688 OF THE PERSON OF CHRIST. False and erroneous doctrine of the Calvinists, which militates chiefly against the third and fourth articles of the pure doctrine. 1. That God is man and man is God, is a figurative expression. 2. That the humanity has communion with the divinity, not in deed and in truth, but only according to the name and the words. 3. That it is impossible for God with all his omnipotence to provide, that the natural body of Christ may be at more than one place at a time. 4. That according to his humanity, through his exaltation, Christ has received only created gifts and limited power, for he does not know all things, and he is unable to do all things. 5. That according to his humanity Christ rules in an absent manner, like the king in Spain rules over the new islands. 6. That it is a condemnable idolatry, if any one should place the confidence and faith of his heart upon Christ, not according to his divinity alone, but also according to his humanity, and thus confer upon him the honor of invocation. OF HOLY BAPTISM. False and erroneous doctrine of the Calvinists. 1. Baptism is an outward water-bath, by which is signified an inward ablution from sins. 2. Baptism does not give or effect regeneration, faith, the grace of God, and salvation, but it only denotes and seals them. 3. Not all who are baptized with water, obtain by it the grace of Christ, or the gift of faith, but only the elect. 4. Regeneration takes place not in and with baptism, but first afterwards in mature years, and in some even in very old age. 5. Salvation does not depend on baptism; hence private baptism shall not be allowed in the church, but if the church service cannot be had, the infant should always be permitted to die without baptism. 6. The children of Christians are holy before baptism, and are in the covenant of eternal life from their mother's womb, yes, even in their mother's womb, else holy baptism could not be imparted unto them. 1 OF GOD'S FOREKNOWLEDGE AND ELECTION. False and erroneous doctrine of the Calvinists. 1. That Christ did not die for all persons, but only for the elect. 2. That God created the greater portion of mankind for eternal damnation, and is unwilling that they should be converted and saved. 3. That the elect and regenerate cannot lose the faith and the Holy Spirit and be condemned, even if they perpetrate all manner of gross sins and vices. 4. Those who are not elected, must be damned, and they cannot come to salvation, even if they were to be baptized a thousand times, if they were to approach the sacrament of the Lord's Supper daily, and would live as holy and blameless as possible. THE END. III. OF THE PERSON OF CHRIST AND HIS OFFICE. Articles of Visitation, 597 647 685, 688 Neither the Father nor the Holy Ghost, but the Son of God alone became man, 281 That Christ is true God and man in one person, 21, 67 502, 644 Of the New Arians, Whence originated the controversy concerning the person of Christ, 597 The pure doctrine concerning the person of Christ, embraced in certain articles, 488, 598 Contrary and false doctrine concerning the person of Christ, embraced in certain articles, and condemned, 491,615 Of the real communication of the properties of both natures in Christ, [488, 599 20 502, 644 332, 407 That it is rightly said, and how it is to be understood, that God suffered and died for us, 604 How it is to be understood that the blood of Christ cleanses us from our sins, [608 That according to his human nature Christ obtained almighty power even in his mother's,womb, and demonstrated it in the state of his humiliation, [601, 602, 614 That Christ knows all things, 610, 611 That the flesh of Christ is vivifying, 612 That Christ can, even according to his humanity, be present in all places wherever he will, and for this reason also in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, with his body and blood, [592, 615 How consolatory it is unto us in crosses and afflictions, that Christ can be everywhere with us according to his humanity, 613 That it is by no means the meaning of this book, that the human nature in Christ is equalized with the divinity, That the word of God is divided into the doctrine of the law and the Gospel, 534 298, Of the third use of the divine law, 481, 565 Of the Antinomians, the adversaries of senses, The word Gospel is used in two different 68 |