The Holy Scripture - english version B.indd - Sabbat

220Dr. Martin Luther and the ReformersI incorporate thee {you} afresh in the communion of the sainsts; and I reinstatethee {you} in the innocence and purity in which thou {you} wast at the hour of thy{your} baptism; so that, at the hour of thy {your} death, the gate through which isthe entrance to the place of torments and punishments shall be closed against thee{you}, and that which leads to the Paradise of joy shall be open. And shouldest thou{you} be spread long, this grace shall remain immutable to the time of thy {your}last end. In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.Brother John Tetzel, Commissioner, has signed it with his own hand.“taken from: D’Aubigne: History of the ReformationHis (Luther’s) next step was to write a letter of respectful protest to the ArchbishopAlbert of Mayence and Magdeburg. Let us quote a few sentences from this letter.„The righteous scarcely shall be saved,“ he writes, “so narrow is the way whichleads to life. Those who are saved are called in the Scripture brands saved fromthe burning; everywhere the Lord reminds us of the difficulty of salvation. How,then, dare these men seek to render poor souls fatally confident of salvation,on the mere strength of purchased indulgences and futile promises?“On All Saints’ Day (November 1st), 1517 Luther read to the crowded congregationthe protest against indulgences which he had already sent to the Archbishop; andwhen the service was over, he passed through the crowd to the outer pillars of thegate of the church, and there – on October 31st, 1517 – he nailed his „Ninety-fiveTheses“ to the gate.The ThesesThe Elector Frederick had lately built the castle-church of Wittemberg, and hadspared neither labour nor money in collecting relics to enrich and beautify it. Theserelics, in their settings of gold and precious stones, the priests were accustomed toshow to the people on the festival of All Saints, the 1st of November; and crowdscame to Wittemberg to nourish their piety by the sight of the precious objects, andearn the indulgence offered to all who should visit the church on that day. The eveof the festival (October 31st) was now come. The street of Wittemberg was throngedwith pilgrims. At the hour of noon, Luther, who had given no hint to any one of whathe purposed, sallied forth, and joined the stream that was flowing to the castlechurch,which stood close by the eastern gate. Pressing through the crowd, anddrawing forth a paper, he proceeds to nail it upon the door of the church. The strokesof his hammer draw the crowd around him, and they begin eagerly to read. Whatis in the paper? It contains ninety-five „Theses“ or propositions on the doctrine ofindulgences. We select the following as comprehensive of the spirit and scope ofthe whole:V. The Pope is unable and desires not to remit any other penalty that that which hehas imposed of his own good pleasure, or conformably to the canons – that is, to thePapal ordinances.VI. The Pope cannot remit any condemnation, but can only declare and confirm theremission that God himself has given, except only in cases that belong to him. If hedoes otherwise, the condemnation continues the same.VIII. The laws of ecclesiastical penance can only be imposed on the living, and in nowise respect the dead.