if you will believe the promises made by God, God will account you righteous."

"He therefore who believes God promising, who feels that he is true, and that he will perform whatever he has promised, such an one is righteous, or accounted so. Faith most assuredly is nothing more, nor is it possible for it to be any thing more than assent to the promise. And if this assent is counted for righteousness, why does the insane sophist assert that it is love, hope, and other virtues? Faith alone lays hold

* "Quomodo igitur acquisivit justitiam? Hoc solo modo, Quod Deus loquitur, et Abraham loquenti Deo credit. Accedit autem Spiritus Sanctus, testis fide dignus, et affirmat hoc ipsum credere, seu hanc ipsam fidem, esse justitiam, seu imputari ab ipso Deo pro justitia, et haberi pro justitia. Quia autem verba quae Dominus loquitur, praecipue respiciunt semen spirituale, Christum: evolvit Paulus mysterium hoc, et clare pronunciat justitiam esse per fidem in Christumn. In hac igitur sententia acquiescamus, nec ab ea dimoveri nos furoribus Satanae et Pontificum sinamus. Argumento autem est quam Satan hanc sententiam oderit, quod non solum hodie per Pontificias larvas, sic eam hostiliter impugnat, et impudenter blasphemat, ac damnat. Sed Rabbini Judaeorum hic quoque suam stultitiam, et furorem suum, quem contra Christum habent, patefaciunt. Sic enim hunc locum legunt: Credidit Abraham in Deo, et cogitavit ei in justitia, hoc est Abraham credidit Domino, et cogitavit Deum esse justum et daturum ei semen, quia sit justus, hoc est, quia respiciat merita et sanctitatem patris Abraham. Digna profecto Rabbinis et hostibus Christi cogitatio. Hoc enim modo tota sententia invertitur, excluditur promissio et gratia, ac stabilitur justitia humana: cum Paulus ex hoc ipso loco gravissime eam sententiam, tanquam falsam et impiam, oppugnet. De verbo a non valde repugno, sive id pro reputare sive cogitare accipias, nam res eodem redit. Cum enim divina majestas de me cogitet, me esse justum, mihi esse remissa peccata, me liberum esse a morte aeterna, et ego cum gratiarum actione in fide hanc cogitationem Dei de me apprehendo, vere sum justus, non meis operibus, sed fide qua apprehendo cogitationem divinam. Nam Dei cogitatio est infallibus veritas. Igitur cum eam apprehendo, firma cogitatione, non vaga opinione et dubia, justus sum. Fides est enim firma et certa seu cogitatio seu fiducia de Deo, quod per Christum sit propitius, quod per Christum cogitet de nobis cogitationes pacis, non afflictionis aut irae. Relativa enim haec sunt, cogitatio Dei, seu promissio, et fides qua promissionem Dei apprehendo. Recte igitur Paulus, verbum reddidit per verbum loyiέodai quod etiam ad cogitationem alludit, sicut reputandi verbum. Si enim tu Deo promittenti credis, Deus te reputat justum." Ibid. p. 56.

on the promise; it believes in the promises of God; it stretches forth its hand to God who is offering something, and receives it. This is the appropriate work of faith alone. This is the clear and indubitable testimony of Scripture, that the righteousness of faith is imputed, i. e. that Abraham believing in God is reputed by God as righteous. This the Scripture says not of works. Let this distinction, therefore, be observed, that faith which contracts with God promising, ar accepts his promise, that alone justifies. The difference, therefore, of the faith of Abraham and of our faith is nothing but this; Abraham believed in Christ to be exhibited, and we believe in him already exhibited. And by this faith we all are justified. The whole matter consists in this, that Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness; that is, he was by believing made righteous and an heir of eternal life."*

We have been thus particular, lest it should be suspected that we have misrepresented the doctrine of this great reformer. Let his views be compared with those, against which so serious exception has been taken, and it will be perceived that the rejection of either, must be followed by the rejection of both. The views of Luther, however, on the subject of justification and faith, cannot be consistently rejected by Calvinists.

II. Our second witness shall be the Augsburg Confession. This celebrated symbol was prepared for the purpose of making known to Europe the doctrines of the Reformation; and also to correct the flagrant misrepresentation and calumny

* "Qui igitur promittenti Deo credit, qui sentit eum esse veracem, et esse praestiturum quicquid promiserit, hic est justus, seu reputatur justus.-Profecto fides aliud nihil est, nec aliud potest, quam assentiri promissioni. Si autem hic assensus reputatur pro justitia, cur insane sophista, asseris dilectionem, spem, et alias virtutes. -Sola autem fides apprehendit promissionem, credit promittenti Deo, Deo porrigente aliquid admovet manum, et id accipit. Hoc proprium solius fidei opus est.-Scripturae autem testimonium hic clarum et indubitatum est, quod fidei imputatur justitia, hoc est, quod Deo credens Abraham, reputatur a Deo justus: Hoc non pronunciat Scriptura de operibus.-Retinenda igitur distinctio haec est, quod fides quae agit cum Deo promittente, et ejus promissionem accipit, haec sola justificat.-Differentia igitur fidei Abrahae et nostrae nulla alia est, nisi quod Abraham credidit in Christum exhibendum, nos credimus in exhibitum jam. Et illa fide justificamur omnes.-Tota res in eo consistit, quod Abraham Deo credidit, et reputatum est ei ad justitiam, hoc est, quod credendo factus est justus, et haeres aeterni regni." Vide ut Supra, pp. 57, 58.

VOL. XII. No. 31.

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which the papists had circulated respecting them. It is the joint production of Luther, Melancthon, Bugenhagen, and Jonas, who were appointed by the elector of Saxony to draw up a sketch of their doctrines to lay before the emperor Charles V. at Augsburg. For he had commanded the convention of a diet at this place, for the purpose of terminating the disputes between the Pope and the princes who favored the Reformation. It was held June 25, anno 1530. The fourth article is on the subject of justification, and thus reads:* churches teach that men cannot be justified before God, by their own strength, merits or works; but that they are justified for Christ's sake, when they believe themselves to be received into favor, and their sins forgiven on account of Christ, who by his death made satisfaction for our sins. This faith God imputes to us for righteousness." The reader cannot but be struck with the similiarity between the language of this article on this subject, and the language of Luther above quoted.

III. During the preceding year was held the Colloquium Marpurgense, in whose Acts are contained the sentiments of Luther, Zuinglius, and their followers. The reader will bear in mind that the object of this colloquium was to settle articles of peace and union among the reformers. We will now listen to its testimony. "We believe that we shall be delivered from this original sin, and from all other sins, and from eternal death, if we believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God who died for us. Without this faith there is no kind of works, or condition, or religion, etc. that can absolve us from a single sin. • We believe that this faith is the gift of God; and that we cannot acquire it by any preceding works, or merits, nor can we obtain it by any exertions of our own; but that it is created and bestowed by the Holy Spirit, even as he wills when we hear the gospel or word of Christ. We believe that this faith is our righteousness before God."*

* For the original Latin, see Note Vol. XI. p. 467.

"V. Credimus, nos ab hoc peccato (originali,) aliisque omnibus peccatis et ab aeterna morte liberari, si credamus in Filium Dei JɛSUM CHRISTUM pro nobis mortuum: absque hac fide nullo operum genere, conditione, vel religione, etc. ab ullo peccato absolvi posse. VI. Hujusmodi fidem esse donum Dei, quod nullis praecedentibus operibus vel meritis a nobis acquiri, aut viribus nostris parari possit: Sed Spiritum Sanctum eam largiri et creare, prout vult in cordibus nostris quando Evangelium seu verbum Christi audimus. VII. Hane fidem esse justitiam nostram coram Deo," etc.

IV. The Confession of Bohemia. We have not the original of this Confession, and shall therefore quote it from a translation. "Now this faith, (viz. justifying faith,) is properly an assent of a willing heart to the whole truth delivered in the gospel, whereby man is enlightened in his mind and soul,” etc. V. Moravian Confession, Art. IV. "We likewise teach, that we cannot attain to the forgiveness of sins and righteousness before God, through our own merit, work, or satisfaction; but that we obtain pardon of sins and are made righteous before God, by grace, for Christ's sake through faith, even by believing that Christ hath suffered for us; and that for his sake sin is forgiven us, and righteousness and eternal life bestowed upon For it is this faith, which God will account and_impute for righteousness before him, as St. Paul says to the Romans, in the third and fourth chapters."

us.

VI. Cloppenburg, a learned and acute theologian, (but he flourished later than any we have yet quoted,) after remarking that, "Justification in the Scriptures signifies absolution from the guilt of sins,"* distinctly states that "it is a problem among the orthodox," (problema est inter orthodoxos), whether justifying faith is to be predicated of the intellect or will. It is worthy of remark too that this eminent divine (whose only fault was, he was too disputatious), the annihilator of Bedell and Smalcius, and the companion of Spanheim, of Polyander, of Triglandius, and Rivetus, and others who were alike the glory of the church and of the age, should pronounce the doctrine of Luther and Melancthon on the very topics before us, "the orthodox doc-. trine" (orthodoxam doctrinam). Thus showing that on this subject, to quote a primitive Lutheran reformer is equivalent to quoting a strict Calvinist.

VII. Tilenus. "When justification is passively understood, its form is nothing else than the application of faith; whence faith is said to be our righteousness."t

VIII. Gomar. For reasons already stated, our quotations from this eminent Calvinist will be extensive. For as in the case of Luther, so here, we wish to present his views in full, upon each topic embraced in the objection referred to.

Treating upon the nature of faith he thus remarks: "That,

* "Justificationem in sacris literis significare absolutionem a reatu peccatorum, credimus." Opp. Alt. Tom. p. 394.

"Passive cum sumitur justificatio, forma ejus nihil aliud est, quam fidei applicatio, unde fides dicitur justitia nostra." Syntag. Par. II. Loc. XLII. De Just. Thes. VIII. p. 724.

whose subject is the intellect, and not the will alone, that, properly, is not confidence. But the subject of faith is the intellect and not the will only. Therefore faith is not properly confidence. The proposition is true, because, by universal consent, confidence is not in the intellect but in the will alone; because by itself it is an emotion, an affection of the heart and will, and thus it is defined by every one. But it is a contradiction to affirm that a thing is in the intellect and not in the will alone, and at the same time that it is not in the intellect but only in the will. The assumption is true, beyond all controversy. For although it remain a question whether faith is partly in the intellect and partly in the will, it is yet by universal consent, from the general definition of faith, and from the sacred Scriptures, acknowledged, that faith is in the intellect, and not in the will alone. Wherefore, the conclusion necessarily follows from the admitted proposition and assumption, that faith is not confidence."* With the premises of this argument we have nothing to do. The conclusion to which Gomar arrived was that justifying faith is purely an intellectual exercise.

Again. "The same thing concerning confidence is not obscurely signified by some celebrated theologians, who, however, in their definition of faith and confidence assert that the faith by which we are justified is confidence. An illustrious example of this may be found in Dr. Ursinus, in that eminent work of his, the Explanation of the Catechism, which is well known to every one. After a common place exposition of faith, he, in the sixth thesis of those adjoining it defines faith as follows: 'Justifying faith is a notion by which one firmly assents to all things made known to him in the word of God, and concludes

"Cujus subjectum est intellectus, non autem sola voluntas; illud proprie non est fiducia. Atqui fidei subjectum est intellectus, non autem sola voluntas. Ergo fides non est proprie fiducia. Propositio vera est, quia omnium consensu fiducia non est intellectu, sed in sola voluntate; quia per se motus, atque affectus cordis, ac voluntatis est, atque ita ab omnibus definitur. Contradictoria autem sunt manifesta, idem esse in intellectu, non autem in sola voluntate: et simul non esse in intellectu, sed in sola voluntate. Assumptio etiam est vera, citra ullam controversiam. Nam licet quaestio sit, an fides sit partim in intellectu; partim in voluntate: illud tamen, omnium consensu, ex Scriptura, et generali fidei significatione, notum est: fidem esse in intellectu, non autem in sola voluntate. Quare conclusio, necessario, ex vera propositione, et assumptione sequitur: fidem non esse fiduciam." Vide Opp. Dr. F. Gomari, Tom. I. p. 655. in folio