Rouse thyself, O faithful soul, and love thou Him who is the Highest Good, in whom is every good thing, and without whom there is nothing truly good. No created thing can really satisfy our souls’ desires, for no creature possesses all of perfect good in itself, but only that good in which it participates. A rivulet of goodness from the divine fountain may flow down to it from above, but the fountain itself always remains in God. Why then should we desire to leave the fountain and follow the rivulet? Every manifestation of good in the creature is but an image of the perfect goodness which is in God, nay, which is God Himself. Why then should we desire to leave the reality to grasp the image? The dove sent out from Noah’s ark could not find, amid the raging waters, a place of rest for her feet (Gen. viii. 8). Thus our souls, amid the vast multitude of earthly comforts, can find nothing to satisfy fully their immortal desires, because these things are so very frail and fleeting in character. Does not that man do himself injury who loves anything beneath the dignity of his nature? Our souls are far more noble than any created thing because redeemed by the passion and death of God. Why then should we stoop to love the creature? Would not that be inconsistent with the dignity to which God has exalted the human soul? Whatever we love, we love because of its power, its wisdom, or its beauty. Now what is more powerful, what is wiser, what is more beautiful, than God? All the power of earthly monarchs is from Him and is subject to Him; all human wisdom, compared with the divine, is foolishness; all creature beauty in comparison with God’s is absolute deformity. (Gerhard’s Sacred Meditations – IX: Loving God Alone, Repristination Press, p. 49-50)

What if my sins accuse me; in this Intercessor do I trust; greater is He who is for me than my sins that are against me. What if my very weakness terrifies me; in His strength do I glory. What if Satan accuses me, if only this Mediator shall pardon me. What if the heavens and the earth accuse me and mine iniquities declare my guilt; yet it is enough for me that the Creator of the heavens and of the earth and He who is righteousness itself pleads my cause for me. It suffices for me to have Him propitious to me. His merit, because mine will not suffice, suffices enough for me, and the satisfaction of the Beloved One, the Creator of the believers, suffices for me. If I were not so ardently burdened with sin, I should not so ardently desire His righteousness: if I were not sick, I would not call in the aid of the physician. He Himself is my Physician (Matt. ix. 12); He Himself is my Saviour (Matt. i. 21); He Himself is my Righteousness (1 Cor. i. 30). He cannot deny Himself, since I am spiritually sick, I am condemned; I am a sinner, I cannot deny myself. Have mercy upon me, O Thou my blessed Physician, my Saviour, my Righteousness. Amen!  (Gerhard’s Sacred Meditations – VIII: The Certainty of Our Salvation, Repristination Press, p. 47-48)

Inexpressibly great was the price of our redemption (1 Peter i. 18); great and marvelous, then, is the mercy of God in our redemption. It would almost seem to one as if God loves His elect children as dearly as He loves His only-begotten Son; for what we obtain by purchase we certainly esteem of greater value than that which we give in exchange for it. And that He might have adopted sons, God did not spare His own co-essential Son. What marvel then, that He should have prepared mansions (John xiv. 2) in His heavenly home for us, since He has given His own Son, in whom is all the fulness of the Godhead (Col. ii. 9). Certainly where the fulness of the Godhead is, there is likewise the fulness of eternal life and glory. And if in Christ He hath given the fulness of eternal life, how will He deny us a little particle of it? Truly God has greatly loved us, His adopted sons, since for us He gave His only-begotten Son. Truly the Son has greatly loved us, since for us He gave Himself. To make us rich, He took upon Himself the direst poverty; for He had not where to lay His head (Matt. viii. 20). That He might make us the sons of God, He became a man; and the work of redemption being finished, He does not now neglect us, but sitting at the right hand of the Divine Majesty, He there maketh intercession for us (Rom. viii. 34). What that is necessary to my salvation will He not accomplish for me, since He hath devoted Himself to the work of my eternal salvation? What will the Father deny the Son, who became obedient to Him unto death, even the death of the cross (Phil. ii. 8)? What will the Father deny the Son, since He hath already accepted the ransom offered by the Son?  (Gerhard’s Sacred Meditations – VIII: The Certainty of Our Salvation, Repristination Press, p. 46-47)

Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou still doubting the mercy of God? Remember thy Creator. Who hath created thee without any concurrence of thine own will? Who was He that formed thy body in secret, when thy substance was curiously wrought in the lower parts of the earth (Ps. cxxxix. 15)? Will not He who cared for thee before thou hadst any being care for thee now, after He hath formed thee in His own image? I am a creature of God; to my Creator then do I betake myself. What if my nature is corrupted by the devil; and pierced and wounded by my sins, as by murderous robbers (Luke x. 30), yet my Creator still lives. He who could create me at first can now restore me. He who created me without sin, can now remove from me all the sin which has entered into me and has permeated my whole being, either through the temptation of the devil, through Adam’s fault, or through my own actual transgression. (Gerhard’s Sacred Meditations – VIII: The Certainty of Our Salvation, Repristination Press, p. 45-46)

Consequently, in order that we may then give a definite form and good directions from God’s Word as to how and in what manner one may and should train oneself in godliness, the treatise of these five books now springs forth. Prior liber erit νουθετητικός, continens pietatis ὀρμητήρια [Vol. I will be admonitory, containing incentive for godliness]. Posteriores erunt διδακαλικός, exponentes pietatis ἐργαστήρια [The latter will be didactic, and will do the work of explaining godliness]. Prior demonstrabit τὸ ὅτι καὶ τὸ διότι, quod & quare pietatis sit studendum (Vol. I will show the why and the wherefore one must pursue godliness); posteriores exponent τὸ πῶς qua ratione pietatis exercitationi incumbendum (the rest of the volumes will explain the whole reason why the exercise of godliness is incumbent upon us).
Both are required for the true practice of godliness. For on account of the corruption of our nature, we are altogether reluctant and lazy regarding godliness; and our hearts flatter themselves with the belief that they are capable of evoking the highest motives which would awaken and encourage us to godliness, as well. Since we especially also, through this very same corruption of our nature, have our spiritual understanding blindly deluded in such way that we do not know how and in what manner we are to serve God, and are unable to train ourselves in godliness, from the Word of God one has to simultaneously defend against the corruption, and search for counsel and help for this sickness of the soul. We want to initiate a beginning concerning the reasons why we should be motivated to godliness. Thus, we thereafter will be all the more willing and eager to be motivated towards godliness if we consider how and in what manner we should and can train ourselves in godliness. GOD wants to grant us His Spirit’s grace and power for the sake of Christ, so that it may redound to His glory and for the furtherance of the salvation of many. Amen. (Schola Pietatus-Volume 1 by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p. 28-29)

Inasmuch, then, as the true believers are also not just simply and primarily here to see a reward in this life, but rather for the promise of eternal life and along with that, are to commend to God the Lord how He may desire to deal with them in this life, whether He wants to lead them to heaven via roses or via thorns, whether He wants to give them cross and adversity or relief from tribulation… all this they are to willingly receive from His hand and in all things, obediently commend themselves into His gracious, fatherly hand.

This is also the Scriptural explanation given to Timothy by this apostolic rule: Train yourself in godliness, that is serium pietatis studium [the serious pursuit of godliness]. For bodily training is of little value, but godliness is good for everything and has the promise of this and the future life, that is amplissimum pietatis proemium [the farthest reaching reward for godliness].

By relying on divine help, let us and others, by responsibly following this apostolic rule, train ourselves for godliness. [Let us do it] in such a manner that we, at the beginning, search out the most important and moving reasons which should, in general, encourage and awaken each individual to godliness, which yet not everyone makes their top priority. Let us sharpen these skills. (Schola Pietatus-Volume 1 by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p. 28)

Second, as we consider this benefit of godliness is the matter that by the promise of this life is understood to mean the reward in this life cum exceptione crucis & salutis [with the exception of the cross and salvation]. With this is indicated that it will not redound to our salvation and be of benefit to us that God the Lord, in this life, lays upon us the fatherly chastisement of crosses. Christ teaches us this in Mark 10:29–30: Anyone who forsakes house or brother or sister or father or mother or wife or children or land for My sake, and for the sake of the Gospel, will in this present time, receive a hundred-fold of houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and land amidst persecution; and in the future world, eternal life. Here, we clearly hear that the promise of this life or the reward of godliness in this life, takes place amidst persecution; that is to say, this will not occur apart from cross and adversity, for all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will have to suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12). My child, if you wish to be a servant of God, then prepare yourself for anxiety (Sir. 2:1). Since you love God, it has to be that you will not remain without anxiety, in order that you be preserved (Tob. 12:13).
It would be very easy for God to richly grant the godly everything good in this life; for Him to give them relief from all anxiety, tribulation and adversity; along with this, to give them riches, honor, health and all blessings. However, He knows very well that the godly still bear flesh and blood within them, which so very easily could abuse all of this and bring upon itself eternal retaliation. That’s why He keeps them under the cross in this life and, at the same time, He does good things for them in the midst of cross and tribulation, in that, through the Holy Spirit, He mightily comforts and strengthens them, assures them of His grace, makes them to be happy and confident that they with David may say, from Psalm 119:71: I love that You have humbled me—understand, by means of cross and adversity—so that I may learn of Your righteousness. (Schola Pietatus-Volume 1 by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p. 26-27)

If, then, the promise of the land of Canaan is a pure promise of grace, how much more will not the promise of eternal life be a pure promise of grace, which flows forth simply and solely out of the undeserved grace of God, and in no way depends on the merits of one’s own works? When you have done everything that I have commanded, then still say, we are non-beneficial servants; we have done what we were obligated to do. That’s how Jesus teaches us in Luke 17:10: With what would we be able to earn the promise of eternal life? If someone does a particular thing, but does not actually perfectly fulfill what he already owes, he cannot earn anything with his works.
Now, however, we humans have this privilege: that all the things we do to glorify God and do to please Him, we are to do since we already owe Him that jure creationis, conservationis & redemptionis [by right of creation, preservation and redemption] because He has created, preserved, and redeemed us; indeed, we do not do this perfectly on account of the fact that in this life, we do not perfectly do all these things; how, then, would we be able to earn anything from God the Lord with our indebted imperfection? Oh! The poor cannot earn it! Yet we as poor beggars have to petition and beg before God’s door for daily bread (Mat. 6:11). How dare we ever more deeply fall into this line of thinking that we might be able earn heaven and eternal life from God the Lord by our good works? The holy apostle says it well in Rom. 8:18—I maintain that the sufferings in these times is not worth compare to the glory which shall be revealed to us. If the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to eternal glory, then suffering for the sake of God’s glory is of much weightier and greater importance than works. And in Rom. 6:23: Eternal life is (not a payment or an earned wage from good works, but a gift of God χάρισμα, a gift of grace) in Christ Jesus our Lord, which He, through His precious merit and perfect obedience, won for us. … What God the Lord has promised us, He gives to us on the grounds of grace, not as a reward for our works. (Schola Pietatus-Volume 1 by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p. 25-26)

This is also the second part of this apostolic verse; namely, the important reason which should motivate us so that with the utmost zeal, we should train in godliness. This, then, is the greatest overwhelming benefit which we shall derive from this, because godliness is good for all things and holds the promise for this and the future life, for which bodily training is of little value.
With this, however, of necessity we are to take note of two things: First of all, that such a rich bestowal of godliness—as one experiences it in this and also in the future life—takes place by sheer grace and not by our earning it by works. The apostle teaches this when he says: Godliness possesses the promise of this and the future life. For if it is a promise, then it cannot be something earned, especially since the promise flows forth from sheer unearned grace. Concerning the promise of the land of Canaan given to the Israelites, God the Lord says the following through Moses to His people in Deu. 9:4-5: Do not say in your heart: The Lord has led me in to take this land because of my righteousness, for you are not entering in to receive this land of the Gentiles because of your righteousness and because of the uprightness of your heart. And later He repeats this again in v. 6—So then, realize that the heart of your God does not give you this good land to enter into because of your righteousness, especially since you are a stiff-necked people. (Schola Pietatus-Volume 1 by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p. 24-25)