BWC3i: Trent blasphemes "Faith Alone"; Huber's error

      This continues from Part BWC3h in a series (Table of Contents in Part BWC1) presenting Walther's edition of Baier's Compendium of Positive Theology. — This segment concludes Chapter V, on Justification. — From pages 281-299: 

Notable Quotes: (Italics follow the original. All quotes not from Baier are from Walther's additions of quotes from third parties. Authors are indicated in bold text. Red text indicates my comments.)

281: Quenstedt: "the Papists, who . . . not only deny that faith alone justifies, but also deny that faith principally justifies, since the principal parts are due to charity. The Council of Trent pronounces anathema on those who say that we are justified by faith alone [fiduciam], Sess. 6, can. 12. cf. can. 14. . . . They say that faith does not justify alone, but together with six other acts, namely, fear, hope, love, repentance, the purpose of receiving the sacraments, and the purpose of a new life."

282: H. Kromayer: "Sin in justification is removed, not so that it is not there, but so that it does not harm."

286-287: Wittenberg theologians: "we could not allow his [Samuel Huber: see Pieper CD III, 478; Jack Kilcrease blog] phrasing to stand… that is, Christ has delivered (or given) salvation to the whole human race in reality and in deed.…such a 'conferre,' …does not properly pertain to acquisition, but rather to application…Those who have never believed in Christ (as all hardened Jews and Turks and many others never will), have of course never received the forgiveness of sins…‘He who does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him’? John 3:36."

288: Luther: "Workers lacking faith do many things indeed: they fast, they pray, they impose a cross on themselves. But because they think that by these things they can placate the wrath of God and merit grace, they do not give glory to God"

289: Luther: "For reason cannot grasp that a man should have joy under the cross, peace under unrest. It is a gift of God, known to no one except the one who has experienced it."

289-290: Chemnitz: "And they [Papists] count this doubt not among the infirmities and blemishes of the flesh, but among the virtues of faith"…For it is not doubt, but faith that justifies, and not he who doubts, but he who believes, has eternal life"

291: Luther: "Even if in the papacy everything else had been preserved, nevertheless this monster of uncertainty surpasses all monsters" [This "monster" Pres. Matthew Harrison is willing to overlook.]

292: Quenstedt: "the Council of Trent, sess. 6. can. 15, thus fulminates: ‘If anyone says that a man, once justified and regenerated, is bound by faith to believe that he is one of the predestined, let him be anathema.'"

294: Quenstedt: "Luther…says that the believer is so conjoined to Christ through faith that …he can say with confidence, 'I am Christ'; but he [Luther] immediately explains himself, adding: i.e. the righteousness, life, and victory of Christ is mine; and in turn Christ says, 'I am that sinner,' i.e. his sins, death, etc. are mine."

296: Luther: "But if I see and feel that I gladly forgive my neighbor, then I can conclude and say: I do not do this work by nature, but by God's grace I feel differently than I did before.…But Scripture teaches us this: that we should not look to ourselves, but to God's Word and promise, and cling to them with faith" [Objective!]

298: Ae. Hunnius: "they [Papists] substitute a hope that can disappoint, a fluctuating, wavering hope, which at last casts a man from doubt into the vortex of despair"

299: Hunnius: "so that if they…desire to persevere in the grace of God, no diabolical power can tear them away from God and Christ, so also He, on the other hand, exhorts them to crucify the flesh with its desires"

In the next Part BWC3j…