To what has been said in the preface to the first part of this volume, we have only a few things to add here. In this part, too, the pieces originally written in Latin have almost without exception been newly translated into German, several dates have been corrected, and many improvements have been made in the text.
We have retained the "Nachlese zu den sämmtlichen Theilen der Hallischen Sammlung der Schriften Luthers" that Walch assigned to this volume, but have included eight numbers of it in the collection of letters in a suitable place, because four (namely Bedenken) actually belong there, but the other four are often referred to in letters. The last number of Walch's Nachlese, "Luthers Randglossen über die Bibel," has already been included in the eighth volume of our edition (see the preface to the eighth volume). On the other hand, we have added two pieces to the Nachlese, namely "Luther's Opinion of Augustine's Words: Accedat verbum ad elementum et fit sacramentum" and the so-called "twelve evangelical counsels of the papists,
illuminated by Luther. The former writing is (inappropriately) under the letters in Walch, the latter is missing in Walch.
Only shortly before the completion of the typesetting and printing of the Nachlese did we receive the last two volumes of the Erlanger Briefwechsel, namely the ninth and tenth volumes. Therefore, we were not able to include the improvements and additions resulting from them in the work itself, but had to assign them to a supplement.
With this volume, by God's grace, the reprinting of the complete writings of Luther by Dr. Joh. G. Walch is now complete; praise, glory and thanks be to God, who has faithfully assisted us in this great work for twenty-four years. May He grant that these glorious writings may also be diligently read, so that through the God-enlightened Luther we may ever better attain the right understanding of the writings given by God, and, like him, grasp and hold on to them in fervent faith. May God grant this for the sake of Jesus Christ, His dear Son, our Savior, amen.