Yet we may read the Bible without ever coming to believe, love and obey its precious truths. It is awfully possible to fill our heads with its contents while remaining strangers to its hopes and fears, its joys and sorrows.
On the other hand, if by grace we have been brought to condemn ourselves by the law it imposes, trust in teh Saviour it reveals and walk in the way it delineates (however defective our faith, repentance and obedience) we have the Bible on our side. We have nothing to fear.
2. Our Conscience
Shall our conscience (God's deputy in our soul) witness against us that we silenced its warnings not to sin or yield to temptation? It is awfully possible to muffle the voice of conscience till it ceases to warn us. I once visited a bank teller in prison. He had stolen from his employer. I asked him what his conscience was doing while he was stealing. He replied: 'The first time, it shouted at me. The second time, it whispered to me. After that, I never heard it.' Unless our conscience is cleansed from dead works and made sensitive to sin, we have everything to fear.
3. The Prayers of God's people
Shall the prayers of God's people witness agaisnt us because we never heeded their counsel and warnings? Thousands go down to hell over the prayers of believers. If we are among those who never lay to heart the prayers of others for us, we have everything to fear. By contrast, what a blessing when we find ourselves bearing the fruit of others' prayers and walking in the truth.
May we, like the godly man, be afraid to have these three things against us.
These words are the call of God; His solemn and searching enquiry to the nation as a whole, that it might be led to look into, and to look back upon, its life and conduct, if perchance there still remained sufficient consciousness in the breasts of the people to realize what relationship these bore to the condition wherein they then stood. There was no question that their condition was a sad and pitiable one in its outward appearance. All the former glory which had shone forth so brightly had faded away. That witness which had been borne by the nation amongst those by which it was surrounded had ceased. Its rulers were not little more than serfs. Its priests had become time-servers, its prophets men-pleasers, and the life of the people had sunk down to a level little higher than that of the heathen nations around. The contrast between the present and the past was too palpable to be ignored, and nothing but a deliberate self-blinding could hide it from their eyes. The literature they possessed portrayed it too vividly for it not to be seen. The voices from the past echoed it too loudly in their ears for it not to be heard unless they chose, in a spirit of self-will, to close their ears. Once they were the glory of the nations. Now they were debased to the lowest degradation amongst them. Once they stood triumphant over all who opposed them. Now they had become a scorn to their enemies and a by-word of mockery amongst those whom they had once reviled.
Such a change in its position and conditions might surely have been expected to be sufficient to have caused the people to examine what the procuring causes of this sore declension could be, but the people, and their leaders, seemed to have lost the power of thought and to have fallen into an apathetic condition little short of a deadening fatalism, whereby all their powers of reasoning were numbered.
Yet the solution was a simple one. A score of contributory causes may have helped forward the process of decline, but the main reason was not far to seek. The nation had forsaken God. A form of religion was still observed, but to what purpose was all the outward ceremonialism when the inner life was wrong? God is not served with dead sacrifices, but with a sanctified life. Mere formalism, however rigid in its observances, is not a living religion. To own God with the lips and to dishonour Him with the life is the most hideous of mockeries. Yet this was what the nation had done. It had followed the ways of the godless nations round about, indulged in their flesh-gratifying pleasures, sought after their carnal allurements and given itself over to their sinful practices. Its life was the very reverse of what at had been, and of what it ought to have been. Could it be wandered at, then, that decline had come, that a deadly blight had fallen? How could it be otherwise? Blessings despised are blessings which must ultimately be withdrawn. Commands disobeyed must bring retribution. God is not mocked, however much or however long He is disregarded. Whether it be the individual, the collective society or the nation at large, whatsoever is sown must ultimately be reaped. Could the nation not see at? Could the leaders not observe it? Were they too blind, or too dense in understanding, to realize that they had brought it all upon themselves? So the voice of God rang out with its solemn and searching message of enquiry, "Hast thou not procured this unto thyself?"
Grace does not mean lawlessness
The message may be an old one, but do we not read that "whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning"? Just because it is old, is it any the less pertinent to the days wherein we live and to the circumstances and conditions which surround us in our national, denominational and individual lives at the present day? We talk too flippantly of living in a dispensation of grace; as though grace meant there was no restraint, no binding authority, no guiding counsel; that every man could do what was right;' in his own eyes and follow out the dictates of his own self-conceived opinions. We forget there must be a law of divine government; that grace does not mean lawlessness. Where God bestows blessings He makes demands. He has the right so to do. Man has not been left to walk in darkness; God has given His counsel. He has placed in our hands His Word, replete with all the guidance which man can need, whether in corporate or individual life; whether as touching nations, churches, or the private Christian; and our neglect of, or disobedience to, that which has been revealed can but operate in bringing upon us the frowns of Almighty God and the evident tokens of His displeasure. It is folly on our part to complain and equally foolish even to express surprise. We are only reaping what we have sown. We bring upon ourselves our decline and decay. We lay up for ourselves the righteous judgments of God. The divine Word still stands true, and the solemn enquiry of our text still calls for our most earnest consideration: "Hast thou not procured this unto thyself?"
Love of pleasure has swept every principle of solemn character out of court. As for the Bible itself, it is torn into shreds, its true and divine inspiration is denied, and it is relegated to the level of common literature in lecture halls divinity schools and in hundreds of pulpits throughout the land. Once regarded as "the secret of England's greatness," it is now despised and neglected. In no single phase of our national life do we stand where we stood in years past, and our political leaders -- though forced to acknowledge some power more than human in the deliverances wrought for us -- seem too ashamed to acknowledge God in an open way, while the few who do openly acknowledge Him are regarded by the many as old-fashioned and out-of date and their public utterances cut down to a few vague phrases in the public press.
"Therefore will punish you"
We cannot get away from these facts. They stand out too plainly for us to disregard them, and the message they convey sounds out too loudly for them to be ignored. We, no less than Israel of old, have forsaken God. Wealth, pleasure, sport and a thousand other follies have sapped away our one-time virile religious life; and if an open acknowledgment of God, a reverence for His Word and a sanctifying of His day are to be made the test of our faith and belief in God -- as they should be if the testimony of God's Word is to be the authority -- the result is of such a negative character as to justify the charge that we are perilously near becoming an infidel nation. A nation which has never known God may have an excuse for its sins, but a nation which has forsaken God is without excuse, and renders itself subject to punishment. This is the divine law of government. It was exemplified in Israel's history: "You only have known of all the nations of the earth; therefore will punish you." Nor is it only a divine law, but one which operates in every sphere of life. Those to whom has been given a position of trust and privilege suffer all the sorer punishment if that trust is neglected or betrayed. It is folly on our part to blame God for our sufferings if we have forsaken Him. God is not mocked. What have been proved to be the choicest and richest blessings which a nation can enjoy -- blessings which have been the foundation of our past prosperity -- have been spurned and trampled beneath our feet. Well may it be said of us, as we look upon the sorrows and sufferings now rife in the land, "Hast thou not procured this unto thyself?" One can but pray that this great conflict [World War II] may be sanctified to us, and that we may at length be found asking for the "old paths" where is the "good way."
There are some, we know, who would resolve everything into the secret will and purpose of God, and who would forbid the making of any enquiry. For such, the utterance of God in the passage before us can have no real meaning. Israel's woeful condition must simply and solely have been the outworking of God's secret will and purpose, without any relationship to the sins and failures of the people. Such an attitude turns the truth of God into a lie and makes man unaccountable for any of the actions of his life, which would plunge us ultimately into a licentious fatalism. If Scripture, however, is to be our guide, it is vitally incumbent upon us to make enquiry, to search and try our ways, and to ask, with all the earnestness possible, whether there has been, whether there still is, that associated with or lying within our denominational life whereby we have procured this decline which has taken place in our midst.
Failure in the ministry
Can it be said that the ministry of the day wherein we live, viewed in a broad aspect, possesses the fervent life and unction of the days past? Can it be said that the Gospel is preached now with the same intensity of conviction, and with the same earnestness of soul, as in former days? Is Christ exalted with that same passionate sense of a living experience of His supreme worth and glory wherewith He was once exalted? Is there now, not in words merely, but in the innermost depths of a living reality, that spirit which burned in the breast of the apostle when he said, " determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified"? We only need to ask these questions before the answers come rolling back upon us in the complaints so often made by those whose souls are most alive. How often one has heard the plaintive remark that the name of Christ and the work of Christ have never even been mentioned throughout an entire discourse. A mere sentimental appeal to fleshly feelings, relative to the trials and burdens of life, has taken the place of those spiritual realities which concern the salvation of the soul and its assurance of the possession of eternal life. Describe this as men may under the name of experimental preaching, it is nothing at all of the sort. Again, how little we hear of the work of the Holy Spirit, of His operations inthe soul in His convicting and convincing power, or in those gentler operations of His gracious teachings and leadings in bringing the quickened soul to behold the preciousness and suitability of Christ to meet all its needs, cleanse it from all its sins and satisfy all its desires. It has caused one to wonder at times how many stand in the position of those disciples of John, whom Paul met at Ephesus, who had not heard whether there be a Holy Ghost or no.
Ministers not called of God
That these features have found -- and still may find -- a place in the ministry should lead us to enquire what principle lies behind the sending forth of ministers. We must admit there is no calling so solemn, none more vitally important, than that of the Christian ministry. In our denominational constitution the responsibility for the "sending forth" of men into the ministry centres mainly, if not absolutely, in the hands of the churches. Has there crept in amongst us a laxity which ill befits loyalty to the truth? Has a mere desire to preach been accepted as the vital qualification and the evidence of a divine call? That there is a sore need of ministers we readily admit; that many pulpits stand empty is but too sadly apparent; but this in itself, however deep our anxiety, does notjustify any relaxation regarding the sending forth of men to fill the most solemn of all positions in the Christian church. Surely the most primary demand is that the churches should earnestly, and prayerfully, consider whether those who are anxious to go forth have received that anointing of the Holy Spirit, apart from which a man, whatever his fluency or seeming earnestness may be, can be but as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. It is in relationship to this very matter that one of the saddest features in our church life, relative to our decline, springs up into view. Sad though it be to admit it, the fact nevertheless remains that, in many directions, the spirit of true, enlightened, sanctified and sound judgment, exercised in solemn faithfulness to the Word of God, has declined. We have lost, in no small measure, the full realization of the sacred character and vital importance of the ministerial office. The filling of the pulpit has become of more important consequence in some quarters than the feeding of souls; and, in not a few cases, those who have need to be taught which be the first principles of the doctrine of Christ are thrust into the pulpits to teach others.
Pastorless apathetic churches
It may seem dangerous to touch upon the question of the pastoral office, but are there no features in our present decline which bear no remote relationship to this matter? We are not dealing with individuals, but with general principles. There can surely be no doubt in any quarter that the pastoral office is not only of God's appointment, but that it is, rightly held, the most beneficial for the life of any church. Not only, however, do the great majority of the churches stand pastorless, but it is a question how many of the churches show any real desire for this office to be established in their midst. Nor is it, in all cases, a matter of financial inability. In some cases there would seem a total unconcern about the question. The church, equally with those in authority over it, has settled down into a condition of apathetic indifference, or is afflicted with that saddest of religious diseases, itching ears. In some few cases also, it would almost appear that those who exercise the present authority are opposed to the establishing of any other authority such as would nullify or weaken the prestige which they now possess.
Fear of men rather than fear of God
There is another aspect of the case, however, as touching the pastoral office. This centres in the light-hearted and almost careless way in which some churches have acted. Forgetful of the divine warning to "lay hands suddenly on no man," they have thrust untried and untested men, lacking any wide or deep experience in church affairs, into the office of pastor. The possession of grace, or of some ability to preach, does not necessarily betoken the possession of wisdom. All men are not fitted either to rule or guide, and it is generally those who are the most unfitted who display the greatest self-will in the exercise of authority. Many a church has been wrecked by an unwise appointment brought about through over-hasty action, lack of prayer and due consideration. Failing to wait for God's guidance, it has carelessly rushed upon its own ruin.
There is another feature which, though not related to the exercise of the ministry, does touch the ministry itself, and which, we feel, is not only a source of weakness but must be a grieving of the Holy Spirit. Professedly fellow-labourers in the gospel of Christ and workers together in the fellowship of the truth, there is a definite lack of unity in their relationship to and with each other. It might almost appear that in some quarters there are definite attempts made to rend that divinely ordained unity into fragments by the sowing of suspicion. Surely it is not by such means nor by that isolation of one from another, that the honour and glory of God is to be or can be sought. Nor can the divine blessing rest upon us if such is the spirit which entrenches itself in our midst. Are not those who have been truly sent forth of God into the ministry brethren in a sense more real than that which pertains to many other relationships of life? Are they not, or, at least, should they not be, one in aim and in object; and one too in the display of that vital unity which is so solemnly declared to be the great end of the Christian life? Is the fear of God, or the fear of men, to be the ruling power amongst those who are the professed servants of Christ? Is the divine glory of less importance than the approval of men? Are we not reminded, and that by the divine Word itself, that if we are the servants of men, we are no longer the servants of Christ, whatever our outward position or the profession of our lips may be? These are solemn matters we are called upon to consider. The one and only fellowship in the ministry is that which binds in and to the service of Christ, and if any matters of mere fleshly consideration are to mar or break that sacred unity which should bind the servants of Christ together, we can no longer hope to receive the blessing of God upon our labours. We only need to consider for a few moments to realize how meagre is that blessing which is resting upon the preached Word at the present day. Where is there any true moving of the [Spirit on the] waters in the churches? One might instance churches where the pulpit has been occupied regularly every Sunday for the past fifteen years, but where there has not been one single addition to the church, nor does the church itself display any greater liveliness now than it did then. Can it be said that we have not procured this unto ourselves? Is there not solemn and imperative need for us to turn our eyes in upon the course we are taking and the spirit of separation now existing amongst us, and to ask ourselves whether the blight of God has fallen upon us because of our deliberate neglect of the counsel of the divine Word? It is the basest of all folly and the grossest of all fatalism for us to resolve it all into the secret counsel of God's will and fold our arms in careless resignation. This is to cast all the blame on the Almighty and acquit ourselves of all failure. God may still have His seven thousand hidden from our sight, but He holds them back from open manifestation because we have departed from the counsel of His Word.
Lukewarmness in the pew
We turn to the pew. We wish to speak gently and lovingly, but can those who sit in the pews be wholly acquitted? It may be that weariness of some of our preaching has caused their love to wane and lukewarmness to find a place in their breasts. It may be that the seeming lack of feeling evidenced in the pulpit has made their hearts unfeeling also. It may be that some who sit in the pews have come again and again with the cry in their hearts, "Sirs, we would see Jesus!" and we have failed to lead them to His feet, and have disappointed their longing souls with a tirade against errors of which they have never heard, or by a pitiful unfolding of our own doubts and fears and trials, of which their own lives have only been too full. Yet, despite all these failures of which we who occupy the pulpit may be only too guilty, can we say there are not those in the pews who have helped to contribute to our present weakness and decay? A living religion is a personal matter. It embodies personal relationships, not to the ministry alone, nor to the church merely with which membership is held, but to that Master into whose service they had been called by divine grace. To each, and to all such, the message is clear, "Ye serve the Lord Christ." Has that service been faithfully rendered? Has that service been regarded as having precedence over all the things of self?
Weakened personal convictions
Another feature presents itself in relationship to a number of churches, and one, too, which has need to cause grave concern and intensify our solemn enquiry. We have strong reasons to believe there are many in our congregations in whose hearts God has implanted His grace, but who make no public confession of His Name. Their loyalty and devotion often put to shame that of those who have made a profession. That they long to have a name and place among the people of God is revealed by their conversation, but they are held back by a restraining influence which they themselves seem unable to define. They wait and wait, but receive no message to "go forward"; no leadings are given, no sweet constrainings are felt. How are we to understand this? Can it be that this withholding of divine power is God's rebuke and another evidence of His displeasure against those `things which have crept into our midst? Many of the churches are on the very verge of extinction, especially so far as membership is concerned, and yet these men and women, the subjects of divine grace by whom the churches could, and should be built up, remain outside.
All these factors should cause deep searching of heart and a solemn examination of our ways. God does not afflict without cause. Whenever weakness and decay set in amongst those who have been the heritage of God, whether nationally or spiritually, the divine warning and rebuke ever goes forth, "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself!" Nations and churches are in almost every case self-destroyed. Failing to bring forth those fruits of righteousness which should accompany the bestowal of God's blessings upon them, they sink lower and lower.
Regarding the churches, we cannot conceal our present weakness and evidences of declension and decay, however much we may seek to close our eyes to them. Neither a self-righteous isolationism nor a latitudinarian charity can restore to us the divine blessings. True Christian life must be evidenced by the manifestation of divinely ordained fruits, and if these are absent all human projects and schemes can only plunge us deeper into the abyss of divine disapproval. God's message calls for a solemn standing still, a prayerful searching of our own hearts and ways, and a turning again to God with that true confession which is not of the lips only, but which proceeds from hearts made humble and sincere and which have been brought to desire onl the knowledge of God's ways.
May that much-needed grace of God be granted unto us, and in the realization that He has revived His work in the midst of the years, may we see fuller and richer returns of His abounding mercy towards us. His promise still remains ` P ,` Then shall ye find Me if ye seek Me with your whole heart." Then, and then only, will the desolations of Zion cease and true prosperity, unity and peace abound in our midst.
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It has become rather fashionable these days in Reformed circles to seek out a single controlling principle under which all the details of God's great salvation can be ranged. Several suggestions have been made as to what this principle is. Some say it is predestination. Some say the sovereignty of God. Others claim it is the covenant of grace. Still others look to the moral law and sin as its transgression. But for John Calvin it is the sovereign love of God. Commenting on John 3.16 -- `God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life', he says: "Christ opens up the first cause and, as it were, the source of our salvation, and He does so that no doubt may remain; for our minds cannot fmd calm repose until we arrive at the unmerited love of God." A passage in his Institutes traces our salvation to the same source: "He [God] is moved by pure and freely-given love of us to receive us into grace... Therefore, by His love God the Father goes before [this is Augustine's `prevenient grace' -- Ed] and anticipates our reconciliation in Christ." (Inst. II. 16.3.) His comments on Hebrews 2.9 point us in the same direction: "The ground of our redemption is that immense love of God towards us by which... He did not even spare His own Son." In short, we must gaze up into the glorious and holy character of God for the source of our salvation.
Indeed, the more we explore Calvin's theology, the more all-pervasive we see the love of God to be. In His comments on 1 John 4.9 he says: "The love of God is testified to us by many other proofs as well. For if it is asked why the world was created, why we have been put in it to have dominion over the earth, why we are preserved in this life to enjoy innumerable blessings and are endowed with light and understanding, no reason can be given but the free love of God towards us. But here the apostle chooses the chief example. . Christ is such a shining and remarkable proof of the divine love towards us that, whenever we look to Him, He clearly confirms to us the doctrine that God is love." When he follows this source out to its main stream, the incarnation and atoning death of Christ, he never loses sight of it: "But we are very ill-disposed if we despise the Lord of glory because He emptied Himself and took the form of a servant for our sake. Rather was this the shining example of His boundless love toward us and of His wonderful grace." (Comm on John 6.41). "The Lord has given no ordinary proof of His love towards the Church by pouring out His own blood for its sake." (Comm on Acts 20.28). "It was a remarkable proof of the highest love that, forgetful, as it were, of Himself, Christ spared not His own life, that He might redeem us from death." (Comm on Eph 5.2). Not withstanding his strong convictions on both predestination and law, therefore, it is the love, grace and mercy of God that predominates in Calvin's thinking on salvation.
This leads us to consider that the love on which Calvin dwells so appreciatively is electing love. Employing the Biblical image of the well-spring [see Isaiah 12.3 and Psalm 87.7] he writes: "We shall never be clearly persuaded as we ought to be that our salvation flows from the well-spring of God's free mercy until we come to know His eternal election." (Inst III2l.1). Both the accomplishment and application of salvation are to be traced to this source: "The Father by His eternal purpose decreed this atonement and in it gave this proof of His love for us, that He spared not His only-begotten Son, but delivered Him up for us all. " (Comm on Gal 1.4). "God embraces us in His love and favour freely, and not on a wages basis", for "prompted by nothing but Himself, He chose us." (Comm on Eph 1.5). "As His eternal election is free, so His calling which flows from it is also free." (Comm on Acts 16.6). Indeed, our very "faith flows from the secret election of God." (Letter to Melanchthon, dated 27/8/1554). Our entire salvation, therefore, "proceeds from the fountain of God's gracious electing love." (Comm on Psa 33.12).
How does Calvin reconcile this wonderful, electing love of God in Christ with those passages which teach His infinite hatred of sin, even in His elect, and His wrath against sinners? Clearly, being infmitely holy and righteous Himself, God "cannot love the unrighteousness that He sees in us all." Both on account of "our corrupt nature and the wicked life that follows it", we are all "guilty in His sight, and are born to the damnation of hell." (Inst. II.16.3). He is even said to hate the workers of iniquity. (Psa 5.5). How then can He at the same time love them? Calvin admits that the problem is inscrutable. Quoting Augustine, he says: "In some ineffable way, God loved us and yet was angry toward us at the same time." (Inst II.17.2). It is "incomprehensible to the human mind that He was benevolent towards men whom He could not but hate." (Comm on John 17.23). Yet it is an amazing fact. Deep in the heart of His eternal counsel, God chose to love those whom He hated for their sin. Here, in a mystery which we must receive by faith, we must rest.
Two major practical lessons emerge from this brief study.
1. We must avoid every temptation to reason from some abstract, integrating, philosophical idea into which every Biblical fact must be strait-jacketed in order to produce a water-tight system of theology. This is not only forbidden by God (Deut 29.29) but is also impossible. Sin has vitiated our mental powers, and our sin-warped logic is incapable of reducing the deep things of God to a perfect system. Rather, in prayerful dependence on the Spirit of Truth, we must take Holy Scripture as we find it, and receive all its truths without question. No-one understood this better than Calvin, who `devotes himself not to speculative abstractions but to faithful Biblical exposition.' (G.C.Berkouwer).
2. We must seek "the whole matter of our salvation" nowhere else but "in Christ." (Comm on John 3.16). So Calvin directs us: "If we seek salvation, we are taught by the name of JESUS that it is in Him... . [Therefore] let us draw from His treasury and from no other source. (Inst II.16.19. Christ is the beginning, middle and end... nothing is or can be found apart from Him." (Comm on Col 1.12).
Perhaps two stanzas from Calvin's Salutation to Jesus Christ express as well as anything his gratitude for becoming an object of sovereign, electing, unmerited love:
I greet Thee, who my sure Redeemer art,
My only trust, and Saviour of my heart!
Who so much toil and woe and pain didst undergo
For my poor, worthless sake;
And pray Thee from our hearts all idle griefs and smarts
And foolish cares to take.
Thou art the King of mercy and of grace,
Reigning omnipotent in every place;
So come, O King, and deign within our hearts to reign,
And our whole being sway;
Shine in us by Thy light, and lead us to the height
Of Thy pure, heavenly day.
(Established 1872)
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Musical Culture at a Calvinistic Court
The music of J.S.Bach is at present the most popular classical music in the world. The Brazilian Villa-Lobos's Bachianas Brasilieras is based on it, the Soweto String Quartet of South Africa plays it, Suzuki's Bach Collegium of Japan record it, and Bach choirs and orchestras throughout Europe, Australia and the States perform it. Even Woolworth's stores sell childrens' toys which jingle it.
Yet very few are aware that much of it was composed in a princely court regulated by Calvinistic principles. For six years Bach the Lutheran was employed by Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cothen, whose chapel worship was confined to psalm singing, but whose household regularly made music to the glory of God.
Later, Bach wistfully reflected on these six years as the happiest in his life. At Cothen, he wrote to a friend, "its gracious prince loved and understood music, so that expected to end my days there. But...it pleased God to call me here [ie Leipzig]."
Let us take a glimpse at this fruitful period, and see if we cannot draw some lessons from it on the providence of God, the Reformed view of culture and Christian character in a godless generation.
Sadly, far too many have imbibed the prejudices of Bach's biographer, C.S.Terry, who paints Leopold's court in the most lurid colours. Bach, he says, "now shook the dust of Weimar from his feet, surrendered the declared object of his life, and divorced his art from the exalted purpose to which he had dedicated it. For the Cothen court was `Reformed', its chapel an unlovely vault in which only stern Calvinistic psalm tunes were heard, an atmosphere which stifled the fullest expression of Bach's art and challenged his most rooted convictions."
The facts, however, speak otherwise. When the music-loving prince offered him the post of orchestral director, Bach accepted immediately. Furthermore, his new patron viewed him as a respected friend and Christian brother, allowing him freedom to worship in the Lutheran chapel which his [the prince' s] mother had founded for the few Lutherans living in Cothen. Leopold attended the baptism of Bach's children, took Bach "into his familiar fellowship," and "insisted on his company whenever he journeyed abroad." (Reginald Poole). Indeed, on his accession to the princedom, he had expressly declared his policy to safeguard his subjects' liberty of conscience. In an age of courtly absolutism and religious intolerance such a symbiosis of classes was rare.
Furthermore, Prince Leopold was no mere cultural dilettante. He played the violin, viola da gamba and clavier with professional skill, and sang a pleasant baritone voice. His court orchestra comprised eighteen well-trained players who constituted a superb body of instrumentalists. Indeed, Bach at Cothen "found himself in command of the best orchestra in Germany." (Karl Schumann).
Some idea of both the prince's and the orchestra's executive proficiency may be gained from the high technical quality of the works he commissioned from his Kappellmeister. Among instrumental items, the solo violin sonatas and partitas and the violoncello suites rank amongst the greatest works written for these instruments. From this period, too, come the beautiful flute sonatas, the four great orchestral suites, the wonderful violin concertos and the six magniflcent Brandenburg concertos. These glorious works not only form a notable testimony to the highest standards required by the prince, but also represent a marked step forward in the exploration of new realms of sound and depths of expression. They are thus a most valuable contribution to the history of music.
Besides such instrumental treasures, Bach at Cothen produced several birthday, New Year's Day and `occasional' cantatas. These are artistic gems. Signiflcantly, and fully consistent with both his own and Leopold's Christian principles, Bach never wrote or produced an opera there.
Besides his court duties Bach was free to teach local students and his own sons. For them he composed the Little Clavier Book; the Two- and Three-Part Inventions, and Book One of the Forty-eight Preludes and Fugues. "They are all born musicians," he wrote of his sons, "and make it possible for me to arrange an ensemble both vocal and instrumental within my own family."
Touching records remain too of Bach's love for his second wife, whom he married eighteen months after the death of Maria Barbara. Able to appreciate his musical greatness, play his simpler keyboard pieces, supplement the family income as a Royal Singer, sing his sacred songs in family worship, copy out his musical scores, mother her four step-children, bear several of her own, and entertain visiting singers and players, Anna Magdalena proved to be a true help-meet for her husband. Bach's appreciative love surfaces in three particular items: a spiritual song he wrote for her based on Paul Gerhardt's `Fret not, my soul, on God rely' ; the famous `Bist du bei mir' ; and a delightful poem penned on the occasion of their wedding.
About his inner spiritual condition Bach was extremely reticent. We may only surmise that a man of his spiritual and moral integrity, surrounded by Reformed and Lutheran influences, continued to bewail his sin, delight in the Saviour and long for death in order to be with Him, as he had done before moving to Cothen and as he was to do after leaving it. All the data points to a contented enjoyment of God's richest blessings. The prayer `Jesus, help' heads his manuscripts, just as the inscription `Solely to the Glory of God' concludes them. The sneering stricture of one enemy, that Bach had "little or no intercourse with books but those of the Holy Scripture" speaks for itself. What Karl Geiringer writes of the period before the death of his first wife applies to his entire stay there (except for the year or more followin his bereavement): "These first years at Cothen were peaceful indeed."
Let us draw some conclusions.
First, all of us should feel constrained to thank our gracious God for providentially granting the world's greatest composer six years in a Calvinistic court. The confluence of two great Reformation streams, the Lutheran and the Reformed, in Prince Leopold's weekly musical exercises beautifully illustrates that unity of the Spirit which transcends denominational barriers. Furthermore, since God has given us all things richly to enjoy, we should be deeply thankful for those masterworks which poured so richly from Bach's spirit during the Cothen years. In an age of stress and anxiety such as ours, the therapeutic value of good music cannot be over-estimated. Luther's dicta still hold good: "Kings and princes ought to maintain music... Music is the best solae for a sad and sorrowful mind; by it the heart is refreshed and settled again in peace.
Second, Bach's Cothen years completely dispel the fiction that Calvinism is anti-cultural. Both in general (Kuyper's Lectures on Calvinism and Henry Van Til's Calvinistic Concept of Culture) and in particular (Rookmaaker's Creative Gift and Scholes's Puritans and Music) Calvinism's encouragement of the arts to the glory of God is both Biblically based and historically proven. Such writings as these "stand as a challenge to contemporary theories, and demand an intelligent, thoughtful response." (Jonathan Brentnall). As Prince Leopold proved, it is possible to be both godly and cultured. Calvinism does not flourish in a pietistic ghetto.
Lastly, Bach's time in Cothen shows us that a true, Spirit-wrought faith and character will not be destroyed by Reformed influences. On the contrary, just as it was instrumental in keeping Bach from adopting the fashionable `bourgeois' ideas of the mis-called Age of Enlightenment, so our own Christian-based cultural activity, be it music or painting or literature or any other legitimate art form, may be used by God to keep us from the cult of ugliness and obscenity that holds the cultural fort today.
Dear reader, where would you rather be found: dissipating your God-given energies at some lewd `pop' festival or opera, or quietly drawing refreshment from the serene music of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn or Schubert? It was at a Carthage performance of Dido and Aeneas that Augustine was convicted by the Holy Spirit that he wept more over Dido's love for Aeneas than for his own lack of love for God. This was a crucial point in turning him away from all theatricals. fear that many Christians today vicariously experience thejoys and sorrows of both classic tragedy and popular `soaps' rather than rejoice in the Saviour and weep over their sins. May we seek grace in our day, as Bach did in his, to keep ourselves in the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, and to pray with the Psalmist: "Let integrity and uprightness preserve me." (Psa 25.21).
The Annual General Meeting of the Sovereign Grace Union was held on Saturday 5 May at Bethel Chapel, Guildford. In his Welcome, the Chairman expressed gratitude for the hospitality received in a place where the truth of God is known, and enlarged on the rich grace which God has shown us as a union, concluding with the ardent prayer: "O for grace to love Him more." The present Committee members were re-elected `en bloc' and the Treasurer's Report was unanimously received. The preacher at both afternoon and evening meetings was Rev John Marshall of Hemel Hempstead.
Secretary's Report
Mr Chairman, Committee members, Members and Friends of the Sovereign Grace Union, there is little need to remind ourselves that we are a nation under judgment, or that most churches have nothing to offer but what Bishop Ryle termed a bone-less, jellyflsh kind of Christianity, devoid of solid doctrine, sound experience and God-honouring practice, for the proof stares us in the face. The question is: How are we in the Sovereign Grace Union to respond to the situation?
Surely the first thing is that we express our gratitude to Almighty God that we find ourselves here today. What a privilege to be separated by distinguishing grace from a putrid world and an apostate church!
Then secondly we need to encourage each other to stand fast, to continue in the things we have learned and been assured of, to walk in the old paths in which we have found rest for our souls, to give the Hearer of Prayer no rest till He establish and make Jerusalem a praise in the earth, and to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints (not turning aside to idle speculations, nor resting on our lees, nor giving the least quarter to the enemies of the grace of God, nor capitulating to the maxims and standards of the world).
Thirdly, we are called to renew our pledge of loyalty to the only Redeemer of God's elect, the only King in Zion, the only Propitiation for our sins, rather than yield our allegiance to the many usurpers clamouring at present for our souls. Even within the Reformed constituency, there are those who are always reminding us of their `distinctives. Well, our distinctive, brethren is that of the martyr John Lambert: "None but Christ! None but Christ!"
Having said this, have pleasure in reporting since the last Annual General Meeting the printing of three new pamphlets, the development of the Union's web site, and the production of four issues of Peace and Truth, all setting forth the doctrines of grace. Further pamphlets and the next issue of Peace and Truth are currently in preparation.
The Committee has met four times to further the work of the Union. We ask your prayers for the provision of a suitable venue for future meetings, as the present Salvation Army Headquarters are to be demolished and replaced.
We are grateful for an increase of fine lectures, now available on tape, given at the Auxiliary meetings, and for the work of Peter Swinn, our Australian agent.
We also appreciate the encouragement and hospitality of the friends here at Bethel Chapel, Guildford.
During the year there have been 22 new subscribers and 18 deletions. Despite this small increase, the number of addresses to which Peace and Truth is sent stands at a mere 465, pitifully small in view of even the nominally Christian population.
Nevertheless, we soldier on, knowing that we have in our hands the only source of divine authority, the only God-given remedy for human sin, the only hope of poor lost souls for time and eternity, and knowing that `He is faithful that promised.'
I have great pleasure in presenting this Report.
CENTRAL SCHOOL OF URBAN MISSION
"The fields are white unto harvest but the labourers are few"
For further details please contact:
David Page at St. Giles Christian Mission
Tel: 020 7607 4370
or
Roger Cook at the Bible and Christian Heritage Centre
Tel: 01323 484052
BALANCE SHEET
AS AT 3lst DECEMBER, 2000
| CURRENT ASSETS | 2000 | 1999 | GENERAL FUND | 2000 | 1999 | |
| Cash at Bank: | Opening Balance at 1/1/2000 | 83,825 | 25,180 | |||
| CafGold | 20,819 | 73,945 | ||||
| CafCash | 3,508 | 8,122 | Add excess income | 3,980 | 58,645 | |
| Barclays | 2550 | 1757 | ||||
| Total Cash | 26,877 | 83,825 | ||||
| Nominal £60,000 Treasury 7% 2002 at cost | 60,928 | 000 | ||||
| Total Assets | 87,805 | 83,825 | Total Funds | 87,805 | 83,825 | |
We certify the Balance Sheet and the annexed Income and Expenditure Account have been prepared from the books and vouchers of the sovereign grace union and have been audited and found correct.
K. W. Burden
Hon. Treasurer)
S. J. Wiffen (Hon. Auditor)
INCOME & EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR TWELVE MONTHS EDING 31ST DECEMBER, 2000| INCOME | 1999,10 Months | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Interest on Treasury Stock | 2,889 | 399 | Bank Interest: |
| CafGold | 1,874 | 1,445 | |
| CafCash | 256 | 328 | |
| Barclays | 20 | 13 | |
| National savings | -- | 29 | |
| Total Bank Interest | 2,150 | 1,816 | |
| Donations | 1,931 | 770 | |
| Subscriptions | 1,761 | 517 | |
| Auxiliaries | 751 | 500 | |
| Offerings | 375 | 385 | |
| Legacies | 292 | 58,322 | |
| Tax Recovered | 205 | 211 | |
| Advertising | 150 | -- | |
| Literature Sales | 116 | 63 | |
| 10,620 | 62,982 |
TWELVE MONTHS ENDING 3lst DECEMBER, 2000
| EXPENDITURE | 1999,10 Months | |
| £ | £ | |
| Magazine | 2,441 | 2,355 |
| Secretary's Remuneration | 2,160 | 1,400 |
| Stationery/Printing | 1,049 | 91 |
| Commissions on Stock Purchase | 266 | -- |
| Travel Expenses | 249 | 201 |
| Speaker's Fees | 150 | 75 |
| Postage & Telephone | 150 | 60 |
| Premises | 75 | 75 |
| Advertising | 66 | -- |
| United Protestant Council | 35 | 35 |
| Loss on Sale of Treasury Stock | -- | 45 |
| Sub Total | 6,640 | 4,337 |
| Excess Income | 3,980 | 58,645 |
Adapted from an Old Divine
God's Sixth Commandment clearly states, `Thou shalt not kill.' (Exod 20.13). In order to understand this prohibition, first we need to remind ourselves that it forms part of that eternal rule of right which God has given to all people for all time and in all places. (See Lev 19.17-18; Psa 19.7-11; Matt 5.18; Rom 7.2). Then we must note that it belongs to that part of the law refernng to the love of our neighbour. (See Matt 22.37-40). It therefore excludes the killing of animals for food. (See Gen 9.2-3;1 Cor 10.25). Lastly we must observe that the original Hebrew word translated `kill' refers specially to `murder.'
The prohibition therefore does not cover other forms of killing our fellow humans, such as thejudicial execution of murderers by lawful civil governments (Gen 9.5-6; Acts 25.11; Rom 13.4), the slaying of aggressive enemies in war justifiable by national self-defence or the defence of weak, victimized nations (2 Chron 1 l.l-12; for killing in personal self-defence, see Exod 22.2), or unintentional killing known as manslaughter. (Exod 21.13; Deut 4.41-42). The Sixth Commandment therefore addresses only the subject of murder.
Why is Capital Punishment, or the forfeiture of the murderer's life for having taken the victim's, right and necessary?
(1) Because it is expressly required by God. `Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed.' (Gen 9.6). `This language', says Calvin, `expresses the atrociousness of the crime; because whoever kills a man draws down upon himself the blood and life of his brother.' Therefore `God so threatens and denounces vengeance against the murderer that he even arms the magistrate with the sword for the avenging of slaughter, in order that the blood of men may not be shed with impunity.'
(2) Because strictjustice requires a life for a life. `Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses, but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die. Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.' (Num 35.30-31 ).
(3) Because national guilt can be cleansed only by the murderer's death. `The land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein but by the blood of him that shed it.' (Num 35.33).
(4) Because it is the most powerful deterrent to further murder. `And those which remain shall hear and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you. And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life.' (Deut 19.20).
(5) Because the murderer destroys God's image in man. `For in the image of God made He man.' (Gen 9.6). Says Calvin again, `No-one can be injurious to his brother without wounding God Himself. Were this doctrine deeply fixed in our minds, we should be much more reluctant than we are to inflict injuries.'
We fear that our sense of the atrociousness of murder has been almost entirely eradicated by its frequency. When shall we realize that to rob another person of life is a most terrible crime? Cain's remorse after murdering his brother Abel gives us only a slight sense of God's displeasure in his guilty conscience. People speak today of the `progress' of civilization. Yet how cheaply we value life! We tenderly murder the aged and sick in the interests of a peaceful and painless death. We callously murder unborn infants in the interests of selfish irresponsibility. We coldly abandon the victims of unprovoked assault to perish without our aid. We angrily threaten and bully others in order to get our own way.
And we proudly vaunt our `western civilization'!
In the light of the Word of God, let us seek grace to submit to God's law, that law which is holy, just and good -- holy in its character, just in its demands and good in its blessings. Let us press the civil authorities for the lawful taking of life: in the execution of proven murderers, in the prosecution ofjust wars and in legitimate self-defence.
John Bunyan has told us in his inimitable way of the greatest journey of all. The first glimpse we get of his Christian pilgrim is when we see him with his back to the City of Destruction. He is clothed in rags, holds a book in his hand and bears a burden on his back. He had often read the book before, but now it was reading him. A voice speaks powerfully into his heart as he reads. It makes him tremble and weep and cry out, `What shall do? And he cannot shut his ears to that voice. It is a voice that will give him no rest till he is landed safely in his destination, the Celestial City.
Let us briefly notice the rags, the book and the burden.
l. The Rags. This was James Hervey's discovery. Once he asked an old ploughman what was the hardest thing to give up. The old man replied that he wished to hear the young minister's view first. "Sinful self," responded Hervey quickly.
"Well, my opinion," said the ploughman, "is that it is righteous self." At the time, the young man pitied the ploughman; but after being shown more of his own heart he came to see how well taught by the Holy Spirit the old man was.
The apostle Paul also knew what this meant. After listing his `righteous' qualities, he expressly renounced them all that he might gain Christ and His spotless righteousness. (Phil 3.4-9).
Yet how unwilling we are to cast off these rags and put on the robe of Christ's righteousness. Dr Kennedy of Dingwall used to tell of a man who wandered from house to house with a bundle of rags on his back. He was so attached to his bundle that it went everywhere with him. On one occasion he approached a house and asked for lod in. The owner would take him in only on condition that he left his bundle outside. If my bundle is to be out, so wil," he proudly retorted. It was a bitterly cold, winter night. Next morning, when the occupants of the house went outside, they found the man lying dead, close to his bundle of rags. Dr Kennedy explained how millions of people perish like this man, clinging to their own `righteous rags' for salvation.
2. The Book. 3. The Burden. Many, both in the world and in the church, feel no burden. It is awful to contemplate how quickly we can off-load the sense of guilt that sin has brought on us. What is worse, we both refuse to confess the guilt of newly-committed sins and fail to confess or mortify the remains of indwelling sin. And how often, seeking help at Mr Legality's house, we find our burden is heavier still.
Yet there is hope. When Christian came to the cross of Christ, his burden fell from His shoulders into the sepulchre, and he saw it no more. So shall it be with us. If we have set out on the greatest journey of all, a journey that will ultimately bring us into the immediate presence of God, how we need to keep our eyes on the crucified Saviour, and exclaim with Bunyan: "Blest cross! blest sepulchre! blest rather be The Greatest Journey Of All
Pilgrim's book makes it very clear to us that all our own righteousnesses -- moral decency, abstaining from certain sins, kindness to others, attendance at public worship -- are nothing but filthy rags in God s sight. (Isa 64.6).
The Book Pilgrim held was the Word of God. It is living, powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. It shows us the vile thoughts and purposes of our hearts. It awakens us to read our own condemnation in Adam. It makes us weep and cry out to God for mercy in view of its discoveries. It also guides and directs us in the way of salvation and the path of holiness. In the hands of the Holy Spirit it becomes a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Though it speaks of sin and makes us weep, it also speaks of grace and makes us rejoice. It gives us hope and saves us from despair. It makes us wise and delivers us from folly. It leads us on right to the gates of the Celestial City. And it never deceives us. O how precious should the Word of God be to us! It alone can chart our journey through time into eternity.
"I am in myself undone," laments Christian, "by reason of a burden that lieth hard upon me... fear this burden that is upon my back will sink me lower than the grave... care not what meet with in the way, if so be can also meet with deliverance from my burden." King David too felt its weight: `My iniquities are gone over my head; as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.' (Psa 38.4). Do you? Do I?
The Man that there was put to shame for me!"
Christian Focus Publications. Geanies House, Fearn. Tain. Ross-shire. IV20 ITW.
Our Covenant Heritage by Edwin Nisbet Moore. 432 pp. Hdbk. £14.99.
This title is something that Reformed readers should welcome with true gratitude. Woven around the Memoir of James Nisbet and the Sermons of John Nevay, it sets forth the principles, practices and sufferings of the late Scottish Covenanters with zeal, understanding and relevance. It poignantly reminds us that we are a covenanted nation. It movingly recalls the martyrs whose faithful contendings under God procured our present liberties. It sharply jolts us to reflectjust how far we have apostatized from our gracious covenant God, who continues to bear with us despite all our iniquities. (See Psalm 89, especially 30-end). In short, it is a Biblically-orientated blue-print for the reformation of the nation. All the more painful, then, to see the present Free Church of Scotland Monthly Record printing a review which calls it `a charter for fanaticism.' The book is beautifully bound and printed, and will not make its author an offender for a word for a few factual and grammatical errors. Warmly recommended.
The Passionate Preacher. Previously unpublished sermons by Robert Murray M'Cheyne. 332 pp. Hdbk. £16.99.
How thankful we should be that Dr Michael McMullen discovered these precious sermons in manuscript in the library of a Scottish university while researching one of M'Cheyne's closest friends, William Chalmers Burns. Like his Remains and Additional Remains (the former now available from Banner of Truth and the latter from Christian Focus as From the Preacher's Heart), these addresses burn with the most ardent devotion to God and compassion for souls. J.C.Ryle valued the sermons of M'Cheyne more than all the apologetics of Paley, Butler and the rest. And he was right. Here is a superb sample of the kind of preaching for which Scottish Reformed Evangelicals were noted before falling into that cold, formal manner that characterizes so many of the old Free Church pulpit addresses. Particularly valuable are M'Cheyne's frequent remarks to `the awakened' but unconverted sinners in his congregation. How their hearts must have trembled under such anointed and earnest preaching! The following brief quotes indicate the tone of the book: `Wherever you live, God is able to reach you.' `There is no end to the pride and doubts of an awakened soul.' `Spend the Lord's Day in the Lord's presence.' `The pleasures of sin end in the pains of hell.' Every present-day preacher should ask himself why he fails to preach like this. The few printing errors scattered throughout the book do not mar its power. We pray that the Holy Spirit would bless these sermons to every reader.
Evangelical Press. Faverdale North, Darlington. DL3 OPH. E-mail: sales@evangelical-press.org
John vol 1 (Study Commentary) Chapters 1-12 by Gordon Keddie. 512 pp. Hdbk. £ 16.95.
In this very readable commentary, the minister of Grace Presbyterian Church in State College, Pennsylvania pursues his course through this profound Gospel, attending to important details of exposition without losing track of the larger context of each episode of the narrative. It is heart-warming to see the perfect Deity and spotless humanity of our Saviour, and the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man, presented in perfect equilibrium. The author also refutes (almost in passing) various modern errors; eg concerning the New Birth and the Link between Sickness and Sin, besides condemning the kind of Church Legalism that dogs so many of God's people. Old and new commentators (such as John Calvin and D.A. Carson) are invoked to illumine and enrich the text, while the print lay-out and size leaves nothing to be desired. Warmly recommended.
Unspoken Lessons about the Unseen God by Derek Prime.144pp. Pbk. £6.95.
This further addition to the Welwyn Commentary Series explains the Book of Esther in a refreshing way. The author, former minister of Charlotte Chapel, Edinburgh, interweaves into the narrative many contemporary lessons, which spring as naturally from the text as if they were waiting to be expressed. For this reviewer, the amazing control of divine providence over the most minute circumstances and the sterling character of Mordecai, both revealed as proofs of God's gracious determination to preserve the race from which the Redeemer of His elect should spring, made the deepest impressions. The author s repeated references to our Lord and Saviour merely confirm the widely-forgotten truth that all Scripture is designed to lead us to Him. Lastly, the Christian reader is left with the encouragement that our God is secretly working out His own purposes when He appears to be most silent, and with the challenge to bear a faithful Christian testimony in times of great temptation to apostatize.
Can We Pray For Revival? by Brian H. Edwards. 224pp. Pbk. £7.95.
The present title is a sequel to the author's Revival -- a People Saturated with God. It considers the fundamental question of our warrant to pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Clearly distinguishing revival from mission, excitement, restoration, reformation, renewal and church growth, the author deals mainly with the experience, examples and expectation of revival in the Old Testament, reserving the consideration of New Testament expectation and Prayer for Revival to the last two chapters. The approach is therefore thoroughly Biblical. At the same time he draws on examples from post-Biblical history and in passing pinpoints the errors of Finneyism. If it does no more than clear away cloudy views and stimulate us to persevere in prayer for revival this study will have served a useful purpose.
Firm in the Faith by Dennis D. Hustedt. Leader's Guide. 224 . Pbk. £9.95. 'Student's Book.128 pp. Pbk. £2.95.
Described as A Training Manual for Christian Growth, this attractively produced course for young people and/or beginners in the Christian life is based on the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Similar in aim to G. Williamson's Study Course on the same catechism, the present title has better illustrations and a wide range of supplementary activities such as word searches, case studies, discussion topics and memory verses, etc. The way in which it is geared to modern young folk without being trendy or cheap is admirable. Spaced out into 52 weeks, the course involves serious study and requires adult supervision. It is particularly suited to Bible Classes, Youth Groups and Home Schooling. Its author reveals a good grasp of both the major doctrines of the Reformed Faith and of the `target level' required to engage the attention of the dwindling class of youngsters for whom it was compiled. Cordially recommended.
Reviews of other E.P. titles will regrettably have to be carried over to our next issue.
Banner of Truth. 3 Murrayfield Road, Edinburgh. EHl2 6EL. E-mail: banneroftruth@btinternet.com
Princeton v The New Divinity. 342 pp. Hdbk. £1.50.
This superb collection of articles from the Princeton Review of the 1830s and '40s not only explains the meaning of Sin, Grace, Salvation and Revival as understood by the true Church of all ages; it also brings us a first-hand view of the intellectual and spiritual calibre of the Reformed Princeton professors at its best. Furthermore, it explains the vast gulf between true Calvinism and various pseudo-Calvinisms that have arisen since the days of Archibald Alexander Charles Hodge and their colleagues. Albert Dods's 102-page review of Finney's Pelagian lectures and sermons is itself worth the cost of the book. Yet there are other bonuses. How many of us are aware of the Old Princeton men's thorough knowledge of the Church Fathers and the Mediaeval Schoolmen? This volume astonishes us on this score. And who among us delights to see Christian erudition and reasoning brought into submission to Christ and the Faith He bequeathed to us? It is here. And if we wish to survey the entire controversy between Pelagius and Augustine on the Freedom of the Will in a few pages, or understand the true nature of Sanctification, we need look no further. If this reviewer fell asleep with the book in his hand, it was not through boredom, but sheer physical inability to keep up with the spirit that was so enthralled by these wonderful essays.
Guilt, Grace and Gratitude by George W. Bethune. 2 vols. Each 512 pp. Hdbk. £25 the set.
These Expository lectures on the Heidelberg Catechism represent some of the fmest doctrinal preaching of the l9th century. In fact, they are more sermons than lectures. Where, for instance, could we fmd in a lecture the following exuberant sentence: "Jesus! How does the very word overflow with exceeding sweetness, and light, and joy, and love, and life!"? While this reviewer has some reservations about the Catechism itself, opening with a resounding statement of assurance of salvation, he has none whatever in Bethune's treatment of it. All here is sound, solid, sane and fervent exposition and application. Here are adoring chapters on the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ in His names and humiliation, a superb explanation of the credal phrase `He descended into hell' and the most uplifting references to the Saviour in glory. Though have not seen volume 2, the first volume contains enough to account for the deep and lasting impressions made by the Holy Spirit through the delivery of these heart-melting lectures. May the present re-print be attended with the same almighty power and saving fruits!
Other Banner of Truth titles which we recommend but are unable to review are God and Cosmos by John Byl, The Victory of the Lamb by Frederick Leahy and Burial or Cremation? by Donald Howard.
Our Address:
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Visit our Website: www.tecmalta.org
Honourable and Beloved Masters, Bachelors and Students of the University of Prague in Christ Jesus,
I exhort you for the sake of the most kind Jesus Himself, that you love one another, root out schisms, and promote the honour of God before all else, keeping me in memory; for I always sought the advancement of the university to the honour of God [Hus was University Rector -- Ed], and grieved over your discords and excesses, and wished to unite our illustrious nation into one.
And see how some of my dearest friends, for whom I would have risked my life, turned with exceeding bitterness against me, afflicting me with calumnious vilifications and finally with a bitter death! May the omnipotent God forgive them, for they know not what they have done. pray for them with a sincere ... heart that He may spare them.
Moreover, dearly beloved in Christ Jesus, stand in the truth you have learned, for it conquers all and is mighty to eternity.
You should also know that have neither revoked nor abjured a single article. The Council [of Constance -- Ed] desired that I declare that all and every article drawn from my books is false. I refused unless they should show its falsity by Scripture. I said that I detest whatever false sense exists in any of the articles, and commit it to the correction of the Lord Jesus Christ, who knows my sincere intention and does not interpret it in a wrong sense which I do not intend.
I exhort you also in the Lord that whatever false sense you may be able to discern in those articles, that you relinquish them, but always preserve the truth that is intended.
Pray God for me, and greet one another in holy peace.
Master John Hus, in chains and in prison, already standing on the shore of the present life, expecting tomorrow a terrible death...
(Hus was burnt at the stake on 6 July 1415, a true martyr of our Lord Jesus Christ -- Ed)
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