The nineteenth article is likewise approved and accepted. For
God, the supremely good, is not the author of evils, but the
rational and defectible will is the cause of sin; wherefore
let no one impute his midsdeeds and crimes to God, but to
himself, according to Jer. 2:19: "Thine own wickedness shall
correct thee and thy backslidings shall reprove thee;" and
Hos. 13:9: "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me
is thy help." And David in the spirit acknowledged that God
is not one that hath pleasure in wickedness, Ps. 5:4.


To Article XX.

In the twentieth article, which does not contain so much the
confession of the princes and cities as the defense of the
preachers, there is only one thing that pertains to the
princes and cities - viz. concerning good works, that they do
not merit the remission of sins, which, as it has been
rejected and disapproved before, is also rejected and
disapproved now. For the passage in Daniel is very familiar:
"Redeem thy sins with alms," Dan. 4:24; and the address of
Tobit to his son: "Alms do deliver from death and suffereth
not to come into darkness," Tobit 4:10; and that of Christ:
"Give alms of such things as ye have, and behold all things
are clean unto you," Luke 11:41. If works were not
meritorious why would the wise man say: "God will render a
reward of the labors of his saints"? Wisd. 10:17. Why would
St. Peter so earnestly exhort to good works, saying:
"Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence by good works