Adultery and fornication are clearly not identical.

Forni-
cation is inclusive of adultery and far broader in its scope.
While adultery refers particularly to the sexual violation
of the marital union, the term fornication covers such
things as moral uncleanness, prostitution, incest, and
homosexuality.
Conclusion
In any area of life, unfaithfulness speaks of weakness and
sin. To the degree that there is an erosion of the Christian
faith and faithfulness in our society, to that extent is there
an increase in perversion and unfaithfulness. The Bible
emphasizes the quality of faithfulness which must be
exercised toward God andHis law, in marriage and in all
of life. "Ye shall observe to do therefore as the WRD
your Godhath commandedyou:yeshall not turn aside to
the right hand or to the left. Ye shall walk in all the ways
Spurgeon's Sovereign Grace Sermons by Charles H.
Spurgeon, Still Waters Revival Books 12810-126 St.
Edmonton, AB Canada T5L 041; $8.95 U.S. $10. 95
Can. 188pp ..
The bookis a real feast, offering 10 courses (sermons)
from Spurgeon. Each bite is a delight and a humbling
experience for God's people. Hopefully, it will be a
menu that God's Spirit will use to draw the lost unto
Himself.
The publishers wisely saw the need to publish this
volume, the third in the Calvin Classics series. No
doubt it will be an eye opener to many Christians. Isay
this for two reasons.
First, many people know that Spurgeon was a Baptist.
What few realize is that he, along with many Baptists
of bygone days, was a great believerin and proc1aimer
which theWRD your God hath commanded you, thatye
maylive,andthatitmaybewellwithyou,andthatyemay
prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess"
(Deuteronomy 5:32-33). "Well done, thou good and
faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things,
I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into
the joy of thy lord" (Matthew 25:21). Of course, faith-
fulness is fIrSt found in God. "Thy faithfulness shalt thou
establish in the very heavens" (psalm89:2). Having been
created in the image of God and having been restored in
that image through faith in Christ, the godly person grows
in the awareness of his relationship to God and of his
calling and responsibilities. Faithfulness becomes an
abiding characteristic of his walk, a very necessary
qualityforthe fulfillment of the dominion mandate. Such
faithfulness will adorn the marriage relationship to the
glory of God and it will bring a joy which cannot be
known nor experienced by the unfaithful. n
of God's sovereignty. This is a bitter pill to swallow
in many circles today in which many are served a diet
of humanistic Christianity in which man is falsely told
he controls his own salvation decision. Godis anxiously
waiting on the sidelines to learn of our decision.
Rightly ,from Scripture, Spurgeon shows us thatnothing
could be further from the truth.
In fact, Spurgeon is quick to point out that God's
sovereignty has been embraced by Christians
throughout church history. "It is no novelty, then, that
1 arn preaching; no new doctrine. 1 love to proclaim
these strong old doctrines that are called by the
nickname Calvinism, but which are surely and verily
the revealed truth of God as it is in ChristJesus. By this
truth 1 make a pilgrimage into the past, and as 1 go, 1 see
father after father, confessor after confessor, martyr
after martyr, standing up to shake hands with me.
Were 1 a Pilgrim, or a believer in the doctrine of free-
will, 1 should have to walk for centuries all alone"
(p.170).
Many rejected this doctrine in Spurgeon's day. He had
his detractors. "I am often charged with preaching
doctrines that may do a great deal of hurt" (p.99).
Keeping his eyes on Jesus he points out that the hurt
was notto God or God's people. Satan's kingdom had
been hurt as God has sovereignly opened the eyes of
many to His grace and gave them faith and repentance,
enabling them to look unto Jesus for their salvation.
The Counsel of Cbalcedon January 1991 Page 19
Secondly, this volume is important because it teaches
the officer and layman alike so much about great
preaching. Admittedly we live in a day of poor
preaching. So often entertairunent and stories have
replaced the proclamation of God' s word. Sermons so .
often center on what pleases man not on what exalts
God.
PreachingmustbeChrist-centered. Onemightimagine
that the last place to find evangelistic sermons is in a
book on God's sovereignty. In a sermon on election
notice how the unsaved are called to Christ. "But, I
say, take courage, take hope, 0 thou sinner, that .there
is election! So far from dispiriting and discouraging
thee, it is a very hopeful and joyous thing that there is
an election. What if I told thee perhaps none can be
saved, none are ordained to eternal life, wouldstthou
tremble and fold thy hands in hopelessness, and say, .
'Then how can I be saved, since none are elect?' But
I say, there is a multitude elect, beyond all counting-
a host that no mortal can number. Therefore, take
heart, thou poor sinner! Castaway thy despondency-
mayst not thou be alert as well as any other? for there
is a host innumerable chosen. There is joy and comfort
for thee! Then, not only take heart, but go and try the
Master" (p.185). Spurgeon continues his call for
several paragraphs. Every sermon presents Christ and
calls the lost to repentance.
Secondly, these sermons are clear. Spurgeon's outline
imd subheadings are clear. His hearers know where he
is going at the beginning. He follows through his
outline to its conclusion. Thus he ably communicates
his message to his hearers and readers.
Thirdly, 'Spurgeon does not ste.et away from
controversial doctrines and their application to daily
life. ControverSial doctrines in Spurgeon's day remain
controversial today. This is not sutprising. God's
Word is eternal. Lostin his sin, manremainsrebellious
to it. After all how many' want to hear a sermon on
man's inability to save himself or the perpetuity of
God's law? Preaching on Matthew 5:18, Spurgeon
points out the importance of God's etemallaw by
showing the importance of Christ's death. "When the
lawgiver himself submits to the law , When the sovereign
himself bears the extreme penalty of that law, then is
The Counsel of Chalcedon January 1991 Page 20
the justice ofOod set upon such a glorious high throne
thatall admiring worlds must wonder atit" If therefore
it is clearly proven that Jesus was obedient to the law,
even to the extent of death, he certainly did not come
to abolish or abrogate it; and if He did not remove it,
who can do so" (p.60)? This sermon speaks to many
of the arguments raised against God's law today.
Finally, Spurgeon's preaching is
It points sinner to Christ. In sermonS based On Isaiah ,
52:13-15 and Daniel 4:34-35 the depressed or
discouraged Christian can find much cause for hope
and encouragement as he is reminded again that this
world and our work belong unto the lord. He will not
allow his plan Or purposes to fail at any time throughout
history.
Spurgeon was a topical not an expository preacher. All
his points do not come directly from his text. They do
however always relate to the topic and are Biblically
based. .
This book is enhanced by having been typeset in larger
type than have some volumes of Spurgeon's sermons.
illustrations and quotations from other books are
inserted between sermons.
I know of no Christian that cannot profit from this
volume. There are some people that can especially
prqfit. I heartily recommend this book to those,
particrtlarly Baptists, who believe Scripture teaches
that man must ultimately save himself. This bo9k
clearly teaches that such belief is not true to Baptist
heritage, nor more importantly to Scripture itself.
Also, I would recommend this book to those involved
in or planning to be involved in preaching and teaching.
We need a multitude of laborers today who to
God'li sovereignty and His etemallaw yet are able to
teach these and other doctrines clearly to God's people
as well as call the lost to Jesus Christ. n
"The ()f mall may be broken--
many of them lire made to be broken--
bullh" promise.I' afGod shall till be fulfilled."
C. H. Spurgeon