# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1850 05 14_S147
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

147

prepared. His last confessional address at Frohna dealt with the daily testament of a Christian. He did not, however, suspect his end to be so near at the beginning of the illness. But he was full of praise and thanksgiving for every refreshment which was afforded him by the loving care of his own, continuing day and night, and for the goodness of God in the fruit-laden peach trees which he beheld from his couch. At the same time he spoke such kind words to the members of his household that tears often stood in his wife's eyes. Several times the illness seemed to turn toward improvement. Especially the 16th of August was a day of new hope, when he, much freer from the power of the fever, conversed with the writer of this almost like a convalescent. The physician also gave new hope. But it had been the last conversation. A new worsening soon set in again. Even in the fever's delusions one heard only words of loving concern for his own or for suffering brethren in the ministry. He now began to feel his end near. On the last day of his life, which was a Sunday, the 11th after Trinity, he saw it coming with certainty; in the early morning hour he had one of his pupils, the present Pastor Wunder in Centreville, proclaim to him once more the absolution of all his sins in the powerful, anointed words of an old Agenda, declared aloud his joy over the comfort received, bade his own gather about his couch, blessed, comforted and exhorted them. After that the last struggle set in, but the comfort of the Holy Ghost remained with him and in him. With eyes already failing he cried, raising himself once more on his deathbed: "LORD JESUS, here hast Thou my soul." Thereupon speech gradually failed, and he fell gently asleep as the sun was sinking to its setting, surrounded and bewept by his own and by numerous members of his congregation. On the 21st of August, in the forenoon, the laid-aside tabernacle was committed to the earth, accompanied by almost the whole congregation. His eldest pupil, Pastor Biltz, delivered the funeral address, beginning with the sorrowful lament: LORD, why hast Thou done this to us? The writer of this had to preach the memorial sermon for him, which he had never held possible. Its text was Heb. 13, 7.: "Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation." Its content was: a survey of the course of life of the departed and of its divine guidance, the example of his faith, the exhortation to follow him, and the comfort at his death.

Now let us yet attempt to sketch his picture, as he stood before us at last, like a tall, beautiful palm tree, planted in the courts of the LORD by the water brooks of life, tended and reared by the hand of the heavenly Gardener, filled with the fruits of righteousness by Jesus Christ, fresh and green.

(To be concluded.)

Dr. Martin Luther's Short Confession concerning the Holy Sacrament against the Fanatics.

Anno 1544.

I.

(Continuation.)

Secondly, they were warned by many, and by me also quite especially, since I wrote so diligently against them, and powerfully refuted their grounds and reasons, so that their consciences were bound to feel it. For they had two texts for themselves, one John 6, 65.: "The flesh profiteth nothing," which Oecolampad called his iron wall. The other, "Christ is ascended into heaven," Ephesians 4, 10., therefore His body and blood cannot be in the Supper. And they brought forward more texts which speak of Christ's ascension; they taught us very vehemently that Christ had ascended into heaven, just as if we had never heard such a thing for fifteen hundred years. But that for this reason there should be mere bread and wine in the Supper, that little nut they never would bite or touch even once, as my books, which are extant, bear witness against them.

The first text, "The flesh profiteth nothing," I took from them so powerfully that even Zwingli in his last little book no longer makes mention of it.

The other I took from them also powerfully, namely thus: It would be impossible that they should be moved in earnest to deny the body and blood of the LORD in the Supper on account of the text ("He is ascended into heaven"), as they nevertheless in many books and with proud words were always boasting; but they must certainly lie herein. This I prove from this ground: Christ instituted the Supper, and gave His body and blood to His disciples, as the words stand there: "Eat, this is my body," before He ascended into heaven. For there He sits at table, here below on earth, and holds the first Supper. Therefore it cannot be true what they boast, namely, that the texts about the ascension moved them. For against it stands that Christ held the Supper before He ascended into heaven. If now His ascension does not hinder the first Supper, how can it be in earnest, and not a lie, when they say that the ascension moved and hindered them? seeing that for fifteen hundred years now we hold no other Supper than that which the LORD at the first instituted and commanded, as He says: "This do in remembrance of me." Besides, they do not know and understand what ascending into heaven means; how, then, can it have moved them?

Against this they could do nothing more, and sought ways how they might patch and piece up their bad cause, and reconcile themselves with us. Then the colloquy at Marburg was appointed, in which they improved the matter, and conceded that it was not mere bread and wine in the Supper, as they had hitherto contended most vehemently, but that the body and blood of Christ was also therein, though not bodily, but spiritually. This also would not hold water; for to partake spiritually belongs only to the saints and the righteous. But St. Paul says that the unworthy receive the body and blood of Christ just as well as the worthy, 1 Cor. 11, 27. 29.

And Zwingli had a long absurd prattle with me de locali inclusione,*) that the body of Christ could not be in the bread, as in a space or vessel, just as if we taught that Christ's body is in the bread as straw in a sack, or wine in a cask. Hereupon some of them excused themselves, saying they had not understood it otherwise, that we and the papists taught thus, that Christ's body is in the Sacrament localiter, like straw in a sack. Oh, that was a foul, cold, lame excuse. For they knew very well that neither the papists nor we had so taught. And if they (incredible as it is to say) had not understood it otherwise, they would thereby have to confess that, like madmen, they attack such things as they themselves had never heard nor understood. For the doctrine of the papists was at that time much more, than now, in the open, yea, there was no other doctrine in the open, so that the fanatics must have had knowledge of the same.

*) Of local enclosure.

Thus, however, the papists teach, yea, not the papists, but the holy Christian Church, and we with them (for the pope, as said, did not institute the Sacrament), that Christ's body is not localiter (as straw in a sack), but definitive, that is, He is certainly there, not as straw in a sack, but yet bodily and truly there; as I have strongly proved in my little book. This, I say, they knew well, or were in any case bound to know, since they wanted to rage so frightfully against that which they did not know.

Thus we parted from Marburg, with such hope (as said), since they yielded all Christian articles, and in this article of the Holy Sacrament also departed from their former error (that it was mere bread), that they would wholly and entirely come over to us in time. Since now through the devil's doing this has failed, and I am much deceived, as I must perceive from the little book that went out after Zwingli's death, that he has become worse after the colloquy than before, and certainly at Marburg dealt falsely with me: should I be compelled to enter into fellowship with any fanatic, be he called Stenkefeld, Zwingli, Oecolampad, Carlstadt, or whoever they are, the fanatics, bread-eaters and wine-bibbers, that is, blasphemers and enemies of Christ, but must know in my heart neither their letters, books, greeting, blessing, writing, names nor memory, and neither see nor hear them.

For since I am certain, and their own conscience must stand against them, that they are in the wrong and blaspheme GOD, I will and can say joyfully before my dear LORD JESUS Christ at the Last Day: LORD JESUS, I have faithfully warned and admonished them, moreover convinced their own conscience, this they must confess before Thee, this Thou knowest, dear LORD.