I a poor sinner confess to God our Heavenly Father, that we (sadly) have sinned deeply and repeatedly, not only committing external, gross sins, but much more inner, inborn blindness, faithlessness, doubt, faintheartedness, impatience, arrogance, evil lusts, covetousness, secret jealousy, hatred and discontentment we have also committed other sins by which in many different ways we have transgressed the most holy law of God with thoughts, actions, words and deeds. Our Lord and God recognizes [our sins] but we unfortunately can not recognize them so completely. Therefore they cause me sorrow and we heartily desire grace from God through His dear Son Jesus Christ. We plead that he would grant to me his Holy Spirit for the improvement of our life.
Thereupon shall immediately follow the absolution.
Form of the Absolution.
The Almighty God has had mercy on you, and through the merit of the most holy suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, his beloved Son, he forgives you all your sins. And we as an ordained servant of the Christian church, proclaim to all who truly repent and who, by faith, place all their trust in the sole merit of Jesus Christ, and intend to arrange their lives according to the command and will of God, such forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of God the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. On the contrary, however, we say to all that are unrepentant and unbelieving, on the basis of God's word and in the name of Jesus Christ, that God has retained their sins, and will certainly punish them.
Thereupon the people shall once more be admonished to prayer and thanksgiving to God for the preservation of the whole church of God, correct doctrine, also faithful and true praeceptors, and that God would send faithful workers into his harvest [Mt. 9:37f.]. They shall pray for the authorities, for temporal peace and good crops, and in summary, for the needs of all of Christendom and especially persons who request Christian prayer, as that may follow a simple note, without any concern.
