cupiscence and lust hath of itself the nature of sin.

Notes.-"The Pelagians." In the beginning of the fifth century, before the death of Augustine, a British monk, called Pelagius (Morgan in Welsh?), residing at Rome, and afterwards in Palestine, was condemned at a Council at Carthage (A.D. 412) for explaining away original sin, saying that it only meant sinning after similitude of Adam's sin; and that, until they so sin, infants are in the same state in which Adam was before his fall.

Original Sin” is here defined to be "the fault and corruption of the nature" of every descendant of Adam, naturally born into the world. The words " naturally ingendered" are carefully added to show that our Lord, though according to the flesh a descendant of Adam, was nevertheless free from this hereditary taint of sin, being supernaturally born into the world.

God's wrath and damnation. The word damnation here (as in Rom. iii. 8 and 1 Cor. xi. 29) means condemnation,-" deserves to be condemned by God."

Them that are regenerated. In the Latin, "born again," a phrase used by the Reformers as equivalent to baptized.

"Yet the Apostle doth confess." The allusion seems to be to Rom. vii. 7, where the Apostle instances lust (or concupiscence) as an obvious sin which he would not have known but for the law: thus confessing that it had the nature of sin, although he begins the next chapter by asserting that "there is no condemnation for them which are in Christ Jesus."

This Article was written before the unprofitable controversy between the Calvinists and Arminians.

There is, therefore, no allusion in it to the Calvinistic notion of original sin, that it is the imputation of Adam's guilt to all his posterity.

To this scholastic idea of an imputation of Adam's guilt the Calvinists added the doctrine of a corruption of human nature so entire, that not a spark of natural goodness was left.

The view of original sin set forth in this Article is a far simpler one. It is, (1) That we all bring into the world a nature inclined to evil, and "very far removed" from the original righteousness of our first parents. (2) That this sinfulness of our nature deserves the wrath of God. (3) That the effect of Baptism is to remove God's condemnation, but not to remove the hereditary infection of nature.

The Article was doubtless directed mainly against the Anabaptists, who had lately revived the old Pelagian heresy, denying the corruption of human nature, and saying that children had no stain of sin until they began to imitate Adam's sin, and therefore no need of baptism till then.

The first draft of the Article in 1552 began thus: "Original sin standeth not in the following of Adam, as the Pelagians do vainly talk, which also the Anabaptists do now-a-days renew."

Socinians likewise deny the corruption of human nature, and (therefore) the necessity of Infant Baptism. But that we do come into the world with a natural tendency to sin is the sad experience of every one who has really examined his own heart, or studied carefully that of children. The Psalmist was convinced of it, confessing that he was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did his mother conceive him" (Psa. li. 5). God

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declared that "the imagination of man's heart was evil from his youth" (Gen. viii. 21); our Lord no less clearly, "There is none good but One, that is God" (Matt. xix. 17); and that none could "enter the kingdom of God unless he were born again" (John iii. 3). St. Paul affirms that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. iii. 23), adding, “I know that in me, that is, in my flesh" (meaning my unregenerate self), "dwelleth no good thing" (vii. 18).

That St. Paul did not mean merely that all are "under sin," because all have followed Adam's sinful example, is clear from what he says elsewhere, that (because of this sin) "death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression" (v. 14.)

This passage, showing thus clearly that he was not merely speaking of a following of Adam's example, shows also that he was not speaking of an imputed sinfulness; for he is speaking of the sin which reigned between Adam and Moses, when there was no law, and "sin" (he says) "is not imputed where there is no law."

What then is this universal sinfulness of which St. Paul is speaking (in this fifth chapter of Romans), if it be neither imputed, nor yet necessarily actual?

It is precisely what is meant by original sin in this Article, that natural tendency to evil, displeasing to God, which we all inherit from Adam. The plain truth is (though neither the Socinian nor the Pantheist will allow it), we belong to a degenerate, fallen race, and are under God's displeasure, until He takes us back into His favour in Holy Baptism. Baptism restores us to His favour, and so gives us the grace to overcome, though it removes not, the hereditary tendency to evil.

ARTICLE X.

Of Free Will.

The condition of Man after the fall of Adam is such, that he cannot turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength and good works, to faith, and calling upon God: Wherefore we have no power to do good works pleasant and acceptable to God, without the grace of God by Christ preventing us, that we may have a good will, and work. ing with us, when we have that good will.

Notes.-The condition of man. A condition of slavery; for our Lord declares that whosoever committeth sin is the servant (or slave) of sin (John viii. 34), and St. Paul contrasts the bondage of our corrupt nature with the glorious freedom of the regenerate (Rom. viii. 21); saying in that same chapter (ver. 8) that they that are in the flesh" (still in their unregenerate nature) " cannot please God."

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Without the grace of God." The Holy Spirit being the most excellent gift of God, and freely given, is by way of eminence called Grace.

Preventing-Co-operating. The Holy Spirit must come first to give us the will, and must continue to come in order to strengthen our effort; as St. Paul declares that " He worketh in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Phil. ii. 13). The force of the word prevent, is that the very first desire to turn to God must come from God. The force of the phrase Co-operating with us"-working not merely in us (as the Calvinists wished to translate it), but with us-is,

that our better self, being revived by the preventing grace, is strengthened, not superseded, by the cooperating grace.

The question how far man's will is free has been much discussed in the Church. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas and the Dominicans, the Calvinists and the Jansenists are on one side, disposed to ascribe all to grace: on the other side are, Pelagius, Duns Scotus and the Franciscans, the Arminians and the Jesuits, saying that man is perfectly free to turn to or from God. Our Article steers a middle course between the two extremes and so does Holy Scripture, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Phil. ii. 13).

ARTICLE XI.

Of the Fustification of Man.

We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith, and not for our own works or deservings: Wherefore, that, we are justified by Faith only is a most wholesome Doctrine, and very full of comfort, as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification.

Notes. We are accounted righteous. This phrase is clearly intended to be our Church's definition of Justification. This is important; the Council of Trent said that " to justify" meant not to account righteous, but to make righteous (by infusion of holi