Part 3

Almighty, eternal and gracious God! I praise and thank Thee for Thy most holy presence and assistance, which Thou hast shown unto me this day, for without Thee I certainly could have done nothing, hence Thou alone art worthy to receive the praise. I beseech Thee, to permit these labors to be pleasing unto Thee, and to redound to the well-being of myself and neighbors, both bodily and spiritually, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with Thee and the Holy Ghost, true God, lives and reigns to all eternity. Amen.

31. Prayer during a Journey.

O Lord Jesus Christ, Thou ever-gracious Lord and Saviour! Thou who hast become a guest and stranger for us upon earth, I come unto Thee humbled in heart, and beseech Thee, that Thou wouldst permit my whole life and walk to be acceptable unto Thee. Preserve me also upon this my journey by the protection of Thy beloved angels upon all my ways graciously from all evil and accident, misfortune and danger of soul and body, so that I may successfully accomplish my work and return again to my beloved ones, in health and in vigor. Unto Thee alone, O Lord, do I commit my body and soul, all that I have and possess, during my journey. Do Thou direct my course and way to my welfare and blessedness. In the mean time do Thou faithfully protect my loved ones at home, that we may meet each other again in health and happiness. And when I have finally accomplished my journey of life here in this world, receive me unto Thyself, into Thy glory, by a peaceful and a blessed death. Amen.

32. Prayer while beginning a Journey at Sea.

Eternal God, behold, I now journey upon the deep, and commit myself to the wild, rough sea; here on the waters I am tossed to and fro between heaven and earth, how shall this little ship, small and weak in structure, which cannot protect itself, protect me? On whom then shall I, wretched man, put my trust? Alas, O God and Lord, alone upon Thee and Thy fatherly power and care, for neither man nor any of Thy creatures can save me. The wind bloweth whithersoever it will, the sea lifts up its waves, beneath me I see neither ground nor foundation, and above the lone heavens. The men who assist me are in like danger and care; wherefore, O God, I lift my eyes alone unto Thee, from whom cometh my help, my help cometh from the Lord, who hath made heaven and earth. To Thee do I commit myself both body and soul, life and property. Unto Thee alone do I look, in Thee alone do I put my trust, my hope is in Thee, there is no help in man. Bear Thou this little ship on Thy wings, and preserve me within and be with me in the ship, else, O Lord, we perish; but if I only have Thee, I will ask nothing of heaven or earth! Yea, while I now depart from land and leave the same behind me, help me, to forsake and deny all confidence in worldly and human assistance, and to commit myself unto Thee alone. Lord, behold, I have entirely submitted to Thy will, do unto me as may seem good in Thy sight, that it may redound to the welfare and salvation of my soul. I commit myself into Thy hands, for Thou hast drawn me into Thy embrace, and no one shall pluck me out of Thy hand, because I am a member of Christ's fold, and a sheep of his pastures, wherein I will gladly live and die by the help of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

33. Prayer of a Seafarer during a Storm.

Almighty God, Thou God of the righteous! Thou who hast made the sea and the dry land, and upholdest all things by Thy hand, and raisest the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves, so that the ship is tossed now to the heavens, and now down again to the depths, that a person is reeled to and fro like a drunken man at his wit's end, as the Holy Spirit says. We are now in great danger and distress in this our journey on the sea. As Thou hast said: "Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee," we therefore in this our great need, from which no creature can save us but Thou alone, hold out to Thee thy word with believing hearts, and humbly ask Thee to manifest Thy power according to Thy great mercy, and say unto the wind and the sea: Peace, be still! and graciously protect us from shipwreck and danger, hold and preserve us by Thy gracious hand, and redeem us graciously from this danger, and we will praise Thy name as long as we live, never forget Thy deeds of mercy and amend our lives so that henceforth they may conform to Thy holy Word. Alas! Lord, be merciful unto us, and forgive us our sins for Jesus Christ's sake. Alas! help us, lest we perish! Alas! Lord, redeem us for Thy mercy's sake! But if it be Thy will here to end our lives, then give unto us Christian patience, preserve us in the true faith and give us the end of our faith, the salvation of our souls! Thou canst redeem from death, Thou canst also redeem us out of this danger. Hear us, hear us, hear us, Lord God Father, for Jesus Christ's sake! Lord Jesus, for the sake of Thy five blessed wounds! Lord God, Holy Spirit for the sake of Thy mercy and grace! Help us, Lord God, the Father! Help us, Lord God, the Son! Help us, Lord God, the Holy Ghost, for Thy own sake, and for the honor of Thy name, and for Thy infinite mercy's sake. Amen.

A brief Instruction concerning Confession and Absolution.

My dear Christian, when you come to confession, you must not be satisfied in repeating with the mouth a prayer which you have committed to memory, or to permit a prayer of confession to be repeated to you by your confessor, but you must yourself bring with you a penitent heart, out of which your confession will then freely flow, for to confess without a penitent heart is mocking God, and without it no forgiveness of sins can take place.

To a penitent heart in the first place belongs, that you confess your sins and experience sorrow and penitence on account of them. By nature no man can know his sins, nor can he produce penitence in his heart concerning them; this must above all be sought of God. We men are by nature much too blind, too indifferent, too inconsiderate, too selfrighteous, too much possessed with self-love and self-interest, than to be inclined and capable penitently and uprightly to confess ourselves guilty of all sins. Wherefore above all things bend your knees before God and call upon him, that He might open your eyes that you may thoroughly know the multitude and greatness of your sins. Pray with the blessed David: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Hereupon take the holy ten commandments and make a careful examination of your whole life in accordance with them. Then you will know that you are a sinner. For as a man cannot see a spot on his face without a glass, neither can he know his sins without beholding himself in the glass of the holy ten commandments. For sin is every work, every word, yea, every thought, which is against God's commandments; for sin consists in the performance of that which God has forbidden, or in the omission of that which He has commanded to be done. But you must not only regard the gross external sins, but also the internal secret sins, departures from God's commandments, which have taken place in the heart through evil thoughts and desires. If you will examine yourself thus in constant prayer, you will discover that you have not feared, loved and trusted God as He requires, that you have not so heartily and confidently called upon God, prayed, praised and given thanks, that you have not kept His Word so holy, heard and learned it, as you should have done. You will find that you have not honored and loved your parents and superiors, but have been disobedient and murmured against them; you will find that you have sinned against your neighbor in anger, hatred, revenge and irreconcilableness, with unchaste thoughts and desires, envy, illwill, avarice, an earthly mind or with slanderous words, in short, you will find that you have not so uprightly and heartily loved your neighbor as yourself, that much more selfishness, the seeking of your own interests or your own honor has been the motive to all your actions. With these and other sins you have surely deserved the wrath of God, temporal and eternal punishment, if God would deal with you according to His stern righteousness. From these sins which you perceive in yourself you can draw the conclusion how impure and depraved your heart is, from which these sins flow, for as the water, so the spring, and by the fruits we know the tree. Hence you will come to the knowledge of original sin.

If you now will perceive these and other sins in thyself, yea, if you consider, that the sins you have committed in ignorance, are many more than those you know and feel in your heart, which nevertheless the all knowing God places in the light of His countenance, then you will tremble in your conscience and experience sorrow and penitence on account of them, that you have so grievously offended your God and have been so unthankful for His blessings.

The second part of confession is faith, and indeed faith in Jesus Christ, who hath made satisfaction for all thy sins and has also obtained forgiveness of the same. Faith is as a hand which appropriates the forgiveness of sins and receives it as an unmerited gift of divine grace. Without this faith all knowledge and sorrow for sin is only the confession of a Cain or a Judas, which ends in despair. But by faith in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all sinners, the heart is comforted and made quiet. But this faith you cannot produce in your own heart, but it is the work and gift of God the Holy Spirit. And if you experience that you are wanting in this faith, and that you cannot believe but desire to believe, then call upon God for this faith, and he will give it thee.

Thereupon the fruits of penitence must follow. These consist in this, that you no more knowingly and intentionally will commit the sins which have been forgiven you, but you much more will hate and forsake them, and by the assistance of the Holy Spirit contend against them.

If now you bring such a penitent heart with you to confession, then you are able to receive the absolution which your confessor gives you, by virtue of which your sins are really and certainly forgiven thee by God in heaven. Forgiveness of sins Christ has obtained for all sinners by his death and the shedding of His blood and sealed it by His resurrection and commanded it to be preached and delivered to all the world through the Gospel. Now when the confessor absolves thee, he does nothing else than declare unto you the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins; and yet this is not merely an empty declaration, but such a one through which forgiveness of sins is really presented and offered to penitent sinners. As often as you hear the words of absolution from his mouth, do not doubt, but firmly believe that your sins are forgiven thee before God in heaven, as certainly as if Christ would immediately speak from heaven: "Be of good cheer, my son (my daughter), thy sins be forgiven thee," for He says: "Whosoever heareth you, heareth me, and whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them."

34. Complaint of a poor Sinner concerning the Impenitence of his Heart.

I, miserable afflicted sinner, come unto Thee, my heavenly Father, and bring nothing with me but sin only. I can therefore not lift up my eyes to Thy exalted and most holy majesty, but I am ashamed, that I have so oft offended Thee and not hearkened unto Thy voice. Alas! there is nothing good in me, I am conceived and born in sins, my nature is so perverted and depraved, that I cannot feel and experience in me either a desire or love for virtue and the heavenly gifts, but only for transitory honor and joys and the inclination to all evil. I have lived in sin from my youth up, and yet I live in sin, as long as I have this sinful flesh of Adam on me. But, dear Lord, I comfort myself by Thy unbounded, unfathomable, infinite and unspeakable grace and mercy, which Thou hast promised to all penitent sinners in Thy word and confirmed by a sacred oath. I comfort myself by the precious merit of Thy only begotten Son, who was delivered for the sake of my sins and raised for my justification. O heavenly Father, hide Thy face from my sins and behold the face of Thy Son, who in himself never did commit sin, nor ever knew of sin, but through His most holy obedience, blood and death hath made satisfaction for all my sins and the sins of the whole world. Receive me, O Father, for the sake of this Saviour again into grace, and do not permit his bitter sufferings and death and his perfect precious ransom, which he has paid Thee for my sins to be lost by me, poor sinner, but that it may strengthen me. And I will then praise and bless Thee, here in time and there in eternity. Amen.

35. Prayer for true Conversion.

Almighty God, merciful Father! Every day Thy voice calling me to repentance and grace resounds in my ears, encouraging me and all sinful souls unto conversion: Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord, and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you; for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger forever. Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord, thy God. But alas! I am not sufficient of myself, as of myself to convert myself unto Thee. As little as the Ethiopian can change his skin and as little as the leopard can change its spots, so little can I cease to do evil and do good by my natural powers, inasmuch as the thoughts and intents of my heart are inclined to evil from my youth up continually. Has Thy grace wrought so much in me that I have determined that I will arise and reconcile myself with Thee on account of my sins, and offer unto Thee a broken and contrite heart, yet, alas! satan, the accursed one, will cast a thousandfold hinderances in the way. My own sinful flesh and blood prevent me, that the good that I will I cannot accomplish, but remain in sin and finally be destroyed therein. Wherefore, Abba, dear Father, I bend and bow my knees in deep humility before Thee, and ask for the sake of Thy infinite mercy: convert me, O Lord, and I shall be converted, help me, and I shall be helped, let Thy grace, my God, not be in vain in me, but as Thou hast given to will, so do Thou also give to accomplish it. Destroy the wantonness of the infernal villain, prevent the suggestions of my perverted heart, that my holy resolution may not be hindered or entirely destroyed. Open my eyes that I may heartily know, painfully lament, and bitterly bewail my sins. Give me a divine sorrow over my transgressions, which will bring repentance unto salvation, which may never be repented of. Do Thou not, O Lord, permit me to be destroyed under the burden of sin, nor to despair with Cain and Judas, but do Thou turn to me, and be merciful unto me, behold my misery and affliction, and forgive all my sins. Show me Thy dear and merciful heart, Father, which desireth not the death of a sinner, but that he may be converted and live; speak gently to my soul, and say that mercy shall go for justice, and that Thou wilt no more remember my transgressions. Show me with the finger of Thy divine grace unto Jesus, the crucified one, how he died for my sins and rose again for my justification. Open to me for a refuge his bloody wounds, in which so many poor sinners have found comfort and salvation. Create also a clean heart within me and renew a right spirit within me; cast me not away from Thy countenance and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me; comfort me again with Thy help, and the joyful Spirit preserve me in a firm resolution to amend my sinful life, and as long as I live to serve Thee in righteousness and holiness, as is pleasing in Thy sight. O Lord, hear me, alas! Lord! be merciful, O Lord! hearken to remember and do what I ask, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen!

36. Prayer for the Forgiveness of Sin.

Eternal, merciful God, I, a poor miserable afflicted sinner, come before Thy divine Majesty bringing unto Thee nothing but sin, and on account of this sin I dare not raise my eyes unto Thee, but am cast down with shame, that I have so often and with great and manifold sins offended Thee, my God, my Creator and Father, so that if Thou wouldst deal with me according to my just dues, I would forever remain a child of wrath and eternal damnation. But dear Lord God and Father, I comfort myself with Thy great mercy, with Thy unmeasurable, unfathomable, endless and unspeakable grace, which Thou thyself hast vouchsafed unto me and which Thou, with a precious oath and affirmation, hast confirmed and given me ample assurance with Thy Words: "As true as I live, I have no pleasure in the death of a sinner, but that he might turn from his wickedness and live." I comfort myself with Thine only begotten Son, my dear Redeemer, Justifier, Mediator and Saviour, that He has, by His perfect obedience, sufferings and death, obtained for me again Thy favor, and has given unto me, one that believes in Him, power to become Thy child and to remain an heir of Thy boundless mercy now and in eternity. Therefore, I will not despair, but will confess my sins, both internal and external, secret and manifest, unto Thee, and I will present myself before Thee guilty as an evil-doer and malefactor, and I know nothing more to do than to come upon the promise of Thy Word with an humble heart and dauntless spirit in true faith and sincere confidence in Thy promised mercy and the bitter sufferings of Thy dear Son, to the throne of grace, and from the depths of my heart exclaim: Abba, dear Father, Lord! have mercy upon me! O God, be gracious unto me, a poor, miserable sinner; forgive all my original and actual sins, and all that I have at any time thought, spoken or done against Thee, consciously or unconsciously. Lord, there is nothing good in me. In sin was I conceived and born, in sin have I lived, in sin do I yet live, so long as I carry with me this sinful flesh and blood, and my sins are continually before Thee. Thou seest in me a thousand times more, yea, and a thousand times greater sin than I myself am able to see, know and feel. O Lord, enter not into judgment with Thy servant, for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified. Have mercy upon me for the sake of Jesus Christ, Thy dear Son, my Lord and Saviour, and through Thy great mercy, which is greater than the sins of all men, blot out my transgressions. Wash me clean with hysop and sprinkle me with the pure blood of Thy Son, which was shed upon the cross. May I be and remain Thy child and heir, a vessel of Thy mercy, a fountain and dwelling of the Holy Spirit. O, Lord, redeem, comfort and quicken me! Grant unto me Thy grace anew! Gladden my distressed spirit and my troubled and broken heart with Thy holy, joyful and life-giving Spirit. The broken reed and smoking flax Thou wilt not, O Lord, bruise and quench. Thou wilt not cast me away from Thy countenance forever, this I know full well. Thou wilt not permit me to despair, but wilt favor me with Thy true Spirit, who will enkindle and confirm in me true faith and comfort. O, Lord! my God and Father, Thou faithful God, hear my prayer, that I may continue to be and remain Thy child and temple, now and eternally. Permit me not to fall into error and vice against my conscience. Save me from blood guiltiness and from all evil. May I ever rejoice in Thy Word, that I may willingly hear the same, read and ponder over it and that I may therewith serve and benefit others, that I may speak of it day and night, and proclaim Thy righteousness and glory continually; and I will love, adore, praise, thank and serve Thee, my God and Lord, and Thy dear Son, my Saviour Jesus Christ, together with the Holy Ghost, now and in all eternity with all angels and men. Amen.

37. Prayer for Reconciliation with our Neighbor.

Gracious Jesus, through Thy grace I have prepared myself and am about to seek the forgiveness of my sins in private confession; but I remember, that Thou hast said and earnestly commanded: if thou bring thy gift before the altar and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee: leave there thy gift before the altar and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift. Now I have unfortunately fallen into misunderstanding and variance with my neighbor, hence do Thou so bestow upon me Thy grace and so overrule my heart, that I may be willing to be reconciled with him. I acknowledge the hardness of my heart and confess that it is hard for me to subdue my flesh and blood and to banish all anger and revenge. But it is my hope, yea, my prayer, that Thou, Lord, wilt take away my stony heart and grant unto me a heart of flesh, that is: a loving, reconciled heart, and cause me to love my enemy, to bless him that curses me, to do good unto those, that hate me, and to pray for those who despitefully abuse and persecute me. O! may I meditate upon that judgment and that terrible account which I must give unto Thee, that I may renounce that enmity which designs death and destruction, and according to Thy commandment become reconciled with my adversary whilst I am in the way with him, and never more permit the sun to go down upon my wrath. And as I, in Thy name, pardon and forgive all those, who have offended me, so let me find all those, whom I have grieved and irritated, ready with a willing heart, to pardon and forgive my offences against them. O, Jesus! forgive all our sins, and govern our hearts, that we may live with each other in a christian and peaceful manner and that we may praise Thy name here in time, until in heaven we shall glorify Thee forever. Amen.

Brief Instruction concerning the Holy Supper.

Why do you desire to go to the Holy Supper? This question each one should lay before his conscience before he approaches the Lord's table. For there are not a few who are either altogether obtuse and thoughtless, or they come to the Holy Supper with an entirely wrong intention. Some will go from mere custom, others because they are admonished to do so by their parents, others because they consider the partaking of the Lord's Supper a work of merit, and still others because they wish to acquire and preserve the appearance and name of pious Christians before men. It is no wonder that such partakers of the Holy Supper receive no blessings from it, and that they become the more wicked, the longer they so continue.

A communicant who desires to receive the Holy Supper unto his salvation, must, in the first place, clearly understand what the Holy Supper is and for what Christ has instituted it, and, in the second place, he must have a penitent heart.