The similar phrase 'Worldly Christianity' is one used by Bonhoeffer. It's J Gresham Machen that I want to line up most closely with. See his Christianity and culture here. Having done commentaries on Proverbs (Heavenly Wisdom) and Song of Songs (Heavenly Love), a matching title for Ecclesiastes would be Heavenly Worldliness. For my stance on worldliness, see 3 posts here.

Forgotten Anniversary 2 Samuel Wesley

Samuel Wesley (1662 – 1735) was a clergyman of the Church of England, as well as a poet and a writer of controversial prose.
His father was John Westley, ejected rector of Winterborne Whitechurch, Dorset. His mother was the daughter of John White, ejected rector of Trinity Church, Dorchester, the so-called "Patriarch of Dorchester". Following grammar school education in Dorchester, Wesley was sent away from home to prepare for ministerial training under Theophilus Gale. Gale's death in 1678 forestalled this; instead, he attended another grammar school and then studied at Dissenting academies under Edward Veel (or Veal) in Stepney then Charles Morton in Newington Green, where Gale had lived. Daniel Defoe also attended Morton's school contemporaneously with Wesley. Samuel resigned his place and his annual scholarship among the Dissenters and walked all the way to Oxford, where he enrolled at Exeter College as a "poor scholar" or "servitor" (ie he sustained himself financially by waiting on wealthy students). He also published a small book of poems, entitled Maggots: or Poems on Several Subjects never before Handled in 1685. The unusual title is explained in a few lines from the first page of the work: In his own defence the author writes Because when the foul maggot bites He ne'er can rest in quiet: Which makes him make so sad a face He'd beg your worship or your grace Unsight, unseen, to buy it
Wesley married Susanna Wesley in 1688. He fathered Samuel, John and Charles. He had 19 children, nine of whom died in infancy. Three boys and seven girls survived. In 1697 he was appointed to the living at Epworth through the benevolence of Queen Mary. He may have come to the queen's attention because of his heroic poem, "The Life of Christ" (1693) which he dedicated to her. Samuel Wesley's high-church liturgies, academic proclivities and loyalist Tory politics were a complete mismatch for those of his illiterate parishioners. He was not warmly received and his ministry was not widely appreciated. Wesley was soon deep in debt and much of his life would be spent trying to make financial ends meet. In 1709 his parsonage was destroyed by fire and son John was barely rescued from the flames.
Career
His poetic career began with the publication of Maggots. The poems appear to be an attempt to prove that poetic language can create beauty out of the most revolting subject. The first poem, "On a Maggot", is composed in hudibrastics, with a diction obviously Butlerian, and it is followed by facetious poetic dialogues and by Pindarics of the Cowleian sort but on such subjects as "On the Grunting of a Hog." In 1688 Wesley took his BA, at Exeter College, Oxford, following which he became a naval chaplain and, in 1690, rector of South Ormsby. In 1694 he took his MA from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and the following year he became rector of Epworth. During the run of the Athenian Gazette (1691–1697) he joined with Richard Sault and John Norris in assisting John Dunton, the promoter of the undertaking. His second venture in poetry, The Life of Our Blessed Lord and Saviour, an epic largely in heroic couplets with a prefatory discourse on heroic poetry, appeared in 1693, was reissued in 1694, and was honoured with a second edition in 1697. In 1695 he dutifully came forward with Elegies, lamenting the deaths of Queen Mary II and Archbishop Tillotson. An Epistle to a Friend concerning Poetry (1700) was followed by at least four other volumes of verse, the last of which was issued in 1717. His poetry appears to have had readers on a certain level, but it stirred up little pleasure among wits, writers or critics. Judith Drake confessed that she was lulled to sleep by Blackmore's Prince Arthur and by Wesley's "heroics" (Essay in Defence of the Female Sex, 1696, p. 50). And he was satirised as a mere poetaster in Garth's Dispensary, in Swift's The Battle of the Books, and in the earliest issues of the Dunciad.  
Controversy
For a few years in the early 18th century Wesley found himself in the vortex of controversy. Brought up in the dissenting tradition, he had swerved into conformity at some point during the 1680s, possibly under the influence of Tillotson, whom he greatly admired (cf. Epistle to a Friend, pp. 5–6). In 1702 there appeared his Letter from a Country Divine to his friend in London concerning the education of dissenters in their private academies, apparently written about 1693. This attack upon dissenting academies was published at an unfortunate time, when the public mind was inflamed by the intolerance of overzealous churchmen. Wesley was furiously answered; he replied in A Defence of a Letter (1704), and again in A Reply to Mr. Palmer's Vindication (1707). It is scarcely to Wesley's credit that in this quarrel he stood shoulder to shoulder with that most hot-headed of all contemporary bigots, Henry Sacheverell. His prominence in the controversy earned him the ironic compliments of Defoe, who recalled that our "Mighty Champion of this very High-Church Cause" had once written a poem to satirise frenzied Tories. About a week later Defoe, having got wind of a collection being taken up, for Wesley - who in consequence of a series of misfortunes was badly in debt - intimated that High-Church pamphleteering had turned out very profitably for both Lesley and Wesley. But in such snarling and bickering Wesley was out of his element, and, he seems to have avoided future quarrels. His literary criticism is small in bulk. But though it is neither brilliant nor well written (Wesley apparently composed at a break-neck clip), it is not without interest. Pope observed in 1730 that he was a "learned" man (letter to Swift, in Works, ed. Elwin-Courthope, VII, 184). The observation was correct, but it should be added that Wesley matured at the end of an age famous for its great learning, an age whose most distinguished poet was so much the scholar that he appeared more the pedant than the gentleman to critics of the succeeding era; Wesley was not singular for erudition among his 17th-century contemporaries.

Forgotten Anniversary 1 John Biddle

I've seen hardly anything noting that this year is the 350th since the death of the father of unitarianism. For the record
John Biddle was born Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, England, 14 January 1615 and died 22 September 1662. He was an influential English non-Trinitarian, and Unitarian. He is often called "the Father of English Unitarianism".
He studied at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, taking an MA 1641. Aged 26, he became headmaster of the Crypt Grammar School, Gloucester.The school had links to Gloucester Cathedral, and since he was obliged to teach his pupils according to the Catechism of the Church of England, he immersed himself in the study of the Bible.
He concluded from his studies that the doctrine of the Trinity was not supported by the Bible and set about publishing his own views on the nature of God. He was imprisoned in Gloucester, 1645, for his views but was released on bail. He was imprisoned again by Parliament 1646 and 1647. While still a prisoner, his tract Twelve Arguments Drawn Out of Scripture was published. Henry Vane defended Biddle in the House of Commons, and he was released on bail 1648. After a short while he was again imprisoned, in Newgate, where he remained until amnestied by the 1652 Act of Oblivion. Biddle and the MP John Fry, who had tried to aid him, were supported by the 1649 Leveller pamphlet Englands New Chaines Discovered. Biddle was strongly attacked by John Owen. In 1654-5 he was again in trouble with Parliament, which ordered his book A Two-fold Catechism to be seized; Cromwell exiled him to the Scilly Isles, out of the jurisdiction of any hostile English Parliaments. He was released in 1658 but was imprisoned once more, and became ill, leading to his death.
A biography by Joshua Toulmin was published in 1789.
Works
A Two-fold Catechism He is believed to have translated the Racovian Catechism into English.
Views
He denounced original sin, denied eternal punishment and translated a mortalist tract. He condemned the Ranters. He affirmed that the Bible was the Word of God and his Christology appears to be Socinian, denying the pre-existence of Christ but accepting the virgin birth.
Legacy
His appeal for conscience was one of the major milestones of the establishment of religious freedom in England. More recently his combination of Socinian Christology and millennialism has led to a rediscovery of his work among Christadelphians and other non-Trinitarian groups in the 1970s and '80s.

Unusual words 07 Pasquinade

It's an age since we've has one of these. I cam acrosss Pasquinade in Luke Tyerman's biography of Samuel Wesley (father of John and Charles) who used to write them as a young man.
It is a satire or lampoon, especially one that ridicules a specific person, traditionally written and posted in a public place. Pasquino is the Italian name given to an ancient Roman statue disinterred in 1501, which was annually posted with satirical verses

Addison on the essay form

I found this here on an interesting site I'd like to explore
Méga Biblion, méga kakón [“A great book is a great evil.”]
A Man who publishes his Works in a Volume, has an infinite Advantage over one who communicates his Writings to the World in loose Tracts and single Pieces. We do not expect to meet with any thing in a bulky Volume, till after some heavy Preamble, and several Words of Course, to prepare the Reader for what follows: Nay, Authors have established it as a kind of Rule, that a Man ought to be dull sometimes; as the most severe Reader makes Allowances for many Rests and Nodding-places in a Voluminous Writer. This gave Occasion to the famous Greek Proverb which I have chosen for my Motto, That a great Book is a great Evil.
On the contrary, those who publish their Thoughts in distinct Sheets, and as it were by Piece-meal, have  none of these Advantages. We must immediately fall into our Subject, and treat every Part of it in a lively Manner, or our Papers are thrown by as dull and insipid: Our Matter must lie close together, and either be wholly new in itself, or in the Turn it receives from our Expressions. Were the Books of our best Authors thus to be retailed to the Publick, and every Page submitted to the Taste of forty or fifty thousand Readers, I am afraid we should complain of many flat Expressions, trivial Observations, beaten Topicks, and common Thoughts, which go off very well in the Lump. At the same Time, notwithstanding some Papers may be made up of broken Hints and irregular Sketches, it is often expected that every Sheet should be a kind of Treatise, and make out in Thought what it wants in Bulk: That a Point of Humour should be worked up in all its Parts; and a Subject touched upon in its most essential Articles, without the Repetitions, Tautologies and Enlargements, that are indulged to longer Labours. The ordinary Writers of Morality prescribe to their Readers after the Galenick way; their Medicines are made up in large Quantities. An Essay-Writer must practise in the Chymical Method, and give the Virtue of a full Draught in a few Drops. Were all Books reduced thus to their Quintessence, many a bulky Author would make his Appearance in a Penny-Paper: There would be scarce such a thing in Nature as a Folio. The Works of an Age would be contained on a few Shelves; not to mention millions of Volumes that would be utterly annihilated.
I cannot think that the Difficulty of furnishing out separate Papers of this Nature, has hindered Authors from communicating their Thoughts to the World after such a Manner: Though I must confess I am amazed that the Press should be only made use of in this Way by News-Writers, and the Zealots of Parties; as if it were not more advantageous to Mankind to be instructed in Wisdom and Virtue, than in Politicks; and to be made good Fathers, Husbands and Sons, than Counsellors and Statesmen. Had the Philosophers and great Men of Antiquity, who took so much Pains in order to instruct Mankind, and leave the World wiser and better than they found it; had they, I say, been possessed of the Art of Printing, there is no question but they would have made such an Advantage of it, in dealing out their Lectures to the Publick. Our common Prints would be of great Use were they thus calculated to diffuse good Sense through the Bulk of a People, to clear up their Understandings, animate their Minds with Virtue, dissipate the Sorrows of a heavy Heart, or unbend the Mind from its more severe Employments with innocent Amusements. When Knowledge, instead of being bound up in Books and kept in Libraries and Retirements, is thus obtruded upon the Publick; when it is canvassed in every Assembly, and exposed upon every Table, I cannot forbear reflecting upon that Passage in the Proverbs: Wisdom crieth without, she uttereth her Voice in the Streets: she crieth in the chief Place of Concourse, in the Openings of the Gates. In the City she uttereth her Words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love Simplicity? and the Scorners delight in their Scorning? and Fools hate Knowledge?
The many Letters which come to me from Persons of the best Sense in both Sexes, (for I may pronounce their Characters from their Way of Writing) do not at a little encourage me in the Prosecution of this my Undertaking: Besides that my Book-seller tells me, the Demand for these my Papers increases daily. It is at his Instance that I shall continue my rural Speculations to the End of this Month; several having made up separate Sets of them, as they have done before of those relating to Wit, to Operas, to Points of Morality, or Subjects of Humour.
I am not at all mortified, when sometimes I see my Works thrown aside by Men of no Taste nor Learning. There is a kind of Heaviness and Ignorance that hangs upon the Minds of ordinary Men, which is too thick for Knowledge to break through. Their Souls are not to be enlightened. Nox atra cava circumvolat umbra. [“Black night surrounded [us] with its enfolding shadows.”—Virgil. Aeneid 2.360] To these I must apply the Fable of the Mole, That after having consulted many Oculists for the bettering of his Sight, was at last provided with a good Pair of Spectacles; but upon his endeavouring to make use of them, his Mother told him very prudently, That Spectacles, though they might help the Eye of a Man, could be of no use to a Mole.
It is not therefore for the Benefit of Moles that I publish these my daily Essays.
But besides such as are Moles through Ignorance, there are others who are Moles through Envy. As it is said in the Latin Proverb, ‘That one Man is a Wolf to another;’ so generally speaking, one Author is a Mole to another Author. It is impossible for them to discover Beauties in one another’s Works; they have Eyes only for Spots and Blemishes: They can indeed see the Light as it is said of the Animals which are their Namesakes, but the Idea of it is painful to them; they immediately shut their Eyes upon it, and withdraw themselves into a willful Obscurity. I have already caught two or three of these dark undermining Vermin, and intend to make a String of them, in order to hang them up in one of my Papers, as an Example to all such voluntary Moles. (1711)
MLA Citation Addison, Joseph. “On the essay form.” 1711. Quotidiana. Ed. Patrick Madden. 18 Jan 2007. 30 Nov 2012 .
 

10 Observations on the case of Jimmy Savile

1. In 1 Timothy 5:24 Paul says that The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgement ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. Jimmy Savile is a case in point. Some did have their doubts about him and some few knew there was a problem but until only a few months ago the official line was that his sins were not obvious. He was a man to be commended and celebrated.
2. Do not believe everything that people say. Even when on rare occasions Savile was confronted with his crimes he denied them all. We should not be surprised at that.
3. Many people have the idea that if your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds then all is well. In the case of Jimmy Savile there appear to have been many deeds that could be considered in some sense good. However, it is his evil deeds that are capturing the attention at the moment. Nobody is suggesting even for a moment that provided his good deeds outweigh his evil ones nothing more needs to be said.
4. One hopes that the Savile revelations will help put paid to the lie that the sixties was a wonderful period of freedom and progress. Rather it was just as much a period of licentious when a number of people took advantage of the situation to pursue their own evil agenda.
5. Society today prides itself on its non-judgemental, post-modernist attitudes. It is clear from the Savile case, however, that society still draws very clear lines beyond which no-one dare go. This is not an anything goes society, despite what it may claim. Sin may be demarcated in a different more expansive way to that which once prevailed but make no mistake some sins are totally unacceptable.
6. When punishment comes today it is quite selective but it is very like the way Soviet dissidents were once dealt with. Savile's contribution to Radio 4's Desert Island Discs has already been moved from the website and soon his presence on radio and TV will be as rare as that of the similarly discredited popular artists Gary Glitter or Jonathan King.
7. It is amazing what depraved acts people will do if they believe that they are not going to be found out. Savile remained pretty much undetected because his crimes were committed largely in secret. What is done in secret does not always remain secret. A day is coming when indeed every secret will be revealed and it will be shouted on the housetops what men tried to keep secret.
8. Without close supervision many men are quite happy to abuse their power and use it to their own advantage regardless of the suffering it brings to others. Corporate bodies (like the BBC or hospital management teams) have a tendency to obfuscate the truth rather than bringing things out into the open.
 
9. Society claims that we are all equal but in fact there is a hierarchy, particularly when it comes to who is trusted and who believed to be telling the truth. Those further up the tree, including the knighted and friends of royalty and those who reach a good old age, are presumed to be more reliable than criminals, the physically and mentally sick and the deprived. In this case the opposite appears to have been the case. Generally speaking, it is the most vulnerable members of society who are most often taken advantage of.
10. Savile claimed to be Roman Catholic and was certainly received and honoured by the Pope. Without mere point scoring it is worth considering how much guilt attaches to Romanism here. While Romanism would condemn Savile's acts as much as any philosophy, it would appear to have been unable to do anything to shame this man for his sins and encourage him to confess and repent.

Radio surfing

I have a digital radio by my bed and a game I like to play is scanning the stations to find a track I like. I've done it a few times lately and although most of the time I've not found anything unusually brilliant (unless Baby, please don't go by Them counts) I did get two great strikes.
First, one night I found them playing Sylvia by Focus on Arrow. What was particularly good was that I tuned in right at the beginning. Love that track every time I hear it. Why hearing it on the radio gives a particular pleasure I don't really know.
I don't usually include Radio 2 in my surfs but this one time I did and what should I catch but the dying notes of Chariot Choogle, which was followed by all of Mystic Lady, both from the T Rex album The Slider. It was good to hear Mark Radcliffe praising the Slider album and its predecessor Electric Warrior to the skies, prompted by yet another re-issue of the albums.
The chances of someone my age finding something they like is quite high as digital stations available include Arrow, Kerrang, Planetrock, Gold and several versions of Absolute Rock as well as more mainstream stations such as Radios 1, 2, 6 and Heart, etc.

Westminster Conference 2013

This is just a reminder that the Westminster Conference is on next week (Tuesday, Wednesday Dec 4 and 5) at Regent Hall (The Salvation Army) 275 Oxford Street, London W1C 2DJ.
The programmes is as follows
 
1662 and all that (Lee Gatiss)
Two eminent ejectess, Philip Henry and Samuel Jones (Andrew Davies)
Hagiography and history (Andrew Atherstone)
 
Pascal: Truth Through the Mind and Through the Heart (David Gregson)
Christian attitudes to Islam (Roger Welch)
Henry Martyn (Peter Law)
 
The cost is £40. More details here.
 

Novellas

The above novellas are on sale atAbebooks
(The Time Machine, A Clockwork Orange, The Alchemist, Kitchen and Breakfast at Tiffany's)

Dr Strivens on DIssenting Academies

It was a privilege to hear Dr Robert Strivens this afternoon at the Evangelical Library speaking on early dissenting academies. Robert focused on the crucial period 1662-1689. Most of us are quite unfamiliar with this territory and it was a very useful to have this survey before us. We had a good crowd again, which was encouraging. The address was recorded and can be obtained from the Library. The text is on the website here. Robert also alerted us to the Dr Williams Library Dissenting Academies Project which can be accessed here.

Focus X Reviewed

So amazingly Focus reach double figures with their tenth album. I have held back from writing about it until now as I know by experience that initial impressions can be wrong. Certainly the presence of familiar titles was offputting – a nod backwards in the opening title Father Bacchus (good joke though), yet another Focus track, Le Tango in its umpteenth incarnation, Message Maqique was on a solo album (that also featured Talk of the Clown, there called Pierrot). Van Leer insiders also know that the curiously titled Amok in Kindergarten was directly inspired by the Dunblane incident way back in 1996. Even the title All hens on deck made me nervous as I feared a re-hash of Hurkey Turkey. It turns out to be one of the most attractive numbers on the album.
In fact this is as good a post-Akkerman album as Focus have come up with so far. The only real problem is an over-dependence on Van Leer for the writing and performance, a Van Leer almost shorn of one of his attributes, his voice (his keyboard and flute work are better than ever). Van Der Linden's drumming is of a high order throughout but good drumming though important is a relatively small component in a rock album's make-up.
The opening track is a fine effort from the new guitarist Menno Gootjes, spoiled only by Van Leer announcing the band's name as if in a live setting. The track Focus 10 is fine, though since Focus 5 I feel that particular strand has not been working so well somehow. The third track is currently my favourite. Quite what inspired Victoria I don't know but the result is quintessential Focus. Superb! Amok in Kindergarten is contemplative and an adequate track for inclusion. After the up tempo All hens full of Van Leer scat we have an interesting version of Le Tango that justifies its inclusion by being re-titled Birds come fly over and featuring the veteran Brazilian musician Ivan Lins singing lyrics by Van Leer's ex-wife Roselie Peters (she also provides the spoken lyrics for Crossroads). The decision to hand over the mike to Lins was wise. Presumably there was a similar plan with Van Leer's daughter Berenice for the last track (she is credited but I do not hear her unless she is doing backing vocals). Hoeratio is better known as Horace in the English speaking world. Someone has spotted his reference to the flute in his ars poetica. Van Leer reads this in Latin over a slow Bobby Jacobs written piece that is again only adequate as far as I can see. May be it will grow on me. We then have the two tracks lifted from the 1986 solo album Renaissance. The use of acoustic guitar on the first of these tracks and on Le Tango is refreshing. So there it is a rock album with a lot of jazz or Latin influences but no obviously classical ones. Great guitar work from Gootjes and a solid rhythm section, Van Leer at the height of his powers for the most part.
The CD comes as a little book with artwork from Roger Dean, which adds to the overall enjoyment.

Lord's Day November 25 2012

Quite a few of our older members were missing yesterday but we had a good number in the morning and not to bad in the evening with a few visitors along. We carried on with these new series in 2 Peter and Habakkuk. The 2 Peter was easier as we had a nice list to deal with. Challenging though. I'm leaning quite heavily on Dr Lloyd-Jones for the Habakkuk series. What  a[privilege it is to preach the Word.

Novelists 19 Elizabeth Gaskell

Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865) The daughter of William Stevenson, a Unitarian minister, she also married a Manchester based Unitarian minister. In 1848 she published anonymously her first novel, Mary Barton, in which the life and feelings of the manufacturing working classes are depicted with much power and sympathy. Other novels followed, the novella Mr. Harrison’s Confessions [1851], Ruth [1853], Cranford (1851-53), North and South [1855], Sylvia’s Lovers [1863], etc. Her last work was Wives and Daughters [1865], which appeared in the Cornhill Magazine, and was left unfinished. In 1910 John Cousin wrote of Gaskell as having some of the characteristics of Jane Austen. He said “if her style and delineation of character are less minutely perfect, they are, on the other hand, imbued with a deeper vein of feeling”. She was the friend of Charlotte Bronté and wrote her biography. Of Cranford Lord Houghton wrote, “It is the finest piece of humoristic description that has been added to British literature since Charles Lamb.” He works include several novellas and short stories and some non-fiction. She sometimes co-wrote with Dickens, Wilkie Collins and others.

Things kids say

We had a nice turn out to our kids clubs in church last night. Lots of funny things were said, mostly of a "you had to be there" sort. In the younger club I was speaking about Jesus's disciples and tried to explain how they weren't just with him in formal classroom type situaitons but followed him everywhere. One girl innocently asked if I meant "like stalking someone". No, that's not what I meant.

Library Lecture Next Monday

Just a reminder that next Monday at 1 pm (November 26) there will be a lunch time lecture at the Evangelical Library in Bounds Green, North London by Dr Robert Strivens on Early Dissenting Academies – the forgotten story. A warm welcome to all.

Dutch Day

Yesterday on my day off, it was an all Dutch affair. In the morning I went to my art history class on Rembrandt Van Rijn. Fascinating stuff as the master rose to the heights of fame and then went our of favour as he changed his style to no-one's pleasure.
In the evening I headed down to Chislehurst where Focus were doing the last date on their current UK tour. I thought we might have had more from the new album (more of that anon) but it was the usual stuff mostly, beginning with the very earliest Focus 1, Anonymus and House of the King and including an excellent rendition of several parts of Eruption (best piece of the night IMHO), a good version of Aya Yuppie Ye, La Cathedrale and Harem Scarem back to back as they often are (church to pub Thijs calls it) plus the obligatory Sylvia and a rather truncated Hocus Pocus just within the 11 pm curfew. So only time for three new tracks (Focus 10, an excellent All hens on deck and an isntrumental Le Tango). They were preceded by an unconscionably young Yorkshire trio born out of time called The Mentulls. They looked good (though too repetitive for my liking) until Focus appeared. Focus confirmed again that they are in a class of their own. It is a shame that the nostalgia trip has to dominate but that's what peoiple come to see I guess.
 

Speaking at Historic Venues

On Saturday there was another opportunity to preach in Trafalgar Square with Biblical Gospel Ministries. I preached alongside several others on John 3:16. The opportunity to pass on TBS Bibles and to witness was a blessing. A Christian worker I know happened to be passing through the square and she stopped to listen, which was nice. I have had that sort of thing happen before. Slightly surreal.
Then yesterday (Monday) I was speaking again on 1662, this time in Cambridge for PTS. The meeting took place in the Round Church, which I was told is the second oldest building in the city. We were only around 20 or so but I knew some of those present (Gearoid Marley of PTS, William Wilson from Norwich and someone I was in CU with all those years ago in Aber. Her husband chaired and had taken the trouble to look in here to have some material for introduction purposes). Beforehand I was able to meet up with a girl from the church here who is studying at Clare College who kindly showed me round before heading to a lecture on Old English riddles (We enjoyed seeing the portrait of Hugh Latimer in the Great Hall). I was also able to meet up with Ian Hamilton, minsiter of CPC, who would have been in the meeting but who was speaking that same night to the Chinese Fellowship. 

Lord's Day November 18 2012

We ended up starting on two new series on Sunday. Having finished my morning series on John 3:1-21, I decided to make a start on 2 Peter, beginning with 1:1-4. I think I amde heavy weather of it for some reason. In the evening I thought we were due for a break from Numbers adn so started another sereis - this one on Habakkuk. We also met for communion before the evening meeting. Numbers attending were okay. It was particularly good to have some back who have not been in a while adn two visitors who I hope we will see again.

Lord's Day November 11 2012

Yesterday was Remembrance Day so we started, as we usually do, with two minutes silence and the hymn Our God our help. I preached on John 3:19-21 rounding of a series on that section. In the evening we had tea and a bookstall and then I preached on Numbers 21:10-35 about pressing on and battling on in the Christian life. Numbers were a little bit down in the evening I think.

Beatles Songs Time References

Seconds, minutes, etc
1. Made the bus in seconds flat
2. Wait, oh yes wait a minute mister postman
3. And in my hour of darkness
4. You said you would be late, about an hour or two
5. In the morning wanna die
6. Tuesday afternoon is never ending.
7. There will be a show tonight on trampoline
8. A day in the life/Things we said today
9. Martha my dear though I spend my days in conversation/So many days you passed me by
10. Uh, oh, many, many, many nights go by
11. Talking in our beds for a week/Eight days a week
12. I'll be writing more in a week or two/ You know its three weeks, I'm going insane

Days of the week etc
1. Didn't get to bed last night
2. Yesterday
3. The night before
4. Monday morning, turning back
5. Stupid bloody Tuesday
6. Wednesday morning at five o’clock as the day begins
7. Thursday night yourstockings needed mending
8. Friday morning at nine o’clock she is far away
9. Performs his feat on Saturday at Bishopsgate
10. Two of us Sunday driving not arriving/Sunday mornings go for a ride

Novelists 18 Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) One tends to think of Poe as a poet and short story writer and rightly so as he only wrote one complete novel. The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket of 1838 tells the story of a stowaway. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American short story writers. Some consider him to be the inventor of the detective fiction genre and some a contributor to the emerging genre of science fiction. He was the first well-known American to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life. Born in Massachusetts, he was orphaned young. After trying the University of Virginia and West Point unsuccessfully he embarked on a writing career and worked for various literary journals and periodicals. In 1835, he married his 13-year-old cousin, who died 12 years later, two years before his own death, the cause of which is unknown.

Ryle on two kinds of Christian

These words are found near the beginning of J C Ryle's booklet on The world (which must be a chapter in Practical Religion). See here.
 
And now, before I go a single step further, let me warn every reader of  this paper that he will never understand this subject unless he first understands what a true Christian is. If you are one of those unhappy people who think everybody is a Christian who goes to a place of worship, no matter how he lives, or what he believes, I fear you will care little about separation from the world.  But if you read your Bible, and are serious about your soul, you will know that there are two classes of (those who call themselves) "Christians"- converted and unconverted.  You will know that what the Jews were among the nations of the Old Testament, this the true Christian is meant to be under the New.  You will understand what I mean when I say that true Christians are meant, in like manner, to be a "peculiar people" under the Gospel, and that there must be a difference between believers and unbelievers. To you, therefore, I make a special appeal this day. While many avoid the subject of separation from the world, and many absolutely hate it, and many are puzzled by it, give me your attention while I try to show you "the thing as it is."

Art and exposition

One of the paintings we saw in Dulwich was this Gainsborough painting of the Linley sisters. I have been looking at paintings quite a bit recently and one of the things that I am learning is that to get a painting you really need to look hard at it and take it in. So with this painting which I am sure I have seen before - I had never noticed the musical instrument one sister or the rose hidden in her bosom. The other thing is a bit of background, which our guide was able to give us regarding the Linley sisters. Together these two elements make for a far more interesting painting. It reminded me that when we read the Scriptures we often don't spend enough time just poring over the verses, asking questions and looking hard. Sometimes that along with some background material can transform our appreciation of a particular passage.  

Jesus is better

The theme of Hebrews can be seen as "Jesus is better."

1:1-4 Better revelation

1:5-2:4 Better than angels

2:5-18 Better man

3 Better than Moses

4:1-13 Better rest in him than that offered by the Promised Land

4:14-5:10 Better High Priest than Aaron ...

7 Better priest and better covenant

8 Better covenant and ministry

9: 1-10 He officiates over a better sanctuary than the tabernacle

9:11-28 Better and a better sacrifice ...

10:19-39 Better access to God through him ....

Novelists 17 Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804 – 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. Born in Salem, Massachusetts, his ancestors included John Hathorne, the only judge involved in the Salem witch trials who never repented of his actions (Nathaniel added a "w" to his name to hide this connection). He entered Bowdoin College, 1821 and graduated 1825. He anonymously published his first work, a novel titled Fanshawe, 1828. He published several short stories in various periodicals which he collected in 1837 as Twice-Told Tales. The next year, he was engaged to Sophia Peabody. He worked at a Custom House and joined Brook Farm, a transcendentalist community, before marrying Peabody in 1842. They moved to Concord, Massachusetts, later moving to Salem, the Berkshires, then back to Concord. The Scarlet Letter (never read I'm afraid) was published 1850, followed by a succession of other novels. A political appointment took Hawthorne to Europe before returning in 1860. Much of his writing centres on New England, many works featuring moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His fiction works are considered part of the Romantic movement and, more specifically, Dark romanticism. His themes often centre on the inherent evil and sin of humanity, and his works often have moral messages and deep psychological complexity. His published works include a biography of his friend Franklin Pierce.


Beatles People Lists

1. Eleanor Rigby
2. Maxwell Edison
3. Billy Shears
4. Loretta Martin
5. Desmond Jones
6. Molly Jones
7. Dennis O'Bell
8. Father McKenzie
9. Sgt Pepper
10. Dr Robert

1. Polythene Pam
2. Mean Mr Mustard
3. Lovely Rita Metre Maid
4. Sexy Sadie
5. Bungalow Bill
6. Dizzy Miss Lizzie
7. Lady Madonna
8. Rocky Raccoon
9. Nowhere Man
10. Long tall Sally

"Girls"
1. Martha
2. Michelle
3. Anna
4. Julia
5. Lucy
6. Mary
7. Maggie Mae
8. Vera
9. Prudence
10. Valerie

Real people
1. Sir Walter Raleigh
2. Beethoven/Tchaikovsky
3. Her Majesty
4. Chairman Mao
5. Mr Wilson
6. Mr Heath
7. Dylan
8. Doris Day
9. Matt Busby
10. Edgar Allan Poe

10 cities named in Beatles songs

1. A day in the life (Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire)
2. Get back (Jojo left his home in Tucson, Arizona)
3. Back in the USSR (And Moscow girls make me sing and shout)
4. Maggie Mae (To the port of Liverpool)
5. Kansas City/Hey, hey, hey, hey (I’m going to Kansas City)
6-10. The ballad of John and Yoko (Standing in the dock at Southampton/Finally made the plane into Paris/Drove from Paris to the Amsterdam Hilton/Made a lightning trip to Vienna/Caught an early plane back to London)
(Also LA in Blue Jay Way)

10 Beatles songs that mention rain


1. Rain
2. Across the universe (Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup)
3. Fixing a hole (I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in)
4. I am the Walrus (If the sun don't come, you get a tan From standing in the English rain)
5. I'm a loser (My tears are falling like rain from the sky)
6. Penny Lane (And the banker never wears a mac In the pouring rain, very strange)
7. Please please me (I don’t wanna sound complainin’, But you know there’s always rain in my heart)
8. Ballad of John and Yoko (Saving up your money for a rainy day)
9. The long and winding road (The wild and windy night the rain washed away)
10. Hey Bulldog (Sheepdog Standing in the rain)

10 Beatles songs that mention the sun

1. Here comes the sun
2. Good day sunshine
3. I'll follow the sun
4. Any time at all (If the sun has faded away)
5. Yellow Submarine (So we sailed on to the sun)
6. Two of us (Two of us wearing raincoats Standing so low In the sun - also note the coda: sunshine, you are my sunshine)
7. Dear Prudence (The sun is up, the skies are blue).
8. Good Night (Now the sun turns out his light)
9. I Am The Walrus (Sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun)
10. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds (Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes and she's gone)

Hairstyles 26 Zig Zag Cornrows


Hairstyles 25 Yin and Yang Haircut


Clive Head

One of the paintings at Dulwich Picture Gallery was this modern piece by Clive Head in the Poussin section - From Arcadia to Victoria: Terminus Place.
He is apparently greatly influenced by Poussin.

Dulwich Picture Gallery

I went today to the Dulwich Picture Gallery. I'd never been to Dulwich before so that was a treat. Dulwich Picture Gallery is pretty unique, being the first public picture gallery ever. It is a small gallery but it has quite a collection of mostly 17th century paintings including a room of Poussins. Worth checking out. See here.

Novelists 16 Benjamin Disraeli

Benjamin Disraeli 1804-1881 Like his father, Isaac Disraeli, Benjamin took a keen interest in literature. He is remembered now chiefly as a politician, having served as prime minsiter more than once. In his twenties he wrote six novels (1826-1837) after which he entered Parliament. He wrote another trilogy of novels in his thirties, with political themes.

Hairstyles 22 V cut