The Apology of the Augsburg ConfessionMelanchthon, Philipp
Religion
The Apology of the Augsburg Confession
Melanchthon, Philipp
Lutheran Church -- Catechisms
But as to the want of unity and dissension in the Church, it is well
known how these matters first happened, and who have caused the
division, namely, the sellers of indulgences, who shamelessly
preached intolerable lies, and afterwards condemned Luther for not
approving of those lies, and besides, they again and again excited
more controversies, so that Luther was induced to attack many other
errors. But since our opponents would not tolerate the truth, and
dared to promote manifest errors by force, it is easy to judge who is
guilty of the schism. Surely, all the world, all wisdom, all power
ought to yield to Christ and His holy Word. But the devil is the
enemy of God, and therefore rouses all his might against Christ, to
extinguish and suppress the Word of God. Therefore the devil with
his members, setting himself against the Word of God, is the cause of
the schism and want of unity. For we have most zealously sought
peace, and still most eagerly desire it, provided only we are not
forced to blaspheme and deny Christ. For God, the discerner of all
men's hearts, is our witness that we do not delight and have no joy
in this awful disunion. On the other hand, our adversaries have so
far not been willing to conclude peace without stipulating that we
must abandon the saving doctrine of the forgiveness of sin by Christ
without our merit; though Christ would be most foully blasphemed
thereby.
And although, as is the custom of the world it cannot be but that
offenses have occurred in this schism through malice and by imprudent
people; for the devil causes such offenses, to disgrace the Gospel,
yet all this is of no account in view of the great comfort which this
teaching has brought men, that for Christ's sake, without our merit,
we have forgiveness of sins and a gracious God. Again, that men have
been instructed that forsaking secular estates and magistracies is
not a divine worship, but that such estates and magistracies are
pleasing to God and to be engaged in them is a real holy work and
divine service.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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