Special and chosen sermons of D. Martin Luther collected out of his writings and…

Twelfthly, when as a man thus knowing his sin doth wholly tremble in him self, he must especially endeavour, that sins do not still remain in his conscience, otherwise mere desperation will come thereupon, but he must shake them of and cast them upon Christ, and so unburden his conscience. Therefore see again and again that thou do not that which perverse men do, which within the secrets of their hart do vex & disquiet them selves because of their sins, & strive with them, that by good works or satisfactions, by far going on pilgrimage, or else by pardons they may become safe, and may be made free from sins, which can not be. And (alas) such a false confidence in satisfactions and pardons hath prevailed very far.

Twelfthly, when as a man thus knowing his sinne doth wholy tremble in him selfe, he must especially endeuour, that sinnes doe not still remaine in his conscience, otherwise meere desperation will come thereupon, but he must shake them of and cast them vpon Christ, and so vnburden his conscience. Therefore see againe and againe that thou doe not that which peruerse men do, which within the secrets of their hart do vexe & disquiet them selues because of their sinnes, & striue with them, that by good workes or satisfactions, by farre going on pilgrimage, or else by pardons they may become safe, and may be made free from sinnes, which can not be. And (alas) such a false confidence in satisfactions and pardons hath preuailed very farre.

Moreover, then thou doest cast thy sins from thee upon ⟨p. 72⟩Christ,¹ when thou firmly believest that he suffered & was wounded for thy sins, and that he hath paid the full ransom and satisfaction for them, as Isaiah saith chap. 53. The Lord hath thrown upon him all our sins. ²And S. Peter saith: who his own self bare our sins in his body on the tree. S. Paul saith: He hath made him to be sin for us, which knew no sin, that we should be made the righteousness of God in him. In these and such like authorities thou must repose thy hope with all boldness, and that so much the more, as thy conscience doth more grievously vex and trouble thee. But if thou shalt not do this, but presumest that thou shalt be quiet by thy contrition and satisfaction, then thou shalt never come unto quietness, but at the last shalt fall even into desperation. For our sins kept and meddled with within our conscience, and set before the eyes of our hart, are far stronger then we, and do live immortally. But when as we see them laid upon Christ, and to be victoriously conquered of him by his resurrection, and do confidently believe this, then they are dead and brought unto nothing. And yet being laid upon Christ, they must not remain so: for they are swallowed up in the triumph of his resurrection. Soe sayeth Saint Paul: Christ was delivered to death for our sins, and is risen again for our justification, that is, he hath taken upon him our sins in his passion, and hath thereby payed the ransom for them, but by his resurrection he justifieth us, and maketh us free from all sin, if so be that we do believe this.