY. 
 
 Of Justification. 
 
 Also they teach, that men capnot be justified [oh- 1 
 tain forgiveness of sins and righteousness] before God 
 by their own powers, merits, or works: but are justi- 2 
 fied freely [of grace] for Christ's sake through faith, 
 when they believe that they are received into favor, 
 and their sins forgiven for Christ's sake, who by his 
 death hath satisfied for our sins. This faith doth 3 
 God impute for righteousness before Him, Eom. iii 
 and iv.- 
 
 Article V. 
 
 Of the Ministry of the Church. 
 
 For the obtaining of this faith, the ministry of^ 1 
 teaching the Gospel, and administering the Sacra- 
 ments was instituted. 
 
 For by the Word and Sacraments, as by instru- 2 
 ments, the Holy Spirit is given; w^ho worketh faith, 
 where and when it pleaseth God, in those that hear 
 the Gospel, to wit, that God, not for our merit's sake, 3 
 but for Christ's sake, doth justify those who believe 
 that they for Christ's sake are received into favor. 
 
 They condemn the Anabaptists and others, who 4 
 imagine that the Holy Spirit is given to men without 
 the outward word, through their own prej)arations 
 and works. 
 
 Article YI. 
 
 Of New Obedience. 
 
 Also they teach that this faith should bring forth 1 
 good fruits, and that men ought to do the good works 
 
CHIEF ARTICLES OF FAITH. 19 
 
 commanded of God, because it is God's will, and not 
 on any confidence of meriting justification before God 
 by their works. 
 
 For remission of sins and justification is appre- 2 
 bended by faith, as also the voice of Christ witness- 
 eth : " When ye have done all these things, say, we 
 are unprofitable servants/' 
 
 The same, also, do the ancient writers of the Church 3 
 teach ; for Ambrose saith : " This is ordained of God, 
 that he that believeth in Christ shall be saved, with- 
 out works, by faith alone, freely receiving remission 
 of sins.'^ 
 
 Article YII. 
 
 Of the Church. 
 
 Also they teach, that one holy Church is to con- 1 
 tinue forever. But the Church is the congregation 
 of saints [the assembly of all believers], in which the 
 Gospel is rightly taught [purely preached], an(^ the 
 Sacraments rightly administered [according to the 
 Gospel]. 
 
 And unto the true unity of the Church, it is suffi- 2 
 cient to agree concerning the doctrine of the Gospel 
 and the administration of the Sacraments. Nor is it 3 
 necessary that human traditions, rites, or ceremonies 
 instituted by men, should be alike everywhere; as St. 4 
 Paul saith : " There is one faith, one baptism, one God 
 and'Father of all.'' 
 
 Article YIII. 
 
 What the Church is ? 
 
 Though the Church be properly the congregation 1 
 of saints and true believers, yet seeing that in this 
 life many hypocrites and evil persons are mingled 
 with it, it is lawful to use the Sacraments adminis- 
 tered by evil men; according to the voice of Christ: 
 " The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat," 
 
20 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 and the words following. And the Sacraments and 2 
 the Word are effectual, by reason of the institution 
 and commandment of Christ, though they be deliv- 
 ered by evil men. 
 
 They condemn the Donatists and such like, who 3 
 denied that it was lawful to use the ministry of evil 
 men in the Church, and held that the ministry of evil 
 men is useless and without eifect. 
 
 Article IX. 
 
 Of Baptism. 
 
 Of Baptism they teach, that it is necessary to sal- 1 
 vation, and that by Baptism the grace of God is offered, 2 
 and that children are to be baptized, who by Baptism, 
 beino: offered to G-od are received into God's favor. 
 
 They condemn the Anabaptists who allow not the 3 
 Baptism of children, and affirm that children are saved 
 without Baptism. 
 
 Article X. 
 
 Of the Lord's Sapper. 
 
 Of the Supper of the Lord they teach that the 1 
 [true] body and blood of Christ are truly present 
 [under the form of bread and wine], and are [there] 2 
 communicated to those that eat in the Lord's Supper 3 
 [and received]. 
 
 And tliey disapprove of those that teach otherwise 4 
 [wherefore also the opposite doctrine is rejected]. 
 
 Article XL 
 
 Of Confession. 
 
 Concerning confession, they teach that private ab- 1 
 solution be retained in the churches, though enumera- 
 tion of all offences be not necessary in confession. 
 For it is impossible; according to the Psalm: " Who 2 
 can understand his errors?" 
 
CHIEF ARTICLES OP FAITH. 21 
 
 Article XII. 
 Of Repentance. 
 
 Touching repentance, they teach that such as have 1 
 fallen after baptism may find remission of sins, at what 
 time they are converted [when they come to repent- 2 
 ance], and that the Church should give absolution 
 unto such as return to repentance. 
 
 Now repentance consisteth properly of these tw^o 3 
 parts. One is contrition, or terrors stricken into the 4 
 conscience through the acknowledgment of sin : the 5 
 other is faith, w^hich is conceived by the Gosjoel, or 
 absolution, and doth believe that for Christ's sake sins 
 be forgiven, and comforteth thjionscience, and freeth 
 it from terrors. Then should follow good works, 6 
 which are fruits of repentance. 
 
 They condemn the Anabaptists, who deny that 7 
 men once justified can lose the Spirit of God, and do 8 
 contend that some men may attain to such a perfec- 
 tion in this life, that they cannot sin. [Here are re- 
 jected those who teach, that those who have once 
 been holy cannot fall again.] The Novatians are 9 
 also condemned, w^ho would not absolve such as had 
 fallen after baptism, though they returned to repent- 
 ance. They also that do not teach that remission of 10 
 sins is obtained by faith, and who command us to 
 merit grace by satisfactions are rejected. 
 
 Article XIII. 
 
 Of the Use of Sacraments. 
 
 Concerning the use of the Sacraments, they teach 1 
 that they were ordained, not only to be marks of pro- 
 fession amongst men, but rather that they should be 
 signs and testimonies of the will of God towards us, 
 set forth unto us, to stir up and confirm faith in such 
 as use them. Therefore men must use Sacranlents 2 
 
22 THE, AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 SO, as to join faith with them, which believes the 
 promises that are offered and declared unto us by the 
 Sacraments. 
 
 Wherefore they condemn those that teach that the 3 
 Sacraments do justify by the work done, and do not 
 teach that faith which believes the remission of sins 
 is requisite in the use of Sacraments. 
 
 Article XIY. 
 
 Of Ecclesiastical Orders. 
 
 Concerning Ecclesiastical Orders [Church Govern- 1 
 ment], they teach, that no man should publicly in the 
 Church teach, or administer the Sacraments, except 
 he be rightly called [wiRout a regular call]. 
 
 Article XY. 
 
 Of Ecclesiastical Rites. 
 
 Concerning Ecclesiastical rites, they teach, that 1 
 those rites are to be observed, which may be observed 
 without sin, and are profitable for tranquillity and 
 good order in the Church; such as are, set holidays, 
 feasts, and such like. Yet concerning such things, 2 
 men are to be admonished, that consciences are not 
 to be burdened as if such service were necessary to 
 salvation. 
 
 They are also to be admonished that human tradi- 3 
 tions, instituted to propitiate God, to merit grace and 
 make satisfaction for sins, are opposed to the Gospel 
 and the doctrine of faith. Wherefore vows and tradi- 4 
 tions concerning foods and days, and such like, insti- 
 tuted to merit grace and make satisfaction for sins, 
 are useless and contrary to the Gospel. 
 
 Article XYI. 
 
 Of Civil Affairs. 
 Concerning civil affairs, they teach that such civil 1 
 
h 
 
 CHIEF ARTICLES OF FAITH. 23 
 
 ordinances as are lawful, are good works of God; that 2 
 Christians may lawfully bear civil office, sit in judg- 
 ments, determine matters by the imperial laws, and 
 other laws in present force, appoint just punishments, 
 engage in just war, act as soldiers, make legal bargains 
 and contracts, hold property, take an oath when the 
 magistrates require it, marry a wife, or be given in 
 marriage. They condemn the Anabaptists, who for- 3 
 bid Christians these civil offices. They condemn also 4 
 those that place the perfection of the Gospel, not in 
 the fear of God, and in faith, but in forsaking civil 
 offices, inasmuch as the Gospel teacheth an everlast- 
 ing righteousness of the heart. In the meantime, it 5 
 doth not disallow order and government of common- 
 wealths or families, but requireth especially the pres- 
 ervation and maintenance thereof, as of God's own 
 ordinances, and that in such ordinances we should 
 exercise love. Christians, therefore, must necessarily 6 
 obey their magistrates and laws, save only then, when 
 they command any sin ; for then they must rather 
 obey God than men. Acts 5 : 29. 
 
 Article XYII. 
 
 Of Christ's Return to Judgment. 
 
 Also they teach that, in the consummation of the 1 
 world [at the last day], Christ shall appear to judge, 
 and shall raise up all the dead, and shall give unto 
 the godly and elect, eternal life, and everlasting joys; 
 but ungodly men and the devils shall he condemn 
 unto endless torments. 
 
 They condemn the Anabaptists, who think that to 2 
 condemned men and the devils shall be an end of 
 torments. They condemn others also, who now scat- 3 
 ter Jewish opinions, that, before the resurrection of 
 the dead, the godly shall occupy the kingdom of the 
 world, the wicked being everywhere suppressed [the 
 
 7 
 
24 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 saints alone, the pious, shall have a worldly kingdom, 
 and shall exterminate all the godless]. 
 
 Article XYIII. 
 
 Of Free Will. 
 
 Concerning free will, they teach, that man's will 1 
 hath some liberty to work a civil righteousness, and 
 to choose such things as reason can reach unto : but 2 
 that it hath no power to work the righteousness of 
 God, or a spiritual righteousness, without the Spirit 
 of God; because that the natural man receiveth not 
 the things of the Spirit of God : 1 Cor. 2 : 14. But 3 
 this is wrought in the heart when men do receive the 
 Spirit of God through the word. 
 
 These things are in as many words affirmed by St. 4 
 Augustine, Hyjyognosticon, lib. iii: "We confess, that 
 there is in all men a free will, which hath indeed the 
 judgment of reason ; not that it is thereby fitted, with- 
 out God, either to begin or to perform anything in 
 matters pertaining to God, but only in works belong- 
 ing to this present life, whether they be good or evil. 
 By good works, I mean those which are of the good- 5 
 ness of nature; as to will to labor in the field, to desire 
 meat or drink, to desire to have a friend, to desire ap- 
 parel, to desire to build a house, to marry a wife, to 
 nourish cattle, to learn the art of divers good things, 
 to desire any good thing pertaining to this present 
 life ; all which are not without God's government, yea, 6 
 they are, and had their beginning from God and by 
 God. Among evil things, I account such as these: to 7 
 will to worship an image; to will manslaughter, and 
 such like." 
 
 They condemn the Pelagians, and others, who teach, 8 
 that by the powers of nature alone, without the Spirit 
 of God, we are able to love God above all things; also 
 to perform the commandments of God, as touching 
 the substance of our actions. For although nature be 9 
 
CHIEF ARTICLES OF FAITH. 25 
 
 able in some sort to do the external works (for it is 
 able to withhold the hands from theft and murder), 
 3^et it cannot work the inward motions, such as the 
 fear of God, trust in God, chastity, patience, and such 
 like. 
 
 Article XIX. 
 
 Of the Cause of Sin. 
 
 Touching the cause of sin, they teach, that although 
 God doth create and preserve nature, yet the cause 
 of sin is the will of the wicked ; to wit, of the devil, 
 and ungodly men; which will, God not aiding, turneth 
 itself from God, as Christ saith, " When he speaketh 
 a lie, he speaketh of his own." John 8 : 44. 
 
 Article XX. 
 
 Of Good Works. 
 
 Ours are falsely accused of forbidding good works. 1 
 For their writings extant upon the Ten Command- 2 
 ments, and others of the like argument, do bear wit- 
 ness, that they have to good purpose taught concern- 
 ing every kind of life, and its duties; what kinds of 
 life, and what works in every calling, do please God. 
 Of which things, preachers in former times taught 3 
 little or nothing: only they urged certain childish 
 and needless works; as, keeping of holidays, set fasts, 
 fraternities, pilgrimages, worshipping of saints, the use 
 of rosaries, monkery, and such like things. Whereof 4 
 our adversaries having had warning, they do now un- 
 learn them, and do not preach concerning these un- 
 profitable works, as they were wont. Besides, they 5 
 begin now to make mention of faith, concerning which 
 there was formerly a deep silence. They teach that 6 
 we are not justified by works alone, but they conjoin 
 faith and works, and say we are justified by faith and 
 
26 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 works. Which doctrine is more tolerable than the 7 
 former one, and can afford more consolation than their 
 old doctrine. 
 
 Whereas, therefore, the doctrine of faith, which 8 
 should be the chief one in the Church, hath been so 
 long unknown, as all men must needs grant, that there 
 was the deepest silence about the righteousness of 
 faith in their sermons, and that the doctrine of works 
 was usual in the Churches, for this cause our Divines 
 did thus admonish the Churches : 
 
 First, that our works cannot reconcile God, or de- 9 
 serve remission of sins, grace, and justification at his 
 hands, but that these we obtain by faith only, when 
 we believe that we are received into favor for Christ's 
 sake ; who alone is appointed the Mediator and Pro- 
 pitiatory, by whom the Father is reconciled. He, 10 
 therefore, that trusteth by his works to merit grace, 
 doth despise the merit and grace of Christ, and seek- 
 eth by his own power, without Christ, to come unto 
 the Father : whereas Christ hath said expressly of 
 himself, " I am the way, the truth, and the life.'" 
 John 14 : 6. 
 
 This doctrine of faith is handled by Paul almost 11 
 everywhere : "By grace ye are saved through faith, 
 and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God ;, not 
 of works:" Ephes. 2 : 8, 9. And lest any here should 12 
 cavil, that we bring in a new-found interpretation, 
 this whole cause is sustained by testimonies of the 
 Fathers. Augustine doth in many volumes defend 13 
 grace, and the righteousness of faith, against the 
 merit of works. The like doth Ambrose teach in his 14 
 book, De Vocatione Gentium, and elsewhere ; for thus 
 he saith of the calling of the Gentiles : " The redemp- 
 tion made by the blood of Christ would be of small 
 account, and the prerogative of man's works would 
 not give place to the mercy of God, if the justification 
 which is by grace were due to merits going before ; 
 
CHIEF ARTICLES OF FAITH. 27 
 
 SO as it should not be the liberality of the giver, but 
 the wages or hire of the laborer." 
 
 This doctrine though it be contemned of the un- 15 
 skilful, yet godly and fearful consciences find by ex- 
 perience that it bringeth very great comfort: because 
 that consciences cannot be quieted by any works, but 
 by faith alone, when they believe assuredly, that they 
 have a God who is propitiated for Christ's sake; as 
 Paul teacheth, ''Being justified by faith, we have 16 
 peace with God :" Eom. 5 : 1. This doctrine doth 17 
 wholly belong to the conflict of a troubled con- 
 science; and cannot be understood, but where the 
 conscience hath felt that conflict. Wherefore, all 18 
 such as have had no experience thereof, and all that 
 are profane men, who dream that Christian righteous- 
 ness is naught else but a civil and philosophical right- 
 eousness, are poor judges of this matter. 
 
 Formerly, men's consciences were vexed with the 19 
 doctrine of works; they did not hear any comfort out 
 of the Gospel. Whereupon conscience drove some 20 
 into the desert, into Monasteries, hoping there to 
 merit grace by a monastical life. Others devised 21 
 other works, whereby to merit grace, and to satisfy 
 for sin. There was very great need therefore to 22 
 teach and renew this doctrine of faith in Christ ; to 
 the end that fearful consciences might not want com- 
 fort, but might know that grace, and forgiveness of 
 sins, and justification, were received by faith in Christ. 
 
 Another thing, which we teach men, is, that in 23 
 this place the name of Faith doth not only signify 
 a knowledge of the history, which may be in the 
 wicked, and in the Devil, but that it signifieth a faith 
 which believeth, not only the history, but also the 
 effect of the history; to wit, the article of remission 
 of sins; namely, that by Christ we have grace, right- 
 eousness, and remission of sins. Now, he that know- 24 
 eth that he hath the Father merciful to him through 
 
 - 7* 
 
28 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 Christ, this man knowcth God truly: he knoweth 
 that God hath a care of him ; he loveth God, and 
 calleth upon him j in a word, he is not without God, 
 as the Gentiles are. For the devils, and the wicked, 25 
 can never believe this article of the remission of sins : 
 and therefore they hate God as their enemy; they call 
 not upon him, they look for no good thing at his hands. 
 After this manner doth Augustine admonish the reader 26 
 touching the name of Faith, and teacheth, that this 
 word Faith is taken in Scriptures, not for such a 
 knowledge as is in the wicked, but for a trust, which 
 doth comfort and lift up disquieted minds. 
 
 Moreover, ours teach, that it is necessary to do 27 
 good works; not that we may trust that we deserve 
 grace by them, but because it is the will of God that 
 we should do them. By faith alone is apprehended 28 
 remission of sins and grace. And because the Holy 29 
 Spirit is received by faith, our hearts are now re- 
 newed, and so put on new aifections, so that they are 
 able to bring forth good works. For thus saith Am- 30 
 brose, " Faith is the begetter of a good will, and oi 
 good actions." For man's powers, without the Holy 31 
 Si^irit, are full of wicked affections, and are weaker 
 than that they can do any good deed before God. 
 Besides, they are in the Devil's power, who driveth 32 
 men forward into divers sins, into profane opinions, 
 and into heinous crimes : as was to be seen in the 33 
 philosophers, who, assaying to live an honest life, 
 could not attain unto it, but were defiled with many 
 heinous crimes. Such is the weakness of man, when 34 
 he is without faith and the Holy Spirit, and hath no 
 other guide but the natural powers of man. 
 
 Hereby every man may see that this doctrine is not 35 
 to be accused, as forbidding good works; but rather 
 is much to be commended, because it showeth after 
 what sort we must do good works. For without 36 
 faith, the nature of man can by no means perform 
 
CHIEF ARTICLES OF FAITH. 29 
 
 the works of the First or Second Table. Without 37 
 faith, it cannot call upon God, hope in God, bear the 
 cross; but seeketh help from man, and trusteth in 
 man's help. So it cometh to pass, that all lusts and 38 
 human counsels bear sway in the heart so long as 
 faith and trust in God is absent. 
 
 Wherefore also Christ saith, " Without me ye can 39 
 do nothing," John 15 : 5, and the Church singeth, 
 "Without thy power is naught in man, naught that 40 
 is innocent." 
 
 Article XXI. 
 
 Of the Worship of Saints. 
 
 Touching the worship of saints, they teach, that the 1 
 memory of saints may be set before us, that we may 
 follow their faith and good works according to our 
 calling; as the Emperor may follow David's exam- 
 ple in making war to drive away the Turks from his 
 country : for either of them is a king. But the Scrip- 2 
 ture teacheth not to invocate saints, or to ask help of 
 saints, because it propoundeth unto us one Christ the 
 Mediator, Propitiatory, High Priest, and Intercessor. 3 
 This Christ is to be invocated, and he hath promised 
 that he will hear our j^rayers, and liketh this worship 
 especially, to wit, that he be invocated in all afflic- 
 tions. " If any man sin, we have an advocate with 
 God, Jesus Christ the righteous :" 1 John 2 : 1. 
 
 This is about the sum of doctrine among ns, in 1 
 which can be seen that there is nothing which is dis- 
 crepant with the Scriptures, or with the Church 
 Catholic, or even with the Eoman Church, so far as 
 that Church is known from writers [the writings of 
 the Fathers]. This being the case they judge us 
 harshly, who insist that we shall be regarded as her- 
 
30 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 etics. But the dissension is concerning certain [tra- 2 
 ditions and] abuses, whicli without any certain au- 
 thority have crept into the Churches, in which things 
 even if there were some difference, yet would it be a 
 becoming lenity on the part of the bishops, that on 
 account of the Confession which we have now pre- 
 sented, they should bear with us, since not even the 
 Canons are so severe, as to demand the same rites 
 everywhere, nor were the rites of all Churches at any 
 time the same. Although among us in large part the 3 
 ancient rites are diligently observed. For it is a ca- 4 
 lumnious falsehood, that all the ceremonies, all the 
 things instituted of old are abolished in our Churches. 
 But the public complaint was, that certain abuses 5 
 were connected with the rites in common use. These, 
 because they could not with good conscience be ap- 
 proved, have to some extent been corrected. 
 
 IL 
 
 AETICLES IN WHICH ARE EECOUNTED THE 
 ABUSES WHICH HA YE BEEN CORREOTEI). 
 
 Inasmuch as the Churches among us, dissent in no 1 
 article of faith from the Church Catholic [the Uni- 
 versal Christian Church], and only omit a few of cer- 
 tain abuses, which are novel [in part have crept in 
 with time, in part have been introduced by violence], 
 and contrary to the purport of the Canons have been 
 received by the fault of the times, we beg that Your 
 Imperial Majesty would clemently hear both what 
 ought to be changed, and what are the reasons that 
 the people ought not to be forced against their con- 
 
ABUSES (XXII) I. 31 
 
 sciences to observe those abuses. Nor should Your 2 
 Imperial Majesty have faith in those who, that they 
 may inflame the hatred of men against us, scatter 
 amazing slanders among the people. In this way 3 
 the minds of good men being angered at the beginning 
 they gave occasion to this dissension, and by the same 
 art they now endeavor to increase the discords. For 4 
 beyond doubt Your Imperial Majesty will find that 
 the form both of doctrines and of ceremonies among 
 us, is far more tolerable than that which these wicked 
 and malicious men describe. The truth, moreover, 5 
 cannot be gathered from common rumors and the re- 
 proaches of enemies. But it is easy to judge this, that 6 
 nothing is more profitable to preserve the dignity 
 of ceremonies and to nurture reverence and piety 
 among the people, than that the ceremonies should 
 be rightly performed in the Churches. 
 
 Article XXII. (I.) 
 
 Of both Kinds \in the Lord's Supper^. 
 
 Both kinds of the Sacrament in the Lord's Supper 1 
 are given to the laity, because that this custom hath 
 the commandment of the Lord, "Drink all ye of this:'' 
 Matt. 26 : 27; where Christ doth manifestly command 
 concerning the cup, that all should drink. And that 2 
 no man might cavil, that this doth only pertain to the 
 priests, the example of Paul to the Corinthians wit- 
 nesseth, that the whole Church did use both kinds in 
 common: 1 Cor. 11 : 28. And this custom remained 3 
 a long time in the Church; neither is it certain, when, 
 or by what authority, it was changed. Cyprian in 4 
 certain places doth witness, that the blood was given 
 to the people : the same thing doth Jerome testify, 5 
 saying, " The priests do minister the Eucharist, and 
 communicate the blood of Christ to the people." 
 Nay, Pope Gelasius commandeth, that the Sacrament 6 
 
32 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 be Dot divided: Dist 2, Be Consecr. Cap. Comjperimus. 7 
 Only a custom, not thus ancient, doth otherwise. 8 
 But it is manifest that a custom, brought in contrary 9 
 to the commandments of God, is not to be approved, 
 as the Canons do witness: Dist. 8, Cap. Veritate; with 
 the words w^hich follow. Now this custom has been 10 
 received, not only against the Scripture, but also 
 against the ancient Canons, and the example of the 
 Church. Therefore if any would rather use both 11 
 kinds in the Sacrament, they are not to be compelled 
 to do otherwise with the offence of their conscience. 
 And because that the division of the Sacrament doth 12 
 not agree with the institution of Christ, among us it 
 is the custom to omit that procession which hitherto 
 hath been in use. 
 
 Article XXIII. (II.) 
 
 Of the Marriage of Priests. 
 
 There was a common complaint of the examples of 1 
 such priests as were not continent. For which cause 2 
 also Pope Pius is reported to have said, " that thete 
 were certain causes for which marriage was forbidden 
 to priests, but there were many weightier causes why 
 it should be permitted again:" for so Platina writeth. 
 Whereas therefore the priests among us seek to avoid 3 
 these public offences, they have married wuves, and 
 have taught that it is lawful for them to enter into 
 marriage. First, because that Paul saith, " To avoid 4 
 fornication, let every man have his wife:" again, 
 " It is better to marry than to burn :" 1 Cor. 7 : 2, 9. 
 Secondly, Christ saith, "All men cannot receive this 5 
 word :" Matt. 19 : 11; where he showeth that all men 
 are not fit for a single life, because that God created 
 mankind, male and female : Gen. 1 : 28. Nor is it in 6 
 man's power, without a special gift and work of God, 
 to alter his creation. Therefore^such as are not meet 7 
 for a single life, ought to contract marriage. For no 8 
 
ABUSES (XXIII) II. 33 
 
 law of man, no vow, can take away the commandment 
 of God, and his ordinance. By these reasons the 9 
 priests do prove that they may hiwfully take wives. 
 And it is well known, that in the ancient Churches 10 
 priests were married. For Paul saith, " that a bishop 11 
 must be chosen which is a husband:" 1 Tim. 3:2. 
 And in Germany, not until about four hundred years 12 
 ago, the priests were by violence compelled to live a 
 single life; who then were eo wholly bent against the 
 matter, that the Archbishop of Mentz, being about to 
 publish the Pope of-Rome's decree to that effect, was 
 almost murdered in a tumult by the priests in their 
 anger. And the matter was handled so rudely, that not 13 
 only were marriages forbidden for the time to come, 
 but also such as were then contracted, were broken 
 asunder, contrary to all laws divine and human, con- 
 trary to the Canons themselves, that were before 
 made not only by Popes, but also by most famous 
 Councils. And seeing that, as the world decayeth, 14 
 man's nature by little and little waxeth weaker, it is 
 well to look to it, that no more vices do overspread 
 Germany. Furthermore, God ordained marriage to 15 
 be a remedy for man's infirmity. The Canons them- 16 
 selves do say, that the old rigor is now and then in 
 latter times to be released because of the weakness of 
 men. Which it were to be wished might be done in 
 this matter also. And if marriage be forbidden any 17 
 longer, the Churches may at length want pastors. 
 
 Seeing then that there is a plain commandment of 18 
 God; seeing the use of the Church is well known; 
 seeing that impure single life bringeth forth very 
 many offences, adulteries, and other enormities wor- 
 thy to be punished by the godly magistrate, it is a 
 marvel that greater cruelty should be showed in, no 
 other thing, than against the marriage of priests. 
 God hath commanded to honor marriage : the laws 19 
 in all well-ordered commonwealths, even among the 20 
 
34 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 heathen, have adorned marriages with very great 
 honors. But now men are cruelly put to death, yea, 21 
 and priests also, contrary to the mind of the Canons, 
 for no other cause, hut marriage. Paul calleth that 22 
 " a doctrine of devils," which forbiddeth marriage: 1 
 Tim. 4:1; which may now very well be seen, since 23 
 the forbidding of marriage is maintained by such pun- 
 ishments. But as no law of man can take away the 24 
 law of God, no more can any voav whatsoever. There- 25 
 fore Cyorian giveth counsel, that those women should 
 marry, which do not keep their vowed chastity. His 
 words are these, in the 1st Book, the 2d Epistle : 
 "If they will not or are not able to endure, it is far 
 better they should marry, than that they should fall 
 into the fire by their importunate desires. In any- 
 wise let them give no offence to their brethren or sis- 
 ters." Yea, even the Canons show some kind of jus- 26 
 tice towards such as before their ripe years did vow 
 chastity; as hitherto the use hath for the most part 
 
 been. 
 
 i 
 Article XXIY. (III.) 
 
 Of the Mass. 
 
 Our Churches are wrongfully accused to have abol- 1 
 ished the Mass. For the Mass is retained still among 
 us, and celebrated with great reverence; yea, and al- 2 
 most all the ceremonies that are in use, saving that 
 with the things sung in Latin, we mingle certain 
 things sung in German at various parts of the ser- 
 vice, which be added for the people's instruction. 
 For therefore alone we have need of ceremonies, that 3 
 they may teach the unlearned. This is not only 4 
 commanded by St. Paul, to use a tongue that the 
 people understand, 1 Cor. 14 : 9, but man's law hath 
 also appointed it. We accustom the people to re- 5 
 ceive the Sacrament together, if so be any be found 
 fit thereunto ; and that is a thing that doth increase 
 
ABUSES (XXIV) III. 35 
 
 the reverence and due estimation of the public cere- 
 monies. For none are admitted, except they be first 6 
 proved. Besides, we pat men in mind of the worthi- 7 
 ness and use of the Sacrament, how great comfart it 
 bringetli to fearful consciences; tliat they may learn 
 to believe God, and to look for and crave all good 
 things at his hands. This worship doth please God: 8 
 such an use of the Sacrament doth nourish piety to- 
 wards God. Therefore it seemeth not that Masses be 9 
 more religiously celebrated among our adversaries, . 
 than with us. 
 
 But it is evident, that of long time this hath been 10 
 the public and most grievous complaint of all good 
 men, that Masses are basely profaned, being used for 
 gain. And it is not unknown, how far this abuse bath 11 
 spread itself in all Churches; of what manner of men 
 Masses are used, onl}^ for a reward, or for wages; and 
 how many do- use them against the prohibition of 
 the Canons. But Paul doth grievously threaten those 12 
 who treat the Lord's Supper unworthily, saying, "He 
 that eateth this bread or drinketh this cup of the 
 Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and 
 blood of the Lord :" 1 Cor. 11 : 27. Therefore, when 13 
 the priests among us were admonished of this sin, pri- 
 vate Masses were laid aside among us, seeing that for 
 the most part there were no private Masses but only 
 for lucre's sake. Neither were the bishops ignorant 14 
 of these abuses, and if they had amended them in 
 time, there had now been less of dissensions. Here- 15 
 tofore, by their dissembling, they suffered much cor- 
 ruption to creep into the Church : now they begin, 16 
 though it be late, to complain of the calamities of the 
 Church; seeing that this tumult was raised up by no 
 other mean, than by those abuses, which were so evi- 
 dent, that they could no longer be tolerated. There 17 
 were many dissensions, concerning the Mass, con- 
 cerning the Sacrament. And perhaps the world is 18 
 
 8 
 
36 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 punished for so long a profaning of Masses, which 
 they, who both could and ought to have amended it, 
 have so many years tolerated in the Churches. For 19 
 in the Ten Commandments it is written, " He that 
 taketh in vain the name of the Lord, shall not be held 
 guiltless:" Exod. 20 : 7. And from the beginning of 20 
 the world, there neither was nor is any divine thing, 
 which seems so. to have been employed for gain, as 
 the Mass. 
 
 There was added an opinion, which increased pri- 21 
 vate Masses infinitely; to wit, that Christ by his pas- 
 sion did satisfy for original sin, and appointed the 
 Mass, wherein an oblation should be made for daily 
 sins, both mortal and venial. Hereupon a common 22 
 opinion was received, that the Mass is a work, that 
 taketh away the sins of the quick and the dead, and 
 that for the doing of the work. Here men began to 23 
 dispute, whether one Mass said for many were of as 
 great force, as j^articular Masses said for particular 
 men. This disputation hath brought forth that in- 
 finite multitude of Masses. Our preachers have ad- 24 
 monished, concerning these 0})inions, that they do 
 depart from the holy Scrij^tures, and diminish the 
 glory of the passion of Christ. For the passion of 25 
 Christ was an oblation and satisfaction, not only for 
 original sin, but also for all other sins; as it is written 
 in the Epistle to the Hebrews, 10 : 10: " We are sane- 26 
 tified by the oblation of Jesus Christ once made:" 
 also, "By one oblation he hath perfected forever them 27 
 that are sanctified :" Heb. 10 : 14. The Scripture also 28 
 teacheth, that we are justified before God through 
 faith in Christ, when we believe that our sins are for- 
 given for Christ's sake. I^ow, if the Mass do take 29 
 away the sins of the quick and the dead, even for the 
 work's sake that is done, then justification cometh 
 by the work of Masses, and not by faith ; which the 
 Scripture cannot endure. But Christ commandeth 30 
 
ABUSES (XXIV) III. 37 
 
 US "to do it in remembrance of himself:" Luke 
 22 : 19, therefore the Mass has been instituted, that 
 faith, in them which use the Sacrament, may remem- 
 ber what benefits it receiveth by Christ, and that it 
 may raise and comfort the fearful conscience. For 31 
 this is to remember Christ, to wit, to remember his 
 benefits, and to feel and perceive that they be indeed 
 im^parted unto us. Nor is it sufficient to call to mind 32 
 the history; because that the Jews also, and the 
 wicked, can do. Therefore the Mass must be used to 33 
 this end, that there the Sacrament may be reached 
 unto them that have need of comfort; as Ambrose 
 saith, '-Because I do always sin, therefore I ought 
 always to receive the medicine." And seeing that 34 
 the Mass is such a communion of the Sacrament, we 
 do observe one common Mass every holy day, and on 
 other days, if any will use the Sacrament, at which 
 times it is offered to them which desire it. Neither 35 
 is this custom newly brought into the Church. For 
 the ancients, before Gregory's time, make no men- 
 tion of any private Mass : of the common Mass they 
 speak much. Chrysostom saith, " that the priest 36 
 doth daily stand at the altar, and call some unto the 
 Communion, and put back others." And by the an- 37 
 cient Canons it is evident that some one did celebrate 
 the Mass, of whom the other elders and deacons did 
 receive the body of the Lord. For so the words of 38 
 the Nicene Canon do sound: "Let the deacons in 
 their order, after the elders, receive the holy Com- 
 munion of a bishop, or of an elder." And Paul, con- 89 
 cerning the Communion, commandeth, "that one 
 tarry for another," 1 Cor. 11 : 33, that so there may 
 be a common participation. Seeing therefore that 40 
 the Mass amongst us hath the example of the Church, 
 out of the Scripture, and the Fathers, we trust that 
 it cannot be disapproved; especially since our public 
 ceremonies are kept, the most part, like unto the 
 
38 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 usual ceremonies: only the number of Masses is not 
 alike, the which, by reason of very great and mani- 
 fest abuses, it were certainly far better to be mod- 
 erated. For in times past also, in the Churches where- 41 
 unto was greatest resort, it was not the use to have 
 Mass said every day; as the Tripartite History, lih, 
 9, cap. 38, doth witness. "Again," saith it, "in Alex- 
 andria, every fourth and sixth day of the week, the 
 Scriptures are read, and the doctors do interpret 
 them : and all other things are done also, except only 
 the celebration of the Eucharist." 
 
 Article XXY. (IV..) 
 
 Of Confession. 
 
 Confession is not abolished in our Churches. For 1 
 it is not usual to communicate the body of our Lord, 
 except to those who have been previously examined 
 and absolved. And the people are taught most care- 2 
 fully concerning the faith required to absolution, about 
 which before these times there has been a deep silence. 
 Men are taught, that they should highly regard abso- 3 
 lution, inasmuch as it is God's voice, and pronounced 
 by God's command. 
 
 The power of the keys is honored, and mention is 4 
 made, how great consolation it brings to terrified con- 
 sciences, and that God requires faith, that we believe 
 that absolution as a voice sounding from heaven, and 
 that this faith in Christ truly obtains and receives re- 
 mission of sins. 
 
 Aforetime satisfactions were immoderately ex- 5 
 tolled: of faith, and the merit of Christ, and justifica- 
 tion by faith no mention was made. Wherefore on 
 this point our Churches are by no means to be blamed. 
 For this even our adversaries are compelled to con- 6 
 cede in regard to us, that the doctrine of repentance 
 is most diligently treated and laid open by us. 
 
ABUSES (xxvi) V. 39 
 
 But of Confession our Churches teach, that the 7 
 enumeration of sins is not necessary, nor are con- 
 sciences to be burdened with the care of enumeratino* 
 all sins, inasmuch as it is impossible to recount all sins, 
 as the Psalm (19 : 31) testifies: " Who can understand 8 
 his errors V So also Jeremiah (17 : 9) : <' The heart 
 is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. 
 Who can know it ?" But if no sins were remitted ex- 9 
 cept what were recounted, consciences could never 
 find peace, because very many sins they can neither 
 see nor remember. 
 
 The ancient writers also testify that the enumera- 10 
 tion is not necessary. For in the Decrees Chrysos- 11 
 tom is cited, who speaks thus: " I do not say to thee, 
 that thou shouldst discover thyself in public, or ac- 
 cuse thyself before others, but I would have thee 
 obey the prophet when he says: 'Reveal thy way 
 unto the Lord.' Therefore with prayer confess thy 
 sins before God the true Judge. Pronounce thine 
 errors, not with the tongue, but with the memory of 
 thy conscience.'' And the Gloss {Of Repentance y Dist. 12 
 V, Chap. Consideret), admits that Confession is of 
 human right only [is not commanded in Scripture, 
 but has been instituted by the Church]. 
 
 Nevertheless, on account of the very great benefit 13 
 of absolution, as well as for other uses to the con- 
 science, Confession is retained among us. 
 
 Article XXYI. (Y.) 
 
 Of the Diatinction of Meats, mid of Traditions. 
 
 It hath been a general opinion, not of the people 1 
 alone, but also of such as are teachers in the Churches, 
 that the differences of meats, and such like human 
 traditions, are works available to merit grace, and 
 are satisfactions for sins. And that the world thus 2 
 thought is apparent by this \ that daily new ceremo- 
 
 8* 
 
40 THE AUGSBURG .CONFESSION. 
 
 nies, new orders, new holidays, new fasts, were ap- 
 pointed : and the teachers in the Churches did exact 
 these works as a service necessary to deserve grace; 
 and they did greatly terrify men's consciences, if 
 aught were omitted. 
 
 Of this persuasion concerning traditions, many dis- 3 
 advantages have followed in the Church. For first 4 
 the doctrine of grace is obscured by it, and also the 
 righteousness of faith, which is the principal part 
 of the Gospel, and which it behoveth most of all to 
 stand forth and to have the pre-eminence in the 
 Church, that the merit of Christ may be well known, 
 and faith, which believeth that sins are remitted for 
 Christ's sake, may be exalted far above works. For 5 
 which cause also Paul lays much stress on this point : 
 he removeth the law, and human traditions, that he 
 may show that the righteousness of Christ is a far 
 other thing, than such works as these be, namely, a 
 faith, which believeth that sins are freely remitted 
 for Christ's sake. But this doctrine of Paul is almost 6 
 wholly smothered by traditions, which have bred an 
 opinion, that, by making difference in meats, and 
 such like services, a man should merit grace and jus- 
 tification. In their doctrine of repentance there was 7 
 no mention of faith; only these works of satisfaction 
 •were spoken of: repentance seemed to consist wholly 
 in these. 
 
 Secondly, these traditions obscured the command- 8 
 ments of God, because traditions were preferred far 
 above the commandments of God. All Christianity 
 was thought to be an observation of certain holidays, 
 rites, fasts, and attire. These observations were in 9 
 possession of a most goodly title, that they were the 
 spiritual life, and the perfect life. In the meantime, 10 
 God's commandments, touching every man's calling, 
 wereof saiall estimation: that the father brought up 
 his children, that the mother nurtured them, that the 
 
ABUSES (XXVIj V. 41 
 
 prince governed the commonwealth. These were re- 
 puted worldly iiflfairs, and imporfect, and far inferior 
 to those glittering observances. And this error did 11 
 greatly torment pious consciences,which were grieved 
 that they were held by an imperfect kind of life, in 
 marriage, in magistracy, or in other civil functions. 
 They had the monks, and such like, in admiration, 
 and falsely imagined that the observances of these 
 men were more grateful to God than their own. 
 
 Thirdly, traditions brought great danger to men's 12 
 consciences, because it was impossible to keep all tra- 
 ditions, and yet men thought the observation of them 
 to be necessary services. Gerson writeth, " that many 13 
 fell into despair, and some murdered themselves, be- 
 cause they perceived that they could not keep the 
 traditions:" and all this while, they never heard the 
 comfort of the righteousness of faith, or of grace. We 14 
 see the Summists and divines gather together the 
 traditions, and seek qualifications of them, to un- 
 burden men's consciences: and yet all will not serve, 
 but meantime they bring more snares upon the 
 conscience. The schools and pulpits have been so 15 
 busied in gathering together the traditions, that they 
 had not leisure to touch the Scripture, and to seek 
 out a more profitable doctrine, of faith, of the cross, 
 of hope, of the dignity of civil affairs, of the comfort 
 of conscience in arduous trials. Wherelore Gerson, 16 
 and some other divines, have made grievous com- 
 plaints, that they were hindered by these strifes 
 about traditions, so that they could not be occupied 
 in some better kind of doctrine. And Augustine for- 17 
 biddeth that men's consciences should be burdened 
 with observations of this kind, and doth very pru- 
 dently warn Januarius to know, that they are to be 
 observed as things indifferent^ for he so speaketh. 
 Wherefore our ministers must not be thought to have 18 
 touched this matter rashly, or from hatred of the 
 
42 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 bishops, as some do falsely surmise. There was great 19 
 need to admonish the Churches of those errors, which 
 did arise from mistaking of traditions : for the Gospel 20 
 compelleth men to urge the doctrine of grace, and of 
 the righteousness of faith, in the Church ; which yet 
 can never be understood, if men suppose that they 
 can merit remission of sins, and justification, by ob- 
 servances of their own choice. Thus therefore they 21 
 teach us, that we cannot merit grace, or justification, 
 by the observation of man's traditions; and there- 
 fore we must not think that such observations are 
 necessary service. Hereunto they add testimonies 22 
 out of the Scriptures. Christ excuseth his disciples, 
 which kept not the received tradition (which yet 
 seemed to be about a matter not unlawful, but indif- 
 ferent, and to have some aflSnity with the baptisms 
 of the law); and saith, "They worship me in vain 
 with the commandments of men :" Matt. 15 : 9. Christ 23 
 therefore exacteth no unprofitable service. And a 
 little after, he addeth : "Whatsoever entereth in at 
 the mouth defileth not the man:" ver. 11. So also 24 
 Paul : " The kingdom of God is not meat and drink :" 
 Eom. 15: 17. "Let no man judge you in meat or 25 
 drink, or in respect of the Sabbath-days, or of a holi- 
 day:" Col. 2:16. Again: "If ye be dead with Christ 26 
 from the rudiments of the world, why, as though ye 
 lived in the world, are ye subject to traditions ; Touch 
 not, taste not, handle not?" ver. 20, 21. Peter saith, 27 
 " Why tempt ye God, laying a yoke upon the necks 
 of the disciples, which neither we, nor our fathers, 
 were able to bear 't But we believe that throu<rh the 
 grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved, 
 even as they:" Acts 15: 10, 11. Here Peter forbid- 28 
 deth to burden the consciences with many rites, 
 whether they be of Moses', or of any others', ap- 
 pointing. And Paul calleth the forbidding of meats, 29 
 " a doctrine of devils :" 1 Tim. 4 : 1, because that it 
 
ABUSES (XXVl) V. 43 
 
 is against the Gospel, to appoint or do such works, to 
 the end that by them we may merit grace, or justifi- 
 cation, or as though Christianity could not exist with- 
 out such service. 
 
 Here our adversaries object against us, that our 30 
 ministers hinder-all good discipline, and mortification 
 of the flesh; as Jovinian did. But the contrary may 
 be seen by our men's writings. For they have al- 31 
 ways taught, touching the cross, that Christians 
 ought to bear afflictions. This is the true, earnest, 32 
 and unfeigned mortification, to be exercised with 
 divers afflictions, and to be crucified with Christ. 
 Moreover they teach, that every Christian must so 33 
 by bodily discipline, or bodily exercises and labor, 
 exercise and keep himself under, that plenty and 
 sloth do not stimulate him to sin; not that he may 
 by such exercises merit grace, or satisfy for sins. 
 And this corporal discipline should be used always, 34 
 not only on a few, and set days; according to the 
 commandment of Christ: "Take heed lest your 35 
 hearts be overcharged with surfeiting :" Luke 21 : 
 34. Again, " This kind (of devils) goeth not out but 36 
 by prayer and fasting:" Matt. 17:21. And Paul 
 saith, "I keep under my body, and bring it into 37 
 subjection :" 1 Cor. 9 : 27, where he plainly showeth, 38 
 that he did therefore chastise his body, not that by 
 that discipline he might merit remission of sins, but 
 that his body might be apt and fit for spiritual 
 things and to do his duty, according to his calling. 
 Therefore we do not condemn fasts themselves, but 39 
 the traditions which prescribe certain days and cer- 
 tain meats, with danger to the conscience, as though 
 such works as these were a necessary service. 
 
 Yet most of the traditions are observed among us, 40 
 which tend unto this end, that things may be done 
 orderly in the Church; as namely, the order of Les- 
 sons in the Mass, and the chiefest holidays. But, in 41 
 
44 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 the meantime, men are admonished, that such a ser- 
 vice doth not justify before God, and that it is not to 
 be supposed there is sin in such things, if they be left 
 undone, without scandal. This liberty in human rites 42 
 and ceremonies was not unknown to the Fathers. 
 For in the East they kept Easter at another time 43 
 than they did in Eome : and when they of Rome ac- 
 cused the East of schism for this diversity, they were 
 admonished by others, that such customs need not be 
 alike everywhere. And Irenseus saith : "The dis- 44 
 agreement about fasting doth not break off the agree- 
 ment of faith." Besides, Pope Gregory, in the 12th 
 Distinction, intimates, that such diversity doth not 
 hurt the unity of the Church : and in the Tripartite 45 
 History^ lib. 9, many examples of dissimilar rites are 
 gathered together, and these words are there re- 
 hearsed, " The mind of the Apostles was, not to give 
 precepts concerning holidays, but to preach godliness 
 and a holy life [faith and love]." 
 
 Article XXYII. (YI.) i. 
 
 Of Monastic Vows. 
 
 What is taught amongst us touching the Yows of 1 
 Monks will be better understood, if one call to mind 
 what was the state of monasteries, and how many 
 things were every day committed in the monasteries, 
 contrary to the Canons. In Augustine's time, cloister- 2 
 fraternities were free; but afterward, when discipline 
 was corrupted, vows were everywhere laid upon them, 
 that, as it were in a newly-devised prison, the disci- 
 pline might be restored again.' Over and besides vows, 3 
 many other observances by little and little were 
 added. And these bands and snares were cast upon 4 
 many, before they came to ripe years, contrary to 
 the Canons. Many through error fell into this kind 5 
 of life unawares, who, though they wanted not years, 
 
ABUSES (XXVIl) VI. 45 
 
 yet they wanted discretion to judge of their strength 
 and ability. Tliey who were once got within these 6 
 nets, were constrained to abide in them, though, by 
 the benefit of the Canons, some might be set at liberty. 
 And that fell out rather in the monasteries of nuns 7 
 than of monks; although the weaker sex ought more 
 to have been spared. This rigor and severity dis- 8 
 pleased many good men heretofore, when they saw 
 young maids and young men thrust into monasteries, 
 there to get their living. They saw what an unhappy 
 issue this counsel had, what oifences it bred, and what 
 snares it laid upon consciences. They were grieved 9 
 that the authority of the Canons was wholly neglected 
 and contemned in a thing most dangerous. To all 10 
 these evils there was added such a persuasion con- 
 cerning vows, as, it is well known, did in former 
 times, displease the monks themselves, if any of them 
 were somewhat wiser than the rest. They taught 11 
 that vows were equal to baptism : they taught that 
 by this kind of life they merited remission of sins, 
 and justification before God; yea, they added, that 12 
 the monk's life did not only merit righteousness be- 
 fore God, but more than that, because it observed, 
 not only the commandments, but also the counsels 
 oftheGospek And thus they taught, thiat the monk's 13 
 profession was better than baptism, that the monk's 
 life did merit more than the life of magistrates, of 
 pastors, and such like, who, in obedience to God's 
 commandment, followed their calling, without any 
 such religions of man's making. Noneof these things 14 
 can be denied: they are to be seen in their writings. 
 What occurred afterward in the monasteries ? In old 15 
 time they were schools for the study of sacred letters, 
 and other branches of knowledge, which were profit- 
 able to the Church; and thence were pastors and 
 bishops taken : but now the case is altered. It is 
 needless to rehearse what is notorious. In old time 16 
 
46 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 tbcy came together into such places to learn : but 
 now they feign that it is a kind of life taken up to 
 merit remission of sins, and justification ; yea, they 
 say, it is a state of perfection, and prefer it to all 
 other kinds of life, the kinds that God ordained. We 
 have therefore mentioned these things, not to excite 17 
 odium, exaggerating nothing, to the end that the doc- 
 trine of our Churches touching this matter might be 
 understood. 
 
 First, concerning such as contract marriage, thus 18 
 they teach among us : that it is lawful for any to 
 marry, that are not adapted for a single life ; foras- 
 much as vows cannot take away God's ordinance and 
 commandment. The commandment of God is, "To 19 
 avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife :" 
 1 Cor. 7 : 2. And not only the commandment, but 20 
 also the creation and ordinance of God, compelleth 
 such unto marriage, as without the special work of 
 God are not exempted; according to that saying, "It 
 is not good for man to be alone :" Gen. 2 : 18. They 21 
 therefore that are obedient to this commandment ai^d 
 ordinance of God, do not sin. 
 
 What can be said against these things ? Let a man 22 
 exaggerate the bond of a vow as much as he will, yet 
 can he never bring to pass that the vow shall take 
 aw^ay God's commandment. The Canons teach, "that 23 
 in every vow the right of the superior is excepted :'^ 
 much less therefore can these vows, which are con- 
 trary to God's commandment, be of force. 
 
 If so be that the obligation of vows has no cause 24 
 why it might be changed, then could not the Roman 
 Pontiffs have dispensed therewith. For neither is it 
 lawful for man to disannul that bond, which doth 
 simply belong to the law of God. But the Eoman 25 
 Pontiffs have judged very prudently, that in this obli- 
 gation there must equity be used: therefore they 
 often, as we read, have dispensed wath vows. The 26 
 
ABUSES (XXVII) VI. - 47 
 
 history of the King of Arragon, heing called back out 
 of a monastery, is well known ; and there are exam- 
 ples in our own time. 
 
 Secondly, why do our adversaries exaggerate the 27 
 obligation, or the effect of the vow ; when in the mean- 
 time they speak not a word of the very nature of a 
 vow, that it ought to be in a thing possible, ought to 
 be voluntary, and taken up of a man's own accord, 
 and with deliberation ? But it is not unknown, how 28 
 far perpetual chastity is in the power of a man. And 
 how many a one amongst them is there, that doth 
 vow of his own accord, and well advised? Maidens 29 
 and youths, before they know how to judge, are per- 
 suaded, yea, sometimes also compelled, to vow. Where- 30 
 fore it is not meet to dispute so rigorously of the obli- 
 gation, seeing that all men confess, that it is against 
 the nature of a vOw, that it is not done of a man's 
 own accord, nor advisedly. 
 
 The Canons for the most part disannul vows, which 31 
 are made before fifteen years of age ; because that, 
 before one come to that age, there seemeth not 
 to be so much judgment, that determination may be 
 made concerning a perpetual life. Another Canon, 32 
 permitting more to the weakness of men, doth add 
 some years more; for it forbiddeth a vow to be made, 
 before one be eighteen j^ears of age. But which of 33 
 these shall we follow? The greatest part have this 
 excuse for forsaking monasteries, because most of 
 them vowed before they came to this age. 
 
 Last of all, even though the breaking of a vow were 34' 
 to be reprehended, yet it seems not to follow directly 
 that the marriages of such persons are to be dissolved. 
 For Augustine, in his 27th quest. 1st chapt. Of Mar- 35 
 riages, doth deny that they ought to be dissolved : and 
 his authority is not lightly to be esteemed, although 
 others afterward have thought otherwise. And al- 36 
 though the commandment of God, touching wedlock, 
 
 9 
 
48 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 doth free most men from vows; yet our teachers do 
 also bring another reason concerning vows, to show 
 that they are void : because that all the worship of 
 God, instituted of men without the commandment of 
 God, and chosen to merit remission of sins, and justi- 
 fication, is wicked ; as Christ saith : *' In vain they 
 do worship me, teaching for doctrines the command- 
 ments of men :" Matt. 15 : 9. And Paul doth every- 37 
 where teach, that righteousness is not to be sought 
 of our own observances, and services which are de- 
 vised by men ; but that it cometh by faith to those 
 that believe that they are received into favor by 
 God for Christ's sake. But it is evident that the 38 
 monks did teach, that these counterfeited religions 
 satisfy for sins, and merit grace and justification. 
 "What else is this, than to detract from the glory of 
 Christ, and to obscure and deny the righteousness of 
 faith? Wherefore it foUoweth, that these common 39 
 vows were wicked services, and are therefore void. 
 For a wicked vow, and that which is made against the 40 
 commandments of God, is one of no force; neither, as 
 the Canon saith, ought a vow to be a bond of iniquity. 
 Paul saith, " Christ is become of no eff'ect unto you, 41 
 whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are 
 fallen from grace:" Gal. 5 : 4. They therefore who 42 
 wish to be justified by vows, are made void of Christ, 
 and fall from grace. For they also who attribute 43 
 justification to their vows, attribute to their own 
 works what properly belongs to the glory of Christ. 
 Nor truly can it be denied, that the monks taught that 44 
 they are justified by their vows and observances, and 
 merit the remission of sins ; nay, they invented yet 
 greater absurdities, and said they could transfer their 
 good works to others. If any man wished to expand 45 
 these things, so as to excite odium, how many things 
 might he rehearse, whereof the monks themselves are 
 now ashamed ! Moreover, they would persuade men 46 
 
ABUSES (XXVIl) VI. 49 
 
 that these invented religious orders are a state of Chris- 
 tian perfection. Or is this not attributing justification 47 
 to works ? It is no light offence in the Church to pro- 48 
 pound unto the people a certain service devised by 
 men, without the commandment of God, and to teach 
 that such a service doth justify men: because that 
 the righteousness of faith, which ought especially to 
 be taught in the Church, is obscured, when those mar- 
 vellous religions of angels, the pretence of poverty 
 and humility, and of celibacy, are cast before men's 
 eyes. Moreover the commandments of God, and the 49 
 true worship of God, are obscured, when men hear 
 that monks alone are in that state of perfection : be- 
 cause that Christian perfection is this, to fear God 
 sincerely, and again, to conceive great faith, and to 
 trust assuredly that God is pacified toward us, for 
 Christ's sake ; to ask, and certainly to look for, help 
 from God in all our afi'airs, according to our calling; 
 and outwardly to do good works diligently, and to 
 attend to our vocation. In these things doth true per- 50 
 fection and the true worship of God consist : it doth 
 not consist in singleness of life, in beggary, or in vile 
 apparel. 
 
 The people doth also conceive many pernicious 51 
 opinions from these false commendations of the mon- 
 astic life. They hear celibacy praised above measure : 52 
 therefore with offence of conscience they live in mar- 
 riage. They hear that mendicants only are perfect ; 53 
 therefore with offence of conscience they keep their 
 possessions, and buy and sell. They hear that the 54 
 Gospel only giveth counsel not to take revenge : 
 therefore some in private life are not afraid to 
 avenge themselves ; for they hear that it is a coun- 
 sel, not a commandment. Others do think that all 55 
 magistracy and civil oflBces are unworthy a Christian 
 man. We read examples of men, who, forsaking wed- 56 
 lock, and leaving the government of the common- 
 
60 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 wealth, have hid themselves in monasteries. This 57 
 they called flying out of the world, and seeking a kind 
 of life which is more acceptable to God : neither did 
 they see that God is to be served in those command- 
 ments which he himself hath delivered, not in the 
 commandments which are devised by men. That is 58 
 a good and perfect kind of life, which hath the com- 
 mandment of God for it. It is necessary to admonish 59 
 men of these things. And before these times Gerson 60 
 did reprehend this error of the monks concerning per- 
 fection; and witnesseth, that in his time this was a 
 new saying, that the monastical life is a state of per- 
 fection. Thus many wicked opinions do cleave fast 61 
 unto vows : as that they merit remission of sins and 
 justification, that they are Christian perfection, that 
 they do keep the counsels and commandments, that 
 they have works of supererogation. All these things 62 
 (seeing they be false and vain) do make vows to be 
 of none effect. 
 
 Article XXYIII. (YII.) 
 
 i 
 
 Of Ecclesiastical Power. 
 
 There have been great controversies touching the 1 
 power of bishops; in which many have incommo- 
 diously mingled together the Ecclesiastical power, 
 and the power of the sword. And out of this confu- 2 
 sion there have sprung very great wars and tumults, 
 while that the Pontiffs trusting in the power of the 
 keys, have not only appointed new kinds of service, 
 and burdened men's consciences by reserving of cases, 
 and by violent excommunications; but have also en- 
 deavored to transfer worldly kingdoms from one to 
 another, and to despoil emperors of their power and 
 authority. These faults did godly and learned men 3 
 long since reprehend in the Church ; and for that 4 
 cause, our teachers were compelled, for the comfort 
 
ABUSES (XXVIIl) VII. 61 
 
 of men's consciences, to show the difference between 
 the Ecclesiastical power and the power of the sword. 
 And they have taught that both of them, because of 
 God's commandment, are dutifully to be reverenced 
 and honored, as the chiefest blessings of God upon 
 earth. 
 
 Now, their judgment is this: that the power of the 5 
 keys, or the power of the bishops, by the rule of the 
 Gospel, is a power, or commandment from God, of 
 preaching the Gospel, of remitting or retaining sins, 
 and of administering the Sacraments. For Christ 6 
 doth send his Apostles with this charge: "As the 
 Father hath sent me, even so send I you. Receive 
 ye the Holy Ghost : whosesoever sins ye remit, they 
 are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye re- 
 tain, they are retained:" John 20 : 21-23. " Go, and 7 
 preach the Gospel to every creature," &c. : Mark 16 : 
 15. This power is put in execution, only by teaching 8 
 or preaching the Gospel, and administering the Sacra- 
 ments, either to many, or to single individuals, in ac- 
 cordance with their call. For thereby not corporal 9 
 things, but eternal, are granted; as an et-ernal right- 
 eousness, the Holy Ghost, life everlasting. These 10 
 things cannot be got, but by the ministry of the word 
 and of the Sacraments: as Paul saith, " The Gospel is 
 the power of God to salvation to every one that be- 
 lieveth :" Eom. 1:16. Seeing then that the Eccle- 11 
 siastical power concerneth things eternal, and is exer- 
 cised only by the ministry of the word, it hindereth 
 not the political government, any more than the art 
 of singing hinders political government. For the 12 
 political administration is occupied about other mat- 
 ters than is the Gospel. The magistracy defends not 
 the minds, but the bodies, and bodily things, against 
 manifest injuries; and coerces men by the sword and 
 corporal punishments, that it may uphold civil jus- 
 tice and peace. 
 
 9* 
 
52 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 Wherefore the Ecclesiastical and civil powers are 13 
 not to be confounded. The Ecclesiastical power hath 
 its own commandment to preach the Gospel, and ad- 
 minister the Sacraments. Let it not by force enter 14 
 into the office of another; let it not transfer worldly 
 kingdoms; let it not abrogate the magistrates' laws; 
 let it not withdraw from them lawful obedience; let 
 it not hinder judgments touching any civil ordinances 
 or contracts ; let it not prescribe laws to the magis- 
 trate, touching the form of the republic; as Christ 
 saith, " My kingdom is not of this world :" John 18 : 15 
 36. Again, " Who made me a judge or a divider over 16 
 you ?" Luke 12 : 14. And Paul saith, " Our conver- 17 
 sation [citizenship] is inlieaven :" Phil. 3 : 20. " The 
 weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty 
 through God, casting down imaginations," &c. : 2 Cor. 
 10 : 4. In this way do our teachers distinguish be- 18 
 tween the duties of each power one from the other, 
 and do warn all men to honor both powers, and to 
 acknowledge both to be the [highest] gift and bless- 
 ing of God. J 
 
 If so be that the bishops have any power of the 19 
 sword, they have it not as bishops by the command- 
 ment of the Gospel, but by man's law given unto 
 them of kings and emperors, for the civil government 
 of their goods. This, however, is a kind of function 
 diverse from the ministry of the Gospel. 
 
 Therefore, when the question touches the jurisdic- 20 
 tion of bishops, government must be distinguished 
 from Ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Again, by the Gos- 21 
 pel, or, as they term it, by divine right, bishops, as 
 bishops, that is, those who have the administration 
 of the word and Sacraments committed to them, have 
 no other jurisdiction at all, but only to remit sin, also 
 to take cognizance of [to judge in regard to] doctrine, 
 and to reject doctrine inconsistent with the Gospel, 
 and to exclude from the communion of the Church, 
 
ABUSES (XXVIII) VII. 53 
 
 without human force, but by the word [of God], those 
 whose wickedness is known. And heroin of neccs- 22 
 sity the Churches ought by Divine right to render 
 obedience unto them; according to the saying of 
 Christ, " He that heareth you, heareth me :" Luke 
 10 : 16. But when they teach or determine anything 23 
 contrary to the Gospel, then have the Churches a 
 commandment of God, which forbiddoth obedience 
 to them : " Beware of false prophets :" Matt. 7 : 15. 
 "If an angel from heaven preach any other Gospel, 24 
 let him be accursed :" Gal. 1:9. " We cannot do any- 25 
 thing against the truth, but for the truth :" 2 Cor. 
 13 : 8. Also, " This power is given us to edify, and 26 
 not to destroy:" 2 Cor. 13 : 10. So do the Canons 27 
 command ; ii, qua^st 7, Cap. Sacerdotes ; and Cap. Oves. 
 And Augustine, in his Treatise against Petilian's Epis- 28 
 tie, saith, "Neither must we subscribe to Catholic 
 bishops, if they chance to err, or determine anything 
 contrary to the canonical Scriptures." 
 
 If so be that they have any other power or juris- 29 
 diction, in hearing and understanding certain cases, 
 as namely, of Matrimony, and Tithes, &c., they hold 
 it by human right. But when the ordinaries fail [to 
 attend to this office], princes are constrained, whether 
 they wish to do so or not, to declare the law to their 
 subjects, for maintaining of peace. 
 
 Besides these things, there is a controversy, whether 30 
 bishops or pastors have power to institute ceremonies 
 in the Church, and to make laws concerning meats, 
 and holidays, and degrees, or orders of ministers. 
 They that ascribe this power to the bishops, allege 31 
 this testimony for it : "I have yet many things to say 
 unto you, but ye cannot bear them now; but when 
 that Spirit of truth shall come, he shall teach you all 
 truth :" John 16 : 12, 13. They allege also the exam- 32 
 pies of the Apostles, who commanded to abstain from 
 blood, and that which was strangled : Acts 15 : 29. 
 
54 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 They allege the change of the Sabbath into the Lord's 33 
 day, contrary, as it seemeth, to the Decalogue ; and 
 they have no example more in their mouths, than 
 the change of the Sabbath. They will needs have 
 the Church's power to be very great, because it hath 
 dispensed with a precept of the Decalogue. 
 
 But of this question ours do thus teach : that the 34 
 bishops have no power to ordain anything contrary 
 to the Gospel, as was showed before. The same also 
 do the Canons teach. Distinct. 9. Moreover it is 35 
 against the Scripture, to ordain or require the ob- 
 servation of any traditions, to the end that we may 
 merit remission of sins, and satisfy for sins by them. 
 For the glory of Christ's merit suffers, when we 36 
 seek by such observances to merit justification. And 37 
 it is very apparent, that through this persuasion tra- 
 ditions grew into an infinite number in the Church. 
 In the meanwhile, the doctrine concerning faith, and 
 the righteousness of faith, was quite suppressed, for 
 thereupon there were new holidays made, new fasts 
 appointed, new ceremonies, new worships for saints, 
 instituted; because that the authors of such things 
 supposed by these works to merit grace. After the 38 
 same manner heretofore did the Penitential Canons 
 increase, whereof we still see some traces in satis- 
 factions. 
 
 Moreover the authors of traditions do contrary to 39 
 the command of God, when they find matters of sin in 
 foods, in days and like things, and burden the Church 
 with the servitude of the law, as if there ought to 
 be among Christians, in order to merit justification, 
 a service like the Levitical, the ordination of which 
 God has committed to the Apostles and bishops. 
 For this some of them write, and the Pontiffs in some 40 
 measure seem to be misled by the example of the 
 Law of Moses. From hence are those burdens, that 41 
 it is mortal sin, even without offence to others, to do 
 
ABUSES (XXVIIl) VII. 55 
 
 manual labor on the festivals, that it is a mortal sin 
 to omit the Canonical Hours, that certain foods de- 
 file the conscience, that fastings are works which 
 appease God; that sin, in a reserved case, cannot be 
 pardoned, but by the authority of him that reserved 
 it ; whereas the Canons speak only of reserving of 
 Ecclesiastical penalty, and not of the reserving of the 
 fault. Whence, then, have the bishops power and 42 
 authority of imposing these traditions upon the 
 Churches, for the ensnaring of men's consciences, 
 when Peter forbids (Acts 15:10) "to put a yoke upon 
 the neck of the disciples," and St. Paul says (2 Cor. 
 13 : 10) that the power given him was to edification, 
 not to destruction ? Why, therefore, do they increase 
 sins by these traditions? For there are divers clear 43 
 testimonies, which prohibit the making of such tradi- 
 tions, either to merit grace, or as things necessary to 
 salvation. Paul saith to the Colossians, ^' Let no man 44 
 judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an 
 holiday^ or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath 
 days:" Col. 2: 16. Again, *' If ye be dead with 45 
 Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as 
 though living in the world, are ye subject to ordi- 
 nances (Touch not, taste not, handle not? which all 
 are to perish with the using), after the commandments 
 and doctrines of men ? which thingi indeed have a 
 show of wisdom :" Col. 2 : 20-23. And to Titus he 46 
 doth plainly forbid traditions: for he saith, "Not 
 giving heed to Jewish fables, and to commandments 
 of men, that turn from the truth :" Tit. 1 : 14. And 47 
 Christ saith of them, which urge traditions, " Let 
 them alone; they be blind leaders of the blind:" Matt. 
 15: 14. And he condemneth such services: "Every 48 
 plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted, 
 shall be rooted up:" ver. 13. If bishops have author- 49 
 ity to burden the Churches with innumerable tradi- 
 tions, and to snare men's consciences, why doth the 
 
56 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 Scripture so oft forbid to make and to listen to tra- 
 ditions? Why doth it call them the doctrines of 
 devils? 1 Tim. 4 : 1. Hath the Holy Ghost warned 
 US of them to no purpose? 
 
 It reraaineth, then, that (seeing ordinations, con- 50 
 stituted as necessary, or with the opinion of meriting 
 grace, are repugnant to the Gospel) it is not lawful 
 for anj^ bishops to institute or exact such worship. 
 For it is necessary that the doctrine of Christian lib- 51 
 erty should be maintained in the Churches [Christen- 
 dom] ; that the bondage of the law is not necessary 
 unto justification, as it is written to the Galatians, 
 *' Be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage:" 
 Gal. 5:1. It is necessary that the chiefest point of 52 
 all the Gospel should be holden fast, that we do freely 
 obtain grace, by faith in Christ, not because of certain 
 observances, or of services devised by men. 
 
 What is then to be thought of the Lord's day, and 53 
 of like rites of temples ? Hereunto they [ours] an- 
 swer, that it is lawful for bishops or pastors to make 
 ordinances^ whereby things may be done in order in 
 the Church ; not that by them we may merit grace, 
 or satisfy for sins, or that men's consciences should 
 be bound to esteem them as necessary services, and 
 think that they sin when they violate them, without 
 the oifence of others. So Paul ordained, " that women 54 
 should cover their heads in the congregation :" 1 Cor. 
 11 : 6; "that the interpreters of Scripture should be 
 heard in order, in the Church :" 1 Cor. 14 : 27. 
 
 Such ordinances it behooveth the Churches to keep 55 
 for charity and quietness' sake, so that one offend not 
 another, that all things may be done in order, and 
 without tumult in the Church, 1 Cor. 14 : 40, and 
 Phil. 2 : 14, but so that consciences be not burdened, 56 
 so as to account them as things necessary to salvation, 
 and think they sin when they violate them, without 
 offence of others : as no one would say that a woman 
 
ABUSES (XXVIIl) VII. 57 
 
 sins, if she went into public with her head uncovered, 
 provided it were without the offence of men. 
 
 Such is the observation of the Lord's day, of Easter, 57 
 of Pentecost, and like holidays and rites. For they 58 
 that think that the observation of the Lord's day was 
 appointed by the authority of the Church, instead of 
 the Sabbath, as necessar}^, are greatly deceived. The 59 
 Scripture, which teacheth that all the Mosaical cere- 
 monies can be omitted after the Gospel is revealed, 
 has abrogated the Sabbath. And yet, because it was 60 
 requisite to appoint a certain day, that the people 
 might know when they ought to come together, it 
 appears that the [Christian] Church did for that pur- 
 pose appoint the Lord's day: which for this cause 
 also seemed to have been pleasing, that men might 
 have an example of Christian liberty, and might 
 know that the observation, neither of the Sabbath, 
 nor of another day, was of necessity. 
 
 There are certain marvellous disputations touching 61 
 the changing of the law, and the ceremonies of the 
 new law, and the change of the Sabbath: which all 
 arose from the false persuasion, that there should be 
 a service in the Church, like to the Levitical; and 
 that Christ committed to the Apostles and bishops, 
 the devising new ceremonies, which should be neces- 
 sary to salvation. These errors crept into the Church, 62 
 when the righteousness of faith was not plainly enough 
 taught. Some dispute, that the observation of the 63 
 Lord's day is not indeed of the law of God, but as it 
 were of the law of God: and touching holidays, they 
 prescribe how far it is lawful to work in them. What 64 
 else are such disputations, but snares for men's con- 
 sciences? For though they seek to moderate tradi- 
 tions, yet the equity of them can never be perceived, 
 so long as the opinion of necessity remaineth; which 
 must needs remain, where the righteousness of faith, 
 and Christian liberty are not known. 
 
58 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 The Apostles commanded to abstain from blood : 65 
 Acts 15 : 29. Who observeth that nowadays? And 
 yet they do not sin, that observe it not. For the 
 Apostles themselves would not burden men's con- 
 sciences with such a servitude: but tliey forbade it for 
 a time, because of scandal. For in the decree, the 66 
 willof the Gospelis always to be considered. Scarcely 67 
 any Canons are precisely kept; and many grow out 
 of use daily, yea, even among them that do most 
 busily defend traditions. Neither can there be suffi- 68 
 cient care had of men's consciences, except this equity 
 be kept, that men should know that such rites are 
 not to be observed with any opinion of necessity, and 
 that men's consciences are not hurt, though traditions 
 grow out of use. 
 
 The bishops might easily retain lawful obedience, 69 
 if they would not urge men to observe such traditions 
 as cannot be kept with a good conscience. Now they 70 
 command single life; and they admit none, except 
 they will swear not to teach the pure doctrine of the 
 Gospel. The Churches do not desire of the bishops, 71 
 that they would repair peace and concord with the 
 loss of their honor (which yet good pastors ought to 
 do) : they only desire that they would remit unjust 72 
 burdens, which are both new, and received contrary 
 to the custom of the Catholic [Christian Universal] 
 Church. It may well be, that some constitutions had 73 
 some probable reasons, when they began, which yet 
 will not agree to latter times. It is evident, that 74 
 some were received through error. Wherefore it 
 were a matter for the pontifical gentleness to miti- 
 gate them now; for such a change would not over- 
 throw the unity of the Church. For many human 
 traditions have been changed in time, as the Canons 
 themselves declare. But if it cannot be obtained, 75 
 that those observances may be relaxed, which cannot 
 be kept without sin, then must we follow the Apos- 
 
CONCLUSION. 59 
 
 ties' rule, which willeth " to obey God rather than 
 men :" Acts 5 : 29. Peter forbicldeth bishops to be 76 
 lords, and to be imperious over the Churches: 1 Pet. 
 5 : 3. Now our meaning is not to have rule taken 77 
 from the bishops : 'but this one thing only is requested 
 at their hands, that they would suffer the Gospel to 
 be purely taught, and that they would relax a few ob- 
 servances, which cannot be held without sin. But if 
 they will remit none, let them look how they will 
 give account to God for this, that by their obstinacy 
 they afford cause of schism. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 These are the principal articles which seem to be 1 
 matters of controversy. For although we might 
 speak of more abuses, yet that we may avoid undue 
 length, we have embraced a few, whereby it is easy 
 to judge of the others. Great have been the com- 2 
 plaints about indulgences, about pilgrimages, about 
 the abuse of excommunication. The Parishes have 
 been vexed in manifold ways by the stationarii. End- 
 less contentions have arisen between the pastors and 
 the monks about parochial law, about confession, 
 about burials, about sermons on extraordinary occa- 
 sions, and about other things without number. Things 3 
 of this sort we pass over, that those which are chief 
 in this matter being briefly set forth may more easily 
 be noted. Nor has anything been here said or ad- 4 
 duced for the purpose of casting reproach on any one. 
 Those things also have been enumerated, which it 5 
 seemed necessary to say, that it might be understood, 
 that in doctrine and ceremonials among us there is 
 nothing received contrary to Scripture or to the 
 
 10 
 
60 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 Catholic [Universal Christian] Church, inasmuch as 
 it is manifest that we have diligently taken heed that 
 no new and godless doctrines should creep into our 
 Churches. 
 
 In accordance with the Edict of His Imperial Maj- 6 
 esty, we wish to present these articles above written, 
 in which is our Confession, and in which is seen a 
 summary of the doctrine of those who teach among 
 us. If anything be lacking in this Confession, we are 7 
 prepared, God willing, to present ampler information, 
 in accordance with the Scriptures. 
 
 Your Imperial Majesty's 8 
 
 most faithful and humble, 
 
 John, Duke of Saxony, Elector. 9 
 
 George, Margrave of Brandenburg. 10 
 
 Ernest, Duke of Luneburg. 11 
 
 Philip, Landgrave of Hesse. 12 
 
 John Frederick, Duke of Saxony. 13 
 
 Francis, Duke of Luneburg. 14 
 
 Wolfgang, Prince of Anhalt. 15 
 
 Senate and Magistracy of Nurenber^. 16 
 Senate of Eeutlingen. 17 
 
NOTES 
 
 ON SOME PAKTS OF THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION 
 WHICH HAVE BEEN MISUNDERSTOOD. 
 
 I. 
 
 OF BAPTISM. 
 
 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION DOES NOT TEACH THE ABSOLUTE 
 NECESSITY OF BAPTISM TO SALVATION. 
 
 1. "This disease, or original fault, is truly sin, con- 
 demning and bringing eternal death now also upon all 
 that are not born again by baptism and the Holy Spirit." 
 Art. II, 3. 
 
 These words are substantially a repetition of the lan- 
 guage of our Lord : John 3:5: " Except a man be born 
 of the water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the 
 kingdom of God." 
 
 Our Saviour's words and the Confession mean that to 
 every one "born of the flesh," there is an absolute neces- 
 sity of regeneration, or the new birth, of which the Holy 
 Spirit is always the cause, and Baptism the ordinary, yet 
 not absolutely essential means. The language, in neither 
 case, is meant to exclude the idea that when the ordinary 
 means cannot be had, the Holy Ghost may cause the new 
 birth in a direct or extraordinary way. 
 
 2. " Of Baptism, they teach that it is necessary to sal- 
 vation." Art. IX, 1. 
 
 That is, as instituted and commanded of God our Sav- 
 iour, as an ordinary means of salvation, which we are 
 
 ( 61 ) 
 
62 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION 
 
 bound to use, yet not in such sense of absolute necessity 
 that salvation is in no case to be had without it, if it can- 
 not be obtained. 
 
 3. " They condemn the Anabaptists, who allow not the 
 Baptism of children, and affirm that children are saved 
 without Baptism." Art. IX, 3. 
 
 God's operations are usually by means ; his ordinary 
 operations by ordinary means. When he appoints no 
 means to an end, it is not to be presumed that he de- 
 signs that end, or if he demonstrably purposes a certain 
 end, tlie inference is just that he lias certain means for 
 it. Infants are ordinarily saved by Baptism as God's 
 ordinary means, but God is not so bound to the means 
 that He cannot save them without means. The Ana- 
 baptist doctrine was that children are not saved by the 
 grace of the Holy Ghost in Baptism, even when they re- 
 ceive it, — but if they are saved at all, are saved without 
 regeneration, of which it was assumed they had no need, 
 or that if regenerated they were ordinarily regenerated 
 without an}'^ ordinary means whatever. This doctrine 
 our Confession rejected, holding that infants always re- 
 quired regeneration, were ordinarily saved by Baptism 
 as the ordinary means, and that when deprived of it 
 their regeneration and salvation were extraordinary; 
 that is, special, and out of the usual order of God's ar- 
 rangement. The doctrine that God has appointed no 
 ordinary means for the salvation of infants throws doubts 
 upon their salvation, while the doctrine of the Confession 
 creates the strongest assurance that He who has ap- 
 pointed ordinary means for infant salvation, so heartily 
 desires it, that when the ordinary means fail, He will se- 
 cure it in some other way.* 
 
 * For a fuller discussion of this subject, see: Baptism : the Doc- 
 trine set forth in Holy Scripture, and taught in the Evangelical 
 Lutheran Church. Philada. : 807 Vine Street. 8vo, pp. 73. 
 
NOTES. 63 
 
 4. In regard to the salvation of infants dying un bap- 
 tized, the language of Luther is very explicit. In his 
 " Christliche Bedencken," published in 1542,* in reply to 
 the anxious questions of Christian mothers, he rebukes 
 and forbids the superstitious practice of the Eomish 
 Church, of ba])tizing a child not fully born — a practice 
 based upon the idea, of the absolute necessity of Bap- 
 tism, to the salvation of a child, and which would find 
 some justification in that theory. 
 
 He directs, that those who are present, shall hold 
 firmly to Christ's words: " Unless a man be born again, 
 be cannot enter into the kingdom of God," and shall 
 kneel down, and, in faith, pray that the Lord will make 
 this (unbaptized) child, partaker in his sufferings and 
 death, and shall then not doubt^ that He knows full well 
 how, according to his divine grace and pity, to fulfil that 
 prayer. 
 
 Wherefore, since the little child (unbaptized) has, by 
 our earnest prayer, been brought to Christ, and this 
 prayer has been uttered in faith, what we beg, is estab- 
 lished with God, and heard of him, and he gladly re- 
 ceiveth it (the child): as he himself says, Mark 10 : 14: 
 " Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them 
 not : for of such is the kingdom of God." Then should 
 we hold that the little child, though it has not obtained 
 Baptism, is not on that account lost (" das Kindlein, ob 
 es wohl die rechte Taufe nicht erlanget, davon nicht 
 verlohren ist)." There are other passages in Luther, 
 on the same subject, but what we have given is sufficient. 
 
 5. This "Bedencken" of Luther's, was accompanied 
 by an Exposition of the 29th Psalm, by Bugenhagen 
 (Pomeranus), which Luther indorses. The main object 
 of Bugenhagen, in the Treatise, is to give consolation in 
 regard to unbaptized children, over against, what ho 
 
 * Leipz. Edit, xxii, 400-422. 
 10* 
 
64 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 styles, " the shameful error, drawn not from God's Word, 
 but from man's dreams, that such children are lost." 
 Bugenhagen,* after teaching parents to commit to God, 
 in prayer, their child which cannot be baptized, adds: 
 '' This shall we assuredly believe, that Christ receives the 
 child, and we should not commit it to the secret judg- 
 ment of God. To commit it to the secret judgment of 
 God, is to throw to the wind, and despise the promises 
 in regard to little children." Both Luther and Bugen- 
 hagen discuss, at large, the arguments for, and the ob- 
 jections against the doctrine of the salvation of unbap- 
 tized children, and demonstrate that it is no part of 
 the faith of our Church, that Baptism is absolutely neces- 
 sary; that is, that there are no exceptions nor limitations 
 to the proposition that, unless a man be born again, of 
 water or Baptism, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 
 Luther and Bugenhagen condemn those who refuse 
 to unbaptized children, the rites of Christian burial, and 
 who object to lay their bodies in consecrated ground, as 
 if they were outside of the Church. " We bury them," 
 say they, "as Christians, confessing, thereby, tha| we 
 believe the strong assurance of Christ." "The bodies 
 of these (unbaptized) children, have part in the joyous 
 Resurrection — the Resurrection of life." 
 
 n. 
 
 PEKSON OF CHRIST. 
 
 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION DOES NOT TEACH THE ESSEN- 
 TIAL OMNIPRESENCE OR LOCAL UBIQUITY OF THE HUMAN 
 NATURE OF OUR LORD. 
 
 " There are two natures, the Divine and human, insep- 
 arably joined together." Art. Ill, 2. 
 
 This means that the Divine and human natures are 
 * Leipz. Edit, xxii, 418. 
 
NOTES. 65 
 
 not only never separated, but are incapable of separation, 
 either in time or space. As there is, since the incarna- 
 tion, no time at which they have been or will be separated, 
 so is there no place in which they are or will be separated. 
 But this is not because the human nature has an essen- 
 tial omnipresence^ that is, the power in and of itself to bo 
 everywhere present, but because it is rendered present 
 in, through, and by the Divine nature, with whose person 
 it is in unity. Nor is this personal omnipresence of our 
 Lord's human nature a local ubiquity, but as the Divine 
 nature is present essentially in and of itself, without ex- 
 tension or locality, so does it render the human nature 
 present without extension or locality. The presence of 
 each is equally real, and equally incomprehensible, the 
 Divine present of itself, and the human rendered present 
 though the Divine.* 
 
 ni. 
 
 CONSUBSTANTI ATION . 
 
 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION DOES NOT TEACH THE 
 DOCTRINE OP CONSUBSTANTIATION. 
 
 1. '' Of the Supper of the Lord they teach that the 
 [true] body and blood of Christ are truly present." Art. 
 X,l. 
 
 " Christ's body," says Luther,f " has three modes of 
 presence: First. Thecomprehensible, corporal mode, such 
 as he used when he was on earth, local. To this mode 
 of presence the Scripture refers, when it says CLrist has 
 left the world. Second. In another incomprehensible 
 and spiritual mode, it can be present, illocally. More- 
 over, it can be present in a Divine and heavenly mode, 
 
 * See : The Person of our Lord and His Sacramental Presence. 
 Philada. : 807 Vine Street. 8vo, pp. 44. 
 f Quoted in the Formula of Concord, 667, 98-103. 
 
66 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 since it is one person with God." * The current error 
 about this view of our Church is, that she holds that 
 the body and blood of Christ are present in the first 
 of these modes, — a view she entirely rejects. Though 
 she denies that this presence is merely spiritual, if the 
 word spiritual means such as is wrought by our spirit, 
 our meditations, our faith, yet over against all carnal or 
 local presence, she maintains that it is spiritual. " When," 
 says the Formula of Concord,* "Dr. Luther or we use 
 this word ' spiritually,' in reference to this matter, we 
 mean that spiritual, supernatural, heavenly mode, accord- 
 ing to which Christ is present at the Holy Supper. . . . 
 By that word 'spiritually,' we design to exclude those 
 Capernaitish imaginings of a gross and carnal presence, 
 which, after so many public protestations on the part of 
 our Churches, the Sacramentarians still try to fix on 
 them. In this sense we say that the body and blood of 
 Christ in the Supper is received, eaten and drunken, 
 spiritually. . . . The mode is spiritual." 
 
 2. " [Under the form of bread and wine]." Art. X, 2. 
 
 i 
 
 The first object of this part of the Article was to re- 
 ject the Komish doctrine, Transubstantiation. 
 
 By the " form or species of bread and wine," is meant, 
 as the Apology expresses it (X, 54), ''the visible things, 
 to wit, bread and wine." The Eeformers had long be- 
 fore rejected and refuted the doctrine of Transubstantia- 
 tion. In the Smalcald Articles (VI, 5), Luther and our 
 Church say : " We despise the sophistic subtlety of 
 Transubstantiation, in which they feign that the bread 
 and wine lose their natural substance — and that the 
 mere form and color of bread — not real bread, remain." 
 
 Another object was to reject the Eomish abuse of 
 withholding the cup from the laity; hence the Confes- 
 sion says "bread and wine," — and under the Abuses (Art. 
 
 * P. 670, 105. 
 
NOTES. 
 
 67 
 
 XXII), a fuller statement in regard to the Communion, 
 in both kinds, is given. 
 
 So in the Formula of Concord, 541, 22: "We reject 
 and condemn, with unanimous consent, the Papal Tran- 
 substantiation." 
 
 " We reject and condemn with heart and mouth, as 
 false and full of fraud, first of all, the Popish Transub- 
 stantiation." (Formula of Concord, 670, 108.) 
 
 " It is said that the body and blood of Christ are ' under 
 the form of bread and wine,' and 'in the Supper,' not 
 to imply a local conjunction or presence, but for other 
 and very different reasons." 
 
 ''Our first reason for using the phrases, that the body 
 of Christ is under, with, in the bread, is by them to re- 
 ject the Popish Tran substantiation, and to set forth that 
 the substance of the bread is unchanged." (Formula of 
 Concord, 654, 35.) 
 
 The w^ords " under" and " in," are meant to teach that 
 "the bread which we break, and the cup we bless, are 
 the Communion of the body and blood of Christ;" that is, 
 communicate that body and blood to us,— or, in other 
 words, we receive the body and blood, ivith the bread and 
 wine, or " in " or " under" them as a medium. 
 
 By, in, with, and under the act of receiving the sacra- 
 mental bread and wine truly and naturally, we receive 
 the body and blood of Christ, substantially present, 
 truly and supernaturally, after a heavenly and spiritual 
 
 manner. 
 
 Thus also, by, in, with, and under the act of receiving 
 the word of God truly and naturally, we receive the 
 Holy Spirit, substantially present, truly and supernat- 
 urally, after a heavenly and spiritual manner. As the 
 ear is the natural organ of the supernatural reception in 
 the one case, so is the mouth in the other. As we hear 
 the Holy Ghost in, with, and under the Word, so do we 
 eat Christ's body in, with, and under the bread. ''The 
 reception is oral, but the mode is spiritual." 
 
68 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 Our Confession, then, in rejecting the heresy of Tran- 
 substantiation, does not mean to substitute for it ''Con- 
 substantiation," or the doctrine of a local or physical 
 presence of the body and blood of Christ, and a local or 
 physical conjunction of them with the bread and wine, 
 or a natural and carnal eating and drinking of them, — 
 all of which errors our Church has more fully and ex- 
 plicitly officially rejected than any other part of the Chris- 
 tian world. 
 
 3. Testimonies of our great divines, from Luther to 
 the present hour, without number, might be adduced to 
 show that the Lutheran Church has never held the doc- 
 trine of Consubstantiation. In regard to Luther, Me- 
 
 LANCTHON, JoNAS, CrEUTZIGER, BuGENHAGEN, MeNIUS, 
 
 and Myconius, it will not be necessary to produce any 
 evidence from their private writings, as there is ample 
 evidence as to their views in a great official document, 
 prepared and signed by them. This is the Articles op 
 THE Wittenberg Concord,* of 1536, in which it is de- 
 clared to be sound doctrine, on the part of Bucer, and of 
 those with whom the Concord was formed, that '^they 
 deny that any Transubstantiation takes place, and do 
 not hold that the body and blood of Christ are locally 
 included in the elements." 
 
 4. We will quote a few other testimonies in chrono- 
 logical order: 
 
 Andrew Osiander (Chancellor of the University of 
 Tubingen) (f 1617) : '' Our theologians for years long 
 have strenuously denied, and powerfully confuted the doc- 
 trine of a local inclusion, or physical connection of the 
 body and bread, or Consubstantiation. We believe in 
 no impanation, subpanation, companation, or consubstan- 
 
 * Seckendorf: Hist. Luth., lib. iii, p. 133. Loescher: Hist. 
 Motuum, i, 205. Kudelbach : Ref. Luth. u. Union, 669. 
 
NOTES. 69 
 
 tiation of the body of Christ, no physical or local inclu- 
 sion or conjoining of bread and body, as our adversaries, 
 in manifest calumnies, allege against us. The expressions 
 in, with, and under are used, first, in order to proscribe 
 the MONSTROUS DOCTRINE of Transubstantiation, and 
 secondly, to assert a true presence over against the doc- 
 trine that the Lord's Supper is a mere sign."* 
 
 5. Mentzer-j- (1 1627) : " There is no local concealment 
 of Christ's body, or inclusion of particles of matter under 
 the bread. Far from us be it that any believer should 
 regard Christ's body as present in a physical or natural 
 mode. The eating and drinking are not natural or 
 Capernaitish, but mystical or sacramental." 
 
 6. John GerhardJ (f 1637) : " On account of the cal- 
 umnies of our adversaries, we would note that we do not 
 believe in impanatmi, nor in Consubstantiation, nor in 
 any physical or local presence. Some of our writers, 
 adopting a phrase from Cyrill, have called the presence 
 a bodily^ one, but they use that term by no means to 
 designate the mode of presence, but simply the object" 
 (to show what is present, to wit, the body of Christ, but 
 not how it is present), '' nor have they at all meant by 
 this that the body of Christ is present in a bodily and 
 quantitative manner." "We believe in no consubstan- 
 tiative presence of the body and blood. Far from us be 
 that figment. The heavenly thing and the earthly thing 
 in the Lord's Supper are not present with each other, 
 physically and naturaUy.''\\ 
 
 7. CARPzovTf (t 1657) : '' To compress into a few words 
 
 * Disputat. xiii, Ex Concord. Libro. Francofurt, 1611. Pp. 
 280, 288. 
 
 f Exeges. Aug. Conf. J Loci (Cotta) x, 165. § Corporalem. 
 II See also Harmonia Evang., ii, 1097. 
 f Isagoge, 345-350. 
 
70 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 what is most important in regard to this presence, we 
 would remark: 1. That it is not finite, either physical, 
 or local, or definite, but infinite and Divine. 2. That as 
 there is not one mode only of Divine presence, but that 
 presence may be general, or gracious, or glorious, as the 
 scholastics distinguish it, so this presence (of the body 
 and blood of Christ) is neither to be referred to the 
 general nor the glorious, but to the gracious, so that it 
 constitutes that special degree of this gracious presence 
 which is styled sacramental. That which is supernatural 
 is also true and real. When this presence is called sub- 
 stantial and bodily, those words designate not the mode 
 of presence, but the object. When the words in, with, 
 Mnder, are used, our traducers know as well as they know 
 their own fingers, that they do not signify, a Consub- 
 STANTiATiON, local cocxistcnce, or impanation. The 
 charge that we hold a local inclusion, or Consubstantia- 
 tion, is a calumny. The eating and drinking are not 
 physical, but mystical and sacramental. An action is not 
 necessarily figurative because it is not physical." 
 
 i 
 
 8. Baier,* J. G. (f 1695) : " The sacramental union is 
 neither substantial, nor personal, nor local. Hence it is 
 manifest that impanation and Consubstantiation, which 
 are charged upon Lutherans by enemies, are utterly ex- 
 cluded. There is no sensible or natural eating- of the 
 body of Christ. Alike the presence and the eating and 
 drinking of the body and blood of Christ are insensible, 
 supernatural, unknown to the human mind, and incom- 
 prehensible. As to the MODE in which the body and 
 blood of 'Christ are present and received in the Supper, 
 we may acknowledge our ignorance, while we firmly hold 
 to the fact." The same distinguished writer published 
 a dissertation on "Impanation and Consubstantiation," 
 
 * Theolog. Positiv. Lipsiae, 1750, p. 661. 
 
NOTES. 71 
 
 which is entirely devoted to the vindication of our 
 Church from the charge of holding these errors.* 
 
 9. LEiBNiTzf (d. 1716), distinguished as a profound 
 theological thinker, as well as a philosopher of the high- 
 est order, says: "Those who receive the Evangelical 
 (Lutheran) faith by no means approve the doctrine of 
 CoNSUBSTANTiATiON, Or of impanation, nor can any one 
 impute it to them, unless from a misunderstanding of 
 what they hold." 
 
 10. BuDDEUS (t 1728): '*A11 who understand the doc- 
 trines of our Church know that with our whole soul 
 
 WE ABHOR THE DOCTRINE OF CONSUBSTANTIATION AND OP 
 
 A GROSS UBIQUITY OF THE FLESH OF Christ. They are 
 greatly mistaken who suppose the doctrine of impana- 
 tion to be the doctrine of Luther and of our Church. 
 The doctrine of impanation, if we distinguish it from 
 that of assumption, can mean nothing else than a local 
 inclusion of the body of Christ in the bread. To admit 
 such a doctrine would be to admit the grossest absurdities : 
 they, therefore, who impute it to our Church, prove only 
 their ignorance of our doctrine. In either sense in which 
 the word Consubstantiation can be taken, the doctrine 
 cannot, in any respect^ be attributed to our Church; it was 
 always far from the mind of our Church. The sacra- 
 mental union is one which reason cannot comprehend, 
 and the taking^ eating, and drinking, are done in sublime 
 mystery."! 
 
 11. Cotta§ (f 1779) makes the following remarks upon 
 the different theories of sacramental union : 
 
 * Dissertatio Historica-theologica de Impanat. et Consubstantiat. 
 
 f Conformite de la foy avec raison, § xviii. Dissertatio de Con- 
 formitate. Tubingen, 1771. 
 
 X Miscellanea, ii, 86, seq. Catechet. Theologia, ii, 656. Instit. 
 Theol. Dogm., v, 1, xv. 
 
 § In Gerhard's Loci, x, 165. 
 
 11 
 
72 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 " By IMPANATION, is meant a local inclusion of the 
 body and blood in the bread and wine. Gerhard has 
 rightly noted that the theologians of our Church utterly 
 abhor this error. The particles in, with, under, are not 
 used to express a local inclusion. As our theologians 
 reject impanation, so also they reject the doctrine of 
 CoNSUBSTANTiATiON. This word is taken in two senses. 
 It denotes sometimes a local conjunction of two bodies, 
 sometimes a commingling or coalescence into one substance 
 or mass. But in neither sense can that monstrous dogma 
 of CoNSUBSTANTiATiON be attributed to our Church, for 
 Lutherans believe neither in a local conjunction, nor 
 commixture of bread and Christ's body, nor of wine and 
 Christ's blood." 
 
 12. Many of the greatest divines of other Churches 
 have acknowledged the libellous character of the charge 
 that the Lutheran Church holds the doctrine of Consub- 
 stantiation;* and many of the deepest thinkers, not of 
 our Communion, have approached very closely to its doc- 
 trine, or have accepted it unreservedly .f i 
 
 * See article Lutheranism, in Appleton's American Encyclo- 
 paedia, on the subject in general; The Lord's Supper, — a Lecture, 
 by Joseph A. Seiss, D.D. ; and Dr. H. I. Schmidt's work on the 
 Lord's Supper. 
 
 f See, for example, the remarks of Theremin, the Fenelon of the 
 Keformed Church (Adalbert's Confession), and of Alexander Knox, 
 who was so profound and vigorous as a writer, and so rich in deep 
 Christian experience : " Treatise on the Use and Import of the 
 Eucharistic Symbols," in " Kemains." 3d edit. London, 1844. 
 
NOTES. 73 
 
 IV. 
 
 AURICULAR CONFESSION. 
 
 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION REJECTS AURICULAR CONFES- 
 SION, AND DOES NOT TEACH THE NECESSITY OF PRIVATE 
 CONFESSION. 
 
 1. "Enumeration of all offences is not necessary in 
 Confession. For it is impossible; according to the Psalm : 
 * Who can understand his errors ?' " Art. XI, 1, 2 ; XXY, 
 7-12. 
 
 In this, Auricular Confession is rejected. 
 
 " Confession is of human right only [is not commanded 
 in Scripture, but has been instituted by the Church]." 
 Art. XXY, 12. 
 
 In this is denied that private Confession is necessary. 
 
 2. "Concerning Confession, they teach that private 
 absolution be retained in the Church." Art. XI, 1. "Con- 
 fession is not abolished in our Churches." Art. XXY, 1. 
 " On account of the very great benefit of absolution, as 
 well as for other uses to the conscience, Confession is re- 
 tained among us." Do., 13. 
 
 The question is sometimes put, How can this eleventh 
 Article be harmonized with the position of those who 
 consider all the doctrinal Articles of the Augsburg Con- 
 fession as Articles of Faith, and therefore fundamental, 
 and who yet do not practise " private Confession ?" This 
 is a fair question, if honestly put, and deserves a frank 
 reply. 
 
 The facts bearing upon the question may be thus ar- 
 ranged : 
 
 1. The first XXI Articles of the Augsburg Confession 
 are styled in the general title " Principal Articles of 
 Faith," or, as in the German, "Articles of Faith and Doc- 
 
74 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 trine." At the end of these it is declared: ''This is al- 
 most a summary o^ doctrine among ns, in which it can be 
 perceived that there is nothing which is discrepant with 
 the Scriptures. In the Articles of Faith there is nothing 
 taught in our Churches contrary to the Holy Scriptures^ 
 or to the Universal Christian Church." 
 
 2. For it was then, as ever, an axiom of our Church, 
 that "the Word of God shall make Articles of Faith, and 
 none other besides, no, not an angel even."* The Church 
 Catholic, or the Holy Christian Church Universal, can- 
 not make Articles of Faith ] she can only confess them 
 as her own. 
 
 3. An Article of Faith is, therefore, something which 
 rests on Divine authority; is absolute in its claim on our 
 acceptance, and is not controlled in any way by the lib- 
 erty of the Church. 
 
 4. If, therefore, under the XXI "Articles of Faith," 
 there were found something which the Confessors, in so 
 many terms, in the Confession itself, declare to be no 
 Article of Faith, but a matter of Church freedom, subject 
 to the control of the various parts of the Church, in| dif- 
 ferent ages and in different regions in the same age, the 
 inference would be a very just one, that such a state- 
 ment of usage found its way into a doctrinal article sim- 
 ply because of its natural connection with some Article 
 of Faith, though not an essential part of it. If, there- 
 fore, our Confessors had, among the Articles of Faith, 
 expressed a desire to retain for their own time "private 
 Confession," because, although of human origin, it was 
 useful, the inference would not be a just one, that we 
 were to make an Article of Faith out of that which they 
 avowed to be a matter of Christian liberty, and which 
 they therefore considered subject to such change, as the 
 Church, in different eras, lands or circumstances, might 
 see fit to make. 
 
 * Smalcald Articles, 303 : 15. 
 
NOTES. 75 
 
 The principle of the Lutheran Church on this point is 
 thus defined in the Formula of Concord:* 
 
 "Ceremonies or ecclesiastical rites [Church usages], 
 which are neither commanded nor forbidden in God's 
 Word, but which are instituted alone for the sake of 
 comeliness or good order, are not in themselves, or per 
 se, Divine worship, or a part of it." 
 
 ''The Church of God, of every part of the world, and 
 of every time, according as her own occasion demands, 
 has power to change such ceremonies, in such a way as 
 she may judge most useful and edifying to the Church 
 of God." 
 
 " No Church should condemn another, because it has 
 fewer or more outward ceremonies not commanded by 
 God, provided that in doctrine and all its articles, and in 
 the true use of the Sacraments, there be unity between 
 them.'' 
 
 The principle here involved is, therefore, very simple. 
 When we subscribe a Confession ex animo, we receive it 
 according to the mind and intent of its framers. What 
 they set forth as Articles of Faith we receive as such, 
 declaring their faith to be our faith ; what they set forth 
 as argument, we consider as argument, and weigh it as 
 such ; what they set forth avowedly as personal prefer- 
 ence, we consider as such, and look upon our Christian 
 liberty as not bound authoritatively by theirs. The 
 unity of the Church is a unity of faith, — they only are 
 really one who have one faith : but they may sustain 
 that faith by different arguments. They are one in the 
 reception of the Sacraments in all their divinely-appoint- 
 ed essentials, but they may approve of different usages 
 in the confessedly human arrangements connected with 
 them. 
 
 If it can be shown that our Confessors declared pri- 
 vate Confession to be no matter of faith, although they 
 
 * Form. Concord., Epit. x. 
 11* 
 
76 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 preferred to nse it, as good, thongh human, their prefer- 
 ence has no binding power for ns. In everything con- 
 fessedly subject to Christian freedom, the Evangelical 
 Lutheran Church in America has the same liberty of 
 choice as our Church has in any other part of the world; 
 and in this sphere, the Lutheran Church of the Nine- 
 teenth Century has the same inalienable rights as the 
 Church of the Sixteenth Century. Our Church, in this 
 land, and at this time, has full power, on the general 
 "New Testament princij^les of Evangelical Lutheranism, 
 to adapt herself, by new human usages, not contrary to 
 the spirit of God's Word, to her present position; and 
 however widely they may differ from those of our fathers, 
 we are none the less, their true, spiritual children, while 
 we are one with them in faith. The Lutheran Church 
 is a free Church. She is the freest of all Churches in 
 true freedom. She acknowledges no mithorUy but that 
 of her Lord, but that is supreme. And because of her 
 true freedom, and her repudiation of all authority but 
 His, she stands inflexibly by her Confession of His truth; 
 for if that Confession be lax, she is at the mercy ofimen, 
 of whims, of errorists, of the spirit of the hour, of schism: 
 she ceases to utter her testimony as a Church ; no one 
 can tell where she stands; she has as many faiths, or as 
 many unbeliefs, as may be invented for her; she has no 
 voice for her children ; she becomes a Babel. If, there- 
 fore, it shall be shown that "private Confession" was 
 considered as an Article of Faith by our Church, we can- 
 not, consistently, with a pretence to be in unity with 
 her, reject it. 
 
 5. The Augsburg Confession is matchless in its accu- 
 racy. He who will study it for years, closely comparing 
 it with God's Word, and with the History of Doctrines, 
 will find it hard to restrain his admiration within the 
 bounds of cold sobriety. It never puts in a word with- 
 out a reason, it never leaves out, without reason, a word that 
 might be anticipated. 
 
NOTES. 77 
 
 This Eleventh Article beautifully illustrates the ex- 
 quisite caution and care with which every word was 
 weighed, and how exactly what was meant to be ex- 
 pressed, was expressed, and how exactly what was meant 
 to, be omitted, was omitted. 
 
 a. Mark that not one word is said about ^^ private Con- 
 fession." The word is not there. It is not said that 
 " j^rivate Confession^^ nor any other Confession is to be 
 retained, and 3'et so natural would it be to say something 
 about it, that the Article, superficially read, seems to 
 lack finish, if nQt perfect coherence, for want of such a 
 mention. Why was this ? Because here are the '' prin- 
 cipal Articles of faith,'* and Confession was no Article 
 of Faith, because, as the lYth Article on Abuses says: 
 *' Confession is not commanded in the Scriptures, but was 
 instituted by the Church." This, then, is our answer as 
 regards "jDrivate Confession," that the Augsburg Confes- 
 sion not only does not make it an Article of Faith, but 
 denies it to be such, first negatively, in the Eleventh 
 Article, where it must have been mentioned, had they 
 considered it as such, and, secondly, positively'- in the 
 lYth Article on Abuses, where the Confession declares, 
 in positive terms, that Confession, in any form, is not an 
 Article of Faith, but a usage of the Church, retained by 
 our Churches at that time because they fouml it useful. 
 
 b. While the doctrinal Articles of the Confession do 
 not exhibit "private Confession," nor any other, as an 
 Article of Faith, yet in view of the fact, that a perfectly 
 free, personal interview between the pastor and the indi- 
 vidual member of his flock was retained by the Churches 
 in their Christian freedom, it does set forth as an Article of 
 Faith, that Auricular Confession, practised in the Church 
 of Rome, requiring the mention of an ofi*ence as a prelim- 
 inary to its absolution, is contrary to Holy Scripture. 
 
 c. The Eleventh Article teaches that ^^ private absolu- 
 tion is to be retained in the Churches." 
 
 On this it is worthy of notice: 
 
78 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 1. That in both the phrases ^^ private ^Confession" and 
 ^^ private absolation," the word "private" is used not in 
 the sense of "sequestered from company; secret," but in 
 the sense of " individual, not general, separate." That 
 incidentally, either of them might be private in the former 
 sense, and that, especially, anything like a free confes- 
 sion should be made ordinarily in privacy, and was so 
 made, is true; but in neither case is this sort of privacy 
 essential to the idea of the word. A man may make a 
 "private confession" in the presence of others, and does 
 so, when, for himself, he confesses his own sins. A man 
 receives " private absolution," no matter how many may 
 be present, when to himself individually, the Divine prom- 
 ise is set forth. Hence "private confession" and "pri- 
 vate absolution" are separable. "Private absolution" 
 may be given when there has been no Confession at all, 
 or where the Confession is general. This very separa- 
 tion takes place in the usage of the Danish Churches. 
 In preparing for the Lord's Supper, there is a general 
 Confession of Sins. The communicants then kneeling 
 around the altar together, the minister lays his hapd on 
 each person, successively, and pronounces a private or in- 
 dividual Absolution. In a word, both Confession and Ab- 
 solution, which are private in one sense, may be public 
 in another. 
 
 2. Private Confession and private Absolution are not 
 only distinct and separable, but they belong to different 
 spheres. Private Confession is human: it is a thing 
 which the Church is at liberty to have or not have, as 
 in any particular country or time she sees best; its chief 
 value, when it is used aright, is, that it enables a faithful 
 pastor to make his instruction specific in its adaptation 
 to the wants of the individual; and, most of all, because 
 it prepares the mind for Scriptural and Evangelical views 
 of the real character and value of Absolution. " Confes- 
 sion is retained among us on account of the very great 
 benefit of absolution [which is the main thing therein], as 
 
NOTES. 79 
 
 well as for other uses to the conscience."* It was at the 
 Confessional Luther began his work as a Eeformer, — 
 and private Confession was tlie great bulwark against 
 Auricular Confession, and all the other false doctrines 
 and practices of the time. "It was specially designed," 
 says Luther, in the Smalcald Articles,f "for the young, 
 that they might be conversed with, examined, and in- 
 structed in the teaching of Christ." The enumeration 
 of sins was free, — it was, in a word, essentially no more 
 than an interview between pastor and communicant, a 
 blessed privilege, not a legal exaction. 
 
 The private Confession which our Church has used 
 has been most happy in its working; in the hands of 
 faithful men it has done more than all other human ar- 
 rangements for maintaining a living piety, and pure dis- 
 cipline in the Church; even those not of our Church, as 
 for example Zwingle and Calvin,J have approved of it; 
 the later Helvetic Confession and the Heidelberg Cate- 
 chism leave it free; the Church of England expressly 
 provided for it at first, and Alting§ says: " It is an atro- 
 cious calumny that the Calvinistic Churches neglect the 
 practice of private Confession and absolution." 
 
 Earnest men of our own time, not only of a thoroughly 
 churchly spirit, but even those who regard private Con- 
 fession solely in the light of its personal benefits, have 
 desired to see it restored. Tholuck, for example, mourn- 
 ing that private Confession had fallen, enumerating the 
 loss of it as among the "injuries and wounds of the 
 Church," appeals to the students of theology before whom 
 he preached : " Ye that are to be the ministers of the 
 Word in time to come, regard it as your vocation, to 
 heal these wounds of our Church, and to restore to it 
 private Confession^ not Auricular Confession, which this 
 Article rejects."|| 
 
 * Art. XXV, 13. t 331. 
 
 J Instit. iii, iv, 11-15. § Exeg. August. Conf., p. 77. 
 
 II Pred. iib. Augsb. Glaubensbek, 198. 
 
80 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 3. Absolution itself, that is, " God's Word which for- 
 gives sin," is of Divine appointment. " The commission 
 and power of the keys" is His; and to that forgiving 
 Word of His, which he commands his ministers to utter, 
 faith is to listen no less than if "God's voice sounded out 
 of heaven." This word of Absolution is the Gospel itself, 
 offering grace to all who hear it, and actually conferring 
 forgiveness on all who receive it in faith. But this Ab- 
 solution is not only to be offered to men in the aggregate, 
 but to each and every sin-burdened soul, as occasion 
 offers; and whenever, and in whatever outward mode it 
 is then offered, it is a "private Absolution." In this, its 
 essence, it abides in the Church. 
 
 When any minister of Christ offers to the true, indi- 
 vidual penitent, the Divine promise of forgiveness for 
 Christ's sake, he offers " private Absolution." With all 
 the mutilations of unbelief, and all the deviations from 
 the beautiful and fitting modes in which the Oflice of the 
 Keys was administered in our Church in the era of the 
 Reformation, the faithful pastor, who is true to the spirit 
 of the Gospel, does not utterly lose the essence in tbe loss 
 of the form, and in such hands, it may still be said, that 
 " private Absolution is retained in our Churches." The 
 whole Pastoral work is, indeed, but an extension of this 
 idea in its true conception. 
 
 Y. 
 
 THE MASS. 
 
 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION DOES NOT COUNTENANCE THE 
 ROMISH MASS NOR ITS CEREMONIES, BUT REJECTS AND 
 CONDEMNS BOTH. 
 
 1. "Our Churches are wrongfully accused to have 
 abolished the Mass.'' Art. XXIY, 1. 
 
 It is only necessary to read the Article through to 
 see that the Confession sets forth the Mass in its original 
 
NOTES. 81 
 
 and proper sense, to note the celebration of the Lord's 
 Supper, and contrasts it with the Eomish Mass, or cor- 
 ruption of that Supper into a sacrifice. The ceremonies 
 retained are those which are really ceremonies appro- 
 priate to the original idea of the Mass, that is, to the 
 celebration of the Lord's Supper, to wit, the reading of 
 God's Word, prayers, psalms, hymns, and thanksgivings.* 
 
 VI. 
 
 THE SABBATH AND THE LOED'S DAY. 
 
 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION DOES NOT DENY THE OBLIGA- 
 TION OF KEEPING THE LORD'S DAY. 
 
 1. " They that think that the observation of the Lord's 
 Day was appointed by the authority of the Church, in- 
 stead of the Sabbath, as necessary^ are greatly deceived." 
 Art. XXVIII, 58. 
 
 The emphasis is on the words ' ' observation " and " neces- 
 sary." 
 
 The Confessors maintained that the Jewish Sabbath is 
 abrogated, but that so far as its ends and obligations 
 were original and generic they are unchangeable, and 
 that to meet these ends and obligations the Christian 
 Church, through the Apostles, had apj)ointed the first 
 day of the week, or Loi*d's Day. In what they here say 
 they mean to confute two Bomish errors. The first was 
 that of the '■'■ observatimi'^ of days, that is, of such a keep- 
 ing as was Judaizing in its spirit, and opposed to the 
 grace of the Gospel, such as St. Paul expressly con- 
 demned when he says: "Ye observe days. . . . I am afraid 
 lest I have bestowed labor upon you in vain." Galat. 
 4 : 10. Secondly, the idea that such outward observation 
 
 * See: The Evangelical Mass, and the Romish Mass. Christian 
 Liberty Maintained and Defended. Dr. Seiss's Ecclesia Lutherana, 
 chap. XV, The Sunday Services of the Church of the Reformation. 
 
82 THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION. 
 
 was in itself meritoriously necessary to salvation. This 
 the Confession denied, and shows that there is a neces- 
 sity for the Lord's Day, but not of the kind Eomanism 
 had invented.* 
 
 2. A systematic statement of the predominant doc- 
 trine of the Sabbath involved in the views of the greatest 
 writers of our Church, may be presented in the follow- 
 ing propositions : 
 
 1. The law that one day in seven shall be set apart for 
 the service of God, has existed by Divine command, from 
 the foundation of the world, and its obligation is a part 
 of the original law of nature. 
 
 2. The command was repeated in the Decalogue and 
 in the Mosaic law, with specific ceremonial characteris- 
 tics adapting it to the Jewish nation. 
 
 3. The law itself, generically considered, is of perpetual 
 and universal obligation; its specific ceremonial charac- 
 teristics pertain only to the Jews. 
 
 4. The law itself has never been abrogated; the specific 
 ceremonial characteristics have been. i 
 
 5. To keep one day in seven holy to God, to abstain 
 from all that may conflict with its sanctification, is ge- 
 neric, not specific; moral, not ceremonial. 
 
 6. The obligation to keep holy the seventh day, or 
 Saturday, is ceremonial, and not binding on Christians. 
 
 7. The resurrection of Christ, his successive appear- 
 ings, the Pentecostal eifusion of his Spirit, on the first 
 day of the week, together with the example of the Apos- 
 tles, and of the Apostolic Church, have shown to the 
 Church what day in the seven may, under the New Dis- 
 pensation, most fitly be kept holy, and have led to the 
 substitution of the first day of the week for the seventh, 
 as the Christian Sabbath. 
 
 * See : The Lutheran Church, and the Divine Obligation of the 
 Lord's Day. By C. P. Krauth. 1856. Pp. 53. 
 
NOTES. 83 
 
 8. To keep holy the first day of the week, to conse- 
 crate it to God, and to this end to abstain upon it from 
 all works except those of necessity, mercy, and the ser- 
 vice of God, is obligatory on all men. 
 
 No Church can show a purer record than the Lutheran 
 Church, on this very question of sound doctrine in re- 
 gard to the moral and Divine obligation to consecrate one 
 day in every seven to God, and to repose from toil. The 
 greatest leaders of theology in our Church, considered a 
 denial of the Divine obligation to keep one day in seven 
 as Socinian. The Sabbatarians, harmonizing with the 
 Jews, considered even the determinative part of the 
 fourth command as perpetual, and contended that Satur- 
 day should be kept. Our fathers rejected this error. 
 The Anabaptists and Sociuians contended that no part 
 of the fourth command is of Divine obligation — that all 
 is ceremonial. Our fathers rejected this error, and rested 
 on this point as in others, on the truth removed from 
 each extreme — that the generic Sabbath is primitive 
 and has never been abrogated — that only what is cere- 
 monial in the Jewish Sabbath is abrogated — that the 
 Christian Sabbath is a glorious bond of the sovereignty 
 of God in the law, and of the freedom of the Church 
 under the Gospel; Divine in its generic origin and obliga- 
 tion, and apostolic in its specific determination. 
 
 In addition to the works already cited, the English 
 reader will find matter of value on the history or mean- 
 ing of the Augsburg Confession in : " The Life of Melanc- 
 thon," by C. F. Ledderhose, translated by Rev. G. F. 
 Krotel, D.D., 1855; "A Plea for the Augsburg Confes- 
 sion" (1856), and " Lutheranism in America" (1857), 
 by W. J. Mann, D.D. ; Dr. C. F. Schaeffer's brief, but 
 valuable notes on the Confession; and " Digest of Chris- 
 tian Doctrine/' by J. A. Seiss, D. D., 1857. 
 
 12 
 
INDEX 
 
 TO THE AUGSBURG CONFESSIOISr, AND THE 
 INTRODUCTION AND NOTES. 
 
 ABBREVIATIONS. 
 
 Ap., Apostles' Creed. 
 
 Atb., Atbanasian Creed. 
 
 Cone, Conclusion of Confession. 
 
 Ep., Epilogue at end of Articles of Faith. 
 
 Int., Introduction. 
 
 Nic , Nieene Creed. 
 
 No., Notes. 
 
 Pref., Preface to the Confession. 
 
 Prol., Prologue before Articles of Abuses. 
 
 The Roman Numerals refer to the Articles of the Confession and to the Notes, the 
 Arabic to paragraphs in the Articles, Introduction, and Notes. 
 
 Absolution, absolve, xi, 1 ; 
 
 xii, 2, 5, 9 ; xxv, 1-4, 13 ; 
 
 No. iv. 
 Abuses, Ep. 5; Prol. 1; xxii- 
 
 xxviii. 
 Anabaptists, v, 4 ; ix, 3 ; xii, 7 ; 
 
 xvi, 3; xvii, 2. 
 Apostles, xxviii, 6, 82, 39, 65, 75. 
 Apostles' Creed, Int. 2; iii, 6. 
 Arians, Ath. Tit. i, 5. 
 Arragon, King of, xxvii, 26. 
 Articles, Part I, Tit. ; Part II, 
 
 Tit., Prol. 1, Cone. 1. 
 Augsburg, Confession of : 
 
 Int. 4-17; Pref. 7,8, 14; 
 
 Art. Ep. 2 ; Cone. 6, 7. 
 Altered, Int. 11. 
 Authorship, Int. 5. 
 
 8 
 
 Augsburg, Confession of : 
 
 Character and value of, Int. 16. 
 
 Editions of, Int. 12. 
 
 Literature of, Int. 14. 
 
 Object of, Int. 9. 
 
 Peculiarities of present Edition 
 of, Int. 17. 
 
 Preparation for, Int. 4. 
 
 Presentation of. Int. 10. 
 
 Reception as a Creed, Int. 15. 
 
 Structure and divisions of, 
 Int. 13. 
 Augsburg, Diet of. Int. 4, 6; 
 
 Tit. Pref. 1 , 5, 6. 
 Auricular Confession reject- 
 ed, xi, 1, 2; xxv, 7-12; 
 No. iv. See Confes- 
 sion. 
 
 (85) 
 
86 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Baptism, Nic. 9; v, 1, 2; vii, 1, 
 2, 4 ; viii, 1,2; ix ; xii, 
 1, 9; xiii, 1-3 ; xiv, 1 ; 
 xxvii, 11, 13; xxviii, 10, 
 21 ; No. i. 
 Baptisms of the Law, xxvi, 22. 
 Bishops, Art. Ep. 2; xxiii, 11; 
 xxiv, 14, 38; xxviii, 1, 
 6, 19, 20,21, 28, 30, 31, 
 84, 39, 42, 49, 50, 58, 69, 
 71, 76, 77. 
 Bishops and Elders the same in 
 Scripture, xxiii, 10, 11 ; 
 xxviii, 76. 
 " Do not differ by Divine 
 right from pastors, 
 xxviii, 6, 13, 21, 80, 
 53, 76. 
 
 Call, see Ministry. 
 Calling, xxi, 1 ; xxvi, 10; xxvii, 
 
 49. 
 Canonical Hours, xxviii, 41. 
 Canons, Art. Ep. 2 ; xxii, 9, 10; 
 
 xxiii, 13, 16, 21, 26 ; xxiv, 
 
 37, 88; xxvii, 1, 4, 6, 9, 
 
 23,31, 32,40; xxviii, 41. 
 Catholic, Ap. 7 ; Nic. 8 ; Ath. 
 
 1,3,40; Ep. 1; Prol. 1; 
 
 Art. xxviii, 28, 72; 
 
 Conc. 5. 
 Celibacy, xxiii, xxvii. 
 Ceremonies and Kites, xv; 
 
 Prol. 2-5; xxiv, 2, 3, 40; 
 
 xxviii, 30, 53. 
 Charles V, Int. 4; Tit. Pref. 
 
 1,5,6,7,8,10,11,12,14, 
 
 15, 16, 18, 19-23 ; xxi, 1. 
 Children, see Baptism. 
 Chiliasm, xvii. 
 Christ, Ap. 2; Nic. 2; Ath. 
 
 xxviii, 35; Pref. 4, 11; 
 
 iii, 2, 6; iv, 2; v, 8; vi, 
 
 Christ, 2, 3 ; viii, 1,2; x, 1 ; xii, 
 5; xvii, 1 ; xx, 9, 10, 14, 
 15, 22, 28, 24, 39; xxi, 
 
 2, 3 ; xxii, 1 ; xxiii, 5 ; 
 xxiv, 21, 24-20, 28, 30, 
 31; XXV, 45; xxvi, 4, 5, 
 22, 23, 26, 27, 32, 84/ 
 xxvii, 36-38, 41-43- 
 xxviii, 6, 14, 47. 
 
 '* Person of, No. 2. 
 
 Christendom, xxviii, 51. 
 
 Christian, Christians, xvi, 2, 
 8, 6; xxvi, 31, 38; xxvii, 
 46, 49, 55; xxviii, 89, 
 51, 60, 64. 
 
 Christianity, xxvi, 8. 
 
 Church, Ap. 7 ; Nic. 8 ; Pref. 4 ; 
 vii, viii ; xii, 2 ; xiv ; xv, 
 1 ; XX, 8, 89 ; Ep. 1 ; 
 Prol. 1; xxii, 1, 8, 10; 
 xxiii, 18; xxiv, 15, 16, 
 18,35,40; XXV, 12; xxvi, 
 
 3, 20, 40, 44; xxvii, 15, 
 48; xxviii, 3, 39,^53, 54, 
 55, 58, 60-62, 72, 74; 
 Conc. 5. 
 
 " Eastern, xxvi, 43. 
 " Polity, Government, 
 Constitution, xiv, xv, 
 xxviii. 
 Churches, i, 1; xi; xx, 8; Ep. 
 2,4; Prol. 1,6; xxiii, 10, 
 17 ; xxiv, 1, 11, 41 ; xxv, 
 1, 5, 7; xxvi, 1, 2, 19; 
 xxvii, 17; xxviii, 49, 51, 
 65, 71, 76. 
 Commandments op God. See 
 
 Decalogue. 
 Communion of Saints, Ap. 7. 
 Confession, Auricular, xi, 1,2. 
 Contrary to ancient Church, 
 
 xxi, 10-12. 
 Contrary to Scripture, xxv, 8. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 87 
 
 Confession, Auricular — 
 Pernicious, xxv, 9. 
 Kejected, xxv, 7. 
 Confession of Sins, xi. See Ab- 
 solution and AuRic- 
 
 ULAR Confession, xxv ; 
 
 private, xxv ; No. iv. 
 Contrition, xii, 3. 
 Council, Synod, General 
 
 Councils, Pref. 16 ; 
 
 xxiii, 13, 19-23. 
 Conscience, xii, 4, 5; xx, 15, 17, 
 
 19,20, 22; xxv, 4; xxvi, 
 
 28. 
 CoNSUBSTANTiATiON rejected by 
 
 Lutheran Church, No. 
 
 iii. 
 Creed, Nicene, p. 3, i, 1. 
 Apostles', p. 3, iii, 6. 
 Romanism and its. Int. 3. 
 Creeds, nature and necessity of, 
 
 Int. 1. 
 Early, Int. 2. 
 Cross, xx, 37; xxvi, 15. 
 CusANUS, xxii. 
 Custom, xxii, 1, 3, 8, 9, 10, 12. 
 
 Damnation, xvii, 1, 2. 
 
 Day, The Lord's, xxviii, 33, 53, 
 57, 58, 60, 63. See Sab- 
 bath. 
 
 Deacons, xxiv, 37, 38. 
 
 Dead, The, Ap. 5, 6; Nic. 10; 
 Ath. 37. 
 Masses for, xxiv, 24, 29. 
 
 Decalogue, Ten Command- 
 ments, XX, 2; xxiv, 19; 
 xxviii, 33. 
 
 Pecree, i, 1 ; xxviii, 66. 
 
 Devil, xvii, 4; xx, 32, 36. 
 
 Discipline, xxviii, 21. 
 
 Dispensation, xxvii, 25. 
 
 Donatists, viii, 3. | 
 
 Easter, xxvi, 43; xxviii, 57. 
 Elders, see Priests, xxiv, 37, 38. 
 Elect, xvii, 1. 
 Eunomians, i, 6. 
 Excommunication, xxviii, 21. 
 
 Faith, Ath. 1-3, 40 ; Pref. Tit. ; 
 iv,2, 3; V, 1,2; vi,l-3; 
 xii, 5, 10; xiii, 1-3; xv, 
 3; xxi, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 
 15, 16, 22, 23, 26, 28, 29, 
 30, 34, 36-38; Ep. 1; 
 xxiv, 28, 29,30; xxv, 2, 
 4,5; xxvi, 4, 5, 7, 13 20, 
 44, 45; xxvii, 37, 38, 48, 
 49; xxviii, 37, 52,62,64. 
 Fallen, The, xii, 1. 
 Fathers quoted : 
 Ambrose, xx, xxiv. 
 Augustine, xxiii, xxvi, xxviii. 
 Chrysostom^ xxiv. 
 Cyprian, xxii, xxiii. 
 Gregory, Gr., xxiv, xxvi. 
 L'enceus, xxvi. 
 Jerome, xxii. 
 Fear, Terrors, ii, 2; xii, 4; 
 
 xviii, 9. 
 Ferdinand, King, Pref. 18, 
 Festivals, xv, 1 ; xx, 3 ; xxvi, 
 2; xxviii, 57. 
 
 Gelasius, Pope, xxii, 6. 
 
 Ghost, Holy ; see Spirit, Holy. 
 
 God, Ap. 1, 5; Nic. 1-3; Ath. 
 13, 15, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 
 35, 37 ; Pref. 10 ; i ; ii, 1 ; 
 iii, 1,2; iv, 1; v, 2; vi, 
 1, 3 ; vii,4; ix, 2 ; xii, 7; 
 xiii, 1 ; XV, 3 ; xviii, 2-6, 
 8, 9; xix; xx, 1, 9, 11, 
 14-16, 24, 25, 27, 31, 
 37, 38. 
 
 Gods, Ath. 16, 19. 
 
 12* 
 
88 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Godless, xvii, 3. 
 
 Godly, xvii, 1, 3. 
 
 Gospel, v, 1, 2; xv, 3, 4; xvi, 
 4; xxvii, 54; xxviii, 7, 
 8, 10, 12, 13, 19, 21. 
 
 Grace of God, xxvi, 1, 20. 
 
 Gregory, Pope, xxvi, 44. 
 
 Hell (Christ's descent), Ap. 5; 
 Ath. 36; iii, 4. 
 " (devils and men), Ath. 39; 
 xvii, 1, 2. 
 
 Heretics and Errorists. See 
 Anabaptists; Arians; 
 donatists ; eunomi- 
 ans; Mahometans; Ma- 
 NICH.EANS ; Romish Er- 
 rors j Sacramentari- 
 ANs; Samosatines; Va- 
 
 LENTINIANS. 
 
 Hymns, xx, 39; xxiv, 2. 
 
 Incarnation. See Christ. 
 Indulgences, Cone. 2. 
 
 Jewish Opinions, xvii, 3. 
 
 JoviNiAN, xxvi, 30. 
 
 Judgment, Last, Ap. 6; Nic. 
 6; Alh. 37; iii, 6; xvii, 1. 
 
 Justification, Justify; Kight- 
 EOUSNESs OF Faith, ii, 
 4; iv, 1, 2; v, 3; vi, 1; 
 xii, 7 ; xiii, 3; xx, 6, 9, 
 14, 16, 18, 22, 23; xxvi, 
 13, 20, 21, 39; xxvii, 16, 
 3&-38, 42-44, 47,48,61; 
 xxviii, 51, 62, 64. 
 
 Kingdom of Christ, Ap. 5 ; Nic. 
 5; Ath. 37. 
 
 Laity^, xxii, 1. 
 
 Levitical Service, xxviii, 39, 
 61. 
 
 Liberty, Christian, xxviii, 51, 
 
 60, 64. 
 Life, Everlasting, Ap. 8. 
 " of World to Come, Nic. 
 10 1^ Ath. 39; xvii, 1. 
 Love to God, xviii, 8. 
 Luther : 
 Absence from Augsburg, Int. 
 
 6. 
 Correspondence with Melanc- 
 
 thon. Int. 7. 
 On Baptism, No. i. 
 On Consubstantiation, No. iii. 
 Opinion of Augsburg Confes- 
 sion, Int. 8. 
 Relations to Augsburg Confes- 
 sion, Int. 5. 
 Lutheran Churches falsely ac- 
 cused, XX, 1 ; Ep. 1, 3, 4. 
 
 Magistrates, Magistracy, xvi, 
 
 2, 6 ; xxviii, 12, 14 
 Mahometans, i, 5. 
 Manichees, i, 5. 
 Marriage, xvi, 2. 
 
 *' of Priests, xxiii. 
 
 " Yows against, xxvii, 
 
 18, 20, 34, 36, 52. 
 Mary, The Virgin, Ap. 4; Nic. 
 
 4 ; iii. 1. 
 Mass, xxiv. 
 " the True, or Sacra- 
 ment, xxiv, 5, 7, 8, 17, 
 30, 33, 34. 
 " THE Lord's Supper, xxiv, 
 
 12. 
 " appointed of Christ, xxiv, 
 
 21. 
 " commanded of him, xxijsr, 
 
 30. 
 " the Holy Communion, 
 
 xxiv, 34, 36, 38, 39. 
 " the Eucharist, xxiv, 41. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 89 
 
 Mass, ceremonies proper for this 
 Mass retained, xxiv, 2. 
 order of lessons in, XX vi, 40. 
 meaning of the Confession, 
 
 No. iv. 
 THE Romish : 
 basely profaned, xxvi, 10. 
 abuse of, xxvi, 11. 
 unworthy treating of 
 Lord's Supper, xxvi, 12. 
 a sin, xxvi, 13. 
 world punished for, xxvi, 
 
 18. 
 a taking of the Lord's 
 name in vain, xxvi, 19. 
 used for gain, xxvi, 20. 
 a dishonor to Christ's mer- 
 its, xxvi, 21. 
 the Scripture cannot en- 
 dure, xxvi, 29. 
 not ancient, xxvi, 35. 
 without example of the 
 Church, Scripture, or 
 Fathers, xxvi, 40. 
 " rejected by the Confession, 
 No. V. 
 Means of Grace, v, 2. 
 Meats, xv, 4; xxvi. 
 Melancthon, relations to Augs- 
 burg Confession, Int. 5. 
 Alters the Confession, Int. 11. 
 Correspondence with Luther, 
 Int. 8. 
 Mentz, Archbishop of, xxiii, 12. 
 Merits, iv, 1. 
 
 Ministry, Preachers, Pref. 8 ; 
 V, 1 ; viii, 1-3 ; xiv ; xx, 
 1-3, 27 ; xxiii, xxviii. 
 Monasteries, xxvii, 1, 7, 8, 1*4, 
 
 33. 
 Monastic Vows, Monks, xxvii. 
 Mortification of the Flesh, 
 xxvi, 30, 32. 
 
 8* 
 
 NicENE Council, i, 1. 
 
 NOVATIANS, xii, 9. 
 
 Observation — ions. See Cer- 
 emonies, Traditions, 
 xxvi, 8, 9; No. vi, 1. 
 
 Opus Operatum rejected, xiii, 
 3. 
 
 Pastors, Cone. 2. 
 Pelagians, ii, 4 ; xviii, 8. 
 Pentecost, xxviii, 57. 
 Perfection, Christian, xxvii, 49. 
 Evangelical, xvi, 4. 
 Sinless, xii, 7, 8. 
 Person, Ath. 4, 5, 19, 25 ; i, 1, 
 
 3,4,6. 
 of Christ, iii, 2. 
 Philosophers, xx, 33. 
 Pious. See Godly. 
 Pius, Pope, xxiii, 2. 
 Polity. See Church Polity. 
 Pope, Pontiff, Roman, Pref. 
 
 19, 20. 
 Popes, Pontiffs, xxvii, 24, 25. 
 Powers Human, Strength, ii, 
 
 4; xviii, 8; xx, 10, 31, 
 
 34, 40. 
 Prayer, xxi, 3. 
 Priests, Presbyters, Elders. 
 
 See Bishops, Marriage, 
 
 Ministry. 
 Evangelical (Lutheran), xxiii, 
 
 3, 9, 21 ; xxiv, 13. 
 In ancient Church, xxii, 5; 
 
 xxiv, 36, 37. 
 Romish, xxiii, 1, 2, 12, 18. 
 Propitiatory, Christ, xx, 9; 
 
 xxi, 2. 
 Protestant Electors and 
 
 Princes, Pref 5, 7, 8, 15. 
 Punishment, Eternal, xvii, 1, 
 
 2. 
 
90 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Eeason, ii, 4. 
 
 Kegeneration, ii, 3; xviii, 2, 
 3; XX, 34, 39. 
 
 Eeligion, Christian, holy, true, 
 Catholic, Ath. 19; Pref. 
 1, 2, 4, 6, 9. 
 
 Bepentance, xii, 1, 2; xxv, 6. 
 
 Kesurrection of Christ, Ap. 5 ; 
 Nic. 5; Ath. 36; iii, 4. 
 " Of the body, Ap. 8; Nic. 
 10; Ath. 38; xvii, 1, 3. 
 
 Kighteousness, Justification, iv, 
 1, 3 ; V, 3 ; vi, 1 ; xviii, 
 1,2; XX, 9 ; xxv, 5. 
 
 KoMANiSM and its Creed, Int. 3. 
 
 Romish Errors rejected. See 
 Absolution, Abuses, Au- 
 ricular Confession, Bap- 
 tism, Bishops, Church 
 Canons, Celibacy, Cere- 
 monies, Confession, Cus- 
 tom, Decalogue, Faith, 
 Festivals, Grace, Indul- 
 ge nces. Justification, 
 Laity, Levitical Ser- 
 vice, Liberty Christian, 
 Lord's Supper, Mar- 
 riage, Mary, Means of 
 Grace, Meats, Merits, 
 Ministry, Mass, Monas- 
 teries, Monastic Vows, 
 Mortification, Observa- 
 tions, Opus Operatum, 
 Perfection, Pope, Pray- 
 er, Priests, Kighteous- 
 ness, Sacraments, Sacri- 
 fice, Saints, Satisfac- 
 tions, Schisms, Scrip- 
 tures, Sin,Eemission of. 
 Spires, Diet of, Tradi- 
 tions, Transubstantia- 
 tion. Unity of Church, 
 Works, Worship. 
 
 Sabbath. See Day, the Lord's ; 
 Decalogue, xxviii, 33, 
 44, 59, 60, 61 ; No. vi. 
 Sacramentariaxs, X, 4. 
 Sacraments, v, vii, viii, xiii. 
 Sacrifice of Christ; suffering for 
 us, Ap. 4 ; Nic. 4, 5 ; Ath. 
 36; ii, 4; iii, 3. 
 " Satisfaction of , merits of, 
 xxi, 2. 
 Samosatenes, i, 6. 
 Saints, Worship of, xxi, 1, 2. 
 Satisfaction of Christ. See 
 
 Sacrifice. 
 Satisfactions, xxv, 5. 
 Schism, xxvi, 43. 
 Scriptures, the Holy, Ep. 1 ; 
 Pref.8;v,2;xxiv,28,29, 
 40 ; xxviii, 59 ; Cone. 5, 7. 
 Sin, ii, xix. 
 
 ** Remission of, Ap. 7; 
 Nic. 9; iv, 1 ; vi, 2; 
 xii, 1. 
 Spires, Diet of, Pref. }5. 
 Spirit, Holy, Ap. 7; Nic. 7; 
 Ath. 5-10, 13, 15, 17, 22, 
 23; i, 3, 6; ii, 3; iii, 5; 
 V, 2, 4; xii, 7; xviii, 
 2, 8. 
 Supper, Lord's, The. See Mass. 
 A Sacrament, v, 1, 2; vii, 2; 
 viii, 1, 2; x, xiv ; xxiv, 
 5, 34. 
 A Communion, xxiv, 34, 36. 
 A Eucharist, xxiv, 41. 
 Body and blood of Christ in, 
 
 X, 1. 
 Bread and wine in, x, 2. 
 Communicants to be proved, 
 and instructed, xxiv, 6, 
 7. 
 Corruptions in, xxii, 8 ; xxiv, 
 10. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 91 
 
 Supper, Lord's, The. 
 
 Corruptions in rejected, xxii, 9. 
 Does not benefit the dead, xxiv, 
 
 22, 29. 
 Does not justify, xxiv, 28. 
 False doctrine of rejected, x, 3. 
 Guilt of unworthy reception, 
 
 xxiv, 12. 
 How to be used, xiii, 1. 
 In Apostolic times, xxii, 2. 
 In both kinds, xxii, 1. 
 In Cyprian's time, xxii, 4. 
 In early Church, xxii, 3. 
 In Jerome's time, xxii, 5. 
 Lutheran service in, Scriptural 
 
 and ancient; to be often 
 
 used, xxiv, 40. 
 No opus operatum in, xiii, 3 ; 
 
 xxiv, 22, 29. 
 Not a sacrifice, xxiv, 21. 
 Pope Gelasius, xxii, 6. 
 Processions rejected, xxii, 12. 
 Proper ceremonies in, xxiv, 2. 
 Requires faith, xiii, 2 ; xxiv, 30. 
 To be administered in the lan- 
 guage of the people, xxiv, 
 
 4. 
 True and false views of, No. 
 
 iii, v. 
 Synod. See Council. 
 
 Teaching publicly, xiv, 1. 
 
 Traditions, xv, 3, 4; Ep. 2; 
 xxvi, 1, 3, 5,6,8, 12-16, 
 19,21,22,39,40; xxviii, 
 35, 37, 39, 42,43, 49, 64, 
 67-69, 74. 
 
 Transubstantiation reject- 
 ed, X, 2. 
 
 Trust in God, ii, 2; xx, 38. 
 
 Truth of God, Pref. 11. 
 
 Truth not gathered from rumor, 
 Prol. 6. 
 
 Unity of God, 1, 1, 2. 
 
 Unity, Concord of Church, Pref. 
 3, 4, 10, 13, 19, 23; vii, 
 1, 4; xxviii, 71. 
 
 Valentinians, i, 5. 
 Yows, XV, 4 ; xxiii, 8. 
 " Monastic, xxvii. 
 
 Weakness of Man, xx, 34. 
 Will, xviii, 1, 4, 6; xix; xx. 
 Works, account for, Ath. 38; 
 iv, 1; vi, 1, 3; xii, 6; 
 XX ; xxvi, 1; xxvii, 43, 
 49. 
 World, consummation of, xvii, 
 
 1. 
 World to Come, Nic. 10. 
 Worship. See Service. 
 Of Christ, xxi, 3. 
 Of God, xxvii, 49, 50. 
 Of saints, xxi, 1. 
 
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