Editorial
Jehovah-Jesus
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Although a generation has passed since the publication of Harold Lindsell's Battle for the Bible, there is no let in the attacks, both open and disguised, on Holy Scripture. Indeed, such attacks are now more insidious than ever. In this editorial I wish to deal with just one of those attacks, especially as it emanates from within the Reformed part of the Church. It takes the form of seeking logical consistency in everything, on the assumption that God is logically consistent. It is thus philosophical rather than Biblical.
The best way to refute such an approach is to attend to the Biblical principle that should regulate our thinking, a principle followed by all truly Reformed believers. That principle is that where God is silent we must be silent. Our Scriptural warrant for it is found in Deuteronomy 29.29 - "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law."
There is, we know, complete silence in Scripture on many things: how three persons can be one God, in what order God formulated His decrees, how sin entered a sinless world, how the Spirit regenerates a soul, who are the reprobate, the inscrutability of man's heart, how the soul functions after death, and so on. The truth of these things is revealed, but the mode of their existence is concealed. They are, as the late Mr Macfarlane, Dingwall, used to say, "Beyond us! Beyond us!"
Yet how ready are some to speculate and philosophize about them; as if finite, sin-blinded man could fathom the unfathomable, or unveil the veiled, or comprehend the incomprehensible! Augustine tied himself in knots trying to grasp the Trinity. 'What will it avail you to dispute deeply of the Trinity if you are void of humility and thereby displease the Trinity?' asks an old writer. Zwingli complained in his day of the 'general body of Christian scholars . . zealously disputing about the Word and the true worship of God, but in fact not becoming one whit better men.' Some present-day Reformed scholars do the same. When shall we learn that the clear warrants of Scripture alone should regulate our faith, and not the tortuous wanderings of our fallen minds? Enough of God's will has been revealed as to how we are to glorify God, and that should be sufficient for us. Even an inspired apostle had to confess, "We know but in part. We see through a glass darkly." Sin has warped and blinded our minds to such an extent that we simply cannot see beyond what God has revealed in His Word. (Indeed, without the Holy Spirit we cannot see clearly what God has revealed!) How wise is God to hide these things from us, that no flesh should glory in His presence!
We cannot re-iterate the lesson too often: where God is silent we should be silent. Let us stop prying into hidden mysteries and pushing our enquiries beyond the bounds of Holy Scripture. Some writers are reckless in their pursuit of logical conclusions. We have no divine warrant at all to do this. Rather let us concentrate on the things that belong to our peace. After all, that is why Scripture was written - that we might know ourselves as lost, hell-deserving, helpless sinners, and Christ Jesus as the only Saviour of sinners, whose blood cleanses us from all sin. "But these are written," says John, "that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name." (John 20.31). "This is life eternal," says our Saviour, "that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent." (John 17.3). To know God in Christ (not merely to know about Him) is all we need to know on this side of heaven. Only from this starting-point may we glorify God, edify one another and show our concern for poor, lost souls. Reason must therefore give way to faith, pride to humility, and vain speculation to loving worship and humble service. "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." (Mark 10.15).
One of the favourite expressions of a beloved elder in the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, the late Finlay Beaton of Inverness, was 'Jehovah-Jesus.' It appeared in such phrases as 'Jehovah-Jesus, our Surety-Substitute'; 'the God-Man Mediator, Jehovah-Jesus'; and 'Jehovah-Jesus, all-sufficient and all-suitable.' Little did his hearers realize when they heard it the profound significance of this remarkable expression.
The Jews have always surrounded the name Jehovah with the greatest reverence. To them it speaks of the aseity, or underived existence, of God. Based on the verb 'to be', it tells us that, by contrast with all else, which becomes what it was not, God simply IS. Hence the translation, 'I AM' (Exod 3.14). This is probably the most profound statement God has ever made about Himself.
The Scottish divine Hugh Binning comes near to an understanding of its profundity when he writes in astonishment, 'We are now about this question, what God is. But who can answer it? Or, if answered, who can understand it? It is a mystery, a hidden mystery . . . . It is a secret; it is wonderful, out of the reach of all created capacity.' No other expression, claims Binning, is more fitting than I AM as a veiled hint at God's incomprehensible perfection, for what personal name, he asks, can express His inconceivable majesty? Even 'the most significant and comprehensive and superlative words' leave us in the dark concerning Him.
Nevertheless Binning sees in the name Jehovah three transcendent attributes: unsearchableness, eternity and unchangeableness.
1. Unsearchableness.
This, Binning claims, is 'the fittest notion' we can have of God, 'to find Him unsearchable beyond all understanding, beyond all speaking.' The more we speak or think of God, the more we find Him always beyond what we speak or think. Whatever we discover of Him, we always find 'infiniteness . . beyond that.' The fact is, God is 'an unmeasurable depth, a boundless ocean of perfection.' "His greatness is unsearchable." (Psa 145.3)
2. Eternity.
'This only deserves the name of Being', explains Binning, 'which never was nothing, and never shall be nothing, which may always say I AM.' This is true of no-one and nothing but God. Before their creation, neither heaven nor earth could say I AM. But God can always say it. Therefore 'we may go backward the space of near six thousand years in our own minds' and still be as far from His eternity as we were before. We may even try to imagine the 'vast and unspeakable' ages of eternity, yet we would be 'never a whit nearer the days of the Ancient of Days.' All our finite extensions of thought about God bear no proportion at all to 'that never-beginning and never-ending duration' that belongs to Him. Jehovah is 'the beginning without any beginning, the end without an end; there is nothing by-past to Him, and nothing to come.' From everlasting to everlasting He is God. (Psa 90.2)
3. Unchangeableness.
In His unsearchableness and eternity, Jehovah is unchangeable. From the 'exalted and super-eminent tower of eternity' He sees all the successions and changes of His creatures without experiencing one succession or change in Himself. Because 'He knows the end of all things before He gives them beginning', He is never driven to consult anyone as to what to do. That 'one mind and one purpose' of His 'is one for all', one embracing all. 'He had it from everlasting, and who can turn Him?' Hence He is never surprised by a contingency or an emergency. 'I am Jehovah: I change not.' (Mal 3.6)
In the light of this, we may safely conclude that the name Jehovah is the most sacred and incommunicable name God has given Himself. John 'Rabbi' Duncan recognized this when, after three years of 'dreary atheism', he discovered with delight that 'there is a God, there is a God; Jehovah He is the God, Jehovah He is the God.'
The significance of the expression 'Jehovah-Jesus' now becomes apparent. It is the awesome and glorious truth that Jesus of Nazareth is none other than the Old Testament Jehovah.
The Scriptural proofs for this claim are overwhelming:
1. Both as the Lamb in the midst of God's throne and as the blessed and only Potentate who only has immortality, Jesus is given the same honorific title as Jehovah: 'King of kings and Lord of lords.'(Rev 17.14; 19.16; 1 Tim 6.15-16; with Deut 10.17) This title, explains James Durham, sets forth 'especially His Godhead', for it refers 'to Christ properly as God.'
2. Jesus is honoured in the Letter to the Hebrews as the eternal, unchangeable Creator of heaven and earth in the very words in which the Psalmist addresses Jehovah. (Heb 1.10-12 with Psa 102.25-27 and 12-22)
3. Jesus is held forth by the apostle Paul as the sole object of men's trust for salvation in the precise terms in which the prophet Joel summons men to trust in Jehovah. (Rom 10.13 with Joel 2.32) On the basis that what is spoken of Jehovah is ascribed to Jesus, William Plumer rightly concludes, 'Our Lord Jesus Christ is truly and supremely divine. He is Jehovah.'
4. Jesus is identified by the apostle John with the thrice-holy Jehovah whose glory convicted Isaiah in the temple. (John 12.40-41 with Isa 6.1-3)
5. Jesus is described by Paul as the great stumbling-stone of the Jews in the identical way that Isaiah and the Psalmist represent Jehovah. (Rom 9.32-3 3 with Isa 8.14 and Psa 118.22) 'Christ quotes this passage against the Jews', observes Calvin, 'and shows that it applies to Himself. Matt 21.42; Mark 12.10.. . . Hence also we infer the eternal divinity of Christ, for Paul shows that it is God of whom the prophet here speaks.'
6. Jesus is recognized as the One whom Christians are to sanctify in the heart exactly as the Jews were to sanctify Jehovah in the heart. (1 Pet 3.14-15 with Isa 8.12-13)
7. Jesus is equated with Jehovah as the One whose bringing of salvation would be preceded by Jehovah's forerunner. (Mark 1.2-3; John 1.23; with Isa 40.3; Mal 3.1 and 4.5) The Puritan Richard Stock claims that the words of Malachi 3.1 'prove Christ to be the true eternal God of Israel, one with the Father; for that temple was consecrated but to one God of Israel, and the prophet here appropriates it to Christ.'
8. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself employs the words of Jehovah to summon men to be His witnesses and to rest in Him. (Acts 1.8; Matt 11.28; with Isa 43.10; 45.22)
9. As the exalted and glorified Redeemer, Jesus is described by the apostle John as 'the first and the last', a designation employed by the prophet Isaiah only of Jehovah. (Rev 2.8; 22.12-13; with Isa 44.6)
10. Jesus is described by John as the very same pierced One whom Zechariah describes as Jehovah. (John 19.37 with Zech 12.10) Commenting on the prophecy, T.V.Moore states that 'the only meaning that the text will bear is that Jehovah is the speaker, and that He is speaking of Himself', and that 'the only fact that explains it is . . that they have crucified and slain that Prince of Peace who was God manifest in the flesh.'
11. Jesus is identified by Paul and Jehovah by Isaiah as the One before whom every knee shall bow and whom every tongue shall confess. (Rom 14.11; Phil 2.10; with Isa 45.23)
12. The one and only name in which salvation is to be found is the same proclaimed by both Peter (Jesus) and Solomon (Jehovah). (Acts 4.12 with Prov 18.10)
These twelve text-collations thus provide twelve cogent reasons for believing that our Lord Jesus Christ is none other than Jehovah, Israel's self-existent, unsearchable, eternal, unchangeable, covenant God. Our Saviour is in the strictest sense Jehovah-Jesus.
How should we respond to this amazing truth?
1. By worshipping Him as God. 'He is thy Lord, and worship thou Him.'(Psa 45.11) The kind of worship this disclosure calls for is silent and humble adoration of His awesome majesty. O how reverent we would be if we realized as we should that Jesus is Jehovah!
2. By avoiding all light and irreverent attitudes and approaches to Him. When Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Peter, Paul and John encountered Jehovah-Jesus, they did not parade themselves before Him or 'chat' to Him in a familiar manner. They humbled themselves before Him in deep self-abasement. So should we. Let us realize who He is and what we are in His presence.
3. By exposing and condemning the blasphemous claims of falsely-called Jehovah's Witnesses that 'Jesus is not Jehovah' and that He is 'dead, forever dead.' Jesus is not dead. He is the ever-living One. Yet let us also compassionately seek their conversion, for on repentance all manner of blasphemy against Him shall be forgiven.
4. By exploding the shallow Liberal fiction that the Jehovah of the Old Testament is a different God to the God Jesus reveals in the New Testament. Along with the Father and the Spirit, Jesus IS the God of the Old Testament.
5. By proclaiming Jehovah-Jesus as the only Saviour of sinners. 'There is salvation in this name [ie Jesus]', says Dr Kennedy of Dingwall, 'and Jehovah is in it.' And because Jesus is Jehovah, so the glory of Jesus is the glory of Jehovah. And because Jehovah gave Him this name, He is the Saviour who fully reveals the unfathomable love of Jehovah for His people. Let this name, he continues, shine back into eternity on the counsels of His love. Let it shine on every Old Testament revelation of His love. Let it shine on every aspect of the life and death of Jesus here on earth. Let it shine to the ends of the earth and to the end of time as the only name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. And let it shine through all eternity to come. Fix your eye on Him alone, he exhorts, for in Him is Jehovah revealed both to us and for us as the God of all grace.
[Andrew Gray (1633-56) was a burning and shining light in the Scotland of the Second Reformation. The following sermon of his has been adapted for present-day readers. Ed]
"And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads." Isaiah 35:10.
Introduction
The subject of which I am to speak to you at this time is the everlasting joys of heaven. And the reason I wish to speak of these joys is so that your hearts may long for those glorious mansions that are there provided for you who believe.
I shall reduce the subject to five points:
1. A short description of heaven.
2. The exercise of the saints there.
3. A few tastes of the excellence of heaven.
4. Six Questions to be asked of Christ.
5. Six complaints that the saints make in relation to heaven.
A Short Description of Heaven
1. It is a rest without a rest. This is clear from Hebrews 4:9 and Revelation 4:8 - 'There remains therefore a rest to the people of God', yet they 'rest not day and night, crying: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.' They rest not, yet it is a precious rest always to praise Him.
2. It is a place where the soul is always satisfied yet never satisfied. The soul always sees God, yet wants to see more of Him; always embraces Him, yet wants to embrace Him more; always feeds on Him, yet wants to feed on Him more. In heaven there is both satisfaction and hunger. Heaven is full of mysteries.
3. It is a place where joy and love eternally flow in while admiration and praise eternally flow out. All the saints' language in heaven is, 'Hallelujah! Praise to the Lamb who sits on the throne.' O what would you think if you could be taken within the gates of that blessed city for only half an hour to hear that heavenly music?
The Saints' Exercise in Heaven
There are five things that exercise the saints in heaven: admiration, praise, joy, love and gazing at Jesus's blessed face. There is not one look there that is not fixed on precious Christ, not one movement of the tongue that is not spent in commending Christ, not one step of the feet that is not bent on following Christ, not one stir of the hand that is not occupied in unfolding Christ, not one thought that is not filled with Christ, not one desire that is not taken up with loving Christ. What makes heaven such a lovely house? Is it not precious Christ? The Lamb is its light. (Rev 21:23) It is as if John is saying: "Heaven would be a dark house if Christ were not there." Jesus is the light of that house. O do you know heaven? If you knew it you would long to be there in eternity, where all the persons of the Blessed Trinity cry, "Come up here to us who are here", and all the angels and saints cry, "Come up here to us who are here." It is good to be there. Will you be taking up your lodging there?
Some Tastes of the Excellence of Heaven
Do you know that heaven is a pleasant place? But what makes it pleasant, except that its windows and streets are all sprinkled over with the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley? Was that not an excellent sight John had when the angel talked with him and said, 'Come up here, and I will show you the Bride, the Lamb's wife', and carried him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him the holy city, the new Jerusalem? (Rev 21:9-10) And what is it that makes heaven such an excellent place? It is the soul-satisfying vision of God that we have there. There we see God face to face, and is not that an excellent sight? Here we see Christ dimly, through the veil of ordinances; but there we see Him face to face. I do not know what the Bride's thoughts will be when Christ first takes her in His arms. There is such a thing as the kindness of heaven, but I fear we do not know it. What shall be your thoughts when Christ shall take you in His arms, if ever He will take you? I think we shall fall apart! O is not heaven an excellent place?
Six Questions
I think every Christian should ask six questions of Christ. O that we were asking them often!
The first is this: Shall this tongue, that has so often taken the Lord's name in vain and polluted the holiness of God, ever be made like the tongues of angels, to express the grace of Jesus Christ? You will cry out when you hear yourselves speaking of Christ in heaven, "Is this ignorant I?"
The second question is this: Shall these eyes, that have been the windows through which so many sins have come into my soul, ever see the Spotless One who sits on the throne? I think the first hour we shall see Christ (if there are hours in eternity) we shall blush to look Him in the face. When we see His face, His transforming face, where shall we turn our eyes? A sight of Christ will make us eternally wonder. Are you groaning for a sight of Christ? Some would never wish to see another sight than the one they now see. But O, do you not think fifty years a long time to be out of the precious presence of Christ? Are you not longing, old men, to die and be dissolved?
The third question is this: Shall these ears, that have listened to so much cursing and have enjoyed so much vanity, ever hear those songs above? We must hear either the eternal shriekings of souls in prison or that excellent harmony that is amongst the choirs of heaven. O how sweetly they sing! Now comfort yourselves with this: the day is coming when you shall no more hang your harps on willow trees because you are in a strange land, but you shall eternally cry out, "Praise to Him who sits on the throne!"
The fourth question is this: Shall these feet of ours, that have pursued so much vanity and folly, ever follow the Lamb wherever He goes? I think it will be a wonder if the sound of many of our feet are heard in heaven! O what a pleasant thing it is to walk through that Valley of Delights, with Christ in front and all the children of the house behind! Do you think eternity will be a long time? I think it will be short, for we shall not reckon a thousand years one day in God's sight.
The fifth question we may ask is this: Shall these hearts of ours, which have been houses of many idols, ever be made the dwelling-place of the Holy Spirit?
The last question we may ask is this: Shall these hands, that have been the instruments of so much mischief and iniquity, ever enfold that matchless Object who sits on the throne? O what will you do when you first get Christ in your arms? It is a question whether your first day in heaven will be the most pleasant. But I do not think so, because though you never saw your Husband before, the longer you are there the more you will love Him.
What shall I say there is in heaven? There is no outcast there, no desertion, no unbelief, no misconstruing of Christ, no questioning His wisdom. When we go through the gates of the new Jerusalem we shall pass over the graves of desertion, and jealousy, and unbelief, and all our idols, and we shall never follow them any more.
"O", you might say, "but will not faith and hope leave me when I come to the gates of heaven?" Yes, faith and hope will leave you there. But what a pleasant day that will be when faith and hope shall yield themselves to love and sight. Faith and hope are the attendants of the Christian here, but love and sight shall be his eternal attendants above. Faith and hope fight the battle, but love and sight sit at home and divide the spoil. Faith and hope embrace Christ through the veil, but love and sight embrace Him with the eyes. We must leave our faith and hope, but we shall never weep for leaving such companions. And now, what shall I say more to commend heaven? What shall I say more of eternity? Time would fail me.
Six Complaints
Lastly I will mention six complaints the saints make in relation to heaven:
1. Some are weeping in secret under their ignorance and presumption, and saying, 'I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of the holy.'(Prov 30:2-3) "I never saw such a blind, ignorant person as I am."
But comfort yourselves with this: when you first enter the gates of that blessed city all your clouds shall shed; you shall not have a wrong thought of God throughout all eternity; and you shall begin to say to yourselves, "Is this ignorant and brutish I?"
2. Others are complaining, "I am under much desertion. I never go to pray but I meet with an absent God, a veiled and angry Christ; and then I cannot speak to Him."
But comfort yourselves with this: there is no desertion in heaven. In all the higher house there is no-one who asks, 'How long, Lord, will you hide your face from me?' (Psa 13:1) Yet I confess it is no wonder that we go to heaven with a veiled Christ, because when He is sent to us we do not know how to entertain Him! It is a mystery to some that they shall never weary of the service of heaven: they cannot understand that those who cannot pray for half an hour shall never weary of praising Him through all the ages of eternity. O blessed are they who are above! There is no wearying in heaven. But I fear few of us shall go there!
3. A third complaint of Christians is this: "I do not know whether I shall go to heaven or not." I know there is much questioning the reality of our faith, but we dispute more with our light than with our conscience. If our exercise was in our conscience, I do not think we could dispute our saving interest in Christ for one day.
But comfort yourselves with this: there is no doubting in heaven. When you go over the threshold of that divine entrance, you shall say, "Farewell all disputing and debating."
4. A fourth complaint which troubles some is this: "I fear I have no love to Christ." And I think it is true in relation to many of us! O where has love gone? I suppose that if angels would come and speak to some of our hearts they would find that love has gone.
But comfort yourselves with this: love will be much of your exercise in heaven. Some may ask whether the saints love anyone besides Christ. Do not misunderstand me when I say that one saint shall not hate another saint, yet one saint shall not love another saint. What I mean is I do not know if the saints in heaven will have any love to spare for anyone except Christ! O to be near Him!
5. Fifthly, some complain: "I will never prevail over my idols, and get them forced out of my heart!" It is true, there are some of us who will go down to the grave with our idols in our hearts.
But O, what do you think of heaven? All your idols shall be slain before you go there. It is a mystery to some that the idols they are wrestling with all their days shall one day leave them, but it is so. Yet there are some professing Christians who drag Jesus at their heels and embrace idols in their hearts. I say your religion is not worth much if you do not slay your idols. O believe it, it is the ruin of many who speak of Christ that out of love of pleasure they will not slay their prevailing lusts. O that cursed tongue, that has spoken much of Christ! Perhaps you shall curse Him with it eternally! It is not much to be a tongue Christian.
I know what makes our religion false: we take it up before it takes us up. Many of us take it up by guess. I do not wish to prophesy sad things; but believe it, if religion were more out of fashion, Christ would have fewer followers. It is much to love a persecuted Christ. We follow Christ because of the loaves, and not because of the grace that is in Him. Some are knit to Christ with a very small thread. However, your idols will forsake you when you have gone to heaven.
6. Lastly, some are troubled with this: "I fear I never prayed with delight."
It is true, many go about spiritual duties merely to satisfy a natural conscience. Will you search this point? You will find it to be the truth. You would pray less, come to church less, and read the Scriptures less, were it not for your conscience. O there are some who would be altogether quit of their conscience if they could!
Conclusion
But I shall not speak any longer, except to say this: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the three persons of the Blessed Trinity, are each crying out, "Come up here to us who are here!" And the joys of heaven, if they had a tongue, would cry out, "O come up here!" And that sweet and blessed transcendence in the face of Christ cries out, "Come up here!" And does not our need cry out, "Go up there!"?
Some hope to climb up to heaven by the short ladder of presumption. Do you think you will go to heaven? Shall we all be there, where we shall fight no more? Do you think our lodging will be taken up in one place at night? I dare not say more, but I fear there will be strange divisions among us. We do not know if we shall ever meet again. Some of us may be in eternity before long; and that does not matter much either, for eternity is sweet if we go to heaven. I remember a word in Job (9:25) - 'Now my days are swifter than a post; they flee away as the ships (or 'as the ships of desires').' To Christians death clips the thread of their life, but it makes up the everlasting knot between Christ and them. Death is your friend. Your death day is your coronation day. Death is Christ's messenger to bring you home, sent to you either with a letter of commendation to speed you on or with a love letter in his hand to make you shout for joy. O, therefore, let us love Him and long to be with Him for evermore. Amen.
[The following notes are taken from Cunningham's The Reformers and the Theology of the Reformation. Banner of Truth. 1967. 600-608. Ed]
Introduction
While God conferred particular gifts on specific Reformers according to the task He assigned to them, they all had certain gifts in common.
1. They were distinguished for both natural talent and acquired learning.
(a) Natural Talent
For example: capacious and tenacious memory; penetrating intelligence; thoroughly practical in outlook.
Lessons for us:
(i) Value natural intellectual ability.
(ii) Remember we are responsible for the right use of our minds.
(iii) We should use our minds for the purpose intended by God.
(iv) We should cultivate and improve our mental powers.
(b) Acquired Learning
The Holy Spirit enabled the Reformers to acquire vast stores of learning relevant to their respective roles in the Reformation.
For example: Luther's knowledge of the Church Fathers and of Scholastic Philosophy. Calvin's grasp of Law and Jurisprudence and of the Church Fathers. Melanchthon's and Beza's mastery of Greek.
As a result, their most valuable contributions to the work of God were:
(i) The wide spread of such great Biblical truths as the Sovereignty of God, the Bondage of the Will, Salvation by Grace, Justification by Faith.
(ii) The maintenance of a great Scriptural cause; namely, the Reformation of the Church, resulting in the regeneration of Switzerland (Zwingli) and the establishment of the Church as a theocracy (Calvin).
(iii) The infusion of spiritual life and vigour into a dead or languid Church.
(iv) The salvation of many precious, immortal souls (Knox in Scotland: "God rained down converts").
Lessons for us:
(i) Acquire as much useful knowledge as possible.
(ii) Value that learning which promotes truth and righteousness.
2. They were striking examples of unwearied conscientious activity.
(a) As students, they acquired a large stock of learning, yet not one of them was at leisure to study supported by a private income or by patrons.
(b) As writers, they bequeathed to us a great mass of valuable works, solid in theology and notable in style.
(c) As pastors and teachers, they did a staggering amount of work in the places of their calling.
Lessons for us:
(i) Our comparative laziness and inactivity should make us very humble.
(ii) Value time and redeem it.
3. They were notable students of Holy Scripture.
(a) They paid the closest attention to the study of Scripture.
(b) They were given correct views of the leading principles of Scripture.
(c) They cordially submitted to Scripture in the regulation of their conduct.
They were all familiar with the meaning of Scripture, were devoted to the application of Scripture and were deeply imbued with the spirit of Scripture.
All this was acquired through
(i) deep study.
(ii) careful meditation.
(iii) fervent prayer.
Lessons for us:
(i) Beware of the danger of placing other books before Holy Scripture.
(ii) Bring all the powers of your mind to its study.
(iii) Implore God for the sanctifying light of the Holy Spirit.
Concluding Remarks
(a) If we do not follow the Reformers' example, we sin.
(b) If we neglect Holy Scripture, the life of God in the soul is checked and our efforts for God are enfeebled.
Final Lesson:
Be open to the whole mind of God as revealed in His whole Word.
Nowhere is John Calvin's realism more evident than in his approach to the Christian ministry. There is in it not even a tinge of romantic idealism. Ever since his fiery colleague William Farel threatened him with the curse of God if he did not put his hand to the work of reform in Geneva, Calvin saw and felt the ministry to be little more than a living death.
In the first place, his constant tendency to regard things as they really are surfaces in his insistence that true ministers of the Gospel are called to a life of unremitting toil. This call comes from a God whose voice they cannot reject "without being rebels against Him." (Comm on Acts 5.32). Indeed, 'in Farel's voice of thunder, in his curses, in his terrifying adjurations, he hears the very command of God. He does not belong to himself. He obeys.' The unremitting toil to which God calls all His servants and to which Calvin subsequently gave himself so selflessly lies in the very nature of the Christian ministry. (Jean Cadier: The Man God Mastered. 1960. 75).
Nevertheless, the vivid awareness of God's call is one of the minister's greatest strengths. To be certain of his divine calling is essential, he argues, for in the face of opposition only such certainty will justify his appeal "to the tribunal of God." (Comm on Jer 20.7). When the Genevans proved so recalcitrant and the Libertines so defiant, it was Calvin's certainty of God's call that sustained him in his arduous work.
Accordingly, speaking for all heaven-sent ministers, he says, "we ought to make so great account of the calling of God that no unthankfulness of men may be able to hinder us." (Comm on Acts 17.1). Doubtless, one major reason why so many do not survive the strains and stresses of the ministry is their lack of certainty that God has called them into it.
Secondly, Calvin's realism emerges in the truth that a God-given sense of ministerial responsibility will always prove to be a constant source of anxiety to His servants. "Whatever may be the opinion of others," he writes early on in his ministry, "we do not think that...once the sermon has been preached [a weighty burden in itself] our task is finished... It is necessary to give the most direct and vigilant attention to those whose blood will be required of us, since, if it is lost, it will be by our negligence." (The French Catechism. CO V. 319). One great reason for this is that preachers are not called "merely to lead men to faith in Christ" and then abandon them, but also "to perfect the faith which has been begun in them." (Thess 355). There are times when Calvin broods over the "horrible punishment" that awaits pastors who fail to apply the truths of salvation to their flocks. (Comm on 1 Tim 3.15). On other occasions, however, he deeply sympathizes with ministers who grow discouraged under their burdens. (Comm on Isa 49.4). No mere armchair theologian feels either such solemn responsibility or such keen sympathy.
Thirdly, Calvin's realism emerges in his vivid awareness that the minister of Christ is dealing always with sinners. "We know," he says feelingly, "how great is the wanton-ness of human nature" and "how ferocious are human passions." (Comm on Isa 3.5 and Jer 30.9). Hence the minister's obligation to reprove sin. In accordance with 2 Timothy 4.2 - 'Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine' - Calvin insists that pastors "admonish, exhort and deprecate", especially through the kind of preaching that will first "remove the excuses and pretences with which hypocrites cover themselves" and then will "drag them from their hiding-places." (Confession of Faith. CO IX. 699; Comm on Isa 58.2). "No wonder [ministers] have so many enemies," he exclaims, "since it is their duty to censure the vices of all, to oppose all wicked desires and to repress by their severity whoever seems to go astray." (Comm on 1 Tim 5.19).
Calvin knew from personal experience that any minister who performs such duties faithfully will "be loaded with much abuse and called contentious, morose, a disturber of the peace." (Comm on Jer 15.10). Indeed, he claims, faithful ministers are uniquely "exposed to slanders and insults", for "wicked men find many occasions to censure them", and "as soon as any charge is made against them, it is believed as surely and firmly as if it had been already proved." (Comm on 1 Tim 5.19). Still, despite the risks to oneself involved in rebuking the socially influential, none are fit to lead and guide the Church unless they "possess such constancy that they fear no-one and are not intimidated by the power of anyone." (Comm on Jer 34.21). Pastors "must dare to reprove, freely and with intrepid spirit, both kings and queens . . . for the Word of God is not to be limited to the people or to humble men, but subjects to itself all, from the least to the greatest." (Comm on Jer 13.18). Both Hugh Latimer in reproving Henry VIII, and John Knox in remonstrating with Mary, Queen of Scots, must have taken great courage from such remarks as these.
In view of the great dangers facing the faithful minister, Calvin bemoans the slothful carelessness of some. "Today," he complains, "hardly one in a hundred considers how difficult and arduous it is faithfully to discharge the office of pastor." Some consider it a light and trivial calling. Others are so confident of their "talent, learning and judgment" that they imagine they can cope with any problem. Still others, "while knowing there will be many serious battles, have no fear, as though they were born for contention." Worst of all, some "who want to be ministers" are nothing but "mercenaries." By contrast, God's true servants expect to be "wretched in the eyes of the world and common sense", for "they must make war on the passions of all and thus displease men in order to please God." (Comm on Jer 17.16).
Were all this not enough, the minister of Christ bears the heavy responsibility of conducting himself "in a godly manner", so as to set a good example to others. (Sermon on Titus 1.7-9). Only an idealist, dilettante or hypocrite will reprove others while neglecting himself.
Finally, Calvin invites every minister of Christ to weigh well the possibility of persecution, even to death. On this point he is as realistic as ever. While no pastor should "rashly throw himself away" because of his great value to the Church, yet neither should he "desert his post out of fear, or treacherously betray his flock, or give an example of cowardice." (Comm on Matt 10.23). Rather, he should share with all the faithful the knowledge that all his troubles will end in salvation and glory. (Comm on Heb 12.2). Just as our Lord Jesus Christ went to His inheritance "by" way of "the cross", so also "we must come to it in the same manner." (Comm on Rom 8.17). In the last analysis, this is the litmus test of the true servant of Christ, as distinct from the hireling. For "learning and eloquence and every other excellence can be feigned", but integrity and uprightness will enable a pastor to hold out to the end. (Comm on Acts 1.24).
'We may competently anticipate an efficient ministry when the momentous cost has been considerably calculated: because then the work is contemplated not in the colouring of a self-indulgent anticipation, but in its true light, as warranted by Scripture and confirmed by every faithful labourer - a work not of ease, but of self-denial - not of hasty effort but of patient endurance - not of feeling and impulse but of faith, prayer and determination.'
[Charles Bridges]
[The English Reformers have been accused of introducing not merely novelties but even heresies into the Catholic Church, or Universal Body of Christ. The fifty or so volumes of the Parker Society indicate on the contrary that their theology is in harmony with Holy Scripture. The following extracts from the writings of William Tyndale - Reformer, Bible translator and martyr - are representative of the beliefs of his brethren on some cardinal doctrines of the faith. At the same time they clearly show the beautiful combination of simplicity, meekness and faithfulness which characterized this most gentle of Reformers. Ed.]
Holy Scripture
'The Scriptures sprang out of God, and flow unto Christ, and were given to lead us to Christ.'
'I call God to record against the day we shall appear before our Lord Jesus to give a reckoning of our doings, that I never altered one syllable of God's Word against my conscience, nor would this day if all that is in the earth, whether it be pleasure, honour or riches, might be given me.'
'Where He (the Holy Spirit) is not, there is not the understanding of Scripture, but unfruitful disputing and brawling about words.'
'Thou must...go along by the Scripture as by a line, until thou come at Christ, which is the way's end and resting-place.'
'Seek the Word of God in all things, and without the Word of God do nothing, though it appear ever so glorious.'
'God's Word alone lasteth for ever, and that which He hath sworn doth abide when all other things perish.'
Man by Nature
'Before we are born, we are vessels of the wrath of God, and full of that poison whence all sins naturally spring.'
Christ our Redeemer
'Christ is our Redeemer, Saviour, peace, atonement and satisfaction, and has made amends or satisfaction toward God for all the sin which they that repent, consenting to the law and believing the promises, do, have done, or shall do. So that if through fragility we fall a thousand times, yet if we do repent again, we have always mercy laid up for us in store in Jesus Christ our Lord.'
'Now if we be all sinners, none fulfils the law: for he that fulfilleth the law is no sinner. In the law, neither Peter nor Paul nor any other creature, save Christ only, may rejoice. In the blood of Christ, which fulfilled the law for us, may every person that repents, believes, loves the law and mourns for strength to fulfil it, rejoice, be he ever so weak a sinner.'
'Heaven comes by Christ's blood.'
The Gospel
'Evangelion (or what we call the Gospel) is a Greek word, and signifies good, glad and joyful tidings, that make a man's heart glad, and make him sing, dance and leap for joy... This evangelion or Gospel...is called the new testament. Because as a man, when he shall die, appoints his goods to be dealt and distributed after his death among those whom he names to be his heirs; even so Christ, before His death, commanded and appointed that such evangelion, Gospel or tidings should be declared throughout all the world, and therewith to give all that repent and believe all His goods. That is to say, His life, wherewith He swallowed and devoured up death; His righteousness, wherewith He banished sin; His salvation, wherewith He overcame eternal damnation. Now, the wretched man that knows himself to be wrapped in sin, and in danger of death and hell, can hear nothing more joyous than such glad and comfortable tidings of Christ. So that he cannot but be glad and laugh from the bottom of his heart, if he believe that the tidings are true.'
True Faith
'The right faith springs not of man's fantasy, neither is it in any man's power to obtain it, but is altogether the pure gift of God poured into us freely, without any manner of doing of us, without deserving and merits, yea and without seeking for of us.'
'God works with His Word, and in His Word. And as His Word is preached, faith roots herself in the hearts of the elect, and as faith enters and the Word of God is believed, the power of God looses the heart from the captivity and bondage under sin, and knits and couples him to God and to the will of God.'
'The law kills thy conscience, and gives thee no desire to fulfil the law. Faith in Christ gives desire and power to do the law.'
'Hereof ye see what faith it is that justifies us - the faith in Christ's blood, of a repenting heart toward the law - justifies us alone, and not all manner of faiths.'
Justification
'Christ only redeemed us, Christ only bore our sins, made satisfaction for them and purchased us the favour of God; then must it needs be true that the trust only in Christ's deserving and in the promises of God the Father made to us for Christ's sake doth alone quiet the conscience and certify it that the sins are forgiven.'
'Mark how Paul labours with himself to express the exceeding mysteries of faith, in the epistle to the Ephesians and in the epistle to the Colossians. Of these and many such-like texts are we sure that the forgiveness of sins and justifying are appropriate(d) unto faith only, without the adding to of works.'
Sanctification
'Deeds and works are but outward signs of the inward grace of the bounteous and plenteous mercy of God, freely received without all merits of deeds, yea, and before all deeds. Christ teaches us to know the inward faith and love by the outward deeds. Deeds are the fruits of love, and love is the fruit of faith.'
'If I consent to the will of God in my heart, though through infirmity and weakness I cannot do the will of God at all times; moreover, though I cannot do the will of God so purely as the law requires of me, yet if I see my fault and meekly acknowledge my sin, weeping in my heart because I cannot do the will of God, and thirst after strength, I am sure that the Spirit of God is in me and His favour upon me.'
'The life of a Christian man is inward between him and God, and properly is the consent of the spirit to the will of God and to the honour of God.'
'As for an example, thou art a shoe-maker, which is a work within the laws of God; and sayest in thine heart: "Lo, O God, here I make a shoe as truly as I would for myself, to do my neighbour service, and to get my living in truth with the labour of mine hands, as Thou commandest. And I thank Thee that thou hast given me this craft, and makest it prosper...and am fully persuaded that both I and my work please Thee, O Father, for Thy Son Jesus' sake." Lo, now this faith makes even this simple work pleasant in the sight of God.'
In Psalm 112 a certain type of man is described. He is called God-fearing, upright, gracious, compassionate, righteous and good. In verse 7 it is said of him: "his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord." 'That is,' says Thomas Watson, 'it is fixed by trusting.' In other words, the only way to be delivered from instability is by trusting in the Lord. Faith fixes the heart on God and keeps us from doubting, fearing, vacillating, fainting or despairing, even when we hear the most evil tidings.
Indeed, who else can we trust?
If we trust in friends, they may let us down. "Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For . . a man's enemies are the men of his own house. Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me." (Mic 7.5-7). Even our Lord Jesus Christ was betrayed by a friend.
If we trust in influential men, they may use us for their own purposes, and then drop us. "Put not your trust in princes, . . in whom there is no help." (Psa 146.3). Comments Calvin: 'It is wrong to place our trust in frail mortal man, and vain to seek safety where it cannot be found.' "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes." (Psa 118.9). Says Calvin again: 'We are not allowed to transfer to men even the smallest portion of our confidence, which must be placed in God alone.'
If we trust in our own hearts, we shall deceive ourselves. This is why Joseph Hall describes the heart of man as 'The Great Impostor.' "He that trusts in his own heart is a fool." (Prov 28.26). How true is this even in the case of an apostle! Peter's self-confidence is left on record for us all to beware of. To trust in our feelings, sincerity, convictions, impulses, ideas, natural strength, experience or imagined wisdom is folly itself. Have we not all discovered this to our sorrow? But if we trust in God we shall never be confounded. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." (Prov 3.5-6).
Dear friends, trust in God. A wonderful promise belongs to those who trust Him: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace (Hebrew: peace, peace) whose mind is stayed (or 'shored up') on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee." Then follows the exhortation: "Trust ye in Jehovah for ever; for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength." (Isa 26.3-4).
Frances Ridley Havergal's lines:
'Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only for my King,'
aptly summarize the sanctified sentiments of Karl Spitta, the German hymn-writer the two hundredth anniversary of whose birth falls this year.
For before his conversion to Christ in 1824 Spitta took great delight in writing secular songs, which became popular throughout his native land. But following the great change he wrote to a friend: "In the manner which I formerly sang, I sing no more. To the Lord I consecrate my life and my love and likewise my song. His love is the one great theme of all my songs; to praise and exalt it worthily is the desire of the Christian singer. He gave me song and melody; I give it back to Him." [In this respect Spitta closely resembles John Donne, whose lewd courtly verses gave way after his conversion to the most intense language of self-condemnation and gratitude to Christ.]
Spitta was born at Hanover, the son of a French father and Jewish Christian mother. After several years preparing for the Christian ministry at the University of Gottingen, he became first, pastor at Sudwalde, Hamelin and Wechol, then superintendent at Wittingen, Peine and Burgdorf in Luneburg, where he died in 1859. His son Johann was the author of a notable biography of J.S.Bach.
Spitta's numerous hymns, originally intended for personal and family use, are marked by a deeply-felt devotion to the Saviour, simplicity of style and melodious metre.
Between four and six of these appear in different German-speaking hymnals, but only one in a widely-used Dutch hymnal. Strangely enough, all these are omitted from Catherine Winkworth's Christian Singers of Germany. The two found in Christian Hymns are deservedly the most popular. These (as translated by Jane Borthwick and her sister Sarah Findlater respectively) are 'We praise and bless Thee, gracious Lord' (806) and 'O happy home' (842).
The first is based on 2 Corinthians 5.17 - 'Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.'
It joyfully reflects Spitta's conversion:
We praise and bless Thee, gracious Lord,
Our Saviour kind and true,
For all the old things passed away,
For all Thou hast made new.
At the same time it realistically acknowledges the remains of indwelling sin:
But yet how much must be destroyed,
How much renewed must be,
Ere we can fully stand complete
In likeness, Lord, to Thee.
Nevertheless, it holds out a glorious hope based on the Saviour's preserving grace:
Thou, only Thou, must carry on
The work Thou hast begun;
Of Thine own strength Thou must impart
In Thine own ways to run.
So shall we faultless stand at last
Before Thy Father's throne,
The blessedness for ever ours,
The glory all Thine own.
The second hymn is "a beautiful description of a true Christian household taken from the happy home life of the author" (John Julian). Its Scriptural basis is connected with the conversion of Zaccheus: 'Salvation is come to this house' (Luke 19.9). It rightly gives Christ His place as the Head of the household, speaks feelingly of husband and wife being 'in heart united in holy faith and blessed hope', commits the children to His care and devotes every common task to His service. Finally it reminds us that the Christian marriage union can never be broken, even by death, which leads us to Christ's 'everlasting home of peace and love.'
Perhaps the fourth stanza, reminiscent of George Herbert's 'Elixir', epitomizes the whole:
O happy home, where each one serves Thee, lowly,
Whatever his appointed work may be,
Till every common task seems great and holy,
When it is done, O Lord, as unto Thee.
How blessed would we be if all our homes were like this!
Evangelical Press. Faverdale North, Darlington. DL3 0PH. E-mail: sales@evangelical-press.org
Practical Religion by J.C.Ryle. 320pp. Hdbk. £11.95.
Ever since the 1956 reprint of Ryle's Holiness the Evangelical bishop's best writings have been rolling steadily off the press. His Notes on the Gospels have served as a basis for family worship; his tracts have been handed to countless readers; while works such as Old Paths, The Christian Race, Knots Untied and Light From Old Times have all been in more or less demand. This lightly-updated edition of Practical Religion has not lost in either spiritual power or doctrinal faithfulness through revision by Tony Capoccia. All Ryle's characteristic qualities remain intact: his muscular doctrinal Protestantism and Evangelicalism; his eminently practical approach to religion; and his lucid and forceful style. Indeed, the latter is even improved by this slight revision. If plain-ness, force and beauty are the three most needed elements of style (as Shedd suggests) then the present volume meets those requirements admirably. We wish it the widest possible circulation and influence.
Exodus. Vol 2 by John D. Currid. 416pp. Hdbk. £14.95.
Like its predecessor, Volume 1 (see Peace and Truth 2000:3) this concluding volume of Prof. Currid's Study Commentary is simply excellent. There is here the soundest exegesis, the simplest language, the most relevant application and the most attractive layout I have seen in a commentary for some time. It is enhanced by Prof. Currid's extensive knowledge of Semitic laws and customs outside Israel, coupled with a gracious ability to draw on post-Biblical Church History and Biography for illustrations. Two superb appendices despatch in a few pages the errors of Dispensationalism, Antinomianism and Reconstructionism, and re-affirm the Church's time-honoured views of Old Testament Salvation and her relationship to the Moral Law of God. A sine qua non for all ministers.
Other titles from Evangelical Press which we recommend but have not space to review are: Ransomed, Healed, Restored, Forgiven - Learning from the Life of Peter by Michael Bentley (144pp. £6.95), Salvation Exposed by Peter Jeffrey (126pp. £29.50 for 10 copies), Autumn Gold - Enjoying Old Age by Clifford Pond (160pp. £6.95), Dare to Stand Alone by Stuart Olyott (176pp £6.95) and Making the Most of your Devotional Life by Derek Thomas (224pp £7.95) though all are expensive as paperbacks. We have also received the second volume of Gordon Keddie's fine Commentary on John (446pp. Hdbk. £16.95).
Paternoster Press. P.O. Box 300. Carlisle, Cumbria. CA3 OQS.
Where Wrath and Mercy Meet - Proclaiming the Atonement Today edited by David Peterson. 175pp. Pbk. £14.99.
This set of papers from the Fourth Oak Hill College School of Theology should be required reading for all ministers, lecturers and theology students. It re-states with learning, clarity and conviction the much-contested belief that Penal Substitution is an essential part of the Biblical revelation and indispensable for a right understanding of our Saviour's atoning death.
Covering a vast amount of ground in a small compass, the first two papers expound the doctrine of atonement in both Old and New Testaments, dealing admirably with the Day of Atonement and Isaiah 53. While the Old Testament, says Principal Peterson, stresses deliverance from divine wrath and judgment through His substitutionary atonement, the New Testament emphasizes the reconciliation wrought by it. How heartening it is to read of the redemptive power and covenant efficacy of the blood of Christ!
Garry Williams's paper narrows down the focus to produce the Biblical evidence for penal substitution and to explore the precise nature of the punishment our Lord suffered in order to atone for His people's sins. It does sterling service in rebutting the stale criticism that penal substitution is mechanistic; ie. it excludes both our and God's personal involvement. On the contrary, says our author: we are involved when God's grace brings us to realize our pardon and acceptance as based on the atonement, and God is profoundly involved since it was He who both made and executed the law linking sin with death. God Himself punished His own dearly-beloved Son to satisfy the claims of that law.
Michael Ovey in 'The Cross, Creation and the Human Predicament' states unequivocally that any theology which fails to deal with the central universal problem of man's sin and sinfulness is irrelevant, and that penal substitution is both the only way God could deal with sin and also the basis of a cosmic restoration which thoroughly vindicates the glory of God.
Paul Weston, from the crucifixion narrative of John's Gospel, shows how, 'despite appearances', the atonement fulfils God's plan, expresses the voluntariness of Christ's obedience unto death and reveals God's glory. It is good to read (at last in a modern evangelical Anglican writer) that we may have complete confidence in the text, the narrative and the good news of John's account.
A fine old paper on 'Justification by Faith' by Alan Stibbs forms a fitting Appendix to this symposium, especially when he concludes that our faith is not to terminate in ourselves, but in the Person and Work of Christ.
Despite its price, this title is worth every penny. It is regrettable that the front cover is spoilt by a picture of a crucifix. Still, those who are Biblically fastidious may easily cover it.
Other Paternoster paperback titles deal with the evangelical mission to working-class London between 1820 and 1860: Lighten Their Darkness by Donald M Lewis 369pp. N.P. (with an excellent Bibliography); the immense problems facing Biblical Christianity in Modern Africa by Wilbur O'Donovan 261PP. N.P; and revival: Firestorm of the Lord by Stuart Piggin 265pp. £14.99 (in which the author refutes Finneyism and expresses earnest approval of the 'revival theology' of Jonathan Edwards and Martyn Lloyd-Jones, without condemning the Charismatic Movement, which eradicates the barrier between Protestant and Romish doctrine). All three are very informative and stimulating. Despite the unquestioned scholarship involved in them, the price of Paternoster paperbacks generally does seem rather high.
Banner of Truth. 3 Murrayfield Road, Edinburgh. EH12 6EL.
The Trial and Triumph of Faith by Samuel Rutherford. 406pp. Pbk. £6.50.
These 27 sermons on Jesus's encounter with the Syrophenician Woman represent Rutherford at his best. The Dedication alone contains one of the most glorious passages on the grace of Christ in all Christian literature. The sermons themselves are rich in the doctrines of grace, taking in such topics as the wonder of Christ's love, the preciousness of grace, the wisdom of providence, Christ in the covenant, parental affliction and the efficacy of believing prayer. Besides all this, and much more, appear scathing refutations of Arminian free-willism and Crispian Antinomianism, along with pastorally-valuable solutions to doubting consciences. As an encouragement to persist in waiting on a silent or obstacle-making Christ, this title is a tonic. Unreservedly recommended.
Commentary on Galatians by John Brown. 451pp. Hdbk. £13.95.
The same exegetical perception and pastoral concern Dr Brown shows in his Commentary on Hebrews are apparent in this superb work. Several factors contribute to its sheer excellence:
1. The author's spiritual-mindedness.
2. His thorough familiarity with Greek idiom in general and Paul's thought-processes in particular.
3. His cordial sympathy with the theology of this epistle.
4. His acquaintance with all previous major and many minor commentaries on it, in several languages.
5. His pastoral, professorial and personal experience, giving the work a firmly practical and hortatory tone, once the text has been explained.
6. His resolute refusal to extract nothing from the text that he did not see in it, and to intrude nothing in his comments based on human philosophy.
An altogether admirable work.
The Preachers of Scotland by William G. Blaikie. 350pp. Hdbk. £10.95.
Little known outside his native Scotland, W.G.Blaikie was once famous as a Victorian polymath, arresting preacher, social reformer and founder of the Pan-Presbyterian Alliance. This broad survey of Scottish preaching from the Culdees to his own day is no mere narrative. The author is anxious to point out both the secret of the pulpit power of such giants as Columba, Knox, Welch, the later Covenanters, Boston and the Erskines, and the weaknesses of the sermons of Halyburton, Willison and Chalmers. His diagnosis of 'Moderate' preaching is both keen-eyed and unsparing, while his comments on revival preaching are appreciative. His observations - that all 'kindling power' in preaching must come from within (rather than from external stimuli) and that the Gospel must always be applied spiritually and experientially - need to be heeded by all who wish to set forth Jesus Christ and Him crucified with any hope of faithfulness and divine approval. A most interesting and edifying survey.
Reformed Free Publishing Association. 4949 Ivanrest Avenue, Grandville. MI. 49418-9709. U.S.A.
Behold, He Cometh! An Exposition of the Book of Revelation. by Herman Hoeksema. 772pp. Hdbk. $32.
This commentary, preached before it was published, is too significant to be skimped over in review. It is the best work on Revelation known to this reviewer (bearing in mind the excellent works of Hengstenberg, Durham and Hendriksen, to name no others). This is not surprising, as its author spared no pains in prayer and study to ascertain the mind of the Spirit from it without imposing on it such ridiculous and far-fetched schemes of prophecy as some have devised. Its 53 short chapters give it an essay form, rather than a verse-by-verse commentary. Its lucid, simple style is admirably calculated to demonstrate just how perfectly the message of this final book of the canon accords with everything else in Holy Scripture. Its author, a redoubtable theologian in his own right - see his Triple Knowledge (already available) and his Reformed Dogmatics (to be published, DV, in 2002) - expressly eschews every attempt to satisfy the itching ears of those who make the study of this wonderful book a hobby. Instead, he is determined that his readers grasp the key to it; namely, that Christ as sovereign will irresistibly establish His Father's kingdom on the ruins of the kingdom of Antichrist and Satan. This will be to the unspeakable comfort of all who suffer for Jesus' sake. Accordingly, Hoeksema wastes no time in what the ponderous John Owen calls Prolegomena, discussing such matters as authorship, dating, textual accuracy, etc. Since "the canonicity of the book does not depend on the apostolic authorship", his main concern is to elucidate and apply its message.
In so doing, Hoeksema rejects the view that Revelation's various visions refer to distinct historical persons and/or events. Rather, they apply to the entire history of the present Gospel dispensation. For whatever their symbolism, they all enshrine the principle of world conflict between the forces of Antichrist and those of Christ, both earthly and spiritual. [Accordingly, such notable figures as Napoleon and Hitler are to be seen as examples of the principle of opposition to the kingdom of God, rather than as persons cryptically referred to in the text. Similarly, the Dark Ages and the Reformation are to be viewed as typical periods covered by the symbolism, rather than specific movements darkly alluded to.]
In interpreting the symbolism, the author is refreshingly sane. So much so that after reading his explanations one wonders why they were not obvious before. The lukewarm water, the hidden manna, the white stone, the new name, the four horsemen, the 144,000, are all made as clear as crystal. Everything falls into place, once the ultimate purpose of God in giving the original promise of Christ in Genesis 3.15 is known.
With all glory being given to God alone for both the destruction of His enemies and the salvation of His people, not the slightest doubt remains as to the ultimate outcome: it is Victory for the Lamb that was slain, who is now in the midst of the throne. Hoeksema's treatment of the Final Judgment of the ungodly and the Blessedness of the New Jerusalem is a joy to read. May this superb work goad us to long, pray and work for the Second Coming of our Saviour, when the cosmic conflict shall end, when Christ shall yield up the kingdom to His Father, and God shall be all and in all.
Reformation Heritage Books. 2919 Leonard Street. N.E. Grand Rapids. Michigan 4525. U.S.A. E-mail: jrbeeke@aol.com Website: www.heritagebooks.org
Heaven Opened - The Correspondence of Mary Winslow ed Octavius Winslow. 344pp. Hdbk. £13.
In this epistolary treasury doctrine, experience and practice are beautifully interwoven. The reader finds himself drawn to God in Christ in the same way in which he is drawn through the letters of Joseph Alleine, James Renwick, William Romaine and John Newton. Here the vanity of this present evil world, the depravity of our own hearts, the all-sufficient winsomeness of Christ and the desirableness of heaven are lovingly placed before us as prime objects of our concern. Whoever the recipients may be - Mrs Winslow's own mother or grandchildren, a new convert or an old minister, a friend or a stranger - they each receive appropriate guidance, encouragement, comfort or admonition. How thankful we should be for a collected correspondence which, like that of Samuel Rutherford, is always pointing us to Christ and heaven. But it also goads us to ask ourselves, "When did I last write a letter beginning, 'Beloved in the Lord, how is it with your soul?' or lamenting lost opportunities of doing good to an immortal soul, or exhorting others to 'live for eternity'?" We are made to reflect on the sad truth that we are of the earth, earthy, and that most of our thoughts are bounded by space and time, whatever we profess to be as Reformed Christians. How we need such a spiritual goad to prod us (like beasts; see Agur's confession in Proverbs 30.2) to pursue more ardently Him whom our soul loves. What more can we say, except that each letter is sufficiently short and contains enough food for prayer to be made part of our daily morning reading?
Reforming Pastoral Ministry. ed John H Armstrong. Crossway Books. (obtainable from Reformation Heritage Books) 286pp. Pbk. £12.
This symposium, Biblically orientated and drawing on some of the best pastoral writing of the past, aims to give us models of pastoral practice in the face of current church apostasy and opposition to the Reformed Faith. It pinpoints pragmatism, worldliness and powerlessness as insidious causes of decline in pastoral care and church growth, and advocates the necessity of godliness, the priority of Biblical exposition, God- and Christ-centred worship, communal prayer (besides much else) as remedies. (The truth is: we need men of the spiritual calibre of Mary Winslow before much lasting good will be done!) Recommended.
NOTE: The publishers Soli Deo Gloria, who specialize in Puritan classics, have begun to send us their titles for review. Although they arrived too late to be mentioned in this issue, we warmly recommend them. They are obtainable from the Tabernacle Bookshop, Elephant and Castle, London. SE1 6SD. We hope (DV) to include reviews of them in future issues of Peace and Truth.
To Lady ----------
Dear Friend,
What an unsatisfying world this is to have our all in! How trifling does everything appear which is not in some way connected with God's glory. Look upon all you now see and admire as passing away, yourself passing away with it. Every hour, yea, each moment is bringing us nearer and nearer to the place appointed for all living; and yet, how little we realize it as we ought to do; therefore does our good and gracious God see it needful to try us by some painful dispensation to arouse us from our lethargy and stir us up to a closer walk with Him.
Oh, let an aged Christian urge on your mind a closer walk with God. Realize your oneness with Jesus. Live upon Him, and live for Him. Be much in communion with Him. He is not far from you - He is all around you, His eye ever upon you, and His ear, His loving ear, ever open to hear what you have to say to Him. Who that knows the blessedness of close intimacy and communion with Jesus would ever be without it? My soul is rejoicing in God my Saviour. He is indeed the Chief of ten thousand, and the altogether lovely. Let your transactions be close with Him, and all will go right. Commit your dear son continually to His charge, and the oftener you do this, your faith will increase. Nothing grows so strong as exercised faith, and this is one reason why our Lord tries us so often.
Dear, dear friend, our friendship is not to end here, in this poor world; it is destined to be continued and increased in another. Think what is prepared for us, and the glory that shall be revealed in us, and set loose to all the tinsel glory of an empty, unsatisfying world. It is not worth a straw when compared with what awaits us!
M.W.
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