"Unspeakable Consolation"

"Learn to sing unto Him a new song, to despair of yourself, and to say to Him, 'Thou, Lord Jesus Christ, art my righteousness, and I am Thy sin. Thou hast taken what was mine and hast given me what was Thine. What Thou wast not, Thou didst become, in order that I might become what I was not.' Beware ... of pretending to such purity as no longer to confess yourself a sinner; for Christ dwells only with sinners. He came down from heaven, where He was living among the righteous, in order to live also among sinners. Meditate carefully upon this love of Christ, and you will taste all its unspeakable consolation. If our labors and afflictions could give peace to the conscience, why should Christ have died? You will not find peace, save in Him, by despairing of yourself and of your works and in learning with what love He opens His arms to you, taking all your sins upon Himself and giving thee all His righteousness."

~Martin Luther (emphasis mine)

pp. 49-50, The Triumph of Truth: a life of Martin Luther
Jean Henri Merle d'Aubigne
Bob Jones University Press, 1996