clergy, but not with the laity, except in a very few instances; for the laity by faith understand nothing else but believing in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that he who lives well and believes well, will be saved; and of the Lord that he is the Saviour; for they are ignorant of the mysteries of justification of their preachers, who, although they preach such things, yet, with the laity who hear them, they enter in at one ear and go out at the other; their teachers, indeed, think themselves learned, from knowing them, and labor much in their schools and universities to make themselves masters of them; therefore it is said above, that that faith is the faith of the clergy. But yet the teachers teach this same faith differently in the different kingdoms in which the Reformed Church is established; in Germany, Sweden, and Denmark, they say, that the Holy Spirit operates by that faith, and justifies and sanctifies men, and afterwards successively renovates and regenerates them, but without the works of the law; and they who are in that faith from trust and confidence, are in grace with God the Father; and that then the evils which they do, appear indeed, but are constantly remitted. In England, they teach, that that faith produces charity without man's knowledge, and that when man feels the Holy Spirit operate interiorly in himself, this operation also is the good of charity; and if he does not feel it, and yet does good for the sake of salvation, that it may be called good, but still that it derives somewhat from man, in that there is merit in it. Moreover, that such faith can operate this at the hour of death, yet they do not know how. In Holland, they teach, that God the Father, for the sake of the Son, justifies and purifies man interiorly by the Holy Spirit through that faith, but even to his own proper will, from which it turns back without touching it; some teach, that it does indeed lightly touch it, and that the evils of man's will do not appear in the sight of God. But a few only of the laity know any thing of these mysteries of the clergy, the latter indeed are unwilling to publish them as they are in themselves, because they know that the laity have no relish for them.

"IV. ON THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL. That the law was given by God, that it might be known what sin is, and that thus it might be restrained by threats and by fear, and afterwards by promise and the annunciation of grace; therefore the principal office of the law is, to reveal original sin and all the fruits of it, and to make known to how horrible a degree the nature of man is fallen and totally depraved; by

this means it terrifies, humbles, and reduces man to despair of himself, and anxiously to desire aid this effect of the law is called contrition, which is not active or factitious, but passive, and the torment of conscience; but the gospel is the whole doctrine concerning Christ and faith; and, therefore, concerning the remission of sins; consequently, a most joyful messenger, not reproving and terrifying, but comforting: by the law the wrath of God against all impiety is revealed, and man is condemned, therefore, it causes man to look up to Christ, and to the gospel; they must both be preached, because they are connected. The gospel teaches that Christ took upon himself the curse of the law, and expiated all sins, and that we consequently obtain remission by faith. That the Holy Spirit is given and received, and the heart of man renewed, not by the preaching of the law, but of the Gospel; and that the Spirit afterwards makes use of the ministry of the law, to teach and shew, in the decalogue, what the good will and pleasure of God is; thus the Spirit mortifies and quickens. That a distinction is to be made between the works of the law and the works of the Spirit, therefore, the faithful are not under the law, but under grace, for that very reason. That the righteousness of the law does not justify, that is, does not reconcile nor regenerate, nor, by itself, make men accepted of God; but when the Holy Spirit is given, the fulfilling of the law follows. That the works of the second table of the decalogue do not justify, because by it we act with men, and not properly with God, and yet in justification we must act with God. That Christ without sin suffered the punishment of sin, and was made a sacrifice for us, whereby he took away that right of the law, that it might not condemn believers, because he is a propitiation for them, for the sake of which they are reputed just.

That repent

"V. ON REPENTANCE AND CONFESSION. ance consists of two parts; one is contrition, or terror struck into the conscience by reason of sin; the other faith, which is conceived from the Gospel, and by the remission of sins, comforts the conscience and delivers from terrors. He who confesses himself to be nothing but sin, comprehends all sins, excludes none, and forgets none; thus sins are purged away, man is purified, rectified, and sanctified; because the Holy Spirit does not suffer sin to have dominion, but represses and restrains it. That the enumeration of sins ought to be free, as the person may choose or not

choose; and that great stress is to be laid upon private confession and absolution; therefore, if any one chooses, he may confess his sins, and receive absolution from the confessor, and that in such case his sins are remitted. The

words which the minister is to make use of on this occasion are; May God be propitious to thee, and confirm thy faith; be it unto thee as thou believest, and I, by the commandment of the Lord, remit to thee thy sins:' but others say, 'I announce to thee the remission of thy sins:' that still, however, sins are not forgiven by repentance any more than by works; but by faith. Therefore, the repentance of the clergy is only a confession before God that they are sinners, and a prayer that they may persevere in faith. That expiations and satisfactions are not necessary, because Christ is expiation and satisfaction.

"VI. ON ORIGINAL SIN they teach. That after the fall of Adam all men propagated according to nature are born in sin, that is, without the fear of God, and with concupiscences; and that this condemns and brings eternal death upon those who are not born again by baptism and the Holy Spirit that it is a privation of original righteousness, and at the same time an inordinate disposition of the parts of the soul, and a corrupt habit. That there is a difference between the nature itself into which man was created, which exists even after the fall, and remains a creature of God, and original sin; therefore, that there is a difference between corrupt nature, and the corruption which is inherent in nature, and by which nature is corrupt: that no one but God alone can separate the corruption of nature from nature itself; that this will manifestly be done in the blessed resurrection, because then nature itself, which encloses man in this world, will rise again without original sin, and enjoy eternal felicity; that the difference is as great as between the work of God and the work of the devil; that this sin did not invade nature in such a manner, as if Satan had created any evil substantially, and commixed it with nature, but that concreate and original righteousness was lost that original sin is an accident; and that by reason of it, man is, as it were, spiritually dead before God: that this evil is covered and pardoned by Christ alone that the seed itself from which man is formed, is contaminated with that sin: that hence also it is, that man receives from his parents depraved inclinations and internal uncleanness of heart.

:

"VII. ON BAPTISM. That baptism is not simply water,

but that it is water taken by the divine command, and sealed with the Word of God, and thus sanctified: that the virtue, work, fruit, and end of baptism, is, that men may be saved, and admitted into the Christian communion. That by baptism victory is offered over death and the devil; remission of sins; the grace of God; Christ with all his works; and the Holy Spirit with all his gifts; and eternal blessedness to all and every believer. Whether faith be given to infants, also, by baptism, is a question too deep to be solicitously inquired into. That immersion in water signifies the mortification of the old man, and the resurrection of the new; that therefore it may be called, the laver of regeneration; and the true laver in the Word; also in the death and burial of Christ. That the life of a Christian is a daily baptism once begun in this manner that the water does not effect this, but the Word of God, which is in and with the water, and the faith of God's Word added to the water; that hence it follows, that baptism in the name of God, is performed by men indeed, but is not from them, but from God himself. That baptism does not take away original sin, by extinguishing evil concupiscence, but only the guilt of it.

"But others of the Reformed believe, that baptism is an external laver of water, whereby an internal ablution from sin is signified: that it does not confer regeneration, faith, the grace of God, and salvation, but only signifies and seals them; and that they are not conferred in and with baptism, but afterwards as the person grows up; and that the elect alone obtain the grace of Christ and the gift of faith and because salvation does not depend upon baptism, that therefore it is permitted to be performed by another for want of a regular minister.

"VIII. ON THE LORD'S SUPPER. They of the Reformed Church, who are called Lutherans, teach that in the holy supper or sacrament of the altar, the body and blood of Christ are really and substantially present, and are actually distributed and received with the bread and wine; that therefore the real body and the real blood of Christ are in, with, and under the bread and wine, and are given to Christians to eat and drink; and that therefore they are not simply bread and wine, but are included and bound in the Word of God, and that this causes them to be the body and blood of Christ; for when the Word accedes to the element, it becomes a sacrament; but yet that there is no transubstantiation, such as is that of the papists: that it is the food of the

soul, nourishing and strengthening the new man: that it was instituted, to the end that faith might repair and receive its strength, to give remission of sins, and a new life, which Christ merited for us: that thus the body and blood of Christ are not only taken spiritually by faith, but also by the mouth, in a supernatural way, by reason of their sacramental union with the bread and wine: that the worthiness of this supper consists in obedience alone, and in the merit of Christ, which is applied by true faith. In a word, that the sacraments of the Lord's supper and of baptism, are testimonies of the will and grace of God towards men; and that the sacrament of the supper is a promise of remission of sins through faith; that it may move the heart to believe; and that the Holy Spirit may operate through the Word and the sacraments: that the consecration of the minister does not produce these effects, but that they are to be attributed to the sole omnipotent virtue of the Lord. That the unworthy, as well as the worthy, receive the real body and blood of Christ, as it hung upon the cross; but the worthy to salvation, the unworthy to condemnation; that they are worthy who have faith that no one is to be forced to that supper, but every one may approach when urged by spiritual hunger.

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Others, however, of the Reformed Church teach, that in the holy supper the body and blood of Christ are only. taken spiritually, and that the bread and wine are only signs, types, symbols, marks, figures, and similitudes; that Christ is not bodily present, but only in virtue and operation from his Divine Essence; but that in heaven there is a conjunction according to the communication of idioms: that the worthiness of this supper depends not only upon faith, but also upon preparation that the worthy alone receive its virtue, but the unworthy bread and wine only. Although there are these disagreements in sentiment, yet all the Reformed agree in this; that it is altogether necessary that they should do the work of repentance, who desire to receive that holy supper worthily; the Lutherans insist that if they do not do repentance from evil works, and yet approach, they are eternally condemned; and the English, that otherwise the devil will enter into them as he did into Judas; this is evident from the prayers read before the communion, "IX. ON FREE WILL. They make a distinction between the state before the fall, after the fall, after the reception of faith and renovation, and after the resurrection. That man since the fall is entirely incapable of beginning, think