464# （一）“《奥格斯堡信条》的神学博士们断言：人因始祖堕落而败坏至深，以致在属灵事务上，即在关乎我们悔改归正与救恩的事上，按本性乃是瞎眼的；他既不理解、也不能理解所传讲的上帝之言，反而视之为愚妄之物；并且，他绝不会凭自己亲近上帝，倒宁愿作上帝的仇敌，并且仍旧如此，直到圣灵借所传讲并听闻的圣言，以其大能，出于纯然恩典，在人没有任何自己的协作之下，使他归正，赐他信仰，使他重生并更新。”（第655，656页）
【2】（二）“我们相信：未重生之人的理智、内心与意志，在属灵和神圣事务上，亦即在关乎灵魂救恩的事上，凭自己属世的能力，绝不能理解、相信、接受、思想、意愿、开始、完成、行动、运行或协作任何事；相反，人对于善已全然败坏并死亡。因此，在堕落以后、重生以前，人的本性中连一点属灵能力的火星也未留下，使他能够借此预备自己接受上帝的恩典，或把握所赐予的恩典，或使自己适应恩典，并凭自己成为能够接受恩典者；也不能凭自己的能力，为自己的归正作出任何贡献，无论是全部、一半，还是最小的一部分；他不能从自己，或仿佛从自己，行事、运行或协作。
相反，人乃是罪的奴仆，是撒但的俘虏，并受撒但驱使。因此，他属世的自由意志，因其能力败坏、本性堕落，只在那些令上帝不悦并与上帝相敌的事上，才是主动而有效的。”（第656页）
【3】（三）“人在公民事务和属世事务上，固然勤勉而机敏；但在属灵和神圣事务上，即在关乎灵魂救恩的事上，他却如木桩、石头，又如罗得之妻所化的盐柱；这些东西既不能使用眼睛、口，也不能使用任何感官。”（第661页）
【4】（四）“人仍有某种运动能力，也就是说，他能够支配外在肢体，能够听闻福音，并能在某种程度上加以默想；然而，他在自己隐秘的思想中仍藐视福音，以之为愚妄之物，并且不能相信。在这一点上，他比木桩更坏，除非圣灵在他里面有效运行，在他里面点燃并成就信仰，以及其他为上帝所认可的德行与顺服。”（第662页）
【5】（五）“就某种意义而言，可以说人不是石头或木桩。石头和木桩并不抗拒，也不理解或感觉在自己身上所发生的事；但人却凭自己的意志抗拒上帝，直到他归向上帝为止。然而，真实情形仍是：人在归正以前，是一个有理性的受造物，有理智，却不在神圣事务上有理智；有意志，却不能意愿任何有益于救恩的善；然而，他不能为自己的归正贡献任何事物，并且在这一点上，比木桩和石头更坏。”（第672，673页）
【6】（六）“整个归正都是圣灵独自的运行、恩赐和工作；圣灵以自己的大能与能力，借圣言，在人的理智、心与意志中，如在一个被动承受的主体中，成就并运行此事；人在其中毫无所行，只是承受。然而，这并不是说，其方式如同用石头雕成一尊雕像，或把印记压入蜡中；因为蜡既无认知，也无意志。”（第681页）
【7】（七）“照某些教父与近代神学博士的说法，上帝吸引人，但吸引的是愿意的人；因此，在归正中，人的意志也有所行动。然而，这些说法与健全话语的规范并不相合，因为它们确认了关于人的自由意志在归正中之能力的错误意见。”（第582页）
【8】（八）“在世界的外在事务中，即在服从理性的事务中，人仍留下某些理智、能力和才干；然而，这些可怜的残余已经极其软弱，并且这些残余本身，无论如何微小，也因遗传之病而被毒素感染、玷污，以致在上帝面前毫无价值。”（第641页）
【9】（九）“人在归正中，即从忿怒之子成为恩典之子的过程中，并不与圣灵协作；因为人的归正乃是圣灵唯一而独自的工作。”（第219页，579页以下，663页以下；附录第143页）
“然而，重生之人能够借圣灵的大能而协作，尽管仍有许多软弱参与其中；并且，他行善的程度与持续时间，正与他受圣灵引导、统治并治理的程度与持续时间相等。但即使如此，他也不是像两匹马同拉一辆车那样与圣灵协作。”（第674页）
【10】（十）“原罪并非某种实际犯出的罪行，而是最内在地固着并根植于人的本性、实体与本质之中；它乃是一切实际罪的泉源，如邪恶的思想、言谈和恶行。”（第577页）
“那遗传之病，借此整个人性都已败坏，乃是可怖的罪，并且确是万罪的原则与首领；一切过犯皆由它如从根源和泉源中流出。”（第640页）
“由于这罪，人的本性如同因属灵的大麻风而全然受感染并败坏；甚至在最内在的脏腑和心之最深隐处，在上帝面前也全然如此。因这败坏，人的位格被上帝律法控告并定罪；因此，按本性说，我们乃是忿怒之子，是死亡与定罪的奴仆，除非借基督功劳的恩惠，从这些恶中得释放并蒙保守。”（第639页）
“由此产生了对乐园中同造的原初公义或上帝形像的全然缺失与剥夺；由此也产生无能、不适与愚钝，使人对于一切神圣或属灵之事全然不适。并且，在人里面，取代那已丧失之上帝形像的，乃是整个本性以及一切能力的最内在、最恶劣、最深沉、不可探究、不可言说的败坏；尤其是在灵魂较高且主要的机能中，即在心智、理智、心与意志中。”（第640页）
464# （1）《奥格斯堡信纲》（译注：又称《奥斯堡信条》）的博士或教师们断言，由于我们第一代父母的堕落，人已经完全败坏了，以至于在与我们的归依和救赎有关的属灵问题上，他天生是瞎的；当向他传讲神的圣言时，他不理解，也不能理解，却视之为愚蠢的事，他凭自己不亲近神，反而亲近神的敌人，并且一直如此，直到他靠着通过被宣讲和聆听的圣言而运作的圣灵的大能，出于纯粹的恩典，没有他那一方的任何合作而归依，被赋予信仰，重生并更新（《奥格斯堡信纲》，656页）。
（2）我们相信，在属灵和神性事物上，一个未重生之人的理解力、内心和意愿凭他自己的属世能力，在任何方面都完全不能理解、相信、接受或领悟、思考、意愿、开始、完成、行动、运作或合作；但就良善而言，人全然败坏和死亡，以至于自堕落以来，重生之前，在人的本性里面没有一丁点属灵能力的火花，使他能为神的恩典预备自己，或当这恩典被提供时能理解它，或使自己适应它，或能自动接受它。他不能凭自己的能力对自己的归依做出任何贡献，无论是完全的贡献，还是一半的贡献，或是最小程度的贡献，或凭自己行动、运作或合作，或能貌似凭自己如此行；相反，人是罪的仆人，是撒但的奴隶，被撒但驱使。因此，他的属世自由意志或自由选择因其败坏的能力和堕落的本性，只在那些不讨神喜悦和反对祂的事上才是积极和有效的（《奥格斯堡信纲》，656页）。
（3）在民事和属世事物上，人是勤奋和聪明的，但在与灵魂救赎有关的属灵和神性事物上，他就像一根木头或一块石头，或像罗得的妻子变成的盐柱，不用眼睛、嘴巴，或任何感官（《奥格斯堡信纲》，661页）。
（4）然而，人仍享有运动能力，或支配他的外在肢体的能力，以及听福音，并在某种程度上沉思他所听到的东西的能力，但在他暗中或私下的想法中，他却鄙视它，视之为愚蠢的事，也不能相信它；在这方面，他比木头还糟糕，除非圣灵在他里面有功效，或说在他里面开始作工，在他里面点燃并产生信仰和讨神喜悦的其它美德，以及服从（《奥格斯堡信纲》，662页）。
（5）从某种意义上可以说，人不是一块石头或一根木头。石头或木头不会抵抗，或说没有阻力，既不理解，也感受不到在它自己里面发生的事，而人却以自己的意愿抵抗神，直到他归依神。因此，在归依之前，人的确是理性生物，被赋予理解力，尽管在神性事物上没有理解力，也被赋予意愿，尽管他不意愿任何得救的良善。但他仍不能对他的归依或救赎做出任何贡献，在这方面，他比一根木头或一块石头还糟糕（《奥格斯堡信纲》，672，673页）。
（6）整个归依是圣灵独自的运作、恩赐和作工，圣灵凭自己的美德和力量通过圣言在人的理解力、内心和意愿中，如同在一个被动主体中一样运作并产生它，而人什么都做不了，只是完全被动。然而，这种运作不像用石头来形成雕像，或在蜡上压印，因为蜡既没有知识，也没有意愿（《奥格斯堡信纲》，681页）。
（7）根据某些教父和近代神学家的说法，“神只吸引意愿”；因此，在归依中，人的意愿会有所作为，或说在某个方面是积极的。然而，这种观点不符合健全的教义，因为它证实了一个人类的意愿或选择在归依中的能力的错误观点（《奥格斯堡信纲》，582页）。
（8）在受理性支配的外在世俗事务上，人里面仍留有某种程度的理解、力量和能力；尽管这些可怜的余剩极其虚弱；此外，这些天赋尽管很小，微不足道，也被遗传疾病如此毒害和污染了，以至于在神眼里，它们毫无价值（《奥格斯堡信纲》，641页）。
（9）在归依中，人由此从可怒之子变成恩典之子，并不与圣灵合作，因为他的归依唯独并完全是圣灵的作工（《奥格斯堡信纲》，219，579，663页，附录143页）。然而，一个重生的人通过圣灵的能力可以合作，尽管他的合作伴随着大量软弱。他按着圣灵引领、指导或支配和管理他的程度和时长而很好地合作。但他与圣灵的合作，并不像两匹马一起拉一辆车一样（《奥格斯堡信纲》，674页）。
（10）原罪不是实际犯下的某种过错，而是深深植根于人的本性、实质和本质中。它是一切实际罪恶的源头，如堕落的思维、话语和邪恶的行为（《奥格斯堡信纲》，577页）。已经败坏人的整个本性的这种遗传疾病是可怕的罪恶，事实上是一切罪恶的开始和源头，一切过犯都从它那里，如同从它们的根和源头中流出（《奥格斯堡信纲》，640页）。在心的至内在部分和最深处，人的整个本性在神面前完全被这罪，就像被属灵的麻风病一样感染和败坏；由于这种败坏，人的人格或性格被神的律法指控和定罪，以至于我们天生就是可怒之子，是死亡和诅咒的奴隶，除非我们因基督功德的恩赐而从这些邪恶中被释放和拯救出来（《奥格斯堡信纲》，639页）。因此，最初的正义，或在伊甸园中所创造的（与人有关的）神的形像完全缺乏或丧失了；这种缺乏是使人在一切神性和属灵事物上完全无能的无能为力、笨拙和愚蠢的源头。取代在人里面如此丧失的神的形像的是，在心智、理解力、内心和意愿里面存在着他整个本性和一切能力，尤其灵魂的较高和主要官能的最内在、最坏或最卑鄙、最深不可测和无法形容的败坏（《奥格斯堡信纲》，640页）。
464. 1. The teachers of the Augsburg Confession assert that we human beings have been so deeply corrupted through the fall of our first parents that in spiritual matters concerning our conversion and salvation we are by nature blind. When the Word of God is preached we do not and cannot understand it. Instead, we regard it as foolishness. Of our own accord we never move closer to God; on the contrary, we are an enemy of God, and remain so until from pure grace without any cooperation on our part we are converted, given faith, regenerated, and renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit through the Word as it is preached and heard. (Page 656)
2. We believe that in spiritual and divine matters, the mind, heart, and will of unreborn human beings are entirely unable to understand, believe, comprehend, think, will, start, finish, enact, work, or cooperate through their own natural powers. Instead, we are utterly corrupt and dead to what is good, so that in our nature after the Fall but before our regeneration not the least spark of spiritual power remains that would enable us to prepare ourselves for the grace of God, or accept it once it was offered, or adapt ourselves to it, or make room for it on our own; or contribute to, perform, bring about, or cooperate in our own conversion, in whole or by half or to the least extent, either by acting on our own or even by seeming to act on our own. Instead, we are a slave of sin and the property of Satan, who supplies our driving force. Therefore because of our corrupt powers and depraved nature, our earthly free choice is active and effective only in areas that are displeasing and hostile to God. (Page 656)
3. In civic and earthly matters we human beings are industrious and ingenious, but in spiritual and divine matters, which concern the salvation of our souls, we are like a log, a stone, and Lot's wife when she became a pillar of salt, which have no functioning eyes, mouth, or senses. (Page 661)
4. We human beings do retain locomotive power to control our outer parts, to hear the Gospel, and to meditate on it to some extent, but nevertheless in our private thoughts we despise it as foolishness and cannot believe it. In this respect we are worse than a log, unless the Holy Spirit begins to work within us and kindles and develops faith, obedience, and other God-pleasing virtues. (Page 662)
5. According to a certain kind of reasoning it could be said that we are not a stone or a log, because a stone and a log do not fight back, nor do they comprehend or even feel what is being done to them. But until human beings have been converted to God, of their own will they fight against God. It is true that before conversion we human beings are rational creatures that have understanding - but not in divine matters. And we do have a will - but we do not will anything that is good for our salvation. We have nothing to contribute to our own conversion, and in this sense we are worse than a log or a stone. (Pages 672, 673)
6. Conversion is entirely the work, gift, and product of the Holy Spirit, which brings it about and develops it by its own strength and power through the Word in our mind, heart, and will, as if we were a passive subject. We do nothing for the process; we only experience it. Yet this does not take place the way a statue is formed from a block of stone or a seal is pressed into wax, because the wax lacks both awareness and will. (Page 681)
7. Some church fathers and more recent theologians say, "God draws, but he draws the willing," meaning that our will plays some role in our conversion. But this does not square with sound teachings, which confirm that human free choice plays no role in conversion. (Page 582)
8. In the outer things of the world, which are subject to reason, we still have a little bit of intellect, power, and our faculties left, although these wretched remnants are profoundly disabled, and what little is left is itself infected and contaminated with poison resulting from hereditary disease, so that before God they are inconsequential. (Pages 640, 641)
9. In our conversion, in which we turn from children of wrath into children of grace, we do not cooperate with the Holy Spirit. In fact, the conversion of human beings is a task that belongs solely to the Holy Spirit. (Pages 219, 579 and following, 663 and following; appendix page 143)
Nevertheless, people who have been reborn are able to cooperate, through the power of the Holy Spirit, although they remain profoundly weak. They function well as far and as long as they are led, ruled, and governed by the Holy Spirit. But even then they do not cooperate with the Holy Spirit the way two horses pull a wagon together. (Page 674)
10. Original sin is not some wrong that we perpetrate in act; instead it is something deeply embedded in our nature, substance, and essence. It is the fountainhead of all actual sins, with the result that the things we think and say are depraved and the things we do are evil. (Page 577)
That hereditary sickness, which has corrupted our whole nature, is dreadful sin. It is indeed the beginning and origin of all sins; all transgressions flow from it as their root and source. (Page 640)
Even in our inmost parts and the deepest recesses of our heart, our nature is totally infected and corrupted before God by that sin, as if it were a spiritual leprosy. Because of this corruption our character is accused and damned by the law of God, so that by nature we are children of wrath and the property of death and damnation, unless with the aid of Christ's merit we are liberated and kept safe from this evil. (Page 639)
As a result there is a total absence or deprivation of the original righteousness that was ours from creation in paradise, [namely,] the image of God, and this absence has led to the impotence, incompetence, and stupidity that render us completely inept in regard to all divine and spiritual matters. In place of the lost image of God in us, there lies within our mind, intellect, heart, and will the inmost, worst, deepest, unfathomable, unspeakable corruption of our entire nature and of all our powers, especially the higher and principal faculties of our soul. (Page 640)
464. (i) 'The scholars of the Confession of Augsburg hold that as the result of the fall of our first parents, man is so utterly corrupt that in spiritual matters relating to our conversion and salvation he is by nature blind, and on hearing the Word of God preached he neither understands it nor can understand it, but judges it a foolish thing; and he never of himself approaches God, but is rather an enemy of God and so remains, until by the power of the Holy Spirit on hearing the Word preached he is by pure grace, without any co-operation on his own part, converted, endowed with faith, regenerated and made new' (pp. [655,] 656).
[2] (ii) 'We believe that the understanding, heart and will of a person who has not been born again cannot of his own natural abilities in spiritual and Divine matters understand, believe, embrace, think, will, begin, complete, do, perform or co-operate in anything whatever; but that man is so corrupt and dead to good, that since the fall and before regeneration there remains left over not so much as a spark of spiritual ability, to enable him to prepare himself for God's grace, or to grasp it when offered, or to fit himself for it or of his own accord to receive it. Nor can he of his own ability contribute to his own conversion either totally or to the extent of a half or even the slightest extent, or act, work or co-operate of his own accord, or as if of his own accord; but man is a slave to sin and in bondage to Satan, by whom he is impelled. Thus by reason of the corruption of his abilities and the depravity of his nature his natural free will is active and effective only in matters which displease and oppose God' (p. 656).
[3] (iii) 'In secular and natural matters man is industrious and clever, but in spiritual and Divine matters which concern the salvation of his soul he is like a tree-trunk, a stone or the pillar of salt into which Lot's wife was turned, unable to use eyes, mouth or any senses' (p. 661).
[4] (iv) 'None the less man has the power of movement and is able to control his external parts, to listen to the Gospel, and in some way to meditate on it, but still in his unexpressed thoughts he despises it as a folly, and he is unable to believe it, being in this respect worse than a tree-trunk, unless the Holy Spirit is effective in him, and kindles and produces in him faith, the other virtues pleasing to God and obedience' (p. 662).
[5] (v) 'It can in a way be argued that man is not a stone or a tree-trunk: these do not offer resistance, nor do they understand or feel what is done to them, in the way that man by his will resists God, until he has been turned towards God. Yet it is true that before conversion man is a rational creature, endowed with understanding, though not in Divine matters, and with a will, though incapable of willing any good which might lead to his salvation; yet he is unable to make any contribution to his conversion, and in this respect he is worse than a tree-trunk or a stone' (pp. 672-673).
[6] (vi) 'The whole act of conversion is the action, gift and work of the Holy Spirit alone, who by His strength and power brings about and effects this, by means of the Word, in man's understanding, heart and will, as if in a passive object, where man does nothing but is only worked on. However, this is not like the way a statue is shaped from a block of stone or a seal is imprinted on wax, because the wax has neither knowledge nor will' (p. 681).
[7] (vii) 'The writings of certain Fathers and modern scholars have alleged that God draws man but only with his consent, so that man's will plays some part in his conversion; but these statements are not in accordance with sound discourse, for they support a false view of the powers of human choice in conversion' (p. 582).
[8] (viii) 'In outward, worldly matters, which are open to reason, man has left to him a certain amount of understanding, ability and faculties, although these wretched remains are very weak; and these same talents, small as they are, are poisoned and contaminated by inherited disease, so that they are worthless in the sight of God' (p. 641).
[9] (ix) 'Man in his conversion, which turns him from a son of wrath into a son of grace, does not co-operate with the Holy Spirit, seeing that man's conversion is the work of the Holy Spirit alone and unaided' (pp. 219, 579f, 663ff, Appendix p. 143). 'However, once he has been born again, man can co-operate by the power of the Holy Spirit, although there is at the same time great weakness in him. He does good deeds to the extent that and so long as the Holy Spirit leads, controls and guides him; but he does not co-operate with the Holy Spirit like two horses together pulling a carriage' (p. 674).
[10] (x) 'Original sin is not a crime which is perpetrated in action, but something intimately implanted and inherent in man's nature, substance and essence, acting as the spring from which well up all sins realised in action, such as wicked thoughts, conversations and evil deeds' (p. 577). 'The inherited disease which has corrupted his whole nature is a dreadful sin, and indeed the beginning and chief of all sins, the root and source from which flow forth all transgressions' (p. 640). 'By that sin, as it were by spiritual leprosy, completely lodged in even the inmost viscera and the deepest recesses of the heart, man's nature is in God's sight totally infected and corrupted; and on account of this corruption man's person is accused and condemned by God's law, so that we are by nature sons of wrath, slaves of death and damnation, unless benefiting by Christ's merit we are freed and saved from these evils' (p. 639). 'As a result we suffer a total lack or deprivation of original righteousness or the image of God which was created along with us in Paradise, and this is the source of the powerlessness, ineptitude and stupidity which unfits man for all Divine or spiritual concerns. In place of the lost image of God man suffers an intimate, most evil and deep, inscrutable and unspeakable corruption of his whole nature, and of all his powers, particularly the higher and principal faculties of the soul, in mind, understanding, heart and will' (p. 640).
464. (i) "The doctors of the Augsburg Confession assert, that owing to the fall of our first parents, man is so thoroughly corrupt, that in spiritual matters, which have regard to our conversion and salvation, he is by nature blind, and neither understands nor is able to understand the Word of God when preached, but regards it as a foolish thing, and never of himself draws nigh unto God; but is rather an enemy of God, and so remains until by the power of the Holy Spirit, operative through the Word preached and heard, out of pure grace, without any co-operation on his part he is converted, gifted with faith, regenerated and renewed" (page 665).
[2] (ii) "We believe that in spiritual and Divine things, the understanding, heart, and will of the man who has not been born again, are wholly unable, by his own natural powers, to understand, believe, embrace, think, will, begin, finish, act, operate or co-operate; but that as to good he is utterly corrupt and dead, so that in his nature since the fall, before his regeneration, there does not remain the least spark of spiritual power by which he can prepare himself for the grace of God, or grasp it when offered, or adapt himself to it, and of himself be capable of receiving it. Neither can he by his own powers contribute in any way to his own conversion, either in the whole or the half or the smallest part, or act, operate, or co-operate from himself, or as if from himself; but he is a servant of sin and a slave to Satan, by whom he is moved. Consequently his natural freedom of choice, by reason of his corrupted powers and his depraved nature, is active and efficient only in those things that are displeasing to God and opposed to Him" (page 656).
[3] (iii) "In civil and natural matters man is diligent and intelligent, but in spiritual and Divine matters, which look to the soul's salvation, he is like a stock or a stone, or like the pillar of salt into which Lot's wife was turned, which have not the use of eyes or mouth or any of the senses" (page 661).
[4] (iv) "Man, however, has the power of locomotion, or of controlling his external members, also the ability to hear the Gospel, and in some measure meditate on it; and yet in his secret thoughts he despises it as a foolish thing, and is unable to believe it; and in this respect he is worse than a stock, unless the Holy Spirit is efficacious in him, enkindling and producing in him faith and other virtues pleasing to God, and also obedience" (page 662).
[5] (v) "In one sense it may be said that man is not a stone or a stock. A stone or a stock does not resist, neither does it understand or feel what takes place in itself, as man by his will resists God until he has been converted to God. So it is true that before conversion man is a rational creature, endowed with understanding, get not in Divine things; and with a will, yet not such as wills any saving good. Nevertheless, he is unable to contribute anything to his own salvation, and in this respect is worse than a stock or a stone" (pages 672-673).
[6] (vi) "The whole of conversion is the operation, gift, and work of the Holy Spirit alone, who effects and operates it by his own virtue and power through the Word, in the understanding, heart, and will of man as in a passive subject, where the man does nothing, but is purely passive. Nevertheless, this is not done in the same way as a statue is formed from stone, or a seal is impressed upon wax, since the wax has neither knowledge nor will" (page 681).
[7] (vii) "According to the sayings of some of the fathers and later doctors, 'God draws only the willing;' therefore in conversion man's will does something. But this statement is not conformable to sound doctrine, for it confirms a false opinion respecting the powers of human choice in conversion" (page 582).
[8] (viii) "In external worldly affairs, which are subject to reason, there is still left to man some share of understanding, ability, and faculty; although these wretched remnants are exceedingly feeble; and moreover, insignificant as they are, they are so poisoned and contaminated by hereditary disease, that in the sight of God they are worthless" (page 641):
[9] (ix) "In conversion, whereby from being a child of wrath man becomes a child of grace, he does not co-operate with the Holy Spirit, since his conversion is the work exclusively and wholly of the spirit" (pages 219, 579 and following; 663 and following; Appendix, page 143). "Nevertheless, the man who is born anew through the power of the Holy Spirit may co-operate, although much infirmity accompanies his co-operation; and he works well so far and so long as he is led, ruled, and guided by the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, he does not cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the same way as two horses together draw a carriage" (page 674).
[10] (x) "Original sin is not some wrong that is actually perpetrated, but it is inmostly inherent and fixed in man's nature, substance and essence. It is the fountain of all actual sins, such as depraved thoughts and conversation, and evil deeds" (page 577). "This hereditary disease, by which man's whole nature has been corrupted, is a horrible sin, and is indeed the beginning and head of all sins, from which as a source and fountain all transgressions flow forth" (page 640). "By this sin, as if by a spiritual leprosy, even throughout the inmost parts and deepest recesses of the heart, all of man's nature is in the sight of God wholly infected and corrupted; and on account of this corruption the person of man is by the law of God accused and damned, so that we are by nature children of wrath and bondsmen of death and damnation, unless by the gift of Christ's merit we are delivered and preserved from these evils" (page 639). "For this reason there is a total want or deprivation of the original righteousness or image of God created in connection with man in Paradise, and this is the source of the impotence, folly, and stupidity which render man utterly incompetent in all Divine and spiritual things. In the place of the lost image of God in man, there is the inmost, vilest, deepest inscrutable, and ineffable corruption of his whole nature and of all his powers (especially of the higher and chief faculties of the soul), in mind, understanding, heart, and will" (page 640).
464. 1 (1). "The doctors who drew up the Augsburg Confession assert that man, in consequence of the fall of his first parents, has become so thoroughly corrupt that he is by nature blind as to things spiritual, which relate to our conversion and salvation; and that he neither understands nor is able to understand the Word of God when preached to him, but judges it to be a foolish thing, and never of himself draws nigh unto God, but is rather God's enemy; and so continues to be, until by the power of the Holy Spirit operating through the preaching and hearing of the Word, he is of mere grace, without any co-operation on his part, converted, gifted with faith, regenerated and renewed" p. 856.
(2). "We believe that the understanding, heart and will of an unregenerate man, in spiritual and Divine things, are of their own natural powers utterly incapable of understanding, believing, embracing, thinking, willing, beginning, finishing, acting, operating and co-operating in any respect; but that man is altogether corrupt and dead to what is good; so that in the nature of man since the Fall, before regeneration there is not a single spark of spiritual strength remaining whereby he can prepare himself for the grace of God, or apprehend it when offered, or accommodate himself and of himself be capable of receiving it; or can, by his own power, contribute anything to his conversion, either wholly, by sharing equally, or in the smallest degree; or act, operate or co-operate of himself, or can do so as of himself; but that man is the servant of sin and the slave of Satan, by whom he is actuated; and hence his natural free will, by reason of his corrupted powers and depraved nature, is active and efficacious only in such things as are displeasing and opposed to God." p. 656.
(3). "Man is industrious and ingenious in civil and natural things, but in things spiritual and Divine, which relate to the salvation of the soul, he is like a stock, a stone, or the pillar of salt into which Lot's wife was turned, things which have not the use of eyes, mouth, or any of the senses." p. 661.
(4). "Nevertheless man still enjoys the power of locomotion, and can direct his external members, can hear the Gospel and in some measure meditate on what he hears; but that still in his private thoughts he despises it as a foolish thing, nor can he believe it; and in this respect he is worse than a stock, unless the Holy Spirit is efficacious in him, kindling and working in him faith, obedience and other virtues which God approves." p. 662.
(5). "With some reason a man may be said not to be a stock or a stone; for a stock or a stone offers no resistance, nor does it understand or feel what is done with it; whereas a man struggles in his will with God, until he is converted to God; and yet it is true that a man, before conversion, is a rational creature, having understanding, although not in Divine things, and having a will, although not disposed to any saving good; but still he can contribute nothing towards his conversion, and in this respect he is worse than a stock or a stone." pp. 672-673.
(6). "The whole of conversion is the operation, gift and work of the Holy Spirit alone, who effects and produces it by His own virtue and power through the Word in the man's understanding, heart and will, as in a passive subject, the man doing nothing at all, but remaining altogether passive; and yet this operation is not like the forming of a statue out of stone, or the stamping of an impression on wax; for wax has neither knowledge nor will." p. 881.
(7). "It is maintained by certain Fathers and modern doctors that 'God draweth only the willing,' and consequently that man's will is in some respect active in the work of conversion. This opinion, however, is not consonant with sound doctrine, 2 for it confirms a false idea concerning the powers of the human will in conversion." p. 582.
(8). "In the external concerns of the world, which fall under the cognizance of reason, there still remains in man some degree of understanding, strength and ability, although these miserable remains are very weak; and even these, small as they are, are infected and contaminated with poison by hereditary disease, so that they are of no account in the sight of God." p. 641.
(9). "Man in the work of conversion, whereby from a child of wrath he becomes a child of grace, does not co-operate with the Holy Spirit, for the conversion of man is the work of the Holy Spirit solely and exclusively." pp. 219, 519 and following pages, 663 and following pages, and Append., p. 143. "Nevertheless, a regenerate man, by the power of the Holy Spirit, can co-operate, although his co-operation is attended with much infirmity. He co-operates well, in such proportion and so long as he is led, guided and governed by the Holy Spirit; but still his co-operation with the Holy Spirit is not like that of two horses drawing together in one chariot." p. 674.
(10.) "Original sin is not a certain fault, perpetrated in act, but is intimately rooted in man's nature, substance and essence, and it is the source of all actual sins, as depraved thoughts, words and evil works." p. 577. "This hereditary disease, whereby man's whole nature is rendered corrupt, is horrible sin, and is in fact the beginning and head of all sins, from which as from their root and source all transgressions proceed." p. 640. "Man's whole nature by this sin, as by a spiritual leprosy, is, even in the inmost bowels and deepest recesses of the heart, totally infected and corrupt before God; and by reason of this corruption, the person of man is accused and condemned by the law of God, so that by nature we are children of wrath, slaves of death and damnation, unless we are delivered and saved from these evils by the benefit of Christ's merit." p. 639. "There is, therefore, a total want or privation of original righteousness, or of the image of God created in Paradise; and hence there is the impotence, ineptitude and stupidity which render man totally unfit for all Divine or spiritual things. Instead of the image of God thus lost in man there is now an inmost, most vile, most profound, inscrutable and inexpressible corruption of his whole nature, and of all his powers, particularly of the higher and principal faculties of his soul, in the mind, understanding, heart and will." p. 640.
Footnotes:
1. This number is in quotation marks in Orig. Ed, being a quotation from the Augsburg Confession.
2. haec non sunt analoga Sacrorum verborum, reading sanorum for Sacrorum, as in FORMULA CONCORDIAE.
464. 1 "I. Doctores Augustanae Confessionis asserunt hominem 2 ex lapsu primorum Parentum ita penitus corruptum esse, ut in rebus Spiritualibus, quae ad conversionem et salutem nostram spectant, natura caecus sit, et 3 Verbum Dei praedicatum neque intelligat, neque intelligere possit, sed illud ut rem stultam judicet, et nunquam a seipso ad Deum appropinquet, sed potius inimicus Dei sit et maneat, donec virtute Spiritus Sancti per Verbum praedicatum et auditum, ex mera gratia, sine omni sua propria cooperatione convertatur, fide donetur, regeneretur, et renovetur, pag. [655,] 656.
[2] II. Credimus quod hominis non renati intellectus, cor et voluntas in rebus spiritualibus et Divinis ex propriis naturalibus viribus, prorsus nihil intelligere, credere, amplecti, cogitare, velle, inchoare, perficere, agere, operari et cooperari possit, sed quod homo ad bonum prorsus corruptus et mortuus sit, ita ut in hominis natura post lapsum, ante regenerationem, ne scintilla quidem spiritualium virium reliqua manserit, quibus ille ad gratiam Dei praeparare se, aut oblatam apprehendere, aut accommodare se, et per se capax esse possit, aut viribus propriis aliquid ad conversionem suam vel toto vel ex dimidia vel ex minima parte conferre, agere, operari aut cooperari ex seipso, aut tanquam ex seipso possit, sed quod homo sit peccati servus et mancipium Satanae, a quo agitatur, inde adeo naturale ejus Liberum arbitrium ratione corruptarum virium et naturae suae depravatae duntaxat ad ea, quae Deo displicent et adversantur, activum et efficax est, p. 656.
[3] III. Quod homo in civilibus et naturalibus rebus sit industrius et ingeniosus, sed in spiritualibus et Divinis rebus, quae ad animae salutem spectant, sit similis trunco, lapidi, statuae salis uxori Lothi, quae neque oculorum, oris aut ullorum sensuum usum habent, pag. 661.
[4] IV. Quod homo usque loco motivam potentiam [habeat, seu] 4 externa membra regere, Evangelium audire, et aliquo modo meditari possit, sed quod usque id tacitis cogitationibus ut rem stultam spernat, neque credere possit, et in hac parte deterior est trunco, nisi Spiritus Sanctus in illo sit efficax, et fidem aliasque Deo probatas virtutes et obedientiam in illo accendat et operetur, pag. 662.
[5] V. Quadam ratione dici potest hominem non esse lapidem aut truncum; lapis et truncus non reluctatur, nec intelligit aut sentit, quid secum agitur, sicut homo Deo sua voluntate reluctatur, donec ad Deum conversus fuerit; et tamen verum est, quod homo ante conversionem sit creatura rationalis, quae habet intellectum, sed non in rebus Divinis, et voluntatem, sed non ut bonum salutare aliquid velit, sed tamen ad conversionem suam nihil conferre potest, et in hac parte est deterior trunco et lapide, pag. 672-673.
[6] VI. Quod tota conversio sit operatio, donum et opus solius Spiritus Sancti, qui eam virtute et potentia sua, per Verbum, in intellectu, corde et voluntate hominis tanquam in subjecto patiente, ubi homo nihil agit, sed tantum patitur, efficiat atque operetur; quod tamen non eo modo sit, 5 quasi cum statua e lapide formatur, aut sigillum in ceram imprimitur, quia cera neque notitiam neque voluntatem habet, pag. 681.
[7] VII. Secundum dicta quorundam Patrum et neotericorum Doctorum est, quod Deus trahat sed volentem, ita quod hominis voluntas in conversione aliquid agat; sed haec non sunt analoga Sanorum 6 verborum, confirmant enim falsam opinionem de viribus Humani Arbitrii in conversione, pag. 582.
[8] VIII. Quod in externis Mundi rebus, quae rationi subjectae sunt, relictum sit homini adhuc aliquid intellectus, virium et facultatum, etsi hae miserae reliquiae valde sunt debiles, et quidem haec ipsa, quantulacunque sunt, per morbum haereditarium veneno infecta sunt, atque contaminata, ut coram Deo nullius momenti sint, pag. 640-641. 7
[9] IX. Quod homo in conversione, qua ex filio irae fit filius gratiae, non cooperetur 8 Spiritui Sancto, quippe cujus unius et solius opus est hominis conversio, pag. 219, 579 9 seq. 663 seq. app. p. 143. Quod tamen homo renatus per virtutem Spiritus Sancti cooperari possit, quamvis multa adhuc infirmitas concurrit; et quod bene operetur, quantum et quamdiu a Spiritu Sancto ducitur, regitur et gubernatur; sed usque non cooperatur cum Spiritu Sancto sicut duo equi una currum trahunt, pag. 674.
[10] X. Peccatum originis non est quoddam delictum, quod actu perpetratur, sed intime inhaeret infixum naturae, substantiae et essentiae hominis, quod sit scaturigo omnium actualium peccatorum, ut sunt pravae cogitationes, colloquutiones, mala opera, pag. 577. Haereditarius ille morbus, per quam tota natura corrupta est, est horribile peccatum, et quidem principium et caput omnium peccatorum, e quo ut radice et scaturigine omnes transgressiones promanant, pag. 640. Quod Natura per id peccatum, tanquam per lepram spiritualem totaliter in intimis etiam visceribus et cordis recessibus profundissimis, tota sit coram Deo infecta et corrupta, et propter hanc corruptionem persona hominis lege Dei accusatur et damnatur, ita ut natura filii irae, mortis et damnationis mancipia simus, nisi beneficio meriti Christi ab his malis liberemur et servemur, pag. 639. Quod ex eo sit totalis carentia seu privatio concreatae in Paradiso justitiae originalis seu imaginis Dei, et quod inde sit impotentia, ineptitudo, et stupiditas, qua homo ad omnia Divina seu spiritualia prorsus ineptus est. Quod loco imaginis Dei amissae in homine sit intima, pessima, profundissima, inscrutabilis, ineffabilis corruptio totius naturae, et omnium virium, imprimis superiorum et principalium animae facultatum, in mente, intellectu, corde et voluntate, pag. 640."
Footnotes:
1. Haec paragraphus tota in prima editione signis citationis inclusa est.
2. Sic Formula Concordiae et in margine exemplaris scriptoris. Prima editio: homines.
3. Sic Formula Concordiae. Prima editio: ut.
4. Sic Vera Christiana Religio 356, 503, SED 15.
5. Prima editio: fit.
6. Sic Formula Concordiae, 1756. Prima editio: Sacrorum.
7. Prima editio: pag. 641.
8. Prima editio: cooparetur.
9. Sic SED 15. Prima editio: 519.