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The Spirit of Prophecy Volume 4
warning. He set before the people the offensive character of sin, and
taught them that it is impossible for man, by his own works, to lessen
its guilt or evade its punishment. Nothing but repentance toward
God and faith in Christ can save the sinner. The grace of Christ
cannot be purchased; it is a free gift. He counseled the people not to
buy the indulgences, but to look in faith to a crucified Redeemer. He
related his own painful experience in vainly seeking by humiliation
and penance to secure salvation, and assured his hearers that it was
by looking away from himself and believing in Christ that he found
peace and joy.
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As Tetzel continued his traffic and his impious pretensions,
Luther determined upon a more effectual protest against these crying
abuses. The festival of All-Saints was an important day for Wit-
temberg. The costly relics of the church were then displayed, and
remission of sin was granted to all who visited the church and made
confession. Accordingly on this day the people in great numbers
resorted thither. On the day preceding the festival, Luther went
boldly to the church, to which crowds of worshipers were already
repairing, and affixed to the door ninety-five propositions against
the doctrine of indulgences. These theses he declared himself ready
to defend against all opposers.
His propositions attracted universal attention. They were read
and re-read and repeated in every direction. Great excitement was
created in the university and in the whole city. By these theses it
was shown that the power to grant the pardon of sin, and to remit
its penalty, had never been committed to the pope or to any other
man. The whole scheme was a farce,—an artifice to extort money
by playing upon the superstitions of the people,—a device of Satan
to destroy the souls of all who should trust to its lying pretensions. It
was also clearly shown that the gospel of Christ is the most valuable
treasure of the church, and that the grace of God, therein revealed,
is freely bestowed upon all who seek it by repentance and faith.
Luther’s theses challenged discussion; but no one dared accept
the challenge. The questions which he proposed had in a few days
spread through all Germany, and in a few weeks they had sounded
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throughout Christendom. Many devoted Romanists, who had seen
and lamented the terrible iniquity prevailing in the church, but had
not known how to arrest its progress, read the propositions with