h those who wilfully turn away from the holy commandment, and again
entangle themselves in the filth of the world 2 Pet. 2, 20, and garnish
their hearts for Satan, Luke 11, 25f., and do despite unto the Spirit of
God, Heb. 10, 29, and that they shall be hardened, blinded, and
eternally condemned if they persist therein." (1091, 83.)

"But that God ... hardened Pharaoh's heart, namely, that Pharaoh always
sinned again and again, and became the more obdurate the more he was
admonished, that was a punishment of his antecedent sin and horrible
tyranny, which in many and manifold ways he practised inhumanly and
against the accusations of his heart towards the children of Israel. And
since God caused His Word to be preached and His will to be proclaimed
to him, and Pharaoh nevertheless wilfully reared up straightway against
all admonitions and warnings, God withdrew His hand from him and thus
his heart became hardened and obdurate, and God executed His judgment
upon him; for he was guilty of nothing else than hell-fire. Accordingly,
the holy apostle also introduces the example of Pharaoh for no other
reason than to prove by it the justice of God which He exercises towards
the impenitent and despisers of His Word; by no means, however, has he
intended or understood it to mean that God begrudged salvation to him or
any person, but had so ordained him to eternal damnation in His secret
counsel that he should not be able, or that it should not be possible
for him, to be saved." (1091, 85f.)

230. Agreement of Articles XI and II.

In the _Formula of Concord_, Article XI is closely related to most of
the other articles particularly to Article I, Of Original Sin, and
Article II, Of Free Will and Conversion. Election is to conversion what
the concave side of a lens is to the convex. Both correspond to each
other in every particular. What God does for and in man when He
converts, justifies, sanctifies, preserves, and finally glorifies him,
He has in eternity resolved to do,--that is one way in which eternal
election may be defined. Synergists and Calvinists, however have always
maintained that the Second Article is in a hopeless conflict with the
Eleventh. But the truth is, the Second fully confirms and corroborates
the Eleventh, and _vice versa;_ for both maintain the _sola gratia_ as
well as the _universalis gratia_.

Both articles teach that in every respect grace alone is the cause of
our conversion and salvation, and that this