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The Complete Works of Thomas Manton

Tony Reinke BR > SGCB, Puritan Library, Puritans, spurgeon, Thomas Manton

For each the past several years we’ve been blessed with at least one monumental publishing achievement that furthers the Puritan legacy. This year I’m excited to announce one of the most important Puritan projects of the year—and certainly one of the most important I’ve seen in my 6 years of reading and collecting precious Puritan works!

Solid Ground Christian Books has printed and is now shipping a new photolithographed, cloth-covered, sewn-bound, edition of the 22-volume (10,500 page!) Complete Works of Thomas Manton.

I’ve been (gently) criticized by my blog readers for saying that Manton is overall more valuable for expositional research than John Owen, Richard Sibbes, and Thomas Goodwin. But I stand by my placement of Manton in the Puritan Library series and soon I will begin arguing that (1) because of Manton’s excellent biblical insights, (2) warm application of eternal truths to daily life, and (3) because of the excellent 250 page indices in the back of the Works, he is one of the most helpful and useful of all the Puritans for the preaching pastor. Can I argue successfully? You be the judge.

Bottom line: This set is an epic feat in recent Puritan publishing. And over the next few weeks I’ll be looking closer at the set and talking with those familiar with Manton in order to bring substance to that very claim.

“Show me your faith by your joy”

Tony Reinke BR > Banner of Truth, Faith, Puritans, Samuel Ward, spurgeon, Unbelief

“Live by faith; again I say, always live by it. Always rejoice through faith in the Lord! It is neglecting this exercise that allows your own low moods and Satan to interrupt your happiness and spiritual cheerfulness and to hold you in the dumps and in gloominess.

What if you have a natural inclination to melancholy? Cannot faith correct nature? Does it not have power to clear the mind of all cares, fears and griefs? Can it not exhilarate the whole man? But what good is this faith if it is not used? It is like a soldier, with a sword at his side, not drawing his weapon when he is attacked. If a discouragement overtakes, cannot your faith say to your soul, ‘Why are you disturbed? Know and consider in whom you believe.’ Would not the master rebuke the winds and the storms and bring calm to your mind again? Do not most men have something they use to counteract their discouragements, like David with his harp? Some seek refreshment in company, or wine, or tobacco. They would not go far without a supply of these! But would not the least taste of faith be far better?

Should not the wise Christian rather take in the sweet air from the precious promises of God? Keep your faith, and it will keep your joy. It will keep it in an even, ever-flowing current, without ebb and flow, clouds or eclipses, turning ever upon the hinges of heavenly and solid joy. How can it be otherwise?

Do not Christians consider how unsuitable it is for them to go about drooping and hanging the head? Is it not becoming for the righteous to rejoice? What is a Christian but one who is joyful? Does not the kingdom of heaven consist in joy? Does not heaviness drive people away while joy draws and wins? Men wonder to see a rich man, who has all his heart’s desire, in a fit of heaviness. But I wonder a thousand times more to see one that has Christ as his friend, and God as his shepherd, and knows that all must work for the best, to be any time out of tune or out of sorts. For a Nabal to be as dead as a stone is no surprise to me, but if Nehemiah’s countenance is changed, there must be some extraordinary cause.

Can you be sad when you have all possible treasures laid up in heavenly places, where moth and rust and thieves may not come? Our treasures are out of the devil’s reach, and not only for a number of years, but for ever and ever!

O vain man! Show me your faith by your joy. If you say you have faith and live a life of sadness, I will not believe you. Use your faith, and have joy; increase your faith and increase your joy.

Faith and a Mature Christian

I must now draw you a little higher. It is a small thing for you to be cheerful at an ordinary level. Your joy should exceed the happiness of those in the world both in quantity and quality. If your joy is not sweeter, and higher, and more pure, more constant than that of a carnal man, you dishonour your faith and show you are young in the kingdom of heaven, which is joy unspeakable and full of glory in the Holy Spirit. Do you not have living water flowing out of your soul? Should you that have tasted of the grapes of Canaan, pine for the onions and garlic of Egypt? Do you need to stoop to the world’s puddle to drink when you have tasted faith’s sweet fruits?

Certainly God gives us ordinary and lawful delights in the world, the wine and oil, music, recreations, etc. These God allows us to enjoy for the sake of bodily health, but not to stuff ourselves with them. We enjoy them, but we can be happy without them. We do not live for them, but live by faith.

It is sad to see a Christian pursuing joy in coarse and earthly pleasures when he has more noble and angelical delights, second only in degree and manner of enjoyment to heaven itself. Our faith takes us to the third heaven. We roll and tumble our souls in beds of roses, that is, our meditations of justification, sanctification, and salvation through Christ. No day should pass without these enjoyments. Should not our soul have her due drinks, breakfasts, meals, snacks, and desserts, as well as our body? Cannot such meditations make pleasant work of our daily tasks? They would make time pass by like a boat with full wind and tide, needing no oars. They would make all of our days like holidays and celebrations.”

—Samuel Ward, Living Faith (Banner of Truth, 2008) pp. 25-30.

The Preaching of Jonathan Edwards by John Carrick

Tony Reinke spurgeon

I would argue Jonathan Edwards is the greatest theologian in American history. Whether you agree or not, at some level we can all admit he was a unique theologian with few rivals. But Edwards the preacher? Was he dynamic? Did he read from his sermon notes in drab monotone? Were his sermons as complex as his books? For a man so widely respected for his theology, there remain many questions about the nature of his preaching.

With the completion of the Yale edition of the Works of Jonathan Edwards, scholars are set to take Edwards research to a new level. John Carrick, a professor at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, was one of the first to jump at the opportunity. Carrick’s new book The Preaching of Jonathan Edwards (Banner of Truth, 2008), helps answer a number of these questions about Edwards the preacher. But the book reaches far beyond the style of Edwards as Carrick explores the theology, application, content, style, structure, motive, delivery, literary features, logic, and legacy of Edwards preaching. Whew. And Carrick includes a load of direct quotes from Edwards’s manuscripts to illustrate his conclusions.

I was encouraged to see Carrick work closely with Yale scholars. Kenneth Minkema, the Executive director of the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University, and George Marsden, author of the definitive Edwards biography, answered questions and reviewed chapters of this book. And it shows. Carrick’s book captures some of the best research completed by the Yale folks on Edwards’s preaching, while giving Carrick a solid foundation to take a further step of evaluating Edwards from a reformed—and often a more spiritually substantive—perspective. For example, Carrick concludes chapter nine with these words: “’The power of most of Edwards’s sermons,’ insists Marsden ‘was their logic’—logic (we might add) sovereignty set ablaze by the Spirit of power” (p. 150). I applaud Carrick’s use of Yale research and his willingness to add deeper spiritual explanations when appropriate.

I found a number of excerpts helpful and instructive–Edwards use of logic in preaching; his belief that application was both mental (to think) and practical (to do); his ability to apply sermons to many hearers in diverse circumstances and heart conditions; a glimpse into the goals and motives behind his preaching; his use of imagery; his eternal perspective; and his use of the doctrine of hell to cause sinners to flee into the hands of the beautiful Savior.

Carrick’s chapter on Christ-Centeredness (pp. 97-112) is a superb synopsis of the beauty of Christ set forth in Edwards’s sermons. “It is important to note not only that Edwards constantly points to Christ in his preaching, but also that he provides what must rank as some of the loveliest detailed descriptions of Christ in the whole range of homiletical literature” (p. 103). The chapter concludes with an affirmation of what I have thought for some time: Edwards’s preaching ministry, when accumulated, reveals a man who was thoroughly cross-centered (pp. 111-112).

Banner of Truth has graciously granted us permission to post the table of contents, preface, and the entire first chapter—“The Edwards Legacy”—as a PDF download by clicking here (2.7MB). Take a moment to download and print this lengthily excerpt for a firsthand glimpse into this book.

The Banner of Truth has published another gem in 2008! John Carrick’s The Preaching of Jonathan Edwards will finish the year as one of our top 10 books of the year.

—————–

Title: The Preaching of Jonathan Edwards
Author: John Carrick
Boards: hardcover; black cloth and gold gilding
Pages: xi + 465
Volumes: 1
Dust jacket: yes
Binding: sewn
Topical index: no (a big bummer)
Scriptural index: yes (though not very important for a work like this)
Text: perfect type
Publisher: Banner of Truth
Year: 2008
Price USD: $28.00 / $16.80 at WTSBooks
ISBN-13: 9780851519838

Lady Wisdom

Tony Reinke Proverbs, spurgeon, Wisdom literature

The dusty Palestinian city was abuzz, despite the blazing morning sun. The city streets were lined with leaders, buyers, sellers, and laborers. Another workday was in full swing as men gathered at the gate to discuss matters of trade and government.

Robed women walked through the dry and dusty streets, scrutinizing lines of chickens and vegetables for the meals of the day. Unsteady wooden carts clicked along the rough streets to bring fresh produce from nearby villages. The city was fully awake with the chorus of conversation and commerce.

With the amount of people lining the streets, it was difficult to see and hear the woman standing where the city gate connected to main street. But she was better dressed than anyone, more sharply fitted than those out for another day of trading and business. In contrast to the men and women walking the streets with their heads bowed down to the street-level bustle, her eyes were raised upward to the burning desert sky.

This woman stood in the middle of the street, visibly removed from the produce, clothing, and other wares. She stood alone in the city square when she started to speak.

Her voice rose in intensity, and at times she would break into a yell–yet her voice barely broke through the accumulated commotion of the market. Turning to the left and to the right, she raised her voice to the people, now buried in their daily routines, who passed around her on all sides.

But apart from the sneering glances, the men, women, and children walked along uninterrupted. The woman now raised her arms, cupped her mouth with her hands, and yelled louder to the disinterested crowd. Many of the people, intently focused on the day, continued with little interest in the pleading woman. Yet it was those ignoring her—even those opposing her—to whom she showed deep concern.

Facing the growing resistance of the crowd, her heart filled with compassion and her voice grew even more strained. She approached two men standing in conversation and cried out, “Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right.” The men, annoyed at the interruption, walked away. She continued walking along the streets for one soul to listen and heed—just one! Yet those gathered as spectators of this now ardent woman began to ridicule and mock her as the town crazy. Still others walked on, avoiding eye contact. Others grew angry and lobbed derogatory responses as they passed, telling the woman to shut up. Yet the woman continued, her voice now pleading ever more urgent, with tears filling her eyes. She walked up to groups and spoke with specificity. “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?”

In the bustle of our day, God in his compassion and mercy is walking among us, offering the same sweet fruit of wisdom [Prov. 1].