“This Catechism is truly the Bible of the laity (or common people), wherein is contained the entire doctrine necessary to be known by every Christian for salvation.  Here we have first the Ten Commandments of God, the doctrine of doctrines, by which the will of God is known, what God would have us to do and what is wanting in us.

“Secondly:  The Apostles’ Creed, the history of histories, or the highest history, wherein are delivered to us the wonderful works of God from the beginning, how we and all creatures are created by God, how all are redeemed by the Son of God, how we are also received and sanctified by the Holy Ghost, and collected together to a people of God, and have the remission of sins and everlasting salvation.

“Thirdly:  The Lord’s Prayer, the prayer of prayers, the highest prayer which the highest Master taught, wherein are included all temporal and spiritual blessings, and the strongest comforts in all temptations and troubles, and in the hour of death.

“Fourthly:  The blessed Sacraments, the ceremonies of ceremonies, which God himself has instituted and ordained, and therein assured us of his Grace.”

John Arndt, in a sermon on the Catechism, says:  “The Catechism is a brief instruction in the Christian religion, and includes in itself the doctrine of the Law of God, Christian Faith, the Lord’s Prayer, the institutions of Holy Baptism and of the Lord’s Supper, which five parts are an epitome and kernel of the entire Holy Scriptures, for which reason it is called a ‘Little Bible.’”

Dr. Seiss, in his Ecclesia Lutherana, says:  “It is the completest summary of the contents of the Bible ever given in the same number of words.  It gave to the reviving Church a text-book for the presentation of the truth as it is in Jesus to the school, lecture-room and pulpit.”

The sainted Dr. Krauth says:  “The Catechism is a thread through the labyrinth of divine wonders.  Persons often get confused, but if they will hold on to this Catechism it will lead them through without being lost.  It is often called the ‘Little Bible’ and ’the Bible of the laity’ because it presents the plain and simple doctrines of the Holy Book in its own words.  Pearls strung are easily carried, unstrung they are easily lost.  The Catechism is a string of Bible Pearls.  The order of arrangement is the historical—­the Law, Faith, Prayer, Sacrament of Baptism, and all crowned with the Lord’s Supper—­just as God worked them out and fixed them in history.”

Thus we might go on quoting page after page of words of admiration and praise, from the greatest minds in our and other Churches, of the contents and arrangement of this little book.  Neither can we charge these writers with extravagance in their utterances.  For the more we examine and study the pages of this little book, the more we are convinced that it is unique and most admirable in its matter and plan.

Let each one look for a moment at himself, and then from himself into this little book.