Life of Rev Wm. Grant.
Pages 133. Price £2.00, postage extra. Obtainable from Miss E. MacKenzie, Rose Villa, 2 Hill Terrace, Mitchel Hill, Dingwall or Mrs Grant, Rowallan, Upper Knockbain Road, Dingwall.
This booklet on the late Rev Wm. Grant represents a labour of love on the part of the widow who is responsible for the preparation and printing of this short account of her husband’s life and ministry, together with notes of sermons, sacramental addresses, reminiscences and anecdotes. Though a native of Dornoch, Sutherland, Mr Grant’s whole ministerial life of 38 years was spent in the Parish of Halkirk in the nearby County of Caithness. What gives freshness and point to this little book are the diaries, kept by Mr Grant from time to time, which furnish the material for the illustration and confirmation of the facts and events which appear in the course of the narrative. Many will find the notes of sermons and especially the spontaneous Table Addresses given on communion occasions, interesting and refreshing. An account from the pen of Mr Grant of the conversion of a young boy, Ronald McCuish, Shieldaig, who was called away to be with the Lord in 1951 at the age of 10 years, is also included, showing how great was his interest in the young. In an appendix, a brief sketch is given of the life of Rev Thos. Hog, described by Wodrow as “that great and, I had almost said, apostolical servant of Christ”, who lies among the members of his flock in the graveyard beside his church at Kiltearn where Mr Grant’s remains have also been laid to rest. Here, a goodly company of the Lord’s redeemed saints sleep, awaiting the sound of the last trump which will summon them to arise and go to be for ever with the Lord.
This little volume is valuable for two reasons. Written within 3 years of Mr Grant’s death, it serves to recall, while there are still living among us friends who remember him, the memory of an upright, affectionate and gracious servant of Christ. Though his ministry was exercised in an obscure Northern Scottish Parish, his interests were varied and world-wide — sound religious Literature for our serving men in the last War, Educational Supplies for Foreign Mission Schools, Training of the Church’s Ministry, Church Building, etc. The book serves also to supplement the very scant literature, produced by the early movement which led to the formation of the Free Presbyterian Church in 1893. Fairly full and accurate lives of the early leaders of the movement are available, but not much has been written to perpetuate the memory of their successors. This is a grave defect for these early ministers of our Church deserve to be better known. Perhaps this little booklet will go some small way to correct this fault. A very good picture of Mr Grant appears at the beginning, and again in a small group of pictures in the body of the book, together with a Foreward by Rev R.R. Sinclair, a Preface by Rev. Wm. MacLean, and an Index of Subjects.
We are glad to have the opportunity to welcome this short account of the life and labours of the late Rev Wm. Grant and pray that the memory of this worthy servant of Christ may be blessed to many and be made a power for good to all into whose hands it may come. A.F.M.
Revelation — An Exposition of the First Eleven Chapters.
James B. Ramsey. Banner of Truth Trust. £4.00.
The original edition of this volume of twenty-eight lectures was published in 1873. The lectures, at the discretion of Dr Ramsey, were confined to the first eleven chapters. They were left unpublished when he died in 1871, and given to Dr Charles Hodge for his scrutiny. They were published under the title of “The Spiritual Kingdom”. Owing to their “sheer worth”, the Banner of Truth Trust judged them as meriting being published in their Geneva series of commentaries. Dr Hodge cherished profound regard for Dr Ramsey as a spiritually-minded man, and also as an eminent student of the whole Bible in the original languages. We quote from Dr Hodge, — “As there is diversity of opinion as to the whole structure of the Apocalypse, there are endless differences of opinion as to the import of particular symbols . . . The answers . . . are almost as numerous as the commentators. It is out of the question, therefore, in any exposition of this portion of Scripture that certainty or unanimity is to be attained . . . The leading characteristic of these lectures is their spirituality . . . The author’s sound judgment has preserved him from these fanciful interpretations of which the Apocalypse has been such a fruitful source.”
The rock-bottom subject of the lectures is that the infinitely holy God, in His sovereignty, gave the book to the glorified Saviour. As Head and Mediator of the church, He enfolds this Revelation for the benefit of His waiting people. It is made known to John by an angel, and the prophetic vision actually made to pass before him.
Although a reader may not agree with Dr Ramsey’s handling of symbols in every instance, yet these lectures are most edifying. “Symbols”, he writes “are representations of character and principles, and of events and objects just as far as they embody these”, and their fulfilment is not in “some one specific event”, but “in vast series of events of a similar character repeating themselves throughout the history of the church, and all together tending to one grand definite result, — the eternal triumph of the Cross, and the eternal ruin of all that oppose it.”
Let us now point out that much was symbolically revealed of the glory of the ascended Redeemer. The Apostle saw in vision “the symbols of His eternity and divine majesty, — ‘His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow’; of His heart-searching Omniscience, — ‘His eyes as a flame of fire; of His holy resistless Providence’, — ‘His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters’; and all these as He in royal and priestly robes, walked in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, His churches.”
The glory of the church is that of a light-bearer, witness-bearing in all her worship and government. This being so the church is dependent on Christ’s presence and derives all authority from Him. The church in every age is here represented by the “seven churches of Asia”. In the letters to these churches, solemn emphasis is laid on the words. “To him that overcometh” — repeated seven times. The individual conflict of the believer is dealt with. When grace is brought by the Holy Spirit to reign in the soul, then the conflict which has no truce in time begins. “The very essence of this conflict is self-denial . . . in its manifold forms of self-righteousness, self-wisdom, self-dependence, and self-indulgence . . . Though a personal and individual conflict, it can never be carried on by personal and individual strength. Nothing but the mighty, the omnipotent resources of the mediatorial kingdom can ever enable a feeble saint to win the victory over sin, the world and the devil.” Let a reader weigh the meaning of these covenant rewards, as “the tree of life, . . . the hidden manna, . . . the morning star.”
Dr Ramsey, let us specially take notice, held the view that the seals, the trumpets and the vials referred to events which were synchronous and not successive. His handling may be best shown by the following quotation “We regard the view . . . that these seven seals, trumpets, and vials denote, not successive periods in the divine administration, but each presents the whole under different aspects . . . The first, that of the opening of the seals, is the Lamb reigning, exercising supreme dominion over all temporal and spiritual agencies; . . . the second, — the trumpets, represents this reign as one of conflict; . . . the third, the vials, represents the acts of divine wrath and vengeance. . . . Now, it is evident, that the Lamb ruling, the conflict raging, the judgments of God’s wrath descending, are not distinctions of chronological periods in the history of the church and the world, but the three great parallel, and harmonious aspects of the mediatorial kingdom, presenting themselves in every period of its progress.”
On account of the vastness of the subject it is impossible to give an account of how Dr Ramsey unfolds the meaning of the various symbolic representations. May souls, by divine blessing, have sealed on them that the covenant High Priest and King will come again to separate wise virgins from foolish virgins. “If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may be wise.” “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” D.A.Macf.
What should we think of the “Carnal Christian” by Ernest C. Resinger.
Banner of Truth Trust. Price 80p.
Most of our readers are probably already aware of the basic Dispensational Error by which the Scofield Bible is marred. The author of this booklet opposes and exposes yet another error of a serious nature in Scofield’s explanation of 1st Corinthians, chap. 3 vv. 1 to 4. The writer maintains that Scofield divides humanity into three classes, rather than two, namely, the regenerate and the unregenerate. The dangers involved in accepting the plausible, but unwarranted, non-contextual remarks on the above passage, are forcefully brought to our notice. While combating the “Carnal Christian Theory”, the author in no way overlooks the Biblical doctrine of inbred corruption in believers, nor the varying phases and stages of sanctification. In his analysis of this “strange” doctrine, E.C. Resinger enumerates no less than nine errors connected with, and flowing from the initial one.
In his concluding remarks, this “novel” doctrinal error is traced to its origin. “The ‘Carnal Christian Teaching’ is after all the consequence of a shallow man centred Evangelism, in which decisions are sought at any price, and with any methods.” An alarm of this nature is well worth our careful consideration and perusal. F.M.
Ephesians by Geoffrey B. Wilson.
Banner of Truth Trust. Price 80p.
In this little paper-back on Ephesians by G.B. Wilson, we have a concentration of precious, edifying, and elucidating comments. While the author makes no claim to originality, he certainly has the gift of welding together possibly the choicest remarks of varied writers, most of whose names are familiar to us. While the Holy Spirit alone can illumine the sacred page, a knowledge of the precise meaning of words, the significance of tenses, genders and prepositions in the original Greek, can certainly be subservient to a clearer understanding of the words of Paul. For example, “The heaping up of genetival phrases is referred to as a striking feature of this letter”. The attempts of modernists to limit the meaning of glorious phrases, are tellingly exposed, while the glory and certainty of Christ’s equality with the Father is clearly and convincingly asserted. The thoughts expressed in this book follow the stream of Reformed teaching.
While there are certain passages which were, and still are controverted, these pages are replete with good solid doctrine. With the author’s preference for the R.S.V. to the A.V., we cannot concur. Evidence of consequent weakness in this respect may be detected in the final page of the book. All in all however, a handbook of this type is well worth the modest sum of 80p. F.M.