Consolation Under Lament

"Thus Christ himself calls to me and says, 'Come to me all who are weary and burdened, I will refresh you.' But I am weary and burdened. Thus, I come to the Lord Christ and am certain that he will refresh my body and soul." With such a consolation we conquer the devil in the midst of fears of death and hell. A few years ago a sick man, while he lay in bed alone, and saw the evil enemy visibly come to him. he sat down next to the bed and demanded the sick man tell his sins - of which he was conscious - one after the other. For the devil wanted to record all of them in a register which he had. In such a frightful situation, the poor man answered, "I will tell as many as I know of but first write at the beginning: "The woman's seed will crush the snake's head.'" As soon as the sick man said that, the evil enemy stood up and retreated, leaving behind him a nasty stench in the whole house. This is a true and consoling history."

Nikolaus Selnecker, The Whole Psalter, on Psalm 22.

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