The Wanderer

I enjoyed this from slam poet Taylor Mali (via Justin Taylor):

Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.

All kinds of people are pointing to this new venture by the Westminster Assembly Project with Reformation Heritage Books.  This series will be of interest not only to Westminster Presbyterians, but to those who hold to the distinctive daughter confessions, the Savoy Declaration and the 1689 (Second London) Baptist Confession.

The Westminster Assembly Project and Reformation Heritage Books

The Westminster Assembly Project, best known for the edition of Assembly minutes and papers to be published by Oxford University Press, has now entered an extensive publishing agreement with Reformation Heritage Books.

John Bower has joined historian Chad Van Dixhoorn in launching three new series of books by the Westminster Assembly, and one series of new and classic studies on the Assembly, all being published by Reformation Heritage Books. It is hoped that both texts and studies will stimulate further research in the Assembly and the religious dimension of English civil war politics. Certainly future publications on British post-Reformation theology and Puritanism will be enriched by these publications, briefly described here.

The first volume on the Larger Catechism, and prepared by John Bower, will be out in March 2010.

The Larger Catechism stands as one of the three major doctrinal standards produced by the Westminster Assembly. Often overshadowed by the Shorter Catechism and the Confession of Faith, the Larger Catechism exhibits the Assembly’s most mature theological reflection and insight.

In this remarkable volume, John Bower provides extensive historical background for the making of this colossal catechism. He traces the history of the Assembly’s efforts from the initial call for a catechism, through deliberations on its form and content, and down to the intricate process of monitoring its printing.

The centerpiece of the volume is Bower’s critical text of the catechism. Painstakingly checked and indexed, the critical text is supported by a four-column comparison of the authoritative manuscripts and printings. Graced with a glossary and a catalogue of corrected proof-texts, Bower’s text is sure to be the benchmark for future study, modern editions, and foreign translations for years to come.

Carl Trueman’s recommendation:

The Westminster Standards are today of interest both to the confessional tradition of Reformed Christianity and to a growing number of scholars who see the Westminster Assembly as an important factor in understanding British politics and religion in the seventeenth century.

Thus, the arrival of this new series, dedicated to the production of scholarly editions of documents associated with the Assembly, will be greeted with pleasure by both groups. This first volume, a critical edition of the Larger Catechism, will no doubt rapidly establish itself—and the series as a whole—as a standard starting-point for anyone wishing to learn more about Reformed life and thought as articulated by the Westminster Divines.

Here are some more details about the series:

Principal Documents of the Westminster Assembly. This series will produce the six chief works authored by the Assembly for covenanted uniformity of religion in England: the Confession of Faith, Larger Catechism, Shorter Catechism, Directory for Public Worship, Directory for Church Government, and The Psalter. Each volume will contain a historical introduction, a critical text, and multi-column comparisons of original manuscripts and early editions.

Writings of the Westminster Divines. The aim of this series is to provide scholarly editions of texts by Westminster Assembly members and commissioners. Volumes will include previously unpublished manuscripts as well as republications of rare editions. Carefully determined editorial standards will be used to ensure an authoritative product that is accessible to modern readers, while remaining reliable for students and scholars.

Westminster Assembly Facsimiles. With this new series, Reformation Heritage Books and the Westminster Assembly Project are providing electronic and print access to publications by Assembly members in their original form. Free PDF downloads will be made available through the Westminster Assembly Project website. The same text can be purchased for your collection in paperback and hard cover from Reformation Heritage Books.

Studies of the Westminster Assembly. Complementing the primary source material in the other series, the Assembly studies will provide access to classic studies that have not been reprinted and to new studies, providing some of the best existing research on the Assembly and its members.

The latest editorial in Day one Magazine features choice quotes from seven British Prime Ministers about the propriety and wisdom of observing one day in seven as a day of rest:

1. Sir Robert Peel (1834-1846): “I never knew a man escape failure, in either body or mind, who worked seven days a week.”

2. Benjamin Disraeli (1868; 1874-1880): “I hold the Day of Rest to be the most valuable blessing ever conceded to man. It is the cornerstone of civilisation.”

3. William Ewart Gladstone (1868-1874; 1880-1885; 1886; 1892-1894): “Tell me what the young men of England are doing on Sunday, and I will tell you what the future of England will be. The religious observance of the Sabbath is a main prop of the religious character of the country. From a moral, social and physical point of view, the observance of the Sabbath is a duty of absolute consequence.”

4. Rt Hon Arthur Balfour (1902-1905): “The state is the trustee, in respect to Sunday, of one of its most valuable assets.”

5. Rt Hon Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman (1905-1908): “I earnestly hope that the efforts to preserve the sacredness of the weekly day of rest may be successful.”

6. Ramsay MacDonald (1923; 1929-1935): “The British Sunday is a great heritage which has strengthened the national character and sustained the life of the people. To reduce it to the continental pattern is to destroy an invaluable national asset. The question of one day’s rest in seven (and by rest I do not mean recreation) is one of the utmost importance, not only to the physical but to the mental condition of our people. We are getting altogether too superficial and too thoughtless and, unless we pull ourselves up and get inspiration from the deeper silences that lie within us, we shall be unable to face the great problems that modern civilisation places upon us.”

7. Sir Winston Churchill (1940-1945; 1951-1955): “Sunday is a Divine and priceless institution, the necessary pause in the national life. It is the birthright of every British subject, our responsibility, privilege and duty to hand on to posterity.”

HT: Gary Brady.

A magnificent, pointed, accurate rant from Carl Trueman.  Pointing out that self-applause is “behaviour that was previously the exclusive preserve of politicians, Hollywood stars, and chimpanzees,” he goes on:

This is madness. Is this where we have come to, with our Christian use of the web? Men who make careers in part out of bashing the complacency and arrogance of those with whose theology they disagree, yet who applaud themselves on blogs and twitters they have built solely for their own deification? Young men who are so humbled by flattering references that they just have to spread the word of their contribution all over the web like some dodgy rash they picked up in the tropics?  And established writers who are so insecure that they feel the need to direct others to places where they are puffed and pushed as the next big thing?  I repeat: this is madness, stark staring, conceited, smug, self-glorifying madness of the most pike-staffingly obvious and shameful variety.

Hooray!  Good form!  Ouch.

In a couple of weeks’ time I am preaching at a ladies’ conference in Northern Ireland on High-minded or humble-minded?  Cultivating the mind of Christ.  With that in mind (and perhaps more later), I found the following two posts at 9Marks stimulating and convicting.  They are taken from a book called From Pride to Humility by Stuart Scott.

Is pride in your heart?

Some likely indications are:

1. Complaining against or passing judgment on God (Numbers 14:1-4, 9, 11; Romans 9:20)

2. A lack of gratitude (2 Chronicles 32:25)

3. Anger (Proverbs 28:25; Matthew 20:1-16)

4. Seeing yourself as better than others (Luke 7:36-50)

5. Having an inflated view of your importance, gifts and abilities (Acts 12:21-23)

6. Being focused on the lack of your gifts and abilities (1 Cor. 12:14-25)

7. Perfectionism (Matthew 23:24-28)

8. Talking too much (Proverbs 10:19)

9. Talking too much about yourself (Proverbs 27:2; Galatians 6:3)

10. Seeking independence or control (1 Corinthians 1:10-13; Ephesians 5:21)

11. Being consumed with what others think (Galatians 1:10)

12. Being devastated or angered by criticism (Proverbs 13:1)

13. Being unteachable (Proverbs 19:20; John 9:13-34)

14. Being sarcastic, hurtful, degrading, talking down to them(Proverbs 12:18, 24)

15. A lack of service (Galatians 5:13, Ephesians 2:10)

16. A lack of compassion (Matthew 5:7, 18:23-35)

17. Being defensive or blame-shifting (Genesis 3:12-13; Proverbs 12:1)

18. A lack of admitting when you are wrong (Proverbs 10:17)

19. A lack of asking forgiveness (Matthew 5:23-24)

20. A lack of biblical prayer (Luke 18:10-14)

21. Resisting authority or being disrespectful (1 Peter 2:13-17)

22. Voicing preferences or opinions when not asked (Philippians 2:1-4)

23. Minimizing your own sin and shortcomings (Matthew 7:3-5)

24. Maximizing others’ sin and shortcomings (Matthew 7:3-5; Luke 18:9-14)

25. Being impatient or irritable with others (Ephesians 4:31-32)

26. Being jealous or envious (1 Corinthians 13:4)

27. Using others (Matthew 7:12; Philippians 2:3-4)

28. Being deceitful by covering up sins, faults, and mistakes (Proverbs 11:3; 28:13)

29. Using attention-getting tactics (1 Peter 3:3,4)

30. Not having close relationships (Proverbs 18:1-2; Hebrews 10:24-25)

What does Christ-exalting humility look like?

It will involve:

1. Recognizing and trusting God’s character (Psalm 119:66).

2. Seeing yourself as having no right to question or judge an Almighty and Perfect God (Psalm 145:17; Romans 9:19-23).

3. Focusing on Christ (Philippians 1:21; Hebrews 12:1-2).

4. Biblical praying and a great deal of it (1 Thessalonians 5:17; 1 Timothy 2:1-2).

5. Being overwhelmed with God’s undeserved grace and goodness (Psalm 116:12-19).

6. Thankfulness and gratitude in general towards others (1 Thess. 5:18).

7. Being gentle and patient (Colossians 3:12-14).

8. Seeing yourself as no better than others (Romans 12:16; Ephesians 3:8).

9. Having an accurate view of your gifts and abilities (Romans 12:3).

10. Being a good listener (James 1:19; Philippians 2:3-4).

11. Talking about others only if it is good or for their good (Proverbs 11:13).

12. Being gladly submissive and obedient to those in authority (Rom. 12:1-2, 13:1-2).

13. Preferring others over yourself (Romans 12:10).

14. Being thankful for criticism or reproof (Proverbs 9:8, 27:5-6).

15. Having a teachable spirit (Proverbs 9:9).

16. Seeking always to build up others (Ephesians 4:29).

17. Serving (Galatians 5:13).

18. A quickness in admitting when you are wrong (Proverbs 29:23).

19. A quickness in granting and asking for forgiveness (Colossians 3:12-14).

20. Repenting of sin as a way of life (Colossians 3:1-14; 1 Timothy 4:7-9).

21. Minimizing others’ sins or shortcomings in comparison to one’s own (Matthew 7:3-4).

22. Being genuinely glad for others (Romans 12:15).

23. Being honest and open about who you are and the areas in which you need growth (Philippians 3:12-14; Galatians 6:2).

24. Possessing close relationships (Acts 20:31-38).

From Ray Ortlund:

One new discovery of the glory of Christ’s face and the fountain of his sweet grace and love will do more towards scattering clouds of darkness and doubting in one minute than examining old experiences by the best mark that can be given a whole year.

Jonathan Edwards, quoted in George M. Marsden, Jonathan Edwards: A Life (New Haven, 2003), page 226.

May every child of God enjoy new discoveries of Christ in worshipping him tomorrow on the day he has set apart to meet with his people.

Via Ray Ortlund, Bruce Waltke’s thought-provoking notion of the counterintuitiveness of righteousness, a readiness to disadvantage oneself for the advantage of others.  This one bears more chewing over:

‘Righteousness’ is a social term signifying that people do right by each other as defined by God’s covenants with Israel.  In a nutshell ‘righteousness’ means ‘to disadvantage oneself as necessary in order to advantage others,’ and ‘wickedness’ means ‘to disadvantage others in order to advantage oneself.’  A student who takes a reserved book out of the library to get an A, leaving the rest of the class to get a lower grade, is wicked (i.e., a fool).  By contrast a student who resists the temptation to check out a rare book from the library so that his or her classmates have the opportunity to read and write an ‘A’ paper, even if it means he gets a lower grade, is righteous (i.e., wise).  Righteousness, the disadvantaging of oneself to advantage others, is counterintuitive.  Jesus Christ is the supreme example of wisdom according to this definition.

Bruce K. Waltke, “Fundamentals for Preaching the Book of Proverbs, Part 3,” Bibliotheca Sacra 165 (2008): 261-262.

As if you needed any further reason to get this, try this.

A taster:

These books will surely take their place right alongside the earlier works. The “definitive collection” is no longer complete or truly definitive without them. My prayer is that they’ll help awaken new appetites for Spurgeon’s preaching. May they influence the current generation of preachers to be more bold and more biblical in their content. May the next generation of preachers gain from them a better vision of what makes preaching truly “relevant.” And may our grandchildren and all subsequent generations continue to benefit from them as so many of us have.

By the way, Phil Johnson is in south London in a few days time, not so far from us here, preaching at Trinity Road Chapel, Wandsworth Common, Upper Tooting, both morning and evening services on February 7.

For those interested in such periodicals, the next issue of the Reformed Baptist Theological Review is at the printer and shortly to be distributed.  This august journal is not very old, and finding its feet slowly but surely.  Although primarily an American publication, our own esteemed Dr Robert Oliver is one of the associate editors, as is my good friend Bala from New Zealand.

Those interested in keeping abreast of various significant discussions and debates within the Baptist fraternity or between Baptists and others, as well as explorations of important theological issues, might find the journal of interest.  For a taster, the current issue contains the following:

1. Lev. 26:40-41 – With implications for Justification by Faith, David Graves (Ph.D. in OT, TEDS)
2. Man’s Constitution as a Physical-Spiritual Unity, Bob Gonzales
3. John Owen on the Mosaic Covenant, Tom Hicks (Ph.D. Candidate in Church History, SBTS)
4. The 2nd LCF on the Doctrine of Scripture – Sufficiency, Robert Martin
5. Occasional Conformity – The Congregationalism of Henry Jacob and John Owen, Michael Brown (M.Div. WSCA, recommended by Jim Renihan)
6. Review Article II of Barry Horner’s – Future Israel, Sam Waldron
7. Book reviews

The next issue is already in the pipeline, and we are promised at least the following articles:

1. Judgment Begins At The House of God: A Theology of Malachi, Robert Gonzales Jr.
2. The Relationship Between the Decalogue, the Beatitudes, and the Fruit of the Spirit as Ethical Standards of Righteousness, John D. Reuther [I have seen the substance of his article, and it really is insightful.]
3. Analysis of Geerhardus Vos’ Nature and Method of Biblical Theology, Richard C. Barcellos
4. Philosophy, Reason, and Righteousness in the Thought of Martin Luther, James E. Dolezal (Th.M., Ph.D. candidate in systematic theology at WTS, PA)

Those wanting to learn more can find further information at the RBTR website.  Subscriptions and back issues are here or via here.

The Robert Morrison Project (new link in sidebar) is dedicated to the publication of Reformed literature in China.  Dr. Tom Nettles, Dr. Brian Vickers, Dr. Michael Haykin and Dr. Joel Beeke serve on the board of directors.  You can read more about it at the White Horse Inn.

Robert Morrison was the first Protestant missionary to China.  He began his labours in 1807 and died in 1834 in Canton.  Read more here or here.

Angel’s Song  L.M.

O Lord, the way is hard and long
And fellow travellers are few;
I am not wise, I am not strong,
I fear I shall not make it through.

On every side a sinking mire;
Down every path a mocker’s glee;
In every way a burning fire;
On either hand a roaring sea.

But you, O Lord, my portion are,
The rock in which my soul can hide:
Better, my God, and better far
Than all and everything beside.

Men will betray, and friends will fail,
Each day a newfound enemy;
Yet through the storm I safely sail
With you, O God, to comfort me.

My flesh, my God, is poor and weak,
My heart and faith so often low;
But I will find you when I seek,
And you will guide me where to go.

Lord God, reveal your gracious way,
Your Spirit deep within me dwell,
And guide me on to glorious day
In Jesus Christ, who loves me well.

©JRW

See all hymns and psalms.

I had a blast through the blog reader recently, and whittled it down, knocking away huge chunks of debris.  Here is a selection of what caught my eye as worth considering a little more.

• Al Mohler addresses evangelical discernment and The Shack, the idolatry of youth, children’s online existence, and the importance of preaching.
• Steve Weaver posts a series of links to articles by Michael Haykin in Reformation & Revival, most addressing aspects of Baptist history.
• Trevin Wax assesses the state of the blogosphere.
• Euan Murray explains why rugby takes second place to true religion.
• Kevin DeYoung laments the fetid pool of self-promotion, as well as offering three posts on writing that are insightful.  He also reminds us (saw this ages ago, still funny) of the sort of counselling that I think some pastors are sometimes tempted to:

• Iain D. Campbell points us to advice on how not to be a missionary.
• The Resurgence suggests that we identify passion builders and stealers and strategies to deal with them.
• Justin Taylor offers: Sunday’s comin’; suggestions for initiating gospel conversations; Plantinga’s beautifully and biblically balanced thoughts on the redeemed life; some perspectives on depression and medicine; thoughts on evangelical biblical illiteracy; and, ambition for evangelical academics.

OK.  Nuff.

A simple and conversational yet forceful delivery commands both respect and response. Enthusiasm inspires. Logic is convincing, the illogical confusing. As preachers let us have a heart. Let us stop wearying our audiences. Let us make our preaching so absorbingly interesting that even the children would rather listen to us than draw pictures and will thus put to shame their paper-and-pencil supplying parents. But we may as well make up our minds that an absolute prerequisite of such preaching is the most painstaking preparation.

With this challenging quote from R. B. Kuiper, Iain Murray sums up another provocative article in the Banner of Truth Magazine.  What with Stuart Olyott’s toothsome contribution on mediate regeneration last month (which stirred up plenty of debate, although I think its central thrust was both accurate and helpful), it looks like the Banner magazine may be rediscovering its bite.

Murray’s argument is not for the abandonment of ‘expository preaching’ (by which he means systematic, consecutive exposition of a book or passage of Scripture), but a warning to take account of its weaknesses compared with what might be called the ‘topical’ or ‘textual’ sermon.

Of course, there is a danger in such terms.  Is a topical sermon expository?  Certainly it ought to be in the basic sense of an opening up of a given portion of the Word of God.  Consider Spurgeon, for example.  While Spurgeon is rarely held up as a model exegete, you can read almost any one of Spurgeon’s sermons and you will find a very thorough grasp of its context and meaning lying behind the form that he gives it.  In that sense, Spurgeon is thoroughly expository.  At the same time, Spurgeon knew himself, and was confident that both he and any congregation to which he preached would be bored to tears within weeks if he began to preach a consecutive expository series: his genius lay in another direction.  The preacher who would be a textual sermoniser must know his Bible and be willing and able to understand and, if necessary, situate the verse in its immediate and wider context.

Another consideration with the method Murray advocates is the need for wisdom and courage.  The expository series often hits issues that might not otherwise be addressed.  In the kindness of God, these are often particularly apposite.  Gossip or anger becomes a problem just as we reach James 3; financial commitment is fading as we arrive at 2 Corinthians 8; a legal spirit is cut down in working through Galatians; weak love for the brethren is addressed by John’s first epistle.  At the same time, there may be matters that need to be addressed but are not (or are not addressed well) because the passage in hand does not immediately deal with them.  Perhaps the saints need to be stirred up, reminded of their primary commitments, encouraged to preach the gospel to the unconverted, to minister to the poor, to address particular sins of faith or life.  If the preacher sets out to hit those notes he can be accused of harping on the same tune, riding a hobbyhorse, or targeting particular people.  Thus the preacher who would regularly preach the topical sermon must be wise to identify the particular needs that need to be addressed and how and when they should be addressed, spiritually sensitive to the work of the Spirit in his own heart and in the life of the church he serves, and courageous to hit the targets that need to be hit without a sinful regard for the opinions of men.

Anyway, Murray identifies disadvantages of the ‘expository’ method under five headings:

• Know your gifts – different men have different capacities for different kinds of work.
• What is preaching? – it is more than an agency of instruction: it must also be an agency of ignition, striking, awakening and rousing men and women.
• Sermon or lecture? – understanding different purposes and functions of different approaches to sermons.
• What helps the hearer most is best – what are the needs of the particular people before the preacher?  Does a running commentary result from the expository method?  If so, is that preaching, and/or is that of most benefit to believers and unbelievers?  Not all preachers are able to combine the expository and textual elements as could, say, Lloyd-Jones.
• The best ‘fit’ for evangelistic preaching – bringing particular truths to bear on the souls of the unconverted with a prayerful view to their awakening is often best served by ‘topical’ or ‘textual’ sermons.  Again, Spurgeon used to refer to those passages and verses that seemed to have been designed by God for the specific purpose of bringing in his elect, without denying the power of God to work his saving purposes from any part of the truth.

I find myself in substantial agreement with Mr Murray on this, and hope that his exhortation to consider the advantages and disadvantages of various methods of public ministry, together with an honest assessment of a preacher’s own graces and gifts, will help me to pursue the right path, and churches to recover a vibrant and pointed pulpit ministry.

Conrad Mbewe provides some interesting perspectives on Christian weddings in Zambia.  While there are clearly cultural nuances to be taken into account, the fundamental principles seem to be widely applicable:

It is clear to me that today’s young people need to address themselves to the issue of how they bear witness to their relatives and friends during their weddings. As long as they want to be as worldly as possible, they will not make their non-Christian friends and relatives see how real their Christian faith is. They will lose a vital opportunity to show them the difference that Jesus has made in their lives. A previous generation fought its battles and bequeathed to them their liberties. But I fear that today’s young people are using the liberties won for them by their predecessors to indulge themselves in worldly pleasures. I tremble to think of the kind of Christianity this generation of young people is passing on to their successors. Judged by the little I have seen at recent wedding receptions, the prospect is frightening!

some basic rule’s of grammar to which we would all Do well to adhere, to:

26 Golden Rules for Writing Well

1. Don’t abbrev.

2. Check to see if you any words out.

3. Be carefully to use adjectives and adverbs correct.

4. About sentence fragments.

5. When dangling, don’t use participles.

6. Don’t use no double negatives.

7. Each pronoun agrees with their antecedent.

8. Just between you and I, case is important.

9. Join clauses good, like a conjunction should.

10. Don’t use commas, that aren’t necessary.

11. Its important to use apostrophe’s right.

12. It’s better not to unnecessarily split an infinitive.

13. Never leave a transitive verb just lay there without an object.

14. Only Proper Nouns should be capitalized. also a sentence should begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop

15. Use hyphens in compound-words, not just in any two-word phrase.

16. In letters compositions reports and things like that we use commas to keep a string of items apart.

17. Watch out for irregular verbs that have creeped into our language.

18. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.

19. Avoid unnecessary redundancy.

20. A writer mustn’t shift your point of view.

21. Don’t write a run-on sentence you’ve got to punctuate it.

22. A preposition isn’t a good thing to end a sentence with.

23. Avoid cliches like the plague.

24. 1 final thing is to never start a sentence with a number.

25. Always check your work for accuracy and completeness.

These are from Iain D Campbell at Reformation21.  Consider this also.  Kevin DeYoung also has some helpful comments.

An excellent post from David Murray:

Why does heaven feel so far away? Why does Jesus seem so distant?

Recent research* by Emily Balcetis and David Dunning indicates that the desirability of an object influences its perceived distance. Thirsty students fed with pretzels perceived a water bottle to be nearer than those who had had their thirst quenched. Other students placed in front of a $100 bill they could win for themselves perceived it to be closer than those who were told that the bill belonged to the scientist conducting the test. A third set of students had their sense of humor graded and clipped to a stand in front of them. Those given positive feedback estimated the stand to be closer than those who could see their feedback was negative. Other similar experiments confirmed the finding that desire reduces the perception of distance.

Is this why heaven often seems so far away? We don’t desire it enough?

Is this why Jesus sometimes seems so distant? We don’t desire Him enough?

But if desire reduces the distance, “Lord Jesus, give the desire and reduce the distance.”

*Balcetis, E., & Dunning, D. (2009). “Wishful Seeing: More Desired Objects Are Seen as Closer.” Psychological Science.

From Ray Ortlund:

“They saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind.” Mark 5:15

There is no temperament Jesus cannot control. There is no madness he cannot soothe. There is no darkness he cannot illuminate. There is no chain he cannot break. There is no raving he cannot calm. There is no shame he cannot dignify. There is no nakedness he cannot clothe. There is no legion he cannot command.

And when he proved his power, restoring this dear man who had suffered so much for so long, sending the demons into the nearby herd of pigs, the people “began to beg Jesus to depart from their region” (Mark 5:17).

Jesus forced on them a choice — his transformation or their pigs? They preferred their pigs. Sure, their world was dysfunctional. But it was theirs. It was familiar. They preferred it undisturbed.

This passage in the Bible has nothing to say to us today.

And:

Worldliness in the church is the number one enemy, and that comes in when we have unspiritual people, and we have unspiritual people too often because they are nominal Christians.  They have the language, they have the outward, but they don’t have the power.  So, Paul’s words: ‘The kingdom of God is not in word but in power.’  That whole school of Edwards and Alexander and so on — they believed in the power of religion.  You know, men candidating for the ministry, and the minister saying, ‘Can he pray down the Holy Spirit?’  Imagine that question today.  Can a man pray down the Holy Spirit?  It’s not perhaps exactly the sentence we would say is completely correct, but you know what they meant. . . . When those men prayed, the Holy Spirit did come down. (Rev. Iain Murray, in a recent 9Marks interview with Dr. Mark Dever)

Cleveland  8 8. 8 8. D

Psalm 21
The king shall have joy in your might,
And in your salvation rejoice;
You gave him his heart’s true delight,
And heard the request of his voice;
You met him with blessings untold,
And set a gold crown on his head;
His days rolling on from of old;
He asked, you gave life from the dead.

His glory is great when you save,
Enrobed in divine majesty;
He smiles at the blessings you gave,
Your face he rejoices to see.
In all things he trusts in the Lord,
And nothing his faith shall erode;
He rests in the truth of your word,
In mercies so freely bestowed.

Your hand shall your enemies find,
Your wisdom their plot overthrows;
To fire and to judgment consigned –
A terrible end for your foes.
But you are exalted on high,
Before you your enemies cower;
And none can your purpose defy:
We’ll sing to the praise of your power.

©JRW

See all hymns and psalms.

Some time ago I blogged about the Williamson family heading out to Zambia to support the churches there, particularly in the matter of ministerial training.  This week it is our privilege as a church to host the whole family en route to Lusaka, where they hope to set up home.

James Williamson gave a report in Sunday School (combined for the adults and children), an updated version of the videos below.  He then preached powerfully and heart-warmingly from Revelation 5 on the Lamb who was worthy to open the scroll and administer God’s plans and purposes for the world.  The family are trying to get a few days of R&R in while they are here before heading out to Africa later this week.

The LION of Zambia website gives more information, and Megan Williamson, Pastor James’ wife, is blogging the family experience.  For a voice from within, you can follow Conrad Mbewe’s blog.

Where do you start the process of filtering out the filth that is so prevalent in the media of our age (not that it was lacking in the media of any age, although the methods of delivery are certainly growing in sophistication and accessibility)?

Perhaps you extol the virtue of ‘the stop button.’  This is more of a mental promise or function than a physical reality.  You read the description on the back of the DVD, and you undertake to fast forward through the nudity or vulgarity or violence.  The warning flashes up on the screen, “Some viewers may find the following scenes disturbing.”  The guidance informs you that a film or programme “Contains strong language and sexual content.”  The blurb on the back of a book hints at passages that will contain descriptions of physical brutality or sexual activity, or the author has a certain reputation.  The magazine will have a section dedicated to celebrities in various stages of recreational undress.  The link from that image suggests more of the same.  The video still offers so much more than that single image.  But you will stop or skip those bits.  If it is music, you won’t listen to ‘that track/those tracks’ off the album you downloaded, or you will fast forward through the most offensive verse of the song, or will just switch off from those particular lyrics.

Whatever the medium in question, you undertake to resort to the stop button when the content crosses the line.

Is that really the best approach?

At your best (and what a sad reality that is), you might draw the line in a healthy place.  At your best, you might just follow through with your determination, and press the stop button, or fast forward through the offensive section.  But we are rarely at our best, and our best is often not good enough.  Especially once the imagination is engaged, you get set up.  Words and images are employed to draw you in.  The hook is baited, tantalising and titivating, raising your expectations and lowering your resistance.  By the time ‘that scene’ comes in, your appetite is whetted, your passions are aroused, your sensitivity has diminished, your conscience is seared, and your determination not to sin is fatally compromised.

That fact is that you may well have compromised your determination not to sin when you first laid hands on the stuff.  The process may have begun when you read the warning, which acted more as a promise, and lured out remaining sin.  As James said, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.  Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (1.14-15).

Even if you stop short of the worst excesses, the imagination can carry you places where the media itself would not have taken you.  Your sinful heart will fill in the gaps for you.  Even if you think you can handle it, there will be times and places when those words, images, and stirred-up reactions and desires will flood back in with a vividness and intensity that – apart from the power of God in Christ – will leave you utterly helpless.  Temptation will come calling, and you will have armed him with a bazooka to blow away all your good intentions.  You will find that you were not merely observing, you were learning, you were being trained to sin.

If we are believers, should be sailing so close to the wind?  We might claim that we have liberty in these areas, but surely that is the freedom to pursue godliness and not the freedom to flirt with unrighteousness?  Are you free to get as close to the edge as possible or free to keep away from it?  Those who consistently play on the edge of the cliff are the ones who tend to fall off.  The promises of God’s sustaining grace are not given to those who test him by dancing on cliff edges, but to those who – in the way of duty or providence – find themselves walking a dangerous path that they could not avoid.  You might say that we must not cut ourselves off from our society and culture, that we need to understand and appreciate the way that people live and think.  Fine, but does the need to recognise poison require that you drink it?

Consider, then, that the best thing may be not to rely on the stop button, but not to touch the start button.  Do not take the first step on the road, and you will be in no danger of reaching its end, and remember that the path of wickedness is increasingly slippery and steep.  You start treading slowly and carefully, and soon find yourself careering and careening without any hope of stopping.  Let us learn to flee from sin, and not even to pass the time of day with it.  Sin presents itself as a smiling friend; an arm around your shoulder is the best facade for the moment when the assassin plunges the stiletto between your ribs.

Learn the signs, and take them as warnings to your soul and not as promises to your sinful appetites and desires.  When the danger is real, forget the stop button.  Don’t press start.

Again the weather militates against a full prayer meeting during our week of prayer.  A few of us were able to gather at a private home where we had some time to pray for the vitality of Christ’s church and the advance of Christ’s kingdom.  With regard to the latter, for those who were present and for those who were not able to attend I circulated the twelfth (twelfth is a strange word to type, harder to type than to write) chapter from Edward Bickersteth’s Treatise on Prayer, entitled “The spirit of prayer for the enlargement of the kingdom of Christ.”  It is, in some senses, a condensed version of Jonathan Edwards’ longer treatment of the topic, known in abbreviation as the ‘Humble Attempt’ – at least, it strikes many of the same notes.

You may have questions about the particular millennial perspective that underpins the piece, even while you accept the practical thrust of the conclusions; you may note that certain phrasing would no longer be considered politically correct or particularly helpful in today’s writing, however much truth lies behind the author’s choice of words; and, you may also observe that the distinctive Anglicanism of the writer rises to the surface at one or two points.  May it help us to pray for the glory of God in salvation as we press on with a new year.

The spirit of prayer for the enlargement of the kingdom of Christ

Amid all that sin and sorrow which the Christian sees in the world, observes in his family, or feels in his own heart, there is one bright prospect on which his eye can dwell with unmingled satisfaction, and in the anticipation of which his heart can exult with unbounded joy – the promised time when truth and righteousness and peace shall universally prevail.  That such a time will come, a simple-minded and humble reader of the Scriptures can have no doubt.  Such passages as the following plainly point out an extension of the Gospel which has never yet taken place.

“All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto the Lord; and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee” (Ps 22.27).  “All kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him” (Ps 72.11).   “All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord, and shall glorify thy name” (Ps 86.9).  “The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Is 11.9).  “Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.  And so all Israel shall be saved” (Rom 11.25-26).  “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever” (Rev 11.15).

Observe the fulness of each of these expressions.  Surely they foretell the universal spread of Christianity.  To deny this, would, as President Edwards has observed, be in effect to say that it would have been impossible for God, if he had desired it, plainly to foretell any thing that should absolutely extend to all the nations of the earth.  To suppose that these are merely high-wrought figures, and that events answerable to them are not likely to take place, is little short of supposing an intention to mislead others.

We may, then, rejoice in the delightful prospect which the Bible thus opens before us.  But these promises involve a duty, as well as convey a cheering prospect – the duty of exerting ourselves to promote the coming of this kingdom.  Among other means of doing so, the duty of prayer is of the first importance.  This subject is so little noticed in general, and yet forms so large a part of that prayer which our Lord teaches his disciples daily to use, that though it has already been in some measure anticipated, when stating the subject of intercession in the chapter on private prayer, it justly calls for distinct consideration.

While it is clear from various promises that the kingdom of Christ shall universally prevail, it is no less manifest that there are difficulties which only a divine power can overcome.

There are many opposing powers of a nature that no arm of flesh can subdue.  Man may contend with man, with some hope of success; but in contending “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places,” we want divine aid.  We must pray with the prophet, “Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord.”  How can Satan be dethroned from his palace, the heart of man, till “a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him?”

All men’s natural inclinations and corrupt opinions also oppose the reception of the gospel.  Nothing is more absurd to him who knows not the Bible and the power of God, than to imagine that the blinded Hindoo, enchained to his caste, the acute and licentious Mahomedan, reverencing his false prophet, the savage and degraded African, and the barbarous New Zealander, should give up their various notions, and embrace the pure, holy, and humbling truths of the Gospel of Christ.  The means, also, by which this change is to be effected, appears to man utterly inefficient.  The preaching of the cross of Christ is still “unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness.”  No arm of flesh can help us here: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.”

Many of the great promises of Scripture relative to that happy period of which we have been speaking, seem to call for the spirit of prayer.

Observe the determination of the Saviour and his church: “For Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.  And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory” (Is 62.1-2); and then notice how this determined zeal in seeking to promote the light and glory of the Church is approved and required: “Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence; and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth” (Is 62.6-7).

The intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ in heaven is much on this subject.  It is one part of his prayer, “that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (Jn 17.21).  And he so earnestly desires the salvation of man, that it is called “the travail of his soul.” In the second Psalm the Father is described as addressing the Son thus: “Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession” (Ps 2.8).  Doubtless the Son has fulfilled this, as he has fulfilled every other part of his blessed office as an Intercessor.  Hence we have more encouragement from his intercession to pray for the conversion of the heathen than for almost any other object.  We are sure that the Son of God intercedes for us in this particular thing, and offers up our prayers.  And as our Lord thus intercedes himself for the enlargement of his kingdom, so his word is full of directions and examples to encourage us to do the same.

Observe the directions to pray.  Our Lord seeing the harvest to be great, and the laborers few, instructed his disciples to use this means of obtaining them: “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he would send forth labourers into his harvest” (Mt 9.38).  One half of the prayer which he has taught us daily to use relates to this: “Hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.”  Doubtless when “all the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him” (Ps 22.27), those petitions in the Lord’s prayer, with its simple but sublime and magnificent conclusion, “Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever,” will receive a more manifest accomplishment than ever they have yet done.  We are told in Isaiah 45.11, “Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.”  St. Paul thus earnestly presses this duty: “I exhort, therefore, that first of all” – as a matter of chief importance – “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;’ and he afterwards adds, “for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1Tim 2.1-4); and again he says, “Brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified, as it is with you.”

Observe the prophecies respecting this spirit of prayer: “It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities; and the inhabitants of one city shall go unto another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts; I will go also.  Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord” (Zec 8.20-22).

We have also examples to encourage us thus to pray.  David prays, ‘Have respect unto the covenant; for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty” (Ps 74.20).  “Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces” (Ps 122.7).  Esther, when the peculiar people of God were on the point of destruction, sends to all the Jews to fast and pray with her and her maidens; and their united prayers are heard.  Daniel’s prayer for the church when in captivity is well worthy of imitation (Dan 9.2, 16-17).  It is probable that on the very evening of the day on which our Lord directed his disciples to pray for more laborers, he himself went into a mountain, and continued all night in prayer to God; and after thus praying all night, on the following morning he chose his twelve apostles (Mt 9.36-38; 10.1-5 compared with Lk 6.12-16).  The apostles, after his ascension, all “continued with one accord in prayer and supplication;” and at length, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Ghost was given: ‘The Lord gave the word; great was the company of those that published it” (Ps 68.11).  The church of Antioch “fasted and prayed,” and then sent forth Barnabas and Saul on that great mission to the Gentiles, the benefits of which ultimately reached even to England (Acts 13.3).

And to come to more modern times: We find that holy men have ever, as they have more advanced in religion, felt more for the perishing state of mankind.  Baxter thus expresses himself in some reflections at the close of his life: “My soul is much more afflicted with the thoughts of this miserable world, and more drawn out in a desire for its conversion than heretofore.  I was wont to look little further than England in my prayers; but now I better understand the case of mankind, and the method of the Lord’s prayer.  No part of my prayer is so deeply serious as that for the conversion of the infidel and ungodly world.”  It is worth while reading the life of the missionary [David] Brainerd, and in our own days, the diaries of Henry Martyn, only to observe the constant ardor of their souls in praying for the coming of Christ’s kingdom.

A blessing has ever attended this mode of seeking the welfare of the church.  The cry of Israel in Egypt “came up unto God by reason of the bondage; and God heard their groaning,” and he sent them a deliverer.  Daniel’s prayer was attended with an immediate answer (Dan 9).  Who would have supposed, in the state in which Judea and the world were when our Lord was crucified, that in so short a time such preachers should be raised up from the self-righteous or worldly Jews, or the benighted Gentiles, as should carry the gospel into all the known nations of the earth, and almost convert the world?  They prayed, and great was found to be the efficacy of prayer.  In fact, every period of the revival of religion has been distinguished by the previous spirit of prayer.  All the great societies that have been raised in present times, and that fill and adorn our country, have been raised in prayer; and the way to obtain for them that full benefit to mankind of which, under the blessing of God, they seem capable, is for those who support them to give them also their continual prayers.  St. Paul urges a striking reason why Christians should thus pray: “Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf,” (2Cor 1.11); that thus, as he expresses it elsewhere, “the abundant grace might, through the thanksgiving of many, redound to the glory of God” (2Cor 4.15).

The importance of this will be more seen, when it is remembered, that the enlargement and building up of the spiritual church is entirely the work of God.  Who can accomplish all the promises on this subject?  Who can influence the minds of Christians in general to promote their fulfilment?  Who can raise up, and prepare, and duly qualify the laborers?  Who can open their way before them, and prosper their undertakings?  Who can give the heathen eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to feel?  And when the seed is sown in their hearts, who must give the increase?  In short, through whose power and mercy must all flesh see the salvation of God?  We need not answer the question.  It must be evident how greatly, in any design to promote the kingdom of Christ, the fervent, general, continued, united, and persevering prayers of all the church of God are needed in every step of our way.  The effect to be produced manifests the necessity of a divine power.  It is not a mere instruction in a particular system; it is not a mere change of sentiment; but an entire change of heart and life – the fulfilling of that promise, “I will create in you a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within you.”  Like the work of creation, it requires the hand of God.  As it is only his power that makes the seed sown in the earth to shoot and spring up; so here, “neither is he that planteth any thing, neither is he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase.”  And the fervency and ardor of prayer is here specially called for.  Is it not a proof that the prayer, “Thy kingdom come,” has been coldly uttered, when we look abroad and see the present state of the kingdom of Christ?  May we not well suppose that it would have been very different had every Christian that used the prayer fervently offered up therewith the desire of his heart unto God?

It pleases the Almighty generally to work through prayer, as it is prayer that gives God, who is jealous of his honor, all the glory.  When blessings come in answer to prayer, the praise is more generally ascribed to him to whom alone all praise belongs.  The time is hastening on, when one vast song shall fill the earth “from sea to sea, and from the rivers unto the ends of the earth;” when shall be heard “as it were the voice of mighty thundering, saying, Allelujah, for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth; let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him.”  And doubtless, when, through the prayers of many, this happy period arrives, the burden of the song will be, “Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things; and blessed be his glorious name for ever; and let the whole earth be filled with his glory.  Amen and Amen.”

May the reader lay these things to heart, and remember how small a sacrifice the thing desired calls for.  You are not here asked to give your silver and gold, or your life, though these all belong to your Saviour; but the duty now pointed out is simply that of remembering a perishing world in your prayers; and in constantly and faithfully discharging it, you are obeying the two great commands of love to God, and love to man.  Never, then, think a prayer to be at all complete which does not include the heathen world.  Never be satisfied with a prayer, either in your closet, in your family, in your walks with your relatives and friends, or in the house of God, in which you have not asked of God something relating to his ways being “made known on earth, his saving health among all nations.”

Pray for all the societies engaged in this work, either at home or abroad – for all the missionaries sent forth among the heathen, and all preparing to go, and for all who conduct or support missionary efforts.  As a real Christian, you will be an immense gainer by the enlargement of the kingdom of Christ, and the increase of the communion of saints.

And as this is the duty of individuals, so there seems a special efficacy in united prayer.  Much that has been said on social, family, and public worship, applies here.  Let Christian assemblies in every part of our land come frequently together to pray for the coming of Christ’s kingdom; and it should be one of the happiest signs of its approach.

Let love to your Saviour, benevolence towards man, your own interest in this promised and happy era, the remarkable signs of the times, and your plain and positive duty, all combine and influence and excite you really often to pray, “Thy kingdom come.”

Our final example of heartfelt prayer for spiritual vitality in the people of God, drawn from The Valley of Vision (Banner of Truth):

Thou Maker and Sustainer of all things,

Day and night are thine,
heaven and earth declare thy glory;
but I, a creature of thy power and bounty,
have sinned against thee by resisting
the dictates of conscience,
the demands of thy law,
the calls of thy gospel;
yet I live under the dispensation of a given hope.

Deliver me from worldly dispositions,
for I am born from above and bound for glory.

May I view and long after holiness
as the beauty and dignity of the soul.

Let me never slumber, never lose my assurance,
never fail to wear armour when passing through enemy land.

Fit me for every scene and circumstance;
Stay my mind upon thee and turn my trials to blessings,
that they may draw out my gratitude and praise
as I see their design and effects.

Render my obedience to thy will
holy, natural, and delightful.

Rectify all my principles
by clear, consistent, and influential views of divine truth.

Let me never undervalue or neglect any part of thy revealed will.

May I duly regard the doctrine and practice of the gospel,
prizing its commands as well as its promises.

Sanctify me in every relation, office, transaction and condition of life,
that if I prosper I may not be unduly exalted,
if I suffer I may not be over-sorrowful.

Balance my mind in all varying circumstances
and help me to cultivate a disposition
that renders every duty a spiritual privilege.

Thus may I be content,
be a glory to thee
and an example to others.

Our second example of heartfelt and sincere pleading for spiritual health from The Valley of Vision (Banner of Truth).

Thou great I AM,

I acknowledge and confess that all things come of thee –
life, breath, happiness, advancement,
sight, touch, hearing,
goodness, truth, beauty –
all that makes existence amiable.

In the spiritual world also I am dependent
entirely upon thee.
Give me grace to know more of my need of grace;
Show me my sinfulness
that I may willingly confess it;
Reveal to me my weakness
that I may know my strength in thee.

I thank thee for any sign of penitence;
give me more of it;
My sins are black and deep,
and rise from a stony, proud,
self-righteous heart;
Help me to confess them with mourning, regret, self-loathing,
with no pretence to merit or excuse;

I need healing,
Good Physician, here is scope for thee,
come and manifest thy power;

I need faith;
Thou who hast given it to me,
maintain, strengthen, increase it,
Centre it upon the Saviour’s work,
upon the majesty of the Father,
upon the operations of the Spirit;
Work it in me now that I may never doubt thee
as the truthful, mighty, faithful God.

Then I can bring my heart to thee full of love, gratitude, hope, joy.

May I lay at thy feet these fruits grown in thy garden,
love thee with a passion that can never cool,
believe in thee with a confidence that never staggers,
hope in thee with an expectation that can never be dim,
delight in thee with a rejoicing that cannot be stifled,
glorify thee with the highest of my powers,
burning, blazing, glowing, radiating,
as from thy own glory.

A metaphor for the country’s spiritual condition?

Photo: NASA/GSFC, MODIS Rapid Response

This week the church here has been having a week of prayer, seeking the blessing of God in the coming year.  Our rough outline of concern was the glory of God in all things, the health of the church, and the spread of the gospel.  Unfortunately, the weather has been a touch awkward, and so many people were unable to attempt the journey to the church building yesterday that we had to cancel the prayer meeting.  Instead, I culled three offerings from from The Valley of Vision (Banner of Truth) and circulated them to the church here.

While my Old World Dissenting sensitivities rub up a little at the prospect of written prayers, these are not intended for rote repetition.  Puritan authors often wrote prayers into their books and published sermons, expressing reactions to truth and desires for God.  I chose three that I hoped would, in the absence of our corporate meeting, prime the pump for individual and family prayer.  They give us an insight into the hearts of godly men and women profoundly conscious both of their need of grace and of the fullness of grace held out by God in Christ.  I thought such excellent examples of close dealing with God might be more widely helpful, so I will post them over the next few days, beginning below.

My God,

I feel it is heaven to please thee,
and to be what thou wouldst have me be.
O that I were holy as thou art holy,
pure as Christ is pure,
perfect as thy Spirit is perfect!

These, I feel, are the best commands in thy Book,
and shall I break them? must I break them?
am I under such a necessity as long as I live here?

Woe, woe is me that I am a sinner,
that I grieve this blessed God,
who is infinite in goodness and grace!
O, if he would punish me for my sins,
it would not would my heart so deep to offend him;
But though I sin continually,
he continually repeats his kindness to me.

At times I feel I could bear any suffering,
but how can I dishonour this glorious God?
What shall I do to glorify and worship
this best of beings?
O that I could consecrate my soul and body
to his service,
without restraint, for ever!
O that I could give myself up to him,
so as never more to attempt to be my own!
or have any will or affections
that are not perfectly conformed to his will
and his love!

But, alas, I cannot live and not sin.

O may angels glorify him incessantly,
and, if possible, prostrate themselves lower
before the blessed King of heaven!
I long to bear a part with them in ceaseless praise;
but when I have done all I can to eternity
I shall not be able to offer more than
a small fraction of the homage
that the glorious God deserves.

Give me a heart full of divine, heavenly love.