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Joseph Alleine was an altogether remarkable man in an age of remarkable godliness. Born in Devizes in 1633, he was just 10 when his diligence in private prayer was noticed; from then on he lived an exceptionally godly life. At Oxford University, he gave himself with characteristic earnestness to his studies; indeed it would seem […]

Introduction 1. It shows them what Christ did and suffered. The moral law is of special use to regenerate persons, or true believers, both as a covenant of works and as a rule of duty. In its covenant form, it serves to show them what Christ, the second Adam, did and suffered in their stead. […]

The book with the above title was first written in 1970 by Marcus L. Loane and now it has been reprinted by the Banner of Truth. ‘I often pray, Lord, make me as holy as a pardoned sinner can be made.’ These words of Robert Murray M’Cheyne really summarise the lives of the four pilgrims […]

We have just visited Rendille in north Kenya and returned home at 5 p.m. September 8 just before the rush hour. It is difficult to be stuck in traffic having started at 6.30 a.m. Our faith was tested, particularly in relation to the arrangements for the wedding, and in the times we got stuck in […]

The previous article focused on the awakening under Edwards in Northampton in 1735. Notwithstanding the work of the Spirit in Northampton and elsewhere in New England in 1735, Samuel Blair of New Londonderry was not alone in bemoaning the dismal state of religion in early 1740: it ‘lay as it were a-dying and ready to […]

“I don’t need God.”Job 34:14-15 – If He should determine to do so, if He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust. “I’m a good person.”Luke 18:19 – No one is good except God alone. “I’ve always tried to live a good […]

The longer I am a Christian, the more my heart and mind are gladdened by the truth of God’s unassailable sovereignty. Far from being a forbidding doctrine that fills me with a sense of dread, it is a doctrine that breathes security and sweetness to my soul. It is nothing less than tragic, however, that […]

This year’s Zambian Reformed Family Conference and School of Theology were held in Lusaka from the 21st to the 25th of August. The keynote address was given by Choolwe Mwetwa, pastor of Central Baptist Church in Chingola, Zambia. He showed from Romans 8 how true spiritual assurance can only be attained as we reflect upon […]

We are informed that Philip told the Ethiopian “the good news about Jesus” (Acts 8:35). It is His gospel; it is all about Him. He is its source and theme. The good news is Jesus Christ, in the glory of His person and the perfection of His finished work. And He is for every sinner. […]

248 Women responded to adverts which LIFE placed in six women’s -magazines (including Woman’s Own, Chat and Pick Me Up) between April and early July 2006 inviting people to tell us about their abortion experiences, Of these, 111 were interviewed on the telephone and answered a prepared questionnaire. Fifteen sent emails. 134 texted us – […]

A Scottish Christian Heritage is the title of Iain Murray’s latest book (Banner of Truth Trust, 2006, Hb, 403 pages). This may not be Iain Murray’s most important book, but it could be his most inspiring and enjoyable one. The title could lead one to think initially that this book is a record of Scottish […]

In sixth form, my friends and I discovered the nineteenth century writer JS Mill, and in particular his famous slogan; “over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign”. How wise, insightful and civilized, we thought. In the last few years, however, I have become rather less keen on Mr. Mill and […]

The best man at my parents’ wedding on June 25 1935 was Harold J. Ockenga. Carl McIntire officiated. They and my father, Robert S. Marsden (1905-1960), had left Princeton Theological Seminary with J. Gresham Machen in 1929 to be in the first class at Westminster Theological Seminary. Machen himself had been asked to officiate, but […]

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 […]