Yearly Archives: 2006

Genesis 3:8-19 “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ He answered, ‘I […]

Do you believe that you must confess every known sin to God?For many years earlier in my ministry, I made statements such as the following:“In order to be restored to fellowship with God and to be filled with the Spirit you must confess every known sin to God.”What am I to think of such instructions […]

It is with much regret we record this month the death of Mr George Campbell, formerly postmaster at Kilmore, Oban, which took place suddenly at 35 Scotia Street, Glasgow, on January 2. Mr Campbell, who had reached the advanced age of 82 years or upwards, was the youngest and last-surviving of three worthy brothers, who […]

William Carey and the Missionary Vision, is the title of a book written by Daniel Webber, and published by the Banner of Truth Trust, paperback, 128 pages. Few missionaries are better known than Carey, who sailed for a lifetime of devoted labour in India in 1793. One modern writer is quoted as saying: “More than […]

There can be no more solemn subject than a lost eternity. Yet, as we are obliged to receive all of God’s revelation, we must believe it. Especially in an age when the word hell is rarely used except as a swear word, we must give the subject due emphasis. Yet one suspects that there is […]

In Romans 1:18-32 the apostle Paul describes to us in vivid colours the terrible predicament of man lost in sin. He begins by telling us about God’s attitude toward human depravity; “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness” (v.18). God’s […]

Rightly did wise Solomon declare that God made men upright, but they have sought out devices (Eccl. 7:29). The devices, subtleties, and complexities in which fallen man boasts and upon which he relies were no part of the first man whom God made and declared to be very good before his fall. It was when […]

Come with me in your imagination to the Mendip Hills in Somerset. The year is round about 1763 – Toplady was incumbent at Blagdon for two years between June 1762 and June 1764. Toplady is taking a walk in the Mendips, a storm is brewing so he quickens his pace. The clouds gather and the […]

Frequently I find myself longing for a decent hymn book. Finding one that is non-charismatic, reformed, evangelistic, and with the emphasis on the Holiness of God and the Lordship of Christ, rather than on ‘me’ is hard enough, but add to that the need for the hymns to be relatively easy to sing, in understandable […]

Sixteen years had passed since the last revival in Northampton under Solomon Stoddard when, at the end of 1734, there were again the beginnings of a work of grace; five or six people ‘were to all appearances savingly converted’. By early 1735, people throughout the town where speaking about ‘the great things of religion, and […]

Mankind was created in a paradise, but that paradise was soon invaded by the devil. And the devil brought in sin, which meant that Adam and Eve could not continue in the paradise God had created for them. They were cast out and, as long as there was no revelation of God’s grace, there must […]

I was asked recently to give a talk on the DVC (the Da Vinci Code for the uninitiated). To be honest, I was in two minds whether to agree to the request. The DVC is a phenomenon, but a phenomenon that will soon disappear over the horizon. Like a shooting star it has grabbed the […]

[On Sunday August 6 old friends from Croydon were in the Aberystwyth congregation. “I’ve just read a lovely obituary of Peter Sayers from Croydon,” I said to them. “That’s my father,” the wife said smiling shyly. Let others have the opportunity to read of a man of God. Geoff Thomas] Peter Henry Sayers, member of […]

The “Los Angeles Times” (July 10) ran an article on the erosion of membership in theologically liberal Protestant denominations in America. The article revealed this startling statistic: In 1960, the mainline Protestant denominations had 40% of American Protestants as members. Today, they have 12%. LA Times article The Episcopal Church USA is hanging on because […]

The annual Evangelical Movement of Wales Conference took place in the second week of August. It has been going on for forty-nine years (what a Jubilee next year) and for forty-eight it has been in this seaside university town. There is nowhere else in Wales where it can take place. There is the irresistible combination […]

In 2003 the Banner of Truth brought out a new edition of A History of the Work of Redemption by Jonathan Edwards. In new typeset and hardback it is a magnificent volume whose theme is of vast scope. From a deep and extensive knowledge of Scripture, Jonathan Edwards sets out to survey the whole of […]

In April 1723, Edwards left New York. He was called to the new settlement of Bolton, just 16 miles from his birthplace. However, he spent the summer at home in East Windsor. There he finished the thesis for his MA degree and immersed himself in other studies, while taking occasional services. Eventually, in November, he […]

Men are not saved by good works, nor by the free determination of their own will, but by the grace of God through faith. But this part of the human race to which God has promised pardon and a share in His eternal kingdom, can they be restored through the merit of their own works? […]

I thoroughly disliked Oxford on many accounts. Of course the place, the buildings, and colleges are things matchless in the world, and to talk of comparing Oxford and Cambridge is simply ridiculous. But I thoroughly disliked the tone of society among the undergraduates at Oxford, the more so from its complete unlikeless to what I […]

Fellowship in the book room at a Banner of Truth Ministers’ Conference is sweet. Talking about books with fellow preachers, gleaning recommendations on various topics, or overhearing comments about an engaging new title all make the book room a profitable place to visit between sessions. This year at the USA conference was no exception! Seeing […]

It is a quarter of a thousand years since the birth of John Newton and we do well to pay our little tribute to his worthwhile life. In his day Newton was famous for five things – he was an outstanding example of a converted infidel, he was a great hymn-writer, he was a wise […]

[The following article is an excerpt from an upcoming book to be published by Founders Press entitled My Journey in Grace. The excerpt is taken from Part 1 – A Personal Journey. It appeared in the Founders Journal, Issue 64, Spring 2000, edited by Tom Nettles and printed by permission. http://www.founders.org] When the Lord called […]

Genesis 3:1-7 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,but God […]

[In the 1950s Professors Renwick, Collins and Finlayson used to travel south from Edinburgh and address the Durham University Christian Union. It was probably this sermon, preached with great unction and power, and published later in The Life of Faith, that left some of its hearers feeling so guilty that their heads were bowed low […]

Genesis 2:18 “The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone’“. There have to be unique reasons why it wasn’t good for Adam to remain alone, but it’s just as bad for anyone to live in isolation from other people. We haven’t been made to spend our lives like the […]