To the Reader.

...should be ours; except alone in the Cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ. For although this is the sign that shall be
spoken against original: Zeichen, welchem widersprochen würdt; a reference to Luke 2:34, where Simeon prophesies that Christ is a sign that will be met with opposition., yet Christ is to be found neither
in the water nor on land, nor in the desert, nor in
royal palaces, nor here or there, but
only on the central Cross. There, He stretches out His arms
to receive the poor and all repentant sinners,
and to gather them with Himself upon the Cross. There,
through His blood, having found eternal redemption original: nach erfundener ewiger Erlösung; referring to the completion of the atonement.,
He entered into the Holiest of Holies as the true High
Priest. There, He revealed Himself as the Book of
Life—He who is God and Man, the Alpha and Omega original: A. vnd O.; the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, symbolizing God's eternity as the beginning and the end..
There, He poured out the streams of living water
which bring salvation to those they reach.
Therefore, even though many shout, sing, and
preach about Christ, and constantly cry out "LORD,
LORD," the Crucified remains unknown,
and the will of the Father is left undone original: will deß Vatters vnderlassen; meaning the active, internal obedience to God's will is neglected., because
few follow the Mother of Jesus to the Cross.
Instead, many lock their doors out of fear, while
the majority give counsel that Christ should be
rooted out from among the living.
Since, then, the God-fearing Paulus Lautensack Paulus Lautensack (1478–1558) was a German painter and visionary whose work focused on apocalyptic and mystical themes.
noticed and saw this eighty-one years ago, and
afterwards the worthy Valentin Weigel original: M. V. VVeigelius; Valentin Weigel (1533–1588) was an influential German theologian and mystic whose writings emphasized internal spirituality over outward religious ritual. saw
that the whole world lies in wickedness and...