This office [of the Law] the New Testament retains and urges,
as St. Paul, Rom. 1, 18 does, saying: The wrath of God is
revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men. Again, 3, 19: All the world is guilty
before God. No man is righteous before Him. And Christ says,
John 16, 8: The Holy Ghost will reprove the world of sin.
This, then, is the thunderbolt of God by which He strikes in a
heap [hurls to the ground] both manifest sinners and false
saints [hypocrites], and suffers no one to be in the right
[declares no one righteous], but drives them all together to
terror and despair. This is the hammer, as Jeremiah says, 23,
29: Is not My Word like a hammer that breaketh the rock in
pieces? This is not activa contritio or manufactured
repentance, but passiva contritio [torture of conscience],
true sorrow of heart, suffering and sensation of death.
This, then, is what it means to begin true repentance; and
here man must hear such a sentence as this: You are all of no
account, whether you be manifest sinners or saints [in your
own opinion]; you all must become different and do otherwise
than you now are and are doing [no matter what sort of people
you are], whether you are as great, wise, powerful, and holy
as you may. Here no one is [righteous, holy], godly, etc.
But to this office the New Testament immediately adds the
consolatory promise of grace through the Gospel, which must be
believed, as Christ declares, Mark 1,15: Repent and believe
the Gospel, i.e., become different and do otherwise, and
believe My promise. And John, preceding Him, is called a
preacher of repentance, however, for the remission of sins,
i.e., John was to accuse all, and convict them of being
sinners, that they might know what they were before God, and
might acknowledge that they were lost men, and might thus be
prepared for the Lord, to receive grace, and to expect and
accept from Him the remission of sins. Thus also Christ
Himself says, Luke 24, 47: Repentance and remission of sins
must be preached in My name among all nations.
But whenever the Law alone, without the Gospel being added
exercises this its office there is [nothing else than] death
and hell, and man must despair, like Saul and Judas; as St.
Paul, Rom. 7, 10, says: Through sin the Law killeth. On the
other hand, the Gospel brings consolation and remission not
only in one way, but through the word and Sacraments, and the
like, as we shall hear afterward in order that [thus] there is
with the Lord plenteous redemption, as Ps. 130, 7 says against
the dreadful captivity of sin.
However, we must now contrast the false repentance of the
sophists with true repentance, in order that both may be the
better understood.
Of the False Repentance of the Papists.
It was impossible that they should teach correctly concerning
repentance, since they did not [rightly] know the real sins
[the real sin]. For, as has been shown above, they do not
believe aright concerning original sin, but say that the
natural powers of man have remained [entirely] unimpaired and
incorrupt; that reason can teach aright, and the will can in
accordance therewith do aright [perform those things which are
taught], that God certainly bestows His grace when a man does
as much as is in him, according to his free will.
It had to follow thence [from this dogma] that they did [must
do] penance only for actual sins such as wicked thoughts to
which a person yields (for wicked emotion [concupiscence,
vicious feelings, and inclinations], lust and improper
dispositions [according to them] are not sins ), and for
wicked words and wicked deeds, which free will could readily
have omitted.
And of such repentance they fix three parts contrition,
confession, and satisfaction, with this [magnificent]
consolation and promise added: If man truly repent, [feel
remorse,] confess, render satisfaction, he thereby would have
merited forgiveness, and paid for his sins before God [atoned
for his sins and obtained a plenary redemption]. Thus in
repentance they instructed men to repose confidence in their
own works. Hence the expression originated, which was employed
in the pulpit when public absolution was announced to the
people: Prolong O God, my life, until I shall make
satisfaction for my sins and amend my life.
There was here [profound silence and] no mention of Christ nor
faith; but men hoped by their own works to overcome and blot
out sins before God. And with this intention we became priests
and monks, that we might array ourselves against sin.
As to contrition, this is the way it was done: Since no one
could remember all his sins (especially as committed through
an entire year), they inserted this provision, namely, that if
an unknown sin should be remembered later [if the remembrance
of a concealed sin should perhaps return], this also must be
repented of and confessed etc. Meanwhile they were [the person
was] commended to the grace of God.
Moreover, since no one could know how great the contrition
ought to be in order to be sufficient before God, they gave
this consolation: He who could not have contrition, at least
ought to have attrition, which I may call half a contrition or
the beginning of contrition, for they have themselves
understood neither of these terms nor do they understand them
now, as little as I. Such attrition was reckoned as contrition
when a person went to confession.
And when it happened that any one said that he could not have
contrition nor lament his sins (as might have occurred in
illicit love or the desire for revenge, etc.), they asked
whether he did not wish or desire to have contrition [lament].
When one would reply Yes (for who, save the devil himself,
would here say No?), they accepted this as contrition, and
forgave him his sins on account of this good work of his
[which they adorned with the name of contrition]. Here they
cited the example of St. Bernard, etc.
Here we see how blind reason, in matters pertaining to God,
gropes about, and, according to its own imagination, seeks for
consolation in its own works, and cannot think of [entirely
forgets] Christ and faith. But if it be [clearly] viewed in
the light, this contrition is a manufactured and fictitious
thought [or imagination], derived from man's own powers,
without faith and without the knowledge of Christ. And in it
the poor sinner, when he reflected upon his own lust and
desire for revenge, would sometimes [perhaps] have laughed
rather than wept [either laughed or wept, rather than to think
of something else], except such as either had been truly
struck by [the lightning of] the Law, or had been vainly vexed
by the devil with a sorrowful spirit. Otherwise [with the
exception of these persons] such contrition was certainly mere
hypocrisy, and did not mortify the lust for sins [flames of
sin]; for they had to grieve, while they would rather have
continued to sin, if it had been free to them.
As regards confession, the procedure was this: Every one had
[was enjoined] to enumerate all his sins (which is an
impossible thing). This was a great torment. From such as he
had forgotten [But if any one had forgotten some sins] he
would be absolved on the condition that, if they would occur
to him, he must still confess them. In this way he could never
know whether he had made a sufficiently pure confession
[perfectly and correctly], or when confessing would ever have
an end. Yet he was pointed to his own works, and comforted
thus: The more fully [sincerely and frankly] one confesses,
and the more he humiliates himself and debases himself before
the priest, the sooner and better he renders satisfaction for
his sins; for such humility certainly would earn grace before
God.
Here, too, there was no faith nor Christ, and the virtue of
the absolution was not declared to him, but upon his
enumeration of sins and his self-abasement depended his
consolation. What torture, rascality, and idolatry such
confession has produced is more than can be related.
As to satisfaction, this is by far the most involved
[perplexing] part of all. For no man could know how much to
render for a single sin, not to say how much for all. Here
they have resorted to the device of imposing a small
satisfaction, which could indeed be rendered, as five
Paternosters, a day's fast, etc.; for the rest [that was
lacking] of the [in their] repentance they were directed to
purgatory.
Here, too, there was nothing but anguish and [extreme] misery.
[For] some thought that they would never get out of purgatory,
because, according to the old canons seven years' repentance
is required for a single mortal sin. Nevertheless, confidence
was placed upon our work of satisfaction, and if the
satisfaction could have been perfect, confidence would have
been placed in it entirely, and neither faith nor Christ would
have been of use. But this confidence was impossible. For
although any one had done penance in that way for a hundred
years, he would still not have known whether he had finished
his penance. That meant forever to do penance and never to
come to repentance.
Here now the Holy See at Rome, coming to the aid of the poor
Church, invented indulgences, whereby it forgave and remitted
[expiation or] satisfaction, first, for a single instance, for
seven years, for a hundred years and distributed them among
the cardinals and bishops, so that one could grant indulgence
for a hundred years and another for a hundred days. But he
reserved to himself alone the power to remit the entire
satisfaction.
Now, since this began to yield money, and the traffic in bulls
became profitable he devised the golden jubilee year [a truly
goldbearing year], and fixed it at Rome. He called this the
remission of all punishment and guilt. Then the people came
running, because every one would fain have been freed from
this grievous, unbearable burden. This meant to find [dig up]
and raise the treasures of the earth. Immediately the Pope
pressed still further, and multiplied the golden years one
upon another. But the more he devoured money, the wider grew
his maw.
Later, therefore, he issued them [those golden years of his]
by his legates [everywhere] to the countries, until all
churches and houses were full of the Golden Year. At last he
also made an inroad into purgatory among the dead, first, by
founding masses and vigils, afterwards, by indulgences and the
Golden Year, and finally souls became so cheap that he
released one for a farthing.
But all this, too, was of no avail. For although the Pope
taught men to depend upon, and trust in, these indulgences
[for salvation], yet he rendered the [whole] matter again
uncertain. For in his bulls he declares: Whoever would share
in the indulgences or a Golden Year must be contrite, and have
confessed, and pay money. Now, we have heard above that this
contrition and confession are with them uncertain and
hypocrisy. Likewise, also no one knew what soul was in
purgatory, and if some were therein, no one knew which had
properly repented and confessed. Thus he took the precious
money [the Pope snatched up the holy pence], and comforted
them meanwhile with [led them to confidence in] his power and
indulgence, and [then again led them away from that and]
directed them again to their uncertain work.
If, now [although], there were some who did not believe
[acknowledge] themselves guilty of such actual sins in
[committed by] thoughts, words, and works,--as I, and such
as I, in monasteries and chapters [fraternities or colleges of
priests], wished to be monks and priests, and by fasting,
watching, praying, saying Mass, coarse garments, and hard
beds, etc., fought against [strove to resist] evil thoughts,
and in full earnest and with force wanted to be holy, and yet
the hereditary, inborn evil sometimes did in sleep what it is
wont to do (as also St. Augustine and Jerome among others
confess),--still each one held the other in esteem, so that
some, according to our teaching, were regarded as holy,
without sin and full of good works, so much so that with this
mind we would communicate and sell our good works to others,
as being superfluous to us for heaven. This is indeed true,
and seals, letters, and instances [that this happened] are at
hand.
[When there were such, I say] These did not need repentance.
For of what would they repent, since they had not indulged
wicked thoughts? What would they confess [concerning words not
uttered], since they had avoided words? For what should they
render satisfaction, since they were so guiltless of any deed
that they could even sell their superfluous righteousness to
other poor sinners? Such saints were also the Pharisees and
scribes in the time of Christ.
Here comes the fiery angel, St. John [Rev. 10], the true
preacher of [true] repentance, and with one [thunderclap and]
bolt hurls both [those selling and those buying works] on one
heap, and says: Repent! Matt. 3, 2. Now, the former [the poor
wretches] imagine: Why, we have repented! The latter [the
rest] say: We need no repentance. John says: Repent ye, both
of you, for ye are false penitents; so are these [the rest]
false saints [or hypocrites], and all of you on either side
need the forgiveness of sins, because neither of you know what
true sin is not to say anything about your duty to repent of
it and shun it. For no one of you is good; you are full of
unbelief, stupidity, and ignorance of God and God's will. For
here He is present of whose fulness have all we received, and
grace for grace, John 1, 16, and without Him no man can be
just before God. Therefore, if you wish to repent, repent
aright- your penance will not accomplish anything [is
nothing]. And you hypocrites, who do not need repentance, you
serpents' brood, who has assured you that you will escape the
wrath to come? etc. Matt. 3, 7; Luke 3, 7.
In the same way Paul also preaches, Rom. 3, 10-12: There is
none righteous, there is none that understandeth, there is
none that seeketh after God, there is none that doeth good, no
not one; they are all gone out of the way; they are together
become unprofitable. And Acts 17, 30: God now commandeth all
men everywhere to repent. "All men," he says; no one excepted
who is a man. This repentance teaches us to discern sin,
namely, that we are altogether lost, and that there is nothing
good in us from head to foot [both within and without], and
that we must absolutely become new and other men.
This repentance is not piecemeal [partial] and beggarly
[fragmentary], like that which does penance for actual sins,
nor is it uncertain like that. For it does not debate what is
or is not sin, but hurls everything on a heap, and says: All
in us is nothing but sin [affirms that, with respect to us,
all is simply sin (and there is nothing in us that is not sin
and guilt)]. What is the use of [For why do we wish]
investigating, dividing, or distinguishing a long time? For
this reason, too, this contrition is not [doubtful or]
uncertain. For there is nothing left with which we can think
of any good thing to pay for sin, but there is only a sure
despairing concerning all that we are, think, speak, or do
[all hope must be cast aside in respect of everything], etc.
In like manner confession, too, cannot be false, uncertain, or
piecemeal [mutilated or fragmentary]. For he who confesses
that all in him is nothing but sin comprehends all sins
excludes none, forgets none. Neither can the satisfaction be
uncertain, because it is not our uncertain, sinful work, but
it is the suffering and blood of the [spotless and] innocent
Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world.
Of this repentance John preaches, and afterwards Christ in the
Gospel, and we also. By this [preaching of] repentance we dash
to the ground the Pope and everything that is built upon our
good works. For all is built upon a rotten and vain
foundation, which is called a good work or law, even though no
good work is there, but only wicked works, and no one does the
Law (as Christ, John 7, 19, says), but all transgress it.
Therefore the building [that is raised upon it] is nothing but
falsehood and hypocrisy, even [in the part] where it is most
holy and beautiful.
And in Christians this repentance continues until death,
because, through the entire life it contends with sin
remaining in the flesh, as Paul, Rom. 7, 14-25, [shows]
testifies that he wars with the law in his members, etc.; and
that, not by his own powers, but by the gift of the Holy Ghost
that follows the remission of sins. This gift daily cleanses
and sweeps out the remaining sins, and works so as to render
man truly pure and holy.
The Pope, the theologians, the jurists, and every other man
know nothing of this [from their own reason], but it is a
doctrine from heaven, revealed through the Gospel, and must
suffer to be called heresy by the godless saints [or
hypocrites].
On the other hand, if certain sectarists would arise, some of
whom are perhaps already extant, and in the time of the
insurrection [of the peasants] came to my own view, holding
that all those who had once received the Spirit or the
forgiveness of sins, or had become believers, even though they
should afterwards sin, would still remain in the faith, and
such sin would not harm them, and [hence] crying thus: "Do
whatever you please; if you believe, it all amounts to
nothing; faith blots out all sins," etc.--they say, besides,
that if any one sins after he has received faith and the
Spirit, he never truly had the Spirit and faith: I have had
before me [seen and heard] many such insane men, and I fear
that in some such a devil is still remaining [hiding and
dwelling].
It is, accordingly, necessary to know and to teach that when
holy men, still having and feeling original sin, also daily
repenting of and striving with it, happen to fall into
manifest sins, as David into adultery, murder, and blasphemy,
that then faith and the Holy Ghost has departed from them
[they cast out faith and the Holy Ghost]. For the Holy Ghost
does not permit sin to have dominion, to gain the upper hand
so as to be accomplished, but represses and restrains it so
that it must not do what it wishes. But if it does what it
wishes, the Holy Ghost and faith are [certainly] not present.
For St. John says, 1 Ep. 3, 9: Whosoever is born of God doth
not commit sin,... and he cannot sin. And yet it is also the
truth when the same St. John says, 1 Ep. 1, 8: If we say that
we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in
us.