beacon lights of history-iii-2-第32节

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Repentance　meant　penance。　　In　Saint　Paul's　Epistles　Luther

discovers　the　true　ground　of　justification；not　works；　but　faith；

for　Paul　had　passed　through　similar　experiences。　　Works　are　good；

but　faith　is　the　gift　of　God。　　Works　are　imperfect　with　the　best　of

men；　even　the　highest　form　of　works；　to　a　Mediaeval　eye；self…

expiation　and　penance；　but　faith　is　infinite；　radiating　from　divine

love；　faith　is　a　boundless　joy；salvation　by　the　grace　of　God；　his

everlasting　and　precious　boon　to　people　who　cannot　climb　to　heaven

on　their　hands　and　knees；　the　highest　gift　which　God　ever　bestowed

on　men；eternal　life。



Luther　is　thus　emancipated　from　the　ideas　of　the　Middle　Ages　and　of

the　old　Syriac　monks　and　of　the　Jewish　Pharisees。　　In　his

deliverance　he　has　new　hopes　and　aspirations；　he　becomes　cheerful；

and　devotes　himself　to　his　studies。　　Nothing　can　make　a　man　more

cheerful　and　joyful　than　the　cordial　reception　of　a　gift　which　is

infinite；　a　blessing　which　is　too　priceless　to　be　bought。　　The

pharisee；　the　monk；　the　ritualist；　is　gloomy；　ascetic；　severe；

intolerant；　for　he　is　not　quite　sure　of　his　salvation。　　A　man　who

accepts　heaven　as　a　gift　is　full　of　divine　enthusiasm；　like　Saint

Augustine。　　Luther　now　comprehends　Augustine；　the　great　doctor　of

the　Church；　embraces　his　philosophy　and　sees　how　much　it　has　been

misunderstood。　　The　rare　attainments　and　interesting　character　of

Luther　are　at　last　recognized；　he　is　made　a　professor　of　divinity

in　the　new　university；　which　the　Elector　of　Saxony　has　endowed；　at

Wittenberg。　　He　becomes　a　favorite　with　the　students；　he　enters

into　the　life　of　the　people。　　He　preaches　with　wonderful　power；　for

he　is　popular；　earnest；　original；　fresh；　electrical。　　He　is　a　monk

still；　but　the　monk　is　merged　in　the　learned　doctor　and　eloquent

preacher。　　He　does　not　yet　even　dream　of　attacking　monastic

institutions；　or　the　Pope；　he　is　a　good　Catholic　in　his　obedience

to　authorities；　but　he　hates　the　Middle　Ages；　and　all　their

ghostly；　funereal；　burdensome；　and　technical　religious　customs。　　He

is　human；　almost　convivial；fond　of　music；　of　poetry；　of　society；

of　friends；　and　of　the　good　cheer　of　the　social　circle。　　The　people

love　Luther；　for　he　has　a　broad　humanity。　　They　never　did　love

monks；　only　feared　their　maledictions。



About　this　time　the　Pope　was　in　great　need　of　money：　this　was　Leo

X。　　He　not　only　squandered　his　vast　revenues　in　pleasures　and

pomps；　like　any　secular　monarch；　he　not　only　collected　pictures　and

statues；　but　he　wanted　to　complete　St。　Peter's　Church。　　It　was

the　crowning　glory　of　papal　magnificence。　　Where　was　he　to　get

money　except　from　the　contributions　of　Christendom？　　But　kings　and

princes　and　bishops　and　abbots　were　getting　tired　of　this

everlasting　drain　of　money　to　Rome；　in　the　shape　of　annats　and

taxes；　so　Leo　revived　an　old　custom　of　the　Dark　Ages；he　would

sell　〃plenary　indulgences〃；　and　he　sent　his　agents　to　market　them

in　every　country。



The　agent　in　Saxony　was　a　very　popular　preacher；　a　shrewd　Dominican

prior　by　the　name　of　Tetzel。　　Luther　abhorred　him；　not　so　much

because　he　was　vulgar　and　noisy；　but　because　his　infamous　business

derogated　from　the　majesty　of　God　and　religion。　　In　wrathful

indignation　he　preached　against　Tetzel　and　his　practices；the

abominable　traffic　of　indulgences。　　Only　God　can　forgive　sins。　　It

seemed　to　him　to　be　an　insult　to　the　human　understanding　that　any

man；　even　a　pope；　should　grant　an　absolution　for　crime。　　These

indulgences　also　provided　the　release　of　deceased　friends　from

purgatory。　　And　it　was　useless　to　preach　against　them　so　long　as

the　principles　on　which　they　were　based　were　not　assailed。

Everybody　believed　in　penance；　everybody　believed　that　this；　in

some　form；　would　insure　salvation。　　It　consisted　in　a　temporal

penalty　or　punishment　inflicted　on　the　sinner　after　confession　to

the　priest；　as　a　condition　of　his　receiving　absolution　or　an

authoritative　pardon　of　his　sin　by　the　Church　as　God's

representative。　　And　the　indulgence　was　originally　an　official

remission　of　this　penalty；　to　be　gained　by　offerings　of　money　to

the　Church　for　its　sacred　uses。　　However　ingenious　this　theory；　the

practice　inevitably　ran　into　corruption。　　The　people　who　bought；

the　agents　who　sold；　the　popes　who　dispensed；　these　indulgences

wrested　them　from　their　original　intention。



Fortunately；　in　those　times　in　Germany　everybody　felt　he　had　a　soul

to　save。　　Neither　the　popes　nor　the　Church　ever　lost　that　idea。

The　clergy　ruled　by　its　force；by　stimulating　fears　of　divine

wrath；　whereby　the　wretched　sinner　would　be　physically　tormented

forever；　unless　he　escaped　by　a　propitiation　of　the　Deity；the

common　form　of　which　was　penance；　deeds　of　supererogation；

donations　to　the　Church；　self…expiation；　works　of　fear　and

penitence；　which　commended　themselves　to　the　piety　of　the　age；　and

this　piety　Luther　now　believed　to　be　unenlightened；　not　the　kind

enjoined　by　Christ　or　Paul。



So；　to　instruct　his　students　and　the　people　as　to　the　true　ground

of　justification；　which　he　had　worked　out　from　the　study　of　the

Bible　and　Saint　Augustine　amid　the　agonies　of　a　tormented

conscience；　Luther　prepared　his　theses；those　celebrated　ninety…

five　propositions；　which　he　affixed　to　the　gates　of　the　church　of

Wittenberg；　and　which　excited　a　great　sensation　throughout　Northern

Germany；　reaching　even　the　eyes　of　the　Pope　himself；　who　did　not

comprehend　their　tendency；　but　was　struck　with　their　power。　　〃This

Doctor　Luther；〃　said　he；　〃is　a　man　of　fine　genius。〃　　The　students

of　the　university；　and　the　people　generally；　were　kindled　as　if　by

Pentecostal　fires。　　The　new　invention　of　printing　scattered　those

theses　everywhere；　far　and　near；　they　reached　the　humble　hamlet　as

well　as　the　palaces　of　bishops　and　princes。　　They　excited　immediate

and　immense　enthusiasm：　there　was　freshness　in　them；　originality；

and　great　ideas。　　We　cannot　wonder　at　the　enthusiasm　which　those

religious　ideas　excited　nearly　four　hundred　years　ago　when　we

reflect　that　they　were　not　cant　words　then；　not　worn…out

platitudes；　not　dead　dogmas；　but　full　of　life　and　exciting

interest；even　as　were　the　watchwords　of　Rousseau〃Liberty；

Fraternity；　Equality〃to　Frenchmen；　on　the　outbreak　of　their

political　revolution。　　And　as　those　watchwordsabstractly　true

roused　the　dormant　energies　of　the　French　to　a　terrible　conflict

against　feudalism　and　royalty；　so　those　theses　of　Luther　kindled

Germany　into　a　living　flame。　　And　why？　　Because　they　presented　more

cheerful　and　comforting　grounds　of　justification　than　had　been

preached　for　one　thousand　years；faith　rather　than　penance；　for

works　hinged　on　penance。　　The　underlying　principle　of　those

propositions　was　GRACE；divine　grace　to　save　the　world；the

principle　of　Paul　and　Saint　Augustine；　therefore　not　new；　but

forgotten；　a　mighty　comfort　to　miserable　people；　mocked　and　cheated

and　robbed　by　a　venal　and　a　gluttonous　clergy。　　Even　Taine　admits

that　this　doctrine　of　grace　is　the　foundation　stone　of

Protestantism　as　it　spread　over　Europe　in　the　sixteenth　century。

In　those　places　where　Protestantism　is　dead；where　rationalism　or

Pelagian　speculations　have　taken　its　place；this　fact　may　be

denied；　but　the　history　of　Northern　Europe　blazes　with　it；a　fact

which　no　historian　of　any　honesty　can　deny。



Very　likely　those　who　are　not　in　sympathy　with　this　great　idea　of

Luther；　Augustine；　and　Paul　may　ignore　the　fact；even　as　Caleb

Cushing　once　declared　to　me；　that　the　Reformation　sprang　from　the

desire　of　Luther　to　marry　Catherine　Bora；　and　that　learned　and

ingenious　sophist　overwhelmed　me　with　his　citations　from　infidel

and　ribald　Catholic　writers　like　Audin。　　Greater　men　than　he　deny

that　grace　underlies　the　whole　original　movement　of　the　reformers；

and　they　talk　of　the　Reformation　as　a　mere　revolt　from　Rome；　as　a

war　against　papal　corruption；　as　a　protest　against　monkery　and　the

dark　ages；　brought　about　by　the　spirit　of　a　new　age；　the　onward

march　of　humanity；　the　necessary　progress　of　society。　　I　admit　the

secondary　causes　of　the　Reformation；　which　are　very　important；the

awakened　spirit　of　inquiry　in　the　sixteenth　century；　the　revival　of

poetry　and　literature　and　art；　the　breaking　up　of　feudalism；

fortunate　discoveries；　the　introduction　of　Greek　literature；　the

Renaissance；　the　disgusts　of　Christendom；　the　voice　of　martyrs

calling　aloud　from　their　funeral　pyres；　yea；　the　friendly　hand　of

princes　and　scholars　deploring　the　evils　of　a　corrupted　Church。

But　how　much　had　Savonarola；　or　Erasmus；　or　John　Huss；　or　the

Lollards　aroused　the　enthusiasm　of　Europe；　great　and　noble　as　were

their　angry　and　indignant　protests？　　The　genius　of　the　Reformation

in　its　early　stages　was　a　RELIGIOUS　movement；　not　a　political　or　a

moral　one；　although　it　became　both　political　and　moral。　　Its

strength　and　fervor　were　in　the　new　ideas　of　salvation；the　same

that；　gave　power　to　the　early　preachers　of　Christianity；not

denu