Year: 2014

They Knew Their God Volume Six has fourteen sketches, and like its predecessors, these sketches span the centuries, and in fact, the opening sketch is the earliest of all the sketches in this series. It is about John Chrysostom, one of the early Church Fathers, who was born in 347 in Syria and was known as “The Golden Mouth” on account of his oratorical skills. From the fourth century, we jump to the eighteenth in the second sketch which tells the story of Scotsman John Brown, who began life as a cowherd but became known to posterity as one of the ablest of theologians and Bible commentators. John was a member of the Secession Branch of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. From Brown we turn to Charles Simeon, Anglican minister in Cambridge, England, whose godly life and teaching influenced many students, one being Henry Martyn, who is the subject of the next sketch. Henry became Simeon’s curate for a while before setting sail as missionary to India and Persia. He died at age thirty-one. The next sketch takes us to the beginning of the twentieth century and tells the story of Helen Ewan, the young university student from Glasgow, Scotland, who died before graduating but whose brief life influenced many throughout Great Britain. From Helen we jump over two centuries and read of Edward Payson, Harvard graduate and minister in the Congregational Church of America. Then, following Payson, we have James Turner, Scottish fisherman and preacher. Next, we read of Englishman Thomas Waring, who became a missionary to Africa. The ninth sketch tells us of another missionary, Anthony Norris Groves, who became a member of the Plymouth Brethren and brother-in-law to George Muller. Groves’ wife Mary, is the subject of the next sketch. The eleventh chapter is centered around the life of William Wilberforce, well known English reformer and philanthropist. The next sketch tells the story of John Pierpont, tutor, attorney, merchant and finally, minister of a Congregational church which finally evicted him on account of his stand on temperance. His grandson was the well known businessman and philanthropist, John Pierpont-Morgan. In the thirteenth sketch we travel to Germany and read of Johann Christoph Blumhardt, “the pastor who confronted devils,” among other things and influenced whole communities through his prayerful living and dauntless courage. Finally, in the last sketch, we turn to American E. M. Bounds, well known author of many books on prayer and one time pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Syrian, German, American, English, Scotch, Anglican, Methodist-Episcopalian, Anglican, Presbyterian, Lutheran—the fourteen sketches of They Knew Their God Volume Six cover all this and much more. This book is published by Harvey Christian Publishers and is available in their Online Christian Bookstore.