History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century, Volume 2Merle d'Aubigné, J. H. (Jean Henri)
History
History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century, Volume 2
Merle d'Aubigné, J. H. (Jean Henri)
Reformation
Luther had not spoken more forcibly against the abuses of Rome but he
had done something more. The duke pointed out the evil, Luther had,
along with the evil, pointed out both the cause and the cure. He had
shown that the sinner receives the true indulgence, that which comes
from God, solely by faith in the grace and merits of Jesus Christ, and
this simple but powerful doctrine had overturned all the markets
established by the priests. "How can one become pious?" asked he one
day. "A Cordelier will reply, Put on a grey hood, and tie a cord round
your waist. A Roman will reply, Hear mass, and fast. But a Christian
will say, Faith in Christ alone justifies and saves. Before works we
must have eternal life. After we are born anew, and made children of
God by the word of grace, then it is we do good works."[428]
[428] L. Op. (W.) xxii, 748-752.
The duke spoke the language of a secular prince--Luther, the language
of a reformer. The great sore of the Church was that she had devoted
herself entirely to externals; had made all her works and her graces
to consist of outward and material things. Indulgences had carried
this to its extreme point, and pardon, the most spiritual thing in
Christianity, had been purchased in shops like meat and drink. The
great work of Luther consisted in his availing himself of this extreme
point in the degeneracy of Christendom, in order to bring back the
individual and the Church to the primitive source of life, and to
re-establish the reign of the Holy Spirit within the sanctuary of the
heart. Here, as often happens, the cure sprung out of the disease, and
the two extremes met. Henceforward the Church, which during so many
ages had been developed externally by ceremonies, observances, and
human practices, began again to be developed within by faith, hope,
and charity.
[Sidenote: LIST OF GRIEVANCES.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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