Puritan Books Evaluated (Pt. 10) – The Works of Hugh Binning

PART NINE: Thomas Goodwin’s The Vanity of Thoughts

The Works of Hugh Binning, Ligonier, PA, Soli Deo Gloria, 1992, ivi + 659 pages, hardback.

Hugh Binning (d. 1653) was a Scottish minister who wrote several exemplary books on the Christian walk like The Sinner’s Sanctuary and Heart-Humiliation, as well as a series of sermons on Theology called The Common Principles of the Christian Religion. His Works have been gathered into one large volume and published through Soli Deo Gloria. Because he was a Scot, Binning was not technically a Puritan, but he was of their time and temper.

Binning was an astonishing fellow. He died at the age of 26. That’s right, 26! But a perusal of his literary remains shows a maturity of thought and a depth of theological acumen few could rival. I for one feel dwarfed by his immense insight and his deep piety. He impressed John Owen with his erudition and godliness. He will leave the same impression on you.

The Works of Hugh Binning include a fine essay by the editor and a Life of the author. Then we open up to The Common Principles. These are designated as lectures, not sermons. But they have a sermonic strain to them – at least for the sermons of the time. The first lecture is “God’s Glory the Chief End of Man’s Being,” from Romans 11:36 and 1 Corinthians 10:31. Binning asserts that “our blessed Lord is…doing most for our advantage when he does all for his glory.” (4). This is not the same thing as John Piper’s overused refrain, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” Binning is referring to the works of God which amplify His glory and how those works are beneficial for us. Piper’s assertion has a note of subjectivism in it which claims our impression of being satisfied results in God receiving glory. Yes, Piper may mean “satisfied” as in “content to praise Him in whatever circumstances” or “taken up in our praise of him” (my wording), or something like that, but the subject is us not God. Binning is saying that God has so disposed creation, and especially humans made in His image, to His goodness that He as the supreme Good cannot but bless His saints when He is exalted. “He hath the honour of all but we have the profit of all.” (Ibid). Therefore, all things being even “we are the mouth of creation,” (5), shaped to praise God as birds are to chaunt (6). Our job is to properly conceive of Him and to return praise (7). and when we don’t, “O, what a dreadful account will our souls make!” (Ibid).

The next lecture concerns union through Christ. Temptations turn us away from God, and it is God Himself even more than faith who turns us toward Him (10). But we must strive to make God our chief, even our sole good (12). When he moves on to deal with the Scriptures he reminds his reader that the “sound words” (2 Tim. 1:13) are only effective if “we hold them fast with faith and love.” (29).

“If the soul within receive the seal and impression of the truth of God, it will render the image of that same truth in all its actions.” (33).

You get the idea. The prose is tight yet elevated. The goal is to draw the soul to God. Twenty-something he may have been when he gave these lessons, but he was way ahead of our groping advances and fully on par with the greats of his ennobled era. He was wise beyond his years. When speaking of “The Unity of the Divine Essence…” (Lecture 12), Binning tells us that “There is almost nothing in divinity [Theology], but it is a mystery in itself, how common soever it be in the apprehensions of man” (64). How true!

The “Common Principles” proceed with the same mixture of mental rigor and glow of active devotion all the way through. I do not care for the architecture of Covenant Theology, but the presentation of “the covenant” by Binning is worth the time and effort.

“The Sinner’s Sanctuary” is a series of forty sermons on Romans 8:1-15. It is understandable that to our minds such a long series on a short portion of Scripture may tempt us to think Binning will run out of steam. But the preachers of the Seventeenth Century meditated on the Bible. They seldom wasted paper. And Binning is one of the very best exemplars of Christian doctrine and application. He employed a remarkably simple yet eloquent style, which makes him read well. No endless sub-points or Ramist dissections distract from the paragraphs of the author.

Think upon how Binning combines the glow of holy affections with rationality in the following:

“If there were nothing else to engage our hearts to religion, I think this might do it, that there is so much reason in it. Truly, it is the most rational thing in the world, except some revealed mysteries of faith, which are far above reason, but not contrary to it. There is nothing besides in it, but that which is purest reason.” (183).

Heart and mind are constantly engaged. He is always concerned with both. But this is not the sugary slop which is poured out of so many contemporary pulpits. This is what Martyn Lloyd-Jones meant by “logic an fire,” and Binning excels at it.

Next up is a set of sermons on 1 John 1:1-2:3 called “Fellowship with God.” To give an idea of the mix of high intellect and high spirituality let me set together two thoughts from Binning’s sermons:

“It was both the great wisdom and infinite goodness of God, that he did not only frame a creature capable of society with others of his own kind, but that he fashioned him so as to be capable of so high an elevation, – to have communion and fellowship with himself.” (287).

“Now, indeed, you have here the express end and purpose of the gospel, to make up these two great breaches in the creature, between God and men, and between men and men. It is a gospel of peace. Wherever it takes hold of men’s spirits, it reduceth all to a peaceable temper, joins them to God, and to one another.” (290).

In the first quote, Binning is pondering the way God the Creator has made humanity to relate to each other to build a society, but that He has also built man relate to Himself. Hence, the triadic makeup of human communication makes man-come-to-himself reach out to His Maker in love and friendship as he reaches out to his neighbor. In the second quote because we are disrupted by our sin and the sin of our neighbor, the Gospel comes in, and, if it infiltrates our hearts and possesses out thought life, makes us practitioners of peace in an evil world.

There is much more included in this large volume. None of it is worthless. There is no drop in quality. I have always been amazed at the way certain young men in the Church, like Binning, M’Cheyne, Brainerd and others who died so young possessed so much wisdom and brilliance. To me, his “Common Principles” are up there with the greatest Puritan works. He is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to begin reading 17th Century theological works but who feels daunted by the field. He is also a great example to the modern preacher of how to engage both heart and mind from the pulpit – providing one is willing to put the effort in.

If, God forbid, my library burned down, I would find it some real comfort to discover that The Works of Hugh Binning survived. Highly recommended.