# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1850 04 30_S137
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Der Lutheraner.

"God's Word and Luther's doctrine pure shall to eternity endure."

Published by the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and other States.

Edited by C. F. W. Walther.

Volume 6.  St. Louis, Mo., April 30, 1850.  No. 18.

Terms: Der Lutheraner appears once every two weeks at the yearly subscription price of One Dollar for subscribers living at a distance, who are to pay the same in advance and bear the postage. — In St. Louis each single number is sold for 5 cents. Only those letters which contain communications for the paper are to be sent to the Editor; all others, however, which contain business matters, orders, cancellations, money, etc., are to be sent here, under the address: Mr. F. W. Barthel, care of C. F. W. Walther, St. Louis, Mo.

Dr. Martin Luther's Short Confession concerning the Holy Sacrament, against the Fanatics. Anno 1544. *)

Grace and peace in the Lord!

I.

My dear friend, since Schwenkfeld is spreading my letter abroad here and there, and is slandering me together with his Eutychians**) and Sacrament-desecrators, I must believe that you have just received the copy of that same letter and are sending it to me. And I am glad that he spreads such a letter abroad to his own honor and credit, and to my discredit and shame. For that is why I also would not seal it, but let it stand open, and wrote not to himself, but to his messenger, nor did I honor his name. For such a damned blasphemer shall (God willing) not be worthy with me that I should write a letter to him, or speak with him, or see or hear him. It is also all one to me whether he or his accursed crew of fanatics, Zwinglians and the like, praise me or revile me, as if Jews, Turks, the Pope, or indeed all the devils were to revile or praise me.

*) Since of late the so-called "Friedensbote," with an astonishing audacity, seeks by all manner of distortions, which we intend to take up one by one in due time, to make dear Luther into a Unionist, we communicate this last Confession to our readers who do not yet know Luther more closely.  Ed.

**) Eutychians are heretics who confound the divine and human nature of Christ, which, among others, Schwenkfeld also did.  Ed.

For I, as one who am now going to the grave, will bring this testimony and this glory with me before the judgment seat of my dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that I have with all earnestness condemned and shunned the fanatics and enemies of the Sacrament, Carlstadt, Zwingli, Oecolampadius, Schwenkfeld, and their disciples at Zürich, and wherever they are, according to His command, Titus 3:10: "A man that is an heretick, after the first and second admonition reject; knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself." They have been admonished often enough, and earnestly enough, by me and many others; the books are open to the day. And our preaching, the preaching of us all, still goes on daily against their blasphemous and lying heresy, which they well know.

Therefore it is no little wonder to me, and gives me thought, that Schwenkfeld has become so bold and daring as to approach me with writings and books, since he knows, or at any rate ought to know, that he is my unreconciled enemy: first of all in this matter of the Holy Sacrament, which he in Silesia has made into mere bread and wine, thereby leading astray so many thousand souls, and has done no penance for it, but, as Solomon says, Prov. 3:35, exultat in rebus pessimis, as though he had done well, and yet thinks that Luther must be glad of his letters and books. For from this such a delusion might well arise, as though Luther were on good terms with Schwenkfeld and the fanatics, and had retracted everything, and they took and gave each other letters and books, as good friends, etc.

It is true, I was also told often before that the fanatics were said to boast that I was at one with them; which I would not believe, since none of them would write it publicly of himself. But in this fashion the belief might well come into my hands before I were aware. It is true, it is fifteen years since at Marburg (Anno 1529) Zwingli and Oecolampadius and some of us came together, and agreed in many articles which are altogether Christian, as the printed paper testifies; but in the article of the Sacrament it stuck fast, so that we should otherwise be good friends, in order that the sharp writing against one another might rest, in case God in time, through our prayer, might also grant herein a harmonious understanding; and I had a fair hope, since Zwingli and his people yielded so many good articles, that in time the one remaining article would also be found. And so there was a silence between us, with writing against one another, for some years.

Meanwhile Zwingli was miserably slain in the field by that party of the papists, and Oecolampadius was far too weak to bear such a calamity, and died of grief over it. Which caused me too, for two nights, such heartache that I could easily have died also; for I was in good hope of their amendment, and yet had to be most deeply troubled for their souls, since they were still sunk in error, and so went down in their sins.

But after Zwingli's death a little book came out, which he is said to have made shortly before his end, by the name christianae fidei expositio, ad Christianum regem, etc.*) This was said to be a masterpiece above all his former books. And that it must be his own, Zwingli's, was shown by the manner of his wild, wasteful speeches, and his former opinion. I was greatly terrified at this little book, not on my own account, but on his account. For since he could write such a thing after our agreement at Marburg, it is certain that he dealt with us in everything at Marburg with a false heart and mouth, and must (as he still must) despair of the salvation of his soul, if he died in such a mind, notwithstanding that his disciples and followers made him a saint and martyr. Ah Lord God, of the saint and of the martyr!

*) Exposition of the Christian Faith.  Ed.

For in this little book he remains not only an enemy of the Holy Sacrament, but becomes altogether a heathen; so well has he improved himself, according to my hope. This you may note by it: among other words he addresses the same king thus: You will see there, in all manner of company, all holy, pious, wise, manly, honorable people, the Redeemed and the Redeemer, Adam, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samuel, Phinehas, Elijah, Elisha, also Isaiah, and the Virgin Mother of God, of whom he prophesied, David, Hezekiah, Josiah, the Baptist, Peter, Paul, Hercules, Theseus, Socrates, Aristides, Antigonus, Numa, Camillus, Ca-