Six Short Rules for Young Believers from Brownlow North

The fruitfulness of Brownlow North’s ministry led him to become known as the ‘John the Baptist of the great awakening of 1859’. But this largely forgotten evangelist of the nineteenth century has much to teach us still today. Though these rules were written to help young believers, they remain relevant to Christians of all ages and experience.

i. Never neglect daily private prayer; and when you pray, remember that God is present, and that he hears your prayers (Heb. 11:6).

ii. Never neglect daily private Bible-reading; and when you read, remember that God is speaking to you, and that you are to believe and act upon what he says. I believe all backsliding begins with the neglect of these two rules (John 5:39).

iii. Never let a day pass without trying to do something for Jesus. Every night reflect on what Jesus has done for you, and then ask yourself, What am I doing for him? (Matt. 5:13-16).

iv. If you are in doubt as to a thing being right or wrong, go to your room, and kneel down and ask God’s blessing upon it (Col. 3:17). If you cannot do this, it is wrong (Rom. 14:23).

v. Never take your Christianity from Christians, or argue that because such and such people do so and so, that therefore you may (2 Cor. 10:12). You are to ask yourself, How would Christ act in my place? and strive to follow him (John 10:27).

vi. Never believe what you feel, if it contradicts God’s Word. Ask yourself, Can what I feel be true, if God’s Word is true? and if both cannot be true, believe God, and make your own heart the liar. (Rom. 3:4; 1 John 5:10, 11).

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The newly typeset clothbound edition of K. Moody Stuart’s Brownlow North: His Life and Works is available from the Trust. We warmly commend this biography of a largely forgotten saint to our readers.