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Rating: 
Summary: Excellent finale and introduction to MacDonald's sermons
Review: The Johannensen editions of these books _are_ gorgeously solid without being flashy or pretensious, btw. I highly recommend buying from them.MacDonald wrote five volumes of 'Unspoken Sermons' (the title of the first three volumes); each a cycle of 12 sermons leading into each other (he always ends one sermon with the verse upon which the next is based). This duplex includes _Hope of the Gospel_ and _Miracles of Our Lord_, both of which are in essence extensions of the Unspoken series. MoOL (which doesn't feature the usual crossover between chapter/sermons, btw) makes an especially good reference for fans and students (like myself) of C.S. Lewis' _Miracles: A Preliminary Study_, as Lewis definitely drew on this book for the form and presentation of his chapters of philosophical analysis of the miracles wrought by Jesus. (In fact, all the Unspokens give excellent insight into Lewis' theological backgrounding.) MacDonald gives a penetrating theological and devotional presentation of the Lord's works, emphasizing the call to faith in Jesus personally inherent in each one. The book can be read as an auxiliary to the other Unspokens, or as an introduction to the series as a whole. HotG works best, in my opinion, as a summary of positions developed in the three main Unspoken volumes (although all the sermons are completely original); consequently I always read it last. {g} The first few sermons trace Jesus' early life and ministry, giving fascinating insights on His Jerusalem Temple adventure and His baptism,as well as on the meaning inherent in His given name. From these points, MacDonald structures the remaining chapters around the Beatitudes, presenting them as the clearest way to understand the gospel given by God through (and as) Jesus. Scholarly standards are quite high in MacDonald's work, although this shouldn't scare off potential readers: he constantly brings us back to practical applications of all the principles discussed. If I had to recommend any single series of books (outside the Scriptures themselves) that every Christian should read (and while quite conservative the books will be theologically challenging to Christians all across the spectrum), the Unspoken Sermons, including these two extensions, would definitely be the one.
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Summary: Beautiful Edition of Beautiful Writings
Review: The Johannesens have devoted the last six years to producing quality editions of the works of George MacDonald. I am not much of a fan of old typefaces, old books, or their facsimiles, but the physical beauty of this duplex edition of these hundred year old books reflects well the beauty of the teachings inscribed on its pages. Among the essays in _Hope of the Gospel_ is "Sorrow, the Pledge of Joy", which I consider to be one of the all-time masterpieces of devotional literature. Anyone who can read it without weeping must have lived a life much different from mine. This essay appears in a heavily edited form in Rolland Hein's _Life Essential: The Hope of the Gospel_; buy the Johannesen's edition to enjoy this and other essays in their full unedited glory.
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