april 5, 2004

51. Christians should be taught that the Pope would be willing, as he ought if necessity should arise, to sell the church of St. Peter, and give, too, his own money to many of those whom the pardon-merchants conjure money.
    
    
52. It is vain to rely on salvation by letters if indulgence, even if the commissary, or indeed the Pope himself, were to pledge his own soul for their validity.
    
    
53. Those are enemies of Christ and the Pope who forbid the word of God to be preached at all in some churches, in order that indulgences may be preached in others.
    
    
54. The word of God suffers injury if, in the same sermon, an equal or longer time is devoted to indulgences than to that word.
    
    
55. The Pope cannot help taking the view that if indulgences (very small matters) are celebrated by one bell, one pageant, or one ceremony, the gospel (a very great matter) should be preached to the accompaniment of a hundred bells, a hundred processions, a hundred ceremonies.
    
    
56. The treasures of the church, out of which the Pope dispenses indulgences, are not sufficiently spoken of or known among the people of Christ.
    
    
57. That these treasures are not temporal are clear from the fact that many of the merchants do not grant them freely, but only collect them.
    
    
58. Nor are they the merits of Christ and the saints, because, even apart from the Pope, these merits are always working grace in the inner man, and working the cross, death, and hell in the outer man.
    
    
59. St. Laurence said that the poor were the treasures of the church, but he used the term in accordance with the custom of his own time.
    
    
60. We do not speak rashly in saying that the treasures of the church are the keys of the church, and are bestowed by the merits of Christ.
    
    
61. For it is clear that the power of the Pope suffices, by itself, for the remission of penalties and reserved cases.
    
    
62. The true treasure of the church is the Holy gospel of the glory and the grace of God.
    
    
63. It is right to regard this treasure as most odious, for it makes the first to be the last.
    
    
64. On the other hand, the treasure of indulgences is most acceptable, for it makes the last to be the first.
    
    
65. Therefore the treasures of the gospel are nets which, in former times, they used to fish for men of wealth.
    
    
66. The treasures of the indulgences are the nets to-day which they use to fish for men of wealth.
    
    
67. The indulgences, which the merchants extol as the greatest of favors, are seen to be, in fact, a favorite means for money-getting.
    
    
68. Nevertheless, they are not to be compared with the grace of God and the compassion shown in the Cross.
    
    
69. Bishops and curates, in duty bound, must receive the commissaries of the papal indulgences with all reverence;
    
    
70. But they are under a much greater obligation to watch closely and attend carefully lest these men preach their own fancies instead of what the Pope commissioned.
    
    
71. Let him be anathema and accursed who denies the apostolic character of the indulgences.
    
    
72. On the other hand, let him be blessed who is on his guard against the wantonness and license of the pardon-merchant's words.
    
    
73. In the same way, the Pope rightly excommunicates those who make any plans to the detriment of the trade in indulgences.
    
    
74. It is much more in keeping with his views to excommunicate those who use the pretext of indulgences to plot anything to the detriment of holy love and truth.
    
    
75. It is foolish to think that papal indulgences have so much power that they can absolve a man even if he has done the impossible and violated the mother of God.
    
    
76. We assert the contrary, and say that the Pope's pardons are not able to remove the least venial of sins as far as their guilt is concerned.
    
    
77. When it is said that not even St. Peter, if he were now Pope, could grant a greater grace, it is blasphemy against St. Peter and the Pope.
    
    
78. We assert the contrary, and say that he, and any Pope whatever, possesses greater graces, viz., the gospel, spiritual powers, gifts of healing, etc., as is declared in I Corinthians 12:28.
    
    
79. It is blasphemy to say that the insignia of the cross with the papal arms are of equal value to the cross on which Christ died.
    
    
80. The bishops, curates, and theologians, who permit assertions of that kind to be made to the people without let or hindrance, will have to answer for it.
    
    
81. This unbridled preaching of indulgences makes it difficult for learned men to guard the respect due to the Pope against false accusations, or at least from the keen criticisms of the laity;
    
    
82. They ask, e.g.: Why does not the Pope liberate everyone from purgatory for the sake of love (a most holy thing) and because of the supreme necessity of their souls? This would be morally the best of all reasons. Meanwhile he redeems innumerable souls for money, a most perishable thing, with which to build St. Peter's church, a very minor purpose.
    
    
83. Again: Why should funeral and anniversary masses for the dead continue to be said? And why does not the Pope repay, or permit to be repaid, the benefactions instituted for these purposes, since it is wrong to pray for those souls who are now redeemed?
    
    
84. Again: Surely this is a new sort of compassion, on the part of God and the Pope, when an impious man, an enemy of God, is allowed to pay money to redeem a devout soul, a friend of God; while yet that devout and beloved soul is not allowed to be redeemed without payment, for love's sake, and just because of its need of redemption.
    
    
85. Again: Why are the penitential canon laws, which in fact, if not in practice, have long been obsolete and dead in themselves,-why are they, to-day, still used in imposing fines in money, through the granting of indulgences, as if all the penitential canons were fully operative?
    
    
86. Again: since the Pope's income to-day is larger than that of the wealthiest of wealthy men, why does he not build this one church of St. Peter with his own money, rather than with the money of indigent believers?
    
    
87. Again: What does the Pope remit or dispense to people who, by their perfect penitence, have a right to plenary remission or dispensation?
    
    
88. Again: Surely a greater good could be done to the church if the Pope were to bestow these remissions and dispensations, not once, as now, but a hundred times a day, for the benefit of any believer whatever.
    
    
89. What the Pope seeks by indulgences is not money, but rather the salvation of souls; why then does he not suspend the letters and indulgences formerly conceded, and still as efficacious as ever?
    
    
90. These questions are serious matters of conscience to the laity. To suppress them by force alone, and not to refute them by giving reasons, is to expose the church and the Pope to the ridicule of their enemies, and to make Christian people unhappy.
    
    
91. If therefore, indulgences were preached in accordance with the spirit and mind of the Pope, all these difficulties would be easily overcome, and indeed, cease to exist.
    
    
92. Away, then, with those prophets who say to Christ's people, "Peace, peace," where in there is no peace.
    
    
93. Hail, hail to all those prophets who say to Christ's people, "The cross, the cross," where there is no cross.
    
    
94. Christians should be exhorted to be zealous to follow Christ, their Head, through penalties, deaths, and hells;
    
    
95. And let them thus be more confident of entering heaven through many tribulations rather than through a false assurance of peace.

October 31, 1517

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