W. W. Prescott and the 1911 Edition of The Great Controversy

16. Page 59

The doctrine of indulgences is made to mean “full remission of sins, past, present, and future.” But in Catholic Belief, page 194, we find this: WWPGC 9.9

“It is a pity that many Protestants should be so ill-informed about the doctrine of Indulgences as to suppose that it means forgiveness of a sin, or a permission to commit a sin. WWPGC 9.10

“By an indulgence is meant not the forgiveness of a sin, or a permission to commit a sin, but the remission, through the merits of the whole or part of the debt of temporal punishment due to a sin, the guilt and everlasting punishment of which have, through the merits of Jesus Christ, been already forgiven in the sacrament of Penance.” WWPGC 9.11

There is no doubt that this teaching of the church has been perverted, and practically made to mean in many instances the forgiveness of sin, or possibly the permission to commit sin; but this is not the official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. Would it not be proper to make this distinction? WWPGC 10.1

Response: Negative. No change was made. An Appendix note was added, citing Catholic sources. WWPGC 10.2