From this complete exposition of the whole doctrine concerning freewill, the questions can finally be decided, about which, for a number of years, controversies have been agitated in the churches of the Augsburg Confession; namely, An homo ante, in, vel post conversionem Spiritui Sancto repugnet? vel pure passive se habeat? an homo convertatur ut truncus? an Spiritus Sanctus detur repugnantibus? et an conversio hominis fiat per modum coacticnis? That is:-Whether man, before, in, or after his conversion, strives against the Holy Spirit, and whether he does nothing at all, but merely suffers what God works in him. And then, whether in his conversion man is like a block. Lastly, whether the Holy Spirit is given to those who resist him. Again, whether conversion takes place through constraint, so that God forces them to their conversion with violence against their will. By this decision the contrary doctrine and errors can be perceived, refuted, censured, and rejected; as:

1. The insensibility of the Stoics and the Manicheans, that whatever happens, must thus happen, et hominem coactum omnia facere; that is, that man performs all that he does, through constraint, and that the will of man has no freedom or ability even in external operations, to regulate his conduct in accordance with outward civil justice and honorable discipline to some extent, and to avoid outward sins and vices; or, that the will of man is forced to external evil deeds, lasciviousness, rapine, murder, &c.

2. We reject the gross error of the Pelagians, that freewill is able by its own natural powers, without the aid of the Holy Spirit, to convert itself to God, to believe the Gospel, and to be obedient to the law of God with the whole heart, and thus, with this its voluntary obedience, to merit the remission of sins and eternal life.

3. We reject the error of the papists and the schoolmen who have more ingeniously introduced the false opinion, teaching, that man is able by his own natural powers to begin a virtuous life and his own conversion, and that, since man is too weak to accomplish that which was begun by his own natural powers, the Holy Spirit comes to his assistance.

4. We reject the doctrine of the Synergists, who pretend that man is not entirely dead to every thing good in spiritual things, but that he is vitally disabled. Wherefore, although free will is too impotent to make the beginning, and by its own powers to convert itself to God and to be obedient to the law of God from the heart; yet, when the Holy Spirit shall have made the beginning, and called us through the Gospel, and offered us his grace, the forgiveness of sins, and eternal salvation, that then the freewill by its own natural

powers, is able to meet God, and to some limited extent, do something towards this reformation, however insignificant, to help the Holy Spirit and to co-operate with him, to fit and apply itself for the grace of God, to apprehend and embrace the same, and to believe the Gospel, and also by its own powers to co-operate with the Holy Ghost in the advancement and preservation of this work.

In opposition, however, to this error, we have shown above at some length, that this power, namely, Facultas applicandi se ad gratiam, that is, by nature to apply ourselves to grace, comes, not from our own natural powers, but through the operation of the Holy Spirit alone.

5. We reject the doctrine of the pontiffs and monks, that after conversion, man can fulfil the law of God entirely in this life; and that through this fulfilment of the law, he is justified before God, and merits eternal life.

6. On the other hand, the enthusiasts must also be censured with the greatest earnestness and zeal, and they must in no way be tolerated in the church of God: for they imagine that God draws men to himself, enlightens, justifies, and saves them, without any means, without the hearing of the divine word, and without the use of the holy sacraments.

7. We reject those who imagine, that in conversion and regeneration God so creates a new heart and a new man, that the old Adamic nature, and especially the rational soul, are entirely exterminated, and new powers of soul are created out of nothing. This error St. Augustine refutes expressly, in his explanation on the twenty-fifth Psalm, where he quotes this declaration of Paul: Deponite veterem hominem; "Put off the old man," Eph. 4, 22; and he explains it in these words: Ne aliquis arbitretur, deponendam esse aliquam substantiam, exposuit, quid esset, Deponite veterem hominem, et inluite novum, cum dicit in consequentibus: Quapropter deponentes mendacium, loquimini veritatem. Ecce, hoc est, deponere veterem hominem, et induere novum, etc. That is: "In order that no one might hold that the substance or essence of man must be put of, he himself has explained what it is to put off the old man, and to put on the new, where he says in the succeeding words: Wherefore, putting away lying, speak ye the truth.' Behold, this is putting off the old man, and putting on the new."

8. Again, we also reject the following forms of expression, if used without an explanation:-That the will of nfan, before, in, and after conversion, resists the Holy Spirit, and that the Holy Ghost is given to those who strive against him.

For from the preceding explanation it is evident, that where no change at all takes place to that which is good, through the Holy Spirit, in the understanding, will, and heart, and where man does not at all believe the promises, and is not qualified of God for the reception of grace, but strives wholly and entirely against the word, no conversion can have taken place, nor can there be any. For conversion is such a change, through the operation of the Holy Spirit, in the understanding, will, and heart of man, that through this operation of the Holy Ghost, he can accept the offered grace; and indeed, all who obstinately and perseveringly strive against the operations and movings of the Holy Spirit, which occur through the word, receive not the Holy Spirit, but grieve him and are deprived of him.

But even in the regenerate there still remains an obstinacy of which the Scripture makes mention: "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit," Gal. 5, 17. Again, "The fleshly lusts war against the soul," 1 Pet. 2, 11; and the law in the members wars against the law of the mind, Rom. 7, 23.

Wherefore, the person who is not regenerated strives wholly against God, and is entirely the servant of sin. The regenerate man, however, delights in the law of God, after the inward man; but he nevertheless perceives in his members the law of sin, which strives against the law of the mind. With the mind, therefore, he serves the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin, Rom. 7, 25. In this manner the true sense concerning this matter can and must be firmly, perspicuously, and judiciously explained and taught.

But with respect to what relates to the expressions and phrases of Chrysostom and Basil: Trahit Deus, sed volentem trahit. Tantum velis, et Deus præoccurrit; and those of the schoolmen: Hominis voluntas in conversione non est otiosa; sed agit aliquid. That is, "God draws, but he draws him who is willing." Again, "Only will, and God will anticipate thee." Moreover, "The will of man is not idle in conversion, but it effects something;" which expressions, introduced for the confirmation of the natu ral freewill in the conversion of man, contrary to the doctrine concerning the grace of God; it is evident from the preceding explanation which we have laid down, are not analogous to the form of sound doctrine, but contrary to it; and consequently, when speaking of conversion to God, they should be cautiously avoided.

For the conversion of our depraved will, which conversion is not different from a resuscitation of the will from spiritual death, is the work of God alone; and so the resuscitation in the corporeal

resurrection of the body, must also be ascribed to God alone; as we have perspicuously explained above, and proved it with manifest testimonies from Holy Writ.

But how God in conversion makes out of rebellious and unwilling persons, through the drawing of the Holy Spirit, willing ones, and how after this conversion, the regenerate will of man goes not unemployed in daily exercise of repentance, but co-operates in all the works of the Holy Spirit, which he performs through us, has been sufficiently explained above.

Thus, too, when Luther says, that man keeps himself entirely passive in his conversion; that is, does nothing at all in it, but merely allows that which God works in him, he does not mean that conversion takes place without the preaching and hearing of the divine word; nor does he wish to convey the idea that in conversion no new emotion at all is excited in us, and no spiritual operation is commenced in us, by the Holy Spirit; but he wishes to imply that man of himself, or by his own natural powers, is unable to effect any thing, or to assist in his conversion, and that this conversion is not only in part but wholly and entirely an operation, a gift, and a work of the Holy Ghost, who by his own power and might, works and accomplishes it, through the word, in the understanding, will, and heart of man, quam in subjecto patiente; that is, in which the person neither does nor effects any thing, but merely permits it to be done; not as a statue hewn out of a stone, nor as a seal imprinted in wax, which has neither knowledge, nor feeling, nor will, with respect to the operation: but in the manner, as has already been defined.

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Since, in the schools, the young have been very much confused de tribus causis efficientibus, concurrentibus in conversione hominis non renati, that is, with the doctrine concerning the three efficient causes of the conversion of unregenerate man to God, as to the manner in which these (namely, the preached and the heard word of God, the Holy Spirit, and the will of man,) concur: we shall again repeat from the explanation already presented, that conversion to God is the work of Gol, the Holy Ghost, who is the true artificer, alone working this in us; for which purpose he employs the preaching and the hear ing of his holy word, as his ordinary means and instrument. But the understanding and the will of unregenerate man, are nothing else than the subjectum convertendum, that is, that which is to be converted, as the understanding and will of a man spiritually dead, in which the Holy Spirit works conversion and renovation. In this conversion the will of man, the subject of conversion, does nothing,

but merely suffers God to operate in it, until it is regenerated. And then it also co-operates with the Holy Spirit in other subsequent good works, doing that which is pleasing to God, as has been abundantly explained above.

III. OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH.

The third controversy, which has arisen among some theologians of the Augsburg Confession, is concerning the righteousness of Christ or that by faith, which God through his grace, imputes unto miserable sinners, for righteousness.

For one party contended that the righteousness by faith, which the Apostle, Rom. 3, 21, 22, calls the righteousness of God, is the essential righteousness of God, which is Christ himself as the true, the natural, essential Son of God, who through faith dwells in the elect, and impels them to the performance of good, and thus is their righteousness; in comparison with which righteousness, the sins of all men are as a drop of water in the great sea.

On the contrary, others have maintained and taught that Christ is our righteousness according to his human nature alone.

In opposition to both these parties, other teachers of the Augsburg Confession unanimously taught, that Christ is our righteousness, not according to his divine nature alone, nor yet according to his human nature alone, but according to both natures,-who às God and man, by his perfect obedience, has releemed us from our sins, justified, and saved us; so that the righteousness by faith is the remission. of sins, reconciliation with God, and is the cause of our adoption as children of God in virtue of the obedience of Christ alone, which is imputed for righteousness, through faith only, out of pure grace, unto all true believers. And thus, in consequence of it, they are absolved from all their unrighteousness.

Besides this controversy, other disputations concerning the article of justification have originated from the In'erim and from other causes. These we shall hereafter explain in antitheses; that is, in connection with a recitation of those errors which are adverse to the pure doctrine of this article.

This article concerning justification by faith is, as the Apology declares, the principal and most important of the whole Christian doctrine; without which article the poor conscience can have no hope, invariably true and fixed, or conceive the riches of the grace of Christ. And as doctor Luther has written: "If this single article remain