Category Archives: Midweek Ramblings

I only heard the name “Hughes Oliphant Old” four months ago, when my pastor recommended his book, Holy Communion In the Piety of the Reformed Church. I’m only a third of the way through it, but already it has become a favorite. So I was saddened to learn that Dr. Old passed away on May 24, 2016, a week or so before I had ever heard of him. Terry Johnson wrote a personal remembrance of him on the Reformation 21 website, as he did for Alec Motyer.

Thankfully his writings endure, and Holy Communion is not likely to be the only book of his in my library for long.

I was saddened to learn this past week about the death of J. Alec Motyer (pronounced mah-teer) on August 26, 2016, at age 91.

He was used of God right up to the end, in that his devotional on the Psalms, Psalms By the Day, only came out earlier this year.  Terry Johnson posted A Personal Remembrance of Motyer on the Reformation21 website on August 30th, which I discovered only this past week.  Johnson shared a glimpse into Motyer’s personal life, gleaned while sitting under his tutelage in Hebrew exegesis class:  “At times he would refer to the comments on the psalm made to his young daughter as he put her to bed the night before; we all glanced around knowingly, as if to say, ‘Oh to be a fly on the wall for those lessons!'”

Perhaps those sorts of sentiments from his students prompted him finally to publish a daily devotional on the Psalms.  I know I have thoroughly enjoyed his commentary on Isaiah, as well as Isaiah By the Day.  The first book of his I ever encountered was his commentary on Amos, and I am thankful for that first recommendation and introduction to this godly man, who now has entered into the presence of the One he served so faithfully for nearly a century, and yet still speaks through his many works.

It is fitting to pay tribute to Motyer here, because, as Johnson put it, he was very much like a modern day Puritan.  Referring to both J. I. Packer and Motyer he noted:  “They are like the extraordinary 17th century Puritans, such as Owen, Baxter, Gurnall, Charnock, etc., whose writings live on and on and on. Given the combination of scholarship, piety, and wit, I don’t know if we’ll see their like again.”

Take up and read, and be blessed indeed!

J. Alec Motyer, 1924-2016

This blog was created to serve as a repository of reflections on Puritan readings taken up by a men’s small group, which met for the first time on March 20, 2009 and most recently on December 10, 2015: a span of 6.7 years!  Since the small group has disbanded, this blog has run its course, and is on hiatus, for now at least.

In Calvin’s day, Geneva was divided into three church districts, with each one having its own building: St. Pierre, St. Gervais, and St. Madeleine.  Calvin preached at St. Pierre on Sundays, and elsewhere during the week.  Each church had three services on Sunday: at sunrise, nine o’clock, and three o’clock.  At noon a catechism class for children was taught.  There were additional services throughout the week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so there was no shortage of preaching for those desiring it in Calvin’s day.  Calvin himself preached twice on Sunday, and in 1549 the city council determined that Geneva needed sermons Monday through Friday as well.  Calvin wound up preaching an average of ten sermons every fourteen days, in a rotation with other ministers. Source: Herman J. Selderhuis, John Calvin: A Pilgrim’s Life  (Downer’s Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2009), 111-112.

The above photo of the pulpit of St. Pierre Cathedral may be found online, along with others.