#11 Part III: Chapter I. A Prayer for the Putting to Death of the Old ManO holy and merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, I beg You in the Holy Spirit, for the sake of Your Son, to powerfully work in me and put to death the old man. I need this every day so that I can be made strong in You according to the inner man. Sin dwells in my flesh so that she cannot break his powers. Oh how incredibly difficult and hard it is to fight against one’s self! When I fight the flesh I am fighting myself! How difficult and arduous it is to remove an enemy from one’s own home!
Unless You clothe me with heavenly strength in this war, I am afraid that I will certainly be defeated because of the hidden plots of the enemy. Strike down, burn, cut, and kill the old man, so that I can flee from his flattering fraud and seduction. Grant that daily I die unto myself, so the allurements of the flesh will not draw me away from the true life which is in Christ. Inflame the fire of the Spirit in my heart, so that I may offer to You as a sacrifice the beloved son of my soul, depraved lusts and my own will. Flesh and blood cannot receive the inheritance of the kingdom of God . Pierce and crucify my flesh, O Christ pierced and crucified on the altar of the cross for me! Amen.
On the festival of Epiphany you heard that it was so called on account of the manifestation of Christ, which occurred that the new-born Babe might not be unknown, but revealed; for if we had not heard of His birth, it would have been of no avail. Hence it is that during these days we preach also upon other Gospel lessons which refer to the manifestation of Christ. Thus we use the one relating to Christ’s Baptism in the Jordan by John, and also the one which speaks of His first miracle, performed at the marriage at Cana, where He manifested Himself as Lord over all. These manifestations took place not only that Jesus should be known among men, but also that He might be acknowledged and praised as One who is more than human, born to have dominion over everything; and also that we should recognize Him as our Savior, upon whom we can depend in every distress and anxiety, and from whom we can obtain our help.
(The Daily Exercise of Piety by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p.56-57)
