Gerhard and Walther

A faithful servant of the Church should not have such a desire for change to the point where he wants to change according to his own desires the usual church practice and ceremonies that have been accepted by a holy consensus of the Church. By such changes, all sorts of offenses and divisions can easily arise. Instead, he should above all else, keep the traditional salutary church practices.—Johann Gerhard, Schola Pietatis III:427.

No person can recognize himself outwardly without a mirror and this is also the case inwardly. The mirror for our soul is the Word of God. Most people look into the mirror of the world; that is, they judge themselves according to the thoughts and prejudices of thoughtless mankind. Whoever does this will not come to a right knowledge of himself.—C. F. W. Walther, God Grant It!, p. 727.