# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_October 1863_S294
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

294 Some Remarks on a New Apology for the Reformed Church.

offered grace, nor is capable of it by and of himself, or able to apply himself to it or fit himself for it; nor by his own powers can he do, work toward, or cooperate in anything belonging to his conversion — neither the whole of it, nor the half, nor the least or smallest part — but is the bondservant of sin, John 8:34, and the devil's captive, driven by him, Eph. 2:2; 2 Tim. 2:26. Hence the natural free will, according to its perverse kind and nature, is powerful and active only toward that which is displeasing and contrary to God." Further down it then says: "Before and until man is enlightened, converted, regenerated, renewed, and drawn by the Holy Spirit, he can, of himself and from his own natural powers, begin, work, or cooperate toward anything in spiritual matters and his own conversion or regeneration, just as little as a stone or a block or a lump of clay; for although he can govern his outward members, hear the gospel, consider it to some extent, and even speak of it, as may be seen in the Pharisees and hypocrites, yet he holds it for foolishness and cannot believe it, and in that case regards himself as worse than a block, in that he is resistant and hostile to God's will, unless the Holy Spirit is powerfully at work within him and kindles and works in him faith and other virtues pleasing to God, and obedience. ... As, then, a man who is bodily dead cannot of his own powers prepare and fit himself to receive temporal life again, so a man who is spiritually dead in sins cannot, by his own power, fit or turn himself toward the attainment of spiritual and heavenly righteousness and life, unless he is freed from the death of sin and made alive through the Son of God." Indeed, the Formula of Concord does not merely concede that "reason and free will are able, to some extent, to live an outwardly honorable life"; but also that the natural man can perform certain actiones paedagogicae [pedagogical actions], namely, as was just cited, that he can "govern his outward members, hear the gospel, and consider it to some extent." It further writes of this: "In these outward things, as said above, man, even after the fall, has to some degree a free will, so that he may go to church, listen to the sermon, or not listen." But the Formula of Concord at the same time testifies: "It is therefore wrongly taught when it is claimed that unregenerate man still has so much power that he desires to accept the gospel and comfort himself with it."*) Further: "When

*) Quenstedt expresses this as follows: "There are two hemispheres of objects with which the will of man in the state of corruption is occupied, a lower and a higher one.. To the lower hemisphere belong the outward sacred things or pedagogical actions, which are natural and outwardly serve the spiritual