Byron Snapp

Book Review
The Sinfulness of Sin by Edward
Reynolds, Soli Deo Gloria Publications
213 W. Vincem St. ligonia, PA, 15658
475pp. hb. .
This reptint of Vol. 1 of the 1826
edition of Reynold's works is much
needed in our day. With much insight
and great detail the author opens up sin's
sinfulness by expIating the creature's
vanity as he expounds Ecclesiastes 1:14.
He then clearly shows the sinfulness of
sin using Romans 7:9 as a text. The first
two sections make the reader ready for
the third and final section which cemers
on the excellency of Christ based on I
John 5:12.
As with other puritan works reading
the book allows the reader to gain much
insight into Scripture as well as practical
Scriptural advice from a pastor who is a
student of the Bible. A few examples will
give you an idea of what I mean:
"A man can never be brought to God
till he forsake the creature: a man will
never forsake the creature, till he see the
vanity in the creature." (p.46)
"But above all, address thyself to the
throne of grace, and beseech the Lord so
as to sanctify his creatures unto thee, as
that theymaynot beeitherthievesagainst
him to steal away his honour, orsnares to
thee to entangle they soul." (p. 4 7)
"I think we shall never in the Scrip-
ture find the Devil at a pause, or sitting
still, like one that was spent and tired."
(p.165)
"If every man would single out some
notablesinsofhislife,andinthismanner
anatomize them, and see howmanysins
one sin containeth, even as one flower
many leaves and one pomegranate many
kernels, it could not but be a notable
means of humbling us for sin." (p.206)
"As the law may be preached too
much, when it is preached without the
ptincipal, which is the gospel: so the
gospel and the mercy therein may be
preached too much (orratherindeed too
little) becauseitiswith lesssuccess, (if we
may call it preaching, and not rather
perverting of the gospel) when it is
preached without the appendant which
is the law." (p. 350)
Hopefullythesequoteswill whet your
appetite to devour the feast the author
has prepared for the reader. This book
will nOt make us feel good about our-
selves as it opensup for us our sinfulness
and the futility of serving the creature.
Yet this, initself, is good. Seeing our own
propensity to partake of a sin which at
most is ouly p1easurable for a season
causes us to appreciate the life and work
of Christ all the more.
This message of the book will not be
popular today. Yet it contains the very
message those in and out of the church
need to hear. We cannot expect our
society to change until sin is dealt with.
We cannot expect our churches to grow
by leaps and bounds with such mes-
sages, although God may sovereignly
provide great numerical growth. We can
expect growth in personal godliness
however. Such godliness should work
itself outinto agreat passion for lost souls
and a growing hatred for sins.
The book begins with a biography of
the author's life. He was a member of the
Westminster Assembly.
The publisher is to be corrimended
for reptinting this volume. Those who
love Puritan writings will profit from this
book. The reader will find that small
doses of this book, taken regularly, will
provide a good antidote to our selfish
pride and any fa1se comfon abiding sin
givesus.n
The Turnabout Years: America's
Cultural Life, 1900-1950 by john
Chamberlain Jameson Books, Inc. P.O
Box 738 Ottawa, m. 254 pp. inc. index
$12.95. pb.
6 f mE COUNSEL of Chalcedon f December, 1992
Thisbookisacompilationofflfty-four
reviews published in the Freeman (which
the author helped stan) in the early 50's.
They have been brought together into
this book because of their great relevancy
for today. The reader can herein find Mr.
Chamberlain's remarks about a host of
individuals including john Dos Passos,
F. Scott Fitzgerald, Whittaker Cham-
bers' joseph McCarthy and james
Michener just to mention a few. As he
reviews books written by or about those
mentioned above, the author applies,
from a libertarian perspective, his com-
ments to current trends within society.
Manyoftheseremarksremindthereader
of the threat of Communism that existed
forty years ago and many believe is still a
threat today.
The insightful analysis by Mr. Cham-
berlain is underlined by the currem rel-
evance of commemary written over a
generation ago.
A few examples will illustrate this.
"The West began by being Chtistian
and because it was Chtistian it became
individualist, capitalist and free". (p. 99)
Speaking of Presidem Franklin D.
Roosevelt he writes: His offhand impro-
visations of the New Deal period (which
consisted of spending other people's
money) cheered a nation up, but they
also set in motion a long-tenn process
that must weaken the individual as the
self-reliam entity a man should be ....
Moreover, Roosevelt never did manage
to see that the war against Hitler and
Japan was a war within a war, and that a
greater totalitarian power would be set
free to make a shambles of Eastern u ~
rope and Asia on the very day after our
victory." (p. 107)
"When our constitution-makers as-
sembled at Philadelphia, they took with
them an old, deeply rooted Christian
theory of the nature of man." (p. 127)
Speaking of the Wright brother's in-
ventiveness without the help of civil
government he writes, "Creative indi-
viduals who insist that society has a duty
to support them while they are busy
creating will probably be nonplused by
. the Wright brothelS' attitude. For here
were a couple of creatolS who didn't
need the help of government grants and
who stood ready to pay their own
way ... The total cost of their first success-
ful power plane, the one that flew at Kitty
Hawk in 1903, was less than $1,000,
which the Wrights took out of iheir own
bicycle5hop business," Cp. 150-151)
A book of this type gives us historical
insights by an eyewitness. This view is
seldom if ever given in histOIY books.
aUf view of modem history is thus en-
hanced. As we see the Hight from Chris-
tian prindp1es as evidences Chamber-
lain's articles we can beuer understand
our more precarious position today and
the roots from which it came.
The articles, each about four pages in
length, are articulate andeasyto read. Of
COUISe some will be of more interest to
the individual reader than othelS. Thisis
anasset nota drawhackasit broadens the
book's appeal.
I wish the author had wriuen from a
distinctively Christian perspective,
pointingthereaderto ihe Word of God as
beingapplicabletoalloflifeandultimately
holding the true answer to sodalisro and
its false promises that result in the theft
from the many for the benefit of the few.
Without an appeal to the infallible
Scripture as prOviding the moral bedrock
for law and society, differing opinions
amongmenregardingihedirectionsodety
should take remain just one human's
opinion against anoiher. The true answer
rests not in conservative thought but in
Biblical thinking.
he First 350 Years
Yet Mr. Chamberlain notes, time and
again. the impact Christianity has hadon
our own nation. He points out that
Jamestown "was founded more than ten
yealS before the Plymouth Colony was
established." Yet America instinctively
looks back to the Plymouth Colony as its
spiritual progenitor. It does so offidally
each Thanksgiving Day; it does 50 unof-
fidallyevery day of the year." Cp. 100)
Within the book he best summarizes his
position regarding Christianity in these
words; "Whit Chambers feels that Chris-
tianity is right, while I feel that the in-
sights of Christianity are right." Cp. 186)
Through Mr. Chamberlain's ludd
writing the reader learns much and is
reminded of much a Iso. Thisbookrnakes
for much relevant reading for our own
day. Hopefully many will avail them-
selves of it. Q
For over 100 years Americans have been subjected to historical misin-
fonnation. We have been given lies for truth and myths for facts.
Modem, unbelieving historians have hidden the truth of our nation's
history from us. America:'I1",Pirst350 Years notonly corrects the lies,
but also points out t1lings "overlooked" by modem historians. It
interprets American history from a Christian perspective so that you
hearnotonlywhathappened, bywhyithappened-and whatitmeans
to us today. 32 lectures on 16-90minute cassettes,200 page notebook,
16 page study guide, lecture outlines, index & bibliography.
special rate fot Counsel of Chalcedon readers--
see page two editorial for more details
---------------------------------------
AMERICA: The First 350 Years--$64.95 x __ =
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December, 1992 t THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon t 7