C. F. W. Walther
1811–1887
First president of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod; his lectures on Law and Gospel are its classic homiletical text.
In his own words
O my dear friends, I know, you are all resolved to enter the holy ministry, in which you intend to serve Christ and His Church by preaching His saving Word. Oh, be in full earnest about it! If not, your resolution will come to naught. If God has tried to lead you to this resolve at an early time, but you refused to follow Him and stifled the voice of the Holy Spirit in your hearts, all those blessed moments of prompting from God will bear testimony against you at His throne. On the other hand, you are blessed men if you have carried out your resolution. You will never complain about the heartache and anguish and distress through which you had to pass. You will rather be full of joy on the day when the Lord will place His hand, with the nail-prints, on you and put the crown of glory on your head. Now, then, what is your chief task when about to enter the sacred ministry? You are to proclaim to a world of sinners both Law and Gospel. You are to do this clearly, perfectly, and with a fervent spirit. This reflection leads us to the consideration of . Thesis VI. In the second place, the Word of God is not rightly divided when the Law is not preached in its full sternness and the Gospel not in its full sweetness, when, on the contrary, Gospel elements are mingled with the Law and Law elements with the Gospel.
Quoted verbatim from the library, as an answer would quote it.
What we hold of him
The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel
Classic
Ask what C. F. W. Walther says
Amos Standard answers theological questions from a curated library and cites the work behind every claim. It is in a closed beta; leave your address and we will write when there is room.