Contents
CONTENTS
Comparison of Editions of Gerhard’s Loci
COMMONPLACE XV: ON THE LAW OF GOD
The connection of this commonplace with the preceding commonplace, § 1.
The nomenclature of “Law,” § 2.
Various descriptions of Law, § 6.
Laws are divided: (1) With regard to their author, into divine and human laws. (2) With regard to their material, into moral, ceremonial, and forensic laws, § 7. (3) With regard to their accidents, into written and unwritten laws, § 10. (4) With regard to their objects, into ecclesiastical and political laws, § 11; here belongs also the division of natural law, law of the nations, and civil law, § 12.
The moral Law was set forth in the church even before Moses, § 14.
The reasons for the solemn promulgation or repetition, § 25.
The manner of the promulgation, § 27.
The tablets of the Decalogue, § 31.
What commandments belong to which tablet, § 38.
General rules that serve the true explanation of the Decalogue, § 53.
The order of the commandments of the Decalogue, § 54.
Each commandment of the Decalogue specifically.
Part I: The First Commandment.
Explanation, § 55. Its preface, commanded virtues, and conflicting sins, § 56. The appendix to the First Commandment about not making graven images and about the worship of images, § 62. The general promise and threat added to the First Commandment, § 106.
Part II: The Second Commandment.
The terms “name of God” and “take in vain,” § 112. Virtues and sins, § 114. Whether Christians may take oaths and swear, § 116. Which oaths are permissible, § 118. Whether one may swear by created things, § 119. What should be thought about the ceremonies used with oaths, § 120. Which oaths should be kept, § 121. Whether the use of amulets or markings should be approved, § 122.
Part III: The Third Commandment.
Its words, virtues, and sins, § 123. The duties of ministers of the Word and of hearers, § 138. How many Sabbaths there are, § 139. For what purpose God instituted the Mosaic Sabbath, § 140. Why the first day took the place of the seventh as the Sabbath, § 141. Whether economic and political works are absolutely prohibited on the Sabbath, § 142.
Part IV: The Fourth Commandment.
Its words and virtues, § 143. Whether bastard children are obligated by this commandment to honor their parents, § 148. When parents should be hated, § 149. Whether long life should be considered a benefit, § 150. Why obedient children sometimes do not live long, § 151.
Part V: The Fifth Commandment.
Its parts, virtues, and sins, § 152. Whether suicide is a sin against the Fifth Commandment, § 155. Whether punishments imposed by magistrates conflict with the Fifth Commandment, § 156. What should be decided about accidental homicide, § 157. Homicide in self-defense, § 158.
Part VI: The Sixth Commandment.
Its parts, virtues, and sins, § 159. What adultery properly is, § 162. Whether brothels should be tolerated, § 163. The nature and magnitude of the sin of adultery, § 164. Whether nocturnal defilement is sin, § 165.
Part VII: The Seventh Commandment.
Its parts, virtues, and sins, § 166. Whether every theft is absolutely prohibited, § 169. Whether theft is forbidden by nature, § 170. Whether it is just to punish thieves by hanging, § 171.
Part VIII: The Eighth Commandment.
Its parts, virtues, and sins, § 172. Whether every lie is a sin, § 176. Whether all pretense is forbidden, § 177. Whether one may use equivocations and hide the truth in court or in a case of confession, § 178.
Part IX: The Ninth and Tenth Commandments, § 179.
(1) The genuine position is set forth, § 181.
(2) The arguments proving the position of those who deny this possibility are set forth: (a) From Scripture, § 182. (b) From the nature of the Law, § 183. (c) From the confession of all the saints, § 184. (d) From the statements of Scripture that testify that through the Law no one can be justified before God, § 185. (e) From the passages of Scripture that teach that the Son of God was sent into the world to fulfill the Law perfectly in our place, § 186. (f ) From reborn people’s own experience, § 187. (g) From the allegories found in Holy Scripture, § 188. (h) From the testimonies of the ancients, § 189.
(3) The Papists’ position about perfectly fulfilling the Law is introduced, § 190. Their arguments are refuted. They are drawn from: (a) Matthew 11:30, § 191. (b) 1 John 5:3, § 192. (c) The fact that the reborn love God and neighbor, § 193. (d) That Scripture says some people are “perfect,” § 194. (e) That some people are said to have loved God “from their whole heart,” § 195. (f ) That the ancients taught the same, § 196. (g) Another six arguments used by Bellarmine, § 197.
(4) The end purpose and scope of our position about the impossibility of perfectly fulfilling the Law, § 202.
The triple use of the moral Law, § 203.
The Law is to be preached in the church, against the Antinomians, § 204.
The necessity of rendering obedience to the divine Law, § 207.
The definition of the moral Law, § 208.
COMMONPLACE XVI: ON THE CEREMONIAL AND FORENSIC LAWS
The connection with the preceding commonplace, § 1.
TREATISE I: THE CEREMONIAL AND FORENSIC LAWS TAKEN TOGETHER
The distinction of ceremonial and forensic laws from the moral Law, § 2.
The criteria that show which commands belong to the moral Law, § 6
TREATISE II: THE CEREMONIAL LAWS SPECIFICALLY
The etymology of “ceremonial laws,” § 7.
Divisions of the ceremonial laws, § 8.
Holy things, namely, the sacraments and sacrifices of the Old Testament.
How the sacraments of the Old Testament pertain to the ceremonial laws, § 11. Various ways of dividing the sacrifices, and their twelve kinds, § 12. The requisites for sacrifice, and especially the place commanded by God, § 14. The place of sacrifices, § 15. The principal and less-principal end purposes for sacrifices, § 16. The holy utensils, § 18.
(1) The distinction of clean and unclean animals, § 23.
(2) Levitical uncleanness, § 24. (3) Various statutes in food, clothing, and economic works, § 25.
The End Purpose of the Ceremonial Laws, § 26.
The Abrogation of the Ceremonial Laws, § 27.
TREATISE III: THE FORENSIC LAWS SPECIFICALLY
The term “judicial laws,” § 29.
Referral of the forensic laws to the Decalogue, §30.
Divisions of the forensic laws, § 38.
The abrogation of the forensic laws.
Arguments proving that the forensic laws have been abrogated, § 39. Carlstadt’s error about the forensic laws, § 40. The arguments of the Jews and Judaizers for the perpetual observance of the Mosaic laws, § 41. The claim that the moral Law has been abrogated in the New Testament is not approved, § 42. Whether these laws can be said to have been abrogated in at least some way, § 43.
Conclusion of the entire treatise, showing the use of these laws, § 44.