"A Word About The Word"

“Whatever resistance we see today offered by almost all the world to the progress of the truth, we must not doubt that our Lord will come at last to break through all the undertakings of men and make a passage for His Word.  Let us hope boldly, then, more than we can understand; He will still surpass our opinion and our hope.”


                           John Calvin

"THE ORIGINS OF PURITANISM"

             ENGLISH PURITANS

BY
JOHN BROWN, D.D.

PURITANISM, as a recognised descriptive term, came into use, Thomas Fuller tells us, about the year 1564. But as there were reformers before the Reformation, so there were puritans before that which has come to be regarded as in a special sense the puritan period. For puritanism was not so much an organised system as a religious temper and a moral force, and being such it could enter into combinations and alliances of varied kind. It may fairly be applied to Wycliffe and the Lollards as well as to the later protestant reformers; to Hooper and Latimer in the days of Edward VI as well as to Cartwright and Travers in those of Elizabeth; to some who remained within the pale of the English Church and to others who separated from it. The name was not confined to presbyterians and congregationalists, for there were bishops who may be described as distinctly puritan; nor was it to be identified with the Calvinistic system of doctrine, for Archbishop Whitgift, who was the most resolute opponent of the puritans, was, as his Lambeth Articles shew, a believer in predestination in its extremest form. The term came also to have a political as well as an ecclesiastical significance. While in the sixteenth century it was descriptive of the men bent on carrying on the protestant Reformation to a further point, in the seventeenth century it became the recognised name of that party in the State which contended for the constitutional rights and liberties of the people as against the encroachments of the Crown.

"Witnessing A Loveless People" By Shane C. Montgomery

My stomach is not what is use to be, I seem to get sick to my stomach more and more, the smallest things set it off, not sure what is going on with it, pray it is nothing serious.  This sickness is not caused by any illness, no food  sets it off and I do not believe it is any chemical or odor that sneaks into my airway and makes this upset rumbling sound, soon followed by a strong queezy feeling.  None of the usual suspects are guilty in this case.  As I grow older and closer to God, I have noticed the lack of love that exists in our country.  I am not ignorant to the truth, I know love has never been high on the list of attributes that would describe our nation, we have always had bigotry, hate, racism and many, many other social woes plaguing a nation that never seemed to live up to it's potential.  Now, before you start in on me, I never lived up to my potential either, so I have little room to talk, I understand, but to see what could have been to what the truth reveals, well....it makes me uneasy to say the least.

"Introductory Essay" by J. I. Packer

Introductory Essay to John Owen's
"The Death of Death in the Death of Christ"
(Banner of Truth: London, 1983)

---

I.The Death of Death in the Death of Christ is a polemical work, designed to show among other things, that the doctrine of universal redemption is unscriptural and destructive of the gospel. There are many, therefore, to whom it is not likely to be of interest. Those who see no need for doctrinal exactness and have no time for theological debates which show up divisions between so-called Evangelicals may well regret its reappearance. Some may find the very sound of Owen's thesis so shocking that they will refuse to read his book at all; so passionate a thing is prejudice, and so proud are we of our theological shibboleths. But it is hoped that this reprint will find itself readers of a different spirit. There are signs today of a new upsurge of interest in the theology of the Bible: a new readiness to test traditions, to search the Scriptures and to think through the faith. It is to those who share this readiness that Owen's treatise is offered, in the belief that it will help us in one of the most urgent tasks facing Evangelical Christendom today--the recovery of the gospel.

"Saved by Christ, Tempted by Hell" By Shane C. Montgomery

I see Christ everywhere, in all places, in all things. The  love of Him who bled for me is more than you can see. Yet it be there, I promise thee. His majesty in the presence of my ugliness. His royal glory, my sinful mess.  He lives so I can live!   He bled for my sins, was buried for my evil, rose again for my soul and His Father's glory.  Satan lost one of his own, he is not pleased and desires the return of me. Christ knows me better than I might be, even in this, He still accepts me!  I hide my sins, past and present, from my heart and from my mind, still I deny, these things that should die. The true state of my soul, a Savior still I need.  I suppress evil thoughts, "Take leave of me!"  I scream, in hopes they flee, but they flee only as far as I let them be.  There I bury them, in graves so shallow, yet they do bother me still. If I run the world to and fro, sea to sea, corner to corner, free from sin, I shall never be, for my heart goes with me, the root of mine evil, it yet be.

""Effective Prayer" by C.H. Spurgeon

"Oh that I knew where I might find Him! that I might come even to His seat! I would order my cause before Him, and fill my mouth with arguments." - Job 23:3,4

In Job's uttermost extremity he cried after the Lord. The longing desire of an afflicted child of God is once more to see his Father's face. His first prayer is not, "Oh that I might be healed of the disease which now festers in every part of my body!" nor even, "Oh that I might see my children restored from the jaws of the grave, and my property once more brought from the hand of the spoiler!" but the first and uttermost cry is "Oh that I knew where I might find Him-- who is my God! that I might come even to His seat!"

"The Word of God: Its two parts — the Law and the Gospel"- Theodore Beza (1519-1605)

That which we call The Word of God: Its two parts — the Law and the Gospel

ON this subject we call the "Word of God" (for we know well that the Eternal Son of God is also so named) the caonical books of the Old and New Testament; for they proceed from the mouth of God Himself.

We divide this Word into two principal parts or kinds: the one is called the "Law", the other the "Gospel". For, all the rest can be gathered under the one or the other of these two headings.

What we call Law (when it is distinguished from Gospel and is taken for one of the two parts of the Word) is a doctrine whose seed is written by nature in our hearts. However, so that we may have a more exact knowledge, it was written by God on two Tables and is briefly comprehended in ten commandments. In these He sets out for us the obedience and perfect righteousness which we owe to His majesty and our neighbours. This on contrasting terms: either perpetual life, if we perfectly keep the Law without omitting a single point, or eternal death, if we do not completely fulfil the contents of each commandment (Deut. 30:15-20; James 2:10).

Massive Storm Approaches!

The forecast for the Cincinnati area calls for freezing rain overnight.  We do not fair well when ever we get ice storms so I hope we do not have any power outages.  The last two ice storms disrupted normal life here dramatically, the first a few years back knocked out power, phone and water for eight days.  We do not need a repeat of that, rough going that was.  If you see no new posts for a few days, more than likely the ice knocked us off line and we are under a ton of blankets!

Lord Willing, this storm that is suppose to hit the Midwest will not be so bad and everyones power and heat will remain intact.  If not, we will be reading by candlelight for awhile.
Be Holy
Shane C. Montgomery

"2011 Christianity Today Book Awards"

Our judging began with 427 titles submitted by 62 publishers. Christianity Today's editors selected finalists in each category, and our judges determined the books that best offer insights into the people, events, and ideas that shape evangelical life, thought, and mission.

Apologetics/Evangelism | Spirituality | Theology/Ethics | Biblical Studies |Christian Living | Christianity and Culture | Missions/Global Affairs | The Church/Pastoral Leadership | Fiction | History/Biography |

Apologetics / Evangelism

The Passionate Intellect Christian Faith and the Discipleship of the Mind Alister Mcgrath (Intervarsity)

"McGrath illustrates how theology transforms our thinking and behavior, and how true apologetics engages not only the mind but also the heart and imagination. His critique of the New Atheism is brilliant."