See St. Louis edition, vol. XIV, 456.
XXXV. To King Christian of Denmark, petition of Catharinen, D. Martin Luther's widow.
In the supplement to the Leipzig edition, p. 112 and in Walch, vol. XXI, 394.
God's grace through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, our Savior and true Helper, before. Most Sublime, Most Great, Most Gracious King and Lord! Your Royal Majesty, I ask in submission to graciously accept my writing, considering that I am a poor widow, and that my dear Lord, D. Martinus Luther, of blessed memory, has faithfully served Christendom, and especially has shown all graces to your Royal Majesty. who^) has annually given my dear Lord a gracious help of fifty Thalers, for which I thank your Royal Majesty humbly, and call upon God diligently on behalf of your Royal Majesty. God diligently. But since I and my children have less help now, and the unrest of this time brings much trouble, I ask your Royal Majesty in subservience that your Royal Majesty will graciously order me such help for the time being, for I have no doubt that your Royal Majesty has not forgotten my dear Lord's great burden and work. Thus, your Royal Majesty is also the only King on earth to whom we poor Christians may have recourse, and God will, without a doubt, ask your Royal Majesty for such benefits, which will help the poor Christian preachers and their poor families.
1) Added by us.
I will therefore also faithfully and earnestly ask the Almighty God to graciously preserve your royal majesty and young reign. Date Wittenberg, on the 6th day of Octobr. Anno 1550. Catharina, Doctoris Martini Lutheri widow.
To the most illustrious, highborn, magnanimous Prince and Lord, Lord Christian, of Denmark, Norway, the Goths and Wends King 2c., my most gracious Lord.
XXXVI Luther's opinion of Augustine's words: Accedat verbum ad elementum et fit sacramentum.
This document is found, without indication of the source, in Walch, Vol. XXI, 1588, among the letters. We have included it in the gleanings.
1 To understand this saying is the more useful the more the papists have misused it and derived the greatest errors from it. For thus they conclude: Augustine asserts that a sacrament consists of two parts, namely, the word and the outward sign (elemento). Consequently, as soon as the minister has said the words of the Lord's Supper in the presence of the bread and wine, the Body and Blood of Christ must immediately be present. Furthermore, in order for Christ to be given due honor, this bread must be enclosed in a solid house, so that it does not become the food of worms and moles, and then it must be worshipped by men. Thus, under the papacy, a similar opinion is imprinted on the minds of the people, that they think their prayers would never be more pleasing to God, and would never be heard more easily, than if they prayed in the place where the named bread is enclosed. But in order to avoid these errors, it is necessary to know that Augustine does not speak only of the alis language of Christ's words, but rather understands the command to take and eat the bread as part of it. And afterwards he adds: hic2) est corpus meum [here is my body],
2) It really says hic here, not hoc, from which it follows that these words must have been so set by Augustine, so that under the "he" who added this, Augustine is to be understood.
which is as much as, apart from this use, my body and my blood are not connected with these external signs. For it must not be thought that this supper is like magic tricks, in which Christ can be bound without a word by mere human superstition. Therefore, just as baptism, when there is a child to be baptized, is nothing else than mere water, so also we assert quite certainly, where there are not eating and drinking people, after the institution of Christ, that there is nothing else than bread and wine, even if the words should be recited a thousand times.
But if it is asked what things are necessary to the essence of the sacrament, we answer: there are three things that belong to the sacrament. First, elementum is required, that is, a visible sign. Then must come the complete recitation of the words; and thirdly, must be added the lawful use according to Christ's institution. For example, the element in baptism is water; the words to be recited are these: "I baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Finally, the immersion or sprinkling of the child itself contains the lawful use commanded by Christ. The same must be said of the Lord's Supper. First there must be the complete elements, bread and wine. Then the words of the testament must be spoken in their entirety. Finally, the rightful use must be added, that is, the eating and drinking. From this, I believe, it will be clear enough what is the true meaning of this saying, which is repeated in all schools.
(3) But here we have to examine in passing the question of worship, which some want to establish and prove under this pretext as a matter that is not necessary: Christ must be worshipped. Christ is in the Lord's Supper. Consequently, the Lord's Supper must be worshipped. This objection can easily be answered if the words of Christ are diligently considered. For he does not say, Receive and worship; but steals, we are to eat and drink. For the action prescribed by Christ alone, and the worthy eating and drinking, is the
true and noblest honor that we can and should pay to this ceremony. However, although no one censures the reverence that consists in the offerings of the body, the same, since it originated from the traditions of these people, must be a superstitious opinion, as if such pedagogy were a necessary service of God and could not be omitted without sin. For we must always be mindful of the rule which Christ Match. 15 from the Esaias: "They honor me in vain according to the statutes of men." That is, human traditions are not worship. Therefore, if we worshiped the bread and wine given to us in the Lord's Supper with the superstitious opinion, we would become manifest idolaters, and establish a worship that would conflict with the express word of God, because God does not want to be called otherwise than He Himself prescribed for us, namely in spirit and in truth.