(Continued )  To me You were given—shall not also all things be given to me? My nature is glorified greater in You than it was disgraced in Adam through sin. Because You assumed into the unity of Your person [Christ has two natures, divine and human, in one person] that which was only accidentally weakened by Satan, You truly are flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone [Eph. 5:30]. You are my brother. What can You deny to me, to whom You are most intimately joined by the same essence of flesh and by the feeling of fraternal love? You are the Bridegroom [Matt. 22:2], who according to the good pleasure of the Heavenly Father, bound the human nature to Yourself as a bride by means of a personal covenant. With a thankful soul I proclaim and acknowledge that I too am invited to the celebration of this marriage.

I am no longer amazed that heaven, earth, sea, and all that is in them, were made by God for man, since for man God Himself ordained to become a man. Truly You cannot reject me and turn me away, since You cannot deny [II Tim. 2:13] that You Yourself are a man, and therefore my brother. Now You can never forget me because You have engraved me on the palms of Your hands [Isa. 49:16]. For Christ’s communion with humanity daily and continually makes You mindful of me. Now You can never forsake me, since You, by the closest bond of the personal union, ordained to join the human nature to Yourself. However much, therefore, my sins hinder me from coming to You for mercy, nevertheless, the communion of the two natures in Christ will not allow me to be driven away. I will depend totally upon You, who totally assumed my totality, Amen. (from The Daily Exercise of Piety by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p.35-36)

I give thanks to You, Jesus Christ, only Mediator and Redeemer of the human race, that in the fullness of time You united to Yourself, personally, a true human nature, and You deigned to be born of a virgin [Gal. 4:4]. How great is Your love of man that You laid hold not of angels, but of the seed of Abraham [Heb. 2:16]! How great is the mystery of godliness that You, being True God, deigned to become manifest in the flesh [1 Tim. 3:16]! How great the inclination of Your mercy that descending from heaven for my sake, You endured being born of a virgin [Isa. 9:6]. For me, a most worthless creature, You, the all-powerful Creator, became man. For my sake, an abject slave, You, the glorious Lord, in servile fashion, clothed Yourself with a body [Phil. 2:7], so that with flesh You might free flesh. For me You were born. Therefore, whatever heavenly goods You bring with You in Your birth will be mine.  (Text continues with Christ’s Mass Day)    (from The Daily Exercise of Piety by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p.35-36)

The contemplation of divine gifts from the most beautiful garden of Heaven and the Church is like gathering together a bouquet of fragrant flowers. The scent of these blooms refreshes the spirit and calls forth from us the sacrifice of lips of praise, a sweet smell to God. These immeasurable and countless divine gifts may be considered according to the three articles of the Christian faith. God has created, redeemed, and sanctified us. He showers us in this life with the greatest gifts. He promises even more for eternal life. He gives us gifts of grace; He deprives and withholds evil from us. In short, we can grasp neither in word nor in thought the number and worth of those divine gifts which will be the most abundant subject of eternal praise in the coming life. (The Daily Exercise of Piety by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p.30)

(Continued)  All the powers of my soul, all the members of my body, are Your gifts. I should have been prepared to offer You the holy service I owed to You with all the powers of my soul, and with all the members of my body. But I have made them—O! what cause for sorrow!—I have made them tools for unrighteousness and evil. Yours is the breath which I draw. Yours is the air which I breathe. Yours is the sun, whose light I behold every day. All these should have been for me aids and tools for a holy life. But I have turned them—what sorrow!—into servants of sin. Creation was to be used for the glory of the Creator, but unfortunately, I have misused it for His dishonor. The armor of light was to be put on in the light of the sun, but in the sun’s light I have committed works of darkness [Rom. 13:12]. Whatever time is added to my life is given to me out of Your kindness. Therefore my whole life should have been devoted to You, from Whom all of it comes. But not even the smallest part of my life has been devoted to You in holy service. As often as I have sensed what is good and right to do, just as often have I failed to follow through and turned away from service to You. By these impulses I was most kindly invited to return to You through repentance. But O!, how often have I harshly shunned their most loving encouragement!

Receive the one who now at last returns to You with groaning and a contrite heart. Sprinkle me with the blood of Your Son, so that I may be cleansed whiter than snow [Psa. 51:7] from all the filthiness of my flesh and spirit [2 Cor. 7:1], and may praise You eternally with all the elect, Amen. (The Daily Exercise of Piety by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p.26-27)

#3 Part I, Chapter IX. All God’s Deeds of Kindness Testify to the Gravity of Our Sins.

O holy God, just Judge, the more deeds of kindness You have bestowed upon me, the more I am grieved that I have so often offended You, such a benevolent Father. Every gift you have bestowed upon me is like a bond of love. You have willed that I be bound to You, but I heaped up the number of sins, having forgotten You and Your kindness. I have sinned Father, against heaven and before You. I am not worthy to be called Your son. Make me as one of Your hired servants [Luke 15:19]. I am totally dissatisfied with myself. Grant that I be totally pleasing to You. The riches of Your goodness and Your extraordinary patience [Rom. 2:4] have for a long time called me to repentance, but so far I have declined to come. O most benevolent Father, again and again You have called me to repentance through the preaching of the Word, through the admonition of creation, through the reproof shown on Christ on the cross, through the internal working of the Holy Spirit. But I have completely closed my ears to this calling. (Text continues with Advent Four)  (from The Daily Exercise of Piety by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p.26-27)

O holy God, just Judge, I know that I am conceived and born in sin (Psa. 51:7). I know that I was formed from unclean seed (Job 14:4) in the womb of my mother. The poison of sin has so corrupted and spoiled my entire nature that no powers of my soul are free from its infection. The holy gift of the divine image entrusted to me in the first parent of our race has perished in me. I now have no powers for initiating a saving recognition, fear, trust, and love of You. I have no capability to obediently perform Your commandments. My will is turned away from the law, and the law of sin in my members is opposed to the law of my mind [Rom. 7:23], so that my entire nature is corrupt and perverted. I am wretched and miserable and feel the assault of sin tenaciously clinging to every part of me. I feel the yoke of perverse desire weighing heavily upon me. I have been regenerated and renewed in the washing of baptism through the Spirit of grace [Tit. 3:5]. But I am not totally free from the yoke and captivity of sin, since that bitter root lurking in me always strives to shoot forth [Heb. 12:15]. The law of sin raging in my flesh fights to capture me. I am full of doubts, distrust, and the desire for my own honor. Depraved thoughts come forth from the heart [Mat. 15:19], which totally defile me in Your sight. From a poisoned spring flow forth poison streams.

Do not, O Lord, enter into judgment with Your servant [Psa. 143:2], rather be gracious to me according to Your great mercy [Psa. 51:3]. The depth of my wretchedness [Psa. 42:8] calls out for help to the depth of Your mercy. For this foulness of my unclean nature I place before You the most holy conception of Your Son. For me, He was born [Isa. 9:6], and so He was also conceived for me. For me, He was made sanctification and righteousness [1 Cor. 1:30], and so He also was made my purification and purity. Through and on account of this Your Son, have mercy upon me, O Most High, and do not place the hidden evil corruption of my nature in the light of Your face [Psa. 90:8]. Look to Your beloved Son, my Mediator! May His most holy and unpolluted conception be the remedy for my miserable conception. Amen. (The Daily Exercise of Piety by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p.14-15)

Meditation on sins comprises these two parts, namely that we recognize the seriousness of original and actual sin. Actual sins are committed by thought, word, and deed. They are committed by the commission of evil and by the omission of good. They are committed against God, neighbor, and self. There are sins of youth and daily weaknesses. Every day we are tempted by the flesh and we will often succumb to these temptations. At times we participate in the sins of others, and fall into many of these same sins ourselves. And indeed, we are convicted guilty of our sins by all creation, and we contemplate the severity of divine wrath against our sins in the suffering and death of Christ. (The Daily Exercise of Piety by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p.14)

When these doctrines are properly lodged within the heart, they will, first of all, induce people to glory in the goodness and grace of God, to love Him with all their heart, and also to live to the honor of this merciful God. They will begin, in true earnest to do all that they know to be pleasing to God; and to avoid all that they know to have been forbidden by Him. They are then pious and holy Christians, because they enjoy forgiveness of sins by faith and live in the fear of God and in obedience to Him. Therefore Christ so earnestly admonishes us to adhere to these doctrines and not listen to any thing contrary. He promises too, on His part, that He will not suffer Himself to be confined to any other place, but that He will be with us in His Word and grace, always and everywhere. And though it sounds terrible, that great heresy, darkness and seduction shall come upon the world, yet we are comforted when He says: “Wherever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together;” that is, my Christian Church shall remain with me. And though the devil, the Turk, and the pope, be ever so powerful, they shall not harm my Christians who adhere to my Word. May our merciful God in heaven, through the Holy Ghost, for the sake of His Son Jesus Christ, our dear Lord, grant this to all of us. Amen (Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 901)

From this you may perceive the foundation of the true doctrine, from which you should not deviate in the least. Note well that the true doctrine points you to Christ and presents Him, in order that you may be truly comforted against sin and death. This is done by teaching that we should believe Christ to be true, eternal and almighty God, one with the Father and the Holy Ghost, who has come to us on earth, conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary. He finally died on the cross, not for His own sins, but for our sins; in order that God might be reconciled and our debt might be canceled, and that we might arise from the dead and come to the enjoyment of everlasting life. In our behalf, Christ has conquered sin and death, so that these no more can harm us; now Christ sitteth at the right hand of God, protecting us against the devil, bestowing upon us the gifts of the Holy Ghost, and answering all our prayer, offered in His name for all we need for body and soul. This is the true doctrine concerning Christ and agrees throughout with the Word, which alone will enable us to resist Antichrist and his lies.

(Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 900-901)

Therefore we are indeed unhappy people, because we are so well provided with the Word of God and yet are so very slow to believe. This is the fault of the devil and of our shameful old Adam. For if we had an earnest desire for righteousness and salvation and all that we need, we would believe in the Lord Jesus and hope for everything through Him. For faith, as you have heard, can never be put to shame. Therefore the Lord extols faith very highly, saying: “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” The same faith in Christ will also help us, raise us from death unto life, conquer the devil, dispel our sins, and give us eternal life; all of which, though it is done by Christ, is nevertheless ascribed to faith. For it can never be obtained without faith. Even Christ, the holy sacraments, and the Word of God, or the preaching of the Gospel, cannot help or benefit us without faith. Faith must do it, else it will never be done. So much concerning the first miracle. (Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 884-885)