A Brief Admonition To Confession (1529)
Martin Luther
Translated by Solomon D. Henkel and Brothers.
Published in:
The Smaller and Larger Catechisms of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther as published in English translation in The Christian Book of Concord, 2nd ed., revised; New Market: Solomon D. Henkel and Brs., 1854. Originally on the web at lutheranlegacy.org
"In reference to this Appendix as an admonition to confession,- it is wanting in the oldest Wittemburg edition of the Larger Catechism, as well as in the corpp. doctrinæ of Thuringia, Julia, and Brunswick, and also in the edition of the writings of Luther, vol. 4, published at Jena; the reason of which seems to have been, because Luther himself did not subjoin it in the first edition, but added it at a later date. This appears to be very probable from the fact that in the commencement he appeals to his general doctrine concerning liberty of confession; and by this, very probably, he has reference to various passages in both Catechisms and to his other writings, and particularly to the Articles of Smalcald composed by him, in which most of it occurs. Hence this addition may, at first indeed, have been attached to the Catechism about the time of the entire collection of the Book of Concord, since it is also found added to the Larger Catechism in the edition of his works, vol. 6, published at Wittemburg in 1570. From these facts as well as from the general character of this addition, it is evident that it was not at all designed as a component part or a necessary appendage to the Symbolical Books; but merely as a closer and clearer exposition of the article concerning confession, and as a common warning against the abuse of this doctrine. So that, even for this reason indeed, the continuation of this piece may be allowed among the Symbolical Books; but in this respect it is left entirely arbitrary, since it cannot be properly regarded as a part of the Symbolical Books. Hence it is not found in the Dresden, Tibbing, Frankford, Stuttgard, Heidelburg, Leipsic, and other editions, nor in the Latin Concordia: and under the view mentioned above, it was received into the quarto edition of the Book of Concord published at Magdeburg in 1580, and in several editions of the Catechism, and among these in the new Arnold edition." See Dr. Baumgarten's Christian Book of Concord, published by Gebauer, at Halle, in 1717, page 799.