At the induction of W B Sprague1 in 1829 to a Presbyterian charge in Albany, in New York state, Samuel Miller2 preached on Titus 1:9: “Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers”. Miller explained the “faithful word” as “the pure, unadulterated doctrines of Christ; the genuine gospel, as revealed by a gracious God for the benefit of sinful men”.3 The main point he wished to put across was: “The ministers of our holy religion, if they desire to convince, to convert, or to edify their fellow men, are solemnly bound to maintain for themselves, and diligently to impart to those around them, sound doctrine, or, in other words, the genuine truths of the gospel” (p 557).
We will confine ourselves to some of the points that the preacher makes under his first head: “Why ought we to maintain ‘sound doctrine’?” His first reason is: “The faithful word of which we speak is from God”. “To suppose that we are at liberty lightly to esteem such a gift”, he rightly considers to be “dishonourable to God”.
Miller’s second point is that we are “frequently and solemnly commanded by the great God of truth” to hold fast “the genuine system of revealed truth”. He gives many examples. For instance: in the Old Testament “we are exhorted to cry after knowledge . . . and search for it as for hidden treasures”. And in the New, “the inspired Apostle pronounces, ‘If any man come unto you, and bring any other gospel than that which ye have received, let him be accursed’”. (Miller explains any other gospel as “any other system of doctrine concerning the salvation by Christ”) (pp 557-8).
His third point is “the great importance which the Scriptures everywhere attach” to gospel truth. “Christian doctrine”, Miller emphasises, “is the grand instrument, in the hands of the Holy Spirit, by which spiritual life is begun, carried on, and completed in every subject of redeeming grace. . . . Hence [the Scriptures] so plainly teach us that there can be no real piety where the fundamental doctrines of the gospel are not embraced.” Scripture teaching about the way of salvation is to be firmly grasped, not rejected. Indeed, says Miller, the Bible, “with awful emphasis, declares certain ‘heresies’ to be ‘damnable’ – that is, inevitably destructive to the souls of men”. Indeed he adds, “All Scripture and all experience teach us that, wherever the preaching and the prevalence of true doctrine has declined, there piety, immediately and in a corresponding ratio, has declined; good morals have declined; and all the most precious interests of the Church and of civil society have never failed to be essentially depressed” (pp 558-9).
Fourth, “such doctrine is universally distasteful to the unsanctified heart, and therefore requires not only to be presented, but also to be importunately pressed on the attention of men if, by the blessing of God, we may prevail with them to receive it”. He thus quotes Thomas Chalmers: “Of all kinds of truth, the pure gospel of Jesus Christ is precisely that, and that alone, for which there is no natural demand among men”. It must, Miller adds, “be urged and pressed on their minds, with ceaseless repetition, as long as they continue within the reach of the voice of mercy”. He further stresses the need to hold fast sound doctrine because “the same distaste for the holy, humbling, and self-denying doctrines of the gospel . . . disposes [men] to pervert these doctrines . . . and thus to endeavour to divest them of their offensive character and accommodate them to the taste of unsanctified men” (p 560).
Fifth, “the enemies of truth are everywhere zealous and indefatigable in opposing it”. So ministers should “be awake, active, and faithful in guarding the precious deposit committed to their charge”. Then in words which we might well adopt in today’s circumstances, he goes on: “The fact is, those whose duty it is to plead the cause of sound doctrine, in the present world, are like mariners rowing against both wind and tide” (pp 561-2). Sadly, both wind and tide are flowing far more strongly and dangerously today than in Miller’s time. It ought to be particularly obvious in these dark days that only the powerful work of the Holy Spirit applying sound doctrine can result in today’s “mariners” making any progress whatever.
Miller’s sixth point is the last we will notice; he complains that “there is, everywhere, such a deplorable lack of doctrinal information among the mass of the people” (p 562). He claimed that, 50 years previously, those who made a serious profession of religion were much more in the habit of reading good books than in 1829, when he delivered that particular sermon. Among the authors he believed such people were then reading were: John Owen, John Flavel, Stephen Charnock, John Bunyan, Thomas Manton, Thomas Haliburton and Jonathan Edwards. Yet there is no doubt that reading the Bible is of first importance. Any other reading, even what seeks to explain and apply the Scriptures, must be secondary. Again reading scriptural literature must be considered as second to attending public worship when it is possible to do so.
It is difficult to judge trends, but one fears that many professing Christians today are reading less than those of 50 or more years ago. Yet a far greater variety of sound books is available now than then. Certainly there are greater distractions around. Miller referred to the number of religious newspapers and other light periodicals that had become available in his time and had taken the place of the more solid reading material that had occupied the attention of a previous generation. The point, of course, is not that it is wrong to read religious newspapers, but that by spending too much time on them, one is left with much less time to spend on what is much more useful. Today one feels that social media and the internet are occupying a great deal of time which might be put to much better use. That said, one recognises that it is possible, for instance, to use the internet to access valuable religious books which are no longer easily available in printed form.
One must bear in mind that much of the religious literature available today – and that was true in other generations also – is very far from being sound. Unscriptural material is much more likely to cause harm than good. And why should one spend time on a book that is moderately good when one could read one that is excellent? Yet people may put themselves off reading good books by aiming too high at first, attempting to read books that are still too difficult for them. For instance, from Miller’s list of authors, Bunyan and Flavel are more accessible than some of the others, and not all of a given writer’s works are equally easy to follow. Because Owen is by no means the easiest of Reformed writers, one would not recommend his works to someone who is only beginning to read solid Christian literature. Yet it should be every Christian’s aim to read some Owen when they are more experienced; perhaps no one has had a better understanding of Scripture truth since the inspired writers of the New Testament laid down their pens.
But what about particular titles? The suggestions that follow are not intended as a list of the best uninspired books ever published; there would, in any case, be a subjective element in the choice. First, there is Thoughts on Religious Experience by Archibald Alexander, a colleague of Samuel Miller. This volume is included because of the importance of its subject. The Bible insists on the necessity of examining ourselves as to whether our spiritual experience is genuine or not. Alexander was blessed with great spiritual wisdom; he writes in a straightforward style; and, while recognising that there is a significant variation in what different believers experience, he carefully and scripturally describes the effects of the work of the Spirit. An attractive feature is his repeated references to the lives of individuals.
There is much to be gained by becoming familiar with the history of the Church. The Story of the Scottish Church, by Thomas M’Crie covers the period from before the Reformation till 1843 in a clear, interesting manner. We can only properly understand our present spiritual and moral situation if we have some understanding of what happened in the past. Some historical figures have wielded such influence that we should be familiar with them in particular. In Scotland no one in the Church was more influential than John Knox. His Life has been written by Thomas M’Crie, the father of the previous author. Certainly this volume is over 200 years old, but no subsequent writer on Knox – and there have been many – has had a better spiritual understanding of this spiritual giant. And biographies of good men and women provide practical examples of true godliness.
Miller’s emphasis was on doctrine; so let us look briefly in that direction. We begin with The Shorter Catechism, that brief summary of sound doctrine, so carefully expressed. For a reliable explanation, readers should find helpful the book by Thomas Vincent, one of the Puritans: The Shorter Catechism Explained from Scripture. Also produced by the Westminster Assembly were The Larger Catechism and The Westminster Confession of Faith. Much longer, but very readable, is John Dick’s Lectures on Theology. Printed sermons too are a valuable resource; one suggestion is Sermons by Noted Ministers of the Northern Highlands.4
These are but a tiny fraction of the many sound books in print today, so many that the most diligent of readers may not get through them in a lifetime. But we must remember that, if we are to profit from our reading, the truth must be applied to our souls by the Holy Spirit. Though we may not put books ahead of the pure preaching of the Word, they are means to the same end: first, to make us see our need and direct us to Christ; second, to teach believers the truths of Scripture, so that they will “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of [their] Lord and Saviour” – so that they may be instructed in “the genuine truths of the gospel”, which was Miller’s great concern. Thus, as with other means of grace, it is our duty to make use of good books as much as possible, especially in a time when “enemies of truth” are so many.
1Author of the impressive book, Lectures on Revivals.
2For more on Miller, see the leading article in the November 2014 issue of this Magazine.
3James M Garretson, ed, Princeton and the Work of the Ministry, Banner of Truth, 2012, vol 1, p 556. References to further quotations from Miller’s sermon will appear in brackets in the text.
4The Story of the Scottish Church, The Life of John Knox and Sermons by Noted Ministers of the Northern Highlands have been republished by Free Presbyterian Publications, as has The Westminster Confession of Faith, which contains both Catechisms. Lectures on Theology, a four-volume set, has been made available by Tentmaker Publications (but Dick’s handling of inspiration is not altogether satisfactory). All the other titles mentioned are published by Banner of Truth Trust.