Book Reviews

‘With laudable brevity, wry wit, proverbial pithiness, earnest devotion, vigorous plainness and gripping earthiness, Spurgeon paints his portrait of the King of kings, bringing the beauties of the Lord Christ into sharp relief and sweet expression.’ [Jeremy Walker on Spurgeon’s Commentary on Matthew at his ‘The Wanderer’ blog.] Below are links to selected online reviews […]

In this book you will find a collection of short stories (between three and six pages long) for children between the ages of four and 12. They could either be read alone or read aloud by an adult, but given the wide range of subject matter and the topical index at the back they could […]

A product of Spurgeon’s last years, this1 is the only complete commentary on a book he wrote (excepting his treatment of the Psalms, which was in some senses more of a compendium of others’ comments). You will forgive me for saying it is magnificently Spurgeonic: from its opening paragraph, Spurgeon points us to Christ and […]

Edward Donnelly’s wonderful preaching gifts translate very naturally into the printed word, and in this book he addresses the most ultimate subjects which any of us could consider. The opening four chapters deal squarely with the horrors of eternal punishment, yet they are marked by utter fidelity to the biblical text and by a profound […]

This is a wonderful biography. It is all the more powerful in view of the fact that the subject is so little known. It is the biography of a spiritually-minded preacher and pastor. The reader finds himself in the heady atmosphere of periods of great spiritual fervour and revival. It is free-offer, historic Calvinism at […]

The aim of this book is to show the relevance of the Bible’s teaching on the sovereignty of God to our daily lives. In 10 chapters Fred Leahy shows how the sovereign Lord is the hand that creates, governs, provides, redeems, keeps, guides, chastens, blesses, enables and judges. Mr. Leahy writes in an accessible, yet […]

‘Ferguson writes in a way that children can understand, while the adults benefit, too. The gospel is presented clearly, and the truth that following Christ may lead to persecution and martyrdom is handled well.’ [John Bird on Sinclair B. Ferguson’s Ignatius of Antioch: The Man Who Faced Lions at his ‘While We Sojourn’ blog.] Below […]

The Geneva Bible, first printed in 1560, is arguably the second most important English translation of the Bible after the King James Version. It was the work of a group of English Protestant exiles who lived in Calvin’s Geneva during the oppressive reign of Mary Tudor. This translation became immediately popular with over 150 editions […]

Preaching Christ from Ecclesiastes: Foundations for Expository Sermons Sidney Greidanus Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010 xvii + 340 pages, softcover, $26.00 ISBN: 978 0 80286 535 9 This is the third ‘Preaching Christ’ book written by Sidney Greidanus, professor emeritus of preaching at Calvin Theological Seminary. His other works are entitled […]

A little book (95 x 130mm) but a treasure if you are comfortable praying in the language of yesteryear. Although taken from the Scottish Psalter of 1595, the introduction (well worth reading) explains that these prayers based on the Psalms date back even earlier, to a French Psalter of 1567 with ‘a prayer at the […]

J Graham Miller (1913-2008) was the son of a Presbyterian minister and his wife who had emigrated with their parents from Scotland to New Zealand when they were children. After graduating in law from Otago University and studying theology at his denomination’s Knox College (where he discovered that the professors were undermining confidence in Biblical […]

This book is a series of sermons preached by R. B. Kuiper in 1919. His aim is to encourage Christians to be ready for the return of the Lord Jesus. He looks at eight signs that the Bible says will take place before the Lord’s return and asks “are we seeing this sign fulfilled in […]

Although I, being an ex-Roman priest, ‘know all this stuff’, I still found this book fascinatingly presented. And although I have a copy of the first edition, I didn’t find this second edition a let-down. It has been brought up-to-date well, with references to the latest difficulties to have surfaced within the Church of Rome […]

This is a marvellous read. Based on sermons given at various conferences by the author, the book focuses on three areas of Biblical truth: the character of God, the salvation of God and the church of God. Each of the 16 chapters is a model of Christ-centred expository preaching. There is a clear structure to […]

Getting the Reformation Wrong: Correcting Some Misunderstandings James R. Payton Jr. Downers Grove: IVP, 2010 240 pp, paperback, $23.00 ISBN: 978 0 83083 880 6 The Reformation is dear to Reformed people – after all, it contains our historical and theological heritage. However, it is possible to hold misguided notions about this significant sixteenth-century event. […]