These two volumes are derived from Dr. Cunningham’s lectures to his Church History class at New College, Edinburgh between 1847–1861. Cunningham’s living faith, devout submission to God, clarity of thought, and reverence for the authority of the Bible make him well-positioned to comment on the relationship between the church and its theology.

The history of the Church is a history of God’s interaction with his people; Cunningham tells that story through the history of its theology, chronicling the theological tension between law and grace, sin and forgiveness, and Christ’s first and second coming.

Volume one covers the biblical view of the church, the church councils and the apostolic fathers, the development of the church’s central doctrines—such as the incarnation and the Trinity—as well as the rise of scholasticism, the Reformation, and the Council of Trent.

Volume two documents the development of the doctrines of justification and the atonement and the Arminian and the Socinian controversies. He also devotes lengthy discussions to Presbyterianism, Congregationalism, and the Free Church of Scotland.

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The last words of a dying man are often worthy of being recorded. That is especially true of those spoken by Jesus Christ while dying on the cross. His seven last words have been called ‘the bright lights of heaven shining at intervals through the darkness’ and ‘the deep solemn tones which interpret the cross.’

Just seven ‘words’, yet what fullness they contain! As the author so ably shows, they present the full gospel of salvation.

Short, instructive, and deeply moving, Light from Calvary takes us to the cross that we might fix our eyes on ‘the Saviour of the world.’

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Volume 1 of The Works of John Owen: The Glory of Christ

Volume 1 of the Works of John Owen contains two significant works on the person and glory of Christ. For those desiring more of Christ, and a greater vision of His glory as the God-man, this is a volume to read slowly, and return to repeatedly.

Contents:

Part I – Life of Dr Owen, by Rev. A. Thomson, BA

Part II – Christologia: Or, A Declaration of the Glorious Mystery of the Person of Christ

Part III – Meditations and Discourses on the Glory of Christ

Part IV – Meditations and Discourses Concerning the Glory of Christ, Applied, &c

Part V – Two Short Catechisms

Look Inside

The Glory of Christ (Puritan Paperback)

This paperback is an abridgement of what, in Volume 1 of Owen’s Works, is included in Parts III and IV (namely, Meditations and Discourses on the Glory of Christ and Meditations and Discourses Concerning the Glory of Christ, Applied, &c.).

Contents:

Publisher’s Preface

1. Seeing Christ’s Glory

2. Christ’s Glory as God’s Representative

3. The Glory of Christ in His Person

4. The Glory of Christ’s Humbling Himself

5. The Glory of Christ’s Love as Mediator

6. The Glory of Christ’s Work as Mediator

7. The Glory of Christ’s Exaltation

8. The Glory of Christ under the Old Testament

9. The Glory of Christ’s Union with the Church

10. The Glory of Christ’s Giving Himself to Believers

11. The Glory of Christ in Restoring All Things

12. The First Difference between Beholding the Glory of Christ by Faith and by Sight

13. The Second Difference between Beholding the Glory of Christ by Faith and by Sight

14. The Third Difference between Beholding the Glory of Christ by Faith and by Sight

15. Exhortation to Unbelievers

16. How to Recognize Spiritual Decay in the Soul

17. How the Soul May Be Recovered from Spiritual Decays

Look Inside

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»El fin principal del hombre es glorificar a Dios
y gozar de Él para siempre«

—Catecismo Menor de Westminster

A través de esta nueva edición de la Confesión de Fe de ‌Westminster, y su respectivo Catecismo Menor, queremos invitar al pueblo cristiano hispano a continuar profundizando en aquellas verdades doctrinales que han llevado a la Iglesia, a lo largo de la historia, a glorificar a Dios. Estos documentos enriquecerán nuestra confesión del Dios trino que nos escogió, redimió y continúa santificando para así, gozar de Él para siempre. Además, hemos incluido algunos Credos cristianos universales para entregar más recursos que nos lleven a crecer en la fe que creemos y confesamos.

»La Confesión de Westminster y sus Catecismos son, por lo tanto, el fruto maduro de todo el movimiento de formación de credos a lo largo de quince siglos de historia cristiana y, en particular, la Confesión y sus Catecismos son la corona de la mayor época de exposición confesional, la Reforma protestante. Ningún otro documento similar ha concentrado en ellos, y formulado con tanta precisión, tanto de la verdad contenida en la revelación cristiana«.

—Profesor John Murray (1898–1975)

»La verdad que expresa la Confesión tiene el poder de moldear tu pensamiento; su enseñanza ampliará y aclarará tu comprensión. Además, y lo mejor de todo, la sabiduría pastoral de la Confesión de Fe te ayudará a vivir la vida cristiana con la perspectiva magníficamente expresada en la respuesta a la primera pregunta del Catecismo Menor que la acompañaba: glorificar a Dios y gozar de él para siempre».

—Sinclair B. Ferguson

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‘The Christian world owes a great debt to Archibald Alexander. “Great” because he was the first professor in what would become the preeminent theological institution in the English speaking world—Princeton Seminary. The stamp of his influence on its ethos lasted for a hundred years. Here, in his Thoughts on Religious Experience we encounter the doctrinal richness, the spiritual penetration, and the wise discernment that thirty-nine successive classes of students tasted, and by which their ministries were permanently marked, and those to whom they ministered nourished and transformed. A work to be treasured indeed!’ — SINCLAIR B. FERGUSON

‘Archibald Alexander is not only a favourite for me but one who speaks as though he knows me as a friend. That is the feeling of many who read him, male and female, young and old. “He speaks to my heart”, my wife says. The experiences of a Christian, from new birth to death, are so varied and mysterious that it requires the love and wisdom of Christ to speak of them safely. No one pattern fits all. To Alexander this grace was given. Those who knew him well, such as Dr A.A.Hodge, did not think it too much to say of him: “More than any man of his generation he appeared to those who heard him to be endued with the knowledge and clothed with the authority of a prophet sent immediately from God.”‘ — IAIN H. MURRAY

Book Description

The nature of spiritual experience is probably both the most interesting and the most difficult subject in Christian literature: interesting because it concerns human life in all observable stages from childhood to death, and embraces all the emotions and behaviour possible in a man regenerated by the Holy Spirit; difficult because the adequate treatment of the subject makes immense demands upon the author. To trace sanctification and backsliding, as they appear in human consciousness, presupposes a sound biblical theology as well as a spirituality of mind and a pastoral knowledge broad enough to interpret all the varieties in type which occur. Twenty years a pastor and preacher in a revival era, then forty years a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary (commenced in 1812 when he was the sole instructor), Archibald Alexander brought to this volume the best wisdom of his life. From his own observations, and from case histories drawn from Christian biography, he follows his subject with the hand of a master. He was, in Dr. Theodore Woolsey’s words, ‘The Shakespeare of the Christian heart’. Primarily concerned with what ought to be the impression made upon the life by scriptural truths he has nothing of the vague devotionalism of the religious mystics. But within this biblical context a wide variety of experiences passes under review, along with a consideration of the practical problems involved in an understanding of the new-birth, Christian growth, spiritual conflict and kindred subjects. This is a lucid and fascinating volume almost alone in the field which it covers.

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‘This book is both profound in its theology, lucid in its exposition, and deeply pastoral and practical in its tone and intention. Anyone wanting to dive into the doctrine of God who wants to see how classical theism connects to everyday Christian life – and what is therefore practically at stake when such theology is abandoned – should read this book.’ — CARL TRUEMAN

Book Description

The problem identified by the prophet Hosea in his day is still with us today — ‘There is no. . .knowledge of God in the land’ (Hos. 4:1). We were made to know God. We were saved to know God. Jesus said, ‘This is eternal life that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent’ (John 17:3).

Our chief end and purpose is to know God and thereby to honour and enjoy him. These pages explore God’s identity. The God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is also Creator, Governor, and Redeemer. This one true God is infinitely and unchangingly holy, just, good, and loving. This work is offered with the hope that it might promote the true knowledge of the true God. As Matthew Henry said, ‘To know the perfections of the divine nature, the unsearchable riches of divine grace, to be led into the mystery of our redemption and reconciliation by Christ, this is food; such knowledge as this is a feast to the soul.’

‘It has been said by someone that “the proper study of mankind is man”. I will not oppose the idea, but I believe it is equally true that the proper study of God’s elect is God; the proper study of a Christian is the Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father… I know nothing which can so comfort the soul; so calm the swelling billows of sorrow and grief; so speak peace to the winds of trial, as a devout musing upon the subject of the Godhead.’

— C. H. Spurgeon

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Review

• Review from the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals

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On 1 July 1643, the Westminster Assembly of Divines, consisting of many of the foremost theologians of the English and Scottish churches, convened at Westminster Abbey in London. Their task from the English Parliament was ambitious to say the least: to reform the liturgy, discipline, and government of the Church of England; to promote church unity between England, Scotland, and the Continent; and to clarify and revise the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion of the Church of England.

Over the course of five politically tumultuous years, committees of the Assembly met and developed a set of documents that would have significant influence in defining the belief and practice of Presbyterian churches in Britain (especially in Scotland) and indeed the world. The doctrinal framework that the Assembly established in their Confession also provided the foundation of the central creedal documents of the Baptists and Congregationalists that were clarified in the decades following the Assembly.

Although the hoped-for unity between the English and Scottish churches did not materialise, nevertheless the documents produced by the Assembly, and especially the Confession of Faith and Larger and Shorter Catechisms, would become the touchstone for sound doctrine, cherished by generations of Christians as a well-honed summary of biblical truth.

Of the Confession of Faith itself, Professor John Murray noted: ‘The Westminster Confession is the last of the great reformation creeds. No creed of the Christian church is comparable to that of Westminster in respect of the skill with which the fruits of fifteen centuries of Christian thought have been preserved, and tat the same time examined anew and clarified in the light of that fuller understanding of God’s word which the Holy Spirit has imparted.’

This volume contains the Confession of Faith, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, and the other principal documents to come out of the Westminster Assembly. The text is newly typeset, and biblical references are given in full. Later American revisions of the Westminster Confession are included in an appendix.

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‘Christ gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.’

In Particular Redemption, taking up these words of Titus 2:14, John Hurrion expounds the doctrine of redemption, focusing attention especially on the end and design, extent and importance of the death of Christ. There is a peculiar importance attached to a man’s last words. That is especially true of John Hurrion. As his life was ebbing away, his mind was flooded with thoughts about his Saviour, Jesus Christ, as he prepared the four addresses found in this book for the press. ‘The delight he took in his subject’, his editor wrote, ‘carried him above his great pain and weakness’, and in dying he confessed: ‘The death of Christ being the fountain of our life, there is nothing more necessary, pleasant, or useful to the Christian, than a right apprehension and remembrance of it.’

‘I believe, with certainty, that there is no other view of the doctrine of Redemption able to satisfy the soul. . .In this doctrine my soul finds the means of life and the means also of dying in comfort.’ — From the Preface by John Elias

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‘Having personally benefited from Confessing the Faith, I have been keenly anticipating the arrival of this study guide. Whether it is used privately, or one-on-one, or in a small group, it will prove immensely helpful in understanding Christian doctrine and growing in grace.’ , ALISTAIR BEGG

Book Description

Confessing the Faith Study Guide is a resource that aims to make group study easy. The questions stick closely to the text of Chad Van Dixhoorn’s Confessing the Faith and follow the chapter subheadings that you will find there. Some questions cover essential doctrines; others explore scriptural passages; still others promote personal application. Each chapter ends with a consideration for prayer.

Click here to view or download the Confessing the Faith Study Guide Scripture References PDF

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‘Allan Harman’s volume is a very useful introduction to the Old Testament.’– JOHN CURRID

Book Description

How does the Old Testament relate to your faith? Is it just a collection of thrilling stories an strange rules which have been superseded by the New Testament? Or is it a source of guidance and learning that helps maintain a vigorous Christian life?

In Learning About the Old Testament Allan Harman explains many different aspects of the Old Testament, particularly the importance of covenant in God’s relations with humanity. This is seen in what he promised at creation, and to Noah and Abraham. Harman also covers the history of Israel, looking at the exodus from Egypt and the covenant instituted at Sinai. In particular, he shows how the Messiah is anticipated.

Brief surveys are also given of what it meant to be a ruler or king in Israel, as well as a prophet and a poet.

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The goal of Knowing God and Ourselves is to help students, especially beginning students, of Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion to better understand what they are reading and to encourage them to persist in working through this important but challenging book.

Calvin intended the Institutes to be a guide in reading Scripture and a theological companion to his commentaries. Above all, he wanted his readers to respond to biblical truth with love for God and obedient lives. The subtitle of this book is Reading Calvin’s Institutes Devotionally. Reading the Institutes devotionally is not merely one way of reading Calvin’s book. It is the only way to read it.

The sections in the Institutes to be read with each chapter of this book are clearly indicated. The reading assignments are from the McNeill-Battles edition of the 1559 Institutes; but if one prefers to use the briefer but ample 1541 French edition of the Institutes, translated by Robert White (and also published by the Banner of Truth Trust), the relevant chapter and page numbers for that edition have also been added to the ‘Read’ section at the head of each chapter in this guide.

‘By nature I love brevity’, Calvin wrote. The length of the Institutes may not seem to justify Calvin’s claim, but compared with many theologies, past and present, Calvin’s book is remarkable for its lucid brevity. David Calhoun has sought to follow Calvin’s advice in Knowing God and Ourselves. It is a short and lucid guide to Calvin’s Institutes, which, in turn, is a guide to the Bible.

‘I did not read Calvin’s Institutes until I was in my doctoral studies at Princeton Theological Seminary. I have been reading this book ever since, along with other writings by Calvin and books about Calvin. For twenty-five years, I taught a course in the Institutes at Covenant Theological Seminary. I do not idolize Calvin, but my respect for him as a teacher and pastor has grown through the years. Facing the daily task of living, with its many demands and pressures, struggling with incurable cancer, and trying to find a way to understand the chaos and grimness of world events unfolding around me, I have found Calvin a source of solidity and strength. Enjoying the gift of life, the blessing of love of family and friends, the joy of food and drink, the beauty of nature, and the wonder of it all, I have discovered in Calvin a fellow pilgrim whose words often reflected and focused my feelings and helped me to fix my eyes on heaven and to give thanks. Calvin also challenges me, rebukes me, and leads me on, gently but firmly, toward greater love for God and obedience to his word. I pray that your study of Calvin’s Institutes will bring you great blessing also.’

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‘Martin was exceptionally gifted intellectually. For all his familiarity with the Christology of the Church, his work does not merely pour old wine into old wineskins. There is something striking, fresh, thought-demanding, about his whole approach.’ — SINCLAIR B. FERGUSON

Book Description

Calvary cast a shadow over the whole of Christ’s ministry. It was, however, in the last hours of his earthly life that he entered into the full consciousness of ‘the cup’ of suffering which he had to drink.

In The Shadow of Calvary Hugh Martin leads us through the awesome events in the garden of Gethsamane and the arrest and the trial of Jesus Christ. These he interprets in the light of the fulfillment of the Scriptures and the subsequent fruit of Christ’s suffering.

Like Martin’s other published writings this volume is profound yet practical, and intended, as Dr John Duncan said of Martin’s work in general, to promote ‘both the doctrine which is according to godliness and the godliness which is according to doctrine’.

It was the opinion of Professor John Murray, that among the ‘galaxy of gifted and devoted ministers of the gospel’ in Scotland during the nineteenth century, ‘none deserves more honour than Hugh Martin. No one could scale higher heights of sanctificed eloquence.’

Derek Thomas on The Shadow of Calvary

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Reviews

• Review from Guy Davies, Exiled Preacher

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‘Page after page glows with the ardour of a preacher who is enamoured of his theme … The truth is so real to his own experience that he cares little for unprofitable controversies.’– C.H. SPURGEON

‘Dr Smeaton was the master of a very clear and unobtrusive style of expression. … He was as modest and unassuming as he was thorough and painstaking. A man can take his word in regard to any theme that he handles as soon as that of any writer on theological subjects.’– PRINCIPAL JOHN MACLEOD

Book Description

‘Wherever Christianity has become a living power, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit has uniformly been regarded, equally with the atonement and justification by faith, as the article of the standing or falling church…’– GEORGE SMEATON

The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit formed the capstone of George Smeaton’s teaching.
Handling his subject under three divisions, Smeaton treats first the testimony to the Holy Spirit as it is progressively revealed in Scripture. Secondly, he gives detailed attention to six subjects: the personality and procession of the Holy Spirit; the work of the Spirit in the anointing of Christ; the work of the Spirit in connection with revelation and inspiration; the Spirit’s regenerating work in the individual; on the Spirit of holiness; and the work of the Holy Spirit in the church. Finally, there is a historical survey of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit from the Apostlic age.

Though considered by his colleague, James Macgregor, to possess ‘the best constituted theological intellect in Christendom’, Smeaton’s lucid style and earnest spiritual convictions make him valuable to all Christian readers.

Filled with the Spirit at Pentecost, he writes, ‘the timid became bold, the selfish self-denied, the arrogant humble’, and he characterizes as ‘mischievous and misleading’ the opinion that the church, having received the Paraclete, is no longer warranted to pray for effusions of transforming power today.

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From the Introduction by Sinclair B. Ferguson

‘Mystery’ is a biblical word that over the years has been reduced in meaning. Taking on an atmosphere very different to the sense in which it was used for example by the apostle Paul. It is important therefore in opening these pages to realize that in discussing Christianity’s mysteries Crawford is dealing with realities that can be known by us only if God himself reveals them. They come to us recorded in the pages of Scripture, not as a result of our own abilities to engage in reasoning. Thus The Mysteries of Christianity is in essence an exposition and defence of Christianity as a supernatural, Trinitarian faith at the heart of which lie the mysteries of the incarnation, the atonement, the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit, and the marvels of divine providence.

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From the Introductory Essay

‘The doctrine of Justification by faith is like Atlas: it bears a world: it bears a world on its shoulders, the entire evangelical knowledge of saving grace. The doctrines of election, of effectual calling, regeneration, and repentance, of adoption, of prayer, of the church, the ministry, and the sacraments, have all to be interpreted and understood in the light of justification by faith. When justification falls, all true knowledge of the grace of God in human life falls with it, and then as Luther said, the church itself falls.

The value of Buchanan’s book today is that it will help us to understand this message better, and so to preach it in the full and comprehensive way in which the modern world needs to hear it.’ , J.I. PACKER

‘There is a reason why James Buchanan’s treatment of the Doctrine of Justification is a Christian classic. It puts to rest forever the notion that the magisterial reformers of the 16th Century introduced a novelty in their declaration that justification is by faith alone. Buchanan’s careful and comprehensive survey of church history shows clearly that the doctrine is the historic and Biblical doctrine.’– R.C. SPROUL

Book Description

From the Author’s Introduction

‘It may be thought by some that the subject of justification is trite and exhausted; that, as one of the ‘commonplaces’ of theology, it was conclusively determined and settled at the era of the Reformation; and that nothing new or interesting can now be introduced into the
discussion of it.

But … may it not be said that, to a large class of minds in the present age, nothing could well be more new than the old theology of the Reformation? The gospel is older than Luther; but to every succeeding generation it is still new—good news from God—as fresh now as when
It first sprung from the fountain of Inspiration.

… The doctrine of justification, by grace, through faith in Christ, is the old doctrine of the Reformation, and the still older doctrine of the gospel; yet the vivid apprehension of its meaning and the cordial reception of its truth must be a new thing in the experience of everyone when he is first enabled to realize and to believe it.’

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Book Review

• Review by Evan Knies

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• The Doctrine of Justification – Clothbound
• The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit – Clothbound
• The Mysteries of Christianity – Clothbound

Want to learn more about each title in this set? Click on the related items above to read in depth about each title, however, remember to add the ‘Reformed Theology Student Set’ to your cart if you want to receive the set.

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Blemishes and weaknesses the magazine certainly had, but the call for God-centred Christianity, and for a gospel certain that all is of grace, was widely received.

Without editing, the issues from September 1955 to August 1959 are here reprinted. This volume is not so much an historical document as a challenge for a reformation and revival that is no less urgent today.

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En La Salvación, La Biblia y el catolicismo romano William Webster explora las respuestas a estas y otras preguntas. Al hacerlo apela tanto a los documentos católicos autoritarios ya la Biblia.

William Webster trae una cualificación especial para su estudio – aunque ahora protestante , fue educado como católico romano.

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评 论

《真正的复兴》是教会史研究领域的经典，不仅记录了教会的过去，更是开启当代福音派运动及其深层次需要的钥匙。当今每个渴望教会复兴的基督徒都应阅读本书。
——傅格森（救赎主神学院系统神学教授/《磐石之上》与《日光之上》作者）

本书依据史实分析18-19世纪的美洲福音派复兴运动，指明如何区分“真正的复兴”与“奋兴运动”，以及此差异对今日教会的重大影响。这是精研复兴运动史的杰作，是苏醒人心的暮鼓晨钟，是期盼教会复兴者必读之作!
——吕沛渊（威斯敏斯特神学院博士）

《真正的复兴》一书，我早已拜读过英文原著，受益匪浅。不管是在神学的正统性上，还是在历史的客观性上，此书都属于经典之作。真正的“复兴”，永远是“上帝神奇的工作”，不是来自人为的操纵和宣传所造成的各种各样的“奋兴”。“复兴”的共同点就是：“相信上帝在他的话语上永远信实，相信基督已从死里复活，相信圣灵已被赐下以确保上帝的国度会不断扩展”；而人为的“奋兴”则是“情绪性的、出于人为操控的事情”。真正的复兴所代表的是“思想”，是真 理方面的发现和回归，最终也落实在生命的改变和美德的增加上。因此，真正的复兴来自圣灵大能的降下，使人真正认罪、悔改，使周围的世界出现“整体性的变革”。中国教会正在经历真正的“复兴”，但也不乏各种形式的人为的“奋兴”。唯愿默里先生此书中译本的出版，能够帮助中国教会识别何谓真正的“复兴”和人为的“奋兴”，在复兴的烈火中能够既有火热的心志，同时保持头脑的冷静和清醒，消除各种山寨版的“复兴”和“基督教”，使中国教会和社会更多得蒙真理的光照与祝福！
——王志勇（香港雅和博圣约书院院长/美国主恩基督教会主任牧师）

內容簡介

“决志信主”等同于悔改归信吗？复兴是情绪化的吗？复兴是人为操作的吗？复兴是可以复制的吗？真正的复兴必定会带来生命的改变和美德的增加。因此，真正的复兴来自圣灵大能的降下，使人真正认罪、悔改，使周围的世界出现“整体性的变革”。

伊恩•默里分析了1750年到1858年在美国大部分宗派中出现的复兴运动，用大量历史事实推论得出复兴与奋兴之间的差别。帮助读者去伪存真，认识真正的复兴。

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‘I am thrilled to see this classic work on Presbyterian polity being reissued. And if you think “thrilled” and “Presbyterian polity” don’t belong in the same sentence, that’s just one more reason we need Bannerman’s book. In a day where the doctrine of the church is often thought obscure, irrelevant, and even divisive, Bannerman reminds us just how much our forefathers thought about this topic and just how much the Bible has to say on these issues. This big book on the nature and order of the church is more helpful, more contemporary, and more important than you might think.’ — KEVIN DEYOUNG

‘The great thing about Bannerman’s The Church of Christ is that it will stimulate the reader to reflect on the nature of the church in a profoundly biblical and historically sensitive way. At a point in history when the church in the West is finding herself for the first time in 1,500 years to be marginal and often unwelcome, clear thinking on the nature and purpose of the church is vital. I do not think there is a better way to sharpen one’s thinking on these matters than thoughtful and deep reflection upon this work of James Bannerman.’ — CARL R. TRUEMAN

Book Description

The New Testament places the church at the centre of its practical vision of the Christian life and at the heart of the Great Commission. A church-less Christianity is no real Christianity at all.

As we head into a world very similar to Paul’s own context, in which pluralism dominates and Christianity is regarded with intellectual and moral suspicion, it is vital that Christians have a clear understanding of what the church actually is.

James Bannerman’s The Church of Christ is one of the key historic texts of the doctrine of the church. Few will agree with everything the author has to say, but as Carl Trueman states in his foreword, ‘the great thing about the book is that it will stimulate the reader to reflect on the nature of the church in a profoundly biblical and historically sensitive way’.

After dealing with basic principles and distinctions, such as the contrast between the visible and invisible church, and between the local and universal church, Bannerman takes up the important and far-reaching question of the relation between church and state. But the body of the work is really a treatise on church power—the nature, limits and exercise of Christ’s power in the church in its connexional and local aspects. In what does the ordained ministry consist? Should the church micro-manage the lives of her members? To what extent should the church campaign for wider political or social causes? Is the church to be an agent for the transformation of society as a whole? What tools does the church have for making disciples and, if necessary, disciplining them? Answers to these questions can only come from a correct understanding of the nature of the church’s power.

Although Presbyterian in conviction, the author has undertaken a ‘comparative’ study of the various classic positions on each issue under consideration as these are expressed in the confessional symbols and standard authors. It is this method which makes the book so useful for all serious-minded readers. The appendix also contains valuable bibliographical material.

This is classic Scottish theology at its best, and those who take the time to digest it will be richly rewarded.

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Watch the video from the April 22, 2015 Bannerman Conference: An Evening Discussion on the Bride of Christ

Reviews

• Review by Carl Trueman
• Review by Jeff Kingswood
• Review by Stephen Westcott
• Review by Terry Delaney

Podcast

Listen at
• Mortification of Spin.

Jeff Kingswood – The Church of Christ by James Bannerman

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‘Turning to nearly any page in this volume, readers will be rewarded with a remarkably pastoral theology of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.’ — MICHAEL HORTON

Book Description

First published in 1642, Christ Set Forth — one of Thomas Goodwin’s most beloved and enduring works — is a book full of theological riches and penetrating pastoral insights. Addressing, from an exposition of Romans 8:34, the pastoral problem that many believers stray in their faith by looking into their own hearts for signs of grace instead of looking away from themselves to Christ, Christ Set Forth is primarily a book written to encourage Christians. As Scott Berggren says in the Foreword,

It is a guidebook for keeping one’s heart and faith pointed in the right direction, towards Christ himself. In it Goodwin pushes aside anything that might displace Christ in one’s heart. In chapter after chapter he sets forth the glory of Christ and his work as mediator as the only object of one’s faith and affection.

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Have you ever wondered what influences have shaped the preachers, teachers and authors you respect? You Must Read brings together more than thirty well-known Christian leaders and gives them the opportunity to talk about a book that has made a lasting impact on their lives. Their personal narratives and recommendations of the literature that has moulded and matured them combine to produce a book full of interest from start to finish, but also one that can be ‘dipped into’ for occasional reading. Best of all, You Must Read will be an indispensable guide to some of the truly great books that have transformed, encouraged, instructed and challenged countless Christians’ lives. You Must Read is a ‘must read’ in itself, and a marvelous stimulus to read more.

You Must Read is an ambiguous title. As Christians ‘we are what we read’. God’s word is the instrument by which the Holy Spirit renews our minds and transforms our lives. The same is true, to a lesser extent, of Christian literature. The biographies of Christians whose lives have left a permanent mark on the church often disclose the influence of a particular book, or books, they themselves have read. So, You Must Read is a perennial maxim. You really must read!

But we also use these words when we are enthusiastic about a good book. We instinctively ask our friends, ‘Have you read …?’ And if the answer is ‘no’ we tend to say ‘Oh, you must read …’

But where do you begin? There are so many books from which to choose. Many of us want to ask, ‘Can somebody please tell me what books I should read?’ You Must Read provides some answers from the pens of a number of well-known Christian leaders, including Joel R. Beeke, Alistair Begg, Jerry Bridges, Mark Dever, J. Ligon Duncan, R. Albert Mohler, Jr., John MacArthur, Stuart Olyott, R. C. Sproul , Derek W. H. Thomas, Geoffrey Thomas, and many others

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Reviews

• Review by Books At A Glance
• Review by Bob Thomas
• Review by Andrew Spencer
• Review by Terry Delaney
• Review by David Burke (page 13)

Interview

• An interview with Sinclair B. Ferguson at Books At A Glance

The post You Must Read appeared first on Banner of Truth UK.

‘A true gem. It deserves to be the standard reference book for any pastor seeking to use the Westminster Standards in his ministry. It should be the first volume for which any Sunday School teacher reaches when asked to do a class on the Confession. It should be the constant companion of all elders… Enjoy, and learn.’– CARL TRUEMAN

‘Dr Van Dixhoorn is a pastor-professor in the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition who knows and appreciates the theology of the Assembly and of its writings. It is therefore something to be welcomed and celebrated that he has produced a commentary on the Westminster Confession of Faith. To all who are interested in understanding the ­Confession’s theology better, I commend this book enthusiastically.’– LIGON DUNCAN

Book Description

In Confessing the Faith, Chad Van Dixhoorn offers a fresh look at a classic statement of the Reformed faith. The Westminster Confession of Faith finds itself in the first rank of great Christian creeds. Presbyterian and Reformed churches employ its doctrine for instruction; others acknowledge few texts to be so useful in the Christian’s quest to glorify and enjoy God.

This accessible, biblical, and thoughtful work digests years of study and teaching into bite-sized sections. Van Dixhoorn’s work is historical and practical in its focus. It deliberately presents readers with more than another survey of Reformed theology; it offers a guide to a particular text, considers its original proof-texts, and seeks to deepen our understanding of each paragraph of the Confession.

Challenging hearts and minds, Confessing the Faith hopes to edify and instruct both advanced and general audiences, as the authors of the Confession of Faith surely hoped their magnum opus would do.

A Readable Introduction to the Theology of the Westminster Standards

Podcasts

• Discussion with the Van Dixhoorns about Confessing the Faith and the
  accompanying study guide — from Mortification of Spin
• Interview with Camden Bucey from Christ the Center
• Interview with William Hill on Confessing Our Hope

Review

• Review by Barry Shucksmith

Good for …

• Teaching theology, says Nate Claiborne

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‘Any who wish to encounter Calvin’s systematic theology at its most pastoral, freest from controversial preoccupations, and mediated through superlative translation, should devour this rendering of the Reformer’s own French version of the second edition of his Institutes.’ — J. I. PACKER

Book Description

The Institutes of the Christian Religion are Calvin’s single most important work, and one of the key texts to emerge from the Reformation of the sixteenth century. The book accompanied the Reformer throughout his life, growing in size from what was essentially an expanded catechism in 1536 to a full-scale work of biblical theology in 1559/1560.

Among the intermediate editions of the Institutes, none deserves to be better known than the first French edition of 1541. Avoiding the technical details and much of the polemics of the final work, the Institutes of 1541 offer a clear and comprehensive account of the work of Father, Son and Holy Spirit in creation, revelation and redemption, in the life of the individual Christian and in the worship and witness of the church.

Not doctrine only but its practical use is Calvin’s abiding concern. The author of the Institutes invites us both to know and to live the truth, and thus allow God’s Spirit to transform us.

The present translation is newly made from the French edition of 1541 by Robert White. It has been designed and annotated with the needs of a wide readership in mind.

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Reviews

• Review by Paul Helm
• Review by Barry Shucksmith
• Review by Stephen Westcott
• Review by Martin Williams

From the Translator

• • Robert White: You Should Know Calvin’s Institutes

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En el prologo del primer volumen del New Park Street Pulpit , de cuya coleccion provienen los sermones de este libro , , Spurgeon decia: ‘Recurrimos con frecuencia a la palabra calvinismo por designar esta corta palabra aquella parte de la verdad divina que ensena que la salvacion es solo por gracia.’ Y anadia: ‘Creemos firmemente que lo que comunmente se llama calvinismo no es mas, ni menos, que aquel sano y antiguo evangelio des los puritanos, de los martires, de los apostoles y del Senor Jesucristo.’

Spurgeon se alzo ante la rutina y la superficialidad. El Senor lo uso para desempolvar las Biblias de una multitud de cristianos domingueros, y despertarlos a la realidad de su estado. Y eso no podia conseguirse por la predicacion del Spurgeon tradicionalmente conocido por los lectores hispanohablantes. Era necesario la publicacion de sermones integros de ese siervo de Dios para que fuese por fin conocido.

Acostumbrados como estamos a la predicacion superficial y soporifera de nuestro tiempo, la lectura de estos sermones causara, por necesidad, revuelo espiritual en los circulos protestantes de habla hispana. Estos mensajes son llamadas directas al espiritu, y exigen , como respuesta , , un examen profundo de nuestra pretendida fe cristiana.

Publicamos estos sermones no solo para que se conozca al verdadero Spurgeon, sino , sobre todo , para que se conozca el verdadero evangelio: EL EVANGELIO DE LA GRACIA DE DIOS.

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En este libro Thomas Watson continúa su exposición del Catecismo Menor elaborado por la Asamblea de Westminster. Watson fue uno de los predicadores más populares de Londres durante la era puritana. Sus escritos se caracterizan por la claridad, raciness y riqueza espiritual. La serie de tres volúmenes, de los cuales éste es el segundo, hace una introducción ideal a la literatura puritana.

Hay pocas cuestiones sobre las que los puritanos difieren más de los cristianos de hoy en día que en su evaluación de la importancia de los diez mandamientos. Los mandamientos, sostuvieron, son lo primero en el cristianismo que el hombre natural necesita ser enseñado y ellos deberían ser la preocupación diaria de los cristianos a la última.

En El Diez Mandamientos Watson examina la ley moral en su conjunto, así como llevar a cabo el significado y la fuerza de cada mandamiento en particular. En vista de la importante función de la ley en la vida y la evangelización cristiana se trata de un volumen más valioso.

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‘No expression of mine is adequate to convey the power of this book. It is to be hoped that readers will rise from these incomparable Selected Writings to the magisterial Life of Benjamin Morgan Palmer, by Thomas Cary Johnson, also published by the Trust.’ , JOHN R. DE WITT

‘Benjamin Morgan Palmer’s life and writings demonstrate that strong convictions regarding the inspiration, authority, and sufficiency of Holy Scripture will equip gospel servants with all things necessary to answer the requirements of their times.’ , RICHARD D. PHILLIPS

Book Description

Palmer reminds his readers that what we do for Christ always relies and results from who we are in Christ. For instance, the tenderness of Palmer’s care for the soul who crossed his path is just as inspiring as the wisdom with which he ministered grace to their spirits. In Palmer we see wisdom combined with a loving fervor for Christ’s people. Yet above such considerations as these, the reason why i have found myself increasingly drawn to Palmer in recent years is the way in which his high view of Holy Scripture both shaped and empowered his remarkable ministry. Benjamin Morgan Palmer’s life and writings demonstrate that strong convictions regarding the inspiration, authority, and sufficiency of Holy Scripture will equip gospel servants with all things necessary to answer the requirements of their times.

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Podcast

Interview with Dr Nick Willborn, editor of Selected Writings of Benjamin Morgan Palmer, on the ‘Confessing Our Hope’ GPTS podcast.

Reviews

• Review by Ryan McGraw
• Review by Greg Goswell
• Review by Barry Waugh
• Review by Alan Hill

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In the early 1560s Frederick III (1516-76), Elector Palatine desired that his subjects be led to a ‘devout knowledge and fear of the Almighty and his holy Word of salvation’. He commissioned a group of theologians and ministers to compose a catechetical summary of biblical truth that could be committed to memory and be an encouragement to personal faith and growth in Christ. The final version was approved by the Synod in Heidelberg (1563), the city lending its name to the catechism.

The Heidelberg Catechism follows the pattern of the Epistle to the Romans. It opens with the question ‘What is your only comfort in life and in death?’, and then examines the realities of human sin and misery (Rom. 1-3:20); salvation in Christ, including faith and repentance (Rom. 3:21-11:36); and the Christian life of thankful obedience in response to God’s grace in Christ (Rom. 12-16). The catechism stands as a faithful testimony to the ancient Christian faith in its scripturally derived shape and content, and further expressed in its exposition and application of the Apostles’ Creed, the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer. — FROM THE FOREWORD BY WILLIAM VANDOODEWAARD

Review

• Review by Terry Delaney

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‘Hugh Martin did not belong to the type of theologian who simply pours new wine into old wine bottles, or vice versa. He thought through the truth from first principles, always sensitive to the text of Scripture. Thus the reader is never left simply ticking off boxes, ‘heard that’, ‘know this’. Rather there is a powerful, original, compelling, sometimes blazing light and gospel logic that demands and requires the closest attention and reflection. The way in which he penetrates to the heart of the work of Christ and then expounds the gospel out of its true centre calls for our best thinking and humblest spirits.

Book Description

The Atonement is the most significant contribution to the Christian church by Hugh Martin, an author of extraordinary penetration and great power. At a time when the preaching of the cross has been displaced from many pulpits by talk about man, and where experience-orientated theology has come to reign, Martin’s exposition of the atonement is a book that demands attention.

The great distinctive feature of The Atonement is the emphasis it places on the importance of a covenant perspective, and its focus on the work of Christ as priest. Martin was adamant that these are essential to the right interpretation and proclamation of the doctrine of the atonement. In these pages the author also exposes the mis-steps in theology that empty the cross of its meaning and power. In doing so he notably expounds the concept of the double imputation of sin and righteousness, devastatingly exposes the weaknesses of the theology of F. W. Robertson, and treats the relationship between the atonement and the moral law.

Hugh Martin was a man who thought through the truth from first principles, always sensitive to the text of Scripture. His writings are characterised by a powerful, original, compelling, sometimes blazing light and gospel logic that demands and requires the closest attention and reflection. The way in which he penetrates to the heart of the work of Christ and then expounds the gospel out of its true centre calls for our best thinking and humblest spirits. For anyone who wants to learn what it is to think about Christ’s atonement these pages will open up new vistas and indeed whole panoramas that will, when gazed on with a loving and humble mind, fill the heart with love and praise.

Derek Thomas on The Atonement

Reviews

• Review by Donald Macleod
• Review by Terry Delaney

The post The Atonement appeared first on Banner of Truth UK.

Justification. Just another piece of theological jargon, or a vital teaching which may be compared to the very door by which the Christian faith is entered?

Picture the scene: Almighty God, the perfectly just Judge, is seated in his great High Court of Justice. The Christian believer, trusting in Christ, stands before him. The sentence is passed; the gavel bangs down, ‘NOT GUILTY!’

How this verdict is reached touches the very heart of the gospel message, and shows the amazing extent of the grace that God has shown to us by sending his Son to take the punishment for our sin.

Do you want to grow in your knowledge of the character of God? Do you want to see others around you at peace with him? Then work to acquire a solid grasp of this wonderful doctrine. As the author asks: Is anything in this life half so important as this one thing: to be freely justified by God’s grace?

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Reviews

• Review by Wayne Pearce
• Review by Bob Thomas (see page 17).

INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR

• Interview of Maurice Roberts with Iron Sharpens Iron Radio

The post Finding Peace with God appeared first on Banner of Truth UK.

‘This book is well worth reading, … the merits of the study are that it is biblical, usually there are plenty of references to support an assertion, and the book proceeds by exegesis of verses and passages; it is practical, the aim being so to expound the doctrine as to promote the experience; it is well set out with headings and sub-headings, so that the substance is not lost in vagueness, and the reader is not lost in complexity…’– J.A. MOTYER

‘A thorough and moving work on the place of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer…’– THE AUSTRALIAN CHURCH RECORD

Book Description

From the author’s Preface: ‘To the subject discussed in the following pages, the author earnestly bespeaks the prayerful consideration of the Christian reader. It cannot occupy a position too prominent in our Christianity, nor can it be a theme presented too frequently for our contemplation. All that we spiritually know of ourselves, all that we know of God, and of Jesus, and his Word, we owe to the teaching of the Holy Spirit; and all the real light, sanctification, strength and comfort we are made to possess on our way to glory, we must ascribe to Him. To be richly anointed with the Spirit is to be led into all truth; and to be filled with the Spirit is to be filled with love to God and man.’

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Review

• Review by Terry Delaney

The post The Work of the Holy Spirit appeared first on Banner of Truth UK.

Book Description

Garry Williams describes both famous and less well-known figures and movements from church history, from the fourth century through to the twentieth: Augustine of Hippo, the Council of Chalcedon, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, Nicholas Ridley, John Calvin, Anne Bradstreet, John Owen, Jonathan Edwards, and John Laing.

As their lives are sketched and their writings expounded, they serve as silent witnesses to the essentials of the Christian faith, to the challenges of Christian living, to the work of the pastor, and to the life of the church. At the end of the book, after their stories have been told, a final chapter makes the case for a Christian view of history itself.

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Related Resources

• Review by Paul Levy and interview with the author
• Review by Melanie Carroll
• Link to Garry Williams’ interview with Christian Heritage London

The post Silent Witnesses appeared first on Banner of Truth UK.

1. Does our being made free by Christ free us from the law?
2. Does our being made free by Christ deliver us from all punishments or chastisements for sin?
3. Is it consistent with Christian freedom to be under obligation to perform duties because God has commanded them?
4. May Christ’s freemen come into bondage again through sin?
5. Is it consistent with Christian freedom to perform duties out of respect for the recompense of the reward?
6. Does the freedom of a Christian free him from all obedience to men?

The True Bounds of Christian Freedom is a clear, scriptural exposition of the place of the law in the life of the Christian. One of the few works currently available which shows the danger of Antinomianism, while also avoiding legalism.

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‘To read the work of a Puritan doctor of the soul is to enter a rich world of spiritual theology to feed the mind, heart-searching analysis to probe the conscience, Christ-centred grace to transform the heart, and wise counsel to direct the life. This series of Pocket Puritans provides all this in miniature, but also in abundance.’– SINCLAIR B. FERGUSON

Book Description

According to Jonathan Edwards, heaven will be a world of holy love. God himself is the source of this love, and in heaven he will impart it perfectly to all his people. Edwards unfolds the nature, expression, effects, and enjoyment of this best of all the gifts God ever bestows on those who believe. From Jonathan Edwards’ Charity and Its Fruits

We asked people how reading Edwards had benefitted them; this is what they said …
Here’s What You Said About Jonathan Edwards

The post Heaven appeared first on Banner of Truth UK.

‘The believer’s faith, love and hope would all be well-served by prayerful and meditative reading of this little volume. Unbelievers willing to read a book of this order would find themselves often face to face with Christ, and the enticing challenge of his person and work. In essence, it is full of the gospel, and the aroma of Jesus rises from it sweetly. To have your eyes turned to and fixed upon him, you could do much worse than to purchase and peruse this volume.’ — JEREMY WALKER

‘This is a choice little book, well suited to readers of every sort. It moved this reviewer several times to pause in the enjoyment of emotions which are out of this world.’ — MAURICE ROBERTS

Book Description

In the Foreword of this book Sir Marcus Loane writes, ‘The wonder and glory of the Resurrection are far greater than we can ever conceive. That great drama took place in the silent tomb a great while before it was yet day. No one else was there when God raised Jesus from the dead: no one saw it happen . . . All that was mortal had put on immortality: death was swallowed up in victory. And it was in his risen glory that he made himself known to his disciples . . .’

The chapters that follow are part of a well-loved and life-long pilgrimage for the author. The Resurrection story they recount comes across with a freshness and loveliness that is full of heart-warming fascination.

Review

• Review by Jeremy Walker
• Review by Erik Raymond

The post Jesus Himself appeared first on Banner of Truth UK.

VOLUME ONE contains a helpful introduction to Charnock’s life and work by James McCosh, and the first eight discourses on The Existence and Attributes of God, opening with A Discourse of Divine Providence, based on 2 Chronicles 16:9. In this Charnock sets forth the doctrine of providence with great clarity, and then applies it to instruct, comfort, and exhort the people of God.

VOLUME TWO continues and concludes Charnock’s magnum opus, A Discourse on the Existence and Attributes of God with the remaining six discourses. Topics include: the existence of God; practical atheism; God’s being a Spirit; spiritual worship; the eternity of God; his immutability; his omnipresence; his knowledge; his wisdom; his power; his holiness; his goodness; his dominion; and his patience. Each discourse first expounds, then applies, the text of Scripture on which it is based.

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Este primer libro publicado por The Banner of Truth Trust en Ingles ha sido uno de sus exitos de libreria, ademas del volumen mas util e influyente de su catalogo a lo largo de los años  Ello se debe a varias razones:

1. EI tema del libro. Trata de las principales verdades doctrinales y practicas de la fe cristiana.
2. EI metodo de instrucción utilizado. Esta basado en el Catecismo Menor de la Asamblea de Westminster, donde se recogen y exponen, en forma de preguntas y respuestas, los principios mas importantes del cristianismo, diseminados por toda la Escritura. Este catecismo no tiene igual por la «escueta exactitud de las definiciones» y por el «desarrollo logico» de los fundamentos.
3. El estilo del autor. Watson transmite su riguroso conocimiento doctrinal y practica de la verdad en un estilo tan original, conciso, expresivo, mordaz, animado, rico e ilustrativo que se Ie considera por ello el mas ameno de los puritanos.

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‘This edition of the Confession of Faith is what our forefathers would have called a Vade Mecum—literally a “Go with me”—a book small enough to take anywhere, but substantial enough to be useful everywhere.’ — SINCLAIR B. FERGUSON

DESCRIPTION

Agreed upon by the Assembly of Divines at Westminster, with the assistance of commissioners from The Church of Scotland, as part of the Covenanted Uniformity in religion betwixt the churches of Christ in the Kingdoms of Scotland, England, and Ireland.

This edition contains the Westminster Confession of Faith as approved by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 1647. It also includes Chapters 20, 23, 31, as altered, amended, and adopted as the Doctrinal Part of the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church in American, 1788. Additional footnotes have been inserted at Chapters 22.111, 24.IV, and 25.VI, to indicate other places where the Confession has been altered in the editions adopted by the OPC and the PCA.

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Put forth by the elders and brethren of many congregations of Christians (baptized upon profession of their faith) in London and the country.

With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation, Rom. 10:10.

This Confession was first printed in London for Benjamin Harris, ‘to be sold at his shop at the Stationers Arms in Sweetings Rents, in Cornhill, near the Royal Exchange, 1677.’ Only minor alterations to spelling, punctuation and proof texts have been made by the editors of this Pocket Puritan gift edition.

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Review

• Review by Terry Delaney.

The post The Baptist Confession of Faith appeared first on Banner of Truth UK.

Alexander Carson lived in an age that was turning away from the revelation of God in Scripture. The dominant philosophy of the times sought to replace the knowledge of the personal, sovereign and provident God of Scripture with a ‘more intelligent belief’ in the impersonal laws of nature (which are, of course, nothing but the physical laws by which God usually conducts his government of the world). If God exists – and that was a big ‘if’ – then he is a God who is far removed from the events of every-day life. But truth and Scripture teach that all physical laws have their effect from the immediate agency of God’s almighty power. In his works of providence God preserves and governs all his creatures and all their actions. ‘In him we live, and move, and have our being’ (Acts 17:28). Although Christians recognize this doctrine of Providence, they tend to overlook it in practice. In so doing they lose, in a great measure, that advantage which a constant and deep impression of this truth is calculated to give. In this book, Alexander Carson takes the reader through the Scriptures and points to instances of God’s providence that will provide comfort for all true believers.

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Review

• Review by Ben Ramsbottom

The post The History of Providence appeared first on Banner of Truth UK.

‘To read the work of a Puritan doctor of the soul is to enter a rich world of spiritual theology to feed the mind, heart-searching analysis to probe the conscience, Christ-centred grace to transform the heart, and wise counsel to direct the life. This series of Pocket Puritans provides all this in miniature, but also in abundance.’– SINCLAIR B. FERGUSON

Book Description

The Puritan preacher Richard Sibbes (1577-1635) really knew how to awaken and invigorate faith, love and joy in Christ in the hearts of his hearers. Taking Paul’s words in Philippians 1:23,24, Sibbes ably shows that we will only begin to desire Christ above all else when we sense how much he loves us sinners, how much he has suffered for our forgiveness, and how unfathomably kind and merciful he is and has been. We love him, because he first loved us (I John 4:19).

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The post Christ is Best appeared first on Banner of Truth UK.

El primero en utilizar la expresión sendas antiguas fue el profeta Jeremías, que garantizó aquienes las siguieran que hallarían descanso para [su] alma (Jer. 6:16). J.C. Ryle tenía la misma convicción, y escribió: Cuantos más años pasan, más convencido estoy de que el mundo no necesita un nuevo evangelio, tal como algunos parecen pensar. Estoy completamente seguro de que el mundo solo necesita una enseñanza plena, valiente y sin concesiones de las ‘sendas antiguas’. En este libro, Ryle expone las grandes cuestiones del evangelio y demuestra que, ciertamente, este es el buen camino donde hallar verdadero descanso para el alma.

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La pregunta Qué es el hombre? Que surgio de los Salmos hace muchos siglos, sigue siendo una de las cuestiones más vitals de las que confrontan al hombre de nuestro tiempo. Desconcertado por el progreso tecnologico. Y alienado de las convicciones y estilo de vida de sus antepasados, el hombre moderno ha perdido su lugar en el universo. El eco de su desconcierto se puede oir por doquier, desde los graffiti callejeros hasta las canciones del rock, asi como en las subculturas y nuevas religiones de nuestro tiempo. Y sin embargo hay una respuesta a esa crisis de identidad. El hombre fue creado por Dios, a su imagen, para su Gloria. Esta verdad, con todas sus implicaciones, constituye el tema de la popular presentacion de Gresham Machen en Vision Cristiana del Hombre. Explica, tanto a cristianos como a no cristianos, de que manera la Biblia es como un espejo que nos muestra lo que somos. En un lenguaje sencillo pero cuidado, Machen trata temas tales como la creacion, la imagen de Dios, la caida, el pecado, la providencia y solicitud de Dios, asi como su gracia restauradora.’

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¿Cómo debe valorar el creyente las afirmaciones actuales acerca de los dones espirituales? En este libro Walter Chantry describe la propagación mundial del movimiento carismático, y considera su importancia. Dios sigue obrando hoy en el mundo, pero el autor no cree que los poderes milagrosos estén ya en manos de hombres y mujeres individuales. Siguiendo el curso de los milagros en el Antiguo y Nuevo Testamento, llega a la conclusión de que su función fue principalmente la de confirmar la misión de los portavoces de Dios. Por ello, afirma, todos los casos registrados de recepción de poderes milagrosos en el Nuevo Testamento, sucedió por el ministerio de un Apóstol. Walter Chantry cree que ahora que el canon de las Escrituras está completo, la prosecución de todos los dones espirituales de la edad apostólica sólo puede hacerse en base a la falta de reconcocimiento de la suficiencia y finalidad de la Biblia.

The post Senales De Los Apostoles- Observaciones Sobre El Pentecostalismo Antiguo Y Moderno appeared first on Banner of Truth UK.

¿Qué le pasa a mucha de la evangelización de hoy? Está centrada en el ser humano, y no en Dios. Esto se ve en todas las “fases” de la tarea evangelística: en la planificación; en la metodología; en el contenido; en el seguimiento; etc. La consecuencia más obvia de este enfoque antropocéntrico es: a corto plazo, un aparente “éxito” bastante alentador; pero a la larga, mucha confusión, muchas decepciones y muchas preguntas sin respuesta satisfactoria.

El libro de Adams vuelve a poner a Dios en el centro de la evangelización: mejor aún, vuelve a poner en el centro a Dios el Padre; “El Tema del Evangelio: Dios el Hijo”; y “El Intérprete del Evangelio: Dios el Espíritu Santo”. Adams empieza conectando con una de las principales aspiraciones de mucha gente y de muchas gentes: la liberación. Sin despreciar otras liberaciones, a otros niveles del vivir humano, nos lleva a la que es la liberación más necesaria, más eficaz y más maravillosa: la liberación espiritual que se nos ofrece en el Evangelio de Cristo.

Pero sería un error pensar que se tratara de una obra desequilibradamente teocéntrica (!). Después de exponer el carácter trinitario del Evangelio, Adams pasa a presentar “la demanda” del Evangelio: en pocas palabras, arrepentimiento y fe. Estos son dones de Dios, pero quien tiene que arrepentirse y creer es el ser humano: paradoja, quizás, pero no una contradicción, y es esta paradoja la que explica por qué tantos no acaban siendo salvos, y, al mismo tiempo, cómo tantos otros lo son.

Es una pena que a la evangelización de algunos le falte una presentación más contemporánea; y es aún más una pena que a la de otros le falte un contenido más teocéntrico. ¿Por qué resignarse a una falta o a la otra, pudiendo suplirse ambas? Esta explicación y aplicación del Evangelio de siempre al ser humano de todo ?hoy? es una humilde pero valiosa ayuda a ese fin.
Andrés Birch

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La persona y el ministerio del Espíritu Santo son cuestiones de mucha importancia actualmente para la Iglesia. En una forma muy precisa y detallada, el Dr. Palmer nos presenta aquí la enseñanza bíblica acerca de dichos temas y desarrolla de manera amplia la labor del Espíritu en la Creación, la gracia común, la regeneración, la santificación, etc. No hay duda de que esta presentación del Espíritu Santo no solo enriquecerá el conocimiento de los cristianos, sino que desempeñará un papel importante en la profundizacion y crecimiento en la fe de cada iglesia.

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Esta es la mejor introducción de que se dispone acerca de la enseñnza bíblica sobre el regreso del Señor Jesucristo. J.W. Grier expone con la máxima objetividad las distintas posturas escatológicas y examina ecuánimemente los argumentos en pro y en contra de cada una de ellas. Mediante un repaso histórico y bíblico, el autor trata los aspectos más relavantes del tema y nos hace sentir el peso y la consistencia de su propia interpretación. Una obra indispensable para quienes deseen obtener una visión amplia y bíblica sobre la Segunda Venida de Cristo.

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Este libro se ocupa tanto de la más popular como de la más impopular de todas las enseñanzas cristianas: por una parte el Cielo y, por otra, el Infierno. Sin embargo, las dos se pertenecen, y la Biblia – y la enseñanza cristiana a lo largo de los siglos – siempre ha hecho lo que Ted Donnelly hace en esta serie de conferencias: mantener ambas unidas e impedir que una realidad se recalque en detrimento de la otra.

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How do Christians come to the certainty that the Bible is the Word of God, and gain an understanding of His mind and will from it? How do they acquire the ability to pray, and lead others in prayer? how are they comforted and supported in all the difficulties they meet? And how can the church be led, taught and guided aright, when Christ is not here on earth?

According to the great Puritan leader John Owen, the answer to all these questions is the same: by the gracious and powerful work of the Holy Spirit.

He it is who convinces, assures, teaches, comforts and equips the church and all its members for all the work they are called to do. In an age when many think Christianity is nothing more than human effort, based on fallible human conclusions, Owen calls the church back to divine certainty and divine resources.

The style in which the Puritans wrote can present difficulties for modern readers, but this updated abridgement by Dr. R.J.K. Law will allow Owen to speak to Christians today on a theme which remains as vitally important for the well-being of the church in the twenty-first century as it was when Owen first wrote.

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‘Ignorance of, and even opposition to, the absolute standard for human behavior found in the Ten Commandments is seen in every area of life. Drawing extensively on the neglected Larger Catechism of the Westminster Assembly, this book examines the scope of each of the commandments in turn and helps us towards a right understanding of God’s perfect requirements for our lives. “Though the commandments themselves are brief,” the author writes, “their scope is vast and the whole of Scripture is a commentary on them.” One of the great strengths of this book, as of the Catechism, is the sheer quantity of Scripture quoted to show the duties required and the sins forbidden by each of the commandments.’ — TRINITY BOOKS

‘Highly recommended reading.’ — THE BOOKWATCH

‘A quality resource for teachers and preachers of the Bible.’ — HEARTCRY

Book Description

Ignorance of, and even opposition to, the absolute standard for human behaviour found in the Ten Commandments is seen in every area of life.

The main purpose of these pages is to focus attention on the Ten Commandments and to present the duties required and the sins forbidden in each of them. But before doing that, and by way of introduction, the author emphasizes their collective importance, points out how they relate to justification and sanctification and gives principles for their right understanding and use.

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