1 John 2:1–6 (ESV)Christ Our Advocate2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLagAYtq1md1yQtJ3DwVhdVUu0RnmQoWQy This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastorschultz.substack.com

1 John 1:5–10 (ESV)Walking in the Light5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.Follow on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLagAYtq1md1yQtJ3DwVhdVUu0RnmQoWQy This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastorschultz.substack.com

1 John 1:1–4 (NKJV)What Was Heard, Seen, and Touched1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastorschultz.substack.com

MEDITATION XXXVIICHASTITYChrist’s Mind is the Abode of Purity.IF thou wouldst be a true disciple of Christ, thou shouldst cultivate a holy chastity. God, thy most indulgent heavenly Father, is of a pure and holy mind, and thou oughtest to call upon Him with prayers that come from a pure heart. A certain wise man* said that chastity of body and purity of spirit are the two keys of religion and happiness. If the body is not kept pure and chaste, it will scarcely be possible for the soul to glow with a holy fervor in prayer. “Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:19). We must guard it then with the greatest care, so that we defile not this dwelling-place of the Holy Spirit. “Our members are the members of Christ” (1 Cor. 6:15); we must take good heed, then, that we pollute not these members of Christ. Let us cling unto the Lord in faith and purity, that we may be one spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6:17). The Sodomites burning with lust were struck by the Lord with blindness (Gen. 19:11), a punishment that evidently affected both body and soul; and the same punishment is still meted out to the impure. The Lord rained brimstone and fire out of heaven and destroyed those lustful Sodomites (Gen. 19:24); so shall God enkindle the lust that now burns in the heart of the lecher into an eternal flame; nor shall this fire ever be extinguished, but “the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever” (Rev. 14:11). “Without are dogs” (Rev. 22:15); that is, outside the heavenly Jerusalem, and excluded from it are the impure and the lustful. Christ hath washed us in His own precious blood in the holy Sacrament of Baptism; and, oh, we must take the utmost care that we pollute not ourselves with unholy lusts. A sense of natural shame makes ungodly men blush to commit these lustful sins in the sight of their fellowmen; but, alas! they blush not to commit them in the sight of God and of holy angels. No walls can conceal our deeds from the eyes of God, which glow with a light above that of the sun. No corners or recesses are so small as to exclude the presence of the holy angels. No retreat can secure us from the accusations of a guilty conscience. It is strange that the flames of wantonness should ascend, as it were, to the very heavens, whilst the stench of its foulness sinks to the very depths of hell. Such brief and fleeting pleasure will be followed by eternal torment. The pleasure of lust is momentary, its torture is everlasting. Oh, let the memory of Him who was crucified for thee crucify thy sinful flesh within thee. Let the thought of the fires of hell extinguish the fires of unholy passion, and thy tears of penitence quench the flames of lust in thee. Let divine fear so control thy flesh that carnal love may not lead thee astray. Bear in mind that the desire of lust is full of trouble and madness, that the act itself is abominably disgraceful; and that its consequences are shame and remorse. Look not upon the deceitful face of the devil inciting thee to lust, but think rather of the stings of conscience that will torment those who yield to him. Think not of the passing pleasure thou mayest enjoy, but rather of the lasting condemnation thou shalt suffer for sin. Cultivate a love for the knowledge found in the Holy Scriptures, and thou wilt not love the vices of the flesh. Always be busied with some work, that when the tempter approaches thee he may find thee fully occupied. David was led astray by him at a time when he was unoccupied (2 Sam. 11:2); and Joseph on the contrary could not be led astray, because he was busily employed when the tempter came to him (Gen. 39:9).Remember that death is threatening thee every hour of thy life, and then thou wilt easily spurn all carnal desires. Love temperance, and thou wilt easily overcome base passions. A stomach inflamed with wine speedily arouses lustful desires. Chastity is imperiled by luxurious living. If then thou pamperest thy body with luxuries, thou art nourishing within thyself an enemy that may destroy thy soul. Our flesh is to be so cared for that it may serve our highest welfare; it must be so subdued as not to become proud. Keep in mind the terrors of the judgment, and thou wilt easily quench the fervor of lust. If the hidden things of our hearts shall be brought to light at the judgment (1 Cor. 4:5), how much more then those things done in secret! Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment (Matt. 12:36); how much more then for our foul and unchaste words! And if we must give account for these, how much more for our foul and unchaste deeds! The accusation against thee there will be just as long as thy life has been here. Thine accusers there will be just as many as thy sins have been here. Those thoughts which have become bad by our familiar use of them will not go unexamined at the judgment. What advantage is there then in concealing thy sins of lust for awhile from the eyes of men, when after awhile at the judgment they must be brought to light before the assembled universe? What advantage after all in escaping the tribunal of the earthly judge, since by no possibility canst thou escape that of the Judge above? Thou canst not bribe that Judge, for He is most just; thou canst not then move Him by thy prayers, for He is very strict; thou canst not then escape His province or jurisdiction, for He is all-powerful; nor canst thou deceive Him with vain excuses, for He is all-wise; nor canst thou appeal from the sentence He pronounces upon thee, for He is the Supreme Judge. His judgment will be according to the truth; it will be publicly proclaimed; it will be executed with the strictest severity.Therefore, O my soul, devoted to God, let the terrors of this awful Judge be continually before thine eyes, so thou shalt not be led astray by the fire of lust Be as the fragrant rose in thy love, as the lowly violet in thy humility, as the spotless lily in thy chastity. Learn of Christ (Matt. 11:29), thy spiritual Spouse, humility and purity of life. Great is the dignity of chastity, because it was consecrated in the body of Christ; great is its dignity also, because it helps us while living in the flesh to live above the flesh. As there is nothing baser than to live under the dominion of the flesh, so there is nothing more glorious than to live with the flesh in entire subjection to us. Not only must we avoid external acts of lust, but impure thoughts as well, because God judgeth not only our external acts, but also the secret thoughts of our hearts. We may often do violence to our piety by a sinful look simply, and to our chastity by the lust of the eye. “Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matt. 5:28). How difficult may be the struggle in this respect, but, oh, how glorious will be the victory! It is difficult to restrain the fires of lust; it excites the young, it inflames the youth, it wearies the old and decrepit, it spurns not the hut of the poor, it respects not the palace of the rich. But the more difficult the struggle, the more glorious will be the final victory! The very first impulses to impurity must be at once checked, nor must we add fuel to the flame by indulging in evil thoughts. Although the Apostle bids us struggle against all other vices, yet in respect of this sin he enjoins upon us not to fight it, but to flee from it. “Flee fornication” (1 Cor. 6:18), he says. If a strange beggar comes to our doors, with feigned simplicity of manner for the sake of imposing upon us, and we refuse him admittance, he goes away; but if we admit him to our home, he becomes our guest, he gradually grows bolder and more presumptuous, until at length, if we allow him, he becomes our master; and so unholy passion assails us; if we give it no encouragement it speedily withdraws. If thou wouldst not have this hated enemy rule thee, receive it not into the home of thy heart.Preserve us, O God, in holiness of mind and in purity of body!Johann Gerhard, Gerhard’s Sacred Meditations, trans. C. W. Heisler (Philadelphia, PA: Lutheran Publication Society, 1896). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastorschultz.substack.com

Luther’s House Postils along with many other free resources can be found at Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastorschultz.substack.com

MEDITATION XXXVITRUE CHARITYLove is the Seal of the Saint!TRUE and sincere love is an unfailing characteristic of the godly soul. There is no Christian without faith, and no faith without love. When the heart glows not with love, there can be no true and fervent faith. Thou canst just as easily rob the sun of its light as separate love from faith. Love is an external exhibition of the real inward life of the Christian. The body without breath is dead, and so faith without love is dead (James 2:26). “Now if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Rom. 8:9). And the man who exercises not the gift of love, has not the spirit of Christ, for the fruit of the spirit is love (Gal. 5:22). A good tree is known by its fruits (Matt. 7:16). Love is the bond of Christian perfectness (Col. 3:14). As the members of the human body are joined together in a living organism through the spirit, that is, the soul, so all the members of the mystical body of Christ are united by the bond of love through the Holy Spirit. In Solomon’s temple all things within and without were overlaid with pure gold; so in the spiritual temple of God all should be adorned with true love (1 Kings 6:21). Let love move thy heart to compassion and thy hands to bountiful gifts; compassion alone is not enough, if it be unaccompanied with the gifts; nor will the gifts alone do, if thy heart go not with them. Faith receives all things from God; love, on the other hand, gives all its own to its neighbor. By faith we are made partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), but God is love (1 John 4:16). Let no one think then that true faith dwells in the heart, whose love does not show itself in outward act. One who truly believes in Christ loves Him also, and thus loving Him, he will love his neighbor as well. And if a man refuse to render due and loving service to his neighbor, he evidently has not yet laid hold of Christ in true and hearty confidence. No deed is truly good that does not proceed from faith (Rom. 14:23); nor is it truly good if it does not also proceed from love, for love is the root of all virtues, and there is no good spiritual fruit but that which springs from this root of love. Love is the soul’s spiritual relish; it alone extracts sweetness out of all the good, all the arduous, all the adverse, all the wearisome things of this life. It makes death even most blessedly sweet to the godly soul, “for love is strong as death” (Cant. 8:6), nay, even stronger than death, for love led our Lord Jesus Christ to die for us. Aye, love so inspires the souls of the pious that they do not hesitate to yield up their lives for the love of Christ. All that God does He does out of love, even when He punishes His children, and so all that the Christian does he should do out of a heart filled with love. In all the works of His hands God displays to us His love. The sun and the stars shine not for themselves, but for us; and the herbs of the field do not possess medicinal properties for their own sakes, but for us; the air, water, and all the brute creation, are subservient to man’s highest interests. Go thou then and do likewise in ministering to thy neighbor.Though thou hast the gift of tongues yet without love it profits thee nothing (1 Cor. 13:1), for this gift without love will simply puff thee up with pride, but love edifies (1 Cor. 8:1). The gift to understand all mysteries without love profits thee nothing (1 Cor. 13:2), for these mysteries are known even to Satan, but love belongs only to the truly pious soul. Though thou hast all faith to remove mountains, yet without love thou art nothing (1 Cor. 13:2), for such faith works miracles but is not saving. Love is superior to the gift of working miracles; for the former is the indubitable mark of a true Christian, while the latter is imparted even to the ungodly. And though thou bestowest all thy goods to feed the poor, yet without love it will profit thee nothing (1 Cor. 13:3); for the external act of charity is hypocritical if there be not true love in the heart. Rivers of benevolence profit nothing if they do not have their rise in the fountain of love. “Love suffereth long” (1 Cor. 13:4), for we are not easily angered with those whom we truly love. “Love is kind” (1 Cor. 13:4), for if one has already given his own heart, the very best gift of his soul, how can he refuse these lesser external gifts? “Love envieth not” (1 Cor. 13:4), because it looks upon another’s good as its own. “Love vaunteth not itself” (1 Cor. 13:4), for no one easily injures one whom he truly and heartily loves. “Love is not puffed up” (1 Cor. 13:4), because by love we are all made members of one body, but one member does not prefer itself to another. “Love doth not behave itself unseemly” (1 Cor. 13:5), for only a wrathful man so acts, while true love curbs our wrath. “Love seeketh not her own” (1 Cor. 13:5), because love prefers the object of its love to itself, and seeks its advantage rather than its own. “Love is not easily provoked” (1 Cor. 13:5), for all anger springs from pride, while love in self-abasement casts itself down below others. “Love thinketh no evil” (1 Cor. 13:5), for if we are known to have evil designs against any one we give sure proof that we do not yet love him. “Love rejoiceth not in iniquity” (1 Cor. 13:6), because love makes the misery of others its own. “Love beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things” (1 Cor. 13:7), for what love desires for itself it does not refuse to others. “Love never faileth; but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away” (1 Cor. 13:8), but any imperfections that inhere in it in this life shall all be removed in the future life, and then its very perfections shall be augmented. God directed that two altars should be erected in the ancient tabernacle, and fire was carried from the outer altar to the one within. God has also a two-fold Church, the Church militant upon earth, and the Church triumphant in heaven; and the fire of love that burns on the altar of the Church militant shall by and by be transferred to the altar of the Church triumphant above.In view of all this, O devout soul, strive after a holy love; remember that whoever thy neighbor may be, Christ was willing to die for him (Rom. 14:15). Why then shouldst thou refuse thy love to him for whom Christ Himself hesitated not to die? If thou truly lovest God thou oughtest also to love one formed in His image. We are all one spiritual body (Eph. 4:4); let us therefore be of one spiritual mind. It is not right that we who shall one day live together in heaven, should live at variance with each other here. Being of the same mind in Christ, let us also have the same will in Him. We are all servants of the same Lord (Eph. 4:5); it is not right then for us to be at variance among ourselves. A member of the body which does not participate in the suffering of its fellow-member must be dead; nor let that man regard himself as a true member of the mystical body of Christ, who does not sympathize with another suffering member. There is “one God and Father of all” (Eph. 4:6), whom thou dost daily address as “Our Father,” as Christ has taught us (Matt. 6:9); now how will He recognize thee as His son, unless thou, on thy part, dost recognize His sons as thy brethren? Love a man commended to thee by God if he is worthy, on account of his worth; but if he is unworthy, love him at any rate, for the very reason that God who claims thy obedience is worthy. By loving thine enemy thou wilt show thyself a friend of God. Regard not what the man may do to thee, but what thou hast thus done to God. Regard not the injuries that thine enemy inflicts upon thee, but rather keep in mind the blessings which He confers upon thee who bids thee love thine enemy (Matt. 5:44). We are neighbors here on earth by virtue of our common human birth; we are brothers in the common possession of a hope of the heavenly inheritance. Let us then love one another.Enkindle in our hearts, O God, the flame of love, by thy Holy Spirit!Johann Gerhard, Gerhard’s Sacred Meditations, trans. C. W. Heisler (Philadelphia, PA: Lutheran Publication Society, 1896). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastorschultz.substack.com

MEDITATION XXXVAVOIDING AVARICEWho is a Really Poor Man? The Avaricious Man.As we love the salvation of our souls, we ought to hate the sin of avarice. The avaricious man is the poorest of all men, because what he has fails him as much as what he has not. He is the most distressed of all, because he is good to no one, and worst towards himself. The beginning of all sin is pride; the root of all evil is avarice (1 Tim. 6:10). Pride draws the soul away from God; avarice turns it to created things. Riches are acquired by the sweat of the brow; they are held in possession in constant fear; cause bitter pain if lost; and what is worse than all, the labors of avaricious men will not only perish, but they are deadly in their effects upon their souls. Riches will either desert thee or thou them. If, therefore, thy hope is placed in riches, what will become of that hope in the hour of death? How wilt thou trust thine immortal soul to God, if thou dost not trust the care of thy body to Him now? Thou art an object of care to Almighty God, why dost thou doubt His power to sustain thee? Thou art an object of care to the All-wise God; why dost thou doubt His willingness to sustain thee? Thou art an object of care to the most bountiful God; why again dost thou doubt whether He is willing to sustain thee? Thou hast the solemn pledge of Christ, the Lord of all things in heaven and on earth, that if we “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all these things shall be added unto us” (Matt. 6:33). Trust this promise of Christ, it will not fail; for He is “the Truth” (John 14:6). Avarice is the height of idolatry (Col. 3:5), because it puts the creature in the place of God the Creator. The avaricious man transfers the confidence that he ought to repose in God to the things of earth, the work of His hands. Whatever is loved more than God is preferred to God, and is hence put in the place of God. Esau sold his birthright for a mess of pottage (Gen. 25:33). And thus many, for the sake of mere temporal good, will part with their heavenly inheritance bestowed upon them by Christ Himself. Judas sold his Lord for thirty pieces of silver (Matt. 26:15); and the avaricious likewise sell the grace of Christ for earthly riches. How can one filling himself daily with swine’s husks aspire to the kingdom of heaven? How can one lift up his heart to God, who seeks peace of soul in the riches of this world?Christ, the Truth, says that riches are as thorns (Matt. 13:22), and hence he who loves riches loves thorns. O these thorns, in how many souls do they choke the good seed! As the thorns spring up and hinder the growth of the good seed sown, so does the anxiety for riches hinder the spiritual fruit of the Word. As thorns pierce the body, so riches distract the mind with cares. Thou too wilt perish, if thou gatherest together only such treasures as will perish. Those who lay up treasures upon the earth are like people who store their fruits in damp places under ground, forgetting that there they will most quickly decay. How foolish are they whose only desires are for worldly riches! How can any material object satisfy the soul, which is spiritual in its nature, since rather the spiritual nature, by the very law of its own being, bears such a relation to material objects that it never could be satisfied with any quantity of them? Thy soul was created for eternity; thou wouldst do it an injury then, if thou shouldst confine its desires to objects that are temporal and transient in character. The more thy soul rises in its love to God, the less will it love riches.“The fowls of the air sow not, neither do they reap” (Matt. 6:26); in the case of these lower creatures of God’s hands, it almost seems as if the nearer the sky they dwell, the less do they desire, and the less do they lay up. It is a good indication that our souls are fixing their affections on things above, when we lightly value and despise the perishing things of earth. Mice and reptiles gather in holes and caves of the earth, because they are of a lower order of nature than the birds of the air. And it is a certain sign that our souls have forsaken God and are fixed upon earthly things, if we love riches inordinately. God hath given thee thy soul, and canst thou not commit the care of thy body to Him? God feeds the fowls of the air, and dost thou doubt His willingness to sustain thee who art made in His own image? God clothes the lilies of the field, and dost thou doubt that He will also clothe thee? We ought to be ashamed that, with faith and reason, we can not exercise the same trustful dependence upon God that the birds do, with only natural instinct. They sow not, neither do they reap, but with an instinctive trust commit the care of their little bodies to God.But an avaricious man will not trust the word of the Most High God, till he himself sees whence his daily bread is coming. This is very unreasonable in him, because he brought nothing with him into the world; and yet he is bent upon the acquisition of worldly riches, as though he would carry with him out of this world as much as he possibly could lay hold of. The avaricious man is most ungrateful, because he enjoys so many of God’s blessed gifts, and yet never gratefully and trustfully turns his heart to the Giver of all these. He is a most stupidly foolish man, because he forsakes God, the only true Good, and sets his heart upon those things which, without the grace of God, cannot possibly be good. He whose heart is bound up in these earthly things does not really possess them, but is possessed by them.The spirit of avarice is not destroyed either by plenty or want. Dire want diminishes it not, for the inability to obtain what he wants merely whets the desire of the avaricious man. Neither does an abundance of this world’s goods diminish it; for the more the avaricious man obtains the more he wants. As soon as one desire is gratified others immediately spring up, just as the more wood you heap on a fire the more fiercely it burns. Avariciousness is like a mountain torrent, very small in its beginning, but enlarging and gathering new force as it rolls down the mountain side. Set due bounds, therefore, to thy desire for wealth, lest it drag thee down into eternal perdition. Many greedily devour in this life what they must afterwards digest in hell. And many others, while they are still thirsting for filthy lucre, run headlong into instant destruction.As thou considerest these things, O devout soul, avoid, as much as thou possibly canst, an avaricious spirit. Nothing of all thy worldly store canst thou carry with thee to the judgment-bar of God, except what thou hast given away to the poor. Withhold not thy frail and perishing goods from the poor, for whom the blessed Christ refused not to give His life. Give to the poor, that thou mayest give to thyself; for what thou hast not thus given in Christian charity another will have. Far too avaricious is that man for whom the Lord Himself suffices not; nor has he a sure hope of heaven, who so highly values the perishing things of earth. How can he lay down his life for his brother (1 John 3:16), who denies his brother the little temporal gifts he begs of him? What we place in the hands of a poor man we really lay up as a treasure in heaven, that it perish not on the earth. Wouldst thou offer a pleasing service to Christ thy Saviour? Show kindness to the poor. What we do to the members of His mystical body, Christ receives as done to Himself (Matt. 25:40). Christ is saying to thee: “Give to Me of that which I have given of Myself to thee; do good with the good thou hast, that thou mayest bring more good to thyself. Give bountifully of thine earthly possessions that thou mayest more truly preserve them; for by hoarding them as a miser thou wilt really lose them.” Heed now the warning of Christ, that thou mayest not be obliged to hear Him saying to thee at the judgment: “Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire; * * * for I was an hungered, and ye gave Me no meat” (Matt. 25:41, 42). The giving of alm s is like sowing good seed; and if thou sowest sparingly, thou shalt reap also sparingly; if thou sowest bountifully, thou shalt reap also bountifully (1 Cor. 9:6; Gal. 6:8). If thou wouldst be among those on the right hand of thy Lord on that great day, show the kindly spirit He commends in them. Let the sad fate of those on His left hand strike fear into thy heart, because they are there not for doing evil so much as for not doing good.O God, “incline my heart unto Thy testimonies, and not to covetousness” (Ps. 119:36)!Johann Gerhard, Gerhard’s Sacred Meditations, trans. C. W. Heisler (Philadelphia, PA: Lutheran Publication Society, 1896). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastorschultz.substack.com

MEDITATION XXXIVTHE CULTIVATION OF TRUE HUMILITYWhat is Man? What is a Bubble? They are alike Nothing.CONSIDER, O faithful soul, the lowly condition of man, and thou wilt the more easily avoid all temptation to pride. He enters the world as a helpless infant; his passage through it is attended with constant miseries, and he leaves it in tears. All his life long, he is assaulted by evil spirits, assailed by temptations, allured by worldly pleasures, cast down by tribulations, robbed of his virtues, and entangled in the meshes of evil habits. Why then should he be proud, since he is but dust and ashes? What was thy body before thy birth? Merely a corrupt seed. What is it in life? A living mass of corruption. And what will it be after death? It will simply serve as a repast for worms. If there is anything good in thee, it is not thine own, but of God. Nothing is thine own but thy sins; of all that is in thee, then, these are all thou canst claim. Foolish and faithless is that servant who would personally pride himself upon what belongs to his master.Consider, O man, the example of Christ. All the glory of heaven was at His command, nay more, He Himself alone is true Glory, and yet He casts away from Himself all worldly glory as worthless. And then He says: “Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matt. 11:29). He who truly loves Christ will imitate Him; and if Christ be precious to Him, so will His humility also. Let the proud and haughty servant blush in confusion when he considers that the Lord of glory is so humble. Our Saviour calls Himself “The Lily of the Valley” (Cant. 2:1); and He seems to use this figure because He, the noblest of flowers, grows and flourishes, not on the lofty mountain tops, that is, in hearts lifted up with pride, but in the humbler vales, that is, in the lowly and contrite minds of the godly. For truly the humble soul is the seat and couch of Christ, where He delights to make His abode, as St. Augustine puts it. True grace does not make one proud, but humble. Thou art not yet a partaker of the true grace of God, if thou walkest not in humility of heart. The streams of divine grace flow downwards, not upwards. As nature’s streams seek the lowlands, so those of divine grace flow down into lowly hearts. The Psalmist says: The Lord our God dwelleth on high, and beholdeth the humble things in heaven and on earth (Ps. 113:5, 6). It is indeed wonderful that we can approach God, the highest and greatest of all beings, only in an humble spirit. He who is lowly in his own eyes, is great in God’s sight; he who is displeasing to himself, is pleasing to God. Out of nothing God created the heavens and the earth. As it was in man’s creation, so it is in his regeneration; He creates him out of nothing (Heb. 11:3); He re-creates him out of nothing. That thou mayest therefore become a partaker of God’s grace in regeneration and renewal, be nothing in thine own eyes, give no honor to thyself, claim nothing for thyself. We are all weak and frail, but judge no one more so than thyself. It will do thee no harm, in extreme humility, to judge thyself weaker and more insignificant than all others; but it will harm thee, to regard thyself in self-sufficient pride as superior to any one else. The four and twenty elders, that is, the whole triumphant Church of God, cast their crowns before the throne (Rev. 4:4, 10), and ascribe righteousness and glory to God. What then shall a poor unworthy sinner do? The seraphim and holy angels veil their faces in the presence of the divine majesty (Is. 6:2); what then shall we do, creatures so sinful, so unworthy, and so displeasing in a multitude of ways to our Creator? Christ the true and only begotten Son of God, in a marvelous display of humility, descended from heaven and took upon Himself our frail human nature, “and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8). Oh, what then shall we do to exhibit our humility, who have gone so far astray from God through our sins and iniquities?Behold, O faithful soul, how thy Saviour hath rebuked thy pride, by that stupendous exhibition of humility! And in the face of this wouldst thou still lift up thy soul with pride? Christ entered into His glory by the lowly path of His bitter passion (Luke 24:26), and dost thou think that thou canst enter into that heavenly glory by the highway of pride? The devil was cast out of the kingdom of heaven for his pride, and dost thou, when thou art not yet in that world of glory, strive after it in pride and haughtiness of spirit? Adam for his pride was driven out of paradise (Gen. 3:24); and dost thou think to enter the heavenly paradise by way of the same pride? Let us rather desire to take the servant’s place with Christ, and even wash the feet of others, as He did, than to live a life of worldly honor in company with Satan. Let us humble ourselves in this life that we may be exalted in the life that is to come. Ever consider, O faithful soul, not what thou hast, but what thou lackest. Far rather grieve for the virtues which thou hast not, than glory over those which thou hast. Rather conceal thy virtues, and make known thy sins, for indeed it is to be feared that if thou dost openly boast of thy treasure of good works, the devil may rob thee of it through thy pride. Thou canst preserve burning coals by covering them over with ashes. And so the fire of our love to God is never more securely guarded than when it is buried under the ashes of true humility. Pride is the seed of all sin. Take good heed then that thou exalt not thyself, lest thou fall headlong into a dark abyss of sin. A proud heart is a most delightful retreat for the devil; beware then of pride lest through it thou shouldst put thy poor soul under bondage to him. Pride is a scorching wind drying up the fountains of divine grace in the heart; beware then of lifting up thyself with pride, lest thou deprive thyself of the influences of God’s grace.O blessed Christ, do Thou graciously heal the swelling pride of our hearts. May we rest our hopes of eternal life on the merit of Thy holy humility! May that humility be the pattern of our lives! May our faith more firmly lay hold of Thy humility, and our lives be ever fashioned after Thy lowly life!Johann Gerhard, Gerhard’s Sacred Meditations, trans. C. W. Heisler (Philadelphia, PA: Lutheran Publication Society, 1896). This is a public episode. 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MEDITATION XXXIIIPURITY OF CONSCIENCEA Conscience void of offence is light to the Soul.IN all thou doest, guard carefully thy conscience. If the devil incites thee to the commission of any sin, honor its judgment. If thou fearest to sin in the presence of thy fellow-men, much more should thine own conscience restrain thee from sinning. This inward witness against thee is of more force than any outward testimony. Although thy sins may escape the notice and condemnation of men, yet thou never canst escape the inward testimony of thy conscience. Thy conscience will be one of those books, of which Revelation speaks, that are to be opened at the great judgment day (Rev. 20:12, 15). The first book is that of Divine Omniscience, in which shall plainly appear the deeds, the words, the thoughts of all men of all times and all climes. The second book is Christ Himself, the Book of Life; and whosoever, by true faith, is found written in this book shall be conducted by the holy angels into the heavenly assembly. The Holy Scriptures are the third book, according to which our faith and works shall be judged. “The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48), says our Saviour. The fourth book contains the external testimony of the poor whom we may have aided, who in the day of judgment shall receive us into everlasting habitations (Luke 16:9). The fifth book contains the internal testimony of conscience, in which are written all our sins. A large volume is conscience, and in it all our deeds have been inscribed with the pen of truth. The wicked cannot deny their sins in the judgment, because they will be convicted by the testimony of their own consciences. Nor will they be able to escape the accusation of their own sins, because the judgment-seat of conscience is within them, in the privacy of their own being, which they cannot evade.A pure conscience is as a shining mirror, in which one beholds himself and God. But if the sight be dimmed it cannot see the splendor of the True Light. Hence our Saviour says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). We take delight in a pure and beautiful face, and so a pure and guiltless conscience is pleasing in the eyes of God; but a corrupted conscience brings forth “the worm that dieth not.” This “worm of conscience” we ought to perceive and destroy in this life, and not nourish it, through our sins, into immortality.To correct this book of conscience all the others have been devised. Of what avail will superior knowledge be to us, if our conscience is impure? Not out of the book of knowledge, but out of that of conscience, thou wilt one day be judged before God’s throne. If thou wouldst write this book correctly, write it after the pattern of the Book of Life, and that is Christ Jesus Himself. Let thy profession of faith be conformed to Christ’s rule of doctrine, and the whole course of thy life to His rule of life. Thou wilt have a good conscience, if thou art pure in heart, true in word, honest in deed. Use thy conscience as a light to direct thee in all thy deeds; for it will truly show thee what thou oughtest to do and what thou oughtest not to do. Avoid a trial at the bar of thine own conscience; for here thou must appear at the same time as defendant and plaintiff, as witness and judge, as the torturer, as the prison, as the scourge, as the executor, as the hangman. Pray how canst thou escape, when thine own conscience is the accusing witness against thee, and nothing can be concealed from Him who judges thee? What profits it though all men praise thee, if thy conscience accuses thee? And, on the other hand, what can possibly prejudice thy case if thou hast the testimony of a good conscience? This one judge alone is sufficient to accuse, to judge, to condemn every single individual. This judge is impartial, and cannot be turned aside by entreaties nor bribed with gifts. Whithersoever thou goest, wherever thou art, thou bearest thy conscience with thee, and it carefully guards whatever thou committest to its keeping, whether it be good or bad. What it thus receives it preserves for thee while living, and faithfully restores to thee when thou art dead. Truly a man’s foes are those of his own household (Matt. 10:36); so in thine own personal house, and from thine own personal family, thou hast thine own accusers, thine own spies upon thy conduct, thine own torturers for thine evil deeds. What can it profit thee to live in plenty and affluence, if thou art tortured with the scourge of thine own evil conscience? The springs of human happiness and misery are in the soul itself. What good does it do one burning with fever to lie on a golden bed? What joy can treasures of external happiness afford to one who is tormented by the flames of a guilty conscience?As thou carest for thine eternal salvation, so guard thy conscience; for if a good conscience is lost, faith is also lost; and faith lost means the grace of God lost; and the grace of God lost, how canst thou hope for eternal life?. According to the testimony of thy conscience thou mayst look for the judgment of Christ. Sinners shall become their own accusers; no one need bring a charge against them. Just as a drunkard while filling himself with wine is not sensible of its evil effects, but when he awakes from his drunken stupor suffers the miseries of his debauch; so while sin is being committed it darkens the mind and clouds the better judgment; but when conscience is at last aroused it torments us more severely than any other accuser possibly could. There are three judgments; the world’s, thine own, and God’s judgment. But as thou canst not escape thine own judgment so thou canst not that of God, although thou mayst at times avoid the world’s judgment. The most massive walls cannot hinder this witness beholding all thy deeds. What excuse canst thou offer in thy defense, when thy conscience within thee condemns thee?A quiet conscience is the very beginning of eternal life; thou wilt more truly rejoice in the hardships of life with a good conscience than amidst all its pleasures with a guilty one. Against all the malice of wicked men thou canst appeal to a conscience void of offense. Question thyself closely concerning thyself, because thou knowest thyself far better than any one else knows thee. At the last judgment what will all the insincere praises of others profit thee, or how will all their false detractions harm thee? Thou wilt then stand or fall by the judgment of God and of thyself, and not on the testimony of others. Conscience never dies, as the soul never dies. So long as the lost suffer the torments of hell, so long shall the accusations of a guilty conscience continue. Material fire cannot so severely afflict the body as the flames of a guilty conscience can torture the soul. Eternal is the soul which burns in the fires of hell, and eternal is the fire of conscience which burns in the soul. No scourge can fall upon the body with such awful severity as the lashes of a guilty conscience upon a lost soul. Therefore flee the guilt of sin, that thou mayst escape the torments of conscience. Erase, by sincere repentance, thy sins from the book of conscience, lest they be read against thee in the dreadful day of judgment, and in horror thou hearest the voice of God pronounce thy doom. By the fervor of thy devotion destroy the worm of conscience, lest its horrible sting torment thee forever and ever. By thy penitential tears extinguish the flames of a guilty conscience, that thou mayst enjoy the delights of heavenly consolation.O Lord Jesus, grant that we may fight the good fight (2 Tim. 4:7), holding faith and a good conscience, so that at last we may reach our heavenly fatherland in safety and in peace!Johann Gerhard, Gerhard’s Sacred Meditations, trans. C. W. Heisler (Philadelphia, PA: Lutheran Publication Society, 1896). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastorschultz.substack.com

MEDITATION XXXIITRUE PEACE OF SOULThe Mind that Rests in the Lord is at Peace.THE soul often seeks rest and peace in transitory and worldly things, but finds them not. And why? Because the soul is of far more worth than all created things; it cannot therefore find the rest and peace it seeks in these meaner objects. All things of earth are fleeting and transitory; but the soul is immortal; how then can it find peace in these? All these are of the earth earthy, but our souls are of heavenly origin, how then could these satisfy its holy desires? In Christ alone it finds the peace it seeks (Matt. 11:29); He only can satisfy and fully meet its immortal desires. Against the holy wrath of God, it quietly rests in the wounds of Christ the Saviour; against the accusations of Satan in the almighty power of Christ; against the terrors of the law in the gospel of Christ; against her accusing sins in the precious blood of Christ, that speaketh better things in the presence of God than the blood of Abel (Heb. 12:24); against the fear of death it reposes in joyful confidence in the intercession of Christ at the right hand of the Father above. And so faith finds rest in Christ; but our love also finds there its most blessed repose. If we set our hearts upon earthly things, we shall not have this true peace, because these earthly things themselves do not have it, nor can they possibly satisfy the longings of the soul, because they are finite, whilst our souls, made in the image of God, ardently long for that Infinite Good, in whom all good things are. As then our faith ought to rely upon nothing in all the world but the merit of Christ alone, so also our love should be set upon no earthly object, not even upon ourselves. The love of self hinders the love of God, and we ought to prefer that love to all things else. Our soul is the bride of Christ (2 Cor. 11:2); it ought then to cling to Him alone. Our soul is the temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16), and hence it ought to be the dwelling-place of God alone.Many seek for rest of soul in earthly riches, but out of Christ it cannot be found; where Christ is, there is poverty if not in outward reality, at least in spirit and feeling. When on earth, the Lord of heaven and earth did not have where to lay His head (Matt. 8:20); and thus He would commend and consecrate the life of poverty we may be called upon to lead. Riches are something external to us; but the soul can look for true peace only within itself. And in the hour of death when all earthly things must be given up, to whom will thy soul then cling? Either riches desert us or we them; frequently this occurs in life, and always at death. Where then will thy soul find the peace and rest for which it longs?Many hope to find rest in pleasure. Now pleasure may afford a certain rest and joy to the body for awhile, but not to the soul, and at the last it is always attended by pain and grief. Pleasure has respect to this life; but the soul is not created for this life alone, since at death it is obliged to leave it for another life; how then can it find true rest in pleasure? Out of Christ thou canst find no true peace for thy soul. But what was the life of Christ in this respect? All His life from His birth to His death was one of deepest sorrow. So He, who could rightly estimate the value of all earthly things, would teach us how to regard pleasure.Many seek rest in worldly honors. But miserable indeed are they who are dependent for honor upon the fickle winds of popular favor. Honor is an external and short-lived good. But again that which ought to afford rest of soul must be within us. What more canst thou say of human praise and honor, than has been said of that famous picture of Apelles, the Grecian painter? Consider the little corner of the world in which thou art hid; what proportion it bears to the whole province in which thou dwellest, to the whole of Europe, to the whole round world. That only is true honor, which God will by and by bestow upon His elect children. The rest of any natural object is in its end; nor does it rest naturally until it has attained its true end and place. The end of a human soul is God Himself, since it is created indeed in His image. It can never then be at rest and peace, except as it attains the end of its being, that is God. As the life of the body is the soul, so the life of the soul is God; as therefore that soul truly lives in which God graciously dwells, so that soul is spiritually dead in which God dwells not. But how can there be rest to a dead soul? This first death in sin necessarily involves that second death unto eternal damnation (Rev. 20:6).And so it is that these evils without him cannot possibly disturb the rest of soul which he possesses, whose heart is firmly fixed upon God, and who enjoys His blessed divine consolations. In sorrow he is joyful; in poverty he is rich; in the tribulations of this world he is secure; in all the storms and commotions of this life he is tranquil; amidst the abuses and insults of wicked men he is peaceful; and in the hour of death itself he lives. He regards not the threats of tyrants, because in his heart he experiences the rich consolations of Almighty God. In adversity he is not cast down with sorrow, because the Holy Spirit inwardly supports and comforts him. He is not distressed because poor in this world’s goods, for he is rich in the goodness of God. He is not disturbed by the insults of men, because his heart rejoices in the honors God heaps upon him. He cares not for the pleasures of sense, because he has far greater joy in the ministries of the blessed Spirit He seeks not worldly friendships, because he rejoices in the friendship of God reconciled to him through the blood of His Son. He covets not the treasures of earth, because he has a treasure laid up in heaven of priceless value. He fears not death, because he ever lives in God. He does not greatly desire worldly wisdom, because he has the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:20) dwelling within him, teaching him, whose perfect teaching does away with the more imperfect (1 Cor. 13:10). He has no fear of lightnings and tempests, of fire and flood, of direful configurations of the planets, and eclipses of the heavenly luminaries, because exalted above all the powers and forces of nature he reposes calmly in Christ by faith, and lives in holy union with Him. He is not led astray by the allurements of the world, because deep in his soul he hears the far sweeter voice of Christ. He fears not the power of the devil, because he is sensible of God’s forbearance toward him. Christ who lives in him and is the all-powerful conqueror is stronger far than the devil, who busies himself in vain to conquer him. He yields not to the enticements of the flesh, because living in the Spirit of God he experiences the riches of His grace, whose quickening power crucifies and puts to death the sinful flesh (Gal. 5:24). He feels no dread of the accusations of Satan at the last day, because he is assured of the intercessions of Christ in his behalf.And now may He, who is the only author and giver of this true rest, our Lord Jesus Christ, God over all, blessed forevermore, grant it unto our souls!Johann Gerhard, Gerhard’s Sacred Meditations, trans. C. W. Heisler (Philadelphia, PA: Lutheran Publication Society, 1896). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastorschultz.substack.com