133 Woodlands Road, Glasgow, G3 6LE Tel: 0141 332 1760
E-mail: fpbbookroom@gmail.com Website: www.fpbbookroom.org
Book Selection
| | RRP | Offer |
|————————————————————————————————————————————|——–|——–|
| Questions & Answers on the Shorter Catechism
by John Brown of Haddington, RHB, 2006 [1846], pbk, 381 pp | £16.99 | £13.59 |
| Valiant for Truth: Memoir and Letters of J K Popham
by J H Gosden, Gospel Standard Trust Publications, 1990, pbk, 352 pp | £7.50 | £5.99 |
| The New Creationism: Building Scientific Theories on a Biblical Foundation by Paul Garner, Evangelical Press, 2015, pbk, 302 pp | £10.99 | £8.79 |
| By Faith, not by Sight (second edition) by Richard B Gaffin, Jr.
P&R Publishing, 2013, pbk, 158 pp | £9.99 | £7.99 |
| Sermons by Noted Ministers of the Northern Highlands
edited by Rev Donald Beaton, F P Publications, 2015 [1930], hbk, 203 pp | £12.50 | £9.99 |
(Postage is extra)
Subscription rates, including postage:
FP Magazine £26.00 (£2.00 per copy) • YP Magazine £15.00 (£1.00 per copy)
Combined £39.00
Footnotes
[^1]: Robert Jamieson, A R Fausset and David Brown, A Commentary on the Old and New Testament, Eerdmans reprint, 1982, vol 3, part 1, p 422.
[^2]: The second of two sermons on this text taken, with editing, from Bonar’s Sermons, Chiefly on Devotional Subjects. In last month’s sermon, the preacher dealt with his first head: “the wide extent of Jehovah’s government”. The other parts are dealt with here.
[^3]: The preacher was premature in his expectations, but not wrong in the eventual outcome.
[^4]: This is a further section of an abridgement of a new introduction to John Love’s Memorials, a two-volume work which is expected to be republished this month, DV, by Free Presbyterian Publications. References to the Memorials are placed in the body of the text, with volume and page numbers in brackets. The previous section, last month, dealt with Love’s education at Glasgow University, where he followed an arts course and then went on to study theology. Sadly, during his course, he fell into the heresy of Socinianism.
[^5]: As noted in the previous article, Warner was the Church of Scotland minister of Kilbarchan, near Paisley, where Love was brought up; he was a major influence in making Love a Socinian. Wodrow was Warner’s cousin and the minister of Stevenston.
[^6]: See Memorials, vol 1, p 40. The manner of his conversion was at times a temptation to him as he realised that it was different in many respects to the way the Lord usually works. Writing in his diary several years later he notes, “I had awful thoughts in reading Brainerd’s Journal, similar to those I had last winter. I dreaded that the experiences therein described, of awakening and comfort, were such as I was wholly a stranger to, and saw no likelihood of my ever attaining to.” Yet 12 days later he was able to write, “I read some notes of Mr Brainerd’s life, in which he gives an account of his humiliation, by which I have often tested myself before. But now I saw, that the Lord had been bringing me to the same point – renunciation of all confidence in my duties in another, and a most wise and gentle, way” (1:245-246).
[^7]: Memorials, vol 1, p 48 note (a). An illustration of John Love’s zeal to save sinners, and hopefulness that they would be saved, is his 29 “Letters to One Unconverted” that are printed in Letters of the late John Love (Glasgow, 1838, pp 483-531).
[^8]: Love clearly viewed it as a kind providence to have been away from his father’s influence at the time of his conversion. Though the father continued in error for longer than the son, we learn happily from Love’s diary of 16 May 1779 that the Lord was pleased so to bless the son’s conversion, along with his subsequent conversations and letters to his father, that he was recovered to an orthodox position and an earnest concern for his eternal well-being. (1:22). The statement about “Warner being struck dumb” refers to his paralytic stroke.
[^9]: The reference to Mr Brainerd is to David Brainerd, the missionary to the North American Indians. Love had clearly been reading Jonathan Edwards’ Life of David Brainerd, published in 1749, which quickly became a religious classic.
[^10]: John Morison, The Fathers and Founders of the London Missionary Society, London, 1844, pp 256-257. The sketch of John Love’s life by Morison and another by John Scott which is appended to a volume of his sermons published after his death, Sermons by the late Rev John Scott, Edinburgh, 1839, pp 485-489, were written many years before the Memorials were published in 1857-58. Accordingly, not having access to the account of Love’s conversion in his diary and papers contained in the Memorials, the accounts of both Morison and Scott are inaccurate in a number of places.
[^11]: He seems to have been an elder in the Carmunnock congregation.
[^12]: Taken with editing, from the “Illustrative Cases of Conversion” in The Office and Work of the Holy Spirit. It is based on Acts 2:17,18. The previous article, last month, considered instances of revival in the early Church and emphasised that the converting work of the Holy Spirit was not ceased and never will.
[^13]: The previous part of this Theological Conference paper appeared last month. It dealt with the believer’s fellowship with the Holy Spirit. This is the final section.
[^14]: John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Beveridge translation, 4.1.3.
[^15]: The second section of a chapter, with editing, from Ryle’s book Holiness. The first part, last month, showed from the Bible that “there is such a thing as growth in grace”. See the review of this book on page 313.
[^16]: The right manner of growth is to grow less in one’s own eyes. “I am a worm and no man” (Ps 22:6). The sight of corruption and ignorance makes a Christian grow into a dislike of himself. He vanishes in his own eyes. Job abhorred himself in the dust (Job 42:6). This is good, to grow out of conceit with oneself.
Thomas Watson
[^17]: It is a sign of not growing in grace when we are less troubled about sin. Time was when the least sin did grieve us (as the least hair makes the eye weep) but now we can digest sin without remorse. Time was when a Christian was troubled if he neglected closet prayer; now he can omit family prayer. Time was when vain thoughts did not trouble him; now he is not troubled for loose practices. There is a sad declension in religion, and grace is so far from growing that we can hardly perceive its pulse to beat.
Thomas Watson
[^18]: If now you would be rich in graces, look to your walking. It is not the knowing soul, nor the talking soul, but the obedient soul, that is rich. Others may be rich in notions, but none so rich in spiritual experience, and in all holy and heavenly graces, as obedient Christians.
Thomas Watson
It is a sign of not growing in grace when we grow more worldly. Perhaps once we were mounted into higher orbits: we did set our hearts on things above and speak the language of Canaan. But now our minds are taken off heaven, we dig our comforts out of these lower mines, and compass the earth with Satan. It is a sign we are going down hill apace and our grace is in a consumption. It is noticeable when nature decays and people are near dying: they grow more stooping. And truly when men’s hearts grow more stooping to the earth, and they can hardly lift up themselves to a heavenly thought, grace is ready to die if it is not dead.
Thomas Watson
[^19]: The books reviewed here may be obtained from the Free Presbyterian Bookroom.