Reformation Heritage Books has published Anthony Burgess’s Christ’s Prayer Before His Passion: Expository Sermons on John 17. This is a 2-volume set.
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Christ’s Prayer Before His Passion: Expository Sermons on John 17
Truth be told, I have long been awaiting this new printing of Burgess’s work. I personally find John 17 to be one of the most precious sections of God’s Word due to the intimate communion between God the Son and God the Father. But in addition to that, I think that Anthony Burgess is one of the greatest Purtian writers that the church could benefit from.
Before getting into the most excellent content that Burgess gives to us, let me first comment on the beauty of these books. Each volume is a black hardcover book with gold lettering on both the front and spine of the book. It also has a grayish dust jacket with a simple design. Volume 1 is just under 600 pages with volume 2 coming in just under 550 pages.
Content of Christ’s Prayer Before His Passion
As for the content, let me give you a brief description from the inside cover that summarizes what you’ll find in these two volumes:
“In Christ’s Prayer before His Passion, a major work consisting of 145 sermons, Anthony Burgess expounds such topics as God the Father and God the Son, the love of God, providence over death, election, the deity of Christ, the Mediator as teacher and priest and king, union with Christ, the knowledge of God, eternal life, justification, sanctification, obedience, separation from the world, faith, prayer, perseverance, worship, Christian unity, gospel ministry, and the glory of heaven. All these truths are discussed by this judicious Puritan divine according to the order of the text in John 17. Burgess rightly regarded John 17 as a mountaintop of divine revelation, ‘a pearl in the gold’ of the Bible. He asserts that the Lord offers this prayer in the presence of His disciples so that those who hear it (and later, those who read it) might be filled with joy. This prayer is especially significant because Jesus utters it the night before His crucifixion, which is the climax of His earthly work. Burgess thus asks his readers, ‘If the words of a dying man are much to be regarded, how much more of a dying Christ?’ In this light, Anthony Burgess expounds John 17 as the prayer of Christ, both as our Mediator—if we are believers—and as the model of a godly man.”
Just before getting into the sermons, volume one contains a wonderful introduction to Burgess’ work on John 17. I really found Beeke’s comments on Burgess’ teaching about “the marks of true unity” to be extremely helpful. There is much in the introduction that the reader will appreciate. Following Beeke’s intro, there is an author’s preface given by Burgess. Following that is the feast. For 1200 pages, the reader will be blessed by the preaching of Burgess on all 26 verses of John 17. Please consider that for just one moment. There are 26 verses, and Burgess preached 145 sermons on those verses. Many sermons today are preached on one entire chapter or the bulk of an entire chapter. Burgess took 145 sermons to preach through 26 verses! And surely he would tell you that he hasn’t exhausted their meaning or their glory.
Layout of Christ’s Prayer Before His Passion
The layout of these volumes is excellent! Each “chapter” is a new sermon, and the number of the sermon is placed at the top of the page in bigger and bold letters which indicates that its a new “chapter”. Under that, you’ll find a summary statement about that particular sermon. Under that is the verse in italics that will be exegeted. Then there are bold headings that, again, provide a summary of what will be covered immediately following. Then the subpoints are numbered under that with Burgess’ comments.
These sermons are essentially outlined for the reader, making the flow of the argument very easy to understand. Burgess often provides “reasons” or “objections” within the sermon, which again makes it very easy to follow. Burgess was an incredible teacher of God’s Word, and it shows in the layout of these sermons. I really love the “uses” that help the reader to apply the text.
Preachers of God’s Word will surely benefit from reading through these sermons, first and foremost because of the beauty of John 17. But secondly, they’ll glean some excellent preaching tips just from reading Burgess’ sermons.
The reader of these sermons is surely, without a doubt, going to have their heart stirred up to worship the Triune God! These words are gold! Spend your Sabbath by reading a sermon or two from these volumes, and you’ll be better off than if you haven’t done so.
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Conclusion
I want to recommend these volumes to anyone who calls Christ their Lord and Savior. These are not just for pastors and scholars. Though these are undoubtedly more meaty than many Christian books today, they are very readable, and Burgess preached these for them to be so. I cannot recommend these highly enough to you! Tolle lege, take up and read!
Disclaimer: My thanks to Reformation Heritage Books for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Matt became a joyful follower of Jesus at the age of 21. He is very grateful to be a husband to Lindsey, and a father to four boys. He is an ordained minister (teaching elder) in the PCA. He previously served as a pastor of biblical counseling and is currently a corporate chaplain in southern Delaware. Matt received his Master of Divinity degree in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and holds an advanced certification in biblical counseling from the Association of Biblical Counselors. In his free time, he loves playing with his boys, traveling with his wife, and reading (and buying!) books.
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