bus, ordinandamque esse pie, bona fide, atque prudenter pauperum

subventionem.

CAP. XXIX.

DE CELIBATU, CONJUGIO, ET ECONOMIA. [CONF. AUG., DE ABUS. 2.]

1. Qui cœlitus donum habent cælibatus, ita ut ex corde, vel toto animo, puri sint ac continentes, nec urantur graviter, serviant in ea vocatione Domino, donec senserint se divino munere præditos, et ne efferant se cæteris, sed serviant Domino assidue, in simplicitate et humilitate. Aptiores autem hi sunt curandis rebus divinis, quam qui privatis familiæ negotiis distrahuntur. Quod si adempto rursus dono, ustionem senserint durabilem, meminerint verbi Apostolici: Melius est nubere, quam uri (1 Cor. vii.).

2. Conjugium enim (incontinentiæ medicina et continentia ipsa est) institutum est ab ipso Domino Deo, qui ei liberalissime benedixit, ac virum ac fœminam inseparabiliter sibi mutuum adhærere, et una in summa dilectione, concordiaque vivere voluit (Matt. xiii.). Unde scimus Apostolum dixisse: Honorabile est conjugium inter omnes et cubile impollutum (Heb. xiii. 4). Et iterum: Si virgo nupserit, non peccavit (1 Cor. vii.). Damnamus ergo polygamiam, et eos, qui secundas damnant nuptias. Docemus, contrahenda esse conjugia legitime in timore Domini, et non contra leges, prohibentes aliquot in conjugio gradus, ne incestæ fiant nuptiæ. Contrahantur cum consensu parentum, aut qui sunt loco parentum, ac in illum maxime finem, ad quem Dominus conjugia instituit et confirmentur publice in templo cum precatione et benedictione. Colantur denique sancte, cum maxima conjugum fide, pietate et dilectione, nec non puritate. Caveantur itaque rixa, dissidia, libidines et adulteria. Constituantur legitima in Ecclesia judicia, et judices sancti, qui tueantur conjugia, et omnem impudicitiam impudentiamque coërceant, et apud quos controversiæ matrimoniales transigantur.

3. Educentur quoque liberi a parentibus, in timore Domini: provideant item parentes liberis, memores Apostolicæ sententiæ: Qui suis non prospicit, fidem abnegavit, et infideli est deterior (1 Tim.. v. 8). Imprimis autem doceant suos, quibus sese alant, artes honestas, abstrahant ab otio, et veram in his omnibus fiduciam in Deum inse

rant, ne diffidentia aut securitate nimia aut avaritia foeda diffluant, nec ad ullum fructum perveniant.

4. Estque certissimum opera illa, quæ in vera fide fiunt a parentibus, per conjugii officia et œconomiam, esse coram Deo sancta et vere bona opera, et placere hæc Deo non minus, quam preces, jejunia, atque eleemosynas. Sic enim docuit et Apostolus in epistolis suis, præcipue vero ad Tim. et Titum. Numeramus autem cum eodem Apostolo inter dogmata Satanica illorum doctrinam, qui matrimonium prohibent, aut palam vituperant, vel oblique perstringunt, quasi non sanctum vel mundum sit.

5. Execramur autem cœlibatum immundum, libidines et fornicationes tectas et apertas hypocritarum, simulantium continentiam, cum omnium sint incontinentissimi. Hos omnes judicabit Deus. Divitias, et divites, si pii sunt et recte utantur divitiis, non reprobamus. Reprobamus autem sectam Apostolicorum, etc.

CAP. XXX.

DE MAGISTRATU. [CONF. AUG., ART. XVI.]

1. Magistratus omnis generis ab ipso Deo est institutus ad generis humani pacem ac tranquillitatem, ac ita, ut primum in mundo locum obtineat. Si hic sit adversarius Ecclesiæ, et impedire et obturbare potest plurimum. Si autem sit amicus, adeoque membrum Ecclesiæ, utilissimum excellentissimumque membrum est Ecclesiæ, quod ei permultum prodesse, eam denique peroptime juvare potest.

2. Ejus officium præcipuum est, pacem et tranquillitatem publicam procurare et conservare. Quod sane nunquam fecerit felicius, quam cum fuerit vere timens Dei ac religiosus, qui videlicet ad exemplum sanctissimorum regum principumque populi Domini, veritatis prædicationem et fidem sinceram promoverit, mendacia et superstitionem omnem cum omni impietate et idololatria exciderit ecclesiamque Dei defenderit. Equidem docemus religionis curam imprimis pertinere ad magistratum sanctum.

3. Teneat ergo ipse in manibus verbum Dei, et ne huic contrarium doceatur, procuret, bonis item legibus ad verbum Dei compositis moderetur populum, sibi a Deo creditum, eundemque in disciplina, officio, obedientiaque contineat. Judicia exerceat juste judicando, ne respi

ciat personam, aut munera accipiat; viduas, pupillos et afflictos asserat, injustos, impostores et violentos coërceat atque adeo et exscindat. Neque enim frustra accepit a Deo gladium (Rom. xiii. 4). Stringat ergo hunc Dei gladium in omnes maleficos, seditiosos, latrones vel homicidas, oppressores, blasphemos, perjuros et in omnes eos, quos Deus punire ac etiam cædere jussit. Coërceat et hæreticos (qui vere hæretici sunt) incorrigibiles, Dei majestatem blasphemare et Ecclesiam Dei conturbare, adeoque perdere non desinentes.

4. Quod si necesse sit, etiam bello populi conservare salutem, bellum, in nomine Dei suscipiat, modo prius pacem modis omnibus quæsierit, nec aliter nisi bello suos servare possit. Et dum hæc ex fide facit magistratus, illis ipsis operibus, ut vere bonis, Deo inservit, ac benedictionem a Domino accipit. Damnamus Anabaptistas, qui, ut Christianum negant fungi posse officio magistratus, ita etiam negant, quemquam a magistratu juste occidi, aut magistratum bellum gerere posse, aut juramenta magistratui præstanda esse, etc.

5. Sicut enim Deus salutem populi sui operari vult per magistratum, quem mundo veluti patrem dedit: ita subditi omnes, hoc Dei beneficium in magistratu agnoscere jubentur. Honorent ergo et revereantur magistratum, tanquam Dei ministrum: ament eum, faveant ei, et orent pro illo, tanquam pro Patre: obediant item omnibus ejus justis et æquis mandatis: denique pendant vectigalia atque tributa, et quæ hujus generis debita sunt, fideliter atque libenter. Et si salus publica patriæ vel justitia requirat, et magistratus ex necessitate bellum suscipiat, deponant etiam vitam, et fundant sanguinem pro salute publica magistratusque, et quidem in Dei nomine, libenter, fortiter et alacriter. Qui enim magistratui se opponit, iram Dei gravem in se provocat.

Damnamus itaque omnes magistratus contemptores, rebelles, reipublicæ hostes, et seditiosos nebulones, denique omnes, quotquot officia debita præstare, vel palam, vel arte renuunt.

Oramus Deum Patrem nostrum in cœlis clementissimum, ut principibus populi, nobis quoque et universo populo suo benedicat, per Jesum Christum, Dominum et Servatorem nostrum unicum, cui laus et gloria ac gratiarum actio in secula seculorum. Amen.

ARY

UNIVER: "V
CAL FOR

THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM. A.D. 1563.

[The German text is that of the third edition, including the 80th Question (republished, with the old orthography, by Niemeyer, Collectio Conf. p. 390, and in the Tercentenary Edition of the German Reformed Church of the United States, 1863), compared with the first edition (accurately republished by A.Wolters, Der Heidelb. Katechismus in seiner Urgestalt, 1864), but in modern spelling, and with some accepted verbal improvements (such as, in Qu. 1, beides im for beyde in, vollkommen for volkomlich). The same text, with critical notes, various readings, and Scripture proofs, is given in the revised issue of my Tercentenary Edition (Der Heidelb. Katechismus nach der Ausg. v. 1563 revidirt, etc., Phila., 1866), for which I had the advantage of using the only extant copy of the editio princeps, then in possession of my friend, the late Rev. Dr. Treviranus, of Bremen, and bearing the name of its original owner (Prof. H. Wilcken, in Heidelberg, 1563).

The English version, which is much better than the one in common use, was prepared by an able committee, consisting of Rev. Drs. Gerhart, Nevin, Harbaugh, Kessler, Zacharias, and others, in the name and by direction of the Synod of the German Reformed Church of the United States, held in Harrisburg, Pa., 1859, and was published in very superior style, as a Tercentenary Edition, together with the German and Latin texts (of the third edition), and a valuable introduction by Dr. John W. Nevin, New York, 1863 (pp. 277). It is here inserted by permission of the translators. The German title below is an imitation of the title-page of the first edition, except the electoral arms. See a full fac-simile in my German edition, 1866.]

Daß ich mit Leib und Seele, beides

Catechifm

or

CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION

as conducted in the Churches and Schools

of the

ELECTORAL PALATINATE.

Printed in the Electoral City

of Heidelberg by

JOHN MAYER.

1563.

QUESTION 1.

What is thy only comfort in life and in

death?

ANSWER.

That I, with body and soul, both im Leben und im Sterben, nicht mein, in life and in death, am not my sondern meines getreuen Heilandes own, but belong to my faithful Jesu Christi eigen bin, der mit seinem Saviour Jesus Christ, who with his

theuren Blute für alle meine Sünden | precious blood has fully satisfied vollkommen bezahlet, und mich aus aller for all my sins, and redeemed me Gewalt des Teufels erlöset hat; und from all the power of the devil; also bewahret, daß ohne den Willen and so preserves me that without meines Vaters im Himmel kein Haar the will of my Father in heaven von meinem Haupte kann fallen, ja not a hair can fall from my head; auch mir alles zu meiner Seligkeit yea, that all things must work todienen muß. Darum er mich auch gether for my salvation. Wheredurch seinen heiligen Geist des ewigen fore, by his Holy Spirit, he also Lebens versichert, und ihm forthin zu assures me of eternal life, and leben von Herzen willig und bereit makes me heartily willing and macht. ready henceforth to live unto him.

meine Sünde und Elend seien. 3um ness of my sin and misery. SecAndern, wie ich von allen meinen Sünond, how I am redeemed from all my sins and misery. Third, how I am to be thankful to God for such redemption.

den und Elend erlöset werde. Und zum Dritten, wie ich Gott für solche Erlösung soll dankbar sein.