356. (i) It was shown above in the third section (343-348) that a person can acquire faith for himself. This showed that faith is in its essence truth, and anyone can acquire truths from the Word; and that in so far as anyone acquires them for himself and loves them, so far does he begin to acquire faith. To this must be added the following point, that if a person were unable to acquire faith for. himself, everything about faith which is commanded in the Word would be said in vain. For it says there that it is the Father's will that people should believe in the Son, and that he who believes in Him has everlasting life, and he who does not believe will not see life. We also read that Jesus was to send the Comforter, who should convict the world of sin, 'for not believing in me.' There are many other passages, which were quoted above (337, 338). Moreover, all the Apostles preached faith, faith in the Lord God the Saviour Jesus Christ. What use would all these passages be, if a person were to stand with his hands hanging down like a carved puppet fitted with movable joints, and wait for God to act upon him? In such a case, instead of the joints being able to adapt themselves to receiving this influence, they would be stimulated from within to some action which had nothing to do with faith. [2] For the received doctrine at the present day in the part of Christendom separated from the Roman Catholics teaches that:
Man is utterly corrupt and dead to good, so that after the fall and before regeneration not a spark of spiritual strength has been left or remains in man's nature, so as to enable him to be prepared for God's grace, or to grasp it when offered, or to be capable of receiving grace of his own accord or by his own efforts; or in spiritual matters to understand, believe, embrace, think, will, begin, complete, act, work or collaborate, or to devote or fit himself for grace or do anything of himself towards conversion, either wholly or half or to the smallest extent. Man in spiritual matters relating to the salvation of the soul is like Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt, or like a lifeless block of wood or stone, unable to use its eyes, its mouth or any senses. Yet man possesses the power of locomotion, that is, of controlling his outward parts, of attending public gatherings, and listening to the Word and the Gospel.
These statements are from the book of the Evangelical Church called 'The Formula of Concord' published in Leipzig in 1756 (pp. 656, 658, 661-3, 671-3). When priests are ordained they swear on this book and so swear to uphold this faith. The Reformed Churches have a similar faith. But is there anyone, endowed with reason and a religion, who would not howl down these views as nonsensical and absurd? For he would say to himself, 'If that were so, what use would the Word be, what use would religion be, or the priesthood, or preaching? Would it be more than an empty noise signifying nothing?' If you were to say this sort of thing to a heathen with some power of judgment whom you wanted to convert, telling him he was like this as regards conversion and faith, could he fail to look on Christianity otherwise than as an empty vessel? For if you take away from a person any power to believe as of himself, what else could he do? This subject will be set in a clearer light in the chapter on free will.
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