"the preaching of the holy gospel itself is also in essence an absolution. . . . although not all believe [it]".

"We cannot censure or reject the general absolution for this reason:  the preaching of the holy gospel itself is also in essence an absolution, in which the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to many people in the congregation publicly or to a single person alone, either publicly or privately. . . . For this reason, although not all believe the absolution, it is not to be rejected.  For every absolution, whether it takes place in a communal or individual setting, must still be understood to demand faith and to help those who believe it, as the gospel itself proclaims forgiveness to everyone in the world and excepts no one from this universal [proclamation]."

MBW Texte 5, 409, ll. 6-13 (407-410):
"auch die predig des heiligen evangelii selb ist im grund und eigentlich ein absolutio. . . . ob woll nit alle daran glawben. . . ."

WA Br 6, 454, ll. 6-13 (453-455):
"auch die predig des heiligen Euangelij selb ist im grund und eigentlich ein absolutio. . . . ob woll nit alle daran glawben. . . ."

de Wette IV (1827), 444-445; CR 2 (1835), 648; E 55 (1853), 9; End 9 (1903), 292; W² 21 (1904), 1812 (modernized):
"auch die Predig des h. Evangelii selb ist im Grund und eigentlich ein absolutio. . . . obwohl nit alle daran gläuben. . . ."

     Luther and Melanchthon to the Council of Nuremberg, 18 April 1533, as trans. Timothy J. Wengert, in Defending faith:  Lutheran theological responses to Andreas Osiander's doctrine of justification, 1551-1559 (Tübingen:  Mohr Siebeck, 2012), 70.  "MBW 1320 (Texte 5:  409, 5-410, 17; =WA Br 6:  454, 5-17 (No. 2010, pp. 453-455))" and WA Br 13 (1968), Nachträge und Berichtungen, Synoptische tabelle (1968), 215.
     This is no. 2010 on p. 333 of the 3rd ed. of Kurt Aland's Hilfsbuch zum Lutherstudium (1970), according to which it appears also in "End[ers] 9, 292 [(the Erlangen Briefwechsel)] — de W[ette] IV, 444 — E[rlangen] 55, 8 — W[alch]² 21, 1811 — N: XIII [=D. Martin Luthers Briefwechsel Bd. 13. Nachträge und Berichtigungen. Synoptische Tabelle (1968))], 215]".

     Hmmm.