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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Book Description

In 1786, at the age of twenty-two, Alexander Stewart became parish minister of Moulin, near Pitlochry, Scotland. He was as yet unconverted. Sermons from those early years he would later denounce as ‘youthful trifles, produced in the season of ignorance and darkness, possessing nothing of the savour of the gospel, abounding in errors, fit only to be pitied, fit only to be destroyed.’ When the change came it deeply impacted not only his preaching but his congregation. At the time of his settlement in Moulin most were as ignorant of the gospel as he was. As he puts it himself, ‘The opinion of their own works recommending them to the favour of God, and procuring a reward from his bounty, was almost universal.’ Now they began to think as differently about such things as their minister did. Indeed, it was not long before Moulin was in the grip of a revival that resulted in many conversions.

James Sievewright’s biography, long out of print, is an invaluable account of the steps by which Stewart was led from darkness to light, of the revival that followed, and of Stewart’s subsequent ministries in Dingwall and in Edinburgh. It introduces us to David Black, the young evangelical minister who played a major role in Stewart’s conversion, and is enriched by a selection of the letters that passed between them. It shows us, too, what a remarkable and far-reaching ministry an unconverted minister may one day exercise if God should be pleased to save him.

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Book Description

The Diary and Journal of David Brainerd is of much more than merely historical interest. The first internationally recognized biography ever to be published, it has had a profound impact on successive generations of Christians around the world.

The Diary covers the period from April 1742 to October 1747, and although written as a private and personal record, was published in abridged form by the great New England pastor and theologian Jonathan Edwards in 1749.

Brainerd wrote the Journal, which covers the twelve months from June 1745 to June 1746, at the request of the Scottish Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge, which was supporting his missionary work amongst the indigenous peoples of North America. As Sir Marcus Loane has noted in They Were Pilgrims, ‘the Diary and Journal were each written for a distinct purpose, and each had its separate character. The Diary is a remarkable record of the interior life of the soul, and its entries still throb with the tremendous earnestness of a man who whose heart was aflame for God. The Journal is an objective history of the missionary work of twelve months, and its details are an astonishing testimony to the grace of God in the lives of men.’

Jonathan Edwards’ own ‘Reflections and Observations’ on Brainerd’s life, included in this volume, are, according to Iain H. Murray in his Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography, ‘among the most important descriptive pages on the Christian life which Edwards ever wrote.’

Between 1742 and his death in 1747 David Brainerd took the gospel to the North American Indians of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. He willingly ran any risk and accepted any hardship to fulfil his calling as a missionary. The amount of work which he achieved in such unpromising and difficult circumstances now seems almost incredible. Moreover his total dedication to the cause of making Christ known inspired the finest of missionaries who followed in his footsteps.

Few books have done so much to promote prayer and missionary action as The Diary and Journal of David Brainerd.

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Endorsements

‘Brainerd’s life is a vivid, powerful testimony to the truth that God can and does use weak, sick, discouraged, beat-down, lonely, struggling saints, who cry to him day and night, to accomplish amazing things for his glory.’ JOHN PIPER

‘I was much humbled today by reading Brainerd. O, what a disparity betwixt me and him! He always constant; I as inconstant as the wind.’  WILLIAM CAREY

‘Oh! blessed be the memory of that beloved saint! No uninspired writer ever did me so much good.’  HENRY MARTYN

Reviews

• Review by Kevin Macleod
• Review by Al Baker

We asked people how reading Edwards had benefitted them; this is what they said …

Here’s What You Said About Jonathan Edwards

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Book Description

Many twenty-first-century Christians ‌still read the works and love the memory of the remarkable Scottish brotherhood that included Robert Murray M‘Cheyne and Andrew and Horatius Bonar. But the name of Alexander Moody Stuart (1809–98), whom they all esteemed so much, has been forgotten. Yet it took only one encounter with his preaching for M‘Cheyne to say, ‘I have found the man.’

Now, this new edition of Alexander Moody Stuart: A Memoir will throw light on a life and ministry which were profoundly influential—a ministry in which Moody Stuart was, variously, a pioneer rural missionary in an island fishing community; a capable church planter in a growing city; a clear and searching preacher; a much-loved pastor; a caring husband and father; and a committed advocate for overseas missionary endeavour.

Alexander Moody Stuart’s long life and ministry encompassed many of the defining events and debates in the Scottish church in the middle and later nineteenth century, including that which led to the formation of the Free Church of Scotland in 1843. But far from being defined by these important debates, his ministry was principally marked by contemporaries for its deep spirituality, earnestness, and originality.

This well-paced and engaging memoir, partly autobiographical and completed by its subject’s eldest son, covers the life, work, friendships, and challenges of one who was fully engaged with the people under his spiritual care, and who was also a willing defender of orthodox belief in an age of rapid change in approaches to Scripture. As Sinclair B. Ferguson notes in the Foreword, ‘like Andrew Bonar’s memoir of M‘Cheyne, there is a touch of heaven about these pages.’

It is hoped that the republication of this long-forgotten book will go some way to lift Alexander Moody Stuart out of relative obscurity—a man who, in his allotted time and circumstances, exercised a deep and penetrating ministry of the word, the character and aroma of which contain much to stimulate and inspire those engaged in that same spiritual work today.

This fresh edition includes numerous illustrations and an extensive appendix containing several of Moody Stuart’s sermons and addresses, and other documents of interest.

Commendations

‘Long forgotten and hard to obtain, Alexander Moody Stuart is a book for any Christian to enjoy, and every Christian will find it richly instructive, graciously challenging, and wonderfully inspiring. And for ministers of the gospel it is quite simply a ‘must have’. While it ranks among the finest Christian biographies of a past century, the effect of reading it will be a fresh desire to love Christ more and serve him better in the present century.’

—Sinclair B. Ferguson

‌‘There are few ministerial biographies that are better worth reading than Moody Stuart’s Life by his son.’

—Principal John Macleod (1872–1948)
in Scottish Theology

‌‘He has poetry in his soul, and beyond that, a heart like that of Rutherford, fired with love to the altogether Lovely One.’

—C. H. Spurgeon (1834–92)
Pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle Baptist Church, London

‘I know not a greater master in spiritual analysis.’

—Dr John ‘Rabbi’ Duncan (1796–1870)

‌‘Few were honoured to wield an influence so profound and far-reaching.’

—Address from the Free Presbytery of Edinburgh upon
Moody Stuart’s ministerial diamond jubilee in 1897

‌‘… a man who was the first and earliest of a well-defined and very remarkable school of preaching; who was also its patriarch and survivor; and who, besides being the originator, was himself the most original man not only in that school but, according to my judgment, in the whole Scottish pulpit during the long span of his ministerial career.’

—Alexander Taylor Innes (1833–1912)
Lawyer, political and ecclesiastical adviser, and author

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Book Description

J. C. Ryle described Daniel Rowland (1711–1790) as ‘one of the spiritual giants of the eighteenth century.’ Lady Huntingdon considered him to be ‘second only to Whitefield.’ Howel Harris wrote of him, ‘In his pulpit he is second to St Paul,’ while others acclaimed him as ‘the greatest preacher in Europe.’ Yet he has been one of the least known leaders of that age.

The loss of manuscripts shortly after his death, the Welsh language barrier, and the fact that all his closest friends were also preachers rather than authors, all contributed to leave only a shadowy impression of his greatness. However, after many years of work, Dr Eifion Evans succeeded in breaking through a multitude of difficulties to present for the first time a full-scale biography of Daniel Rowland.

J. C. Ryle writes of Daniel Rowland, ‘Never, perhaps, did any preacher exalt Christ more. . . . No British preacher of the eighteenth century kept together in one district such enormous congregations of souls for fifty years as Rowland did.’ And Dr D. M. Lloyd-Jones asks, ‘Has there been preaching which has had anything like the effect of his preaching since those days?’

At death, when reminded that he had been instrumental in the conversion of thousands to Christ, Rowland protested, ‘It is nothing. I die as a poor sinner depending fully and entirely on the merits of a crucified Saviour.’

This volume is a record of revivals, friendships with other leaders, persecutions and divisions, and the birth of a new age for Wales. Amidst it all, Dr Evans excels in showing what made Rowland the preacher and the humble Christian that he was. Dr Evans’ volume not only fills a major gap in church history, it is an inspiring testimony to New Testament Christianity.

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Este libro cuenta la historia de la Reforma inglesa. Penetra detrás de la fachada del cambio político y actas del Parlamento, y trae a la luz el movimiento interno del Espíritu de Dios en hombres de corazón humilde y fe heroica. Su autor cree que había una mano que guiaba el timón de la Reforma, y que esta guía divina se releva de manera más clara a través de un estudio detallado de la vida y motivos de aquellos que fueron señalados como líderes del movimiento y maestros de su teología.

Los cinco hombres elegidos para este propósito fueron los más significativos de aquellos que dieron sus vidas en la causa de la Reforma inglesa. Bilney y Tyndale representan el movimiento en el reinado de Enrique VIII; Ridley y Cranmer dominan el estudio en el reinado de Eduardo VI. La vida de Latimer une a Bilney con Cranmer y abarca todo el periodo desde los primeros días de la conversión en los Halls de Cambridge hasta los martirios triunfantes en los fuegos de Oxford. Los cuarenta años, desde el 1516 hasta el 1556, durante los cuales estos hombres encontraron y siguieron a Jesucristo fueron los años en los que la Reforma inglesa fue acunada y nutrida para la gloria de Dios.

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Theodore Beza’s course of activity was, in the words of the author, ‘long and brilliant.’ He presided over the Reformed church in the French-speaking countries of Europe for many years, and was its recognized counsellor and leader in times of peril. His friendship with John Calvin, and also with the French king, Henry IV, ensured that his influence in both church and state was not insignificant— indeed, Beza’s was a career rich in incidents and dramatic interest.

As Paul Wells notes in his Introduction to this new edition of Baird’s life of Beza, ‘some plants flourish in the shade of mighty trees.’ Theodore Beza was such a plant—a significant ‘Reformer in the wings’ who became a major actor in the development of the magisterial Reformation and the spread of the Reformed faith in France.

Beza stepped into the shoes of Calvin as the spokesman of French Protestants in the diaspora, and as the figurehead of a refugee church—a church faced with theological error, and opposition from the powers that be. Beza’s work remains a model of faithfulness under duress for believers worldwide in comparable situations today—it is for that reason that this new edition of his Life has been published.

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Book Description

John Aaron provides here a fresh account of Thomas Charles’s life, presented against the backcloth of his day and age, and in the light of Charles’s extensive network of correspondents, both Welsh and English.

In Wales, the popular picture of Thomas Charles (1755–1814) had traditionally been of the man who gave a Bible to Mary Jones; who was the ‘Father of the Sunday School’; and who was behind the formation of the British and Foreign Bible Society. But in modern Wales this picture has almost completely faded. No biography of Charles has been published in English or Welsh since 1908—this is the first for over a hundred years.

This new biography covers many aspects of Charles’s life that deserve to be extensively known, including, among others, his long and frustrating courtship of Sally Jones; his early connections with evangelicals in the Church of England, including John Newton and Henry Thornton; the immense and rapid spread of his schools; the revivals which took place under his preaching; his editorial labours over the text of the Welsh Bible; and his leadership of the Calvinistic Methodist Connexion.

Thomas Charles’s writings revealed his spiritual maturity and wisdom. His balance of Christian doctrine, experience, and practice was remarkable. In this wide survey, John Aaron does not shrink from acknowledging both the strengths and weaknesses of his subject, and also seeks to engage with Charles’s scholarship and theology. Here is a book to inform, stir, and inspire.

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Book Description

George Smeaton (1814–1889) was for over thirty years Professor of New Testament Exegesis at New College, the Edinburgh seminary of the Free Church of Scotland.

This collection comprises various printed sermons, lectures, and other shorter writings covering the whole period of his ministry and professorial work.

The collection is wide-ranging in its content and in one respect or another reveals the characteristics of an exercised man, whether speaking, or writing, for ministers, divinity students, or the general reader.

His sermons ‘were full of Christian fervour, and were characterised alike by purity of diction and breadth of scholarship.’ Smeaton was ‘a scholarly devout soul,’ said one former student, ‘whose earnest prayers brought the heavens near.’

It is the hope of the publisher that these sermons and addresses will prove to be as edifying, challenging, and stimulating to this present generation as they were to Smeaton’s own.

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To ask and answer the question ‘Why were our Reformers burned?’ could not be more pertinent to the times in which we live, according to Roger Carswell in his Introduction to this edition of J. C. Ryle’s tract on the English Reformers.

This is a booklet that needs to be read carefully and prayerfully. Its aim is not to lead anyone to smug self-righteousness or complacency. To understand the error of a theological system ought to stir within us compassion and winsome boldness towards those who are caught up in it.

We ought to feel deeply thankful to God for those who lived and laid down their lives for the truth of the gospel. The world was not worthy of them: they took up their cross and followed their Saviour. We need to understand why the Reformers of the sixteenth century lived and died as they did, and in our times cultivate a similar, costly commitment to the truth of the gospel.

This booklet is an extract from Ryle’s Five English Reformers and Light from Old Times.

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The North of Wales in the 1770s was one of the least Christian parts of Britain. The next three decades brought a transformation akin to that of the apostolic era and at the centre of the change was Thomas Charles, ‘the Lord’s gift to North Wales’.

Debarred from the pulpits of his own denomination, and dependent on his shop-keeper wife at Bala, Charles quietly became the leader of the people (‘Calvinistic Methodists’) whose God-anointed witness gathered thousands to the gospel. This astonishing advance involved Bible distribution, the use of circulating schools, preaching, and publishing. More than all these things, there was an outpouring of the Spirit of God and the most enduring lessons of the period have to do with the quality of spiritual life which was then recovered.

This volume, first published in 1838, shows us both what that life was in Thomas Charles’ own experience and how wisely he taught it to others.

Charles’ main characteristic, said Edward Morgan (his editor), was his large measure of love and humility. His life itself, ‘with heaven in his face’, as men said, was a sermon.

For insight into real, biblical Christianity this book will always be one of the classics of evangelical literature. John Elias’ verdict of many years ago remains true, ‘Whatever proceeds from Mr. Charles is excellent’. This was one of the last books in the hands of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones before his death and it led him to conclude that Thomas Charles ‘is definitely one of the most neglected of the spiritual leaders’.

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This booklet tells the true stories of nine priests who have made the discovery that the way to God is now open. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, the ceremonial curtain in the nearby temple, which symbolically separated the people from God, was torn in two from top to bottom. Now all people can have access to God by grace alone, through faith alone, and in Christ alone. The priests who share their stories in these pages all came to understand this for themselves — and so too can you!

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This is the 32-page introductory booklet to the Treasures of John Owen box set.

‘When you are a new user of any library, however small, it is always helpful if one of the librarians gives you some idea of what you can expect to find, or perhaps recommends a book that you will appreciate, or tells you about a new author you might enjoy.’ — SINCLAIR B. FERGUSON

In this booklet, Sinclair Ferguson introduces the reader to John Owen and prepares us for reading.

If you purchase the Treasures of John Owen box set, this booklet will be included in your shipment.

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This is the 32-page introductory booklet to the Puritan Classics box set.

‘When you are a new user of any library, however small, it is always helpful if one of the librarians gives you some idea of what you can expect to find, or perhaps recommends a book that you will appreciate, or tells you about a new author you might enjoy. Here, then, in chronological order, are brief introductions to the eleven authors whose works are included in the Puritan Classics box set.’ — SINCLAIR B. FERGUSON

If you purchase the Puritan Classics box set, this booklet will be included in your shipment.

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In his Spiritual Unfolding of Bishop H. C. G. Moule, John Baird wrote, ‘No course of reading is more establishing than that of Christian biography — the battle story of those who in the conflict of earth have been great in the life of God.’ Swift and Beautiful tells the amazing stories of a dozen men and women who at great cost gave their lives to take the gospel of God’s grace to those who had not heard it. Some of these faithful missionaries are well-known, others almost forgotten, but all are ‘great in the life of God.’

‘How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”’ (Isaiah 52:7, ESV).

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‘This arresting account of Brownlow North’s life and work recalls one of the greatest evangelists of the nineteenth century.’ — REFORMED EVANGELICAL REVIEW

‘Biography is essential to the diet of the Christian reader and this is of the finest. Warmly written, it is refreshing to read, depicting afresh the power of the gospel in the life of a man whom God was to use powerfully.’ — AUSTRALIAN CHURCH RECORD

Book Description

The fruitfulness of Brownlow North’s ministry led him to become known as the ‘John the Baptist of the great awakening of 1859’. But what can this largely forgotten evangelist of the nineteenth century teach us today?

His preaching was marked by an eloquent, but unadorned proclamation of Christ as revealed in the Scriptures. He brought fresh impetus to the old truths. He preached to both the hearts and intellects of his hearers. It was biblical evangelism driven by biblical theology. This is what defined Brownlow North’s ministry, and his example is a lesson for us today.

This compact biography sheds light on the life and ministry of a man who had experienced for himself the transforming power of the gospel, and who was used by God to bring many others to know that same power. After Brownlow North’s death in 1875, the then Archbishop of Canterbury wrote to a friend: ‘No one could know him without seeing that his heart and life were devoted to his Master’s service, and that he burned to preach to others what he had found so precious to his own soul.’

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The sixty stormy years following the death of John Knox—years of conflict, persecution and revival— form the background of this biography by D. C. Macnicol.

Robert Bruce’s commanding preaching, his iron resolution and, above all, his daily fellowship with God, provided an example which his contemporaries and successors could never forget. ‘No man’, declared John Livingstone, ‘since the apostles’ time spake with such power’.

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‘We all owe you a deep debt of gratitude for that wonderful book — The Covenanters.’ — LORD GUTHRIE, 1908

‘His history is a triumphant vindication of the place which belongs to the Covenanters in the making of Scotland.’ — THE EXPOSITORY TIMES, 1908

‘Dr Hewison has written a great book, one for which all true Scotsmen will thank him.’ — REV. ALEXANDER SMELLIE, 1908

Book Description

The progress and persecution of evangelical Christianity in Scotland from 1560 to 1689 is the subject of these rare volumes. In that history, ‘covenants’ were oaths of allegiance which bound Christians, their bodies and possessions, to the furtherance of ‘all things required of God in his Scripture, that may be to his glory.’ Handwritten and circulated from 1557, when martyrdom was still a prospect for the few who pledged themselves, the covenants became a crucial part of an immense struggle to uphold the Bible in the Church and nation. After ‘the National Covenant’ of 1638, ‘Covenanters’ became the accepted name, honoured by the sufferings of perhaps 18,000, before the Stuart monarchy fell in ‘the glorious revolution’ of 1689.

After that date, controversy over these men and women was to continue. Some authors pitied them as fanatics, others as heroes whose lives were outstanding examples of devotion. This great work of James King Hewison has three distinctive characteristics. First, he aimed by exact research at ‘an absolutely impartial account,’ not accepting traditional representations from either side which lacked firm evidence. Second, he took care to show how the covenanting movement was bound up with many political events, leading to the making of a new nation. And third, he believed the covenanting story is one of intrinsic interest, vigour and power. In the view of Alexander Smellie, the result is ‘a great book, one for which all true Scotsmen will thank him.’

The Solemn League and Covenant
Cost Scotland blood—cost Scotland tears:
But it sealed Freedom’s sacred cause—
If thou’rt a slave, indulge thy sneers.
— Robert Burns

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‘One of the best Scottish ministerial biographies.’ — IAIN H. MURRAY

Book Description

The Pastor of Kilsyth introduces us to the life and ministry of William Hamilton Burns (1779– 1859), the father of the better known preacher and missionary to China William Chalmers Burns (1815–68). But while eclipsed in fame by his son, the life and ministry of William H. Burns contains much that is of value to us today. This is reflected by Iain Murray who referred to The Pastor of Kilsyth as a ‘little known work,’ but notwithstanding this said it is ‘one of the best Scottish ministerial biographies.’ Those who give time to read this book will undoubtedly be led to agree with Murray.

The author of The Pastor of Kilsyth was another son of William H. Burns, Islay Burns (best known as a writer, and as the successor to Robert Murray M‘Cheyne in Dundee). He gave three reasons for writing this biography, and they are still helpful in outlining its value. Islay Burns first said that he aimed to introduce his readers to a ‘humble, unobtrusive, loving, cheerfully serious, and quietly conscientious country clergyman.’ What we have here then is the life of an ‘ordinary’ faithful pastor. He held no prestigious pulpit, he held no important professorship in theology. He founded no institution. He simply laboured in relative obscurity, but did so faithfully and with perseverance. Yes, he ultimately saw great revival. But along the way there were spiritually discouraging days in the nation, there was personal hardship (for example, the early death of children) and sacrifice (for example, in supporting the founding of the Free Church of Scotland he gave up his manse and church building) and years of no great visible fruit.

In our celebrity-driven age (from which the evangelical church is far from exempt), this is exactly the kind of life we need to study. We need to be reminded of the beauty, dignity and ultimately the glory of humble, obscure Christian service (Matt. 10:42). Yes, we need the towering leaders of men like John Calvin and John Knox. However, the great work of the church is ultimately carried forward by those who receive little earthly reward and recognition (but great is their reward in heaven!). William H. Burns was one of these, and we need many like him in our day.

— from the introduction

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John Macarthur on The Pastor of Kilsyth

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John Gresham Machen (1881–1937) was one of the most significant figures in the evangelical church throughout the twentieth century. He is best known through his vision for a truly evangelical presbyterian church in the USA, and as the founder of Westminster Theological Seminary, Pennsylvania.

Gifted with an incisive mind which was finely tuned to the highest level of scholarship, he placed above all else his concern for Christ’s gospel and the reliability of the Scriptures. For these he was prepared to suffer opposition, abuse, and even rejection.

In the Philadelphia seminary, Machen gathered around him a team of men, including Cornelius Van Til, Paul Woolley, John Murray, and Ned Stonehouse, whose work took on international significance, and brought guidance to Christian scholarship and wisdom to the entire Christian church.

Machen laid everything he possessed in tribute at the feet of Christ. He was, so to speak, a rich, young ruler in the church of God who sold all to follow his Master. He was deeply concerned to bring his warmhearted and accurate exposition of the gospel to the entire church. Such works of his as God Transcendent, The Christian View of Man, and An Introduction to the New Testament, have put many readers in his debt.

‘In the sphere of religion, as in other spheres, the things about which men are agreed are apt to be the things that are least worth holding; the really important things are the things about which men will fight.’ — MACHEN

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Endorsements

‘I can recommend without hesitation the reading of The Great Awakening. It is really one of those marvellous heart-warming books and I cannot imagine a better way of spending a summer holiday. What Tracy gives us is an account of true revival.’ — D. MARTYN LLOYD-JONES

‘The history of genuine revival stirs us. Through it we see the realities of Christ and the Christian life illustrated in the lives of people like us. What a help it is to have an account of God’s dealings with His people recorded for us by a careful historian! In compiling this history, Tracy has become a companion to us, both to awaken us with the thoughts of what the Almighty can do, as well as to warn us against a zeal without knowledge. Nothing outside of Scripture moves me as much as reading about the days when our Captain took the field and the gospel-godliness spread like fire.’ — JOHN D. SNYDER (Author, the Behold Your God series.)

‘This book will drive many Christians to their knees in prayer for revival and will encourage them with a greater hope that God will do something wonderful in the present dark age.’ — ARTHUR BENNETT

‘Surely all who are concerned for the welfare of their local church and for the outpouring of God’s blessing should read this book. And all who share that concern will be helped and instructed as they do so.’ — EVANGELICAL TIMES

Book Description

Although a considerable number of scattered records accompanied what Jonathan Edwards called the ‘Revival of Religion in New England in 1740’ it was not until 1841 that Joseph Tracy thoroughly sifted these original sources and became its first historian. He aimed to provide ‘a work which should furnish the means of suitably appreciating both the good and the evil of that period of religious history.’ ‘His design,’ as C. H. Maxson has written, ‘was admirably executed.’

Scarcely any phenomenon could be more exacting for a church historian than the Great Awakening, for assessments of its nature and value differed widely at the time of its occurrence and have done ever since: ‘The doctrine of the new birth made its way like lightning into the hearers’ consciences’, wrote George Whitefield, but an adverse contemporary critic asserted that ‘Multitudes were seriously, soberly and solemnly out of their wits.’ Certainly the Great Awakening does not fit into any of the usual norms. It had no procedures – neither ‘altar-calls’ nor enquiry rooms – for making and recording conversions, yet the numbers added to the churches in New England alone have been estimated at between twenty-five and fifty thousand. Emotion was profoundly stirred, yet some of the finest intellects of that age were among its leaders. It moved the common people, yet it led to the establishment of such new colleges of learning as Princeton and Dartmouth, Brown and Rutgers. Again, while the revival supplied neither social nor political messages, the changes it brought about in society were as far reaching as those associated with the 1776 Revolution itself; indeed, Tracy argues that the effects of the Revolution would have been very different if the country had not been ‘strengthened by so many tens of thousands of converts’.

The author follows his theme from the local revivals of the 1730s to the floodtide of 1740-42. While such major figures as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield are frequently prominent in the narrative, the material is broad-based and no small part of its fascination lies in the quotations given from the personal narratives and diaries of such men as Eleazar Wheelock, with his ‘close, searching, experimental’ preaching, and William Cooper of Brattle Street Church, Boston, who in one week in 1741 had more persons coming to him ‘in deep concern about their souls’ than in the 24 years of his preceding ministry. Extended treatment is also given to the ebb of the revival down to 1745, with a penetrating discussion of the aberrations and divisions which marked those years. The school of opinion which treated the Great Awakening as a movement of mass hysteria, generated by a few pulpit orators, has been losing ground of late years.

But while a number of modern writers have seen reason to question that thesis, they have not recognised, as Tracy did, that just as the doctrines of the Awakening were biblical so also were the phenomena. That is not to say that Tracy approves all that occurred in the 1740s (any more than the New Testament approves all the phenomena of the apostolic age), and much of the importance of his work lies in the mature and discerning judgment which he brings to his factual material.

This volume remains second to none in its definitive treatment of one of the most important and remarkable eras in the history of the Christian church in modern times.

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Who were the Puritans? What did they seek to achieve? What were their successes and failures? Are they of any importance to Christians today?

We firmly believe that all Christians need to discover the important story of how these men and women sought to follow Jesus Christ. Their convictions resulted in a brave and joyful faith, and the writing they have left us on the Christian life continues to be a rich resource for our own discipleship. Meeting the Puritans by listening to them has enriched both of us more than we can express. And so, in The Glory of Grace, we want to introduce you to people who had a deep love for Jesus Christ and a great vision for the Christian life. We all have much to learn…

Each chapter contains a concise introduction followed by carefully selected excerpts from key Puritan works, together with suggestions for further reading.

Podcasts

• Discussion on the Puritans and the Christian life with Tim Chester — Equipping You In Grace

REVIEW

• Review by Tony Doppke
• Review by Dwell With Christ

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REVIEW

• Review by Tony Doppke

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Endorsements

‘Sinclair Ferguson is undoubtedly one of the premier Reformed theologians in our generation. This impressive book, Some Pastors and Teachers, is solid gold, mined from the rich quarries of his many years of scholarly studies and trusted writings. Whenever a weighty volume like this appears from a man of this stature, you should put aside whatever else you are reading and pick this up. This “must read” tome is destined to become an instant classic.’ — STEVEN J. LAWSON

‘Some Pastors and Teachers will bring Sinclair Ferguson into your life as an inspiring teacher and at times as a gentle goad, helping you fan into flame the gift of God which is in you, so that you fulfill your ministry (2 Tim. 1:6; 4:5).’ — RAY ORTLUND

‘Sinclair Ferguson’s Some Pastors and Teachers is a feast for the soul.’ — WILLIAM BARCLEY

‘A treasure trove of wisdom from a seasoned pastor-professor! A book I will be returning to in ministry year after year.’ — JONNY GIBSON

Book Description

Some Pastors and Teachers is a volume for every minister’s study and indeed for the bookshelves and bedside tables of everyone who has a concern for the ministry of the gospel and the well-being of the church in the twenty-first century. In many ways, it reflects the biblical vision of what every minister is called to be: pastor, teacher, counsellor, and example—but also a man who is growing spiritually, both in understanding and in character, before the eyes of his congregation.

In five sections and thirty-nine chapters, Sinclair B Ferguson writes on pastor-teachers whose life and work have left an indelible mark on his own life, and then leads us in a series of chapters on the teaching of John Calvin, John Owen and the seventeenth century Puritans. This is followed by studies of Scripture, the ministry of the Spirit, the nature of Biblical Theology, the work of Christ, adoption, the nature of the Christian life and other important doctrines. The final section discusses various aspects of preaching, including preaching Christ from the Old Testament, the importance of theology, reaching the heart, and concludes with a decalogue for preachers. All this, as the epilogue makes clear, is set within the context and goal of doxology.

Here is a book to return to again and again, for instruction, for challenge, and also for enjoyment. While written particularly with ministers in view its style makes it accessible to all. Dr Ferguson describes Some Pastors and Teachers as a series of small gifts for fellow-ministers and others, written as an expression of the love of Christ. It is calculated to help both ministers of the gospel and entire congregations to realize Paul’s vision of churches growing up into Christ as they are nourished and taught by their pastors and teachers.

Reviews

• Review by Ray Ortlund from The Gospel Coalition
• Review by William Barcley from Tabletalk Magazine
• Review by Mike McGregor from 9marks
• Review by Ryan McGraw from Books at a Glance

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REVIEWS

• Review by Ray Ortlund (TGC)

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John Bunyan is known across the English-speaking world as the author of The Pilgrim’s Progress. But who was Bunyan, and what was it that provided him with the stimulus and inspiration to write that most revered and well-loved of allegories?

The answer can, in part, be found in Grace Abounding, for it is here that we are given a glimpse into Bunyan’s own spiritual experience. The vivid images of Pilgrim’s Progress, such as the ‘Slough of Despond’, or ‘Doubting Castle’, are brought to mind as Bunyan tells of his own pilgrimage — how he came to understand and rest in the love of God in Christ.

The full title of Bunyan’s story is Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. Like the apostle Paul, it was the remembrance of his past sins that brought Bunyan to appreciate the great grace that God has shown towards him. Written for the benefit of his ‘spiritual children’, Bunyan’s intention was that ‘others may be put in remembrance of what he hath done for their souls, by reading his work upon me.’

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‘I am grateful to Paul Schlehlein for providing a new look at the life and ministry of John G. Paton. Early in my life I was enduringly impacted by Paton’s autobiography edited by his brother, James. The story was a stunning account of dedication, desperation, sacrifice at the most extreme level, and selfless love to Christ. I was marked for life by the amazing missionary adventure and the far reaching and lasting gospel impact of that one man empowered and protected by the Holy Spirit. In this age when giving a trophy to everyone is standard, and when minimal Christian dedication is celebrated, all believers need to go back to the past to see what true devotion to Christ and the gospel really looks like. You will see it in John Paton.’ — JOHN MACARTHUR

Book Description

‘Few books are more inspiring to the Christian reader than a compelling missionary biography. This book is no exception. Paul Schlehlein has given us a heart-moving, soul-stirring survey of the life and labours of the famed missionary to the flesh-eating cannibals of the South Sea Islands, John G. Paton. Paton’s zeal for reaching this remote people group with the good news of the gospel will both encourage and motivate you in your own Christian walk. These pages will challenge your commitment to Jesus Christ and intensify your zeal to live for the glory of God. You simply must read this book and, by God’s grace, learn the lessons Paton’s extraordinary life sets forth.’ — STEVEN J. LAWSON

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Brooks Buser Recommends the Biography of John G. Paton

A Taste of the Life of John Paton

Review

• John Paton and My Dad—the Invincibles—and Me — Review by Madeline Arthington

Podcast

• Paul, Paton, and Missions Podcast — Podcast by A Place For Truth with Jonathan Master

• John G. Paton: Becoming A Missionary — Podcast by Revived Thoughts

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Although much has been written on the evangelical revival of the 18th century, J.C. Ryle’s account remains the best popular introduction to this great spiritual era. With simplicity and vigour, he traces the lives of the eleven Christian leaders who ‘shook England from one end to another’, giving strong reasons for his belief ‘that excepting Luther and his Continental contemporaries, and our own martyred Reformers, the world has seen no such men since the days of the apostles.’

But Ryle does not write to prompt admiration, and his conclusions and applications of his subject are among the most forceful that ever came from his pen. ‘I am obliged to say plainly that, in my judgment, we have among us neither the men nor the doctrines of the days gone by…Once let the evangelical ministry return to the ways of the 18th century, and I firmly believe we should have as much success as before. We are where we are, because we have come short of our fathers.’

At the beginning of last century, Canon A.M.W. Christopher of St. Aldate’s, Oxford, declared that he had turned to Ryle’s book during every summer vacation for thirty years. It is time Christian Leaders was so read again.

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Among the many memorials to the ‘great and the good’ in London’s Westminster Abbey, there is one made of black marble and inscribed with letters of gold which reads: ‘This tablet was placed here. . . in thankful commemoration of William Tyndale, B:1490 D:1536, translator of the Holy Scriptures into the language of the English people. A martyr and exile in the cause of liberty and pure religion, he fulfilled the precept which he had taught, “There is none other way into the kingdom of life than through persecution and suffering of pain and of very death after the example of Christ”’.

English-speaking Christians especially owe a great debt of gratitude to William Tyndale. In Introducing William Tyndale John Piper introduces the reader to the deeply moving story of Tyndale’s life and death. This serves to whet the appetite for what comes next: an extract from one of Tyndale’s significant works in which the reformer clearly explains and robustly defends the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in response to one of his fiercest critics. A brief epilogue by the late Robert J. Sheehan outlines Tyndale’s many-sided legacy, bringing the book to a fitting conclusion.

Introducing William Tyndale brings to life Tyndale the man, his writings and legacy, for twenty-first-century Christians, and encourages the further exploration of Tyndale’s works.

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‘Murray traces the work of seven pastors over time, and he shows the consistencies in their ministries, saying “what is it about these men that distinguished them as exceptional leaders, pastors, expositors of God’s word?” And he gives insights into that, and shows that it’s the same over the centuries; it hasn’t changed. Very encouraging read, very pleasant read, and I would recommend it.’ — JEFF KINGSWOOD

Book Description

Spiritual leaders lead people to heaven. Here in Seven Leaders are accounts of seven such men, together with the distinctive features of their lives—in John Elias, the necessity of the power of the Holy Spirit; in Andrew Bonar, the reality of communion with Christ; in Archie Brown, the irresistibility of love; in Kenneth MacRae, the need for faithfulness to death; in Martyn Lloyd-Jones, theology and doctrine; in W. J. Grier, passing on the ‘sacred deposit’; and in John MacArthur, the governing authority of the word of God. An Old Testament miracle once took place at a burial. We are told that when the deceased was ‘let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet’ (2 Kings 13:21). Through books, the past can be touched, and the consequence may be as much of God as when Martin Luther handled the old writings of Jan Huss. Records of faithful servants of Christ still speak and can bring new life today.

Iain Murray on Seven Leaders

REVIEWS

• Review by Pastor Jimmy Reagan
• Review from Credo Mag by Gary Steward
• Review from Books at a Glance by Anthony Chute

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John Charles Ryle (1816-1900), first Bishop of Liverpool, was one of the most influential evangelical clergymen of the nineteenth century. A popular platform speaker and prolific tract writer, his books are still widely read across the globe.

Edited by Andrew Atherstone, this critical edition of Ryle’s manuscript autobiography, dictated in 1873, is a rich and unparalleled account of the early decades of his life and ministry. He recalls his youthful pursuit of academic plaudits and sporting prowess at Eton College and Oxford University, before his evangelical conversion at the age of 21. He tells of the devastating collapse of the family bank and the enforced sale of their Cheshire estates, which ended his ambitions to enter parliament. Ryle describes his exploits as a young clergyman, his loves and losses, his evangelical networks, and the deaths of his first two wives. He offers a frank assessment of his joys and struggles, and the reasons behind his crucial life choices. Written for his children and never intended for publication, Bishop J.C. Ryle’s autobiography is essential reading for a proper appreciation of the man behind the headlines in the years before he reached national and international fame.

This volume also includes many photographs from the Ryle family albums, never before published. Seven substantial appendices examine the Ryle Family Bible, Ryle’s schoolboy speeches, his conversion, his earliest evangelical tracts, and his final will and testament.

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‘That man of granite with the heart of a child.’ — F. J. CHAVASSE

‘Ryle was at heart an evangelist.’ — MARCUS LOANE

‘Famous, outstanding and beloved exponent of the evangelical and reformed faith.’ — D. M. LLOYD-JONES

‘A single-minded Christian communicator of profound biblical, theological and pastoral wisdom, a man and minister of giant personal stature and electric force (‘unction’ was the old name for it).’ — J. I. PACKER

‘Bold as a lion for the truth of God’s Word and his Gospel.’ — RICHARD HOBSON

Book Description

The life of J. C. Ryle has only to be heard once to be remembered. His 84 years (1816–1900) included remarkable contrasts—the promise of a fortune, then the poverty of a bankrupt; a Suffolk country pastor, then bishop of the leading seaport of the British Empire. But there was a still greater change—from the successful youth at Eton and Oxford, who did not pray or read his Bible till he was 21, to become a Christian ‘bold as a lion for the truth of God’s Word and his Gospel’.

Although one of the most widely read evangelical authors of the nineteenth century, Ryle’s writings lost influence after his death. The world had moved on, as was supposed. Then, fifty years later a ‘rediscovery’ began. Research on his life was accomplished by able authors, and from a new wealth of material Iain Murray has put together a compelling biography. Ryle believed in definite doctrine, in a message which does not adjust to the times, in revival, and in the living Christ. He knew that all the great turning points of church history have been attended with controversy, and that ‘there are times when controversy is not only a duty but a benefit’.

J. C. Ryle’s life is convincing evidence that Christianity stands or falls depending on its relation to the word of God and to the Holy Spirit. That he is being read widely again at the present time gives hope of better days.

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REVIEW

• Review by Ben Rogers
• Podcast from Reformed Forum with Iain H. Murray
• Review by Nate Pickowicz from 9Marks
• Review by Tim Challies

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Cinematic Trailer

Documentary Description

Renegade. Reformer. Revolutionary. Five centuries after his birth, the influence of John Knox can still be felt right across Scotland. But who was this man? What did he do and why is he today both valued and vilified?

KNOX is a 77 minute film looking at the life and legacy of Scotland’s controversial 16th century Reformer. Follow in his footsteps, from Scotland to Frankfurt and Geneva, as he makes his journey from Catholic priest to a passionate Protestant preacher, facing down the most famous Scottish queen of all time.

Incorporating dramatic animations and interviews with some of Scotland’s leading experts, the story of John Knox is brought to you as you haven’t seen it before. In addition to retelling Knox’s story, the film focuses on the core issues of his message, which ensure he continues to have real relevance to the present time. It also explores some of the controversies of his own life and try to analyse what it was that made him so powerful in his generation.

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When the present publisher first issued The Reformation in England in 1962, it was hoped, in the words of its editor, S. M. Houghton, that it would ‘be a major contribution to the religious needs of the present age, and that it [would] lead to the strengthening of the foundations of a wonderful God-given heritage of truth’.

In many ways there has been such a strengthening. Renewed interest in the Reformation and the study of the Reformers’ teaching has brought forth much good literature, and has provided strength to existing churches, and a fresh impetus for the planting of biblical churches.

Concurrent with this development in the life of the churches, however, has been a dramatic shift in Western society at large. In the decades since the 1960s, the de-Christianization of society at a cultural and legislative level has been rapid. Biblical illiteracy is the norm. Secularism now dominates the Continent that witnessed the reforming work of Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin, Tyndale, Cranmer, and Knox.

In this hostile intellectual climate, d’Aubigné’s work again provides a means for Christians to place themselves in history. The Reformation in England brings to mind the important part that Reformers and Martyrs played in the development of our now fragile modern freedoms.

Above all, however, this work bears testimony to the power of the Spirit of God in the lives of individuals, churches, and nations. D’Aubigné wrote as a serious historian, but also, and crucially, as a pastor who had a deep understanding of the way in which God sovereignly acts in providence to bring about his purposes.

Gripping in its prose, yet far from sensationalist, this colourful record of the period is one which will be appreciated by spiritually-minded Christians everywhere.

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Book Review

• Review by Matt Felton

The post The Reformation In England appeared first on Banner of Truth UK.

‘David Randall has written a lucid manifesto explaining why he and others are leaving the Church of Scotland now. While that may seem a narrow issue of no concern to believers in the rest of the world, it is certainly not. The arguments he proffers for departure from this historic church stand equally true and compelling for any believer or pastor in any denomination which has officially allowed a departure from the Word of God.’ , JOHN MACARTHUR

Book Description

If you care at all about the Christian church you must brace yourself for a roller coaster of emotions as you read A Sad Departure.

The title contains a double entendre. On the one hand it alludes to the departure from the Church of Scotland of about forty ministers and many members. On the other hand it refers to the catalyst of these actions – the departure of the Kirk from its moorings in the authority of Scripture by its decisions on ‘the gay question’.

A Sad Departure tells a dark story, almost novelesque in character. A church’s Theological Commission reaches a unanimous conclusion on the teaching on marriage given in its ultimate authority, the Bible. But then its General Assembly acts in a way that ignores, demeans, and rejects that teaching. Thus behind these sad departures lies the prior and much sadder departure of the Kirk from its sacred constitution.
This is a thoughtful, honest and solemnising book written out of a deep personal and pastoral concern for the cause of the gospel.
– From the Foreword by Sinclair B. Ferguson

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Full Appendices

• Read the full version of Chapter 8 here.

REVIEW

• Review by John Brand
• Review by John Keddie

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‘This splendid, thoroughly researched, two-volume history of Princeton Seminary reads like a novel. It tells the story of one of the key institutions that shaped the transformation of post-colonial, adolescent America into a world power, and that for the first time made the Christian faith global, carrying it literally to the uttermost ends of the earth. Calhoun has ‘the gift’ , he makes historical characters spring to life. His story is more than the story of a theological seminary; it captures the essence of a whole century and a quarter (1812-1929) of the coming of age of America.’ — SAMUEL HUGH MOFFET

‘What a blessing for mind and heart!’ — ROBERT PETERSON, PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY, COVENANT SEMINARY

Book Description

Volume 1
From modest beginnings in 1812, Princeton Seminary soon became an intellectual and theological school of great importance. Long before the death of its first professors its name was almost synonymous with erudite biblical exposition, carefully worked-out reformed theology and deep spirituality. Hundreds of ministers (Baptist as well as Presbyterian) and many outstanding missionaries passed through its lecture rooms, chapel services and communal fellowship to leave a permanent spiritual mark on the people whom they later served in the advance of the gospel. These
were men who believed that ‘preaching Christ is the best, hardest, sweetest work, on this side of beholding him.’ In this, the first of two volumes, we have the story with a wealth of detail and colour down to the year 1868. While the history of an institution, it is also a record of thought and action, trends and personalities. Backed by years of careful research, by his own long experience in the training of men for the ministry, David Calhoun has produced a work which must find a permanent place in the Christian literature of the English-speaking world.

Volume 2
Here we encounter the great Hodge lineage; the broad scholarship of B. B. Warfield; the brilliance of Geerhardus Vos; the emergence of the young J. Gresham Machen. And through them we are introduced to the army of men they taught, loved, and sent through-out the world to serve Jesus Christ. It is a story which enables us to catch a glimpse of what, under God, scholarship, seminary life and Christian fellowship can be.

But faithfulness to Christ and Scripture may well lead to conflict, as the Princetonians often stressed. One such conflict would eventually divide the faculty itself and cause the loss of some of its brightest stars, as Dr. Calhoun records. He has given us a narrative of joy and sorrow, surprise and disappointment, triumph and sometimes tears. All this and more lies in the story of Princeton Seminary between 1869 and 1929.

This is indeed a ‘majestic testimony’ and it leaves upon us the same conviction that Archibald Alexander’s grandson expressed at the Seminary’s centenary in 1912; ‘If the sort of theology which is taught here should die, and its enemies should grant it a decent burial, like the Lord of Life Himself, it will have a triumphant resurrection. For the Gospel which it teaches is an unconquerable force.’

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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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Why Read Church History? is written by a man who is passionate about his subject. With infectious enthusiasm he outlines a number of important reasons why every Christian should develop a keen interest in what God has done in the past. He ably demonstrates the practical value of understanding church history, points out some of the pitfalls to be avoided, and gives useful advice about how to get started. The booklet concludes with recommendations for further reading.

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‘It has been my endeavour to handle my theme in a free and familiar fashion so as to avoid a coldly technical and stiff treatment of it, and to make it as instinct with human interest as the case permitted. This called for setting forth a theological discourse in a setting of real church life. Thus discussion and exposition are woven into a fabric of narrative. I need hardly say that I write from the standpoint of one cordially attached to the faith and witness of the Reformed churches. Though that faith is, for the time being, largely under an eclipse, its friends live in the hope that with a resurgence of evangelical godliness in days of reviving it will have an ample vindication, so that its future will in glory and in power surpass the best and brightest days of its past.’ — PRINCIPAL JOHN MACLEOD

Scotland has made a unique contribution in the field of theology, and the influence of its theologians has been and continues to be felt across the world. Indeed it was an American audience for whom John Macleod prepared this narrative of Scottish Theology, which was originally delivered as lectures to students at Westminster Theological Seminary.

Scottish Theology traces the development of theological thought as it was worked out in the life of the church in Scotland after the Reformation. It is far from a neat and straightforward story. But Macleod, in no way neglecting the details or the personalities involved, recounts it in such a way as to draw attention to the broad themes and the big principles that were at stake in the debates and controversies which took place amidst ongoing changes in the realms of church and state. At one level, Macleod’s narrative is an historical document in itself — a Reformed, evangelical, and Presbyterian interpretation of the events that it describes.

But it is much more significant than a mere historical source. The issues documented — the relationship between church and state; the authority of Scripture; the nature of the atonement; intra-church conflict; the persecution of Christians; the church’s missionary responsibility — all have a resounding contemporary significance, and especially so with the hindsight of the developments that have taken place since the conclusion of Macleod’s narrative. A judicious consideration of history is a sure way to promote humility, and a careful study of Macleod’s account will enable readers to appreciate more fully the distinctive theological inheritance of Scotland, and to be thankful for the way God has worked in his providence to use this heritage to build and preserve his church down through the centuries to the present day.

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‘I think it was Packer who said, to hear Lloyd-Jones was not so much to hear and analyze and experience a piece of oratory, but to come into the sense of the presence of God…I think he did that, perhaps, in the 20th century, better than anybody.’ — JOHN PIPER

Documentary Description

When Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones gave a series of lectures on the subject of preaching in 1969, he coined a term that became an emblematic description of his own ministry. “What is preaching?”, he asked. “Logic on fire!” But what does it mean and how does it manifest itself in preaching? Logic on Fire: The Life and Legacy of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones charts the story of this remarkable man, widely considered one of the most influential preachers of the 20th century.

More than simply a recounting of the man’s life, Logic on Fire examines Lloyd-Jones’s home life, his spiritual influences, the emphasis he brought to his two pastorates, the way he sought a union of “logic” and “fire” in preaching, as well as his continued relevance and influence in evangelicalism today. Logic on Fire emphasizes not only the need for clarity in preaching, tenderness in pastoring, and carefulness in worship, but also a humble dependence upon God to make the work of the ministry effective.

Shot in historic locations across Wales, England, Scotland, and the United States, Logic On Fire features interviews with Jeremy Bailey, Ben Bailie, Keith Batstone, Ann Beatt, Christopher Catherwood, Elizabeth Catherwood, Jonathan Catherwood, Andrew Christofides, John Cheeseman, George Curry, Andrew Davies, D. Eryl Davies, Ian M. Densham, Adam Desmond, Liz Desmond, Kevin DeYoung, Ligon Duncan, Eifion Evans, Philip H. Eveson, Sinclair B. Ferguson, Ian Hamilton, W. Vernon Higham, Basil Howlett, John MacArthur, Bethan Marshall, Anthony Mathenia, Conrad Mbewe, Jason Meyer, Iain H. Murray, Robert Oliver, Bruce Powell, Richard Owen Roberts, John Snyder, R.C. Sproul, Ceinwen Swann, Justin Taylor, Geoff Thomas, David A. Tucker, Rhiannon Tunnicliffe, Jeremy Walker, Paul David Washer, and Donald S. Whitney.

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Article

• Logic On Fire: The Life and Legacy of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Reviews

• Review by Carl Trueman
• Review by Terry Delaney
• Review by Jim Eshelman
• Review by Julian Bull

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‘[The Korean Pentecost] Shows what God can do when His people take Him at His Word.’– J.G. VOS

‘A faithful and stirring record of the Lord’s doings.’– EVANGELICAL PRESBYTERIAN

‘A deeply moving account.’– BIBLIOTHECA SACRA

Book Description

In 1977 the Trust published this remarkable account of the first 60 years or so of the modern church in Korea (mainly North Korea). William Blair (1876–1970), in his first term of missionary service, was at the centre of the great revival of 1907, and his account of this and the events leading up to it forms the first part of the book. Blair includes a thrilling description of how the gospel first came to Korea.

The account is then taken up by his son-in-law, Bruce Hunt (1903–92) — born in Pyengyang, now the capital of North Korea — who shows how the revival was followed by a baptism of suffering under the Japanese and Communists. During his forty-eight years of missionary service in Korea, Hunt personally knew many of the Korean Christian martyrs.

This new edition of The Korean Pentecost has been completely re-typeset, and includes fifteen additional illustrations.

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Reviews

• Review by Fred G. Zaspel
• Review by Trevor Scott
• Review by Moses Y. Lee via The Gospel Coalition

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‘This is a love story of the noblest kind. It is an enriching consideration of a woman’s relentless love for her Saviour, her Bible, her friends, and most uniquely, her love for lost, suffering and desperate sinners – to whom she gave her life. Such devotion as hers seems so distant. Reading this brief history will confront and help to close that distance.’ — JOHN MACARTHUR

‘Iain Murray has written a superb account of this remarkable woman’s life . . . He has read her books and her poetry, and what he writes reveals a keen understanding of the motives and undertakings of an extraordinary woman. It warmed my heart and informed my mind . . . I cannot too enthusiastically recommend this book.’ — IAN S. BARTER

‘Amy Carmichael receives a short but solid treatment from Iain Murray. I love the respect he has for her, even though she represents quite a different theological tradition.’ — TIM CHALLIES

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Reviews

• Review by Tim Challies
• Review by Books at a Glance
• Review by Ian Barter
• Review by Mignon Goswell
• Review by Pastor Jimmy Reagan
• Review by Guy Davies
• Review by Catherine MacKenzie

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The chief characters in this extraordinary account of a teenage enthusiasm to serve Christ to the end of the earth are the great Thomas Chalmers, and six of his students: Alexander Duff, John Urquhart, John Adam, Robert Nesbit, William Sinclair Mackay, and John Ewart. Their influence in later life, especially in India, was to be far beyond their wildest expectations.

The authors trace vividly and popularly the story— the aspirations, fears, doubts, struggles, opposition, sorrows, triumphs—of these six most gifted and dedicated young Christians, including one of their number who died before he could fulfil his heart’s ambition.

First published in 1985, The St Andrews Seven once again brings the names of these men to the fore, and challenges the church of today to put aside its mediocrity and respond obediently to Christ’s great commission.

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Review

• Review by Donald Mackay

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Not every day does an autobiography appear from a man in his 100th year, but all who know Douglas Higgins never saw him as belonging to the ordinary. From astronomy to Christ at the age of twenty-two, then Art College at Sheffield, war service in the RAF, and a career in school teaching—these were but parts of a life of progressive enthusiasm. As an impromptu speaker he had a charm which often turned unwilling hearers into friends.

Questions of age and race never hindered his appeal. Young people, in particular, felt that he belonged to them, and for many Chinese students he became a friend and counsellor when in his nineties.

By the truth of Scripture, he says, we are ‘led into true happiness here and glory to come’. Such happiness he lived to spread, and it gives these pages an attraction which can be felt.

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La historia cobra vida cada vez que el Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones aborda un determinado tema o personaje.  Los que le conocieron simplemente como predicador se sorprenderán de la comprensión y el conocimiento que tiene de la historia de la Iglesia {…}.  Estas vistas generales y de conjunto nos presentan al Dr. Lloyd-Jones en su mejor momento.

¿Qué enseñaban los puritanos y quienes los sucedieron? ¿Era bíblica su enseñanza? ¿Qué podemos aprender de ellos que resulte útil para nuestra vida y nuestro testimonio actuales? Estas son las cuestiones que guiaban al Dr. Lloyd-Jones mientras pronunciaba las ponencias contenidas en este volumen.  Lejos de compartir la idea de que toda enseñanza del pasado es inútil y está fuera de lugar.  Lloyd-Jones creía que el estudio de la historia resulta esencial para el bienestar de la Iglesia de nuestros días,

En estas ponencias pronunciadas en las conferencias de Estudios Puritanos y de Westminster entre los años 1959 y 1978, el Ddr. Lloyd-Jones abarca ampliamente la historia del cristianismo reformado desde la Reforma hasta el siglo XIX, sacando lecciones de figuras importantes tales como Calvino, Knox, Bunyan y Owen, Edwards y Whitefield, y de hombres menos conocidos como Henry Jacob, John Glas y Robert Sandeman.

Escritos en un estilo cautivador e inspirador, estos estudios siguen hablando con gran discernimiento y pertinencia a la Iglesia del siglo XXI.

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‘I have often said that Dr. William Childs Robinson was the greatest scholar I had the privilege of studying under. I believe that I took every elective that he offered and would say that his theological influence on my thinking was greater than that of any other teacher. I have quoted him more than probably all of other professors combined.’– D. JAMES KENNEDY

Book Description

A minister of the Presbyterian Church in the United States for more than sixty years, William Childs Robinson’s career spanned the great events of twentieth-century history from the Great Depression to the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement. These were difficult years for America and for Protestant Christianity in America. In this book, David Calhoun tells of how Robinson tirelessly laboured to arrest the Southern Presbyterian Church’s slide toward a liberal theological position and preserve the old Calvinism that had marked the church from its beginning. In seminary classrooms, in pulpits across the South and beyond, and in the courts of the church, Robinson’s voice was heard “pleading for a Reformation vision” based on faithfulness to Scripture and supported by the testimony of Reformers, English Puritans and Scottish Covenanters.

There then follows a selection of twenty-three articles from Robinson’s pen which show something of the breadth and depth of Robinson’s vision. In them one sees a man who exercised an all-round ministry as evangelist, pastor, church historian, and theologian, equally at ease writing on such diverse subjects as “The Saviour of Sinners”, “Under His Wings”, “The Theological Emphases of the Old Columbia Seminary”, and “The Trinity: God in Action”. Though unsuccessful in halting the church’s decline into theological liberalism, Robinson’s long years of ministry influenced successive generations of students and ministers, many of whom preserve his legacy by pleading for the same “Reformation vision”.

Review

• Review by Stephen Westcott
• Review by Greg Goswell
• Review by Alan Hill
• Review by Roy Middleton

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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.

A man may be known by the company he keeps. Here, Faith Cook introduces us to Samuel Rutherford’s friends, who are called on to give us a fresh look at the man who has long been held in such high affection by Christian people around the world.

The days in which Samuel Rutherford (c.1600-1661) lived were ones in which ‘a man must sin or suffer’, and most of Rutherford’s friends chose the latter course. Two were martyred, two exiled and all paid a high price for allegiance to the truth.

The primary aim of these short biographies is to cast light on Rutherford’s genius as a faithful counsellor and spiritual guide. We are introduced to the depth and beauty of his Letters and brought to share in the wisdom and consolation of his pastoral ministry.

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Review

• Review by Mignon Goswell (see page 17).

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‘The most powerful and persuasive voice in Britain for some thirty years is now silent.’ — JOHN R. W. STOTT

‘The greatest man I have ever known.’ — JAMES I. PACKER

‘Martyn Lloyd-Jones was one of God’s special gifts to the Church in the 20th century, and the longer time goes on, my admiration of him increases. He has a more profound spiritual vision than anyone else I know.’ — MARK DEVER

Book Description

This book is a re-cast, condensed and, in parts, re-written version of the author’s two volumes D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The First Forty Years (1982) and The Fight of Faith (1990). Since those dates, the life of Dr Lloyd-Jones has been the subject of comment and assessment in many publications and these have been taken into account. The main purpose of this further biography, however, is to put Dr Lloyd-Jones’ life before another generation in more accessible form. The big story is all here.

When Lloyd-Jones left medicine, he intended only to be an evangelist in a mission hall in South Wales. No one was more surprised than he in being called to a ministry which would eventually affect churches across the world. How this happened is here explained, but the theme is the person described by F. F. Bruce: ‘a thoroughly humble man. He was a man of prayer, a powerful evangelist, an expository preacher of rare quality, in the fullest sense a servant of the Word of God.’

Behind that theme a greater one emerges. In ML-J’s own words: ‘My whole life experiences are proof of the sovereignty of God and his direct interference in the lives of men. I cannot help believing what I believe. I would be a madman to believe anything else-the guiding hand of God! It is an astonishment to me.’

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The Single-Mindedness of the Ministry of D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Reviews

• Review by Roland Burrows
• Review by Bob Thomas (see page 17).

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In John Elias: Life, Letters and Essays we are confronted with a spiritual giant – a reminder to us that our great God can raise great men for His church from the humblest of circumstances. Letters, essays and biography combine to give a rounded picture of one who was ‘a burning and shining light’. A most important book. Buy it. Read it. You will be spiritually much richer.’ — HYWEL R. JONES

Book Description

North Wales in the early part of the nineteenth century provides a striking instance of the way in which a spiritual revolution can change the whole direction of a people and a society. Equally striking was the agency which brought the prevailing religious indifference and lawlessness to an end: it was the preaching of the gospel by men without position or influence like John Elias (1774-1841), Under the preaching of Elias, the outlook of thousands was permanently changed. They not only heard of the crucifixion of Christ, but felt that they had seen it. ‘I felt’, said one hearer, ‘as if the earth shook for miles around me.’

This account by Edward Morgan traces the life and ministry of Elias from his first religious impressions until the day when 10, 000 attended his funeral in Anglessey, the scene of most of his labours.

Here, in days of revival, forty-four chapels were built in forty years. To Elias’ life and the lessons to be drawn from it are added his letters and other papers originally published as a separate volume. Previously published by the Trust in this form in 1973, the Life, Letters, and Essays of John Elias is now reckoned among Christian classics.

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La figura de Spurgeon no necesita presentación en los circulos evangelicos. El conocido predicador de la época  victoriana dejo una huella que se ha extendido mucho mas alla de la Inglaterra de la segunda mitad del siglo XIX. Sin embargo, no siempre se han aquilatado debidamente las razones de su influencia, y menos aun se ha comprendido el mensaje que sacudió hasta sus cimientos las estructuras religiosas de su epoca. De hecho,  puede decirse que el mensaje de Spurgeon ha sufrido una manifiesta distorsion con el paso del tiempo.

Este libro investiga los principales aspectos del pensamiento teológico de nuestro personaje, especialmente en relación con las grandes controversias que le ocuparon su denuncia de la superficialidad religiosa, el debate en torno a la “regeneracion bautismal”, la aguda polemica contra las herejias modernistas y la batalla por la predicacion del evangelio.

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Few Christian Leaders have suffered quite so much mis-understanding as John Calvin. He has often been dismissed as a theologian without humanity. In fact the very reverse is much nearer the truth. He was a man of deep and lasting affection, passionately concerned for the cause of Christ in the world; a man who burned himself out for the gospel; a man whose heart belonged to Christ.

In this book the reader will find a straightforward introduction to the life and work of the great Reformer of Geneva. W J. Grier’s fast-moving biography not only depicts the titanic struggle by which the gospel was established in Geneva, but also provides valuable insights into the work of God that we know as ‘the Reformation’. In Calvin’s own words, ‘God’s loving-kindness to us was wonderful, when the pure gospel emerged out of that dreadful darkness in which it had been buried for so many years.’

For Calvin, the Reformation was primarily a movement of the Holy Spirit that turned attention from man-centred religion to God. It is the prayer of the publishers that the retelling of this ‘wonderful’ story will help in the recovery of God-centred Christianity and the raising up of more ‘burning and shining lights’ today.

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