The author slates in his introduction:
“I have had a deep conviction for many years that practical holiness and entire self-consecration to God are not sufficiently attended to by modern Christians in this country. Politics, or controversy, or party spirit, or worldliness, have eaten out the heart of lively piety in too many of us. The subject of personal godliness has fallen sadly into the background. The standard of living has become painfully low in many quarters. The immense importance of ‘adorning the doctrine of God our Saviour’ and making it lovely and beautiful by our daily habits and tempers has been far too much overlooked . . . Sound ... doctrine is useless if it is not accompanied by a holy life. It is worse than useless: it does positive harm... It is my firm impression that we want a thorough revival about scriptural holiness.”