Sivut kuvina
PDF
ePub

THE

CHRISTIAN GUARDIAN,

AND

Church of England Magazine.

MARCH 1, 1823.

MEMOIRS OF THE REFORMERS.

LUTHER.

[Continued from Page 48.] WHEN Luther was created Doctor in Divinity, he took an oath to this effect: "I swear before God, to teach his word henceforth with constant purity and truth, according to my conscience, and without regard to fear or favour." A man of his conscientious turn of mind would not forget the sacredness of such an obligation, especially when placed in a post of authority, like that of Sub-vicar of the Augustines in Misnia and Thuringia. Nor was it long before an occasion of fered of showing his zeal and integrity in the cause of religion, and in the service of his God.

The reigning Pontiff, Leo X. was a man of prodigal expenditure and unbounded gratification; who, while he indulged his classic taste in prosecuting the design of his predecessor, Julius II. in the erection of the magnificent cathedral of St. Peter, found his finances so much embarrassed, that he was fain to give more extensive notoriety to the scheme of a sale of indulgences, which had been devised for the support of this great undertaking. In Germany, the right of disposing of these indulgences was granted to Albert, brother of the Elector of Brandenburg, Archbishop of Mentz and Magdeburg. This prelate employed as his retail agent in those districts, MARCH 1823.

John Tetzel, a Dominican inquisitor, a crafty, mendacious, impudent character, who was adroit in this kind of merchandise, and had been distinguished by collecting great sums for the Teutonic knights in their war with the Muscovites under a similar grant from the Pope. He scrupled not to make the most extravagant assertions in the disposal of his church wares, his full pardons, and his temporary licenses. If an epicure or an invalid wished to eat cheese and eggs during Lent, he would grant him this favour for a few shillings. If an affectionate child was anxious

concerning the state of his departed parent, he would say, "Put some money into my box, and when you hear it chink, the soul of your father will fly out of purgatory:" and when he had collected the doles of the deluded multitude, he would shake his box, and exclaim, "There they go! There they go!" He boasted that he had saved more souls from hell by his indulgences, than St. Peter had converted by his preaching. He assured the purchasers, that their crimes, however enormous, would be forgiven. Nay, he proceeded to such lengths, as not only to grant pardon for past offence, but even for intended transgression. One day, when he was at Leipsic, a nobleman asked him, Pray, father, can you grant me absolu

M

[ocr errors]

tion for a sin that I design to commit?""Surely," replied he; "but, on condition that you pay down the required sum." The bargain was immediately struck. Not long after, as Tetzel was journeying from that city, the nobleman attacked him, emptied his chest, beat him soundly with his cudgel, and sent him back, saying, "This is the crime I intended to commit, for which I have already your absolution *!" The person of this papal agent had before been in imminent danger; for the Emperor Maximilian, disgusted at his assurance, and finding him guilty of a capital offence, had ordered him to be tied up in a sack and thrown into the river; but his life was

the keys; while, even in those
dark days, there were found some
intelligent characters, who per-
ceived that they were instruments
in the hands of crafty priests, to
minister to their avarice, and took
clandestine modes of expressing
that disapprobation which they
dared not avow in a more open
manner: witness those burlesque
verses which were found inscribed
on the grand altar in the cathedral
of Bourges :

"If here thy cash be freely given,
I join thee to the saints in heaven.

Sick souls are cleans'd by paying here :
Come then, ye people, far and near,
Down with the needful: bliss and glory,
I certify ye, lie before ye.

Seize, seize the boon: nay, do not falter;
But bring thy gift, man, to the altar.

spared through the intercession of Ah! did you know how great the blessing, Frederick, Elector of Saxony.

You would not stand in need of pressing.
Get absolution while you may;

His arm to buy, who stretches out,
A seat in heaven is his, no doubt.
When pardons ready stand for sale,
The purchaser must needs prevail.
O haste, and fill the church's coffer,
For Paradise is hers to offer:
A pretty lodging for the poor;
But he that pays down largely, buys

E'en a few shillings will secure

One of the mansions in the skies.
Come, pr'ythee, if thou lov'st thyself,
Part with a little dirty pelf;
And thus by cash, and cash alone,
Inherit a celestial throne.'

It may not be inexpedient, in this place, to advert to the origin Open your purse without delay. and progress of this flagrant superstition. According to the doctrine of the Romish church, all the good works of the saints, over and above those which were necessary to their own justification, were deposited as it were in a treasury, together with the infinite merits of Jesus Christ. The Popes, as successors of St. Peter, might transfer a portion of this superabundant stock to any favoured applicant, whether for his personal advantage, or the benefit of his deceased friends in purgatory. Such indulgences were first granted by Urban II. in the eleventh century, to the crusaders; afterwards to such as provided a soldier to serve in the recovery of the Holy Land; and at length, to those who contributed towards the accomplishment of any pious work enjoined by the see of Rome.

The abuse made of this power in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries disgusted many devout members of the Romish church, who were far from denying that the power itself was a prerogative of

*Hectius, Vita Tezelii, p. 46, 47.

""

When Tetzel entered any town, with intent to dispose of his precious wares, it was with that imposing pomp which could not but attract the notice of all ranks. The papal bull was borne before him in a rich silken or golden wrapper. He was saluted by the regular and secular clergy, magistracy, university, and commonalty, bearing standards and torches, who preceded him to the principal church, where his red cross, which he told them was as efficacious as the cross of Christ himself, was set up amid the playing of organs and the ring

*Chemnitius, Exam. Concil. Trid. P. IV. p. 361.

ing of bells, with the banner of the Holy See.

Although, however, by the terms of his commission, he was only empowered to carry on his traffic in the archbishoprics of Magdeburg and Mentz, the bishopric of Halberstadt, and marquisate of Brandenburg, he yet was bold enough to exceed these boundaries. In Saxony, the rage for purchasing indulgences was so great, that the Elector and his nobles were alarmed and incensed at the manner in which their vassals were drained of their substance, and shocked at the immoralities which were committed under sanction of this abominable delusion. John of Salhausen, Bishop of Misnia, a venerable and enlightened ecclesiastic, who had before forbidden the venders of indulgences from proffering their commodities in his diocese, had blamed his people for suffering themselves to be so easily cheated, and had declared, that from a diligent perusal of Scripture he had discovered true religion to be very different from that which generally prevailed, and saw that the traffic would soon be opposed. He observed, on his dying bed, "This Tetzel will be the last seller of indulgences, his impudence is so intolerable!"

Some persons coming to Luther to confess, in the year 1517, and owning themselves great offenders, refused to comply with the penances which he enjoined them, because they were already possessed of papal indulgences. He very properly replied, that he could not in conscience grant them absolution, while they entertained such notions. They immediately made their complaint to the Dominican inquisitor, who threatened vengeance on all who should dare to despise his authority. The incident, however, sunk deep into the mind of Luther, whose good sense, as well as solid piety, re

volted against trifling with religion. He protested in the pulpit against the sale of indulgences, which he said was a plan well suited to encourage those who disliked the humbling doctrines of faith and repentance, and would rather seek for redemption in pecuniary com promise than in the cross of the Saviour; while the money which the more wealthy parted with, on the pretence that it was needed for the finishing of St. Peter's, would be much better employed in relieving the wants of their poorer neighbours. As Tetzel was at this time in the neighbouring town of Jutterbock, making use of all the low artifices which would occur to a man of consummate boldness, but of slender education, backed by inquisitorial terrors, the proceeding of the Wittenberg Professor excited considerable emotion.

Luther's next step was to write to the Archbishop of Mentz himself, of whose participation in the gain of this traffic he was not aware, entreating him to put a stop to measures which threatened the existence of common morality, and also enclosing a copy of ninety-five theses, or queries, which discover how much thought he had bestowed on the subject. He also addressed a letter to the Bishop of Brandenburg, his own diocesan, who reverenced his integrity, and to some other prelates, to the same effect. The Archbishop returned him no answer; his own diocesan advised him to be quiet. As these appeals to the constituted authorities were fruitless, he thought it his duty to publish the propositions. He accordingly fixed them up on the doors of the church, adjoining the castle of Wittenberg, on the eve of All Saints, with this protestation: "I, Martin Luther, Doctor of the order of Eremites at Wittenberg, would have it publicly testified, that I have set forth certain propositions against the Pope's indulgences, so called;

and albeit that neither our learned university, nor the civil or ecclesiastical power, hath condemned me, yet, as is reported, certain persons of violent spirit have presumed to brand me a heretic, as though they had competent knowledge of the whole matter; I beseech every one, as I have oft before, so now by the Christian faith, that they either show me a better way, if it be revealed by God to any of them, or else let them submit their sentence to God, and the 'udgment of his church: for, neither am I so rash as to require that my opinion be preferred to all other; nor so insensible as to see, without animadversion, the word of God less regarded than cunningly devised fables." He challenged any one to oppose his theses, either by writing or disputation; and at the same time sent out some discourses against the abuses in the reigning superstition, particularly a sermon against indulgences, which he published in German, that the common people might have some notion of the question which was agitating among the learned in Latin. On the day fixed, no person appeared to oppose the Professor. The propositions, meanwhile, spread rapidly over Germany, and in the course of a fortnight were perused by great numbers, who were astonished at the boldness of an Augustine monk. The friars of his own order were gratified at the honour reflected on themselves, and the disgrace which attached to the Dominicans; nor was his sovereign, the Elector of Saxony, displeased to see some check likely to be given by this dispute to the exactions of the court of Rome.

Tetzel, enraged at the reception generally given to the propositions, published some counter theses at Francfort on the Oder, which were understood to be composed by Conrad Wimping, a divine of that city. The Dominican himself was a greater adept in inquisitorial cant

than theological composition. He thundered out his anathemas against Luther in the pulpit, declaring that such an heretic ought to be burnt alive; and as a specimen of the author's desert, publicly committed his propositions and sermon to the flames. This indignity so much offended the Wittenberg students, that they resolved to retaliate, by burning the counter theses in the market-place. The Reformer was much hurt at this conduct of his friends. He knew that the system of mutual combustion was not the way to settle religious controversy: and as, when he proposed his queries, he avowed, that his sole object was a desire to ascertain the truth, so he deprecated prejudice and courted investigation. He speaks with much feeling on this subject in a letter to John Langus, Prior of the Augustines at Erfurt: "That you may be advertised of the truth, if a certain story should reach your ears about the burning of the Tetzelian propositions, and that others may not add to the tale, as is usually the case, I beg to inform you, that the students, heartily tired of the old sophistical mode of study, but much attached to biblical instruction, and it may be, led by a personal regard to me in abolishing the former; hearing that a man had arrived from Halle, who was an emissary of Tetzel, collected on the instant, and asking the fellow in a menacing tone, how he dared to bring such stuff to their quarter, some of them bought copies for themselves, while others seized on the remainder, which might be about eight hundred; and (giving notice, that if any one wished to be present at a bonfire in the market-place, to be made of Tetzel's theses, he should come thither at two o'clock) burnt their prize; but it was entirely without the knowledge of the Prince, the Senate, the Rector, or, in short, of any of us. Indeed we were all much hurt,

that the injury which had been offered to the man should be imputed to us. For my part, I am altogether innocent; but I am afraid that I shall bear the blame of the whole. A great story has been made of it in every direction, which is exaggerated by the suffering party, who have certainly reason to be offended. What will be the consequence, I cannot say; except, indeed, that I shall stand more in jeopardy than I did before." He also wrote to Jodock of Eisenach, who had been his preceptor, on the same occasion: "I am surprised, that you could believe me to have been the author of this conflagration. Can you imagine, that I have lost all common sense, so as to have inflicted such an outrage on a person in authority; in a manner too, so unbecoming my character as a monk and a divine?" He was also tenacious of the credit of others, as well as his own; and because, among other rumours, it was circulated, that the Elector had secretly instigated him to publish his theses, he wrote to Spalatinus: "One thing I am particularly anxious you should understand. I am much vexed, that certain low talebearers should assiduously spread it abroad, that I am only the agent of our illustrious Prince, for the purpose of disgracing the Archbishop of Mentz. What ought I to do in such a case? Should I mention it to the Prince himself? I am extremely concerned, that my sovereign should be suspected on my account; and I am shocked and alarmed to be the cause of difference between characters in such high station. I am very ready to attend any disputation by order of the Elector, provided I have public security; but let them not involve an innocent governor in my fault. See what unreasonable creatures men are; a people loving darkness rather than light!" The report was altogether unfounded; for,

though Frederick reverenced the character of the Professor, yet he was a prince of remarkable caution, and had not even honoured Luther with a personal interview, but contented himself with such intelligence as was conveyed through the secretary*.

When Luther perceived that his theses, which with honest diffidence he had proposed for academical discussion and ecclesiastical judgment, were entertained by the public in so favourable a manner, that sentence seemed already passed upon them, he wrote to the Bishop of Brandenburg, submitting his writings to his decision, and requesting that he would draw his pen through every passage that displeased him, or throw any obnoxious page into the fire. His diocesan returned for answer, that he had better defer the publication of his arguments, and that he was afraid the question of indulgences would produce too great a stir.

66

I am content," rejoined the Professor; "I would rather perform an act of obedience, than work a miracle, were it in my power." But as he had sought direction from his diocesan in the character of a priest, so he thought it right to address himself to his superior in that of a monk. Besides, he loved the Vicar-general, as the person who had first led him to right views of some important doctrines. He begged him to transmit his writings to the Pope, to whom he had been defamed, that Leo might judge for himself." Not," said he, " that I would involve you in my dangers. I desire to stand the issue alone. I would leave it to Christ to determine, whether the cause be mine or his. To my kind advisers who recommend caution, I would reply, He that has nought to lose, has nought to fear. I declare, that riches, popularity, or honours, are

*Opp. L. 1. Epp. 42, 47, 39.-Seckendorf, p. 25.-Gerdesius, T. i. p. 98.

« EdellinenJatka »