527. Still there are some who cannot examine themselves, for instance young children, and boys and girls until they are old enough to become capable of introspection; likewise the simple, who do not reflect at all; also, all who lack the fear of God; moreover, some who are sick in mind or body; not to mention those who, firmly believing in justification by faith alone which imputes to us the merit of Christ, have convinced themselves that examination leading to repentance would introduce something of the person himself destructive of faith, so as to eject and cast forth salvation from its one and only focal point. For all of these a merely verbal confession may serve; and it was shown before in this chapter that this is not repentance.

[2] Those who know what sin is, and even more those who know a great deal from the Word, and teach this, but do not examine themselves, so seeing no sin in themselves, can be compared to those who scrape together wealth and store it in cases and chests, making no other use of it except to gloat over and count; or to those who make collections of gold and silver masterpieces for their treasure-houses, and shut them up in cellars, merely in order to be known as wealthy. These are like the merchant who hid his talent underground, and hid his mina ¹ in a napkin (Matthew 25:25; Luke 19:20). They are also like hard paths and rocks on which seed falls (Matthew 13:4-5); and like fig-trees with luxuriant foliage, but which do not bear fruit (Mark 11:13). Their hearts are adamant and do not turn to flesh (Zechariah 7:12). They are like partridges which gather eggs but do not lay them, they amass riches, but unjustly; in the midst of their days they leave them behind, and at the last become fools (Jeremiah 17:11). They are like the five virgins, who had lamps but no oil (Matthew 25:1-12).

[3] Those who take many sayings about charity and repentance from the Word, and know a great many commandments, yet do not live by them, can be compared with gluttons who cram gobbets of food into their mouths, and swallow them into their stomachs without chewing them. There they languish undigested, and passed on from there they pollute the chyle, bringing about chronic diseases which end up by causing a wretched death. Such people, being devoid of spiritual heat, however much they enjoy light, can be called winters, cold countries, arctic climes, or, rather, snow and ice.

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