Bibliography; Specific Recommendations

Recap of Principles for Healthy Christian Reading Habits

0:00 The following message was delivered in the adult Sunday school class of the Trinity Baptist Church on December 20, 1992.

0:10 Those of you who come to this class regularly will remember that during the month of October of this year, it was my privilege to lead the adult class for two sessions during which we considered together the subject A Healthy Christian and His Reading Habits. And during those two classes, for the sake of those who were not with us, I stated seven principles regarding the healthy Christian and his reading habits and sought to demonstrate the biblical taproots of those principles. The principles were as follows, that the healthy Christian will, first, comprise his reading of the Bible itself above all other reading matter. Secondly, that the healthy Christian will exercise discernment with respect to what constitutes his reading matter beyond the Bible. Thirdly, that the healthy Christian will judge the writings of all human authors by the infallible Word of God. Fourth, the healthy Christian will make it a matter of conscience to you, whose Christ's gifts contain in the printed page when they are providentially available.

1:36 And then the fifth principle, the healthy Christian will seek to establish a regular, well-balanced diet of reading. And sixth, a healthy Christian will seek to establish a realistic, moderate, and consistent reading program. And seventh, and finally, a healthy Christian will modify his reading program according to the providential crises brought into his life. And at the end of the second lesson, after opening up the final three principles, five, six, and seven, I stated that I hoped, I did not make a promise, I said I hoped that in days to come, Mr. Davies and I would be able to get together and to compose a working bibliography in order to give you some guidance with reference to the specific books that could be used within the framework of your implementation of those seven principles. And that desire to help you in that area is not something peculiar to me or to us as an eldership or to this church in its leadership elders deacons, it has been interesting to me to go through my own very limited library of Christian

Historical Precedent for Bibliographical Guidance

3:03 books and to see how many have sought to do something similar to this at other periods in the history of the church. Approximately 325 years ago, Richard Baxter sought to do this for his people, for in the Christian Directory, which is volume one of the printed, recently reprinted works of Baxter, he has in chapter 20 directions for the profitable reading of the Holy Scriptures, and he gives 10 very helpful directives. I've wondered if perhaps it wouldn't be well to read out one of these before the preaching of the word every Lord's Day for 10 weeks. Very profitable suggestions. But chapter 21 directs, directions for reading other books. And I gave you seven principles. Baxter almost doubled me.

3:57 He has 13 principles. However, Baxter did something all in one shot that I'm doing in different categories. Under the various directives, Baxter gave specific counsel regarding specific authors and specific books that were available to his people at that time in the Você andают. For example, a book on the Bibliotheque Всё-de-Haut volcano in rented 光i by Mitzcella on roughly 100,000 pictures. And this book was produced at the Royal Chapel And he sought to give them counsel with regard to the various categories in which those books would be most helpful to the souls of his people. And it's most interesting, as I went through these 13 directives of Baxter and specific authors whom he recommends, to notice how many of them have seen the light of day in our own generation as reprints 325 years after Baxter recommended them. For example, William Gurnall, Christian in Complete Armor. Baxter recommends his own works.

5:00 He does so with humility, but not with mock humility. He also recommends Bishop Hall, whose work has undergone a reprinting. He recognizes the worth of Sib's works, which have been reprinted by the Banner of Truth, Samuel Rutherford's letters, and several other authors who are available to us today and continue to speak to us, though they themselves may. And I think it's important to note that the books have long since gone to their reward.

5:33 I then went through my own library and picked off the shelf various booklets that were an attempt to do this. The Best Books, a Guide to Christian Literature by W.J. Greer.

5:45 And he compiled this rather extensive list, mentioning in 1968, when this was first printed by the Banner of Truth, only books that were in print and available at that time. A rather extensive list. A rather extensive treatise. Spurgeon did this to his students.

6:03 A Guide to Commentaries. This is found in various ways now in the lectures to my students at the end of the large volume that's been reprinted by Pilgrim Publications. It occurred, or it appeared some years ago in a title, Commenting and Commentaries. But nonetheless, it was Spurgeon's attempt to give guidance particularly to his students.

6:30 Regarding their reading habits. And then a more recent reprint by the Banner, some favorite books. My John McLeod, a Scotsman, who mentioned some works that had a profound influence upon his own life. And then Mr. Houghton, who for years made such a vital contribution to the life and ministry of the Banner of Truth.

6:54 This biography of his is entitled My Life and Books. This man. This man had one of the richest, most extensive personal libraries of worthwhile books of anyone in our generation. He has recently gone to be with the Lord.

7:11 And then right down to, I think this was published in 1990. Yes, 1992. Sinclair Ferguson's little booklet, Read Any Good Books. Now, why do I hold these up and mention them to you?

The Need for Guidance in a Glut of Books

7:25 Well, to indicate that wherever there is serious biblical Christianity. There will be an effort on the part of those in places of leadership to give guidance and help and direction to the people of God with reference to the matter of one's reading. For if Solomon said long before the invention of the printing press and desktop printers and copy machines of the making of books, there is no end. What would he say were he living today?

7:58 And because of the gluttony. And the fact that none of us, including the man standing before you, is an expert on everything that comes off the press, it is helpful when we can be given some general guidance with reference to our reading habits. Now, then, you should have in your hands two pieces of literature. Do you have two or just one?

8:25 Just one. All right. Dabney has not been reprinted. Dabney's.

8:30 The essay has not been made available to you yet. All right. Well, God willing, that will be made available. An essay, Mr. Davies?

8:39 This week in the book service. All right. This week in the book service, you may pick up a free copy of R.L. Dabney's essay on dangerous reading.

8:50 And we've reprinted this with a few comments to indicate that this may be very helpful in causing you to think through the impact of what we read. And I would urge you, if you do get a copy of that essay and read it, to think all the way through of a subtitle. Not only read it as dangerous reading, but put the subtitle indiscriminate TV watching and think of the principles as they apply to indiscriminate TV watching. And I think you will find that it is very helpful.

Clarifying the Purpose and Scope of the Bibliography

9:31 You will find it very, very helpful in both of those areas. Now, then, holding in your hands the sheet of paper that says at the top, the Christian's library, reading habits of the healthy Christian. Let me state, first of all, what this list is not, is not, is not intended to be. And if I had my full vocal apparatus, that third knot would be coming out at about 50 more decibels.

10:01 This is not a one-size-fits-all attempt to give you a reading list. You've seen these men's robes. They don't have small, medium, large. It says one-size-fits-all.

10:16 Well, I know it'll never fit me. If it fits some little guy, 5'1", 115 pounds, it's not going to fit somebody 6'2", 200 pounds. It's really not going to fit him. That's a joke.

10:28 But you have the one-size-fits-all garments. Well, this little sheet is not intended to be a one-size-fits-all bibliography of Christian literature. It is not intended to be that at all. All of us have different needs.

10:45 Each one of us in his or her sphere of responsibility and opportunities. Each one of us in terms of educational background, taste, and inclinations. We will differ in terms of what helps us. In terms of what we can handle.

11:01 And cannot handle. So please don't anyone canonize this sheet of paper. If anyone does that, we'll have a public burning outside. All right?

11:11 It is not intended to be a one-size-fits-all bibliography for all Christians at all times, in all places, and in all circumstances. Furthermore, it is not a spirit-inspired choice of the best available Christian literature in all the areas of concern that are addressed. This is not what it is purported to be. Rather, positively, it is a first effort subject to correction, improvement, and expansion.

11:46 It is a first effort aimed at accomplishing basically two things. Number one, to give general guidance to the average Christian in building up a helpful, balanced, well-balanced, well-used library of good books for himself and for his family. That's what it's intended to be. To give general guidance to the average Christian in building up a helpful, balanced, well-used library of good books for himself and for his family.

12:22 But then secondly, it is intended to highlight books in a general category of three levels. in a general category of three levels. you will notice that you have columns, basic, intermediate, and advanced. Sometimes that category rests primarily upon the size and the cost of a book.

12:47 There may be a given book that in terms of its content, in terms of how much the average Christian of average intelligence and average educational background could grasp its content, it may be in the advanced section not because it is more technical, not because it is more difficult to grasp the content because of the linguistic style, but simply the size and the cost. Sometimes it is in terms of amplifying a subject more fully, not necessarily more technically. The basic would be...

13:27 the mini version, and the intermediate, the more expanded, and the advanced, the most expanded, although sometimes the category does reflect a growing degree of difficulty and, therefore, of demands of time, of intellectual alacrity and strength and general background of knowledge. So that's what the three categories are. They are not to be limited to thinking, in terms of something that an average high school graduate could grasp, than an average college graduate, than an average Ph.D.

14:04 No, but rather in these other categories that I have mentioned, and then also we have tried to list the books that are, for the most part, available in our own book service. We don't want to awaken a desire and an interest and a hunger for a book and then have you spend all your time, instead of reading, writing to yourself. We don't want to awaken a desire and an interest and a hunger for a book and then have you spend all your time, instead of reading, writing to yourself. We don't want to awaken a desire and an interest and a hunger for a book and then have you spend all your time, instead of reading, writing to yourself.

General Reference Works

14:28 And we're starting to use book shops to see if the book is available. So most of the books, not all of them, are in print and available and those that are not have either recently undergone a printing and would be available quite readily through used book dealers. Alright, with that background, reviewing how we've gotten to where we are this morning, what my intention is in working through this bibliography… bibliography with you. In the time that remains, I want to make my way through the list highlighting certain of these books and others making no comment upon them. First of all, under the category of general reference works, we were concerned here to give guidance to the Christian family in terms of having a set of books that would be helpful when there was a given passage and you weren't sure just exactly what the meaning was, how you could attack the significance of that meaning, or you came across the name of a certain place in the Bible or person and you weren't sure of its significance or his significance. You were beginning to study a given book of the Bible and you wanted some background about that book. Why was it written? About the author? When was it written? The circumstances, etc. These would be the

15:55 consequences of having a set of books that would be helpful. There are kinds of works that you might turn to for your own personal devotional studies. You're reading through the New Testament and before you start the book of Ephesians, you know you'd profit much more if you understood a little bit of the background of why it was written, to whom it was written, the circumstances of the author when he wrote. You might want to use it in preparation for family worship. This is what we mean by general reference works. And there we have listed under basic some six general reference works. And the three that I would underscore as basic starters are Strong's Concordance, the Zondervan Pictorial Dictionary, and the Survey of the Bible by Hendrickson. I'm so thankful that the best book given to me after I was converted, the first book and most useful throughout the years, was a Strong's Concordance. And I've had that for 40 years. I rebounded a number of years ago, and it needs to be rebounded

17:02 again. But it's been my companion in my earthly pilgrimage. It's an exhaustive concordance, has every word in the old authorized version and in the revised version, included even all the prepositions at the back. And when you're seeking to see how God himself has used a given word throughout scripture, it is an excellent tool to help you. The directions for using the number coding are relatively simple. And the lexicons or the dictionaries of the meaning of Hebrew and Greek words at the back is very helpful as well. If you don't have a Strong's Concordance, I would give you the little couplet that was given to me years ago, Strong's for the strong, Young's for the young, and Cruden's for the crude. The three most well-known concordances. And though there is a little tongue-in-cheek humor in that,

18:03 I would say that if you would be strong, then get a Strong's Concordance. I think I made mention on more than one occasion, I can vividly remember as though it were just a few weeks ago, the Sunday afternoon as a young babe in Christ, I sat at the table in the dining room of our little home in Connecticut and used my Strong's Concordance to look up to the Lord and say, I have the word repent and repentance and repenting and repented. And from that day till this, I have never, never preached a gospel that didn't have the call to repentance. And the word of God was deeply impressed upon my spirit as I just tracked down the use of those words using the Strong's Concordance. And what is so helpful with the Zonderman Pictorial Dictionary is that all of the proper nouns of people and places, and all of the biblical terms that are found, terms in the scripture, justification, sanctification, adoption, all of those are treated in this one volume. And the theological terms are dealt with by those whose theology is not only conservative and evangelical, but for the most part, reformed. You'll find the statements on election, on foreordination, atonement.

19:26 Redemption, tremendously helpful little distillations of systematic theology in the Pictorial Bible Dictionary edited by Merrill Tenney. So I highly recommend that as a help in the family. And then with three stars in the margin, the Survey of the Bible by William Hendrickson. This is a veritable goldmine of wonderful, helpful information to whet your appetite if you've wondered, how did our Bible get collected, the various books over so many years?

20:03 This will give you a good survey in answering that question. You've wondered, how can I get a book that'll give me the basic principles that I ought to use in responsibly interpreting the Bible for myself? He has an excellent chapter on how the Bible should be interpreted. That's the science that gets the big name of hermeneutics.

20:25 And then the sections in which he traces out the chronology of the Bible, the various kings in Israel, in Judah, and shows them paralleled before you, the relationship of the various prophets, books that will help you in given areas, outlines for each of the books of the Bible, the purpose for which those books were written. I know of few books, of less than 500 pages, that contain the wealth of helpful information that Hendrickson's Survey of the Bible contains. So I do highly recommend that as a basic general reference work. The intermediate and the advanced, I'll say nothing about those. If you have questions, please, anything pertaining to New Testament, you can ask Dr. Bob. He's the man that has the greatest measure of

21:24 special, knowledge on New Testament matters. You can ask Pastor Lamar with matters referenced to Old Testament and then general explanations. Mr. Davies will gladly provide them there on in-house in conjunction with the book service or ask some of the other elders.

Commentaries

21:44 All right. What about commentaries? What do we do with the massive wealth of commentaries available? We have a limited amount of resources. We want something that we can always turn to.

21:57 And if we don't come up with the most astute and the most scholarly exposition of the text, is there someone who is a trusted guide in the scriptures? And at the head of the list, we've placed old Matthew Henry. He lives on generation after generation. And though for some of you, you may need to use a magnifying glass. The print is rather small in the six volumes.

22:27 There have been so many who have paid such glowing tribute to the worth and benefit of Matthew Henry. One hardly knows where to begin in commending those six volumes as something most desirable to be present in every single household. We have some in our own congregation who are using Matthew Henry in conjunction with their own devotion. Working through the whole of the Bible with Matthew Henry at their elbow.

22:57 George Whitefield did this, I believe, at least three or four times in his lifetime. And it is said that he read it through on his knees and that Matthew Henry, in a very real sense, was his constant tutor in the knowledge of God and of his word. And so I heartily recommend Matthew Henry, not only for balanced and, of course, God, but for even more so for God on earth. Well, when you read this work, the Bible is a kind of trustworthy exposition of the Scriptures.

23:32 You'll hear the scholars say, oh, Matthew Henry is just a devotional commentary as though Matthew Henry had no solid learning. But you will find allusions to classical literature and the knowledge of ancient languages. Occasionally, Matthew Henry lets his slip show and Matthew Henry was a scholar of the highest order. It is dubbed a devotional commentary.

23:54 His purpose was not to impress the scholarly world. His purpose was to advance godliness in the earth. And he repeatedly manifests that he never lost sight of that purpose. All the way through, he is concerned not only to expound the word of God, but also to demonstrate its application to life and to the real world in which we live.

24:19 And then many of you have found Ryle's expository thoughts on the gospel very helpful for personal devotions and also for family devotions. Ryle, again, is a trustworthy guide in almost all that he says. You'll find places where his views as an Anglican, both with reference to the church and to baptism, reflect his Anglican perspective. But those warts notwithstanding, that is a goldmine, of helpful material.

24:52 And then Wilson's New Testament series, little paperbacks which give you the cream of the commentaries that Mr. Wilson has consulted on every phrase or sentence of Scripture in the books that he deals with, starting with the Book of Romans. And we would heartily recommend these. And then Bridges on Proverbs, for those of you who are committed to giving, your children at least a once-through, thorough study of the Book of Proverbs every few years.

Classic Puritan Works

25:27 Nothing is finer available to us in the English language than Bridges on Proverbs. Well, then I must hasten on now to the third category, classic Puritan works. And we use the word classic in terms of those Puritan works that crop up in periodic reprints. You'll find them.

25:50 As far back as Baxter, who himself would be labeled in many ways as a Puritan, though he still remained in the Anglican church, he was committed to the vital godliness and piety and conversion of his people. And here we've listed Pilgrim's Progress books one and two. And I would urge you, if you've only read book one, read book two, because you will find in the experience of Christianity, and mercy, and Christiana's children, that which more parallels the average Christian experience than that which is reflected in book one, particularly in Bunyan's conversion and in some of his unusual struggles in the Christian life. If the ordinary Christian life is like this,

26:44 book two, Bunyan's Christian experience was like this, book one. And though it is a vast, valid expression of the experience of some of God's people, book two much more reflects the average Christian's experience. And that's why we've recommended that you read, and when it's appropriate, with your children and to your children. And you go on to make this a family matter that you include, book two.

27:15 And then Keeping the Heart by Flavel, a masterful treatise on Proverbs 4.23, and then The Mystery of Providence, also by Flavel, lifting up of the downcast. We've rather arbitrarily just focused on some of the helpful paperback reprints of the Puritans that are available. They're not intimidating when you look at them.

27:40 They come in these lovely paperbacks, most of them done by the Banner of Truth Trust. And then under the intermediate, we would highly recommend Watson's Body of Divinity. If you're teaching the catechism to your children, the shorter catechism, the Baptist version, then we would urge you to use the Body of Divinity for your own preparation and possibly even to read it, little sections at a time. It is a most helpful exposition of the shorter catechism.

28:12 And then I must say a word about Baxter's Christian Directory under the advanced, and I put it under the advanced because of its size, and of its expense. I didn't even dare to try to carry one in my satchel. It would have crowded out a lot of other books. But most of you know they're about that wide and yay tall and weigh about three, four pounds a piece.

28:34 But the material, the old Elizabethan English notwithstanding, is not hard to grasp by the spiritually-minded person. For example, in these directions with respect to reading, direction number one, I suppose that you keep the devil's books out of your hands and house. I mean cards and idle tales and playbooks and romances or love books. Yeah, they had their romance novels back then, just like the Harlequin novels today.

29:08 He said, I'm assuming you keep that garbage out of your house. What would he say regarding many TV programs that are nothing but Harlequin novels serialized? He says, I presuppose, you keep the devil's books out of your hands and out of your house. And he would say, out of your eyes.

29:30 That's not hard to understand. It's so plain. People will avoid Baxter because they can too well understand what he's saying. To a common family, begin with those books which at once inform the judgment about the fundamentals and awaken the affections to entertain them and improve them.

29:50 In other words, read books that go to the heart of the issue. So I do recommend that as though it's in the advanced, it is full of practical counsel and guidelines in family life, in civil life, your attitudes to work, to human government, to the church. Just reading through the table of contents, one is amazed that this was just one of many books that this man produced. You'd say it would take a lifetime just to compile the information, another lifetime to write it out in longhand, to dictate it.

Church History and Biography

30:24 And yet it was just one of his many works. Well, then we move quickly to church history. You've heard it said that the man who ignores history is doomed to repeat its faults and its failures. And we ought to be aware of what God has been pleased to do, how the devil has worked as he has sought to attack the Lord Jesus and the seed of the woman and all who are in him.

30:50 And in the language of the book of the Revelation, his seed, you know that God is able to direct the world to be the way that he wants it to be. And so we have a very perfect picture of this. And so it's not so difficult to read that information and to write it all down. And yet it's something that God has to be very careful about.

31:07 And I think the Bible is a perfect example of that. And I think that that's the key to church history to be государium. There is no one other text or scripture to be used. Only one scripture.

31:20 And it's right there. And I think one of the people who are going to be reading this, and many of whose books have been published, some of whose books have been published, and some of whose books have been published, are always going to read. But the fact is that the human germination, and the fact that they're going to read these scriptures, And it's very helpful, again, very fitting for family use, has excellent reproduction of paintings and pictures of places and people where significant events occurred. I would heartily recommend you obtaining this and sometime before your children leave your home, using it again to give them an acquaintance with the basic pivots around which the significant events in the progress of the church have turned.

31:52 And then the story of the church by Renwick, again, is a smaller paperback that gives a broad scope of church history, and then that people might appreciate what others have suffered for the sake of the gospel, Fox's Book of Martyrs, and then we've mentioned Mr. Waldron's Baptist Roots in America. The Quest for Godliness, you'd say, well, that sounds like a devotional book. Well, that gives you a history and something of the background of the Puritans.

32:21 And that's why... That's why it's been put in this section on church history.

32:25 And then if you can come on a copy of the History of the Reformation by Daubeney, I have the old four volumes in one double-column small print, and I remember the first time I read through it, I had to discipline myself and watch the clock and limit myself to an hour a day because it reads like a spy novel. It just captures the interest because Daubeney wrote not simply as a historian but as a philosopher. He was a fervent, godly Christian, and his blood and his guts are mingled with the history, and you sense that in reading it. Then under biography, this was most difficult to know where to begin, and again, some of you might put something that's under the intermediate, under the basic, but again, when you stand before all those books and wonder, where do I begin? We've tried to give a list of some of the books that would acquaint you with biography, which is a wonderful...

33:22 ...gold mine of seeing the grace of God at work in others, learning principles of the Christian life as we see God's dealings with others, and those that are listed, we recommend very highly right across the board, and I'm sure upon afterthought and the input that others will give to us, that list will undergo some changes and expansion.

Doctrinal Studies

33:47 But now hastening on to doctrinal studies. One of our great concerns...

33:53 ...and certainly that should be evident as you've been following the series on the manifesto, is that we be rooted and grounded in the truth as it is in Christ.

34:02 And if we are responsibly to handle any one part of the Bible, it is vital that we have an increasingly clear grasp of the total witness of the Bible concerning itself. And systematic theology is an attempt to set forth the total witness. Witness of the Word of God on a given subject, such as sin, and grace, and salvation, and these other vital elements. And I've put at the top of the list, or we put at the top of the list, The Christian Life by Sinclair Ferguson.

34:42 And what is so helpful with this book as a doctrinal book is that Sinclair Ferguson, many of us believe, has been given a unique gift in our generation. Of taking some of the deepest truths of the Word of God, and setting them out in the most simple, clear, and solidly biblical manner. And this particular book, The Christian Life, subtitled The Doctrinal Introduction, is perhaps the finest that I know in that category. I re-read sections in preparation for this lesson.

35:18 And he starts out by establishing the place of doctrine in relation to God. The relationship to a stable, virile, Christian life. And then he deals with sin, the image of God in man broken by sin. The plan of grace called by God, conviction, the new birth, faith, repentance, justification, adoption, union with Christ, election.

35:43 What the theologians would call definitive sanctification, sin's dominion ended. The Christian's conflicts, crucifying sin. Perseverance, a sleep in Christ and glorification. Those two chapters are worth the price of the book.

35:59 And then at the end, there is a very helpful index of subjects and of names that are mentioned. So if you had read through and said, well, there was something very, very good. I remember there was a quote by so and so. You'd turn in the back and you'd find where that man was quoted.

36:16 And then an index of all of the various scripture references. If you only have one book. To help ground you in the basic doctrines of the Christian faith. I would say you could not do better than to have Sinclair Ferguson's The Christian Life.

36:32 And then I would also mention, along with the things that are written under the basic, the shorter catechism, a Baptist version. We are thankful to God for the work that has been done to take that time proven catechism. Shorter catechism originally framed by the Westminster Assembly. In the mid-1600s.

36:54 And to alter several places where as Baptists we differ from our Presbyterian brethren. And the scriptural proofs have been rechecked and some of them changed and substituted. And again, memorizing the catechism and the biblical proofs can be one of the most effective means of being grounded in the knowledge of basic Christian theology. And then under the intermediate.

37:23 I would heartily recommend the second one listed, Redemption Accomplished and Applied by Professor John Murray. And then the Modern Exposition of the 1689 Confession by Pastor Waldron. And then the Manual of Theology by Dagg. Dagg is one of the few Baptist systematic theologians that we have in print.

37:46 And he sought under each head. A systematic theology to show the implications of that head for life and for Christian experience. And so there is a sermon of a devotional nature prior to the taking up of each of the various divisions of systematic theology. And then another very helpful manual, Know the Truth by Milne.

38:12 You'll notice that's the last one under the intermediate. And in preparation again. I did some extensive rereading. And perusing of this book.

38:20 And it is excellent in that those of you that want to do a self-study program. And are really serious about grasping the whole or one facet of the corpus of systematic theology. Will find this very helpful. Because at the end of every chapter.

38:38 He gives questions for the student to answer. And then a bibliography of parallel reading. And then he has a chapter on the application. What does this element of systematic theology say to me as a Christian.

38:54 Seeking to live to the glory of God. Well, hastening on because our time is going to get away from us. Defending the faith. Oh, I must mention at the Calvin's Institutes under the doctrinal advance.

39:10 We've placed the institutes because the two volumes are large and rather expensive. But you will not find the institutes complex. And I believe the average earnest serious Christian in this assembly. Could greatly profit from working through Calvin's Institutes.

Defending the Faith

39:33 As you are able to do so. Now under defending the faith. Here we've tried to pick out some books that address current issues. Where historic Christianity is under attack.

39:45 The gospel according to Jesus. By John MacArthur deals with the Savior Lordship issue. Pastor Seton gives a very brief defense of the five points of Calvinism. In his little booklet.

39:58 The five points of Calvinism. And then charismatics in the word of God. By Bugden is the most helpful thing I know. Addressing the whole charismatic issue.

40:10 In a very sane gracious biblical matter manner. And then under the intermediate. I would hardly recommend. If you are not familiar with them.

40:22 Unmasking the New Age by Douglas. I think the. How would you Hollanders pronounce that? Groothuis?

40:28 G-R-O-O-T-H-U-I-S. Say it nice and loud Bert. Groothuis. All right.

40:39 But for us it's Groothuis. All right. All right. I don't want you to go down the bookstore and say.

40:44 I don't find a Groothuis in there. All right. Thank you. I'm making fun of myself Bert.

40:49 Not you. I should be able to say it. But can't. But now we know.

40:54 And this is very helpful in identifying what is the New Age movement. And confronting the New Age is a sequel. And then there's a third book. But I especially urge those of you who have children in the public school system.

41:09 To at least read Unmasking the New Age. You may not be aware of how much of both the curriculum. Right down to even the gym class. May be influenced by New Age thinking and practices.

41:24 So please don't be naive. I would hardly recommend this book for you. And then since many of you have Roman Catholic relatives. And have been saved out of Catholicism.

41:35 I recommend very highly Salvation the Bible in Roman Catholicism by William Webster. Some of us saw this book when it was just in loose leaf form. Former Roman Catholic. Mr. Webster found it.

41:48 Mr. Webster found in dealing with Roman Catholic friends and relatives. That they were ignorant of the official teaching of the church. And what is so helpful with this book.

41:57 Is that he demonstrates from the official documents. Where Roman Catholic dogma is stated. All the way back to the Council of Trent. Down to Vatican II.

42:08 That there is no fundamental change in official Roman Catholic doctrine. And he demonstrates. And documents that doctrine. Then compares it with the word of God.

42:21 And shows its unscripturalness. And yet he doesn't do so in an inflammatory. Stuck out chin. Go get them attitude.

42:30 But in a gracious way. Calculated to win Roman Catholics away from the delusive errors of that system. By acquainting them with how horrible their system is. And then showing them how blessed is the way.

42:45 Of gospel truth and salvation. So I heartily recommend this is those. For those of you seeking to be. Equipped to witness to your Roman Catholic friends.

Christian Life and Devotional Helps

42:55 And as a tool. To use with them. Then very quickly under the Christian life. Here again.

43:01 There is such. A holy glut of materials available. We hardly knew where to begin. We've highlighted several books.

43:11 I would. If I had to give a three star or five star. Rating to any one of those in the first column. I believe it would be holiness by Bishop Ryle.

43:20 Collection of essays. Dealing. With fundamental issues of the Christian life. That is.

43:27 One of the most helpful books that. Many of us have found. A companion through our earthly pilgrimage. And then.

43:36 Some of the. Smaller books. Trusting God even when life hurts by Jerry Bridges. Very helpful application of the sovereignty of God.

43:47 To. Difficult providences. The booklet. Befined.

43:52 Frowning Providence. By. Not Professor Murray. But John Murray.

43:56 A dear personal friend. Who lost. A child in relative infancy. And out of the crucible of that suffering came.

44:05 This book. And then Sinclair Ferguson's. Discovering God's will. Is the most balanced.

44:11 Helpful treatise. I've ever read on the. Vexing subject of guidance. How do we know.

44:17 The will of God. And then over on the advance. Oh in volume six. Again.

44:24 We put that under the advance. Not because it's that difficult. But it is a large book. And it contains really.

44:30 Four treatises. And in conjunction with that. We're very happy. To make this announcement.

44:36 A group of men will be meeting. With a view to the guided reading. Through volume six. Of John Owen.

44:42 The treatise. On mortification of sin. Is 80 pages. Temptation.

44:46 60 pages. The third treatise. On indwelling sin. 150 pages.

44:50 And then the exposition. Of Psalm 130. Is 350 pages. And the first meeting.

44:54 Will be on January 22nd. In which the following. Will be given. An introduction.

44:58 To John Owen. And the sixth volume. And then a durable. Bookmark.

45:02 Which is an outline. I have it. On the page. Of John Owen.

45:06 The first reading. Will be on January 22nd. In which the following. Will be given.

45:10 An introduction. Which is an outline. I have one in my hands. It's covered in plastic.

45:15 Very durable. You see. I'm treating it. Very abusively.

45:19 And it's maintaining. Its shape. And form. And it has.

45:23 An outline. Of that. Initial treatise. Of 80 pages.

45:27 And there is. A commitment. To. Read through.

45:31 Those 80 pages. In a period. Of nine weeks. So that's.

45:35 Not even. Nine pages. A week. That's just.

45:39 A little more. Than. One page. A day.

45:44 Right. That's not a. That's not a grandiose. Scheme.

45:48 So. Thinking in terms. Of one or two pages. A day.

45:52 And then. Coming together. For our next meeting. In the third Friday.

45:56 Of February. Halfway through the reading. And then. A gathering.

46:00 On the third Friday. Of March. In order. To discuss.

46:04 What has been learned. And to pray. Together. So this is not.

46:08 Establishing. Some holy club. It's simply. A commitment.

46:12 To have a. Loose network. Of mutual. Accountability.

46:16 And so. If you are interested. In committing. Yourself.

46:20 To that reading. Program. Please contact. Pete Leon.

46:24 Or Chuck Davies. For further information. And indicate. Your.

46:28 Intentions. Well. We've got about. Seven minutes.

46:32 Left. Let's hasten. On through. Devotional.

46:36 Helps. Under that. Category. What we.

46:40 Intend. To. Do. In our.

46:44 Personal. Devotional. Exercises. The word.

46:48 Of God. And prayer. Must. Always.

46:52 Be central. However. In helping. Us.

46:56 Into. The word. In assisting. Us.

47:00 In our. Meditation. Upon. The word.

47:04 Here are. Some. Devotional. Helps.

47:08 Not. Substitutes. For. The.

47:12 Bank. Of. Faith. By.

47:16 Spurgeon. As. Well. Spurgeon's.

47:20 Devotional. Bible. Which. Starts.

47:24 In. Genesis. And. Goes.

47:28 Right. Through. Not. Every.

47:32 Chapter. Every. Verse. But.

47:36 Very. Helpful. In. Giving.

47:40 To. The. People. And.

47:44 The. One. Verse. And.

47:48 Read. His. Comments. Upon.

47:52 It. And. Pray. Them.

47:56 In. In. Conjunction. Then.

48:01 With. Preparation. For. Our.

48:05 Own. Personal. Bible. Reading.

48:09 And. Reading. Through. The.

48:13 Works. Of. Flavor. The.

48:17 Works. Of. Sips. And.

48:21 Broads. These. Can. Be.

48:25 A. Great. Assistance. In.

48:29 Our. Own. Devotional. Life.

Family, Church, Evangelism, and Children's Books

48:33 Then. Hastening. On. To.

48:37 The. Family. Church. And.

48:41 We. Would. Recommend. That.

48:45 If. You. Do. Not.

48:49 Have. These. Books. Especially.

48:53 Some. Of. You. Struggling.

48:57 With. Problems. In. Your.

49:01 Marriage. That. Perhaps. Before.

49:05 You. Run. To. Find.

49:09 Some. Books. That. Is.

49:13 Books. And. Booklets. To.

49:17 Be. Used. In. Conjunction.

49:21 With. Your. Efforts. To.

49:25 Reach. The. Lost. In.

49:29 Your. Own. Family. In.

49:33 Your. Neighborhood. And. In.

49:37 My. Own. Little. Bad.

49:41 Record. In. Bad. Heart.

49:45 I've. Been. Amazed. At.

49:49 How. Well. This. Has.

49:53 Been. Received. It's. Already.

49:57 Been. Translated. Into. Several.

50:01 Other. Languages. And. Then.

50:05 A. Lot. Of. Books.

50:09 To. Be. Used. In.

50:13 The. Work. Of. Evangelism.

50:17 The. Final. Book. Listed.

50:21 Under. Intermediate. To. Tell.

50:25 The. Truth. By. Will.

50:29 Metzger. Very. Helpful. Now.

50:33 In. The. History. For.

50:37 Young. Children. The. Kind.

50:41 That. You. As. Parents.

50:45 Will. Want. To. Use.

50:49 In. Reading. To. Them.

50:53 There. Is. A. Series.

50:57 By. I. Don't. Know.

51:01 It's. Pronounced. Kareem. The.

51:05 Art. Work. Is. Tremendously.

51:09 Impressive. Here's. The. Dry.

51:14 Land. Appearing. On. The.

51:18 Third. Day. Of. Creation.

51:22 And. Then. You. Have.

51:26 Light. And. Then. God's.

51:30 Creation. Of. All. The.

51:34 Plan. To. Send. The.

51:38 Savior. And. To. Make.

51:42 All. Things. New. Very.

51:46 Very. Good. Book. And.

51:50 Also. This. Series. Done.

51:54 By. The. Strict. Baptist.

51:58 Gospel. Standard. Trust. And.

52:02 No. There. And. When.

52:06 The. Text. Says. He's.

52:10 Fast. Asleep. That. Little.

52:14 Kids. Have. No. Problem.

52:18 Conceiving. That. That's. A.

52:22 Real. Person. Who. Is.

52:26 Asleep. In. The. Stern.

52:30 Of. The. Beautiful. Catalog.

52:34 And. We. List. The.

52:38 Chapel. Library. Which. Loans.

52:42 Books. As. Well. As.

52:46 Tapes. And. The. Banner.

52:50 Of. Truth. And. Then.

52:54 God's. World. Book. Club.

52:58 And. You. Can. Have.

53:02 A. Christian. Perspective. Would.

53:06 Recommend. Both. World. Magazine.

53:10 I've. Said. It's. Sort.

53:14 Of. A. Mini. Christian.

53:18 Time. Or. Newsweek. Magazine.

53:22 I've. Received. This. Ever.

53:26 Since. It. Began. To.

53:30 Use. On. Children. Were.

53:34 Being. Agitated. It. Has.

53:38 An. Excellent. Section. Usually.

53:42 Dealing. With. Pressing. Contemporary.

53:46 Issues. Congress. Cuddles. Social.

53:50 Work. Lobby. As. Children.

53:54 Languish. In. Abusive. Homes.

53:58 International. News. Services. And.

54:02 Then. This. In. National.

54:06 And. International. Religion. Report.

54:10 For. Those. Of. You.

54:14 That. Want. To. Be.

54:18 Kept. Aware. Of. What.

54:22 Is. Going. On. In.

54:26 The. World. In. Today.

54:30 I. Thought. Perhaps. We.

54:34 Ought. To. Try. To.

54:38 Find. Some. Way. Mr.

54:42 Davis. If. We. Can.

54:46 To. Have. A. Shelf.

54:50 Of. Some. Of. This.

54:54 Material. Perhaps. Even. Down.

54:58 On. I. Hope. This.

55:02 Is. Not. Been. Overly.

55:06 Pedantic. And. Heavy. It.

55:10 Has. Been. An. Attempt.

55:14 To. Help. You. As.

55:18 The. Lord's. People. And.

55:23 We. Would. Welcome. Your.

55:27 Input. To. This. Month.

55:31 And. Your. View. And.

55:35 Your. Self. Image. By.

55:39 J. Adams. Frankly. I.

55:43 Have. Been. Shocked. At.

55:47 How. Much. I. Heard.

55:51 From. Members. Of. Trinity.

55:55 The. Terminology. And. I urge you to read this book.

56:01 J. Adams has stated the issue, identified it so clearly and where it comes from and how pervasive this matter is. And he goes on to say, in truth, the verse says nothing of the sort. That is, thou shall love thy neighbors thyself.

56:16 You have Christian psychologists saying this verse tells us we must first love ourselves before we can love others. J. Adams says that's nonsense. The verse assumes we already love ourselves.

56:26 And it tells us to love God supremely and to love our neighbor. Those are the two commands. You'll find no command in the Bible to love yourself. Not one.

56:36 Not one. Are you shocked? Then you need to read the book. All right?

56:42 And be immunized against the glut of self-absorption that has leaked over into the Christian church and has turned many people into narcissistic pseudopaths. You're Christians and I urge you, please, don't, don't allow yourself to be sucked into this business. Your children already have too high a view of themselves. And what they need is a biblical view of themselves.

57:11 And J. Adams helps us to understand what that view is. Well, I won't be kicking myself then. I think I've underscored all that I wanted to for this.

57:21 The two children's books referred to by Pastor Martin towards the end of this presentation were The Caring Creator. By Corinne McKenzie. Published by Christian Focus. And The Miracles of Jesus by B.A. Ramsbottom.

57:36 Published by Gospel Standard. Each of these is one in a series of hardcover books by the same authors. For more information, please contact the Trinity Book Service.