The ministry of Edward Irving in London, from its dramatic beginning in 1822 to its tragic close in 1834, when the preacher was only 42, became a talking-point of the 19th Century. And two of the ablest literary figures of the last century, Margaret Oliphant and Thomas Carlyle, ensured that the memory of those remarkable years would not be lost.

Arnold Dallimore, the biographer of George Whitefield, came to the conviction that although much has been written on Irving since Oliphant and Carlyle, there was need for a new popular account. Strangely, the same spiritual issues which were raised by Irving’s ministry have again become prominent in recent years.

The Life of Irving is an easily read and moving story, told with sympathy and honesty. It also seeks to deal accurately with the extraordinary claims which became associated with Irving’s later ministry. Certainly Irving drew the affection of most of the evangelical Christians who knew him. R.M. M’Cheyne, for instance, could write, ‘I look back on him with awe, as on the saints and martyrs of old’. Yet the distinctive features of Irving’s ministry caused considerable alarm among the evangelical churches. The author reveals the reasons why, as well as giving a gripping portrait of this remarkable man.

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It was fitting that Dr. Arnold Dallimore, author of a two-volume Life of George Whitefield (and more recently of The Life of Edward Irving) should then give us a book on Charles Haddon Spurgeon. It was in 1962 that the four-volume Autobiography of Spurgeon was republished in two volumes, with considerable rearrangement, but, even so, the Autobiography is too long to serve as a popular introduction. Accordingly, Dr. Dallimore, using these two volumes and other dependable sources, produced a much more concise narrative of Spurgeon’s life. He also set out ‘to understand and present something of the inner man- Spurgeon in his praying, his sufferings and depressions, his weaknesses and strengths; in his triumphs, humour, joys, and incredible accomplishments’.

It is no easy task to depict ‘so tremendous a personality’ as that of Spurgeon in a brief volume, but in 250 pages it is here accomplished, and with a large measure of success. It will meet the need of those completely ignorant of Spurgeon and his vast achievements, but will stir also the interest of all who value a unique ministry, yielding 62 volumes of  ‘deathless’ sermons and many other highly valuable publications.

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‘Justice has at last been done to the greatest preacher that England has ever produced.’– D. M. LLOYD-JONES

‘One of the great monumental literary achievements of the 20th century. George Whitefield has come alive for me as I have been reading the book, a few pages at a time each evening.’– Dr. SHERWOOD E. WIRT

‘…My heart was tremendously stirred as I read it – more than it has been for many, many years.’– Dr. OSWALD J. SMITH

Book Description

Volume 1 brings the story of George Whitefield, and of the evangelical revival, up to the end of the year 1740. In it we are told in vivid detail how a young man of Gloucester – ‘at 16 a tapster, at 26 the most brilliant and popular preacher the modern world has ever known’ – exercised a ministry of the gospel crammed full of arduous labour and crowned with divine blessing.

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REVIEWS

• Review by Tim Challies

The post George Whitefield appeared first on Banner of Truth UK.

‘Justice has at last been done to the greatest preacher that England has ever produced.’– D. M. LLOYD-JONES

‘One of the great monumental literary achievements of the 20th century. George Whitefield has come alive for me as I have been reading the book, a few pages at a time each evening.’– Dr. SHERWOOD E. WIRT

‘…My heart was tremendously stirred as I read it – more than it has been for many, many years.’– Dr. OSWALD J. SMITH

Book Description

The period 1741-1770, covered by this second and concluding volume, was not one of cloudless sunshine. It opened with the doctrinal conflict with the two Wesleys and with a serious division in Methodist ranks. But this was quickly followed by a visit to Scotland in which revival reached its high watermark. Then came years of unwavering effort to evangelize the people of the English-speaking world and to consolidate the gains. Multitudes of ‘the humble poor’ believed, and members of the aristocracy heard the message of grace.

An outstanding biography, popularly written, and with an urgent message for the present day.

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REVIEWS

• Review by Tim Challies

The post George Whitefield appeared first on Banner of Truth UK.

‘Justice has at last been done to the greatest preacher that England has ever produced.’– D. M. LLOYD-JONES

‘One of the great monumental literary achievements of the 20th century. George Whitefield has come alive for me as I have been reading the book, a few pages at a time each evening.’– Dr SHERWOOD E. WIRT

‘…My heart was tremendously stirred as I read it – more than it has been for many, many years.’– Dr OSWALD J. SMITH

‘The full [two volume set] makes you want to preach . . . I insist on the two-volume. It gives the heart of the man.’ -– Dr STEVE LAWSON

Book Description

Many reasons combine to make this full-scale portrait of Whitefield a biography of impressive importance.

First, Whitefield’s life provides in itself a story scarcely paralleled. From the age of 24 when he commanded the largest congregations yet seen in America, until his death 30 years later, his was the voice heard by the English-speaking world. By common consent he was the greatest preacher of the 18th Century, and of his preaching gifts J.C. Ryle wrote, ‘No Englishman, I believe, dead or alive, has ever equalled him.’

Second, Whitefield’s life is central in the historical epoch which shaped the subsequent history of Britain and America. the movements which saw the hitherto dormant doctrines of the Reformation preached in the open-air in England, which lifted the separate American colonies and forged a national religious consciousness, which broke the religious deadness of Scotland and made Wales a nation raised on the Bible, were all closely related to Whitefield.

Third, Whitefield’s life commencing as it did in an era of enormous religious indifference and scepticism provides a study in revival Christianity which is perhaps second only to the apostolic era itself. The hidden springs of the great evangelical revival did not lie in the men nor in the times, but rather in the fresh effusion of the Holy Spirit upon hearts and minds.

Volume 1 brings the story of George Whitefield, and of the evangelical revival, up to the end of the year 1740. In it we are told in vivid detail how a young man of Gloucester – ‘at 16 a tapster, at 26 the most brilliant and popular preacher the modern world has ever known’ – exercised a ministry of the gospel crammed full of arduous labour and crowned with divine blessing.

Volume 2 covers the period 1741-1770. It opened with the doctrinal conflict with the two Wesleys and with a serious division in Methodist ranks, quickly followed by a visit to Scotland in which revival reached its high watermark. It follows the remaining events onwards until his death in 1770.

An outstanding biography, popularly written, and with an urgent message for the present day.

Steve Lawson on Reading George Whitefield

REVIEWS

• Review by Tim Challies

The post George Whitefield appeared first on Banner of Truth UK.