ÆäÀÌÁö À̹ÌÁö
PDF
ePub

nostra testimonium dicunt eam-mony to our religion, and set it que explicant, ac ostendunt, quo- forth to show in what manner from modo singulis temporibus sacræ time to time the Holy Scriptures literæ in articulis controversis have been understood and explainin Ecclesia Dei a Doctoribus, ed in the Church of God by the qui tum vixerunt, intellecta et doctors who then lived, as respects explicatæ fuerint, et quibus ra- controverted articles, and by what tionibus dogmata cum Sacra arguments, dogmas at variance with Scriptura pugnantia rejecta et the Holy Scriptures have been recondemnata sint. jected and condemned.

[blocks in formation]

prie et absque omni discrimine ly and without any distinction the ipsa hominis corrupti natura, very nature, substance, and essence substantia et essentia, aut certe of corrupt man, or at the least principalis et præstantissima the principal and pre-eminent part pars ipsius substantia; utpote of his substance, namely, the raipsa rationalis anima in summo tional soul itself, considered in its suo gradu et in summis ipsius highest degree and in its chief powviribus considerata? An vero ers? Or whether between the subinter hominis substantiam, natu- stance, nature, essence, body, and ram, essentiam, corpus et ani- soul of man, even after the fall mam, etiam post lapsum humani of mankind on the one hand, and generis, et inter originale peccatum aliquod sit discrimen, ita, ut aliud sit ipsa natura, et aliud ipsum peccatum originis, quod in natura corrupta hæret, et naturam etiam depravat?

Original Sin on the other, there be some distinction, so that the nature itself is one thing, and Original Sin another thing, which adheres in the corrupt nature, and also corrupts the nature?

AFFIRMATIVA.

Sincera doctrina, fides et confessio, cum superiore norma et compendiosa declaratione consentiens.

AFFIRMATIVE.

The pure doctrine, faith and confession, agreeing with our above-stated norm and compendious declaration.

I. Credimus, docemus et confite- I. We believe, teach, and confess mur, quod sit aliquod discrimen that there is a distinction between inter ipsam hominis naturam, the nature of man itself, not only non tantum, quemadmodum ini- as man was created of God in the tio a Deo purus, et sanctus, et beginning pure and holy and free absque peccato homo conditus est, from sin, but also as we now pos verum etiam, qualem jam post sess it after our nature has fallen; lapsum naturam illam habemus, a distinction, namely, between the discrimen, inquam, inter ipsam nature itself, which even after the naturam, quæ etiam post lapsum fall is and remains God's creature, est permanetque Dei creatura, et and Original Sin; and that this difinter peccatum originis, et quod ference between nature and Origtanta sit illa naturæ et peccati ori-inal Sin is as great as between the ginalis differentia, quanta est inter work of God and the work of the opus Dei, et inter opus Diaboli.

devil.

II. Credimus, docemus et con- II. We believe, teach, and confitemur, quod summo studio hoc fess that this distinction should be discrimen sit conservandum, prop- maintained with the greatest care, terea quod illud dogma, nul- because the dogma that there is no lum videlicet inter naturam ho- distinction between the nature of minis corrupti et inter peccatum fallen man and Original Sin is inoriginis esse discrimen, cum præ- consistent with the chief articles cipuis Fidei nostræ articulis (de of our faith (of Creation, of Recreatione, de redemtione, de sanc- demption, of Sanctification, and the tificatione et resurrectione carnis Resurrection of our flesh), and can nostræ) pugnet, neque salvis hisce not be maintained except by imarticulis stare possit.

pugning these articles.

4

[ocr errors]

Deus enim non modo Adami For God not only created the et Heva corpus et animam ante body and soul of Adam and Eve lapsum, verum etiam corpora et before the fall, but has also created animas nostras post lapsum cre- our bodies and souls since the fall, avit; etsi hæc jam sunt cor- although these are now corrupt.

rupta. Et sane hodie Dominus | And to-day no less God acknowlanimas et corpora nostra crea- edges our minds and bodies to be turas et opus suum esse agnoscit, his creatures and work; as it is sicut scriptum est (Job x. 8): written (Job x. 8): 'Thy hands have 'Manus tuæ fecerunt me, et plas-made me and fashioned me togethmaverunt me totum in circuitu.' er round about.'

Et Filius Dei unione persoAnd the Son of God, by a pernali illam humanam naturam, sonal union, has assumed this natsed sine peccato, assumsit, et non ure, yet without sin; and uniting alienam, sed nostram carnem not other flesh, but our flesh to sibi adjungens arctissime copu- himself, hath most closely conlavit, ejusque assumta carnis ra- joined it, and in respect of this tione vere frater noster factus flesh thus assumed he has truly beest; ut Scriptura testatur (Heb. come our brother; as the Scripture ii. 14): Posteaquam pueri com- bears witness (Heb. ii. 14): 'Formercium habent cum carne et asmuch then as the children are sanguine, et ipse similiter parti- partakers of flesh and blood, he also ceps factus est eorundem. Item himself likewise took part of the (ii. 16): 'Non Angelos assumit, same.' Also (ii. 16): For verily sed semen Abrahæ assumit, unde he took not on him angels; but he et debuit per omnia fratribus as- took on him the seed of Abraham. similari, excepto peccato. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, yet without sin.'

Eandem humanam nostram na- This same human nature of ours turam (opus videlicet suum) Chris- (that is his own work) Christ has tus redemit, eandem (que ipsius redeemed, the same (inasmuch as opus est) sanctificat, eandem a it is his own work) he sanctifies, the mortuis resuscitat, et ingenti glo- same doth he raise from the dead, ria (opus videlicet suum) ornat: and with great glory (as being his peccatum autem originale non own work) doth he crown it. But creavit, non assumsit, non redemit, Original Sin he has not created, has non sanctificat, non resuscitabit not assumed, has not redeemed, in electis, neque unquam gloria doth not sanctify, will not raise cælesti ornabit aut salvabit, sed again in the elect, nor will ever in beata illa resurrectione plane save and crown with heavenly

abolitum erit [sondern in der glory, but in that blessed resurrecAuferstehung gar vertilget sein tion it shall be utterly abolished wird]. and done away.

Ex his, quæ a nobis allata sunt, From these considerations which discrimen inter corruptam natu- have been advanced by us, the disram, et inter corruptionem, quæ tinction between our corrupt nature naturæ infixa est, et per quam and the corruption which is imnatura est corrupta, facile agno- planted in the nature, and through sci potest.

which the nature is corrupt, can be easily discerned.

reads the hymn of the Church:

"Through Adam's fall is all corrupt,
Nature and essence human."

III. Vicissim autem credimus, III. But, on the other hand, we docemus atque confitemur, pecca- believe, teach, and confess that tum originis non esse levem, sed Original Sin is no trivial corruptam profundam humanæ naturæ tion, but is so profound a corrupcorruptionem, quæ nihil sanum, tion of human nature as to leave nihil incorruptum, in corpore et nothing sound, nothing uncorrupt anima hominis, atque adeo in in- in the body or soul of man, or in terioribus et exterioribus viribus his mental or bodily powers. ejus reliquit. Sicut Ecclesia canit: 'Lapsus Adæ vi pessima humana tota massa, natura et ipsa essentia corrupta, luce cassa,"1 etc. How great this evil is, is in truth Hoc quantum sit malum, verbis not to be set forth in words, nor can revera est inexplicabile, neque it be explored by the subtlety of huhumanæ rationis acumine inda- man reason, but can only be disgari, sed duntaxat per verbum cerned by means of the revealed Dei revelatum agnosci potest. word of God. And we indeed afEt sane affirmamus, quod hanc firm that no one is able to dissever naturæ corruptionem ab ipsa this corruption of the nature from natura nemo, nisi solus Deus, the nature itself, except God alone, separare queat; id quod per which will fully come to pass by mortem in beata illa resurrec-means of death in the resurrection

1 'Durch Adam's Fall ist ganz verderbt

Menschlich Natur und Wesen.'

The beginning of a hymn by Lazarus Spengler, of Nuremberg (d. 1534), composed in 1525. See Schaff's German Hymn-Book, No. 62.

tione plene fiet. Ibi enim ea | unto blessedness. For then that very ipsa natura nostra, quam nunc same nature of ours, which we now circumferimus, absque peccato bear about, will rise again free from originis, et ab eodem omnino Original Sin, and wholly severed separata et remota resurget, et and disjoined from the same, and æterna felicitate fruetur. Sic will enjoy eternal felicity. For enim scriptum est (Job xix. 26): thus it is written (Job xix. 26): 'Pelle mea circumdabor, et in 'I shall be compassed again with carne mea videbo Deum, quem my skin, and in my flesh shall ego visurus sum mihi, et oculi I see God; whom I shall see for mei eum conspecturi sunt.'

myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another."

NEGATIVA.

Rejectio fulsorum dogmatum, quæ commemoratæ sanæ doctrinæ repugnant.

NEGATIVE.

Rejection of false dogmas, which are opposite to the sound doctrine as set forth above.

I. Rejicimus ergo et damna- I. We therefore reject and conmus dogma illud, quo asseritur, demn that dogma by which it is peccatum originale tantummodo asserted that Original Sin is merereatum et debitum esse, ex alieno delicto, absque ulla natura nostræ corruptione, in nos deriva

tum.

ly the liability and debt of another's transgression, transmitted to us apart from any corruption of our

nature.

II. Item, concupiscentias pravas II. Also, that depraved concupisnon esse peccatum, sed concreatas cences are not sin, but certain connaturæ conditiones, et proprietates create conditions and essential propquasdam essentiales: aut defectus erties of the nature, or that those illos, et malum ingens a nobis defects and that huge evil just set paulo ante commemoratum, non forth by us is not sin on whose acesse peccatum, propter quod homo, Christo non insertus, sit filius iræ.

count man, if not grafted into Christ, is a child of wrath.

III. We also reject the Pelagian heresy, in which it is asserted that

III. Rejicimus etiam Pelagianam hæresin, qua asseritur, hominis naturam post lapsum in- the nature of man after the fall is corruptam esse, et quidem in spi- incorrupt, and that, moreover, in

« ÀÌÀü°è¼Ó »