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Disputation of by Dr. Martin Luther, 1517 |
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Published in: Works of Martin Luther Adolph Spaeth, L.D. Reed, Henry Eyster Jacobs, et Al., Trans. & Eds. (Philadelphia: A. J. Holman Company, 1915), Vol. 1, pp. 29-38. DISPUTATION OF DOCTOR
MARTIN LUTHER OCTOBER 31, 1517 Out of love for the
truth and the desire to bring it to light, In the Name our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 1. Our Lord and Master
Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam 2. This word cannot
be understood to mean sacramental penance, 3. Yet it means not
inward repentance only; nay, there is no 4. The penalty [of sin],
therefore, continues so long as 5. The pope does not
intend to remit, and cannot remit any 6. The pope cannot remit
any guilt, except by declaring that 7. God remits guilt
to no one whom He does not, at the same 8. The penitential canons
are imposed only on the living, and, 9. Therefore the Holy
Spirit in the pope is kind to us, 10. Ignorant and wicked
are the doings of those priests who, 11. This changing of
the canonical penalty to the penalty of 12. In former times
the canonical penalties were imposed not 13. The dying are freed
by death from all penalties; they are 14. The imperfect health
[of soul], that is to say, the 15. This fear and horror
is sufficient of itself alone (to say 16. Hell, purgatory,
and heaven seem to differ as do despair, 17. With souls in purgatory
it seems necessary that horror 18. It seems unproved,
either by reason or Scripture, that 19. Again, it seems
unproved that they, or at least that all 20. Therefore by "full
remission of all penalties" the pope 21. Therefore those
preachers of indulgences are in error, who 22. Whereas he remits
to souls in purgatory no penalty which, 23. If it is at all
possible to grant to any one the remission 24. It must needs be,
therefore, that the greater part of the 25. The power which
the pope has, in a general way, over 26. The pope does well
when he grants remission to souls [in 27. They preach man
who say that so soon as the penny jingles 28. It is certain that
when the penny jingles into the 29. Who knows whether
all the souls in purgatory wish to be 30. No one is sure that
his own contrition is sincere; much 31. Rare as is the man
that is truly penitent, so rare is also 32. They will be condemned
eternally, together with their 33. Men must be on their
guard against those who say that the 34. For these "graces
of pardon" concern only the penalties of 35. They preach no Christian
doctrine who teach that 36. Every truly repentant
Christian has a right to full 37. Every true Christian,
whether living or dead, has part in 38. Nevertheless, the
remission and participation [in the 39. It is most difficult,
even for the very keenest 40. True contrition
seeks and loves penalties, but liberal 41. Apostolic pardons
are to be preached with caution, lest 42. Christians are to
be taught that the pope does not intend 43. Christians are to
be taught that he who gives to the poor 44. Because love grows
by works of love, and man becomes 45. Christians are to
be taught that he who sees a man in 46. Christians are to
be taught that unless they have more 47. Christians are to
be taught that the buying of pardons is 48. Christians are to
be taught that the pope, in granting 49. Christians are to
be taught that the pope's pardons are 50. Christians are to
be taught that if the pope knew the 51. Christians are to
be taught that it would be the pope's 52. The assurance of
salvation by letters of pardon is vain, 53. They are enemies
of Christ and of the pope, who bid the 54. Injury is done the
Word of God when, in the same sermon, 55. It must be the intention
of the pope that if pardons, 56. The "treasures of
the Church," out of which the pope. 57. That they are not
temporal treasures is certainly evident, 58. Nor are they the
merits of Christ and the Saints, for even 59. St. Lawrence said
that the treasures of the Church were 60. Without rashness
we say that the keys of the Church, given 61. For it is clear
that for the remission of penalties and of 62. The true treasure
of the Church is the Most Holy Gospel of 63. But this treasure
is naturally most odious, for it makes 64. On the other hand,
the treasure of indulgences is 65. Therefore the treasures
of the Gospel are nets with which 66. The treasures of
the indulgences are nets with which they 67. The indulgences
which the preachers cry as the "greatest 68. Yet they are in
truth the very smallest graces compared 69. Bishops and curates
are bound to admit the commissaries of 70. But still more are
they bound to strain all their eyes and 71 . He who speaks against
the truth of apostolic pardons, let 72. But he who guards
against the lust and license of the 73. The pope justly
thunders against those who, by any art, 74. But much more does
he intend to thunder against those who 75. To think the papal
pardons so great that they could 76. We say, on the contrary,
that the papal pardons are not 77. It is said that
even St. Peter, if he were now Pope, could 78. We say, on the contrary,
that even the present pope, and 79. To say that the
cross, emblazoned with the papal arms, 80. The bishops, curates
and theologians who allow such talk 81. This unbridled preaching
of pardons makes it no easy 82. To wit: -- "Why
does not the pope empty purgatory, for the 83. Again: -- "Why are
mortuary and anniversary masses for the 84. Again: -- "What
is this new piety of God and the pope, 85. Again: -- "Why are
the penitential canons long since in 86. Again: -- "Why does
not the pope, whose wealth is to-day 87. Again: -- "What
is it that the pope remits, and what 88. Again: -- "What
greater blessing could come to the Church 89. "Since the pope,
by his pardons, seeks the salvation of 90. To repress these
arguments and scruples of the laity by 91. If, therefore, pardons
were preached according to the 92. Away, then, with
all those prophets who say to the people 93. Blessed be all those
prophets who say to the people of 94. Christians are to
be exhorted that they be diligent in 95. And thus be confident
of entering into heaven rather This text was converted to
ascii format for Project Wittenberg by
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