SERMONS ON JOB by John Calvin, Banner of Truth Trust, Special Introductory Offer, £24.95.
A facsimile of the 15th Edition.
Few would deny Calvin’s primacy as an expositor of the Word of God. A close study of the sermons in this volume would help to verify that assessment. The Table of principal matters contained in the book in alphabetical order, is in itself daunting, yet indicative of the systematic expositor. It affords us some idea of the vast scope of the subjects explained and expounded by the man of God. We cannot always agree with the ‘master’,
but his deep reverence for God’s Word, together with his profound emphasis on the frailty and limitations of man, give a peculiar stamp to his remarks. A burning desire to be of service to the people of God, plus scholarship of the right kind, and the disciplines entailed therein combine to produce the clarity and thoroughness which characterises all his works.
It is a pity however, that the Volume is so bulky, and that it is so difficult, at least for some to read Elizabethan English with a degree of fluency. Patience and perseverance are required if we begin to read, but once the archaic form of the language is mastered, we reach the rich veins of thought, and are amply rewarded for our pains.
The book is more likely to appeal to ministers and students rather than to laymen.
F.M.