Out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to
light, the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg,
under the presidency of the Reverend Father Martin Luther,
Master of Arts and of Sacred Theology, and Lecturer in Ordinary
on the same at that place. Wherefore he requests that those
who are unable to be present and debate orally with us,
may do so by letter.
In the Name our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam
agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be
repentance.
2. This word cannot be understood to mean sacramental penance,
i.e., confession and satisfaction, which is administered
by the priests.
3. Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay, there
is no inward repentance which does not outwardly work divers
mortifications of the flesh.
4. The penalty [of sin], therefore, continues so long as
hatred of self continues; for this is the true inward repentance,
and continues until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
5. The pope does not intend to remit, and cannot remit
any penalties other than those which he has imposed either
by his own authority or by that of the Canons.
6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring
that it has been remitted by God and by assenting to God's
remission; though, to be sure, he may grant remission in
cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant remission
in such cases were despised, the guilt would remain entirely
unforgiven.
7. God remits guilt to no one whom He does not, at the
same time, humble in all things and bring into subjection
to His vicar, the priest.
8. The penitential canons are imposed only on the living,
and, according to them, nothing should be imposed on the
dying.
9. Therefore the Holy Spirit in the pope is kind to us,
because in his decrees he always makes exception of the
article of death and of necessity.
10. Ignorant and wicked are the doings of those priests
who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penances
for purgatory.
11. This changing of the canonical penalty to the penalty
of purgatory is quite evidently one of the tares that were
sown while the bishops slept.
12. In former times the canonical penalties were imposed
not after, but before absolution, as tests of true contrition.
13. The dying are freed by death from all penalties; they
are already dead to canonical rules, and have a right to
be released from them.
14. The imperfect health [of soul], that is to say, the
imperfect love, of the dying brings with it, of necessity,
great fear; and the smaller the love, the greater is the
fear.
15. This fear and horror is sufficient of itself alone
(to say nothing of other things) to constitute the penalty
of purgatory, since it is very near to the horror of despair.
16. Hell, purgatory, and heaven seem to differ as do despair,
almost-despair, and the assurance of safety.
17. With souls in purgatory it seems necessary that horror
should grow less and love increase.
18. It seems unproved, either by reason or Scripture, that
they are outside the state of merit, that is to say, of
increasing love.
19. Again, it seems unproved that they, or at least that
all of them, are certain or assured of their own blessedness,
though we may be quite certain of it.
20. Therefore by "full remission of all penalties"
the pope means not actually "of all," but only
of those imposed by himself.
21. Therefore those preachers of indulgences are in error,
who say that by the pope's indulgences a man is freed from
every penalty, and saved;
22. Whereas he remits to souls in purgatory no penalty
which, according to the canons, they would have had to pay
in this life.
23. If it is at all possible to grant to any one the remission
of all penalties whatsoever, it is certain that this remission
can be granted only to the most perfect, that is, to the
very fewest.
24. It must needs be, therefore, that the greater part
of the people are deceived by that indiscriminate and highsounding
promise of release from penalty.
25. The power which the pope has, in a general way, over
purgatory, is just like the power which any bishop or curate
has, in a special way, within his own diocese or parish.
26. The pope does well when he grants remission to souls
[in purgatory], not by the power of the keys (which he does
not possess), but by way of intercession.
27. They preach man who say that so soon as the penny jingles
into the money-box, the soul flies out [of purgatory].
28. It is certain that when the penny jingles into the
money-box, gain and avarice can be increased, but the result
of the intercession of the Church is in the power of God
alone.
29. Who knows whether all the souls in purgatory wish to
be bought out of it, as in the legend of Sts. Severinus
and Paschal.
30. No one is sure that his own contrition is sincere;
much less that he has attained full remission.
31. Rare as is the man that is truly penitent, so rare
is also the man who truly buys indulgences, i.e., such men
are most rare.
32. They will be condemned eternally, together with their
teachers, who believe themselves sure of their salvation
because they have letters of pardon.
33. Men must be on their guard against those who say that
the pope's pardons are that inestimable gift of God by which
man is reconciled to Him;
34. For these "graces of pardon" concern only
the penalties of sacramental satisfaction, and these are
appointed by man.
35. They preach no Christian doctrine who teach that contrition
is not necessary in those who intend to buy souls out of
purgatory or to buy confessionalia.
36. Every truly repentant Christian has a right to full
remission of penalty and guilt, even without letters of
pardon.
37. Every true Christian, whether living or dead, has part
in all the blessings of Christ and the Church; and this
is granted him by God, even without letters of pardon.
38. Nevertheless, the remission and participation [in the
blessings of the Church] which are granted by the pope are
in no way to be despised, for they are, as I have said,
the declaration of divine remission.
39. It is most difficult, even for the very keenest theologians,
at one and the same time to commend to the people the abundance
of pardons and [the need of] true contrition.
40. True contrition seeks and loves penalties, but liberal
pardons only relax penalties and cause them to be hated,
or at least, furnish an occasion [for hating them].
41. Apostolic pardons are to be preached with caution,
lest the people may falsely think them preferable to other
good works of love.
42. Christians are to be taught that the pope does not
intend the buying of pardons to be compared in any way to
works of mercy.
43. Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the
poor or lends to the needy does a better work than buying
pardons;
44. Because love grows by works of love, and man becomes
better; but by pardons man does not grow better, only more
free from penalty.
45. 45. Christians are to be taught that he who sees a
man in need, and passes him by, and gives [his money] for
pardons, purchases not the indulgences of the pope, but
the indignation of God.
46. Christians are to be taught that unless they have more
than they need, they are bound to keep back what is necessary
for their own families, and by no means to squander it on
pardons.
47. Christians are to be taught that the buying of pardons
is a matter of free will, and not of commandment.
48. Christians are to be taught that the pope, in granting
pardons, needs, and therefore desires, their devout prayer
for him more than the money they bring.
49. Christians are to be taught that the pope's pardons
are useful, if they do not put their trust in them; but
altogether harmful, if through them they lose their fear
of God.
50. Christians are to be taught that if the pope knew the
exactions of the pardon-preachers, he would rather that
St. Peter's church should go to ashes, than that it should
be built up with the skin, flesh and bones of his sheep.
51. Christians are to be taught that it would be the pope's
wish, as it is his duty, to give of his own money to very
many of those from whom certain hawkers of pardons cajole
money, even though the church of St. Peter might have to
be sold.
52. The assurance of salvation by letters of pardon is
vain, even though the commissary, nay, even though the pope
himself, were to stake his soul upon it.
53. They are enemies of Christ and of the pope, who bid
the Word of God be altogether silent in some Churches, in
order that pardons may be preached in others.
54. Injury is done the Word of God when, in the same sermon,
an equal or a longer time is spent on pardons than on this
Word.
55. It must be the intention of the pope that if pardons,
which are a very small thing, are celebrated with one bell,
with single processions and ceremonies, then the Gospel,
which is the very greatest thing, should be preached with
a hundred bells, a hundred processions, a hundred ceremonies.
56. The "treasures of the Church," out of which
the pope. grants indulgences, are not sufficiently named
or known among the people of Christ.
57. That they are not temporal treasures is certainly evident,
for many of the vendors do not pour out such treasures so
easily, but only gather them.
58. Nor are they the merits of Christ and the Saints, for
even without the pope, these always work grace for the inner
man, and the cross, death, and hell for the outward man.
59. St. Lawrence said that the treasures of the Church
were the Church's poor, but he spoke according to the usage
of the word in his own time.
60. Without rashness we say that the keys of the Church,
given by Christ's merit, are that treasure;
61. For it is clear that for the remission of penalties
and of reserved cases, the power of the pope is of itself
sufficient.
62. The true treasure of the Church is the Most Holy Gospel
of the glory and the grace of God.
63. But this treasure is naturally most odious, for it
makes the first to be last.
64. On the other hand, the treasure of indulgences is naturally
most acceptable, for it makes the last to be first.
65. Therefore the treasures of the Gospel are nets with
which they formerly were wont to fish for men of riches.
66. The treasures of the indulgences are nets with which
they now fish for the riches of men.
67. The indulgences which the preachers cry as the "greatest
graces" are known to be truly such, in so far as they
promote gain.
68. Yet they are in truth the very smallest graces compared
with the grace of God and the piety of the Cross.
69. Bishops and curates are bound to admit the commissaries
of apostolic pardons, with all reverence.
70. But still more are they bound to strain all their eyes
and attend with all their ears, lest these men preach their
own dreams instead of the commission of the pope.
71. He who speaks against the truth of apostolic pardons,
let him be anathema and accursed!
72. But he who guards against the lust and license of the
pardon-preachers, let him be blessed!
73. The pope justly thunders against those who, by any
art, contrive the injury of the traffic in pardons.
74. But much more does he intend to thunder against those
who use the pretext of pardons to contrive the injury of
holy love and truth.
75. To think the papal pardons so great that they could
absolve a man even if he had committed an impossible sin
and violated the Mother of God -- this is madness.
76. We say, on the contrary, that the papal pardons are
not able to remove the very least of venial sins, so far
as its guilt is concerned.
77. It is said that even St. Peter, if he were now Pope,
could not bestow greater graces; this is blasphemy against
St. Peter and against the pope.
78. We say, on the contrary, that even the present pope,
and any pope at all, has greater graces at his disposal;
to wit, the Gospel, powers, gifts of healing, etc., as it
is written in I. Corinthians xii.
79. To say that the cross, emblazoned with the papal arms,
which is set up [by the preachers of indulgences], is of
equal worth with the Cross of Christ, is blasphemy.
80. The bishops, curates and theologians who allow such
talk to be spread among the people, will have an account
to render.
81. This unbridled preaching of pardons makes it no easy
matter, even for learned men, to rescue the reverence due
to the pope from slander, or even from the shrewd questionings
of the laity.
82. To wit: -- "Why does not the pope empty purgatory,
for the sake of holy love and of the dire need of the souls
that are there, if he redeems an infinite number of souls
for the sake of miserable money with which to build a Church?
The former reasons would be most just; the latter is most
trivial."
83. Again: -- "Why are mortuary and anniversary masses
for the dead continued, and why does he not return or permit
the withdrawal of the endowments founded on their behalf,
since it is wrong to pray for the redeemed?"
84. Again: -- "What is this new piety of God and the
pope, that for money they allow a man who is impious and
their enemy to buy out of purgatory the pious soul of a
friend of God, and do not rather, because of that pious
and beloved soul's own need, free it for pure love's sake?"
85. Again: -- "Why are the penitential canons long
since in actual fact and through disuse abrogated and dead,
now satisfied by the granting of indulgences, as though
they were still alive and in force?"
86. Again: -- "Why does not the pope, whose wealth
is to-day greater than the riches of the richest, build
just this one church of St. Peter with his own money, rather
than with the money of poor believers?"
87. Again: -- "What is it that the pope remits, and
what participation does he grant to those who, by perfect
contrition, have a right to full remission and participation?"
88. Again: -- "What greater blessing could come to
the Church than if the pope were to do a hundred times a
day what he now does once, and bestow on every believer
these remissions and participations?"
89. "Since the pope, by his pardons, seeks the salvation
of souls rather than money, why does he suspend the indulgences
and pardons granted heretofore, since these have equal efficacy?"
90. To repress these arguments and scruples of the laity
by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons,
is to expose the Church and the pope to the ridicule of
their enemies, and to make Christians unhappy.
91. If, therefore, pardons were preached according to the
spirit and mind of the pope, all these doubts would be readily
resolved; nay, they would not exist.
92. Away, then, with all those prophets who say to the
people of Christ, "Peace, peace," and there is
no peace!
93. Blessed be all those prophets who say to the people
of Christ, "Cross, cross," and there is no cross!
94. Christians are to be exhorted that they be diligent
in following Christ, their Head, through penalties, deaths,
and hell;
95. And thus be confident of entering into heaven rather
through many tribulations, than through the assurance of
peace.
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