“Sincere believers of the truth revealed in Christ for man’s salvation have no reason to be ashamed of Luther, whom God sent to bring again to His people the precious truth in Jesus… The whole purpose of the book is practical.
“The Lutheran Church may justly claim that, in the Common Service, she possesses and uses “the completest embodiment of the Common Service of the Christian Church of all ages”; a Service “which may he tendered to all Christians who use a fixed Order, the Service of the future as it has been of the past” (Preface to the Common Service).
“The first book of Moses, called Genesis, tells us whence we come; the last book of the Bible, the Revelation of St. John, shows us whither we go. It is true, men who have considered themselves wise above that which is written, have tried in every way to gainsay this divine answer; and a false reasoning at the present day proclaims from the housetops that science has done away with the former belief concerning the origin of man, and that we are not created by God, but descended from the monkey.
“We have certainly great reason to be wide awake and watchful, if we would preserve the inheritance of the Lutheran Church Reformation. Strong are the delusions and temptations of these latter days, and you children and youthful Christians will doubtless see still more perilous times for the Church of Jesus Christ before you have grown old.
This is a great little volume, and good introduction for those who’ve never read any Luther, or especially for those who’ve been taught about him, but have never let the great Reformer speak for himself.
“I want you to understand that I have never preached opinions from this pulpit; it is not a question of opinion; I have absolutely no right to stand here and give you my opinion, for it is not worth any more than yours; we do not come to church to get opinions; I claim that I can back up every sermon I have preached, with the Word of God, and it is not my opinion nor yours, it is the eternal Word of God, and you will find it so on the Judgment day.
“Mr, Wildthorne,” said Maggie, “have you fulfilled the promise you made me the last time we met?”
“What promise?”
“You promised me that you would read an authoritative life of Luther, an authoritative history of the Reformation.
“There is nothing more difficult, these times, than to keep the Church out of politics. And this difficulty is intensified where a Christian principle is at stake.
“The Church, in some of its branches, has been knocking at the door of State and clamoring for the name of God in the Constitution.
“This little book aims at the presentation of a connected narrative of the interesting and important events connected with the passion, death, resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, as recorded by the four Evangelists – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
“He that believeth not shall be damned,” says your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You believe this. Pray tell me how can you let your relative, friend, neighbor, or enemy, ignorantly live in his sins and be damned?