Come Down, Lord!

This is a near impossible task as I particularly love biographies (and own hundreds).  I chose to name this list of six, Favourite 6 Reformed Biographies,  first because I wouldn't presume to name the top 6.  There are so many I haven't read!  I chose the title, second, because my own library is divided between reformed biographies and non-reformed biographies.   In a future post I will share my favourite 6 non-reformed biographies. I should note here that I include among the reformed, reformed Baptists, reformed Methodists and reformed Anglicans.   What do I mean by 'reformed'?  Simply that they hold to the doctrines of grace and to the 10 commandments.   Here, then, are my favourite 6 (of the reformed): 1. Memoirs & Remains of Robert Murray M'Cheyne  - Charles Spurgeon said this one should be in every Christian's library.   2. Diary and Journal of David Brainerd   - Few books have had the impact on the C...

  As a retired minister said once, "dark clouds are on the horizon."  Many of us believe that persecution is coming and even imminent.  The question is, how can we prepare?  What can we do in this interim period of relative quiet?  We must begin to systematically memorize Scripture .  Why?  Because in prison we may not have access to a Bible.   In a sermon to children J.C. Ryle gave some advice that we would be very wise to heed: "Youth and childhood are your summer.  Now you are strong and well.  Now you have plenty of time.  Now you have few worries and troubles to distract you.  Now is the best time for laying up food for your souls.  Ah, my beloved children, you must remember that winter is before you!  Old age is your winter.  Your frost, and snow, and rain, and storms, are all yet to come.  Sorrow, pain, sickness, death and judgment, will all come with old age.  Happy are those who get read f...

There are, of course, a number of useful treatments of the subject that do so technically.   I have been helped, for example, Mark Jones'  Knowing Christ and  B.B. Warfield's  The Emotional Life of our Lord .   But there are other books that offer something more.    My aim for each section is to limit myself to just 6 books.  So here are not necessarily the six most comprehensive or most technical books on the subject, but the six which have shown me most of Christ.    Here, then, are 6 recommendations on the very best of themes: 1.  Looking Unto Jesus   by Isaac Ambrose - When I visited Mr. Sprinkle's warehouse a few years ago I asked him for a recommendation.  I asked, "if I could buy just one book of all the books you have published which would say it should be?"  Mr.  Sprinkle immediately pulled this one off the shelf.  [His second choice was the  Christian's Daily Walk  by Henry...

The following was originally posted on our church blog in 2018.  I have revised and updated the list.  Two books from the previous list have been replaced. I have offered more than once a list of favourite books and in doing so I have tried to confine my selection to just a very few.   More recently I have concentrated on books that I would want to feed upon if shut up alone with just a few books other than my Bible.    I have done a number of posts recommending what I consider to be the top 6 books on a variety of themes ( see bottom for more ).   This time I am recommending books on the subject of Christian living or the Christian's progress in holiness (ie. sanctification).   I have come up with a list of 6  books dealing very generally with the Christian's progress in holiness and Christian living.  On this subject there are almost endless options and many many excellent books, but I committed from the beginning to limit my...

  Just yesterday I learned of this statement  (declaration) "on the liberties of the Church in Canada from sea to sea" authored by Dr. Joe Boot "in collaboration with" Dr. Aaron Rock, Dr. Michael Thiessen, Andre Schutten, and Pavel Stroilov. Please consider the following appeal found on their website (italics and highlighting are my own): "In Canada, as blessed recipients of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for generations and heirs of the Christian Parliamentary tradition and English Common Law, we have long been able to take our freedoms and liberties in the faith for granted. Tragically, those days have waned, and we all share culpability for the declining situation and loss of the pervasive influence of the Scriptures. In our generation, with the undeniably radical cultural shift over the last sixty years, we are confronted with increased political, institutional, and legal opposition to the faith . Christians are facing an attack on our historic liberties and Ch...