most unclean. So if you would receive this
sacrament and testament worthily, see to it that you bring
forward these living words of Christ, rely thereon with a strong
faith, and desire what Christ has therein promised you: then it
will be given you, then are you worthy and well prepared. This
faith and confidence must and will make you joyful, and awaken a
bold love for Christ, by means of which you will begin with joy
to lead a really good life and with all your heart to flee from
sin. For he who loves Christ will surely do what pleases Him, and
leave undone what does not please Him. But who will love Him
except he taste the riches of this testament which Christ, out of
pure mercy, has freely bequeathed to poor sinners? This taste
comes by the faith which believes and trusts the testament and
promise. If Abraham had not believed the promise of God he would
never have amounted to anything. Just as certainly, then, as
Abraham, Noah, and David accepted and believed their promises: so
certainly must we also accept and believe this testament and
promise.

[Sidenote: Who is Worthy]

15. Now there are two temptations which never cease to assail
you; the first, that you are entirely unworthy of so rich a
testament, the second, that even were you worthy, the blessing is
so great that human nature is terrified by the greatness of it;
for what do not forgiveness of all sin and eternal life bring
with them? If either of these temptations comes to you, you must,
as I have said, esteem the words of Christ more than such
thoughts. It will not be He that lies to you; your thoughts will
be deceiving you.

Just as though a poor beggar, yea, a very knave, were bequeathed
a thousand _gulden_: he would not demand them because of his
merit or worthiness, nor fail to claim them because of the
greatness of the sum; and if any one should cast up to him his
unworthiness and the greatness of the sum, he would certainly not
allow anything of that sort to frighten him, but would say: "What
is that to you? I know full well that I am unworthy of the
inheritance; I do not demand it on my merits, as though it had
been due me, but on the favor and grace of the testator. If he
did not think it too much to bequeath to me, why should I so
despise myself and not claim and take it?" So also must a timid,
dejected conscience insist, against its own thoughts, upon the
testament of Christ, and be stubborn in firm faith, despite its
own unworthiness and