Romans by Geoffrey B. Wilson. pp254. Price £1. Banner of Truth Publication.
This small Banner of Truth paperback contains ‘multum in parvo’. It is what it claims to be a Digest of Reformed Comment on this great Epistle of the Apostle Paul, and because of its size, could be a most useful ‘vade mecum’, especially for preachers. On each verse we find edifying and concise remarks. As can be seen from the Bibliography at the end of the book, the author draws widely and wisely from many different sources. The writers own comments are in a similar vein. His ability to co-ordinate and give continuity and cohesion to strands of thought, from a range so wide and varied, indicate skill as well as labour. The orthodoxy of many of the authors quoted is above suspicion. Other names appear, of whom this may not be so, but as far as we can determine, what is cited from their pens is in the orthodox tradition. We feel however, the author’s own preference for the American Standard Version throughout, greatly mars this book. Nevertheless, if read with prayer and care, much useful information can be gleaned. F.M.
The Puritan Experiment in the New World. Westminster Conference Papers, pp. 121, price 95 pence.
The Pilgrim Fathers who in the 17th Century fled from religious persecution in England had to face formidable church problems in the New World to which they had betaken themselves. General ideals of religious freedom, cherished so highly and conserved at such a great price in sacrifice and suffering, must now be more closely defined as they were put into practice in an unfamiliar environment. Mistakes were no doubt made and definitions were not always approved. Controversies raged and church courts engaged in trials for heresy over questions which even today have not been completely solved. It was a time of experiment. The Puritan Conference of December 1976 heard some of these problems dealt with in six papers which were read to the Conference and are now published under the title “The Puritan Experiment in the New World.” Each paper is centred around the name of a well known minister whose views not only influenced the proceedings of the New England divines but may be regarded as fairly representative of Puritan thought as a whole.
The first paper is by Stephen Brachlow on John Robinson and the Separatist Ideal. And there follow papers by Robt. M. Horn on Thomas Hooker — The Soul’s Preparation for Christ (this is not the Richard Hooker, the Anglican Divine); R. T. Kendall on John Cotton — First English Calvinist?; Leighton H. James on Roger Williams — The Earliest Legislator for a Full and Absolute Liberty of Conscience; David Boorman on The Halfway Covenant; the last paper is by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Jonathan Edwards and the Crucial Importance of Revival.
These are all important papers which are the result of careful study and wide reading on problems which are still found in the Church today. What preparation, for example, is considered necessary to open the heart to receive the salvation of Christ is still exercising thought among the churches of Holland. It will come as a surprise to many to learn that on the ground of the general invitation of the Gospel to all men, that Kendall maintains that Calvin held the view that “Christ died for all.” It is heartening to read again the quotation given in the words of John Cotton, the eminent minister of Boston, Massachusetts, which will awaken a ready response from Calvinists, as, when asked why in his latter day he indulged nocturnal studies more than formerly, he replied: “Because I love to sweeten my mouth with a piece of Calvin before I go to sleep.” The doctrine of the “Halfway Covenant” which later became a term of derision, gives the Puritan conception of the place which should be accorded in the visible church to its general and reputable members with their children by the sacrament of baptism. The Reformed position on Baptism is clearly stated in the Westminster Confession of Faith, ch. xxviii, sects. i and iv.
The final paper by Dr M. Lloyd-Jones, as has been so often true of Conference papers in past years, is perhaps the most helpful and valuable of the series. Jonathan Edwards was the greatest figure, both as philosopher and theologian, that appeared on the New England scene. Dr Lloyd-Jones would rate him even higher, above both Calvin and Luther — in whom Puritanism reached “the very zenith or acme” of its development. Jonathan Edwards rejected both the Halfway Covenant doctrine and the idea of preparation for grace. It is good to learn that a definitive Edition of the Complete Works of Jonathan Edwards is in preparation and will in due time be published, containing much fresh material such as sermons, letters, miscellaneous articles, etc., not found in the two editions of his works already in print, the two large volumes by the Banner of Truth and the six volume edition, printed in New York and Edinburgh.
This Westminster Conference publication is fully up to those of previous years and the 121 pages of such a well bound and attractively prepared booklet are well worth the low price of 95 pence. A.F.M.
The Golden Treasury of Puritan Quotations. Compiled by I. D. E. Thomas. Banner of Truth Trust Paperback. Price. £1.50. 321pp.
In this very extensive selection of quotations from the Puritan writers we have indeed a golden treasury. No less than one hundred and forty-four Puritan writers are quoted on a large variety of topics. Those most often quoted are Thos. Adams, Richard Baxter, Thos. Brooks, John Flavel, William Gurnal, Thos. Manton, John Owen, Henry Smith, George Swanock, John Trapp and Thos. Watson. Quite a few quotations are also give of Stephen Charnock, Thos. Fuller, Thos. Goodwin, Joseph Hall, Samuel Rutherford, William Secker and Richard Sibbes; as well as a smaller number from a host of other Puritan divines. The Scottish divines do not figure prominently but are not altogether overlooked. The quotations are classified under different headings according to their subject matter and the subjects are placed in the book in alphabetical order, affording easy reference to the Puritans’ pithy statements on a great variety of topics.
We recommend the purchase of this digest to those who enjoy strong meat. It is not, however, to be consumed at one go. It contains food for thought for many days.
D.B.M.