The Gospel Plan of Salvation (Gospel Advocate Reprint Library)

Of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness to the flesh. Why, then, should we add another to the many books already before the public? It has now been all of fifteen years since we conceived the plan, and began the preparation of this work, only bestowing upon it, however, such fragments of time as we could spare from other labors. Sometimes we rested a month, sometimes a year, feeling by no means sure that we would ever finish the work, but intending to do so if permitted to live until our head became sufficiently gray. Some portions were occasionally given to the public as contributions to the Gospel Advocate and in tracts, in the hope that they might accomplish some good, though the entire work should never be published. A very general demand for the completion and publication of the book soon came from those who read the portions published; but we have deemed it prudent to hasten leisurely lest we might prematurely publish something of which we would be ashamed in maturer years. When we passed our fiftieth year we engaged the services of the publisher, and now, on our fifty-first anniversary birthday, we are writing a preface, and yet we are not quite sure that we are old enough to publish a book on a theme so transcendantly important as the Gospel Plan of Salvation. Our highest ambition is to honor the name of our Master, and direct sinners in the way of life; hence we would not, for any earthly consideration, publish a sentence known to be untrue. We wish our book to live when we shall be sleeping the years away. Yes, and live it will. This is the frightful thought. Live it will. A mistake from the pulpit may soon be forgotten should we make a mistake in an article furnished a paper or periodical, it may be lost or worn out, and soon pass away; but a book will live on, when he who wrote klives only in the work left behind him.
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)