# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1850 05 28_S155
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

155

changed. A well-executed bust portrait of the blessed man, drawn by the skilful hand of Mr. Pfau, painter and engraver at New York, while he was still here, hangs in the dwelling of his elder son at Frohna. It would be desirable that it be lithographed and published together with a volume of selected sermons.

But when we shall see him again on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, then he will appear to us still like this picture, yet far more beautiful, in the risen body full of incorruption, power and glory, and like the glorified body of the heavenly Adam, our Lord Jesus Christ. For the teachers shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. Dan. 12. May the God of all grace also through this poor, imperfect memorial of our dear Löber strengthen the hearts of many brethren and fellow ministers, that like him they may fight the good fight to the end, keep the faith, perform their office and work well, finish their course, and so receive the unfading crown of honor and righteousness on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen.

Dr. Martin Luther's Brief Confession concerning the Holy Sacrament against the Fanatics. Anno 1544.

(Conclusion.)

Macedonius, bishop at Constantinople, the heretic, believed also all the articles, except the one, that the Holy Ghost is true God. What did it profit him and his followers? It was to him as much as if he believed none. And though he pronounced and named them rightly enough with the mouth, yet he has no God, because he holds the Holy Ghost to be no God; therefore he has also no Creator of heaven and earth. Then his baptism is nothing any more, no forgiveness of sins, no sacrament, no eternal life. And though he lives strictly and leads an apparently Christian life, yet he is no true Christian, but a great hypocrite, and it were much better for him that he were no Christian, rather than so to misuse the Christian name and falsely to bear it, that is, to bear and honor it so damnably.

So Nestorius also, bishop at Constantinople, was with his followers a strict man in all other articles; but in the one he was a heretic, that God's Son, Christ, was not born of Mary the virgin, and Mary was not, and could not be, a mother of God. Thereby the other articles also all came to nothing for him, except as he might name and misuse them with the mouth. Hence also out of these three heretics at last much more heresy broke forth and showed itself (for it had before lain hidden within), until the wretched Mahomet came forth; for all histories testify that Mahomet sprang from the Arians, Macedonians and Nestorians, in whom he also was from early times and from the beginning concealed.

And whence has the pope become so full of heresy, and has always brought one heresy after another into the world, until now at Rome, especially in the pope's court, they are nothing but Epicureans and mockers of the Christian faith? Namely, from this, that they have fallen from the faith of Christ to works, that is, to their own righteousness. What was left to him of use, of all the other articles? What does it profit him that he highly extols with the mouth the true God, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and puts forward a splendid show of a Christian life? Nevertheless he is and remains the greatest enemy of Christ and the true Antichrist, has made himself head of Christendom, yea, the nether hole and back hole of the devil, through which so much abomination of masses, monkery and lewdness has been spewed into the world, until at last even the monks by their lousy cowls helped the dying Christians to heaven.

So it will avail the fanatics nothing that at the Sacrament they make very great babble about the spiritual eating and drinking of the body and blood of Christ, and about the love and unity of Christians. For these are nothing but fig leaves, with which Adam and Eve would cover and adorn themselves, that God should not notice their shame and sin. Much less will their great labor in teaching and writing avail them, with earnest, decent conduct; that is still all heathen stuff. Besides, this also is lost, that they believe God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and Christ the Saviour. All, I say, is lost, with all the articles, however rightly and blamelessly they name or set them forth with the false blaspheming mouth, because they deny this one article and give the lie to it, where in the Sacrament Christ says: Take (the bread) and eat, this is my body, which is given for you, etc.

For what they chatter about spiritual eating and about love is all directed to this end, that they would cover up and adorn such harm and poison, so that it should not be heeded nor seen, but that they should be esteemed as the special and best Christians. That is to say in plain German, to set a devil's phantom before the eyes, and to adorn the dark devil (as St. Paul teaches, 2 Cor. 11, 14) with the bright garment of the angels of light. Therefore their great boasting and much labor, because in this one article they will not be Christians, is lost.

Of this the Lord speaks, Luke 11, 35: Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light. There you see that the Lord wills that all in us should be light, and no part of darkness therein. As also Matt. 6, 23: If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! and Paul, Gal. 5, 3: I testify again to every man that is circumcised (which was but one little point), he is fallen from Christ and from grace, and is a debtor to do the whole law. Thence comes the saying, James 2, 10: Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all: for he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill, etc. It is One God who commanded all; whoever angers Him in one point, with him all creatures and all commandments of God are angry in turn, also his own good works, which he supposes he has done according to the other commandments; for they are not done in right obedience to God, nor in the faith of Christ, etc.

You might say: Ah, dear Luther, it is to be hoped, or at least not to be feared, that God should be so very vehement and cruelly strict as to damn men for the sake of one article, if otherwise they hold and believe all other articles faithfully. For thus not only the heretics comfort themselves, but also other sinners, as Sirach writes, chap. 7, 9, as though God would regard their other good works and be gracious; as also King Saul would adorn his disobedience with his devotion and sacrifice, 1 Sam. 15, 15. So they go on quite secure and certain, as if there were no danger with them, the many great works and labor which they otherwise do will outweigh one single piece. To this it must be said, that God can much less hope or expect that His poor, miserable, blind creature should be so mad and proud against its Creator and Lord, as to deny, give the lie to and blaspheme His divine Word; but rather it is to be hoped of Him, that His humble, submissive, obedient creature will not deny and blaspheme a single word, but will cordially receive all and every one in particular, and with all joy give thanks that it is worthy to hear a single word from its dear God; yea, so it pleases God to think.

But now the heretics deal with God's Word in no other way than as if it were a man's word, or a fool's word, which they would despise, mock and blaspheme, and could make everything better according to their own fine conceit. They will not let themselves be instructed besides; there all is lost. And here the great many good works and labor will not outweigh the one evil piece. For there is neither much nor little, neither small nor great good works, but nothing but vain, wicked, damned works; for unbelief or blasphemy of God brings also the good (as they call them) works to nothing and damns them. Yea, worse are such good works than otherwise the common sins are, because they go and are done in blasphemy of God's name and Word and in stiff-necked denial; so that it would be much better and to be wished that they did sin and evil works instead, then they would at least know and understand what they did.

Now it goes with them according to the saying of Solomon, Ecclesiastes 5, 1: Keep thy foot,