“O God, I beseech thy grace; do not impute to me my sins, since Christ atoned for them before I was born. Rom. 5:10. I was thine enemy, and thou hast loved and graciously accepted me, and given for my redemption the innocent blood of thy beloved Son (1 Pet. 1:19), though I still experience in me much molestation from remaining sin, which rises in my flesh. For when I would do good, evil is present with me. Rom. 7:21. For this cause I am sorrowful, and may well sigh and exclaim with the apostle Paul: O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Romans 7:24. And I must reply to myself and say: But thanks be to God, which giveth me the victory through Christ. Thou art my comfort; for if I thus believe with the heart, I can not be condemned. The spirit is willing and ready, but the flesh is weak, so that it cannot fulfill the law of God, until Christ strengthens us with his Spirit. Where human laws reign on earth, there the distressed minds are seduced; yea, where Christ Jesus is not the sole Ruler, that which he does not build, is always torn and broken; and no building can stand, which he does not uphold. Though the world highly esteems other things, they are contemned before God; and hence we all pray together, young and old, great and small, that thou, O God, wouldst have compassion upon us, and send us poor children faithful shepherds and stewards of thy gifts (Matt. 9:38), that all human doctrine may be rooted out; for it is time to truly repent and forsake evil; for the severe judgment of God is at hand. Mark 1:15. Hence let us take our refuge to the chastisement of our Father, and submit ourselves in obedience, that he may chastise us as his children. The world is blinded, does not know the Christian life, abominates it, flees the cross, and thinks it is enough, if they can talk finely of the Christian life, but do little in deed.
“But, my brethren, he that would be a true Christian, must put on Christ (Rom. 13:14), and resemble him in his humble form while on earth, and be of good cheer in everything which happens to him in this world. No external semblance of loving Christ, and of suffering for his name, avails here; we must not be ashamed of him, who first loved us (1 John 4:19), and gave himself for us to an ignominious death. It is in truth not otherwise, than that judgment must first begin at the house of God. 1 Pet. 4:17. Thus the Holy Scripture is now fulfilled, so that the punishment with which the world is to be visited, is ready and at hand; hence no one ought to be negligent; for the sword is drawn, the bow is bent, the arrow laid upon it, and aim is taken.
By this I do not mean that we are to seek any other refuge, than to accept the chastisement of the Father, as has been said above; by which he refines us for that whereunto he has sealed us, that we may be assured of the eternal and imperishable kingdom with him, and forever to possess it with him in life everlasting; to this may God strengthen us all. Amen.”