That he {Hammon} was a very zealous man will appear from the following anecdote. While at Canterbury he was going to preach at a distant place, and was overtaken by a violent storm of rain. While stopping under a tree for shelter a person from a house opposite called to him, and told him that he was an informer, and having heard there was to be preaching at such a place to-night he was going thither in order to give information of the persons who assembled. This was the very place where Mr. Hammon was appointed to preach, and he instantly replied; “I am a man-taker also.” “Are you so, said the informer? then we will go together.” When they arrived at the house, after sitting some time Mr. Hammon said to the informer, “Here are the people but where is the minister ? Unless there is a minister we cannot make a conventicle of it, and therefore I propose that either you or I ehould preach.” On the informer declining it, Mr. H. said, ” then I must,” which he did with so much energy, and so much to the surprize of the informer, that he from this time dropped his profession and became an altered man.

Nehemiah Coxe wrote:

It is the business of your salvation, and the concern of your precious and immortal souls, that a Minister is employed in; and therefore it is much more your own interest than his, that you should make conscience of your duty. With this argument the apostle enforces his exhortation, Heb. xiii. 17, ‘ For they watch for your souls, as they that must give an account, that they do it with joy, and not with grief, for that is unprofitable for you.’ The ministry can never be effectual to the saving of your souls, if you be not sincere in obedience under it. And will you be less careful for your souls, and their eternal welfare, than you are for your bodies, and the comforts of a temporal life? Can you be content to lay out your strength and substance to provide for these, and neglect the other? It is sad to consider, how many there are among professors, that live in the world, as if there were no truth in the report of that which is to come, and have the meanest esteem of the most necessary means of salvation, viz., the Word, and ordinnances of Christ, and a Gospel ministry; can expend perhaps an hundred pounds per annum, more or less, for the convenience, ornament, or delight of a frail carcase, but will not bestow half so much for the poor, or the support of Gospel worship.

We would caution all that would approach to this sacred evangelical ordinance, unless they be dead to sin, that is, such as truly and really hate wickedness, and the empty vanities of the world; and unless they have a prospect of, and long to have an interest in that never-fading inheritance, promised by our dear Lord Jesus to his children; not to profane this blessed institution; because, if they want [i.e. lack] the due qualification of serious and converted souls, viz., faith, repentance, and good lives, they are hereby entitled, not real members of Christ, but hypocrites, and incur as great a hazard, as such do who eat and drink unworthily of the Lord’s supper.

And I do not know a warning that I judge more necessary to be given those who are called this day, than to charge them not to trade too much with their natural gifts, and abilities, and learning. These are talents in their kind; but it is the Spirit must manage all that learning they have, or it will prejudice them and you also. I have known some good men have been so addicted to their study, that they have thought the last day of the week sufficient to prepare for their ministry, though they employ all the rest of the week in other studies. But your great business is, to trade with your spiritual abilities. John Owen, Works, 9:448.

This is the month, and this the happy morn,
Wherein the Son of heaven’s eternal King,
Of wedded Maid and Virgin Mother born,
Our great redemption from above did bring;
For so the holy pages once did sing,
That He our deadly forfeit should release,
And with His Father work us a perpetual peace.

That glorious form, that light unsufferable,
And that far-beaming blaze of majesty,
Wherewith He wont at heaven’s high council-table
To sit the midst of Trinal Unity,
He laid aside: and here with us to be,
Forsook the courts of everlasting day,
And chose with us a darksome bouse of mortal clay.

Say, heavenly Muse, shall not thy sacred vein
Afford a present to the Infant God ?
Hast thou no verse, no hymn, or solemn strain,
To welcome Him to this His new abode,
Now while the heaven, by the sun’s team untrud.
Hath took no print of the approaching light,
And all the spangled host keep watch in squadrons

See how from far upon the eastern road
The star-led Wizards haste with odours sweet:
O rim, prevent them with thy humble ode,
And lay it lowly at His blessed feet:
Have thou the honour first thy Lord to greet,
And join thy voice unto the angel choir,
From out His secret altar touch’d with hallow’d fire.

Can you name the Baptist pastor who served one church for over 50 years, and left us a marvelous testimony of his faith? Did you know that a famous Baptist wrote a book similar to The Pilgrim’s Progress, and that it was also a best seller? Who was the young Baptist pastor who dedicated himself to missions only to be prevented from going?  What foreign missionary became a Baptist, while on his way to the mission field, through careful study of Scripture?

You will find the answers to these questions by spending 2010 in the company of 11 classic Baptist books (July and August are combined). We are pleased to announce A Year with Baptist Classics, a reading program designed to encourage worship of our great God, to help Christians grow in their faith, and to introduce outstanding books and authors from Baptist history. By reading one book each month, you will be deeply blessed, have a greater understanding of the Christian life, and learn of the Lord’s kind dealings with others.

Solid Ground Christian Books is working together with Dr. James Renihan, Professor at The Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies, in Escondido, California to encourage the brethren to take a year to read eleven books from those committed to the Doctrines of Grace and the Baptist Faith. We are offering at least a 40% Discount off each of the eleven titles, and a 55% discount off the entire Baptist Classics Pack when ordered together.

Here are the books we have chosen:

January -  Benjamin Keach The Travels of True Godliness This is a work, written in the style of The Pilgrim’s Progress, tracing the growth, struggles and temptations faced by ‘True Godliness.’ It is an enjoyable journey depicting the path of growth in holiness.
February – Andrew Fuller: A Heart for Missions (Pearce Bio) One of the best Christian biographies ever written! Samuel Pearce was the Baptist version of Robert Murray McCheyne–a young pastor known for godliness and zeal whose life was brief but impact was profound.
March – Hercules Collins Devoted to the Service of the Temple A mighty man of God, Hercules Collins was a pastor of a very large London Congregation during the 17th century. This little book very helpfully collects some of his wonderful doctrinal and devotional writings.
April – Adoniram Judson On Christan Baptism The Congregational Missionary Society was shocked when its first missionary, Adoniram Judson, adopted credobaptist views while on his way to serve in India. In this book, Judson demonstrates the nature of Christian baptism.
May – Southern Baptist Sermons on Sovereignty and Responsibility American Baptist history is full of great preachers. Here is a collection of sermons by Southern worthies, expounding vital topics; by Basil Manly, Sr., W.B. Johnson, R.B.C. Howell & Richard Fuller.
June – John Broadus: Jesus of Nazareth Our Lord Jesus is wonderfully presented by another great Southern preacher, John Broadus.
July/August – Benjamin Beddome’s Exposition of the Baptist Catechism Here is a gem, long out of print, but recently reprinted. Theology is made practical by this pastor from the village of Bourton-on-the-Water in the English Cotswolds.
September – Andrew Fuller: The Backslider Christians struggle with sin–this is a fact. We need to consider this truth, learn about its dangers, and find the right method of recovery. This book will help.
October – John Bunyan: Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ We can’t neglect Bunyan! In this book, he calls us to find our full satisfaction in Jesus Christ.
November – Benjamin Keach: The Marrow of True Justification We live in a day when the doctrine of justification by faith alone is under attack. One of our fathers, Benjamin Keach, ably explains this doctrine here. This is the heart of the gospel.
December – Charles Spurgeon: Sermons on Men or Women of the Bible What a great way to conclude the year! As always, Spurgeon shows us how the men and women of the Bible point us to Jesus Christ.

Join us in 2010 as we learn from these servants of our Lord Jesus Christ. See Solid Ground Christian Books’ website.

Music belongs to the Christian life; and, it belongs to the Lord’s Day. Over the years, I have found that one of the best ways to prepare for the Lord’s Day worship is to put some really edifying music on and let it’s words and sounds comfort our minds in anticipation of the privilege of serving the Lord. This means, of course, that some tunes and songs, appropriate for other days, are not really suited for a day devoted to the Lord and His service. My choices are narrowed by the purpose of the music for the day. For this reason, it is always good to find something new to add to the collection of appropriate sounds.

Recently, I received a sample copy of a wonderful new collection of hymns on CD called Rest Assured Hymns. It is excellent. Covering 10 familiar hymns such as What E’er My God Ordains is Right, O Sacred Head Now Wounded, and When I Survey, the CD is a perfect addition to a collection of solid and edifying Christian music. It is performed in a peaceful, folksy style using acoustic instruments, beautiful harmonies, and rhythms appropriate to the tunes. New tunes are employed, and these complement the lyrics nicely.

The title, Rest Assured Hymns is wonderful. It can have at least three referents: 1. You can be ‘rest assured’ that these hymns edify; 2. When you put on this CD, you will be able to ‘rest’, ‘assured’ by the soothing music and excellent lyrics; and 3. As you meditate on these hymns, your ‘rest’ in Christ will be ‘assured.’

In any case, buy a copy of this CD. It is wonderful.

A new website, dedicated to Dunster, may be found here. Included are links to several biographies of this important but little known figure from our history.

The Solution
I have spent the greater amount of time in this address seeking to persuade you of my claim that even amongst those who claim to be reformed; we are drifting from our confessional roots and convictions; from our confessional standards as they are historically understood.  What is the solution?  In the time that is left, I will only be able to begin to sketch out the way forward.

Our reformed confessional standards are the only reasonable basis for a stable definition of reformed theology, piety and practice.  That’s why all those who are called to be ministers of word and sacraments in reformed churches need to be taught thoroughly the reformed faith and be able and ready to confess and proclaim and teach the faith once delivered to the saints.  This is the task of the ministry.

2 Timothy 4:1-5 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:  2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.  3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,  4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.  5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

I am not seeking here to give an exhaustive exegesis of this text but to highlight the thrust of Paul’s words to young pastor Timothy.  Notice first of all that this is formal language; Paul’s words are in the style of a formal charge.  He is not passing on some casual advice during an informal intern meeting at Starbucks.  Rather it is as if he was saying, as it were, “Timothy, get on your feet; stand up straight and place your right hand in the air for I am about to charge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus with regard to what you are to do in the gospel ministry.”

So what was Timothy to do? He was to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Tim 4:2). Paul is saying, “Timothy, preach the word!  In its application, you are to reprove, rebuke and exhort.  Now Timothy, not everyone is going to get it straight away so you are going to have to be patient and teach your hearers.  Timothy I don’t want you to be naïve, you also need to know, that the time is coming when some will not want to hear the Word, they will want teachers who will tell them what they want to hear, but Timothy, don’t change the message and don’t change the method.  Timothy, I know it is hard but don’t come and tell me that what you have been charged before God to do is not working and ask me for some alternative message and strategy that will be more relevant and popular. Timothy, no matter what others are doing, no matter what the people demand, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

Westminster Seminary California and the Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God.  They believe the historic Christian faith as summarized in the ecumenical creeds and the Reformed confessions and catechisms. They are dedicated to training men for the Reformed, pastoral ministry.  As students at these institutions you have a tremendous privilege and responsibility. Here at WSC and the IRBS, your calling, as students, is to study and prepare, in school, with pastors and scholars, to become pastor-scholars.  Many in our day want to undermine the necessity of the scholar component in pastor-scholars.  We need more pastors! they cry, but we don’t need trained scholars.  To be ready and able to “preach the word …reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching … fulfill your ministry” demands extensive study in the various theological disciplines. The Bible is not to be read in a vacuum; we read it with the church through the ages.  The Church has been thinking about and interpreting the Bible for a long time. So we need pastor-scholars who are not only trained to read God’s Word as it was written in the original languages, but who have been trained in the confessional reformed tradition. This is not something done quickly, easily, or cheaply.  Many of you have sacrificed to have this opportunity.  Many others sacrifice alongside you, as faithful donors, to give you this opportunity.  Maybe you think from time to time, “Is it worth all the sacrifice and labor?” It is worth it. You have an invaluable opportunity given to you; don’t waste it.

After Seminary
How does this work out when you leave seminary?  How should what you learn at self-consciously confessional, reformed institutions shape and impact any pastoral ministry to which God may call you in the future?  This is too large a topic with which for me to deal in any depth in the remaining time so let me rather suggest just one very practical application; the wording of ordination vows in reformed churches. The wording should reflect in detail that to which the minister is committing himself before God and the remedy the church has should he fail to keep his vow.

The following is the wording of the relevant vows I took at my ordination at Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Placerville, CA with regard to my confessional subscription.  The particular phrasings were adapted from the Canons of Dort.

Do you sincerely and in good conscience before the Lord, declare your full subscription that you heartily believe and are persuaded that all the articles and points of doctrine contained in the confessional standards of this church, do fully agree with the Word of God and do you promise therefore diligently to teach and faithfully to defend the aforesaid doctrine, without either directly or indirectly contradicting the same by your public preaching or writing.
By the grace of God, I do.

Do you declare, moreover, that you not only reject all errors that militate against this doctrine but that you are disposed to refute and contradict these and to exert yourself to keeping the Church free from such errors.
And if thereafter any difficulties or different sentiments respecting the aforesaid doctrines should arise in your mind, do you promise that you will neither publicly nor privately propose, teach, or defend these same, either by preaching or writing, until you have first revealed such sentiments to the other elders of this church, that the same may thereby be examined, being ready always to submit to the judgment of the elders of this church under penalty in case of refusal, of being by that very fact suspended from your office.
And further, if at any time the elders upon sufficient grounds of suspicion and to preserve the uniformity and purity of doctrine of this church, may deem it proper to require of you a further explanation of your sentiments respecting any particular article of the Confession of Faith, do you hereby promise to be always willing and ready to comply with such requisition, under the penalty above mentioned, reserving for yourself, however, the right of appeal in case you should believe yourself aggrieved by the sentence of the elders; and until a decision is made upon such an appeal, you will acquiesce in the determination and judgment already passed.
By the grace of God, I do.

If I were able to go back to my ordination, I would do one more thing, in addition to taking these vows.  I would have the church’s confession of faith, 2nd LBCF, set out on a table and I would sit down and sign it before the congregation.  Again this is not something that we can mandate for all ministers to do but it is a powerful, visible symbol of our commitment that we heartily believe and are persuaded that all the articles and points of doctrine contained in the confessional standards of the church, do fully agree with the Word of God and that we promise diligently to teach and faithfully to defend this doctrine, without either directly or indirectly contradicting the same by our public preaching or writing.

Will these things, in and of themselves, guarantee the success of confessional reformed orthodoxy?  It would be extremely naive to claim such but what they do provide is a solid foundation for remedy when things begin to drift or go awry.  Churches may claim to be confessional and reformed but, in reality, are not.  Ministers may say they are reformed but judged against the confessional standards of the church, historically understood, it may turn out they are not.

This is where the value of confessionalism is proven. A confession provides clarity of definition with regard to our theological identity and it defines our relationships.  It brings together who we are and what we believe and provides the objective means to dialogue with those with whom we differ.  Our reformed confessions are the means for the public affirmation and defense of truth; the church is to “hold fast the form of sound words” (2 Timothy 1:13).  Our reformed confessions serve as a public standard of fellowship and discipline. The biblical model of the local church is not a union of those who have agreed to differ but a body marked by peace and unity. The church is to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4:3).  And what is true of life within the local church is also true of fellowship between local churches and in particular, in Associations of Churches. What right thinking local church or association of churches, which values the preservation of its own doctrinal purity, as well as its own peace and unity, would seek fellowship with another body, knowing nothing of its stand on matters of truth and error?   Our reformed confessions also serve as a concise standard by which to evaluate ministers of the Word and sacraments.  The Minister of Word and sacraments is to be a “faithful man” (2 Timothy 2:2), who “must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Tit. 1:9). Our reformed confessions contribute to a sense of historical continuity. Our confessions unite us to a precious heritage of faith received from the past and are a legacy by which we may pass on to succeeding generations the faith of their fathers.

What is the ultimate motivation to be faithful in holding fast the form of sound words?
What will keep us going in these difficult days, faithful to our confessional, reformed identity and convictions?  Personal popularity?  A guaranteed, large and appreciative congregation?  The outward success of culturally relevant programs? No, it is the conviction that God will reward our labor not our results. 1 Corinthians 3:6-8 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.  7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.  8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.

This understanding of the minister’s work is sorely needed.  People are inclined to think far too often that the minister is responsible for the increase.  This thinking has practically turned our churches into business institutions, with the people as stockholders, committees as boards of directors and the minister as the chief executive officer. As far as the Bible is concerned, the pastor’s job is not to be successful as judged by outward results, but to be faithful in preaching the gospel. If the minister functions in this way, God will reward him ‘according to his own labor’
Thank God it is our labor, not the results of it, that forms the basis for reward. Benjamin B. Warfield writes, ‘What a consolation this is to the obscure workman to whom God has given much labor and few results…’(1).

May God help us to resist the siren calls of this day to slip our moorings from our confessional roots and convictions as they are expressed in our confessional standards as they are historically understood, as He did our reformed fore-fathers in their generation, and may He enable us to stand firm and hold to the traditions that we have been taught (2 Thess 2:15), looking to Him to give the growth and He sees fit.

(1) Geoffrey Wilson, 1 Corinthians: A Digest of Reformed Comment (The Banner of Truth Trust, 1978) 49