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Sabbath Scripture Readings: Meditations on Every Chapter of the New Testament
Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847) was considered by many the greatest Scots preacher of his day. This volume contains over 430 pages of personal musings upon every chapter in the New Testament. From October 1841 - September 1846 Chalmers compiled these "Sabbath Readings" as he systematically worked through every chapter in the New Testament. Like Augustine's "Confessions", these meditations are primarily written in the form and language of prayer. Here is Chalmers at his very best! "They are precious fragments of immortal thought." - Charles H. Spurgeon
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1848
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About the author
Thomas Chalmers
819 books15 followersThomas Chalmers FRSE was a Scottish presbyterian minister, professor of theology, political economist, and a leader of both the Church of Scotland and of the Free Church of Scotland. He has been called "Scotland's greatest nineteenth-century churchman".
Chalmers found himself at the head of the party in the Church of Scotland which stood for "non-intrusionism": the principle that no minister should be intruded into any parish contrary to the will of the congregation. Cases of conflict between the church and the civil power arose in Auchterarder, Dunkeld and Marnoch. The courts made it clear that the Church, in their opinion, held its temporalities on condition of rendering such obedience as the courts required. The Church then appealed to the government for relief. In January 1843 the government put a final negative on the church's claims for spiritual independence. The non-intrusionist movement ended in the Disruption: on 18 May 1843, 470 clergy withdrew from the general assembly and constituted themselves the Free Church of Scotland, with Chalmers as moderator.
In 1844, Chalmers announced a church extension campaign, for new building. In 1846 he became the first principal of the Divinity Hall of the Free Church of Scotland, as it was initially called.
Chalmers served as Vice-president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh from 1835 to 1842.
Chalmers found himself at the head of the party in the Church of Scotland which stood for "non-intrusionism": the principle that no minister should be intruded into any parish contrary to the will of the congregation. Cases of conflict between the church and the civil power arose in Auchterarder, Dunkeld and Marnoch. The courts made it clear that the Church, in their opinion, held its temporalities on condition of rendering such obedience as the courts required. The Church then appealed to the government for relief. In January 1843 the government put a final negative on the church's claims for spiritual independence. The non-intrusionist movement ended in the Disruption: on 18 May 1843, 470 clergy withdrew from the general assembly and constituted themselves the Free Church of Scotland, with Chalmers as moderator.
In 1844, Chalmers announced a church extension campaign, for new building. In 1846 he became the first principal of the Divinity Hall of the Free Church of Scotland, as it was initially called.
Chalmers served as Vice-president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh from 1835 to 1842.
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December 30, 2017
The Posthumous Works of Thomas Chalmers are worth buying for this volume alone. This would make an excellent volume to use for daily devotional reading, or to provide subject matter for prayer and self-examination.
I love the honesty of Chalmers. This volume has the same tone I found in the Diary and Life of Andrew A. Bonar (one of his students) - they both come across as very human, subject to all the same frailties and temptations as we all are. Sometimes older Christians, or renowned Christians, can give the impression of having all the answers, of being indifferent to the world, of living only for Christ, of being worthy of being looked up to and admired and respected. They hate to show, or choose to hide, their weaknesses, either out of pride or out of a sense of duty to preserve their good reputation so as to be worthy role models.
Such a disguising of defects or frailties is not necessarily in the best interests of Christianity. It can cause the average Christian to doubt their own salvation because their own experience doesn't seem to match up to that portrayed by prominent men of the faith. And this can cause depression and crush the bruised reed, or it can cause people to live a life of hypocrisy and deceit by making them feel the need to profess things which they have never personally experienced.
Chalmers does none of these things. Here is a man, renowned in Christian history, writing in the latter years of his life, and he comes across as being just like us, after a lifetime of serving Christ, still subject to all the same temptations, still committing the same sins, still with the same fears, still with the same humility or lack of assurance. For some this book might be a stumbling block and cause them to despair that they will never be rid of their corrupt natures in this life, but for many I am sure it will be a comfort and reassurance that even the greatest men of the faith were still but men, like as we are, and therefore it gives us hope that we too, weak as we are, could also be used in mighty ways by God, and bring honour to His name.
I love the honesty of Chalmers. This volume has the same tone I found in the Diary and Life of Andrew A. Bonar (one of his students) - they both come across as very human, subject to all the same frailties and temptations as we all are. Sometimes older Christians, or renowned Christians, can give the impression of having all the answers, of being indifferent to the world, of living only for Christ, of being worthy of being looked up to and admired and respected. They hate to show, or choose to hide, their weaknesses, either out of pride or out of a sense of duty to preserve their good reputation so as to be worthy role models.
Such a disguising of defects or frailties is not necessarily in the best interests of Christianity. It can cause the average Christian to doubt their own salvation because their own experience doesn't seem to match up to that portrayed by prominent men of the faith. And this can cause depression and crush the bruised reed, or it can cause people to live a life of hypocrisy and deceit by making them feel the need to profess things which they have never personally experienced.
Chalmers does none of these things. Here is a man, renowned in Christian history, writing in the latter years of his life, and he comes across as being just like us, after a lifetime of serving Christ, still subject to all the same temptations, still committing the same sins, still with the same fears, still with the same humility or lack of assurance. For some this book might be a stumbling block and cause them to despair that they will never be rid of their corrupt natures in this life, but for many I am sure it will be a comfort and reassurance that even the greatest men of the faith were still but men, like as we are, and therefore it gives us hope that we too, weak as we are, could also be used in mighty ways by God, and bring honour to His name.
Displaying 1 of 1 review