Jeremiah Burroughs was a peace-loving Puritan. Without sacrificing the truth, he sought unity among those who professed it, and prayed, preached, and pleaded to that end. Indeed, Richard Baxter, who felt keenly the need for peace but struggled himself to promote it, once remarked that if all the Episcopalians had been like Archbishop [James] Ussher, all the Presbyterians like Stephen Marshall, and all the Independents like Jeremiah Burroughs, then the breaches of the church would soon have been healed.

Article read this week:

– James Davison, 'The Irenic Jeremiah Burroughs', Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 559 (April 2010).

Further reading:

Jeremiah Burroughs, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (paperback, 232 pages.)

This week's episode art features a detail from William Bell Scott (1811–1890), Bernard Gilpin making Peace among the Borders, takes down the Glove in Rothbury Church, circa 1570 (One of a series of eight oil paintings illustrating the history of the English Border). Public domain: see file on Wikimedia here.

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In Psalm 31, David prays the following about those who fear the Lord:

'In the cover of your presence you hide them

from the plots of men;

you store them in your shelter

from the strife of tongues.'

In a world in which deception so often seems to prevail, and good reputations are tarnished by falsehoods, we need to realise afresh the power (and danger) of the tongue. We must lay hold of the God who can deliver us both from sinning with our tongues, and from 'the strife of tongues' when they are turned unjustly against us.

Featured Resources:

– Maurice Roberts, 'The Strife of Tongues', Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 460 (January 2002).

– Arnold A. Dallimore, Spurgeon: A Biography (1984, repr. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1985, 2014), p. 69.

Further reading:

John Flavel, Sinful Speech (Pocket Puritans)

N.B. the text of this Pocket Puritan is taken from 'A Caution to Seamen: A Dissuasive against Several Horrid and Detestable Sins' in The Works of John Flavel, Vol. 5 and 'The Reasonableness of Personal Reformation' in The Works of John Flavel, Vol. 6.

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The system of false teaching known as Socinianism proved a thorn in the side of the Reformed churches for more than two centuries. Even today, the essential tenets of Socinianism are still with us, and aspects of it pop up in the teaching of such movements as Unitarian Universalism, 'Oneness' Pentecostalism, Christadelphianism, and among the Jehovah's Witnesses.

As such, it is well for us to take a closer look at this movement, its key commitments, and how it emerged in the context of Reformation-era Europe.

Banner resources relevant to Socinianism:

– The Works of John Owen, Volume 12: The Gospel Defended (Clothbound, 639 pages)

– The Works of Andrew Fuller (1 Volume, 1012 pages)

– William Cunningham, Historical Theology (Clothbound, 1408 pages)

John Owen's (tragically amusing) presentation of John Biddle's Socinianism, in the form of a satirical catechism, can be found on pages 588 to 590 of The Works of John Owen, vol. 12: The Gospel Defended.

This week's podcast artwork features an image of a plaque in the Sozzini's palace in Siena which depicts Fausto and Lelio Sozzini. The etching on the plaque claims that 'During ages of fierce despotism, with their new doctrines they awoke the free thought'.

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As summer turns to autumn in the northern hemisphere, we do hope this note finds you doing well. This week we bring you an audio recording of Iain H. Murray speaking on 'John Knox' at the 2003 Youth Conference in Leicester, England.

More resources on John Knox:

– The Select Practical Writings of John Knox (Clothbound, 336 pages)

– The Works of John Knox (6 Volumes, 3824 pages)

– D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, John Knox and the Reformation (paperback, 144 pages)

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This week we bring you a conversation with Rev Jim McCarthy of Trinity Presbyterian Church, Statesboro, Georgia. Jim is the author of a new exposition of the two (yes, two) minor prophets who were sent by God to Nineveh, a leading city (and later capital) of the Assyrian empire. Join us as we consider what these two biblical books have to say to us today.

The Two Prophets To Nineveh (paperback, 120 pages) will be released on October 6. You can join the waitlist to be informed when the title is available for purchase.

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This week we read some words of comfort and counsel suitable for all weary believers, and especially for pastors who feel stretched beyond what they can bear.

Featured Resources:

– C. H. Spurgeon, 'The Minister's Fainting Fits,' in The Minister's Self-Watch & The Minister's Fainting Fits (booklet), (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2025), p. 40–42. This lecture also appears in Lectures to My Students by the same author.

– Robert Murray M'Cheyne, 'To the Rev. Dan. Edwards' in Memoir and Remains of Robert Murray M'Cheyne (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1966, 2024), p. 282.

– Robert Murray M'Cheyne, 'To the Rev. W. C. Burns' in Memoir and Remains of Robert Murray M'Cheyne (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1966, 2024), p. 216.

– Robert Murray M'Cheyne, 'To the Rev. W. C. Burns' in Memoir and Remains of Robert Murray M'Cheyne (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1966, 2024), p. 289.

New from the Banner:

The Minister's Self-Watch and The Minister's Fainting Fits (booklet)

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Arnold Dallimore's name has long been associated with the Banner of Truth. Noted for his biographies of Spurgeon and Whitefield, Dallimore (d. 1998) was an Ontarian 'small-town pastor' whose writing labours took place against a backdrop of financial pressure and ministerial responsibility, and without the advantages of local research facilities. We take time this week to go 'behind the scenes' and find out more about this patient servant of the Lord, and his beloved wife May (d. 2015).

Featured Resources:

– Michael A. G. Haykin, 'Remembering Arnold Dallimore and His Books,' The Banner of Truth Magazine, Issues 707–708, August & September 2022.

– Ian Hugh Clary, 'Remembering Arnold and May Dallimore,' The Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 621, June 2015.

– Walter Chantry*, 'Supporting Arnold Dallimore', The Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 510, March 2006.

*Author unknown. Walter Chantry was magazine editor at the time.

Books by Arnold Dallimore:

George Whitefield: The Life and Times of the Great Evangelist of the 18th Century Revival (2 volumes)

Spurgeon: A Biography

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This week on the podcast we focus on the contents and impact of one particular Banner book: Iain H. Murray's The Forgotten Spurgeon. First published in the Banner of Truth Magazine, and then in paperback in 1966, it has proved valuable in teaching many about the central importance of the doctrines of grace, and underscoring the need for a theologically rich gospel witness.

Featured Resources:

– Ian S. Barter, 'The Forgotten Spurgeon', You Must Read: Books That Have Shaped Our Lives (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 2015, 2025), pp. 251–256.

– Iain H. Murray, The Forgotten Spurgeon (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1966, 2023), pp.

Of note:

Spurgeon's Catechism: https://www.princeofpreachers.org/uploads/4/8/6/5/48652749/apuritancatechism.pdf

Iain H. Murray, Spurgeon vs. Hyper-Calvinism: The Battle for Gospel Preaching: https://banneroftruth.org/store/history-biography/spurgeon-vs-hyper-calvinism/

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