P. G. Wodehouse - "A Man of Means"

Unknown - "The Koran (without footnotes)"

John Lothrop Motley - "The Life of John of Barneveld, 1617"

Fred M. White - "The Mystery of the Four Fingers"

New Philadelphia Book Publisher Highlights Local Talent
Book and Publishing News from Publishers Newswire(tm)

Looking for Child to be on Cover of a New Book, 'The Model Child'
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The Philadelphia literary world will celebrate the launch of two new players today, April 10th: Kay Square Press, a new publishing company focused on Philadelphia-area artists, their stories, and their art; and Kay Square's first release, 'With the Rich and Mighty: Emlen Etting of Philadelphia' (ISBN: 978-0-9815129-0-7), a critical biography by Kenneth C. Kaleta.

FlatSigned Press Alleges Don Imus Remarks Damage Legacy of President Gerald R. Ford
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Nathan Yungerberg, an accomplished model scout and professional child photographer is launching a nation-wide casting call to find the cover model for his highly anticipated book release, 'The Model Child: A Parents Guide to the Child Modeling Industry' (ISBN: 978-0-9817018-0-6).

Books: The Apology of the Augsburg Confession

P >> Philip Melanchthon >> The Apology of the Augsburg Confession




[All prudent men will see what follows from the opinion of the
adversaries. For if we shall believe that Christ has merited only
the _prima gratia_, as they call it, and that we afterwards merit
eternal life by our works, hearts or consciences will be pacified
neither at the hour of death, nor at any other time, nor can they
ever build upon certain ground; they are never certain that God is
gracious. Thus their doctrine unintermittingly leads to nothing but
misery of soul and, finally, to despair. For God's Law is not a
matter of pleasantry; it ceaselessly accuses consciences outside of
Christ, as Paul says, Rom. 4, 15: The Law worketh wrath. Thus it
will happen that if consciences feel the judgment of God, they have
no certain comfort and will rush into despair.

Paul says: Whatsoever is not of faith is sin, Rom. 14, 23. But those
persons can do nothing from faith who are first to attain to this
that God is gracious to them only when they have at length fulfilled
the Law. They will always quake with doubt whether they have done
enough good works, whether the Law has been satisfied, yea, they will
keenly feel and understand that they are still under obligation to
the Law. Accordingly, they will never be sure that they have a
gracious God, and that their prayer is heard. Therefore they can
never truly love God, nor expect any blessing from Him, nor truly
worship God. What else are such hearts and consciences than hell
itself, since there is nothing in them but despair, fainting away
grumbling, discontent, and hatred of God, and yet in this hatred they
invoke and worship God, just as Saul worshiped Him

Here we appeal to all Christian minds and to all that are experienced
in trials; they will be forced to confess and say that such great
uncertainty, such disquietude, such torture and anxiety, such
horrible fear and doubt follow from this teaching of the adversaries
who imagine that we are accounted righteous before God by our own
works or fulfilling of the Law which we perform, and point us to
Queer Street by bidding us trust not in the rich, blessed promises of
Grace, given us by Christ the Mediator, but in our own miserable
works! Therefore, this conclusion stands like a rock, yea, like a
wall, namely, that, although we have begun to do the Law, still we
are accepted with God and at peace with Him, not on account of such
works of ours, but for Christ's sake by faith; nor does God owe us
everlasting life on account of these works. But just as forgiveness
of sin and righteousness is imputed to us for Christ's sake, not on
account of our works, or the Law, so everlasting life, together with
righteousness, is offered us, not on account of our works, or of the
Law, but for Christ's sake as Christ says, John 6, 40: This is the
Father's will that sent He, that every one which seeth the Son, and
believeth on Him may have everlasting life. Again, v. 47: He that
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. Now, the adversaries
should be asked at this point what advice they give to poor
consciences in the hour of death: whether they comfort consciences by
telling them that they will have a blessed departure, that they will
be saved, and have a propitiated God, because of their own merits or
because of God's grace and mercy for Christ's sake. For St. Peter St.
Paul, and saints like them cannot boast that God owes them eternal
life for their martyrdom, nor have they relied on their works, but on
the mercy promised in Christ.

Nor would it be possible that a saint, great and high though he be,
could make a firm stand against the accusations of the divine Law,
the great might of the devil, the terror of death, and, finally,
against despair and the anguish of hell, if he would not grasp the
divine promises, the Gospel, as a tree or branch in the great flood
in the strong, violent stream, amidst the waves and billows of the
anguish of death; if he does not cling by faith to the Word, which
proclaims grace, and thus obtains eternal life without works, without
the Law, from pure grace. For this doctrine alone preserves
Christian consciences in afflictions and anguish of death. Of these
things the adversaries know nothing, and talk of them like a blind
man about color.

Here they will say: If we are to be saved by pure mercy, what
difference is there between those who are saved, and those who are
not saved? If merit is of no account, there is no difference between
the evil and the good and it follows that both are saved alike. This
argument has moved the scholastics to invent the _meritum condigni_;
for there must be (they think) a difference between those who are
saved and those who are damned.

We reply; in the first place, that everlasting life is accorded to
those whom God esteems just, and when they have been esteemed just,
they are become, by that act, the children of God and coheirs of
Christ, as Paul says, Rom. 8, 30: Whom He justified, them He also
glorified. Hence nobody is saved except only those who believe the
Gospel. But as our reconciliation with God is uncertain if it is to
rest on our works, and not on the gracious promise of God, which
cannot fail, so, too, all that we expect by hope would be uncertain
if it must be built on the foundation of our merits and works. For
the Law of God ceaselessly accuses the conscience and men feel in
their hearts nothing but this voice from the fiery, flaming cloud: I
am the Lord, thy God; this thou shalt do; that thou art obliged to do;
this I require of thee. Deut. 5, 6 ff. No conscience can for a
moment be at rest when the Law and Moses assails the heart, before it
apprehends Christ by faith. Nor can it truly hope for eternal life,
unless it be pacified before. For a doubting conscience flees from
God, despairs and cannot hope. However, hope of eternal life must be
certain. Now, in order that it may not be fickle, but certain, we
must believe that we have eternal life, not by our works or merits,
but from pure grace, by faith in Christ.

In secular affairs and in secular courts we meet with both, mercy and
justice. Justice is certain by the laws and the verdict rendered,
mercy is uncertain. In this matter that relates to God the case is
different; for grace and mercy have been promised us by a certain
word, and the Gospel is the word which commands us to believe that
God is gracious and wishes to save us for Christ's sake, as the text
reads, John 3, 17: God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the
world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He that
believeth on Him is not condemned.

Now, whenever we speak of mercy, the meaning is to be this, that
faith is required, and it is this faith that makes the difference
between those who are saved, and those who are damned, between those
who are worthy, and those who are unworthy. For everlasting life has
been promised to none but those who have been reconciled by Christ.
Faith, however, reconciles and justifies before God the moment we
apprehend the promise by faith. And throughout our entire life we
are to pray God and be diligent, to receive faith and to grow in
faith. For, as stated before, faith is where repentance is, and it
is not in those who walk after the flesh. This faith is to grow and
increase throughout our life by all manner of afflictions. Those who
obtain faith are regenerated, so that they lead a new life and do
good works.

Now, just as we say that true repentance is to endure throughout our
entire life, we say, too, that good works and the fruits of faith
must be done throughout our life, although our works never become so
precious as to be equal to the treasure of Christ, or to merit
eternal life, as Christ says, Luke 17, 10: When ye shall have done
all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable
servants. And St. Bernard truly says: There is need that you must
first believe that you cannot have forgiveness of sin except by the
grace of God; next, that thereafter you cannot have and do any good
work unless God grants it to you; lastly, that you cannot earn
eternal life with your works, though it is not given you without
merit. A little further on he says: Let no one deceive himself; for
when you rightly consider the matter, you will undoubtedly find that
you cannot meet with ten thousand him who approaches you with twenty
thousand. These are strong sayings of St. Bernard; let them believe
these if they will not believe us.

In order, then, that hearts may have a true certain comfort and hope,
we point them, with Paul, to the divine promise of grace in Christ,
and teach that we must believe that God gives us eternal life, not on
account of our works, but for Christ's sake, as the Apostle John says
in his Epistle, 1, 5, 12: He that hath the Son hath life, and he that
hath not the Son of God hath not life.]




Part 10


Here belongs also the declaration of Christ, Luke 17, 10: So likewise
ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you,
say, We are unprofitable servants. These words clearly declare that
God saves by mercy and on account of His promise, not that it is due
on account of the value of our works. But at this point the
adversaries play wonderfully with the words of Christ. In the first
place, they make an antistrophe and turn it against us. Much more,
they say, can it be said: "If we have believed all things, say, We
are unprofitable servants." Then they add that works are of no profit
to God, but are not without profit to us. See how the puerile study
of sophistry delights the adversaries, and although these absurdities
do not deserve a refutation, nevertheless we will reply to them in a
few words. The antistrophe is defective. For, in the first place,
the adversaries are deceived in regard to the term faith; because, if
it would signify that knowledge of the history which is also in the
wicked and in devils, the adversaries would be correct in arguing
that faith is unprofitable when they say: "When we have believed all
things, say, We are unprofitable servants." But we are speaking, not
of the knowledge of the history, but of confidence in the promise and
mercy of God. And this confidence in the promise confesses that we
are unprofitable servants; yea, this confession that our works are
unworthy is the very voice of faith, as appears in this example of
Daniel, 9, 18, which we cited a little above: We do not present our
supplications before Thee for our righteousnesses, etc. For faith
saves because it apprehends mercy, or the promise of grace, even
though our works are unworthy; and, thus understood, namely that our
works are unworthy, the antistrophe does not injure us: "When ye
shall have believed all things, say, We are unprofitable servants";
for that we are saved by mercy, we teach with the entire Church. But
if they mean to argue from the similar: When you have done all things,
do not trust in your works, so also, when you have believed all
things, do not trust in the divine promise there is no connection.
[The inference is wrong: "Works do not help; therefore, faith also
does not help." We must give the uncultured men a homely illustration:
It does not follow that because a half-farthing does not help,
therefore a florin also does not help. Just as the florins is of
much higher denomination and value than the half-farthing, so also
should it be understood that faith is much higher and more
efficacious than works. Not that faith helps because of its worth,
but because it trusts in God's promises and mercy. Faith is strong,
not because of its worthiness, but because of the divine promise.]
For they are very dissimilar, as the causes and objects of confidence
in the former proposition are far dissimilar to those of the latter.
In the former, confidence is confidence in our own works. In the
latter, confidence is confidence in the divine promise. Christ,
however, condemns confidence in our works; He does not condemn
confidence in His promise. He does not wish us to despair of God's
grace and mercy. He accuses our works as unworthy, but does not
accuse the promise which freely offers mercy. And here Ambrose says
well: grace is to be acknowledged; but nature must not be disregarded.
We must trust in the promise of grace and not in our own nature.
But the adversaries act in accordance with their custom, and distort,
against faith, the judgments which have been given on behalf of faith.
[Hence, Christ in this place forbids men to trust in their own
works; for they cannot help them. On the other hand, He does not
forbid to trust in God's promise. Yea, He requires such trust in the
promise of God for the very reason that we are unprofitable servants
and works can be of no help. Therefore, the knaves have improperly
applied to our trust in the divine promise the words of Christ which
treat of trust in our own worthiness. This clearly reveals and
defeats their sophistry. May the Lord Christ soon put to shame the
sophists who thus mutilate His holy Word! Amen.] We leave, however,
these thorny points to the schools. The sophistry is plainly puerile
when they interpret "unprofitable servant " as meaning that the works
are unprofitable to God, but are profitable to us. Yet Christ speaks
concerning that profit which makes God a debtor of grace to us,
although it is out of place to discuss here concerning that which is
profitable or unprofitable. For "unprofitable servants" means
"insufficient," because no one fears God as much, and loves God as
much, and believes God as much as he ought. But let us dismiss these
frigid cavils of the adversaries, concerning which, if at any time
they are brought to the light, prudent men will easily decide what
they should judge. They have found a flaw in words which are very
plain and clear. But every one sees that in this passage confidence
in our own works is condemned.

Let us, therefore, hold fast to this which the Church confesses,
namely, that we are saved by mercy. And lest any one may here think:
"If we are to be saved by mercy, hope will be uncertain, if in those
who obtain salvation nothing precedes by which they may be
distinguished from those who do not obtain it," we must give him a
satisfactory answer. For the scholastics, moved by this reason, seem
to have devised the _meritum condigni_. For this consideration can
greatly exercise the human mind. We will therefore reply briefly.
For the very reason that hope may be sure, for the very reason that
there may be an antecedent distinction between those who obtain
salvation, and those who do not obtain it, it is necessary firmly to
hold that we are saved by mercy. When this is expressed thus
unqualifiedly, it seems absurd. For in civil courts and in human
judgment, that which is of right or of debt is certain, and mercy is
uncertain. But the matter is different with respect to God's
judgment; for here mercy has a clear and certain promise and command
from God. For the Gospel is properly that command which enjoins us
to believe that God is propitious to us for Christ's sake. For God
sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through Him might be saved, John 3, 17. 18. As often, therefore,
as mercy is spoken of, faith in the promise must be added; and this
faith produces sure hope, because it relies upon the Word and command
of God. If hope would rely upon works, then, indeed, it would be
uncertain, because works cannot pacify the conscience, as has been
said above frequently. And this faith makes a distinction between
those who obtain salvation, and those who do not obtain it. Faith
makes the distinction between the worthy and the unworthy, because
eternal life has been promised to the justified; and faith justifies.

But here again the adversaries will cry out that there is no need of
good works if they do not merit eternal life. These calumnies we
have refuted above. Of course, it is necessary to do good works. We
say that eternal life has been promised to the justified. But those
who walk according to the flesh retain neither faith nor
righteousness. We are for this very end justified, that, being
righteous we may begin to do good works and to obey God's Law. We
are regenerated and receive the Holy Ghost for the very end that the
new life may produce new works, new dispositions, the fear and love
of God, hatred of concupiscence, etc. This faith of which we speak
arises in repentance, and ought to be established and grow in the
midst of good works, temptations, and dangers, so that we may
continually be the more firmly persuaded that God for Christ's sake
cares for us, forgives us, hears us. This is not learned with out
many and great struggles. How often is conscience aroused, how often
does it incite even to despair when it brings to view sins, either
old or new, or the impurity of our nature! This handwriting is not
blotted out without a great struggle, in which experience testifies
what a difficult matter faith is. And while we are cheered in the
midst of the terrors and receive consolation, other spiritual
movements at the same time grow, the knowledge of God, fear of God,
hope, love of God; and we are regenerated, as Paul says, Col. 3, 10
and 2 Cor. 3, 18, in the knowledge of God, and, beholding the glory
of the Lord, are changed into the same image, i.e., we receive the
true knowledge of God, so that we truly fear Him, truly trust that we
are cared for and that we are heard by Him. This regeneration is, as
it were, the beginning of eternal life, as Paul says, Rom. 8, 10: If
Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is
life because of righteousness. And 2 Cor. 5, 2. 3: We are clothed
upon, if so be that, being clothed, we shall not be found naked.
From these statements the candid reader can judge that we certainly
require good works, since we teach that this faith arises in
repentance, and in repentance ought continually to increase; and in
these matters we place Christian and spiritual perfection, if
repentance and faith grow together in repentance. This can be better
understood by the godly than those things which are taught by the
adversaries concerning contemplation or perfection. Just as, however,
justification pertains to faith, so also life eternal pertains to
faith. And Peter says, 1 Pet. 1, 9: Receiving the end, or fruit, of
your faith, the salvation of your souls. For the adversaries confess
that the justified are children of God and coheirs of Christ.
Afterwards works, because on account of faith they please God, merit
other bodily and spiritual rewards. For there will be distinctions
in the glory of the saints.

But here the adversaries reply that eternal life is called a reward,
and that therefore it is merited _de condigno_ by good works. We
reply briefly and plainly: Paul, Rom. 6, 23, calls eternal life a
gift, because by the righteousness presented for Christ's sake, we
are made at the same time sons of God and coheirs of Christ, as John
says, 3, 36: He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. And
Augustine says, as also do very many others who follow him: God
crowns His gifts in us. Elsewhere indeed, Luke 5, 23, it is written:
Your reward is great in heaven. If these passages seem to the
adversaries to conflict, they themselves may explain them. But they
are not fair judges; for they omit the word gift. They omit also the
sources of the entire matter [the chief part, how we are justified
before God, also that Christ remains at all times the Mediator], and
they select the word reward, and most harshly interpret this not only
against Scripture, but also against the usage of the language. Hence
they infer that inasmuch as it is called a reward, our works,
therefore, are such that they ought to be a price for which eternal
life is due. They are, therefore, worthy of grace and life eternal,
and do not stand in need of mercy, or of Christ as Mediator, or of
faith. This logic is altogether new; we hear the term reward, and
therefore are to infer that there is no need of Christ as Mediator,
or of faith having access to God for Christ's sake, and not for the
sake of our works! Who does not see that these are anacoluthons? We
do not contend concerning the term reward. We dispute concerning
this matter, namely, whether good works are of themselves worthy of
grace and of eternal life, or whether they please only on account of
faith, which apprehends Christ as Mediator. Our adversaries not only
ascribe this to works, namely, that they are worthy of grace and of
eternal life, but they also state falsely that they have superfluous
merits, which they can grant to others, and by which they can justify
others, as when monks sell the merits of their orders to others.
These monstrosities they heap up in the manner of Chrysippus, where
this one word reward is heard, namely: "It is called a reward, and
therefore we have works which are a price for which a reward is due;
therefore works please by themselves, and not for the sake of Christ
as Mediator. And since one has more merits than another, therefore
some have superfluous merits. And those who merit them can bestow
these merits upon others." Stop, reader; you have not the whole of
this sorites. For certain sacraments of this donation must be added;
the hood is placed upon the dead. [As the Barefooted monks and other
orders have shamelessly done in placing the hoods of their orders
upon dead bodies.] By such accumulations the blessings brought us in
Christ, and the righteousness of faith have been obscured. [These
are acute and strong arguments, all of which they can spin from the
single word reward, whereby they obscure Christ and faith.]

We are not agitating an idle logomachy concerning the term reward
[but this great, exalted, most important matter, namely, where
Christian hearts are to find true and certain consolation; again,
whether our works can give consciences rest and peace; again, whether
we are to believe that our works are worthy of eternal life, or
whether that is given us for Christ's sake. These are the real
questions regarding these matters; if consciences are not rightly
instructed concerning these, they can have no certain comfort.
However, we have stated clearly enough that good works do not fulfil
the Law, that we need the mercy of God, that by faith we are accepted
with God, that good works, be they ever so precious, even if they
were the works of St. Paul himself, cannot bring rest to the
conscience. From all this it follows that we are to believe that we
obtain eternal life through Christ by faith, not on account of our
works, or of the Law. But what do we say of the reward which
Scripture mentions?] If the adversaries will concede that we are
accounted righteous by faith because of Christ, and that good works
please God because of faith, we will not afterwards contend much
concerning the term reward. We confess that eternal life is a reward,
because it is something due on account of the promise, not on
account of our merits. For the justification has been promised,
which we have above shown to be properly a gift of God; and to this
gift has been added the promise of eternal life, according to Rom. 8,
30: Whom He justified, them He also glorified. Here belongs what
Paul says, 2 Tim. 4, 8: There is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me.
For the crown is due the justified because of the promise. And this
promise saints should know, not that they may labor for their own
profit, for they ought to labor for the glory of God; but in order
that they may not despair in afflictions, they should know God's will,
that He desires to aid, to deliver, to protect them. [Just as the
inheritance and all possessions of a father are given to the son, as
a rich compensation and reward for his obedience, and yet the son
receives the inheritance, not on account of his merit, but because
the father, for the reason that he is his father, wants him to have
it. Therefore it is a sufficient reason why eternal life is called a
reward, because thereby the tribulations which we suffer, and the
works of love which we do, are compensated, although we have not
deserved it. For there are two kinds of compensation: one, which we
are obliged, the other, which we are not obliged, to render. I.e.,
when the emperor grants a servant a principality, he therewith
compensates the servant's work; and yet the work is not worth the
principality, but the servant acknowledges that he has received a
gracious lien. Thus God does not owe us eternal life, still, when He
grants it to believers for Christ's sake, that is a compensation for
our sufferings and works.] Although the perfect hear the mention of
penalties and rewards in one way, and the weak hear it in another way;
for the weak labor for the sake of their own advantage. And yet the
preaching of rewards and punishments is necessary. In the preaching
of punishments the wrath of God is set forth, and therefore this
pertains to the preaching of repentance. In the preaching of rewards,
grace is set forth. And just as Scripture, in the mention of good
works, often embraces faith,--for it wishes righteousness of the
heart to be included with the fruits,--so sometimes it offers grace
together with other rewards as in Is. 58, 8 f., and frequently in
other places in the prophets. We also confess what we have often
testified, that, although justification and eternal life pertain to
faith, nevertheless good works merit other bodily and spiritual
rewards [which are rendered both in this life and after this life;
for God defers most rewards until He glorifies saints after this life,
because He wishes them in this life to be exercised in mortifying
the old man] and degrees of rewards, according to 1 Cor. 3, 8: Every
man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. [For
the blessed will have reward, one higher than the other. This
difference merit makes, according as it pleases God; and it is merit,
because they do these good works whom God has adopted as children and
heirs. For thus they have merit which is their own and peculiar as
one child with respect to another.] For the righteousness of the
Gospel, which has to do with the promise of grace, freely receives
justification and quickening. But the fulfilling of the Law, which
follows faith, has to do with the Law, in which a reward is offered
and is due, not freely, but according to our works. But those who
merit this are justified before they do the Law. Therefore as Paul
says, Col. 1, 13; Rom. 8, 17, they have before been translated into
the kingdom of God's Son, and been made joint-heirs with Christ. But
as often as mention is made of merit, the adversaries immediately
transfer the matter from other rewards to justification, although the
Gospel freely offers justification on account of Christ's merits and
not of our own; and the merits of Christ are communicated to us by
faith. But works and afflictions merit, not justification, but other
remunerations, as the reward is offered for the works in these
passages: He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly, and he
which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully, 2 Cor. 9, 6.
Here clearly the measure of the reward is connected with the measure
of the work. Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be
long upon the land, Ex. 20, 12. Also here the Law offers a reward to
a certain work. Although, therefore, the fulfilling of the Law
merits a reward, for a reward properly pertains to the Law, yet we
ought to be mindful of the Gospel, which freely offers justification
for Christ's sake. We neither observe the Law nor can observe it,
before we have been reconciled to God, justified, and regenerated.
Neither would this fulfilling of the Law please God, unless we would
be accepted on account of faith. And because men are accepted on
account of faith, for this very reason the inchoate fulfilling of the
Law pleases, and has a reward in this life and after this life.
Concerning the term reward, very many other remarks might here be
made derived from the nature of the Law, which as they are too
extensive, must be explained in another connection.