*As earnestly therefore as our church inculcates justification by faith alone, she nevertheless supposes repentance to be previous to faith, and fruits meet for repentance: yea, and universal holiness to be previous to final justification, as evidently appears from the following words:
*“Let us beseech him—that the rest of our life may be pure and holy, so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy.” Absolution.
“May we seriously apply our hearts to that holy and heavenly wisdom here, which may in the end bring us to life everlasting.” Visitation of the sick.
“Raise us from the death of sin unto the life of righteousness,—that at the last day we may be found acceptable in thy sight.” Burial office.
“If we from henceforth walk in his ways,—seeking always his glory, Christ will set us on his right hand.” Commination office.
5. We come next to the articles of our church: the former part of the ninth runs thus:
Of Original or Birth-Sin.
“Original sin—is the fault and corruption of the nature of every man—whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusteth always contrary to the spirit: and therefore in every person born into this world, it deserveth God’s wrath and damnation.”
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 working with us when we have that good will.”