“Things Concerning Himself”: Meditations on the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. By William Wileman. London: R. Banks & Son, Racquet Court, Fleet Street, E.C. Price, 1/6 net; postage, 3d.
THIS book consists of a number of short Gospel addresses, bearing mainly, as the title indicates, on “the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ,” but none the less covering a wide field of Scripture incident and spiritual experience. Mr. Wileman shows himself a thoughtful student of the Bible, and his expositions of texts are not without insight and originality. He also possesses a poetic vein, which gives, however, his modes of expression sometimes a sentimental flavour that probably all his readers will not appreciate. At the same time, the general superiority of literary expression that characterises his addresses, may give them an entrance to the reading of persons who might turn away from a plainer style. Much sound Gospel truth is conveyed, and the book may be read with real profit. The following is one of the thoughtful passages, and a gentle warning, from an address on Rev. ii. 4: “One needs also much tenderness in saying that there is great danger in following impressions made by words of Scripture ‘coming to the mind.’ That the Holy Spirit takes of the things and words of Christ and applies them to the soul is a sweet experience; but it must never be supposed that the Holy Spirit contradicts Himself. Frequently, there is nothing more than the reflex action of the memory, well stored with truth. This indeed must be the case when one’s memory has been filled with truth from infancy. But how many have neglected the plain commands of the Word of God, while following words ‘coming to the mind,’ and have found that they have been misled by their own inclinations rather than by the unerring teaching of the Word. . . . Let us ever remember that the Holy Spirit will never sanction sin by making one part of the Word contradict another.”