The Apology of the Augsburg ConfessionMelanchthon, Philipp
Religion
The Apology of the Augsburg Confession
Melanchthon, Philipp
Lutheran Church -- Catechisms
This also is pleasing to Panormitanus and
very many other learned jurisconsults. Nor do we wish to impose
necessity upon the consciences of our people by the regulation _Omnis
Utriusque_, of which we judge, just as of other human traditions,
that they are not acts of worship necessary for justification. And
this regulation commands an impossible matter, that we should confess
all sins. It is evident, however, that most sins we neither remember
nor understand [nor do we indeed even see the greatest sins],
according to Ps. 19, 13: Who can understand his errors?
If the pastors are good men, they will know how far it is of
advantage to examine [the young and otherwise] inexperienced persons
but we do not wish to sanction the torture [the tyranny of
consciences] of the Summists, which notwithstanding would have been
less intolerable if they had added one word concerning faith, which
comforts and encourages consciences. Now, concerning this faith
which obtains the remission of sins, there is not a syllable in so
great a mass of regulations, glosses, summaries, books of confession.
Christ is nowhere read there. [Nobody will there read a word by
which he could learn to know Christ, or what Christ is.] Only the
lists of sins are read [to the end of gathering and accumulating sins,
and this would be of some value if they understood those sins which
God regards as such]. And the greater part is occupied with sins
against human traditions, and this is most vain. This doctrine has
forced to despair many godly minds, which were not able to find rest,
because they believed that by divine Law an enumeration was necessary,
and yet they experienced that it was impossible. But other faults
of no less moment inhere in the doctrine of the adversaries
concerning repentance, which we will now recount.
Part 15
Article XII (V): _Of Repentance._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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