hominum peccata, collata nimi-pared with that Godhead thus inrum cum illa per fidem inhabi- dwelling by faith, are like one tante Divinitate, esse instar unius drop of water compared with the guttulæ aquæ, cum magno mari broad sea. Against this opinion comparatæ. Contra hanc opinio- others, indeed, have asserted that alii quidam asseruerunt, Christ is our righteousness before Christum esse nostram coram God, only according to his human Deo justitiam, duntaxat secun- nature.

nem

dum humanam naturam.

AFFIRMATIVA.

AFFIRMATIVE.

Sincera doctrina piarum Ecclesiarum, utrique The sound doctrine of godly churches opposed commemorato errori opposita.

to both of the fore-mentioned errors. I. To overthrow both errors we

I. Ad refellendum utrumque errorem, credimus, docemus et unanimously believe, teach, and conconfitemur unanimiter, quod fess that Christ is truly our rightChristus vere sit nostra justitia, eousness, but yet neither accordsed tamen neque secundum so- ing to the divine nature alone, nor lam divinam naturam, neque according to the human nature secundum solam humanam na- alone, but the whole Christ acturam: sed totus Christus, se- cording to both natures, to wit: cundum utramque naturam, in in his sole, most absolute obedisola videlicet obedientia sua, ence which he rendered to the quam Patri ad mortem usque Father even unto death, as God absolutissimam Deus et homo and man, and thereby merited for præstitit, eaque nobis peccatorum us the remission of all our sins omnium remissionem et vitam and eternal life. As it is writæternam promeruit. Sicut scrip- ten: As by one man's disobetum est: Sicut per inobedien- dience many were made sinners, tiam unius hominis peccatores so by the obedience of one shall constituti sunt multi: ita et per many be made righteous' (Rom. unius obedientiam justi constitu- v. 19).

entur multi' (Rom. v. 19).

II. Credimus igitur, docemus

II. We believe, therefore, teach,

et confitemur, hoc ipsum nostram and confess that this very thing is esse coram Deo justitiam, quod our righteousness before God, name

Dominus nobis peccata remittit, | ly, that God remits to us our sins of ex mera gratia, absque ullo re- mere grace, without any respect of spectu præcedentium, præsen- our works, going before, present, or tium, aut consequentium nostro- following, or of our worthiness or rum operum, dignitatis, aut me- merit. For he bestows and imputes riti. Ille enim donat atque im- to us the righteousness of the obeputat nobis justitiam obedien- dience of Christ; for the sake of tiæ Christi; propter eam justi- that righteousness we are received tiam a Deo in gratiam recipi- by God into favor and accounted mur, et justi reputamur.

righteous.

III. Credimus etiam, docemus III. We believe, also, teach, and et confitemur, solam fidem esse confess that Faith alone is the illud medium et instrumentum, means and instrument whereby we quo Christum Salvatorem, et ita lay hold on Christ the Saviour, in Christo justitiam illam, quae and so in Christ lay hold on that coram judicio Dei consistere righteousness which is able to stand potest, apprehendimus: propter before the judgment of God; for Christum enim fides illa nobis that faith, for Christ's sake, is imad justitiam imputatur (Rom. puted to us for righteousness (Rom. iv. 5). iv. 5).

IV. Credimus præterea, doce- IV. We believe, moreover, teach, mus et confitemur, fidem illam and confess that this justifying justificantem non esse nudam faith is not a bare knowledge of the notitiam historia de Christo, sed history of Christ, but such and so ingens atque tale Dei donum, great a gift of God as that by it quo Christum, Redemtorem no- we rightly recognize Christ our Restrum, in verbo Evangelii recte deemer in the word of the gospel, agnoscimus, ipsique confidimus: and confide in him: to wit, that for quod videlicet propter solam ip- his obedience' sake alone we have by sius obedientiam, ex gratia, re-grace the remission of sins, are acmissionem peccatorum habeamus, counted holy and righteous before sancti et justi coram Deo Patre God the Father, and attain eternal reputemur, et æternam salutem salvation.

consequamur.

V. Credimus, docemus et con- V. We believe, teach, and confitemur, vocabulum 'justificare' fess that the word justify in this

6

phrasi Scripturæ Sacræ, in hoc | article, conformably to the usage of articulo, idem significare, quod Holy Scripture, signifies the same absolvere a peccatis, ut ex dicto as to absolve from sin, as may be Salomonis (Prov. xvii. 15) intel- understood by the word of Solomon ligi potest: Qui justificat im- (Prov. xvii. 15): 'He that justifieth pium, et qui condemnat justum, the wicked, and he that condemneth abominabilis est uterque apud the just, even they both are abomiDeum.' Item (Rom. viii. 33): nation to the Lord.' Also (Rom. Quis accusabit electos Dei? viii. 33): 'Who shall lay any thing Deus est qui justificat.' to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.'

Et, si quando pro vocabulo And if at any time for the word justificationis vocabula regenera- Justification the words Regenerationis et vivificationis usurpan- tion and Vivification are used (as is tur (quod in Apologia Augus- done in the Apology of the Augstana Confessionis factum est), burg Confession), these words are sunt ea in illa superiore signifi- to be taken in the above-stated catione accipienda. Nam alias signification. For elsewhere these ee voces de hominis renovatione words are to be understood of the intelligendæ sunt, quæ a fidei justificatione recte discernitur.

renewing of man, which is rightly distinguished from the justification of faith.

VI. We believe, teach, and confess, moreover, that, although they that truly believe in Christ and are born again are even to the hour of death obnoxious to many infirmities

VI. Credimus, docemus et confitemur etiam, etsi vere in Christum credentes et renati multis infirmitatibus et nævis usque ad mortem sunt obnoxii: non tamen illis vel de justitia, quæ per fidem and stains, yet they ought not to ipsis imputatur, vel de æterna doubt either of the righteousness salute esse dubitandum, quin po- which is imputed to them through tius firmiter illis statuendum faith or concerning their eternal esse [vor gewiss halten sollen], salvation, but rather are they firmquod propter Christum, juxta ly to be convinced that, for Christ's promissionem et immotum ver- sake, according to the promise and bum Evangelii, Deum sibi pla- unshaken word of the gospel, they catum habeant. have God reconciled to them.

VII. Credimus, docemus et con- VII. We believe, teach, and confitemur, quod ad conservandam fess that, for the preserving of the puram doctrinam de justitia pure doctrine of the righteousness fidei coram Deo, necessarium of faith before God, it is necessary sit, ut particulæ exclusivæ (qui- that the exclusive particles (by bus Apostolus Paulus Christi which the apostle Paul separates meritum ab operibus nostris the merit of Christ utterly from prorsus separat, solique Christo our works, and attributes that glory eam gloriam tribuit) quam dili- to Christ alone) should be most gentissime retineantur, ut cum diligently retained, as when Paul Paulus scribit: ex gratia, gratis, writes: 'Of grace, freely, without sine meritis, absque lege, sine ope- our deserts, without law, without ribus, non ex operibus. Qua om- works, not of works. All which exnia hoc ipsum dicunt: 'Sola fide pressions amount to this: 'By faith in Christum justificamur et sal- in Christ alone are we justified and vamur' (Eph. ii. 8; Rom. i. 17; iii. saved' (Eph. ii. 8; Rom. i. 17; iii. 24; iv. 3 sqq.; Gal. iii. 11; Heb. xi.). 24; iv. 3 sqq.; Gal. iii. 11; Heb. xi.). VIII. Credimus, docemus et VIII. We believe, teach, and conconfitemur, etsi antecedens con- fess that, although antecedent contritio et subsequens nova obedi- trition and subsequent new obedientia ad articulum justificationis ence do not appertain to the article coram Deo non pertinent: non of justification before God, yet we tamen talem fidem justificantem are not to imagine any such justiesse fingendam, quæ una cum ma-fying faith as can exist and abide lo proposito peccandi, videlicet, et with a purpose of evil, to wit: of contra conscientiam agendi, esse et sinning and acting contrary to constare possit. Sed postquam homo science. But after that man is justiper fidem est justificatus, tum ve- fied by faith, then that true and livram illam et vivam fidem esse per ing faith works by love (Gal. v. 6), caritatem efficacem (Gal. v. 6), et and good works always follow justibona opera semper fidem justifi-fying faith, and are most certainly cantem sequi, et una cum ea, si mo- found together with it, provided do vera et viva fides est, certissime deprehendi. Fides enim vera nunquam sola est, quin caritatem et spem semper secum habeat.

only it be a true and living faith. For true faith is never alone, but hath always charity and hope in its train.

ANTITHESIS, SEU NEGATIVA.

Rejectio contrariæ et false doctrina. Repudiamus ergo et damnamus omnia falsa dogmata, qua jam recitabimus.

I. Christum esse justitiam nostram solummodo secundum divinam naturam.

II. Christum esse justitiam nostram tantummodo juxta humanam naturam.

ANTITHESIS, OR NEGATIVE. Rejection of opposite and false doctrine. We repudiate, therefore, and condemn all the false dogmas, which we will now recount:

I. That Christ is our righteousness only according to his divine

nature.

II. That Christ is our righteousness only according to his human

nature.

III. In dictis Propheticis et III. That in the prophetic and Apostolicis, ubi de justificatione apostolic declarations, which treat fidei agitur, vocabula justifi- of the righteousness of faith, the care' et 'justificari' non idem words justify and to be justified esse ac a peccatis absolvere et ab- are not the same as to absolve and solvi, et remissionem peccatorum be absolved from sins, and to obconsequi: sed nos per caritatem, tain remission of sins, but that we, a Spiritu Sancto infusam, per virtutes et per opera, quæ a caritate promanant, reipsa coram Deo justos fieri.

through love infused by the Holy Ghost, through the virtues and through the works which flow forth from charity, become in very deed righteous before God.

IV. Fidem non respicere in so- IV. That faith does not have relam Christi obedientiam, sed in spect to the sole obedience of Christ, divinam ejus naturam; quatenus but to his divine nature, so far as videlicet ea in nobis habitet atque that dwells and is efficacious in us, efficax sit, ut per eam inhabitatio- so that by that indwelling our sins nem peccata nostra tegantur. are covered.

V. Fidem esse talem fiduciam

in obedientiam Christi, quæ pos

V. That faith is such a confidence in the obedience of Christ as can

sit in eo etiam homine permanere abide and have a being even in that et consistere, qui vera pœnitentia man who is void of true repentance, careat, et ubi caritas non sequa- and in whom it is not followed by tur, sed qui contra conscientiam charity, but who contrary to conin peccatis perseveret. science perseveres in sins. VOL. III-I