Collected Writings of John Murray. Vol. III.
Banner of Truth Trust. 389pp. £9.95.
The Banner of Truth Trust have now issued the third volume of the writings of Professor John Murray of Westminster Theological Seminary, U.S.A. This third volume makes much easier reading than the first two volumes. It consists of a life of John Murray by Rev. Iain Murray of 150 pages, a selection of his sermons, nineteen in all, four Lord’s Table addresses, three examples of his fencing of the Lord’s Table, and finally twenty-eight book reviews. These last run to ninety one pages.
The life by Iain Murray begins with Professor Murray’s humble beginnings on a croft at Badbea, Creich, Sutherland, where he was nurtured in an atmosphere of godliness. Of these days Professor Murray later said, “I can honestly say I have never heard the gospel preached more sweetly and savingly to sinners, nor with more saving power, than it was when I heard it as a boy,” referring to a particular place. (p129) The Great War, in which two of his brothers were killed in action and he himself lost an eye, his student days in Glasgow and preparation for the ministry of the Free Presbyterian Church, are all touched on. His difference with his Church, which led to his never becoming a minister of the Church, is gone into in some detail. This was over his unwillingness to discipline members who were guilty of using public transport which was run in systematic disregard of the Sabbath. The author is at pains to stress Professor Murray’s own refusal to use public transport of this kind on the Sabbath, yet does not appear to see the inconsistency in the Professor’s position, that while he regarded such action as sinful, he was not prepared to discipline a member for it. The close association which Professor Murray had with Rev. Wm. Matheson, Chesley, who held very strongly the same view, may account to some extent for the attitude he took up.
Professor Murray’s thirty years at Westminster Seminary are fully covered. A chapter on “The Seminary Professor” gives an indication of his teaching methods and ability. Van Til’s estimate of him was that “he was, above all else, a great exegete of the Word of God.” (p.93) Students who benefited from him declared that they “learned as much from his very presence and example as from his actual words.” (p100) The author makes the admission in connection with Westminster Seminary that Professor Murray’s “spiritual standpoint was not homogeneous with that of the Seminary as a whole.” (p.102) This is very revealing. No doubt it was because he had been nurtured in a different atmosphere.
The sermons included in the volume are, we would think, a representative collection of his discourses. They are able discourses, mainly of a doctrinal character as we would expect from one whose mind was constantly occupied in discussion of the doctrines of the faith. The concluding section of the book containing reviews is interesting, not only as containing critical reviews, but also because of the summaries they often contain of the orthodox position on the different subjects with which they deal.
D.B.M.
Heaven on Earth by Thos. Brooks.
Banner of Truth Trust. Pbk. 320pp. £2.45.
The Banner of Truth Trust has again reprinted this excellent treatise on Christian Assurance by one of the Puritans. Brooks, while making clear that a person may have true grace yet not have assurance, shows the desirability of Christians attaining to assurance for their comfort. Consequently, we find him dealing with such questions as hindrances to assurance, motives to seek assurance and the ways and means of attaining to it. Besides this he goes into the differences between a true and a counterfeit assurance, that is, between sound assurance and presumption. In a day when a light, vain self-confidence seems to be the hallmark of much that goes for evangelical religion, a perusal of this treatise would do much to blast the presumptuous assurance of many, and would help those who unfeignedly desire to be found in Christ to a solid persuasion of their interest in the Saviour.
D.B.M.
I & II Peter by Alexander Nisbet.
Banner of Truth Trust. Price £5.95.
The fact that a Commentary of such antiquity should be re-published speaks for itself. It’s merit must have appealed to a competent critic. Naturally, it lacks the contemporary note and application of the sound modern commentator, with the span of more than three centuries in his favour and all that entails. For all that, this short volume is well worth reading as a specimen of a most pleasing plainness of speech and doctrine. It is characterised by a facility in the interpretation of difficult or controverted passages, which we consider to be an ability, born of true devotion. Well-balanced comments of a spiritual and practical nature elucidate the meaning of each verse and section of these two Epistles of Peter. Perhaps its greatest merit lies in its devotional soundness, while its fascination for readers could well stem from its very age and survival. Another feature in its favour is its brevity, while the large clear print facilitates reading, especially for ‘older’ readers. To me, it exhales the simplicity of the gospel that is in Christ Jesus. The author’s interpretation of 2nd Peter 3: 9 is somewhat abridged and constricted in the light of the whole analogy of faith and the freeness and fulness of the Gospel call. His comments on the difficult and variously interpreted verse 13 of the same chapter are convincing and confirming. There are a few archaic words but a glossary at the end of the book solves that problem. The whole style and mode of expression, as well as these obsolete words, belong to the period in which the Commentary was written. This must be conceded and possibly emphasised yet the timeless relevance of the Truth comes through distinctly in these pages.
F.M.
The Reformation in Scotland by John Knox.
Banner of Truth Trust. Pbk. 364pp. £2.95.
This is the great Reformer’s own account of the Reformation in Scotland. It was edited at the end of last century to make it more suitable for popular use. It is the account of one who was very much involved in the events which were then taking place, and is written in the forceful style which we commonly associate with this servant of God. Knox was raised up of God in a dark day in Scotland’s history, and was endowed with those gifts and graces which were so necessary for the great work to which he was called, that is, to lay the foundation for the establishment of the Reformation in his native country. He had to conflict with many opposing forces, including a Queen nurtured in popery, but in dependence upon divine strength he was able to overcome. While it is true that even at his death the Reformation was still threatened, subsequent attempts to overthrow it were ultimately to fail. It was to be left to the latter half of the 19th century, and particularly the latter half of the 20th century to utterly undo all that the great Reformer had stood for and attained.
This book is timely and will be useful if it awakens the people of Scotland to the perilous state into which things have come by the abandonment of the true gospel of God’s grace. How far from the Reformer’s position has the national Church moved in our day, when it welcomed the Pope of Rome on Scottish soil! May the Lord be pleased to raise up a Knox to oppose the fearful inroads which the Church of Rome is making on our national heritage.
We would urge young and old to obtain this volume so that they may become firmly established in that virile Protestantism for which John Knox stood.
D.B.M.