The Great Controversy The Great Controversy | Page 131

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
reread, 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, read the propositions with great joy, recognizing in
them the voice of God. They felt that the Lord had graciously set His
hand to arrest the rapidly swelling tide of corruption that was issuing
from the see of Rome. Princes and magistrates secretly rejoiced that a
check was to be put upon the arrogant power which denied the right of
appeal from its decisions.
But the sin-loving and superstitious multitudes were terrified as
the sophistries that had soothed their fears were swept away. Crafty
ecclesiastics, interrupted in their work of sanctioning crime, and seeing
their gains endangered, were enraged, and rallied to uphold their
pretensions. The Reformer had bitter accusers to meet. Some charged
him with acting hastily and from impulse. Others accused him of
presumption, declaring that he was not directed of God, but was acting
from pride and forwardness. “Who does not

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