The Holy War—All Things Becoming New for Mansoul

In his allegory of the Christian life The Holy War, John Bunyan portrays the happy changes that take place in the soul of the sinner who turns to Jesus Christ in true faith. Having openly defeated His enemy Diabolus and completely won Mansoul’s surrender, King Shaddai’s Son Emmanuel makes His peace and pardon known to all the people of the town. The townspeople, who had prepared to accept Emmanuel’s wrath, rejoice to see their imprisoned leaders returning from the Prince’s camp as restored free men and to hear the proclamation of the Prince’s pardon. There is so much joy over the good news of divine pardon that no one in the town can talk about anything else…or even go to sleep! It was a grand celebration, the captains and soldiers of Emmanuel joining in the celebration with a parade through town featuring precision demonstrations of their military skills.

When all this was over, the town came together to Emmanuel’s camp to thank the Prince for His favor and to humbly plead that He would take up His residence with them in Mansoul. They desire the Prince and all His men to dwell with them so that He might receive their praise and protect them from the Diabolonians lurking in the city. To this the Prince agrees, provided that the people join with Him in prosecuting His enemies that remain in Mansoul. The town agrees wholeheartedly and promises their complete submission to Him, requesting that He lead them by the hand and keep them from sinning.

It was a grand day when Prince Emmanuel made His triumphant entrance into Mansoul with His army. This time no battering rams were needed. The people opened to Him willingly and lined the streets with boughs and flowers to show how glad they were of His arrival to take up His residence with them. The whole town turned out to welcome their glorious Prince with music and dancing. So Emmanuel moved into Heart Castle, and His captains and soldiers were housed in judicious places throughout the happy town.

Upon a certain day Emmanuel made a feast for Mansoul. The town came to the banquet and enjoyed food that they had never tasted before, food that didn’t grow in Mansoul but came from King Shaddai’s court. The meal was accompanied by music and singing, also from Shaddai’s court. After the meal, Emmanuel entertained the people with some riddles drawn up by His Father’s Secretary (The Holy Spirit). These riddles were things the people could not have figured out by themselves apart from the teaching of Emmanuel. In this way the Prince taught the people about Shaddai and about Himself. Mansoul was amazed; they saw things they had never seen or even thought of before. The town was so taken with Him that they went back to their houses filled with wonder and talking of Emmanuel, even in their sleep!

Despite the rapturous joy of Mansoul, there was much work to do to make the town more pleasing to the Prince and more secure from its enemies. So a great remodeling was in order. First, Emmanuel ordered His catapults to be mounted at strategic points around the city. Then He introduced a new weapon, which He invented, that could throw great stones from the castle out at Mouth-gate, a weapon that would not miss and could not be resisted.

The remodeling included jobs for the city’s leaders. Emmanuel put Lord Willbewill in charge of the city’s gates, walls, towers, and militia, with orders to arrest any Diabolonians he found. He reinstated Lord Understanding as mayor for life and made Mr. Knowledge the new recorder. Mr. Conscience, the old recorder, was to have a new job of which he would be told later.

Last, but certainly not least in the remodeling of Mansoul, Emmanuel commanded that the image of Diabolus be destroyed, ground to powder, and cast to the wind outside the city’s walls. Then the image of Shaddai was set up again more beautifully than before, since He and Emmanuel have come to Mansoul with more grace and mercy than before. Emmanuel’s name engraved in gold and placed at the front of the town rounds out the remodeling. Mansoul has experienced a merciful and radical makeover from the inside out.

As I read this section of The Holy War I repeatedly thought of the Scripture in 2 Corinthians 5:17—“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (NASB). The people have a completely different attitude toward Emmanuel. Gone is the old animosity and rebellion; they are completely open to Him and His ministry, and they love Him with all their heart. They want Him close to them, so He dwells in Heart Castle, which is held by Captain Credence (belief, faith—Ephesians 3:17).

This is exactly what happens when a soul turns to the Lord. The heart becomes a habitation of Christ through faith, and He renews and redirects the happy, obedient believer. Bunyan is depicting a new believer in his or her first love. Everything is becoming new. The Christian responds with faith and obedience to the Lord where before there was only unbelief and rebellion. The Christian experiences joy and peace in place of the darker emotions associated with our natural rebellion to God. The Christian is ready to read God’s Word and cooperate with Christ in putting to death the things that remain in us that will dishonor Him and be harmful to the soul.

If you’re reading The Holy War using my church’s reading schedule, you’ll notice that we have reached a climax of sorts, but we are only halfway through the book. To our way of thinking it would be great if the story ended right after this point with all the Mansoulians taken straight to Heaven. But God has willed that His people glorify Him by remaining and serving Him faithfully until summoned. Bunyan recognizes this and gives us the second half of the book to illustrate the duties, dangers, and defenses of believers in a fallen world.

With the unbridled joy in this section of the book Bunyan gives us a subtle warning of approaching dangers. Where Bunyan tells of the people’s request for Emmanuel and His men to move into the space they’ve prepared, Bunyan writes a marginal note: “Say, and hold to it, Mansoul.” He means to exhort Christians to keep the same mindset of “first love” toward Christ always and not ever leave their first love (see Revelation 2:1-5). “Happy are they who continue in this good mind all their days. But the sequel of the story will show how changeable a creature is man” (The Holy War, Illustrated with notes by George Burder, Swengel, PA: Reiner Publications, 1976, p. 218).

Another indication of danger ahead is the fact that Diabolonians are referred to as still lurking in the city. These hidden followers of Diabolus represent the sometimes subtle sins of the flesh that remain in the Christian and hinder his walk with the Lord (Romans 8:7). These must be dealt with. To that end we have spiritual weapons given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ. We have His Word, the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit, the public ministry of the Church, and prayer (probably the unnamed, irresistible weapon in the story). We should also keep firmly in mind that by God’s grace we have His image restored in us through Christ.

So, may His blessed people continue on in first love, enjoying the newness of life in Christ, confident of ultimate victory because “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

The Holy War—All Things Becoming New for Mansoul

Samuel Rutherford Answers the Divine Summons (March 29, 1661)

When the English monarchy was restored in 1660, King Charles II betrayed the Scottish Presbyterians who had supported him and had crowned him as their king in 1651. All those years Charles had hated Reformation principles, and at the Restoration he began his efforts to turn England and Scotland back to pre-Reformation times. A tidal wave of suffering was about to break over the land for those who didn’t conform to the king’s religious and governmental principles. One of the first nonconformists to receive the king’s attention was Samuel Rutherford, who in early 1661 lay dying at the college at St. Andrews, where he was professor of divinity.

Rutherford (1600–1661) had worked for decades to ensure the continuance of the Reformation in England and Scotland. He was well-known in his own time as a faithful pastor, author, professor, and member of the Westminster Assembly of Divines. The letters he wrote to friends throughout his public ministry and, especially, during his exile in Aberdeen form the legacy by which he is mainly known today. Such a leader Charles II summoned to appear before him for high treason.

Rutherford’s response and Parliament’s reaction are reported by John Howie in his book The Scots Worthies:

It is commonly said that, when the summons came, he spoke out of his bed and said, “Tell them I have got a summons already before a superior Judge and judicatory, and I behove to answer my first summons, and ere your day come I will be where few kings and great folks come.” When they returned and told he was a-dying, the parliament was put to a vote, whether or not to let him die in the college. It was carried, “put him out,” only a few dissenting. My Lord Burleigh said, “Ye have voted that honest man out of the college, but ye cannot vote him out of heaven.” Some said, He would never win there, hell was too good for him. Burleigh said, “I wish I were as sure of heaven as he is, I would think myself happy to get a grip of his sleeve to haul me in.”

(John Howie, The Scots Worthies. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2001. p. 236)

The Lord spared Rutherford from seeing all the horror that was about to descend upon England and Scotland. But he “lived to see all he had striven for over thirty years crumbling before his eyes…. [T]he Drunken Parliament of 1661, as it was called, gleefully rescinded each act on the statute book that safeguarded Reformation principles” (Faith Cook, Samuel Rutherford and His Friends. Banner of Truth, 1992. p. 28).

With so much seemingly going against him, Rutherford was not gloomy, but rather joyful, in answering his “first summons.” Those gathered around his deathbed heard him say many things about Christ, as though he were already in Heaven with his Lord. He was not glorying in work accomplished or grieving over work undone by the government; He was glorying in Jesus Christ and in Him alone. His friends and daughter Agnes heard him utter memorable statements of a long-held faith. When asked by one, “What think ye now of Christ?” he replied,

“I shall live and adore Him. Glory! Glory to my Creator and my Redeemer for ever!” …. Oh! That all my brethren in the land may know what a Master I have served, and what peace I have this day. I shall sleep in Christ, and when I awake I shall be satisfied with His likeness. This night shall close the door, and put my anchor within the vail; and I shall go away in a sleep by five of the clock in the morning…. Oh! For arms to embrace Him! Oh! For a well-tuned harp!” (Howie, The Scots Worthies, p. 239)

By 5:00 on the morning of March 29, 1661 Samuel Rutherford had answered the divine summons, “Come up hither.” His last words were, “Glory, glory dwelleth in Immanuel’s land.”

About 200 years later many of Rutherford’s sayings were memorialized in a lengthy poem by Anne Ross Cousin, “The Sands of Time Are Sinking.” Mrs. Cousin was the wife of a Scottish Presbyterian minister. She was inspired by Rutherford’s biography and wrote 19 stanzas, only a few of which appear in most hymnals. Reading the entire poem is like glimpsing into the heart of Samuel Rutherford and seeing his devotion to the Lord and his outlook on life. The last stanza relates Rutherford’s reply to those sent to summon him.

They’ve summoned me before them, but there I may not come,

My Lord says “Come up hither,” My Lord says “Welcome home!”

My King, at His white throne, my presence doth command

Where glory—glory dwelleth in Immanuel’s land.

———————————————

For further reading:

Letters of Samuel Rutherford (Bonar edition. Banner of Truth, 2006). 365 letters prefaced by Andrew Bonar's biographical sketch of Rutherford.

Alexander Smellie, Men of the Covenant (Banner of Truth, 1962 reprint). An account of the Scottish Covenanters of the 17^th Century.

Faith Cook, Samuel Rutherford and His Friends (Banner of Truth, 1992). Biographical vignettes that show the man and his ministry to people through his letters.

Faith Cook, Grace in Winter: Rutherford in Verse (Banner of Truth, 1989). Poetic forms of some of Rutherford’s best letters.

John Howie, The Scots Worthies (Banner of Truth, 2001). Biographical vignettes of the Scottish Covenanters.

Samuel Rutherford Answers the Divine Summons (March 29, 1661)

Andy Cheung Interviews Tom Schreiner

I would like to thank our anonymous commenter for sharing the following link to a recent interview with Dr Thomas Schreiner regarding his forthcoming New Testament Theology.

Interview with Tom Schreiner

Monday, 24 March 2008

Last Week, Midlands Bible College and Divinity School Tutor Andy Cheung interviewed New Testament scholar Tom Schreiner (professor of New Testament interpretation at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) on his forthcoming book, New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ.(read the full interview here)

In this interview Schreiner explains his approach to writing this New Testament Theology, shares some of the challenges he faced along the way, reveals some of sources that influenced his understanding of NT Theology (Ladd, Wright and Piper to name a few), and recommends a few other titles that he found to be very helpful. My compliments to Andy Cheung for a job well-done conducting this interview.

New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ

by Thomas R. Schreiner

ISBNs: 9780801026805 / 0801026806

Price: $44.99

Format: Hardcover | 976 pages

Publication date: May. 08 | Division: Baker Academic

Excerpt here.

CBD ($32.99) | Amazon ($29.69)

Andy Cheung Interviews Tom Schreiner

America’s Songbird—Fanny Crosby

Happy birthday to Fanny Crosby, born Francis Jane Crosby on March 24, 1820 in Putnam County, New York. Miss Crosby was one of the best known women in the USA in the 19^th and early 20^th Centuries, writing at least 8000 hymns during her long life. Most of the hymnals published in America for about the last century and a half contain her work.

When Fanny was six weeks old her parents John and Mercy Crosby took her to the doctor to treat inflammation of the eyes. The man filling in for the regular family doctor recommended a treatment that ended up blinding her for life. Instead of being bitter, Fanny was thankful not to have the distractions from knowing God that sighted people have. Even her earliest writings reflect the strong Bible teaching she received during childhood from her mother and grandmother (her father died when she was one year old). At age eight she wrote these verses revealing her attitude toward her blindness:

Oh what a happy soul I am,

Although I cannot see;

I am resolved that in this world

Contented I will be.

How many blessings I enjoy,

That other people don't;

To weep and sigh because I'm blind,

I cannot, and I won't.

In adult life Miss Crosby became a teacher and a musician. She married a blind musician and fellow-teacher in 1858 and had a daughter, who died in infancy. Having experienced success writing poems and popular songs, she turned to writing what she is most famous for—hymns. In one of her best known hymns she writes, “I long to see my Savior first of all.” Her attitude toward God’s dealings with her really shines in her song, “All the Way My Savior Leads Me.” One line in this song states, “Can I doubt His tender mercy, who through life has been my guide?”

The hymns of Fanny Crosby indicate that she kept her childhood resolve to be content. In her hymn, “Blessed Assurance,” she exclaims, “Perfect submission, all is at rest; I in my Savior am happy and blest.” It was probably this testimony of contentment that led one poet to eulogize her with the words, “Our songbird has taken her flight.” The blind hymnist finally saw her Savior first of all on February 12, 1915.

Such steadfast, joyous faith comes from knowing and believing the Word of God. She accepted the Bible’s testimony about her Lord despite adverse circumstances. All the way the Savior led her, and she was able to truly testify, “For I know whate’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well.”

Oh, for the insight to see as clearly as Fanny Crosby did!

____________________

For further reading:

Fanny J. Crosby: An Autobiography (Hendrickson Publishers, 2008) Forthcoming

Guye Johnson, Treasury of Great Hymns and Their Stories (BJU Press, 1986)

Wikipedia article on Fanny Crosby

America’s Songbird—Fanny Crosby

The Door of the Sepulchre Removed

The removal of the imprisoning stone was the outward type of our Lord's having plucked up the gates of the grave -- post, bar, and all -- thus exposing that old fortress of death and hell, and leaving it as a city stormed and taken, and henceforth bereft of power. Remember that our Lord was committed to the grave as a hostage. "He died for our sins." Like a debt they were imputed to him. He discharged the debt of obligation due from us to God, on the tree; he suffered to the full, the great substitutionary equivalent for our suffering, and then he was confined in the tomb as a hostage until his work should be fully accepted. That acceptance would be notified by his coming forth from durance vile; and that coming forth would become our justification -- "He rose again for our justification." If he had not fully paid the debt he would have remained in the grave. If Jesus had not made effectual, total, final atonement, he must have continued a captive. But he had done it all. The "It is finished," which came from his own lips, was established by the verdict of Jehovah, and Jesus was set free. ... Come, brethren, let us rejoice in this. In the empty tomb of Christ, we see sin for ever put away: we see, therefore, death most effectually destroyed. Our sins were the great stone which shut the mouth of the sepulchre, and held us captives in death, and darkness, and despair. Our sins are now for ever rolled away, and hence death no longer a dungeon dark and drear, the ante-chamber of hell, but the rather it is a perfumed bed-chamber, a withdrawing room, the vestibule of heaven. For as surely as Jesus rose, so must his people leave the dead: there is nothing to prevent the resurrection of the saints. The stone which could keep us in the prison has been rolled away. Who can bar us in when the door itself is gone? Who can confine us when every barricade is taken away?

"Who shall rebuild for the tyrant his prison?
The sceptre lies broken that fell from his hands;
The stone is removed; the Lord is arisen:
The helpless shall soon be released from their bands."

"The Stone Rolled Away" by C. H. Spurgeon in Great Sermons on the Resurrection of Christ compiled by Wilbur M. Smith (Nattick, Mass.: W. A. Wilde, Co., 1964) pp. 40-42.

The Door of the Sepulchre Removed

The Holy War—Joy Over Emmanuel’s Perfect Victory

John Bunyan vividly portrays the conversion of a soul in this week’s reading of The Holy War. Mansoul, under siege for months, is finally breached. Diabolus retreats to Heart Castle, and now Emmanuel sits in Ear-gate while His soldiers work to break open the Castle gate and force Diabolus out. With the news that the castle gate has been breached, Emmanuel marches to the center of town and commands His enemy to show himself. Diabolus reluctantly comes out and surrenders to the Prince, who chains him, takes him to the marketplace, and strips him of his vaunted armor in sight of the whole city. Emmanuel then binds the giant to the wheels of His chariot and leads him out of the city to a desert place, where the Prince charges him to go and never attempt another takeover of Mansoul.

When Emmanuel’s soldiers in the camp see their enemy in chains being led away, they give a great shout and sing melodious songs so that even the angels in Heaven take notice. However, all was not joyful among the townspeople at first. They were afraid for their lives because they had taken sides with Emmanuel’s enemy and had tried to shut out the Prince. Now they fervently wanted Emmanuel to be their Lord. But they could not tell from His countenance or His words what it was he was thinking about them. He seemed distant to them, and to top it off He didn’t stay in the town with them, but returned to His camp outside the city.

The feelings of Mansoul ran the gamut from hopefulness to cold fear. The Prince was so majestic they couldn’t help but admire Him and want Him to stay. They even dared to hope for a pardon. After all, hadn’t He delivered Mansoul from the tyrant? But when the Prince ordered the arrest of Lord Understanding, Mr. Conscience, and Lord Willbewill, their worst fears were confirmed. Or so they thought.

Before Diabolus was evicted from the castle, the leaders of Mansoul had begun to petition Emmanuel to spare their lives, but He didn’t answer that petition. Now with their leaders in prison, the town petitions Emmanuel again and sends the letter by the hand of Mr. Would-live. The petition acknowledges the peoples’ sins, requests mercy, and promises the peoples’ service. Emmanuel reads the petition and sends Mr. Would-live away in silence.

Though the town is worried they send another petition, not knowing what else to do. But they send it by Mr. Desires-awake, a humble man. Mr. Desires-awake prostrated himself before Emmanuel and presented the petition. When He read it, the Prince turned away and wept. Having composed Himself, Emmanuel sent Mr. Desires-awake back with a promise to consider his request. The town’s leaders in prison, along with the people, couldn’t agree as to Emmanuel’s probable meaning, so the rumors were flying. The answer didn’t seem too bad. Yes, it is bad. The prisoners will be put to death, as will the rest of the town. The prevailing mood was gloomy.

When Mansoul had calmed down and taken new courage, they decided to send another petition. Mr. Desires-awake was again chosen for the job. This time he took with him his neighbor, Mr. Wet-eyes, a man of broken and contrite spirit. This petition was the most humble of all. It acknowledged the greatness of the Prince and His Father, the heinousness of the town’s sins, and the rightness of His actions should Emmanuel choose to condemn them. They forsake all notions of self-righteousness and plead only for His mercy and to be freed from their transgressions.

Emmanuel responded as before, turning away and weeping when he read the petition and saw the humility and repentance of the messengers. Having reminded the messengers of the town’s rebellion and collaboration with Diabolus, He commanded them to bring the prisoners to Him the next day. Mansoul believes this is it for their leaders…and for them, too.

The next morning, Captains Boanerges and Conviction escort Lord Understanding, Mr. Conscience, and Lord Willbewill to the Prince. The people, dressed in sackcloth, watch from the city wall. Upon interrogation Emmanuel finds that these trembling men are completely humbled and ready for execution if that is His will. The whole town feels the same way. Then the Prince does something unexpected; He forgives them according to the authority received from His Father, Shaddai.

Music from heaven and great rejoicing accompanied the announcement of Emmanuel’s perfect victory and free pardon of Mansoul. Only the joy didn’t extend to the townspeople, who didn’t know about the Prince’s decision yet. Emmanuel then took the mourning clothes from the former prisoners and gave them beauty for ashes. He kissed each one and spoke kindly to them. They could hardly believe it!

The Prince told Understanding, Conscience, and Willbewill to proclaim pardon throughout Mansoul by morning and sent Captain Credence with some officers to accompany the noble leaders. When the proclamation was read to the town, Captain Credence was to take possession of the castle from Captains Judgment and Execution, whom Emmanuel had left in charge of the stronghold until being recalled to the camp. “In this way the town of Mansoul was to be delivered from the terror of the King’s first four captains and their men” (The Holy War, Whitaker House edition, p. 141).

One thing Bunyan does in this section of The Holy War is to show Christ’s complete victory over His enemy, Satan. It may seem ironic, but this victory was accomplished on the Cross. Just before He died, the Lord Jesus shouted, “It is finished!” This sounded the death-knell for Satan and his kingdom. This is the Bible’s proclamation of pardon to the believer in Christ:

When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

—Colossians 2:13-15 NASB

This is such good news that it causes rejoicing in Heaven. Satan is defeated. Christ is risen, victorious, and glorified! God’s people are freed from sin’s bondage. But the rejoicing may be delayed for a while for the sinner just coming out of darkness. He has been in sin and rebellion to God. It might take time for godly sorrow to mature into real repentance. He may need to continue humbling himself and beseeching the Lord before experiencing assurance.

Bunyan isn’t saying that everyone who experiences conversion to Christ will have the same degree of struggle. But the feelings of guilt and uncertainty are biblical. Scripture knows nothing of casually accepting Christ with no acknowledgement of real need. The one coming to Christ must learn to put no confidence in himself and trust only in Christ and His mercy.

Believer, has Christ worked His way into your heart and conquered you? Has He evicted the devil from his former stronghold? Then take courage. Whether or not you are experiencing the joy of the Lord at this moment, Heaven is singing!

The Holy War—Joy Over Emmanuel’s Perfect Victory

A Memorial to Jonathan Edwards

by Andy Efting

In September of 1757, the College of New Jersey, recently relocated from Newark to Princeton, suffered a dual blow. First, its founder, New Jersey Governor Jonathan Belcher, and then its young president, Aaron Burr, both died within weeks of each other. Burr actually managed to preach the eulogy at Belcher’s funeral before dying himself just three weeks later from malaria. The trustees at Princeton had a crisis on their hands and turned to Burr’s father-in-law, Jonathan Edwards, to help steady the school. After much cajoling, Edwards finally relented and accepted the presidency of the school.

Edwards formally became president on February 16, 1758. While he was in Princeton assuming his duties, his wife and family were back in Stockbridge, MA, not planning to move until sometime later that spring. In preparation for their move and with the desire to protect them from an outbreak of small pox that had occurred in the Princeton area, Edwards decided to take the still experimental inoculation for that disease. Tragically, his recovery from that vaccination did not go well. He contracted a small pox infection in his throat and mouth that quickly led to his death on March 22, 1758, just weeks after assuming his new position. He was only 54 years old.

George Marsden shares Edwards’ reaction when he knew the end was near:

When he realized that he would not survive, he called his daughter Lucy [the widow of Aaron Burr], who was attending him, and said (in words she almost immediately wrote down):

“Dear Lucy, it seems to me to be the will of God that I must shortly leave you; therefore give my kindest love to my dear wife, and tell her, that the uncommon union, which has so long subsisted between us, has been of such a nature, as I trust is spiritual, and therefore will continue forever: and I hope she will be supported under so great a trial, and submit cheerfully to the will of God. And as to my children, you are now like to be left fatherless, which I hope will be an inducement to you all to seek a Father, who will never fail you.^[1]

Sarah, his wife, responded with a remarkable contentment to the will of God. In a letter written to her daughter Esther, she wrote:

O My Very Dear Child,

What shall I say? A holy and good God has covered us with a dark cloud. Oh that we may kiss the rod [of reproof], and lay our hands on our mouths! The Lord has done it. He has made me adore his goodness, that we had him so long. But my God lives; and he has my heart. Oh what a legacy my husband, and your father, has left us! We are all given to God: and there I am, and love to be.

Sarah Edwards^[2]

This touching exchange, though not technically between each other, shows in Edward’s words, the “uncommon union” that these two possessed both in their marriage and in their relationship to the Lord. Several years earlier, the then bachelor George Whitefield had observed their marriage and on reflection proclaimed that “a sweeter couple I have not yet seen.” That visit encouraged him “to renew those prayers, which for some months, I have put up to God, that He would be pleased to send me a daughter of Abraham to be my wife.”

So, while their deaths were tragic, and one can only bemoan the incalculable loss that the church suffered with the early death of such a profound thinker and theologian, we can be thankful for their godly example and remarkable legacy, both in the lives that they touched personally and through the enduring works and sermons of Mr. Edwards.

____________________

^[1] George Marsden. Jonathan Edwards: A Life. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2003, p. 494.

^[2] Ibid., p. 495.

For further reading:

• Elisabeth D. Dodds. Marriage to a Difficult Man: The Uncommon Union of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards. Laurel, MS: Audubon Press, 2003. (CBD | Amazon)
  
• George M. Marsden. Jonathan Edwards: A Life. New Haven, CT: Yale University, 2003. (WTS | CBD | Amazon)
  
• Iain H. Murray. Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography. Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1987. (WTS | CBD | Amazon)
  
• John Piper. God's Passion for His Glory: Living the Vision of Jonathan Edwards. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1998. (WTS | CBD | Amazon)
  

A Memorial to Jonathan Edwards

The Distinct Emphasis of the Four Gospels

The four Gospel accounts serve a specific purpose in presenting the life of Jesus Christ. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John do not write biography in the usual sense of the word. Not one of them attempts to present a complete account of His life and ministry. That is not their purpose. What they give us is selective biography.

While each Evangelist has a particular aspect of our Lord’s earthly life and ministry to emphasize, they all have one overriding theme to which they give the most attention—the events of the Passion Week. The Gospel records devote a “disproportionate” amount of space to this one week, each account beginning at or near the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Perhaps a simple chart will help us visualize this distinct emphasis.

Gospel Account	Number of Chapters	# of Chapters on Passion Week	Amount of Each Writer’s Material
Matthew	28	8 (chapters 21-28)	1/3 of Matthew
Mark	16	6 (chapters 11-16)	1/3 of Mark
Luke	24	6 (chapters 19-24)	1/4 of Luke
John	21	9 (chapters 12-20)	Nearly 1/2 of John

Also, John devotes 7 chapters (1/3 of his material) to just one 24-hour period within that week (John 13-19).

It’s easy to see which theme receives the most attention in the Gospels. Out of 89 total chapters the Gospels devote 29 to this one week in the 33-year life and 3-year ministry of our Lord. “It is no wonder that in a famous phrase M. Kahler described a Gospel as a passion narrative with an extended introduction” (I. Howard Marshall, “Jesus in the Gospels,” Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 1, p. 518).

Biographies don’t usually give so much space to so short a period of time. But there is an obvious theological purpose in the Gospels: to underscore Christ’s redemptive work—to give a pointed account of what He came to do, which was “to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). That explains His crucifixion. It was not the tragic end to a good life; it was God’s plan from the beginning. The Scriptural response to this Good News is faith—faith that results in worship.

And they sang a new song, saying,

"Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation."

(Revelation 5:9 ESV)

The Distinct Emphasis of the Four Gospels

“It Is Finished!”

Thus proclaims the Victor of Calvary moments before committing His Spirit into the Father’s hands. This cry piercing the gloom is the announcement of something accomplished.

That which the Saviour accomplished by His death was not merely the work of satisfaction to divine justice, by which He removed the curse from our heads, but likewise His representative obedience, which is henceforth imputed to His believing people, as the righteousness which avails in the sight of God. Along with the sentence, “Depart from me, ye cursed!” is also the “Mene, Tekel,” erased from our walls, and in its stead we read the mighty words, “Ye are washed, ye are sanctified, ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus.” And that we are so is confirmed to us by the fact that God now lovingly inclines toward us, breathes His Spirit into us, leads us in bonds of mercy and kindness, and as soon as we have finished our course, opens the gates of His heavenly mansions to us. But that condemned sinners are regarded as holy before God, without any infringement on His justice, holiness, and truth, is intimated by that which the suffering Saviour accomplished on the cross. Even the twenty-second Psalm asserts that this would be the consequence of His death, since in the last verse it is said, “They shall come and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.” How just and well founded is, therefore, the victorious cry, “It is finished!” with which the Lord, after performing His work, inclined His head to rest!

(FW Krummacher, The Suffering Saviour, pp. 400-401)

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

(Hebrews 10:11-14 ESV)

Hallelujah for the Cross!

“It Is Finished!”

“Behold the Man!”

This was Pilate’s attention-grabber when he displayed the Lord Jesus to the accusing crowd after having Him mocked and scourged. The governor hoped that seeing the mangled, degraded form of Jesus would satisfy their lust for His blood. It didn’t. The sight only elicited their unabated hatred and intensified the cry for His crucifixion.

The thought of a crucified Messiah is a stumbling-block to most Jews and to many Gentiles. But what is so repulsive to some “has a wondrous attraction” for believers. We behold the Man differently.

It is not in the form of “the Master in Israel,” nor in that of the glorious Son of the Eternal Father, but in the form of the divine sufferer, that He inclines the hearts of those toward Him whom He has purchased with His blood. No sooner does He display before them His suffering form, than they begin to be astonished, and feel attracted, as by a wondrous and magnetic power; and when they hear, as from His bleeding lips, that all He endured was for their sakes, it is His purple robe they first lay hold of, His crown of thorns to which they first pay homage, and His reed-scepter to which, in joyful obedience, they bow their necks, as to that of their rightful Lord. Yes, the sight of the suffering Saviour is still the mighty power which silently changes lions into lambs, breaks and melts the stony heart, and prepares the way for His most glorious achievements….

We know that He no longer stands on Gabbatha. He has long ago ascended the throne of glory, in a different robe and a different diadem to that in which we there beheld Him. But He left us His thorn-crowned image in the gospel; and oh, the wonders it has wrought in the world, and continues to perform, whenever the Holy Spirit illumines it!

(FW Krummacher, The Suffering Saviour, p. 287)

May God open spiritually blind eyes to behold the Man whom He appointed to be the Mediator between Himself and us!

_______________________

The Suffering Saviour by FW Krummacher available from:

Westminster Bookstore | $20.30 (New Banner of Truth reprint)

Monergism Books | $21.99 (New Banner of Truth reprint)

Amazon | $12.00 (1947 Moody Press reprint)

“Behold the Man!”

The Holy War—Emmanuel Exposes Diabolus’ Deceit

Satan desires to have what belongs to God alone—supremacy and worship. Though he knows he is defeated and doomed he exercises all the power and employs all the tricks he can in order to ruin God’s greatest creation, mankind. He would rather see humanity destroyed than see it happily in submission to its Creator and Redeemer. In this section of John Bunyan’s The Holy War Satan, represented by Diabolus, is exposed for the fraud he is. As Emmanuel draws near to battle with His ancient enemy, the contrast becomes ever clearer between the character of Emmanuel (Jesus Christ) and the character of Diabolus.

Under the enchantment of Diabolus the people of Mansoul barricaded Ear-gate so they couldn’t hear the words of mercy Emmanuel spoke to them. So the Prince prepares for war. Having His machinery in place, Emmanuel sends a messenger with an offer of peace one last time before combat. Diabolus and the people respond with a messenger of their own, Mr. Loathe-to-Stoop, who presents the enemy’s terms for surrender. These terms being unacceptable, Emmanuel gives the order to attack. After more unacceptable proposals of peace from Diabolus, Ear-gate is finally breached, and Diabolus flees to his stronghold in the castle as Emmanuel’s troops pour into the city.

The contrast between the respective characters of Emmanuel and Diabolus becomes sharp during the times of negotiation. Emmanuel is open and honest about His intentions and His love for Mansoul. Diabolus, however, is deceitful and conniving, seeking only to stay in power no matter what it takes. When he realizes his reign is at an end, he determines to do as much harm as he can to the people rather than see them become a habitation for Emmanuel. And Emmanuel determines to save His people from their enemy…and from their sins.

The terms for surrender proposed by Mr. Loathe-to-Stoop are nothing more than compromises designed to leave Diabolus some kind of foothold in the city. One by one Emmanuel rejects these compromises… Diabolus will turn over half of the city with each one ruling his half. Diabolus turns over more than half the city and rules a smaller portion. Emmanuel can rule the entire city while Diabolus retains only a small part for personal use, and so forth. All these proposals are unacceptable because Emmanuel is Lord of ALL the city. His enemy has no place in Mansoul.

The compromises suggested are frequently used by people under conviction of sin so they can have Christ as Savior and still hold on to the world. John Bunyan writes from his own experience in this part of the story. He tried this dodge before realizing that Christ is Lord of all and demands absolute surrender. We simply cannot serve two opposing masters. The one trying to hold on to his sins is choosing allegiance to Satan rather than trusting Christ for salvation. Leaving the devil a foothold in the heart will ruin the sinner. Christ will have no part with Satan.

Bunyan also writes from experience when he portrays Diabolus offering to reform Mansoul for Emmanuel and be his deputy. Diabolus claims that the town will more easily accept a life of holiness if they know the reforms come from him. He will even hold weekly lectures in the town for Emmanuel! The Prince rejects these offers as well and exposes Diabolus for the liar he is. If holiness is so important to Diabolus now, why was wickedness his method of operation before? When Bunyan was under conviction of sin, he finally decided to give up his wicked ways and start living a life of holiness. But that is impossible for sinners, and Christ didn’t come to put people under the Law.

“In this excellent answer of Immanuel we learn, that no self-righteous attempts to justify the soul by its reformation only, will be accepted. To persuade convinced sinners to rest in this, to the neglect of Christ and His righteousness, is a dangerous artifice of the devil, who thus ‘transforms himself into an angel of light,’ (2 Cor. 11:14). The sinner, having once broken the law, and thereby incurred ‘the curse of the law’ (Gal. 3:10), can derive no help from the law; but must look to Christ the law fulfiller, for righteousness and reconciliation with God. A man may talk much of reforming his life, and say a great deal about good works, yet remain a subject of Satan’s kingdom. We are not Christians till we are in Christ, by believing in Him for salvation; and when we are so, we become new creatures: our state is new, being justified by grace; and our disposition is new also, being born again of the Spirit” (The Holy War, Illustrated with notes by George Burder, Swengel, PA: Reiner Publications, 1976, pp. 165-66).

In this part of the story we see the unmixed hatred that Satan feels for Christ and His people. He is frustrated and will do whatever he can to avoid being thrown out of the stronghold of human hearts. When a soul turns to the Lord Jesus, Satan must leave. But he tries to do what harm he can rather than see that person joyful and Christ glorified.

But we also see Christ’s purity, His uprightness, His love for His people, and His power to save them. We have nothing to fear from the enemy if we trust in Jesus for salvation from sin. Christ is Victor! He breaches Ear-gate regardless of the fortifications. He opens the deaf ear to hear the Words of Life. If He has done so with you, it is a great mercy. If you are under conviction of sin, seek the Lord while He may be found. You will find Him gracious and ready to forgive.

As soldiers in Christ’s army we need to make sure people understand that the Lord will brook no compromise. He is merciful, but He will not share His glory with another. He refuses to take residence in a heart that hangs onto the old sins and the old master. He also rejects mere reformation of life. He will save and He will sanctify.

Though the world under Satan rages against the Lord, don’t fear to trust Him and preach Him as He is. We don't need to change or water down Christ's message to get a hearing from the world. The Lord needs no help from the devil to gain His own inheritance. The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.

“The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,

I will not, I will not desert to his foes;

That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,

I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!”

(From “How Firm a Foundation”)

The Holy War—Emmanuel Exposes Diabolus’ Deceit

Get to Know God through Calamity: William Carey

What happened on the night of March 11, 1812 brought about a crisis in William Carey’s ministry…and in his faith. Carey, serving in Serampore, India, woke early the next morning to the news that the Mission print shop was now just a burned out shell. Fire had engulfed the building housing the print shop and had destroyed most of the building, along with much equipment, the newly-received blank paper, and many years’ worth of work.

Lost were nearly all his Indian Scripture versions; all his Kanarese New Testament; two whole, large Old Testament books in Sanskrit; many pages of his Bengali Dictionary; all his Telugu Grammar…and every vestige of his well-advanced Dictionary of Sanskrit and its Indian Cognates (the magnum opus of his linguistic life—an overwhelming disaster). (William Carey, S. Pearce Carey, London: The Wakeman Trust, 3rd rev. ed., 1993, p. 285)

This represents an almost devastating loss at any time, but especially in the days before digital back-up copies, online storage, and downloadable fonts. But the clearing smoke revealed some divine mercies. In the providence of God Carey and his coworkers had recently moved the printing presses into another part of the building, which did not catch fire until after the presses were rescued. Also, some of the equipment used for casting type survived the flames. They could soon begin the job of reprinting. A friend of Carey’s “braced him with words that he oft afterwards repeated: ‘However vexing it may be, a road the second time traveled is usually taken with more confidence and ease than at the first.’ He resolved that his grammars, dictionaries, and translations should gain by the disaster” (Carey, p. 283).

The greatest blessing Carey found was within his heart rather than from the scorched debris. Though Carey’s grief was great, the Lord powerfully reminded him of the Scripture, Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10). Carey admitted that he had “contemplated the Mission with, perhaps, too much self-congratulation,” leading him to conclude that “The Lord has laid me low, that I may look more simply to Him” (Carey, p. 286, original emphasis). When he preached the following Sunday, that Scripture was his text.

So what are we to make of this catastrophe and Carey’s response? Someone might wonder, “Why would God destroy His own work?” Answer—He didn’t. But doesn’t God want people to hear the Gospel? Yes, but He wants far more. He wants His people’s glad submission and complete trust. At a Sunday School class fellowship a few years ago I testified of the Lord’s goodness in redirecting me. I had wanted to serve Him in a particular capacity, but He had other plans which I hadn’t understood at the time. An older gentleman in the class stood up and said, “We naturally want to do some great work for God, but we have to remember: we are the work.

That doesn’t mean we should slacken in our service for Him. But if He puts us in a situation where we can’t do what we think we should for Him, and we gladly submit, He is glorified by our obedience of faith. God intends to work in us as well as work through us.

Our being still under God’s chastening hand doesn’t hinder His work in the world. Hearing of the tragedy that had befallen Carey’s work and how he and his people had responded, Christians in India and Britain answered with overwhelming donations so that the printing ministry was up and running again in two months. William Carey became famous where, before the fire, he wasn’t even known. God doesn’t need everything to always run smoothly according to our standards for Him to accomplish His work. Sometimes His work is best accomplished when He humbles us in the dust and ashes. However God chooses to deal with us, we can afford to be still and know that He is God.

Get to Know God through Calamity: William Carey

The Orphan's Friend: George Müller

James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (ESV)

Matthew 25:35-40 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ (ESV)

These passages remind me of the life and labors of George Müller (September 27, 1805 – March 10, 1898). Having given his life to the gospel ministry after his conversion, in 1825, Müller spent his life caring for those who were in need. He began to preach in 1826, took up mission work among the Jews in England in 1829, and took up the pastorate of the Ebenezer Chapel in 1830.

During those formative years Müller learned to trust the Lord for material as well as spiritual provisions. It was upon this same principle that Müller took up caring for the poor children of England. In 1832 Müller moved to Bristol, and there, in 1834, he organized the Scriptural Knowledge Institution of Home and Abroad. Finally, in 1836, an orphanage was opened housing twenty-six orphan girls. This work continued to grow until five houses stood on this property and thousands of children were housed, cared for, and instructed in the Christian faith.

In his seventieth year, Müller and his wife began an evangelistic tour. These travels took him around the world sharing the gospel and encouraging Christians to live by faith. At the age of ninety-three, on March 10, 1898, George Müller fell asleep in Christ.

I would especially recommend to you Müller's Autobiography. The copy I own is an inexpensive reprint by Whitaker House. I bought it during my freshman year at college and read through it prayerfully. I believe that Müller possessed the spiritual gift of faith, to a degree that many of us do not know. I'm not sure that all Christians are expected to live according to the same manner and method as Müller did, but we all ought to learn to look to the hand of God as he did. Another man who followed a similar principle and saw the mighty hand of God upon his life was J. Hudson Taylor. Thank God for the testimonies of men who dared to trust God and not lean upon the arm of flesh!

More Biographical Information:

• at Wholesome Words
• at Wikipedia
• Lecture by John Piper
  

The George Müller Foundation

Works by and about Müller:

• A Narrative of Some of the Lord's Dealings with George Müller, written by himself, together with Jehovah Magnified. Addresses by George Müller. Complete & Unabridged. 2 volumes. (Dust & Ashes Publications)
• Read A Narrative of the Lord's Dealings with George Muller
• Read Jehovah Magnified: Addresses of George Muller
• Available at Project Gutenberg
  
• The Autobiography of George Müller (Whitaker House, 1984). 240 pages.
• George Muller of Bristol: His Life of Prayer and Faith by A. T. Pierson. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 2000). 375 pages. First published in 1899 with the title: George Müller of Bristol and his witness to a prayer hearing God. Online book
• George Muller: Man of Faith and Miracles by Basil Miller. (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 1972). 160 pages.
• George Müller and His Orphans by Nancy Garton. (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1963).
• George Mueller: The Guardian of Bristol's Orphans by Janet & Geoff Benge. (Seattle, WA: YWAM Publishing, 1999). 207 pages.

The Orphan's Friend: George Müller

The Holy War—Emmanuel Sent to Conquer Mansoul

In John Bunyan’s allegory of the Christian life, The Holy War, the enemy Diabolus finally quells the riot that broke out in the city of Mansoul over King Shaddai’s army’s bombardment. Then he imprisons Lord Understanding and Mr. Conscience as the instigators of the unrest. He wanted to execute them, but the war was on again. “The efforts of an enlightened understanding and a renewed conscience cannot but be offensive to Satan, as threatening to subvert his authority in the soul; but where the good work of grace is begun they cannot be destroyed” (The Holy War, illustrated with notes by George Burder, Swengel, PA: Reiner Publications, 1976, p. 122).

Seeing the town still resistant to them, Shaddai’s captains return to camp to hold a council of war. Some wanted to attack again, but the majority thought it best to give Mansoul another summons to yield to King Shaddai. The town seemed to have softened a little, so they determine to treat them more gently, hoping not to drive them further away from their King. In their patience and gentle persistence they are exemplifying the Lord Jesus Christ, who would not “break the bruised reed” or “quench the smoking flax” (Matthew 12:20).

The army’s trumpeter returns to Ear-gate and delivers his impassioned plea for Mansoul to submit to their rightful King, Shaddai. When the town hesitates, not knowing how to answer, Diabolus addresses the townspeople and convinces them that Shaddai will overpower them and enslave them just like all His people are (supposedly) enslaved. His unsubstantiated claim is that “no people in Universe are as unhappy or trampled upon as they” (Whitaker edition, p. 83). Upon hearing this, the people hardened their hearts and refused further appeals from Shaddai’s servants. “And now things seemed to be gone quite back, and Mansoul to be out of reach or call; yet the captains, who knew what their Lord could do, would not yet be beat out of heart.”

While the army continues its bombardment to hinder the town’s rebellious spirit, the captains send a petition to King Shaddai requesting reinforcements and a commander that the town can both love and fear. This commander is none other than Emmanuel Himself. Though it may seem ironic, these two responses to God are not mutually exclusive. He is to be loved and feared. Having a scripturally rounded view of God will deliver us from fallible human conclusions that are nothing short of idolatry—creating a god in our own image. Such a god will not save us from the wrath to come.

The letter first reached the King’s Son, who carried it to His Father after adding petitions of His own to it. Both are pleased with these petitions and with the fact that Shaddai’s servants had been so faithful in their work and had made some progress. We may feel discouraged sometimes because of the apparent lack of response from people we are trying to win, but what God values is faithfulness. He will give the increase in His own time; we are to stay at the work the Lord has given us, knowing what He is able to do in spite of appearances.

Shaddai commissions His Son Emmanuel to take an army and deliver Mansoul from Diabolus’ tyranny. Emmanuel replies, “Thy law is within my heart: I delight to do Thy will” (Psalm 40:8; Hebrews 10:7). The news of Emmanuel’s mission energized everyone in the King’s court, and His servants were jumping at the chance to go with Emmanuel to this great work. So Emmanuel leads an army of 50,000 under five valiant captains to the town of Mansoul. When they arrive, the army already there gave such a great shout that it made Diabolus tremble. He feared no one in all the universe like he did Emmanuel, whose displeasure he had faced before.

Emmanuel sets His army in array: they surround the town, build mounds on which to place their weapons, and then offer the town the chance to submit. The leaders of the town give Emmanuel’s message to Diabolus, who reluctantly goes to the wall to face his arch enemy. Diabolus speaks to Emmanuel in a language that the people did not understand to keep them from detecting how fearful this usurper is. In his speech he lays claim to Mansoul on the basis that he had won the town fair and square and that they had forsaken Shaddai.

Emmanuel responds directly to Diabolus—the only one in the army to do so—and charges him with lying and deception. He lays His own rightful claim to the town and then addresses the people. When Emmanuel speaks to the people, they fortify Ear-gate so His words could not be heard. Diabolus enchanted the townspeople to do these things and to shut out the words of Life. But Emmanuel isn’t through yet.

In this section of The Holy War John Bunyan is emphasizing the motivation for staying in a difficult ministry—the work is so great, the cause is so right, and the Lord is so powerful to accomplish what He has promised. Do we look at our Lord and His work this way? Opposition and lack of results can be disheartening. But do we realize what Jesus can do? Do we remember His great joy in coming to this Earth to do His Father’s will? Do we realize that our Savior has a people in the world that need to hear the Gospel? Just as Shaddai gave the town of Mansoul to Emmanuel, God the Father has given a people to His Son (see John 17).

The petition of Emmanuel to His Father represents Christ’s ongoing intercessory ministry for His people. And He doesn’t pray only for those who already believe; He also prays for those who will believe (John 17:20). So, how will they believe unless they hear, and how will they hear without a preacher? When we faithfully join our Sovereign Redeemer in the work His Father called Him to do, we are on the winning side despite appearances, and our faithfulness pleases God. So stay with the stuff and leave the results to God. Even Christ Himself faced rejection during His earthly ministry, but He explains even that in John chapter six. Gain encouragement from that Scripture; then go out and preach the Gospel with patience, with persistence, and with confidence that “all that the Father has given Him will come to Him.”

The Holy War—Emmanuel Sent to Conquer Mansoul

Thomas Aquinas Entered His Eternal Rest

On March 7, 1274, Thomas Aquinas entered his eternal rest. Aquinas was born c. 1225 at Roccasecca near Aquino, Italy into a wealthy family. At an early age he was sent sent to the Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino for his education. In his late teens he decided to join the Dominican order and continued his studies under Albertus Magnus (the Great). He excelled in his studies and soon took up teaching positions.

As a student of both theology and philosophy, Aquinas sought to synthesize these two sciences. In philosophy he followed Aristotle, and in theology he followed Augustine. "Thus in Aquinas both Augustine and Aristotle meet, and the synthesis added an astonishing brilliance to such perennial problems as the relation of revelation and reason" (Hugh Kerr, Readings in Christian Thought, p. 103).

Thomas's greatest work, although incomplete, is his Summa Theologica. This work was written as a training tool for the church but, as Hugh Kerr has stated, it is now considered to be "the theologian's theology." Prior to his death, Aquinas began a Compendium Theologica which was intended to be a shorter summary of the Christian faith. We now have this in print, but it too remains incomplete.

With regard to Thomas's attempt to synthesize reason and revelation, and considering the question Tim addressed here, the following excerpt may be helpful:

To some extent God makes Himself known to men through a certain natural knowledge, by imbuing them with the light of reason and by giving existence to visible creatures, in which are reflected some glimmerings of His goodness and wisdom, as we read in Romans 1:19: "That which is known of God" -- that is, what is knowable about God by natural reason -- "is manifest in them" (namely, is disclosed to pagan peoples). "For God hath manifested it unto them," through the light of reason and through the creatures He has put in the world. The Apostle adds: "For the invisible things of Him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made; His eternal power also and divinity" (Romans 1:20).

But this knowledge is imperfect because not even creatures can be perfectly comprehended by man and also because creatures are unable to represent God perfectly, since the excellence of the cause infinitely surpasses its effect. Therefore in Job 11:7 the question is put: "Peradventure thou wilt comprehend the steps of god, and wilt find out the Almighty perfectly?" And in Job 36:25, after affirming, "All men see Him," the speaker adds, "every one beholdeth afar off."
...

In order that true knowledge of God might spread throughout the whole human race, God the Father sent the only-begotten Word of His majesty into the world, that through Him the entire world might come to a true knowledge of the divine name. (Light of Faith: The Compendium of Theology, pp. 348-350)

Elsewhere Thomas writes,

For the human intellect is not able to reach a comprehension of the divine substance through its natural power. For, according to its manner of knowing in the present life, the intellect depends on the sense for the origin of knowledge; and so those things that do not fall under the senses cannot be grasped by the human intellect except in so far as the knowledge of them is gathered from sensible things. Now, sensible things cannot lead the human intellect to the point of seeing in them the nature of the divine substance; for sensible things are effects that fall short of the power of their cause. Yet, beginning with sensible things, our intellect is lead to the point of knowing about God that He exists, and other such characteristics that must be attributed to the First Principle. There are, consequently, some intelligible truths about God that are open to the human reason; but there are others that absolutely surpass this power. (Readings in Christian Thought, p. 108)

Readings in Christian Thought edited by Hugh T. Kerr (Abingdon, 2nd ed., 1990)

• St Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica 5 vols (Christian Classics, New ed., 1981)
• Summa Theologia: A Concise Translation (Spring Arbor)
• On Evil: Disputed Questions (Univ. of Chicago)
• Summa Contra Gentiles Book One: God (Univ of Notre Dame, 1997)
• Summa Contra Gentiles Book Two: Creation (Univ of Notre Dame, 1992)
• Summa Contra Gentiles Book Three: Providence (Univ of Notre Dame, 1991)
• Summa Contra Gentiles Book Four: Salvation (Univ of Notre Dame, 1989)

Thomas Aquinas Entered His Eternal Rest

Confessions & Catechisms

I was reared in a non-confessional church. It was not until I was in college that I came across Thomas Vincent's The Shorter Catechism Explained from Scripture (BOT reprint, 1980) [CVBBS | WTS]. This little book helped me tremendously. To a small degree it reminded me of the catechisms we learned in elementary Bible. But these are far more substantive than the ones we memorized. After reading a good bit of this, I remarked to my father that I wished I had found this earlier, or that a book like this would have been used in the junior high and high school grades.

Later, I was introduced to Morton H. Smith's Harmony of the Westminster Confession and Catechisms (Southern Presbyterian Press, na) and then to Joel Beeke & Sinclair Ferguson's Reformed Confessions Harmonized (Baker Book House, 1999) [CBD | WTS]. The latter of these is a fabulous theological resource. In it the following confessions and catechisms are harmonized and arranged according to the standard development of systematic theologies:

1. Belgic Confession (1561)
2. Heidelberg Catechism (1563)
3. Second Helvetic Confession (1566)
4. Canons of Dort (1619)
5. Westminster Confession of Faith (1647)
6. Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647)
7. Westminster Larger Catechism (1648)

One final feature not to be overlooked is Joel Beekes' Annotated Bibliography of Reformed Doctrinal Works. This bibliography has been printed separately as A Reader's Guide to Reformed Literature [RHB | Amazon | CVBBS]. In this bibilography Beeke follows the same outline as that of Reformed Confessions Harmonized. His recommendations display a concern for the historical development of each doctrine highlighting the best works from each era. This is an excellent guide for pastors and theological students.

Similar to the works listed above is this months free download at ChristianAudio.com. I downloaded this and began listening to it this morning. David Cochran Heath, the narrator, reads clearly and with interest. Once again, I'm deeply impressed with the quality of this production by HovelAudio. I expect to listen to this through many times!

Free Audiobook of the Month - Confessions of the Reformed Church

The Augsburg, The Westminister, and the Heidelberg Confessions. Quite simply, these are three of the most important and well-known confessions of the Reformed faith. Concise, yet with excellent detail, there is no better way to get an introduction and background of historic Reformed faith.

Add the Download format of The Confessions of the Reformed Faith to your cart and then use the coupon code MAR2008 during checkout to receive this title for free.

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Before I close, I must recommend a couple of resources for those interested in particularly Baptist confessions and catechisms. Here are two that I have found to be helpful.

1. Baptist Confessions of Faith compiled and edited by William Lumpkin (Judson Press, 1969) [Amazon | CBD].
2. The Baptist Confession of Faith 1689 with updated English notes by Peter Masters (Wakeman Trust; Rev Ed edition, 1989) [Amazon | CBD].

There are others but these are the ones with which I am most familiar. Permit me to conclude with the magnificent gospel statement with which The Heidelberg Catechism begins.

1 Q. What is your only comfort in life and death?
A. That I am not my own,
but belong—
body and soul,
in life and in death—
to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,
and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.
He also watches over me in such a way
that not a hair can fall from my head
without the will of my Father in heaven:
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.

Because I belong to him,
Christ, by his Holy Spirit,
assures me of eternal life
and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready
from now on to live for him.

Confessions & Catechisms