s, 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 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.

As Tetzel continued his traffic and his impious pretensions, Luther
determined upon a more effectual protest against these crying abuses. An
occasion soon offered. The castle church of Wittenberg possessed many
relics, which on certain holy days were exhibited to the people, and full
remission of sins was granted to all who then visited the church and made
confession. Accordingly on these days the people in great numbers resorted
thither. One of the most important of these occasions, the festival of
"All Saints," was approaching. On the preceding day, Luther, joining the
crowds that were already making their way to the church, posted on its
door a paper containing ninety-five propositions against the doctrine of
indulgences. He declared his willingness to defend these theses next day
at the university, against all who should see fit to attack them.

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 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