03-Foreword

Foreword By A. RENDLE SHORT, M.D., B.SC., F.R.C.S.

If one reads a new book to obtain fresh light upon Christian truth, there is a special value if the author has been brought up in a school totally different from one’s own, provided of course that it really is Christian truth which he sets forth. All this is eminently to be found in the volume before us. The writer is a well-known German expositor of the Scriptures, belonging to an independent group of churches, of strong evangelical traditions. He is principal of a Bible school in the Rhineland, and has for many years been in great request as a teacher all over Central Europe. He has visited Britain several times, and we can testify to his preaching ability. The Germans have a reputation for unusual industry and thoroughness, and this book is characteristic. A vast body of Christian doctrine is included, arranged in historical order, beginning with the Incarnation, the Person of our Lord, His Death and Resurrection, the work of St. Paul, and the character of the church. The writer then passes to the signs of the Second Coming, and a very full description of Old and New Testament teaching about the reign of Christ on earth. The concluding chapters deal with the Last Judgment and the Eternal State. The material of the book is summarized in about ninety sermon outlines, and no less than 3,700 Scripture references are given. The teaching might be described as utterly Scriptural. No speaker who is trying to expound a portion of the New Testament could fail to profit from looking up what Sauer has to say on that particular subject. That is the main value of the book. It is far more than a mere synopsis. The writer is always thoughtful, sane, and sound, and he has no one-sided theories to advocate. People who like to borrow a book, read it quickly to get the main idea, and then return it, will waste their time here. It is a book to buy, to keep, to refer to again and again when need arises. Nearly all the ninety sermons could well be preached again, and very profitably. The translation runs very smoothly; indeed, almost the only indication that the original was German is that a good many Continental writers are quoted.

A. RENDLE SHORT Professor of Surgery, University of Bristol.