SOME OF THE 95 THESIS OF LUTHER . 1. When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said Repent, He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. 2. The word cannot be properly understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, i.e. confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy. 3. Yet its meaning is not restricted to repentance in ones heart; for such repentance is null unless it produces outward signs in various mortifications of the flesh. 4. As long as hatred of self abides (i.e. true inward repentance) the penalty of sin abides, viz., until we enter the kingdom of heaven. 5. The pope has neither the will nor the power to remit any penalties beyond those imposed either at his own discretion or by canon law. 6. The pope himself cannot remit guilt, but only declare and confirm that it has been remitted by God; or, at most, he can remit it in cases reserved to his discretion. Except for these cases, the guilt remains untouched. 7. God never remits guilt to anyone without, at the same time, making him humbly submissive to the priest, His representative. 8. The penitential canons apply only to men who are still alive, and, according to the canons themselves, none applies to the dead. 9. Accordingly, the Holy Spirit, acting in the person of the pope, manifests grace to us, by the fact that the papal regulations always cease to apply at death, or in any hard case. 10. It is a wrongful act, due to ignorance, when priests retain the canonical penalties on the dead in purgatory. 11. When canonical penalties were changed and made to apply to purgatory, surely it would seem that tares were sown while the bishops were asleep. 12. In former days, the canonical penalties were imposed, not after, but before absolution was pronounced; and were intended to be tests of true contrition. 13. Death puts an end to all the claims of the Church; even the dying are already dead to the canon laws, and are no longer bound by them. 14. Defective piety or love in a dying person is necessarily accompanied by great fear, which is greatest where the piety or love is least. 15. This fear or horror is sufficient in itself, whatever else might be said, to constitute the pain of purgatory, since it approaches very closely to the horror of despair. 16. There seems to be the same difference between hell, purgatory, and heaven as between despair, uncertainty, and assurance. 17. Of a truth, the pains of souls in purgatory ought to be abated, and charity ought to be proportionately increased. 18. Moreover, it does not seem proved, on any grounds of reason or Scripture, that these souls are outside the state of merit, or unable to grow in grace. 19. Nor does it seem proved to be always the case that they are certain and assured of salvation, even if we are very certain ourselves. 20. Therefore the pope, in speaking of the plenary remission of all penalties, does not mean all in the strict sense, but only those imposed by himself. 21. Hence those who preach indulgences are in error when they say that a man is absolved and saved from every penalty by the popes indulgences. 22. Indeed, he cannot remit to souls in purgatory any penalty which canon law declares should be suffered in the present life. 23. If plenary remission could be granted to anyone at all, it would be only in the cases of the most perfect, i.e. to very few. 24. It must therefore be the case that the major part of the people are deceived by that indiscriminate and high-sounding promise of relief from penalty. 25. The same power as the pope exercises in general over purgatory is exercised in particular by every single bishop in his bishopric and priest in his parish. 26. The pope does excellently when he grants remission to the souls in purgatory on account of intercessions made on their behalf, and not by the power of the keys (which he cannot exercise for them). 27. There is no divine authority for preaching that the soul flies out of the purgatory immediately the money clinks in the bottom of the chest. 28. It is certainly possible that when the money clinks in the bottom of the chest avarice and greed increase; but when the church offers intercession, all depends in the will of God. 29. Who knows whether all souls in purgatory wish to be redeemed in view of what is said of St. Severinus and St. Pascal? (Note: Paschal I, pope 817-24. The legend is that he and Severinus were willing to endure the pains of purgatory for the benefit of the faithful). 30. No one is sure of the reality of his own contrition, much less of receiving plenary forgiveness. 31. One who bona fide buys indulgence is a rare as a bona fide penitent man, i.e. very rare indeed. 32. All those who believe themselves certain of their own salvation by means of letters of indulgence, will be eternally damned, together with their teachers. 33. We should be most carefully on our guard against those who say that the papal indulgences are an inestimable divine gift, and that a man is reconciled to God by them. 34. For the grace conveyed by these indulgences relates simply to the penalties of the sacramental satisfactions decreed merely by man. 35. It is not in accordance with Christian doctrines to preach and teach that those who buy off souls, or purchase confessional licenses, have no need to repent of their own sins. 36. Any Christian whatsoever, who is truly repentant, enjoys plenary remission from penalty and guilt, and this is given him without letters of indulgence. 37. Any true Christian whatsoever, living or dead, participates in all the benefits of Christ and the Church; and this participation is granted to him by God without letters of indulgence. 38. Yet the popes remission and dispensation are in no way to be despised, for, as already said, they proclaim the divine remission.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 21:37:57 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015