Charity and Its Fruits by Jonathan Edwards. Banner of Truth Trust. 368pp. Price £3.00.
This further reprint of Jonathan Edwards’ Charity and Its Fruits by the Banner of Truth Trust is to be welcomed. Jonathan Edwards needs no commendation among those who espouse the Reformed faith, of which he was one of the greatest exponents. His massive works show him to have been a master in Israel.
This book consists of a series of discourses on 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. The subject matter of that well-known chapter is charity or Christian love as manifested in the heart and life of the true believer. To this subject Edwards applies his mind and opens up what love is showing among other things that the spirit of charity is a meek and humble spirit and the opposite of an envious, selfish, angry or censorious spirit. His concluding chapter is on Heaven which he calls, “a world of charity or love”.
This is a subject needing to be much dwelt on when because iniquity abounds the love of many to the Lord and to their brethren waxes cold. Charity and Its Fruits will make us ashamed of our little fruit in this grace, yet should also stir us up to make us seek after it more earnestly. This grace was very prominent in the early Church and also in times of revival of the Church of God in the world. May it be revived and flourish once again and may this volume of Edwards contribute to its flourishing again.
God’s Ultimate Purpose by Dr D.M. Lloyd-Jones. Banner of Truth Trust. 447pp. Price £4.50.
In the pages of this book the Doctor evidently realises something of the magnitude of the task he has undertaken, namely, the Exposition of Ephesians, chapter one. This portion of Truth covers a wide range of most profound Christian doctrines, whose spiritual magnetism has attracted the author. In the Introduction he properly refers to certain particular features of this Epistle, and gives a resumé of its great themes — such as God — the Sovereign God — God’s grace — God’s glorious purpose in Christ, and the Church. A useful and pleasing feature of the volume is the stress laid on the significance and depths of oft-recurring key words and phrases. In parts, Truth is defended as well as expounded, but in our view this production does not come up to the standard of former works, in which, there were things good, and things not so good. Much of the Volume is altogether too repetitive and redolent of former thoughts from the author’s pen. Further, and what is far more serious, is the confusion of thought on Redemption and the Sealing of the Spirit. We would say that there are definite theological and exgetical defects in these areas. In particular, it is certainly difficult for us to understand or accept the Doctor’s view on the Sealing of the Spirit. In this connection, it is indeed ironical that the author should state on page 21 ‘that our greatest need is the need of understanding’. As far as we can judge, it is not the Scriptural doctrine of the Sealing of the Spirit that the Doctor propounds. We fail to find the blessed doctrine implicit in the words, ‘A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up; a fountain sealed.’
In addition there are other parts of this volume that leave us quite bewildered; but space forbids us to deal with these separately. A good theologian is not usually guilty of doctrinal error. We think that the Doctor should confess to being guilty of allowing the experimental and the subjective to govern the objective in his interpretation of the Sealing of the Spirit. The balanced judgment and the precision one would expect from maturity in preaching, are just not to be found in this latest production of Dr D.M. Lloyd-Jones.
F.M.
Nothing but the Truth. Brian H. Edwards.
This popular presentation of the doctrine of the inspiration and authority of the Bible, by the author of ‘God’s Outlaw’ and ‘Through Many Dangers’ (biographies of William Tyndale and John Newton respectively), is very suitable for mature young people. Taking the only tenable view of Scripture, that it is wholly and verbally inspired throughout, Mr Edwards moves lightly and lucidly through his material, handling well such intricate topics as the Inspiration, Accuracy, Authority, Sufficiency and Finality of the Bible, as well as providing some useful information on manuscripts and scrolls, and the origin of the chapters and verses of our modern versions. His treatment of textual problems is honest, though Westcott and Hort are inadequately criticised, the Received Text is insufficiently commended, and the author seems to prefer an ‘eclectic’ text, which virtually means no definite text at all. It is good, however, to see him strongly denounce both the Romish and Liberal views of Scripture, and his unsparing condemnation of Bible critics and the sects. The limitations of science and all natural knowledge are clearly pointed out, while his description of modern unbelievers who use Biblical terms but empty them of their original meaning as ’20th century flesh over 19th century bones’ is felicitous. Of true Christian scholars, Dr Robert Dick Wilson is deservedly given an honoured place, although John Burgon is dismissed in only one sentence. On the question of translations, Mr Edwards leaves something to be desired: he prefers the New American Standard Bible to the Authorised Version, yet he is strong in rejecting modern paraphrase versions as a basis for serious study. His distinction between a translation, which ‘attempts to give us what the original author actually wrote’, and a paraphrase, which ‘attempts to give us what the original author really meant’ must always be borne in mind. Mr Edwards’ criterion for identifying the New Testament canon is the apostolicity of its writers (p.115); Reformed scholars, however, isolate inspiration as the only reliable principle for including a book in Holy Scripture. The section on principles of interpretation is valuable, yet here again the author lays insufficient weight on the necessity of the Holy Spirit to enlighten us. In fact, only a sentence at the foot of page 147 and a scant reference to His work on pages 24-25 are devoted to the internal testimony of the Spirit. Chapter 8, on the Sufficiency of Scripture, is one of the best passages we have seen for the consideration of young people with respect to the problem of guidance. Lastly, despite the occasional strange remark about Christians and Evangelicals in particular losing their ‘belief in the Bible as a book without error’ (pp. 6, 8, 9, & 11), a sheer impossibility, Mr Edwards leaves the reader in no doubt that he himself believes it, from cover to cover. At £2.95 (Evangelical Press, paperback), the book is reasonably priced but not strongly bound.
J.M.B.
Signs of the Apostles, Observations on Pentecostalism Old and New by Walter J. Chantry. Banner of Truth Trust, p. 147, price 60p.
Pentecostalism has attracted a good deal of notice in the past 15 years, both in this country and in America, with its claims of having received the Holy Spirit as at Pentecost, from which it derives its name, and of being a charismatic movement because of the miraculous gifts accompanying the descent of the Spirit, which this group profess to enjoy. Here may be seen the extreme re-action against the dead formalism of the professing church and the ritualism of the Protestantism of the present day. The emphasis of Pentecostalism, however, is upon the miraculous gifts which were bestowed upon the early Church and not upon the fruits of the Holy Spirit’s work among the early Christians. The Pentecostals speak of new revelations which they have received and of miraculous powers of healing and of the gift of tongues. Such terms are in use among them as the “full Gospel,” the “deeper life,” derived from the Keswick holiness movement, and “second baptism of the Spirit.” It is not surprising that these strange doctrines should find favour among people of the most divergent religious beliefs. The Roman Catholics welcome “the spiritual blessing” of Pentecostalism as “giving new dimensions to the adoration for the ‘blessed mother of our Lord'” and a deeper understanding of the mass. The World Council of Churches find in Pentecostalism the “powerful manifestations of the Spirit.” Liberal and Modern religious leaders and some so-called evangelicals have spoken well of the movement. Pentecostalism has even attracted the students of Andrew Murray who has spoken so much about the higher life.
This little work by W. J. Chantry examines this modern phenomenon in the light of Scripture and explains clearly the true meaning of such passages of God’s Word which speak of the gifts and work of the Holy Spirit, as in I Cor. chapters 12-14, and Acts, chapter 2. The dangerous character of Pentecostalism is not over-stated but clearly described. Two passages may be quoted to give an indication of how the book deals with Pentecostalism. “Since Pentecost, all of God’s promises in the Covenant of grace have come to fuller realisation in men’s hearts by the Spirit” — p.88. “As there were offices extraordinary (apostles and prophets) at the beginning of our dispensation, so there were gifts extraordinary; and as successors were not appointed for the former, so continuance was never intended for the latter. The gifts were dependent upon the offices. We no longer have the apostles with us and therefore the supernatural gifts (the communication of which was an essential part of ‘the signs of an apostle’, II Cor. xii, v. 12) are absent” (Pink — 146. The work concludes with quotations from John Chrysostom in the early Church to Profs. Smeaton and Dabney in modern times, emphasising that the gifts claimed by Pentecostalists have passed away with the first Apostles. The whole Pentecostal movement of today is a perversion of one of the great and precious periods of the Church’s History when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon his people by the Risen Redeemer with unprecedented fulness.
This is a timely book, giving satisfactory and clear witness against the pernicious heresies of Pentecostalism. Perhaps we may detect a leaning towards charity in referring to “Pentecostal brethren in Christ” in the Introduction, and to “solid and godly Pentecostals” — p.105. The Banner of Truth Trust are to be commended for printing this greatly needed warning against a growing, insidious and dangerous cult.
A.F.M.