The American Recension of the Augsburg Confession.

The general principle, on which this Recension was constructed, is to present the doctrinal articles entire, without the change of a single word, merely omitting the several sentences generally regarded as erroneous, together with nearly the entire condemnatory clauses, and adding nothing in their stead.  All that the Recension contains is therefore the unadulterated Augsburg Confession, slightly abridged.  The following list will show, that almost the entire Confession is thus retained, a single article only being omitted, viz.:  that on Private Confession and Absolution.

ART.  I. Of God: retained entire.

ART.  II. Of Natural Depravity: entire, except the omission of the words, “by baptism and the Holy Spirit.”  The condemnatory clause is also given, except the name " Pelagians and others, &c.”

ART.  III. Of the Son of God and his Mediatorial Work: retained entire.

ART.  IV. Of Justification: retained entire.

ART.  V. Of the Ministerial Office: retained entire.

ART.  VI. Concerning New Obedience (or a Christian Life:) entire.

ART.  VII. Of the Church:  entire.

ART.  VIII. What the Church is:  entire, except the omission of the last two sentences.

ART.  IX. Concerning Baptism: according to the German copy. entire.

ART.  X. Of the Lord’s Supper: omits the words “body and blood” and “truly,” and the phrase “are dispensed_,” &c.

ART.  XI. Of Confession: omitted, as private confession and absolution” [sic on punctuation] are confessedly not taught in Scripture.

ART.  XII Of Repentance (after Backsliding:) entire, except the omission of “the church’s granting absolution to those manifesting repentance,” and that faith is produced also “by means absolution.”

ART.  XIII. Of the Use of the Sacraments. entire.

ART.  XIV. Of Church Orders, (or the Ministry.) entire.

ART.  XV. Of Religious Ceremonies. entire.

ART.  XVI. Of Political Affairs; (excepting the word “imperial.”) entire.

ART.  XVII. Of Christ’s Return to Judgment. entire.

ART.  XVIII. Of Free Will. entire.

ART.  XIX. Of the Author of Sin. entire.

ART.  XX. Of God’s Works. entire.

ART.  XXI. Of the Invocation of the Saints, (except a reference to the authority of the Romish church, the canons and the fathers.) entire.

Note 1.  See Luther’s Works, Vol.  XXI., p. 34, Leipsic ed.  See this subject ably discussed in several articles in the Evangelical Lutheran, of December, 1835, by Dr. S. Sprecher, President of Wittenberg College, Ohio.