In 1524, Martin Luther published this book of sermons in German. In 1859, E.H.Gilette published this English translation of an original copy he found on a dusty shelf at Union Theological Seminary. These essays are pure Luther as his local congregation heard him. They are not deep theological treatises which would have been published in Latin for scholars.

Luther, not surprisingly, disagrees with the Catholic church on many points, saying, for example, 'We could well endure it that those should call themselves priests whom the bishops and the Pope consecrate, and let them call themselves as they will, only see to it that they do not call themselves priests of God, for they cannot quote a word from Scripture in proof of it.'

He argues that although some people preach that Christ's sacrifice is sufficient for salvation, they then nullify what they are saying by demanding various works of the law. They make the Gospel ineffective by their addition of required acts. This book's five hundred year old sermons are as relevant today as when the old monk himself preached them in Wittemberg. Well worth the download.

Review by J.David Knepper at http://www.ahavabaptist.com/reviews/reviews.htm#luth