Reformation and Counter-Reformation: 1588-1688-1988, by J. R. Broome. Paperback. 50 pages. £1.75. Gospel Standard Publications.
Within the brief compass of 50 pages the author of this timely publication gives a lucid and remarkably comprehensive account of what he describes in his introduction as “the three major attempts by the Roman Catholic Church to recover Britain for the Catholic (Roman) faith.”
In Chapter 1 he deals with the attempt by Philip II of Spain on behalf of the Pope to subjugate England to the thraldom of the Roman Catholic Church. The Papal Bull of 1570 and the Council of Trent (1545-1563) are shown to be precursors of the Spanish Armada (1588), the defeat of which was marked by indisputable evidence of Divine intervention.
In Chapter 2 he shows how “with the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, the seeds of persecution began to appear again”, culminating in the reign of the Roman Catholic James II (1685-1688). The Glorious Revolution of 1688, which ended the reign of James II and brought about the accession of Protestant Prince William and Princess Mary of Orange, along with the Act of Settlement of 1701, secured the Protestant Succession to the throne.
These post-Reformation deliverances from Popery lead the author to Chapter 3, where he clearly expounds the contemporary threat from the Roman Catholic Church, made all the more menacing by its insidious subtlety. The “1988” of the title of the book refers to this attempt “to change the Anglican Church internally and, through the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), bring about a reconciliation and reunion of the Anglican Communion with the See of Rome” (Introduction). The rejection by ARCIC of the Bible as the sole authority of the Church and the blatant attack on the doctrine of Justification by Faith are highlighted in this chapter. In the final section of the chapter there is a long quotation from a survey on “Justification” by Professor James Buchanan published in 1867. Even after a lapse of a hundred and twenty years his words are strikingly relevant. All who treasure our Protestant heritage should procure a copy of this readable, informative book and encourage others, who may be suffering from the plague of apathy presently endemic among nominal Protestants, to read it.
A. G.
A Remedy for Wandering Thoughts in the worship of God by Rev. Richard Steele. Sprinkle Publications. Reprint. pp 239. Price £6.75.
This valuable book written by one of the less well known Puritans is based on the text: “That ye may attend upon the Lord without distractions.” 1 Cor. 7: 35. It is on a subject of the utmost practical value to Christians wherever they may be, exposed as they are to wandering thoughts in religious duties. Steele outlines the various kinds of distractions which tend to draw the minds of believers from the worship of God in public and in private. He also states the reasons why we ought to attend on the Lord without distractions and proposes cures for this evil. Referring to a precept among the Rabbis that if a Jew be at prayer, though a serpent come and bite him, yet he must not stir till he hath done his duty, he goes on to apply this Jewish precept, saying, “Satan, that old serpent, will be nibbling at thy heel with one vain suggestion or other; but go thou through with thy business, and let God alone with him.” “In prayer” he says, “fix thy eyes heavenward, and let nothing divert them till the prayer be done.” In warning against being driven from duties by distractions, he says that the omission of a duty will never fit one for a duty better, and quotes Luther’s saying: “The more I neglect, the more unfit I am.” An added attractive feature of this book is the large type print in which it is written making it easy to read for those with failing eyesight. We are glad to warmly recommend this book to all who are burdened with distractions in the worship of God and who desire to be delivered from them.
D. B. M.
The Lord’s Day by Bishop Daniel Wilson D.D., Lord’s Day Observance Society Publication. 222 pp. Price £2.50.
This small, thick paperback has just been reprinted by the Lord’s Day Observance Society and is a valuable treatise on the whole question of the Christian Sabbath. Rev. Daniel Wilson was first vicar of St. Mary’s, Islington, London and later was Bishop of Calcutta in India. This selection of sermons was delivered in the autumn of 1827 and gives expression to the orthodox views on the Sabbath. In the first two chapters he traces in the Old Testament the authority and dignity of the Sabbath. In chapters three and four he deals with the Sabbath in the New Testament, its transference to the first day of the week and its deliverance from Pharisaical austerities. In the remaining chapters the practical duties of the Sabbath are set forth and their observance enforced. Though there are some occasional expressions with which we might not wholly agree and here and there the word “Sunday” used instead of “Sabbath” or “Lord’s Day”, yet on the whole the book is most valuable and worthy to be commended to readers. It has a foreword by Professor Verna Wright M.D., F.R.C.P., who is Professor of Rheumatology at Leeds University, in which he seeks to uphold the sanctity of the Lord’s Day.
D. B. M.