Sanctify Them Through Thy Truth by Mark Sweetnam; published by, and available from, John Ritchie Ltd. Price £6.99. (9781907731730)
The Publisher commends this work in a brief paragraph, one sentence of which aptly summarises its content: “This book tells the fascinating story of how the Scriptures were inspired, preserved and transmitted.” Within its 24 chapters, the author deals with inspiration, preservation and transmission, but also with other important issues that are not always addressed in published materials about the Bible.
One of such matters is the canon of Scripture. The word ‘canon’, as the author notes, comes into our language from the Greek word for a measuring rod. In a rather technical sense, it is used for the Scriptures as “the rule of faith and of practice.” The author traces the role of men and councils, such as the Council of Carthage, and rightly concludes that they did not create “the Bible from scratch … [but] were … giving their seal of approval, to books that Christians had long recognised as Scripture.” A valuable historical line runs through Sanctify Them Through Thy Truth. That line runs from Old Testament times to beyond the apostolic era. Key figures like Luther and Calvin, William Tyndale, James VI of Scotland and James 1 of England are encountered, as well as notable leaders of revival like the Wesleys and George Whitefield. Noted too are J N Darby, and others, who met in Dublin in the 1820s, exercised to recover and practise truth that had been neglected for centuries. Many in our day attempt to set aside as irrelevant much of the Bible, while others – the ‘Montanuses’ of today - seek to place their private ‘revelations’ on the same level as Holy Scripture. Christians of all ages will find Sanctify Them Through Thy Truth a helpful read.
Tom Wilson
She Thanked Him by Olive Gardiner; published by Crimond House Publications and available from John Ritchie Ltd; 258 pages. Price £9.99. (9781908618023)
The subtitle of this book states that She Thanked Him is “a collection of poems, including newly written material as well as all her other previous work from She Praised Him, She Touched Him, She Loved Him, and She Worshipped Him.”
This volume was published 31 years after Olive Gardiner’s first book, She Touched Him. Its title is a fitting reflection of the deep thankfulness to God in the heart of the author. She informs the reader that “every poem has been rooted in His Word.”
The book is divided into various sections, mostly taken from the titles of her earlier books. It commences with a poem bearing the title of the book which is based on the godly character of Anna. She is the first of many Bible characters who form the subject of Olive Gardiner’s poems. Others include Barabbas, Bartimaeus, David, Hannah, Herod, Matthew, Naomi, Peter, Pilate’s wife and Zacchaeus.
Bible incidents are widely used to press home practical points, or to provide comfort and encouragement to those who require rest and refreshment. “The Hands of Jesus” is a poem that focuses our attention on His glorious Person, and reminds us that “Those tender hands have still their ancient power, to heal, forgive and keep us hour by hour.”
She Thanked Him also has two sections that present Christmas and Easter Poems, and concludes with a helpful index.
Alan Cameron
