Page:The Doctrines of the New Church Briefly Explained.djvu/143

Rh generally accepted doctrine on this subject among Protestant Christians was, that man is utterly destitute of free-will in spiritual and divine things; that, in respect to the things which regard the soul's salvation, "he is like a stock or a stone, or like the pillar of salt into which Lot's wife was turned;" that, "before conversion man is a rational creature who has understanding, but not in divine things; and a will, but not such that he desires any saving good. Nevertheless, he cannot contribute anything to his own salvation, and in this respect he is worse than a stock or a stone;" that "in conversion, whereby from being a child of wrath he becomes a child of grace, man does not co-operate with the Holy Spirit, since the work of his conversion belongs exclusively to the Spirit," which "accomplishes it in the understanding, heart and will of man as in a passive subject—the man doing nothing but remain passive."

These extracts are all from the Formula Concordiæ, which contains the generally accepted opinions of Protestant Christendom a century and a quarter ago. And their teaching is seen to be quite in harmony with the other beliefs then prevalent in the Christian church, and affords another illustration of the spiritual darkness in which the church of that day was immersed, and the consequent need there was of new light from on High. Now contrast this old and once