The Lutheran position can only be understood when we recall the
situation that confronted the Reformers in the sixteenth century. They
had first of all to interpret the teachings of Scripture over against
Rome, and hence in their earlier confessions they emphasized the points
on which they differed from the Pope.

According to Romish doctrine a man became a member of the church, not
by an _interna virtus,_ but solely through an external profession of
faith and an external use of the sacraments. The church is as visible
and perceptible an organization as is "the kingdom of France or the
republic of Venice." The church is an institution rather than a
communion.

For thirteen centuries, from Cyprian to Bellarmin, this doctrine held
almost undisputed sway.

The Reformers demonstrated the significance of faith, and showed the
untenableness of Rome's conception of the church as a mere institution.
Thomasius calls this a central epoch in the history of the world. But at
the same time the Reformers had to take a stand against the
hyperspiritual positions of the fanatics, as well as the teachings of
the Zwinglians who denied the efficacy of the means of grace. The
confessions, therefore, as well as the subsequent writings of
Melanchthon and the dogmaticians, and the entire history and development
of the Lutheran churches must be read in the light of this two-fold
antagonism.

The system which the Reformers controverted must have had features
acceptable to the natural man or it would not have prevailed for so