Yearly Archives: 2009
I gave this paper on Monday November 23, 2009, in Bala at the first conference to be held in Wales specifically for ministers who had been in the pastorate for under five years. I am not sure that there are important differences between ministers who have been in the ministry five years and those who […]
ReadThus Noah did, according to all that God had commanded him, so he did. (Genesis 6:22) God has surveyed the corruption of mankind at the time of Noah, saying that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Consequently he told Noah that he would destroy every living thing from the […]
ReadI sat down to read From Grief to Glory on a busy day, expecting to read only a chapter or so. As I began reading, I reprioritized my agenda and got through the entire book (and a stack of tissues) in one sitting. I expected this book to be good, but I did not expect […]
ReadObjections Answered1 The major objections to limited atonement are based on textual and practical considerations. The textual objections include the following: 1. Texts in which the word world is used to describe the objects of the death of Christ’s death, as in John 3:16 and 1 John 2:2: ‘And he is the propitiation for our […]
ReadWhom Do We Shepherd? Whom do we pastor? We evangelize the community; we pastor the congregation. WE PASTOR OURSELVES Paul in his farewell to the elders in Ephesus exhorts them to keep watch over themselves (Acts 20:28). That is to be their first priority, and then he adds, ‘and all the flock over which the […]
ReadNoah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. (Genesis 6:9) John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim’s Progress1, The Holy War, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, and many others books,2 was born into a poor family in England in 1628. He was a tinker, a blue collar worker in […]
ReadThis is a book for children (aged 8-11), and we feel it is a good one. Briefly, simply and clearly the story is told, from creation, through the Old Testament, down to the New. Special emphasis is given to Genesis and the Gospels. Great reverence is shown for the authority of Scripture and much stress […]
ReadMy father, William Francis Brady, died in hospital in Pontypool just after 2 pm today – Sunday, November 29th. He was 80 years old. Everyone called him ‘Bill’. He’d been unwell for several months and we knew that death would probably take him from us before the end of the year. Obviously, my immediate thoughts […]
ReadThis is a little gem – by which we mean that though small, its value is great. James Fraser (1639-1698), usually known as ‘Fraser of Brea,’ was a well-known Covenanter preacher. In the recently published Scottish Puritans, volume 2, there is a long, interesting account of his life, written by himself. This reaches almost 300 […]
ReadAs we approach the end of 2009, the religious and moral outlook in Britain remains bleak. God continues to be very largely ignored by Government and people. Year after year, legislation pours out of Parliament but never, it seems, is it considered remotely possible that God may have declared his mind on some aspect of […]
ReadArchbishop Loane is an excellent writer. He has a thorough knowledge of his subject and writes in a pleasing style, which along with the importance of the subject makes the book profitable. Makers of Puritan History1 deals with Alexander Henderson, Samuel Rutherford, John Bunyan and Richard Baxter. The times were stormy and the seventeenth century […]
ReadLloyd-Jones: Messenger of Grace1 This is not a summary or rehash of Mr Murray’s two-volume biography of Lloyd-Jones,2 also published by the Banner of Truth Trust. Apart from one chapter and a book review, none of this material has previously appeared in print. The book sets out ‘to restate some of the main lessons of […]
ReadYet another work by Calvin to commemorate the 500th anniversary of his birth – but we must confess we really liked it, and in many ways were pleasantly surprised. This is an abridgement of Calvin’s massive, five-volume commentary on the Psalms, and is about a quarter of the original size. The author, in a very […]
ReadThe Foreword to Kenneth B. Wingate’s new Banner of Truth book1 There is a long and honourable tradition in the English-speaking world of lawyers who have distinguished themselves not only in their profession as attorneys, but in the exemplary way in which they have served their cities, states and nations with great distinction. The southern […]
ReadHaving seen the faultiness of the Arminian position on atonement1, let’s look at how the Calvinist view of atonement is biblical and more positive than many think. Then we will answer some common objections to the Calvinist view.2 Biblical and Theological Support for Definite Atonement Biblical terms, tenses, and testimonies make a sure case for […]
ReadAnd the Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land.’ (Genesis 6:7) Most unbelievers I know trip over the Biblical doctrine of God’s wrath and hell. They ask, ‘How can I possibly believe in and worship a God who would send people to hell? I thought […]
ReadAccording to the author, Iain Murray, this book is not intended to be in praise of things Scottish as such, nor is it a summary of Scottish Church history. The author, acknowledging his indebtedness to the writings of Scottish divines, sets out to remind his readers of the great heritage available in the older Scottish […]
ReadI recently sang the famous hymn Tell me the old, old story written by the Clapham Sect poetess Arabella Katherine Hankey (1836-1911) and it struck me that what she says there ought to be in the mind of every faithful preacher as he preaches. Stick to the main thing Tell me the old, old story […]
ReadEvery true minister of the gospel is committed to preaching the Word, the whole Word, and nothing but the Word. We are committed to doing this in season and out of season, when times are good and when times are bad. We do so because we believe that the Scriptures make us wise for salvation […]
ReadThere are two words of Moses, one a command and the other a promise; ‘Circumcise, then, your heart,’ in Deuteronomy 10:16, and ‘the Lord your God will circumcise your heart,’ in Deuteronomy 30:6. The remarkable recovery of Augustinian theology which championed the sovereignty of God; the doctrine of original sin; justification by faith alone, through […]
ReadShepherding God’s Flock1 When I was a student fifty years ago I came under the influence of a group of Welsh ministers. I was greatly impressed with them, considering them to be great gifts to the church of Jesus Christ and peerless pastors. My feelings about that have increased with the passage of time. Some […]
ReadHow are imbalances in doctrine and defects in faith and practice rightly to be addressed in the Church? One way that is often employed is that of reaction to the problem while another way is the way of reformation. These are not two equally valid and effective responses to problems of ecclesiastical faith and life. […]
ReadHaven’t we all sympathised with Martha? Haven’t we all been there before? Here am I, slaving away in the kitchen preparing the food while my lazy sister is doing nothing to help me. You can imagine her saying, ‘There’s just so much to do!’ It’s all very well sitting and listening to Jesus teaching – […]
ReadOf all the dangers that can overtake a Reformed church, pride is surely the worst and most serious. There is, of course, a right kind of pride, a thankfulness to God for our history and heritage. But the pride I am thinking of, is that ugly, self-righteous, self-preening brute that says with the Pharisees, ‘God, […]
ReadNever was a more bitter or blasphemous accusation made against the Lord Jesus Christ than the one reported in Luke 11:15: ‘He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons.’ During Jesus’ ministry the attitude of the religious authorities towards him had mushroomed from curiosity, to annoyance, to rivalry, to envy, and now to […]
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