L XT T II E R. 



er decency. At length the trade wn? carried on with fo 

 little attention to the interefts of fociety, that it bccami^ a 

 general wi{h that fome chack (liould be given to it. Luther 

 was not an inattentive fpettator : he beheld, with concern 

 and indignation, the artifices of thofe who f'jld, and the foUy 

 or fimplicity of thofe who purcliafed indulgences. Having 

 examined the fubjed, and finding that the praftice derived 

 no countenance from the Icriptures, he determined openly to 

 protell againil fucli fcandaious impofitions on his deluded 

 countrymen. 



In the year 15 17, he attacked, with all the vehemence in 

 his power, from the pulpit, in the gfeat church of Witteni- 

 burg, the vices of thole very monk? who dared openly to 

 iriiftribute indulgences : he tried their doftrines by the 

 ftandard of fcripture, and exhorted his hearers to look for 

 falvation to the means appointed by God in his holy word. 

 The boldncfs and fervour with which he uttered his exhort- 

 ations did not fall to make a deep and lading imprcffion on 

 the people-^ who, fufpedting the delufions to which they had 

 been long fubjei;!, were ivady to join any pcrfon, efpecially 

 one whofe character for integrity Hood fo high as Luther's, 

 ill throwing off a yoke which they were fcarcely able to 

 endure. Luther was not content with undeceiving the 

 pcrfons who crowded round his pulpit ; he advanced with 

 dignity to a higher authority ; he wrote to Albert, eledlor 

 of Mentz, End archbifliop of Magdeburg, remoiillrating 

 againft the falfe opinions, as well as the wicked lives, of the 

 defenders and dillributors of indulgences, intreating him, in 

 a moft fupplicatory tone, to exercife the authority veiled in 

 him for coirefting thefe evils. The archbifhop was, however, 

 too deeply interefted in thefe abufes to lend a hand in putting 

 an end to them. In addition to his letter, Luther tranfmitted 

 to the prelate ninety-five thefea, which he had propofed as 

 fubjedts of inquiry and difputation, and which he had pub- 

 licly fixed in a church at Wittemburg, with a. challenge to 

 the learned to oppofe on a given day, either in perfon or by 

 writing; and to the whole he added a folcrnn protcltation 

 of his profound refpeft for the apoftolic fee, and implicit 

 fubmiflion to its authority. On the appointed day no per- 

 fon appeared to conteil; Luther's thefes, which rapidly fpread 

 all over Germany, and excited univerfal admiration of the 

 boldnefs which he difcovered in venturing to call in queiUon 

 the papal power and authority, and to attack the Dominicans, 

 armed, as they were, with all the terrors of the inquilitorial 

 authority. The friars of his own order were delighted with 

 his inveilives againft the monks who fold indulgences, and 

 were anxious to fee them expofed to the hatred and fcorn 

 of the people ; and he was lecretly encouraged in his pro- 

 ceedings by his fovereign, the elector of Saxony, who thought 

 they might contribute to give fome check to the exaftions 

 of the court of Rome, which the fecular princes had been 

 long unfuccefsfully endeavouring to oppofe. The publica- 

 tion of Luther's thefes brought into the field many zealous 

 champions in defence of the holy church, who were lefs 

 eacer for the diffemination of the truth, than for the profits 

 which exifting abufes afforded them, and who accordingly 

 traduced the charafter of Luther, endeavouring 10 excite 

 the indignation of the clergy and populace againft him. 

 Luther, however, was not to be terrified by any meafures 

 which his prefent adverfaries could adopt : he found a large 

 body of the people adhering to his doctrines, and he was 

 content, in their behalf, to go through evil report as well as 

 good report : he even went fo far, in a pubhc declaration, 

 as to fay, " that if the pope and cardinals entertained the 

 fame opinions with his opponents, and fet up any authority 

 againft that of fcripture, there could be no doubt but that 

 ^ome was itfclf the very feat of antichiift, and that it 



would be happy for thofe countries which fliould feparatc 

 themfelves from her." 



It does not appear that, at this early period, Luther had 

 any intention of fetting himfelf againft tiic power of the 

 pope ; he even wrote a letter to his iiolinefs in the motl 

 refpeitful terms, (Itewing the uprightncfs of his inteiitioiif, 

 and the jullice of the caufe of winch he was tlie advocate. 

 Shortly after this, by the inceffant reprefentations of Luther'j 

 adverfaries, tha'. the heretical notions he was propagating 

 threatened the moft fatal mifchiefs to the interells of the 

 church, Leo iffued an order fiw- his appearing at Rome to 

 jullify himfelf. The judges of his condudl were already 

 appointed and feledted on account of their hoftility to him. 

 Tiie reformer, by means of his own petitions, and the inter- 

 ference of thofe friendly to his caufe, was allowed to be 

 heard at Augftjurg, inllead of being obliged to travel to 

 Rome. Even here, his avowed enemy, cardinal Cajetaii, 

 was appointed to try the merits of tlie queflion. I^utlier 

 arrived at Auglburg in the month of October, 15 iS, and 

 was immediately admitted into the prefence of tlie cardinal, 

 who, in their feveral interviews, would not condefcend to 

 argue the matter with a perfon of fuch inferior rank : but, 

 by the mere diiflate of authority, required Luther, by virtue 

 of the apoliolic powers with which he was iuvclled, to re- 

 tract the opinions which he had advanced, and to lubmit, 

 without hefitation, to the judgment of the pope. Luther, 

 though, for the moment, furpvifed at the demand of recan- 

 tation, declared that lie could not, with a fiite confcience, 

 renounce opinions which he believed to be true, nor (lioulJ 

 anv confideration induce him to do what would be fo bafe 

 in itfelf and fo offenfive to God : Hill, however, he declared 

 his readinefs to fubmit to the lawful determination of tlie 

 c'lurch. He went much farther : he exprefled a willingness 

 to refer the controverfy to certain univerfities which he 

 named, and promifed neither to write nor preacii concerning 

 indulgences, provided the fame filence with refpeft to tliein 

 were enjoined on his adverfaries. Tiiefe offers were rejec'ted 

 by the cardinal, who peremptorily infilled upon a fimple re* 

 cantation,and, at the fame time, forbad the reformer to enter 

 again into his prefence, unlefs he came prepared to comply 

 with what he required. As he had no intention to fubmit, 

 he thought it more prudent to withdraw, which he -did in as 

 private a manner as poffible, having firft prepared a formal 

 and folcmn appeal from the pope, who was then ignorant 

 of his caufe, to the pope, at a time when he ftiould have re- 

 ceived more full and explicit information withrefpeft to it. 



The fudden departure of Luther enraged the papal le- 

 gate, who wrote to the eledor of Saxony, requiring him to 

 witlidraw his protection from lo feditious a perfon, and 

 either to fend him prifonerto Rome, ortobanifh him from his 

 territories. The eleftor refufed to comply with cither of 

 thefe requefts, though with many external profeffions of 

 efteem for the cardinal ; but he at the fame time affured 

 Luther privately, tliat he would not defert him. Being 

 thus ably fupported, Luther continued to vindicate his 

 opinions, and he gave a challenge to all the inqiiifitors to 

 come and difpute with him at Wittemburg, promifing them 

 not only a fafe condufl from the eleftor, but liberal enter- 

 tainment, free from all expences, while they continued at 

 that place. In the mean time Leo's ambition urged him to 

 iffuea bull, by which he attempted, by his papal authority, 

 lo put an end to the difpute about mdulgences, and in this 

 public paper, he magnified, almoft without bounds the 

 efficacy of indulgences, and imperioully commanded all 

 Chriftians to affent to what he delivered, as the doctrine of 

 the Holy Catholic church. Luther was now falisfied that 

 the ftorm would fpecdily fall upon him, and therefore had 



recourfj; 



