Counsel to Gospel Ministers

by John Brown of Haddington

Counsel to Gospel Ministers presents a collection of his letters to students who were training to be ministers. Throughout these letters, Brown stresses the need for preaching a clear gospel message with precise application. Yet he equally emphasizes the importance of exemplary behavior in ministers' conduct. Here is sage advice to pastors for taking the gospel seriously in all aspects of their life and ministry. With the publication of these letters, Brown's pastoral wisdom can be shared with new generations of gospel ministers.

121 pages, Paperback

Published May 25, 2017

About the author

John Brown of Haddington (1722-1787), was a Scottish divine and author.

Publications include:
A Help for the Ignorant (1758);
An Essay Towards an Easy, Plain, Practical, and Extensive Explication of the Assembly's Shorter Catechism (1758);
A Brief Dissertation on Christ's Righteousness, Showing to What Extent it is Imputed to Us in Justification (1759);
Two Short Catechisms Mutually Connected (1764);
The Christian Journal (1765);
An Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the Secession (1766);
Letters on the Constitution, Government, and Discipline of the Christian Church (1767);
Sacred Tropology (1768);
A Dictionary of the Holy Bible (1769);
Religious Steadfastness Recommended (1769);
A General History of the Christian Church (1771);
The Self-interpreting Bible (1778);
The Absurdity and Perfidy of All Authoritative Toleration of Gross Heresy, Blasphemy, Idolatry, Popery, in Britain (1780);
The Duty of Raising up Spiritual Children to Christ (1780);
The Fearful Shame and Contempt of Mere Professed Christians, Who Neglect to Raise Up Spiritual Children to Jesus Christ (1780);
An Evangelical and Practical View of the Types and Figures of the Old Testament Dispensation (1781);
The Christian, the Student, and the Pastor, Exemplified in the Lives of Nine Eminent Ministers (1782)
The Young Christian Exemplified (1782);
A Compendious View of Natural and Revealed Religion (1782);
The Necessity and Advantage of Earnest Prayer for the Lord’s Special Direction in the Choice of Pastors (1783);
Practical Piety exemplified in the Lives of Thirteen Eminent Christians (1783);
A Compendious History of the British Churches (1784);
A Harmony of Scripture Prophecies and History of Their Fulfillment (1784);
Thoughts on the Travelling of the Mail on the Lord's Day (1785);
An Apology for a More Frequent Administration of the Lord’s Supper; with Answers to Objections (1804);
The Re-Exhibition of the Testimony Defended;
Devout Breathings of a Pious Soul;
The Necessity, Seriousness, and Sweetness of Practical Religion, in an Awakening Call, by Samuel Corbyn;
Address to Students of Divinity;
A Brief Concordance to the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments;
An Introduction to the Right Understanding of the Oracles of God;
The Posthumous Works of the late Rev. Mr. John Brown, Minister of the Gospel at Haddington;
Select Remains of the Rev. John Brown;
A Short Catechism for Young Children

Reviews

[Zack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little volume took me off-guard. It is so good. It brought me to tears twice, and I had to stop and pray at several points. If you’re a minister or an aspiring minister, get this book and read it. I may make this a regular devotional reading, as much of it is made up of scripture arranged in an anthological nature.

[Ethan McCarter · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, short collection of personal letters from the Seceder John Brown of Haddington. I'd highly recommend reading it in conjunction with his Systematic Theology, also published by Reformation Heritage, and any of his other works. Brown has a beautifully warm style to his writings that exemplify themselves in his letters. His care for young pastors, seminarians, and those ordained to the Gospel ministry is a warm tonic to the soul. The style of JBH makes one well up with tears, it did for me at least, as one sees how this man honored not pastors in and of themselves, but the Christ who called them as his undershepherds. Read this if you want to see the inner heart of JBH for those proclaiming the Gospel.

[Zachary Houghton · Rating 5 out of 5]

These short chapters contain wholly biblical advice for the encouragement and right conduct of ministers of the gospel. The book is written up so to be easy to read over shorter sessions. It is so easy to get caught up in the various programs and gimmicks that promise guaranteed results, and Brown’s words are comforting to the minister who struggles with the ill fruit of expectations many of these programs produce. It is also a book that emphasizes the model conduct and holiness of the minister—something often ignored in this numbers-driven, antinomian age.

I would definitely recommend this as a valuable gift and resource for any pastor or minister of the gospel.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best advice on how to pastor comes from the dead. This is a series of letters to pastors on how they should preach and act. It begins with a short biography explaining who John Brown was that was rich and informative. I was surprised at how timeless the advice was. There were plenty of places he surprised me in how pastoral and sensitive he was. The only dated advice was on being overly familiar with your congregation, which made sense for his time period.

The best part of the book is how saturated in the gospel it was. Over and over his emplores pastors to take the gospel seriously and let it infect everything in their ministry.

[Jordan Embree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I trust any man called to the office of elder/pastor/overseer would consider this work to be gold. All 3 sections are scripture saturated, Christ exalting, and immensely practical. The last section wherein Brown addresses his students was pointedly painful for me. I felt as if I was in the ring and took a hard gut punch from the left hand as the right was simultaneously picking me off the mat caressing my cheek. Christ is made much of in this little book and I trust it will have more than a little impact on your ministry if you engage it seriously.

[Cale Fauver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buy this for your pastor.

Second time through this short, powerful book. Letters from a seasoned minister. Extremely practical and doctrinal. The last paragraph is perhaps my most treasured:

“There is no master so kind as Christ; no service so pleasant and profitable as that of Christ; and no reward so full, satisfying, and permanent as that of Christ. Let us, therefore, begin all things from Christ, carry on all things with and through Christ, and let all things aim at and end in Christ.”

[Michael Beatty · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Brown of Haddington’s “Counsel to Gospel Ministers” is like the balm of Gilead to the soul of all Christian ministers. The volume is arranged as a series of letters to Christian ministers. I recommend reading a letter and taking some time away from the volume to reflect on each. I have found this approach to yield much fruit in my own life.

[Logan Almy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stirring charge to gospel ministers

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Purchase a copy of this book here! (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/3OLcbj4

Books of counsel to ministers regularly feel, at least to me, either excessively burdensome, or else excessively mild. The Bible sets high standards for a minister's character, provides clear instruction for our role, and gives encouragement. Unfortunately, many books either lash a minister with guilt, misdirect a minister's role, or else over-encourage without any conviction. This helpful book of letters, on the other hand, is balanced in all the right ways. It provides clear direction for the role and necessary character of a minister, but simultaneously lays out a path of encouragement and guidance. It rebukes what ought to be rebuked, warns what ought to be warned, and promotes what ought to be promoted. At times I was deeply convicted, other times deeply encouraged in my current role, and at other times wondered aloud, "Who is sufficient for these things?" to be met John Brown's answer that only the glorious Jesus Christ is our sufficiency.