COUNTRY SERMONS NEW SERIES, VOLUME IV. SERMONS ON THE GOSPELS By REV. F. KUEGELE Author of "Book of Devotion," "Your Confirmation Vow," SECOND EDITION, REVISED MOTTO: "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto AUGUSTA PUBLISHING COMPANY Crimora, Virginia 1908 This book within from library of Lutheran School of Theology Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 100% BY REV. F. KUEGELE in the office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, D.C. 882 9500 PUBLISHERS' PREFACE. The sermons comprised in this volume are a reprint of volumes III. and IV. of the old series of Country Sermons." One discourse on a Free Text which had been appended to volume IV. of the old series has been omitted, and a sermon for Michaelmas has been inserted, because this seemed more appropriate in a series of discourses on the regular Gospels for the Church year. The Text, Luke 12, 16-21, is given as the Gospel for Harvest Home in the hymnal issued at Columbus, O., and as Scripture Lesson in the Common Service. Self-chosen are only the texts for Confirmation and the Mission Festival. For this second edition these sermons have been given a careful reading by the author, and Scripture references have been inserted. These references can easily be omitted when reading a sermon in the family circle or in public worship. As to the contents of these sermons we here transcribe the commendatory words of the Rev. C. L. Janzow in his preface to the first edition, where he says: "These sermons need no praise or recommendation, because they most vigorously recommend themselves to the reader by their contents and form. In full keeping with the motto, (Rom. 1, 16: "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation,”) from which the author preached his inaugural sermon to his present congregation, the aim and end of these sermons is to bring the hearer and reader unto salvation through the knowledge of Jesus Christ. They bear the stamp of fervent prayer, of careful study and meditation, and of spiritual experience, those signs and marks of a genuine Theo logian. They contain nothing but the Truth of God, "saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say," so that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ. And they contain this Truth in all its purity; for the author in the school of the Holy Spirit has well learned that sublime art "to rightly divide the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2, 15), to preach the law in all its severity and the Gospel in all its sweetness, to terrify the self-righteous and secure, and to comfort the despairing souls, to bring to the knowledge of sin, and to faith in Christ Jesus, and to make them rejoice with divine joy and certainty of their eternal salvation. Here we find the proper application of the Word of God for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, and for comfort and consolation. The heart and soul of these sermons is the doctrine of justification, that a poor sinner is justified before God not by works or merits of his own, but by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ, the only Redeemer, but nevertheless all the counsel of God for the salvation of sinners is declared in them." To this we wish to add the remark that these sermons, being published substantially as they were delivered from the pulpit, can and do lay no claim to being a complete commentary on the Gospels. Not every text is treated in full. But we do know that what they give is wholesome and useful, and our prayer is that the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ may own them and make them a blessing. THE PUBLISHERS. Crimora, Va., May 20, 1908. |