Book of Concord source text
- Document
- Augsburg Confession
- Article/chapter
- Article XXI: Of the Worship of the Saints
- Source pages
- 27-28
- Numbered paragraphs
- 9
- Source status
- public-domain / publicly licensed source text
Article XXI: Of the Worship of the Saints.
1]Of the Worship of Saints they teach that the memory of saints may be set before us, that we may follow their faith and good works, according to our calling, as the Emperor may follow the example of David in making war to drive away the Turk from his country.
2]For both are kings. But the Scripture teaches not the invocation of saints or to ask help of saints, since it sets before us the one Christ as the Mediator, Propitiation, High Priest, and Intercessor.
3]He is to be prayed to, and has promised that He will hear our prayer; and this worship He approves above all, to wit, that in all afflictions He be called upon, 1 John 2:1:
4]If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, etc.
5]This is about the Sum of our Doctrine, in which, as can be seen, there is nothing that varies from the Scriptures, or from the Church Catholic, or from the Church of Rome as known from its writers. This being the case, they judge harshly who insist that our teachers be regarded as heretics.
6]There is, however, disagreement on certain abuses, which have crept into the Church without rightful authority. And even in these, if there were some difference, there should be proper lenity on the part of bishops to bear with us by reason of the Confession which we have now reviewed; because even the Canons are not so severe as to demand the same rites everywhere, neither, at any time, have the rites of all churches been the same;
7]although, among us, in large part, the ancient rites are diligently observed.
8]For it is a false and malicious charge that all the ceremonies, all the things instituted of old, are abolished in our churches.
9]But it has been a common complaint that some abuses were connected with the ordinary rites. These, inasmuch as they could not be approved with a good conscience, have been to some extent corrected.
