Posts by Jeremy Walker

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Wise Counsel: John Newton's Letters to John Ryland Jr. Grant Gordon (ed.) Banner of Truth , 2009 (428pp, hbk) ISBN 9781848710535 Almost every young minister of the gospel could do with a Newton. They may not always realise that they need a Newton, but they probably do. To be blunt, they may not...
Am I Really A Christian? Mike McKinley Crossway , 2011, 160pp., paperback, $12.99 / £8.99 ISBN 978-1-4335-2576-6 We must be able to give the right answer for the right reasons to this all-important question, because heaven or hell hang upon that answer. Mike McKinley's book is designed to guide us...
Readers of this blog are likely to be familiar with some of the names and faces associated with Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary . You might recognise a few of them from the video below. Having friends there myself, I thought others might be interested to learn of the development of their...
The home which God has given to me and my family is one for which I am deeply grateful. However, as with cars, computers and bodies, home-owning is one of the great demonstrators of entropy. In my case, though, it also happens to demonstrate something a little more. The chap who owned the house...
Who knows what the future holds for the world now that the reins of power in what is probably still its most powerful nation are once more being wrestled over? Who knows what rulers and authorities will rise and fall in the coming months or decades or centuries, if God spares us? God does. God...
Matthew Henry: His Life and Influence Allan Harman Christian Focus , 2012, 208pp., paperback, £8.99 ISBN 9781845507831 While Matthew Henry's commentary, though sneered at in some quarters, remains rightly esteemed, the man himself is often little more than a cipher. Though in a style that is not...
L.M. (Wilton) Psalm 63 O God, my Strength, the early hour Of every day your praise shall claim. My soul desires to taste your power, And see the glory of your name. Life's glories fade beside your love, My lips and hands shall give you praise; Blessings poured out from stores above Bring sweet...
A quick note: Lee Gatiss has edited George Whitefield's Sermons in two volumes for Crossway. The two hardbound volumes are available from Amazon for £37.79 at the moment, but the whole shebang is available in a Kindle edition for only £10.52 . No idea how long this offer will last so bag it quickly...
The Scottish preacher and theologian Thomas Chalmers, in a sermon on "The necessity of the Spirit to give effect to the preaching of gospel," declared: How little must the presence of God be felt in that place, where the high functions of the pulpit are degraded into a stipulated exchange of...
Troubling reports are filtering through from the United Kingdom's capital. Apparently, there are concerns about a group of children, approximately seventy in number, suffering from a so far unexplained trauma. Counsellors in West London have been called in by worried parents, but the authorities...
A few days ago I was at the home of a mentor. I happened to be in a chair which I suspect he may use for some of his reading. Being that type, I picked up the book on the top of the pile and began flicking through it, opening it almost at random. I was struck by the paragraph italicised below, and...
I remember hearing the story: a gathering of ministers in a place that had known God's blessing in an unusual degree in time past, grieving over the present low state of things and seeking the Lord for his return. They pondered and discussed the ways and means that the Lord had given by means of...
8 7. 8 7 (Sussex) Grace abounding! Oh the sweetness Of those words to sinful hearts. Trace the stream of heavenly mercy That on darkened Calvary starts. Kings dispensing earthly splendours Cannot match our gracious Lord: Grace abounding! Oh the riches Of the bounty now outpoured. Grace divine! How...
Dr William Bates preached the funeral sermon of Thomas Manton. When we read how he described his departed friend, we understand why it is reported that Bates would weep whenever he spoke of Manton for some years after his friend's death. At the same time, the description below provides us with a...
"Why was I made to hear Thy voice, And enter while there's room, When thousands make a wretched choice, And rather starve than come?" So asked William Cowper. And so might each child of God ask, with a thousand more questions besides. Why was I chosen to receive life, when many die in their sins?...
How would you close a sermon? How would you bring to an end a sermon in which you were pleading for sinners to receive God's great pardon for sin? Here is an example from Spurgeon, preaching from Psalm 25.11 ("Pardon my iniquity, O Lord, for it is great"), in a sermon entitled "Great Pardon for...
I return from a welcome holiday (during which the growing murmur of delight at the prospect that I might have been banished, or for some other reason no longer be contributing here, was becoming distinctly audible) to find that life continues apace at Reformation21 (and I shall have my ear open for...
Readers here may be interested to note that Joel Beeke has entered the blogosphere. Those wishing to follow may find him at Joel Beeke: Doctrine for Life . At the moment he is mainly blogging a couple of preaching tours. Enjoy!
Not long ago, the good Dr Trueman took up the question of why the label 'Reformed' is more often associated with Baptists than with Presbyterians. I appreciated the irenic tone of Carl's answer (appreciably and appreciatedly different to the caustic and dismissive attitude of some others), and I...
C.M. (Brent) Come, merciful and mighty God, And break these hearts of stone: Your word the heavenly instrument, The power yours alone. These stubborn wills conform to yours; To feeble minds give light; Put fire into these empty hearts; Exert your gracious might. Give life where death is ruling now...
Before Dr Trueman lifts his battered hindquarters out of the saddle to engage with Graham Harrison and Peter Lewis, might I offer a brief sop to his troubled soul? I happened to be present when Graham Harrison delivered his material on the book, and - in his defence - his aim, while undoubtedly...
I suspect that those of you who hear a fair amount of preaching have experienced this, haven't you? Somewhere along the line the preacher has been informed that a rhetorical question is a good way to engage his congregation, hasn't he? And so what does he do? Well, he uses them almost relentlessly...
I suspect that those of you who hear a fair amount of preaching have experienced this, haven't you? Somewhere along the line the preacher has been informed that a rhetorical question is a good way to engage his congregation, hasn't he? And so what does he do? Well, he uses them almost relentlessly...
Now that the news has broken that my album - tentatively entitled Funkier Than You Think - may be hitting the market before long, I feel marginally better qualified to speak to the issue of the sung worship of the church. The New Testament data with regard to singing in the worship of the church is...
Just popping out of the recording studio, where I have been working on my latest album, to point out (a) that the only thing that many people fear more than Paul Levy standing up to preach having forgotten his trousers is Paul Levy being given the opportunity to preach at a women's conference and (...
L.M. (Rockingham) Psalm 16 In you, O Lord, I put my trust; Preserve me in my time of need, I lie before you in the dust, And have no goodness there to plead. Among the saints on earth I reap Pleasures exceeding all below; This is the company I keep, These are the truest friends I know. Let others...
According to Spurgeon, ministerial character matters: When we say to you, my dear brethren, take care of your life, we mean be careful of even the minutiae of your character. Avoid little debts, unpunctuality, gossipping, nicknaming, petty quarrels, and all other of those little vices which fill...
A Review of The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins ( Scholastic Press, 2010) The Premise The Hunger Games trilogy ( The Hunger Games , Catching Fire and Mockingjay ) by Suzanne Collins is a current publishing phenomenon which is now a cinematic phenomenon as well. The series is set in Panem, a...
Given that the annual boastathon is already underway, I thought I would set the ball rolling here at Reformation21. This summer I will be reading . . . . . . mostly books. Let the stunned wonder and impressed applause begin.
In an attempt to serve my generation by the will of God (Acts 13.36), I make a careful but concerted effort (believe it or not) to employ technology - including social media - wisely and well. I was recently struck by Al Mohler's statement that "if you don't engage social media in a responsible and...
8 7. 8 7. D (iambic) (Constance) A mighty host of angels stands Around Christ's throne in heaven; Their sinless tongues extol his worth, All praise to him is given; With awe recount his mighty works, His face behold with wonder, Lift up their voice to hymn the Lord With a celestial thunder. A...
When the Jews saw Christ weep outside the tomb of Lazarus, this demonstration of his deep affection (compare Jn 11.3, 5) brought forth the declaration: "See how he loved him!" (Jn 11.36). His attitude and actions left the onlookers in no doubt concerning the feeling of Christ for his beloved friend...
It is with deep gratitude to God that The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies announces that the publishing house of Walter de Gruyter, with head offices in Berlin and Boston, has committed itself to the publication of a modern critical edition of the entire corpus of Andrew Fuller's published...
C.M. (Beatitudo) Psalm 1 How greatly favoured is the man Who, by the grace of God, Walks not in step with sinful men, Nor treads the sinner's road. The seat of mockers holds no joy: All wickedness is spurned By them whose love is for the law, Who righteousness have learned. God's precepts are their...
The famous Welsh preacher, Christmas Evans, once vividly described what he imagined Satan would look like if he came to church: The way in which a man hears the Gospel is an index to the state of his heart and the nature of his affections and desires. If we were to suppose that Satan came into the...
Despite the temptation to rise to Dr Trueman's bait - I can only assume that the man who wrote a book called Histories and Fallacies had his tongue firmly in his cheek when he whiffled out that tosh about Baptists "executing Dutch nudists," otherwise one wonders precisely how reliable is the...
Wilhelmus à Brakel offers some good advice to the gospel minister: He ought to use all his scholarship to formulate the matters to be presented, in order that he might express them in the clearest and most powerful manner. While using his scholarship, however, he must conceal his scholarship in the...
Consider the man born into a family of terrorists. The man's father had rebelled against the King of the kingdom in which he lived, and - having so rebelled - all his posterity were brought up to hate and fight the King who ruled in this kingdom. It is to this family that the man belongs. Having...
It is not, perhaps, a locus classicus for the pastoral office, but Genesis 31.36-42 certainly gives us some impression of the liabilities and responsibilities of the shepherd as understood by the men who used that phrase of their protectors and rulers. Perhaps a similar picture begins to emerge in...
Like many, you may be appalled at how often the Lord Jesus issues a command to those whom he has healed to keep silent about what has taken place and the command is immediately not just ignored but thoroughly trampled upon. "Horrors!" we cry, "Didn't they hear him? Weren't they listening when he...
I returned home yesterday from the Banner of Truth Ministers' Conference held in Leicester in the UK. This was the fiftieth anniversary of its founding, though not quite the fiftieth conference (they missed maybe one or two for various reasons over the years). We heard Ted Donnelly (briefly but...
For those who may be in the vicinity of Coventry (in the UK - not sure if there are others) on Monday 23rd April, you are warmly invited to the next Bulkington Lecture on church history at Bulkington Congregational Church . I have been asked to give a biographical address on Hugh Latimer, which...
And so it has happened. Carl Trueman, Puncturer of Bubbles, has been invited into the celebrity cauldron of T4G to discuss celebrity. Quite apart from the obvious irony of having the cachet actually to sit on the same platform as "Lig," "C.J." "Al," "Mark," "Thabiti," and other one-name monsters,...
Contra Mr Levy, I have not been spending my time in Zambia waiting for opportunities to assault people who went to worship God last Sunday. Indeed, I am delighted to know it. The thrust of my previous post was merely to emphasise that I would be particularly pleased to know that they are looking...
I have been in Zambia for the last few days - due to leave for home fairly soon - and so opportunity for anything other than my responsibilities here has been limited. However, things have slowed down a little, and I have an opportunity to pause. As I paused I came across a snippet from Spurgeon...
I first remember the tension while watching Battle of the Planets as a small boy. To those who were spared such torments or denied such pleasures (depending on your take), and especially to those who just read that Wikipedia entry and wondered what kind of existence I led, to the infant mind these...
Robert Traill's advice to men of God striving to be faithful and longing to be fruitful: Take heed unto thyself, that thou be a lively thriving Christian. See that all thy religion run not in the channel of thy employment. It is found by experience, that as it fares with a minister in the frame of...
Anselm Mulliner is a character in one of P. G. Wodehouse's short stories, entitled "Anselm Gets His Chance," available in the collection Eggs, Beans and Crumpets ( US ), for those interested. Anselm is curate of the parish of Rising Mattock in Hampshire, a man who "when he was not dreaming fondly...
As Christians in the UK and elsewhere engage in discussion among themselves and with civil authorities about the nature of marriage, it seems that many are concerned that such battles are indicative or even productive of a coming judgement. It would be worth our while to consider, on the basis of...
If you wanted evidence of the cruel intelligence and brutal vindictiveness of the Adversary, ask a preacher about the coincidence of his preparations and temptations. You will begin to understand why it was that Luther flung an inkpot at the devil while seeking to translate the Scriptures. Is he...