Page:Works of Martin Luther, with introductions and notes, Volume 1.djvu/44

, and continues until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

. The pope does not intend to remit, and cannot remit any penalties other than those which he has imposed either by his own authority or by that of the Canons.

. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring that it has been remitted by God and by assenting to God's remission; though, to be sure, he may grant remission in cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant remission in such cases were despised, the guilt would remain entirely unforgiven.

. God remits guilt to no one whom He does not, at the same time, humble in all things and bring into subjection to His vicar, the priest.

. The penitential canons are imposed only on the living, and, according to them, nothing should be imposed on the dying.

. Therefore the Holy Spirit in the pope is kind to us, because in his decrees he always makes exception of the article of death and of necessity.

. Ignorant and wicked are the doings of those priests who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penances for purgatory.

. This changing of the canonical penalty to the penalty of purgatory is quite evidently one of the tares that were sown while the bishops slept.

. In former times the canonical penalties were imposed not after, but before absolution, as tests of true contrition.

. The dying are freed by death from all penalties; they are already dead to canonical rules, and have a right to be released from them.