can observe and keep
[do] all the commands of God.

Again, that, by his natural powers, man can love God above all
things and his neighbor as himself.

Again, if a man does as much as is in him, God certainly
grants him His grace.

Again, if he wishes to go to the Sacrament, there is no need
of a good intention to do good, but it is sufficient if he has
not a wicked purpose to commit sin; so entirely good is his
nature and so efficacious the Sacrament.

[Again,] that it is not founded upon Scripture that for a good
work the Holy Ghost with His grace is necessary.

Such and many similar things have arisen from want of
understanding and ignorance as regards both this sin and
Christ, our Savior and they are truly heathen dogmas, which we
cannot endure. For if this teaching were right [approved],
then Christ has died in vain, since there is in man no defect
nor sin for which he should have died; or He would have died
only for the body, not for the soul, inasmuch as the soul is
[entirely] sound, and the body only is subject to death.

II. Of the Law

Here we hold that the Law was given by God, first, to restrain
sin by threats and the dread of punishment, and by the promise
and offer of grace and benefit. But all this miscarried on
account of the wickedness which sin has wrought in man. For
thereby a part [some] were rendered worse, those, namely, who
are hostile to [hate] the Law, because it forbids what they
like to do, and enjoins what they do not like to do.
Therefore, wherever they can escape [if they were not
restrained by] punishment, they [would] do more against the
Law than before. These, then, are the rude and wicked
[unbridled and secure] men, who do evil wherever they [notice
that they] have the opportunity.

The rest become blind and arrogant [are smitten with arrogance
and blindness], and [insolently] conceive the opinion that
they observe and can observe the Law by their own powers, as
has been said above concerning the scholastic theologians;
thence come the hypocrites and [self-righteous or] false
saints.

But the chief office or force of the Law is that it reveal
original sin with all its fruits, and show man how very low
his nature has fallen, and has become [fundamentally and]
utterly corrupted; as the Law must tell man that he has no God
nor regards [cares for] God, and worships other gods, a matter
which before and without the Law he would not have believed.
In this way he becomes ter