Foundations online

Those who have not yet seen will be interested to know that the Affinity journal Foundations is now available online. See here. This edition contains the papers given at the last Affinity conference and rather inadequately reported here at the time.

I remember getting my first copies of Foundations personally from the then editor Eryl Davies. It was made up of sheets of paper bound with a plastic clip along the spine. I was a student in Aberystwyth at the time. Things move on.

Glad to commend it (except the cover which seems to me out of keeping with the name of the journal though it looks very nice! ;-)).

Aber 2010 02

The first evening session was on Monday night. The preacher was Gareth Williams from Bala and he took us to Colossians for a message that was chiefly evangelistic. Gareth is a similar age to myself. He was in Cardiff when I was in Aber. The second evening it was our friend Martin Downes on Acts 24, more consistently evangelistic but with a similar clear, calm and deliberate style. I am missing Bill James tonight as it's my turn to babysit. I'll also be missing Steve Brady and Stuart Olyott on subsequent nights as we have to leave early for a wedding.

I also missed Hywel Jones on the Christian mind yesterday afternoon but was able to hear Dale Ralph Davis the main speaker at a seminar this afternoon. I'll say something about his main addresses and this one in another post. I also managed a nice coffee with my friend Robert Strivens.

I missed Dr Jones as we were all on the beach in Borth (the whole wider family and friends, including one cousin of Eleri's over from the States) chatting and playing cricket. It's been remarkably good weather since we got here more or less. On the Monday afternoon I made my annual visit to the Christian Bookshop here in Aber and made a number of purchases. I sat down on the seafront to peruse them and got chatting with a young Estonian student. I don't think she had met a Christian really before so she was keen to talk. She proved sceptical and was sure that simply doing good deeds to please herself was enough. I told her she was blind and needed a "Copernican revolution" in her whole way of thinking - from a me-centred outlook to a God-centred one. I hope she meets other Christians this week. There are plenty about.

Aber 2010

Our chairman Gareth Edwards announced this morning that the speakers next year will be, God willing, Dale Ralph Davies and Gareth Williams (Bala), (Heresy Huntin') Martin Downes, Bill James and Stuart Olyott. Looks good.

Book Buys June

In June I made two major purchases on the internet and also bought some smaller volumes at the (slightly unimpressive) EMA bookstall. My big purchases were 2 distinctive STs
The four volume Christian's Reasonable Service by Wilhelmus A Brakel
A new Systematic Theology (Baptist!) by Robert Culver

I also got
Martin Downes' book Risking the Truth
Selderhuis's biography of Calvin which I am very much enjoying
A book on The Westminster Directory of Public Worship by Dever and Ferguson
A book on the Pharisees called Extreme Righteousness by Tom Hovestol

Banner blogged

Sadly, I had to leave before the final session at Banner, when Mark Johnston preached. I understand he was looking at trembling at God's Word. I'm sure it was fine. I also missed the question session yesterday which was a pity.
It has been a very good conference. Garry Williams two contributions were outstanding. It has all been pretty good, although some wouldn't have liked certain elements. I stayed up rather late each night (with Martin Downes, Jeremy Walker and others), which made getting to the morning prayer meetings rather difficult. It's lovely to chat though at night and through the day. On Wednesday afternoon I forsook the football field and headed off to nearby Bosworth Field in Gary Benfold's car. Brian Ellis from the Philippines, Mark Fisher from the Heath and Phil Arthur were with us. After a little drive into the countryside we came to the site, which is fairly well marked out but not as well as in the past according to Phil, the expert on all this. Anyway when we got back to the Visitor Centre a very helpful guide explained that archaeologists have been at work and major doubts had now been cast on the traditional site of Richard III's death. There are basically three theories and the jury is still out. Things are often more complicated than they appear at first.
On Wednesday night there was a gathering of the Taffia and co. There were so many crammed into Guy Davies' room that some sadly decided the heat was too much. Geoff was interviewing Sinclair Buchanan Ferguson. It was mostly an update on the great man's current very encouraging situation. He has just begun preaching through Romans in the ARP church he pastors in S Carolina (this a man who owns over a hundred Romans commentaries - he's currently on Origen which he's reading along with the letters of Ronald Reagan). Fascinating time.
My early departure was because I wanted to get down to South Wales. A bonus feature was meeting up with John Nicholls heading north to Cumbria for the weekend. He bought me a coffee (have I ever paid for my own?) and we had a nice half hour before parting.

Affinity blogged

The whole conference concluded with an opportunity to put a few questions to the speakers as a panel. That was a good time. Then after lunch we were all off. Despite a little a snow that morning travel didn't prove too difficult. One of the speakers, Michael Horton, came home with me and stayed the night. I took him to Heathrow this morning. It was good to have further fellowship in that way. Michael is a professor in Westminster West and the father of triplets! Copies of his magazine Modern Reformation were given to everyone at the conference.

It was a very good conference that provided sidelights on all sorts of issues. I get the impression that it is the younger men who are most attracted to new covenant theology in its various forms. I was attracted as a young man myself. The attraction seems to be the emphasis on exegesis over against systematics. Rightly the approach "where will these lead to?" was rejected by the conference. I personally want to reject NCT as it stands. It is important to say, however, that it is not so very different in practice and perhaps has some insights for us to take on board.

We were very kindly given CDs and mp3s to take home with us. Affinity can be found here.

I hope my blogs have been of interest to someone. I'm only sorry I was not able to to convey more of the fun and finesse. Bob Letham began what became a running joke on Percy the tank engine that has gone largely unreported. I enjoyed the informal fellowship with several men especially Heresy Huntin Martin Downes, Mark Thomas and others, especially from Wales. I even had time to ask Iain D Campbell (thanks for the link) about Julie Fowlis.

Anyway it's good to be back. Lots to do.

[Pics: Stephen Clark Conference chairman; my small group chaired by Jonathan Stephen; Doug Moo, Campbell and P Helm - half the final panel; the apparently uncotnroversial Horton covenants diagram; Mr Horton chats with Ayr based Gavin Beers - young but by no means NCT!]

John Colquhoun Link

I enjoyed reading this here on John Colquhoun (174-1827) author of a book on Repentance, soon to be reprinted according to Heresy Huntin' Martin Downes. Also see here at Monergism.

"Colquhoun was a Church of Scotland minister who also wrote Law and Gospel, the Covenant of Grace and The Covenant of Works. He was considered an able preacher of the "Marrow" theology, having been moulded in his Christian life and ministry by Thomas Boston's Fourfold State.

The "Marrow men" were defenders and preachers of the offer of God's free grace in Christ to all sinners.
The book (on Repentance) was first published in 1826, and published by the Banner of Truth in 1965. As I started reading through it I could not fathom why they let this little gem go out of print. Well the good news from Jonathan Watson at the Banner is that they will be republishing the book later this year.
Colquhoun wrote the following words about "evangelical" as opposed to natural or legal repentance:

It is a gracious principle and habit implanted in the soul by the Spirit of Christ, in the exercise of which a regenerate and believing sinner, deeply sensible of the exceeding sinfulness and just demerit of his innumerable sins is truly humbled and grieved before the Lord, on account of the sinfulness and hurtfulness of them.
He feels bitter remorse, unfeigned sorrow, and deep self-abhorrence for the aggravated transgressions of his life, and the deep depravity of his nature; chiefly, because by all his innumerable provocations he had dishonoured an infinitely holy and gracious God, transgressed a law which is "holy, just and good," and defiled, deformed and even destroyed his own precious soul.
This godly sorrow for sin and this holy abhorrence of it arise from a spiritual discovery of pardoning mercy with God in Christ, and from the exercise of trusting in his mercy.
And these feelings and exercises are always accompanied by an unfeigned love of universal holiness, and by fixed resolutions and endeavours to turn from all iniquity to God and to walk before him in newness of life.
Such, in general is the nature of that evangelical repentance, to the habit and exercise of which the Lord Jesus calls sinners who hear the Gospel.
Repentance, p. 10

Here is the inscription from Colquhoun's gravestone:

Having studied deeply the Doctrines of
Grace, and experienced their saving and

sanctifying power in his own soul.
He laboured earnestly and affectionately
to communicate the knowledge of them
to his Fellow Sinners.
As an Author his chief aim was to advance
the Glory of the Saviour.
In private he exhibited the effects of the
holy Doctrines he inculcated in public by
a close walk with God;
And by a kind affable and humble deportment
towards all men.
And in these several ways his labours
were acknowledged of God,
by whom they were blessed to many.
He was faithful unto death

and
has now received the Crown of Life.

Calvin link

I got quite excited when I saw the heading Calvin (audio links). I was wondering just how they'd done it. Not quite what I thought, it is a link worth pursuing. Thanks Martin.

Link to a review

I thought this review here may be of interest and help to someone. One of the first funerals I ever took was a premature baby boy. Thanks Martin.

New Lloyd-Jones Book

Martin Downes has a brief feature on an interesting new book due from Banner soon. Check here.

Banner of Truth 2008

[Pics: Andrew King; Keith Hoare; Graham John talking with Keith Hoare adn Jeremy Walker with Ani Ekpo from Nigeria]

So the Banner was a great time as ever with that excellent balance of Calvinistic methodism or experiential Calvinism that is its strength. Perhaps it was more weighted to the experimental this time but we are celebrating Calvin next year and may be that will be more the other way. Gwynn Williams kicked us off with a carefully crafted and very methodist reminder of the need for the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. Gwynn later introduced John Aaron's long evening paper introducing the massive 2 volume 1600 page Tadau Methodistiaid which he has now translated and that Banner will be publishing this summer. Two things struck me about this. Firstly, I am familiar with the phrase 'Wales the land of revivals' but I had not really appreciated this as a simple fact of history (1735-1850) rather than anything else. Secondly, a sketch of this history explained how Dr Lloyd-Jones could be so disappointed with what he knew in his day. From a high point of 53% of the population attending evangelical churches in 1851 to the present point where only 2% attend any church at all is a roller coaster story of gain and loss. For any believer this is of interest. For a Welshman it is particularly poignant.

The main speakers at the conference were Joel Beeke (on preaching Christ), Stuart Olyott and Ian Hamilton (Cambridge). All had useful things to say. I like Stuart Olyott's clear cut, no nonsense style in particular. He spoke about pastoral ministry and on training up young men and gave the closing sermon on 'the message we always need to hear' about forgiveness (1 John 1). Joel and Ian use a more difficult style but had good things to say.

We also had brief sessions of Spurgeon (from Jonathan Watson) and the matter of unction (from Andrew King). There was also a news session and a question and answer time, always quite stimulating, as are the late night chats with various groups of twos and threes and more. It's great to see old friends like Bernard Lewis, Alan Davey and Keith Hoare, fellow bloggers like Guy Davies and Martin Downes, my father-in-law, the other Welshmen, etc, etc.