Solid Declaration, Article XII: Of Other Factions and Sects

p. 666 The sects and factions [sectarists and heretics] which never embraced the Augsburg Confession, and of which, in this our explanation, express mention has not been made, such as are

PARALLEL PASSAGE.—Epitome, xii.

p. 667 the Anabaptists, Schwenckfeldians, New Arians and Anti-trinitarians, whose errors are unanimously condemned by all churches of the Augsburg Confession, we have not wished to notice particularly and especially in this explanation; for the reason that at the present time only this has been sought [that we might above all refute the charges of our adversaries the Papists].

Since our opponents, with shameless mouths, alleged and proclaimed, throughout all the world, of our churches and their teachers, that not two preachers are found who in each and every article of the Augsburg Confession agree, but that they are rent asunder and separated from one another to such an extent that not even they themselves any longer know what is the Augsburg Confession and its proper [true, genuine and germane] sense; we have wished to make a common confession, not only in mere brief words or names, but to make a clear, luminous, distinct declaration concerning all the articles which have been discussed and controverted only among the theologians of the Augsburg Confession, in order that every one may see that we do not wish in a cunning manner to screen or cover up all this, or to come to an agreement only in appearance; but to remedy the matter thoroughly, and so to set forth our opinion, that even our adversaries themselves must confess that in all this we abide by the true, simple, natural and only sense of the Augsburg Confession, in which we desire, through God’s grace, to persevere constantly even to our end, and, so far as it is placed at our service, we will not connive at or be silent, so that anything contrary to the same [the genuine and sacred sense of the Augsburg Confession] be introduced into our churches and schools, in which the Almighty God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has appointed us teachers and pastors.

But in order that the condemned errors of the above enumerated factions and sects may not be silently ascribed to us—since for the most part they have secretly stolen into localities, and especially, as is the nature of such spirits, at the time when no place or space was allowed to the pure Word of the holy Gospel, but all its orthodox teachers and confessors were persecuted, and the deep darkness of the Papacy still prevailed, and poor simple men who were compelled to feel the manifest idolatry and false faith of the Papacy embraced, alas! in their simplicity, whatever was said to be according to the Gospel, and was not Papistic¹—we cannot forbear testifying also against them publicly, before all Christendom, that we have neither p. 668 part nor fellowship with these errors, but reject and condemn them, one and all, as wrong and heretical, and contrary to the Scriptures of the prophets and apostles, as well as to our well-grounded Augsburg Confession.

¹ Latin: “Of which evil the Papistic tyranny which persecutes the pure doctrine is the very chief cause.”

p. 668 Erroneous Articles of the Anabaptists

Namely, the erroneous, heretical doctrines of the Anabaptists, which are to be tolerated and allowed neither in the Church, nor in the commonwealth, nor in domestic life, since they teach:

1. That our righteousness before God consists not only in the sole obedience and merit of Christ, but in our renewal and our own piety, in which we walk before God; which they, for the most part, base upon their own peculiar observances and self-chosen spirituality, as upon a new sort of monkery.¹

¹ See Epitome, xii.: 5.

2. That children who are not baptized are not sinners before God, but are righteous and innocent, and thus are saved in their innocence without baptism, which they do not need. And in this way they deny and reject the entire doctrine concerning Original Sin and what belongs to it.²

² See Epitome, xii.: 6.

3. That children should not be baptized until they have attained the use of reason and can themselves confess their faith.

4. That the children of Christians, because they have been born of Christian and believing parents, are holy and the children of God even without and before baptism. For this reason also they neither attach much importance to the baptism of children nor encourage it, contrary to the express words of the promise, which pertains only to those who keep God’s covenant and do not despise it (Gen. 17:9).

5. That that is no true Christian assembly or congregation [church] in which sinners are still found.

6. That no sermon should be heard or attended in those churches in which the Papal masses have previously been said.

7. That no one should have anything to do with those ministers of the Church who preach the holy Gospel according to the Augsburg Confession, and censure the errors of the Anabaptists; also that no one should serve or in any way labor for them, but should flee from and shun them as perverters of God’s Word.

8. That under the New Testament the magistracy is not a godly estate.

9. That a Christian cannot, with a good, inviolate conscience, hold the office of magistrate.

p. 669 10. That a Christian cannot, without injury to conscience, use the office of the magistracy in carnal matters against the wicked, neither can subjects appeal to the power of magistrates.

11. That a Christian cannot, with a good conscience, take an oath before a court, neither can he by an oath do homage to his prince or sovereign.

12. That without injury to conscience magistrates cannot inflict upon evil-doers capital punishment.

13. That a Christian cannot, with a good conscience, hold or possess any property, but that he is in duty bound to devote it to the community.

14. That a Christian cannot, with a good conscience, be a landlord, merchant or cutler.¹

¹ Cf. Epitome, xii.: 18.

15. That on account of faith [diversity of religion] married persons may be divorced, abandon one another, and be married to another of the same faith.

16. That Christ did not assume his flesh and blood of the Virgin Mary, but brought them with him from heaven.

17. That he also is not true, essential God, but only has more and higher gifts than other men.

And still more articles of like kind; for they are divided into many bands [sects], and one has more and another fewer errors, and thus their entire sect is in reality nothing but a new kind of monkery.

p. 669 Erroneous Articles of the Schwenckfeldians

As, when the Schwenckfeldians assert:

1. That all those have no knowledge of Christ as the reigning King of heaven who regard Christ, according to the flesh or his assumed humanity, as a creature; that the flesh of Christ has by exaltation so assumed all divine properties that in might, power, majesty and glory he is everywhere, in degree and place of essence equal to the Father and the eternal Word, so that there is the same essence, properties, will and glory of both natures in Christ, and that the flesh of Christ belongs to the essence of the Holy Trinity.

2. That church service, i. e. the Word preached and heard, is not a means whereby God the Holy Ghost teaches men, and works in them saving knowledge of Christ, conversion, repentance, faith and new obedience.

3. That the water of baptism is not a means whereby God the Lord seals adoption and works regeneration.

4. That bread and wine in the Holy Supper are not means whereby Christ distributes his body and blood.

p. 670 5. That a Christian man who is truly regenerated by God’s Spirit can in this life observe and fulfil the Law of God perfectly.

6. That that is no true Christian congregation [church] in which no public excommunication nor regular process of the ban is observed.

7. That the minister of the Church who is not on his part truly renewed, righteous and godly cannot teach other men with profit or administer true sacraments.

p. 670 Erroneous Articles of the New Arians

Also, when the New Arians teach that Christ is not a true, essential, natural God, of one eternal divine essence with God the Father, but is only adorned with divine majesty beneath and beside God the Father.

p. 670 Erroneous Articles of the Anti-Trinitarians

1. Also, when some Anti-trinitarians reject and condemn the ancient approved creeds, the Nicene and Athanasian, both as to their sense and words, and teach that there is not only one eternal divine essence of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, but as there are three distinct persons, God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, so each person has also its essence distinct and separate from the other persons; yet that all three, as three men otherwise distinct and separate in their essence, are either [some imagine] of the same power, wisdom, majesty and glory, or [others think] in essence and properties are not equal.

2. That the Father alone is true God.

These and like articles, one and all, with what pertains to them and follows from them, we reject and condemn as wrong, false, heretical, and contrary to the Word of God, the three Creeds, the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles and the Catechisms of Luther. Of these articles all godly Christians will and should beware, as the welfare and salvation of their souls is dear to them.

Therefore in the sight of God and of all Christendom [the entire Church of Christ], to those now living and those who shall come after us, we wish to testify that the above declaration, concerning all the controverted articles presented and explained, and no other, is our faith, doctrine and confession, in which we also will appear, by God’s grace, with unterrified hearts before the judgment-seat of Jesus Christ, and for it will p. 671 give an account. We also will neither speak nor write, privately or publicly, anything contrary to this declaration, but, by the help of God’s grace, intend to abide thereby. After mature deliberation we have, in God’s fear and with the invocation of his name, attached our signatures with our own hands.