A great agitation now prevailed in Germany. Pope Leo X wanted money to meet the lavish expenditure of his Court and the expense incurred by the building of St. Peter’s Church. He issued a bull, or edict, declaring a general indulgence — to be paid for by those who received it — the proceeds of which were to be appropriated to the building of St. Peter’s.
The sale of these indulgences caused great scandal in Germany. The sins of the Germans, as they were called, had been delegated to Albert, the Archbishop and Elector of Mentz; and the agent employed by him was a Dominican monk, John Tetzel, a bad man, whom the Emperor Maximilian, on one occasion, ordered to be put into a sack and thrown into the river on account of his crimes.
Tetzel was forbidden to enter the dominions of Frederick the Elector: he came as near as he could, and established himself at Juterbuch, four miles from Wittenberg.
A grand procession is advancing! In clouds of dust a handsome carriage approaches, accompanied by three horsemen. Instantly the whole town is astir. The clergy, priests and nuns, carrying lighted tapers; the council; the schoolmasters and their pupils; the tradesmen with their banners; men and women, young and old, all go out to meet the company. With music playing and bells ringing, they follow it to the church.
The Pope’s bull is carried on a velvet cushion, or on cloth of gold, in front of the procession. Next follows Tetzel, robed in a Dominican’s dress, moving along with an arrogant air, and bearing in his hands a large red cross. Others follow.
When they arrive at the church, the cross is placed in front of the altar, the Pope’s insignia is hung upon it, and daily the clergy of the place and others come to pay it homage.
The church is crowded, the large red cross stands before the altar. Tetzel — a strong man of sixty-three — is in the pulpit. He has come to sell God’s pardon for sin. In a loud voice he begins to extol his wares. “Indulgences,” he says, “are the most precious of God’s gifts. Come, and I will give you letters, all properly sealed, by which even the sins that you intend to commit may be pardoned. There is no sin so great that an indulgence cannot remit; only pay well, and all will be forgiven.” He passes to another subject. “But more than this,” he says, “indulgences avail not only for the living, but for the dead. For that, repentance is not even necessary. Priest, noble, merchant, wife, youth, maiden! do you not hear your parents and your friends who are dead crying out to you: ‘We are suffering horrible torments; a little money will deliver us; you can give it, and you will not!’” All shuddered at the words, uttered by the thundering voice of the imposter monk. “At the very instant that the money rattles at the bottom of the chest, the soul escapes from purgatory, and flies liberated to heaven.”
There was a money-box near, and as the monk spoke, people dropped in their coins. His speech ended, he ran toward the box, and in the sight of all flung in a piece of money, taking care that it should rattle loudly. And now the sale began; crowds came with their money to buy the indulgences which assured them of the pardon of their sins, and of permission to sin again.
How awful it was for any man to offer to sell for money that pardon which Jesus Christ purchased by His blood; or to give permission to sin, when God says, “The soul that sinneth it shall die”!
Tetzel had a regular price for different sins. To the poor his charge for murder was eight ducats, while for sacrilege and perjury he charged nine.
With all his cunning, sometimes Tetzel was taken in. On one occasion a Saxon nobleman, who had heard him at Leipsic, and was much displeased with his falsehoods, came and asked him if he had the power of pardoning sins that men intended to commit. “Most assuredly,” he replied. “I have received full power from His Holiness for that purpose.” “Well, then,” answered the knight, “I am desirous of taking a slight revenge on one of my enemies, without endangering his life. I will give you ten crowns if you will give me a letter of indulgence that will fully justify me.” Tetzel made some objection, but they came to an arrangement for thirty crowns. The monk left Leipsic shortly after. The nobleman and his attendants watched for him in a wood. They fell upon him and gave him a slight beating, taking from him the well-filled indulgence chest which he was carrying. Tetzel was in a furious rage; but the nobleman showed the letter of indulgence, and Duke George ordered him to be acquitted.
One upon whom Tetzel’s proceedings made the deepest impression was the youthful Myconius, afterward celebrated as a reformer and historian of the Reformation.
Luther appears to have first heard of Tetzel at Grimma in 1516. Hearing some of his extravagant expressions quoted, he said, “If God permit, I will make a hole in his drum.”
One day Luther, as a priest, was hearing his people confess their sins. Many acknowledged themselves guilty of great crimes. He rebuked them, and tried to make them lead better lives; but he was shocked and indignant when they replied that they would not abandon their sins, and that they need not, for they had bought indulgences of Tetzel. He refused to absolve them, and said, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” Then he added, “Have a care how you listen to the clamors of these indulgence merchants; you have better things to do than buy their licenses which they sell at so vile a price.”
When Tetzel heard of this he bellowed with rage, and had a fire lighted in the market place, declaring that he had received an order from the Pope to burn all heretics who presumed to oppose his holy indulgences.
Luther, nothing daunted, ascended the pulpit of his church and preached boldly against them. This he did notwithstanding that special indulgences had been granted by the Pope for the Elector’s castle-chapel at Wittenberg.
The sermon was printed, and made a profound impression on all who read it.
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name;
On Christ the solid rock I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.