Boettcher rightly calls this work a gem. A major value of the book is that Gerhard asks the right questions. If more people asked these questions today, the work of the faithful pastor would be much more direct, and churches where God's Word is purely preached would be full.

The questions Gerhard puts into the mouth of the afflicted person may sound strange. But they are the real questions of sufferers, even if most people today would phrase them differently. People have these concerns when facing death. More than anything else, death can still confront modern man with spiritual need. Who but God can help in the face of disease, disaster, and death?

The book has been considerably abridged, altered, and adapted. Many statements have been completely rephrased. I

have been much freer with the text than would be proper if the purpose were scholarly research in Gerhard's thought. The book still presents the original, Biblical, evangelical comfort. But I have taken liberties with the wording to provide a helpful book that will hopefully not be misunderstood in the confusing theological climate of modern America.