Indomitable Alexander Cruden

Have just written a piece on the famous Scot, Alexander Cruden (1699-1770) of Cruden's Complete Concordance fame for a Christian articles' website. He was born in Aberdeen and soon showed diligence and persistence in his studies.

It's been an adventure learning about this intrepid, diligent and badly abused man who was three times committed to 'mental asylums' in the 18th century in England and Scotland. Interestingly in each case a woman was central: the first two cases women involved with his wish to be married and the third case featured his sister. Significantly, he never married but it wasn't for the want of trying!

In the first case, just as he was about to be ordained to the ministry in the Aberdeen Presbyterian Church, he fell in love with Elizabeth Blackwell (according to Julia Keay, Cruden's biographer) who rejected him. He took this rejection very badly but he wasn't to know she was pregnant by her brother! (Cruden carefully guarded Elizabeth Blackwell's identity which compounded his problems later in life.)

In any case Cruden was tricked into being placed in prison for perhaps the best part of a year for his 'crime'. He then left Aberdeen for 45 years and didn't return until a year before his death.

He hadn't been brilliant like his academic brother but he was steady and determined so much so that he conceived the idea of creating a Complete Concordance for the Holy Scriptures. From 1725 he worked on the Concordance--while maintaining himself with tutoring and proof-reading--until the Concordance was published and presented to Queen Caroline (wife to George II). However within weeks of the presentation she died and with that Alexander lost an important supporter and patron. (This first edition had 2 1/2 million words in it and this was before the days of computers!)

He decided that he needed to marry a rich woman but was rejected by the one he picked. And if that wasn't bad enough his rival for her affections then got him stuck in a private asylum where he was subjected to the barbaric mercies of the mental health system of the day! They used strait-jackets, chains, manacles, handcuffs, blood-letting and 'physic' (medicine = opiates) to cure mental conditions at that time plus solitary confinement and very poor diets. If one weren't mentally disturbed before one went to such places then almost certainly a sustained and extended visit would induce mental and emotional imbalance.

Cruden was there just over 2 months but was very badly treated. However, his fighting spirit did not desert him and he sued his tormentors at law unfortunately losing because he had unwisely decided to include the doctor attending him as well. (His strategy in co-jointly a 'mad' doctor was unwise because such doctors were considered highly for being prepared to work with such undesirables.)

His third time in a mad house was for 17 days and happened at the instigation of his sister after a fight that he got into with soldiers who were swearing!

Cruden in fact oversaw the production of two more editions of his Concordance in his lifetime, the third edition just before he died. With the second one in 1761 (which was dedicated and presented to George III), he became financially secure for the first time in his life.

A lively biography by Julia Keay (HarperCollinsPublishers) appeared in 2004 arguing a strong case against the suggestion that Cruden was insane. That he was eccentric goes without saying but those who accused him of insanity always seemed to have ulterior motives that were to their direct benefit.

A Christmas Poem From A Good Friend

A dear friend sent this poem to us just recently for Christmas and after asking her permission to publish it I present it here in full.

Jeanette’s Christmas Poem, 2011

In the back blocks of Heaven where the angels hang

round, when not much is happening down here on the

ground, there‘s a bit of commotion, a gasp and a sigh –

a Wiki leaks coup from the Lord God on High.

Chatter subsides, then comes a great hush, followed

by moments of panic and rush - angels on telephones,

email and Skype, journalist angels exploiting the hype.

“Ground breaking headlines have just come to hand – 

God is sending His Son to earth as a man.”

“To earth as a man? You mean live like a mortal? Just

shows what that Wiki leaks mob will resort to.”

“But it’s true mate, I tell you, I’ve seen preparations, 

years of God’s dealings with people and nations. And

now all is ready, He walks through earth’s door round

about midnight, December 24.”

“And how will he get there? Will he jump? Will he fly?

Will he suddenly appear in a cloud in the sky?”

“Well this is the best bit – you’ll never believe it, He’s

going as a baby and a woman will conceive it.”

“A woman? What woman? A woman in God’s plan when

  God only works through the hands of a man? And

where will it happen? What mansion on earth could

ever be worthy of such a King’s birth?”

“Well actually the birth will take place in a stable with

cows and with donkeys and straw in a cradle. But up in

the sky there’ll be one brilliant star and wise men will

visit who’ve come from afar. They’ll bring some good

presents –gold, myrrh, frankincense...”

“The whole thing’s absurd, it just doesn’t make sense.

God in a body? God become man? God in a stable with

donkey and lamb? Are you sure of your facts? Are you

sure you heard right?”

“Oh yes, we’ll be singing that wonderful night.”

“Singing? Us angels? With bright songs of praise? Now

that sounds much better, the roof we will raise, and

kings and great princes will rise and applaud then bow

down and worship our wonderful Lord.”

“Well to tell you the truth, we’re not singing for kings. 

God’s chosen some shepherds to hear of these things.”

“Shepherds? With sheep? Why should they see the

glory? Why should they hear us sing, why tell

shepherds the story?

“It’s all about Love- Love in the extreme - straight

from God’s heart, the heart of God’s dream.”

“And what might I ask is the name of this plan, when

God leaves his heaven and turns into man?”

“I believe it’s called Christmas, but it’s only the start

of a plan of salvation that shatters God’s heart. The

child in the manger, the babe in the hay will die for

the sins of the people one day. Then rising in glory he’ll

sit on the throne and death will be conquered by his

arm alone.”

“Death will be conquered? Well, I hadn’t a notion that

this was involved in the Christmas commotion.I’ve

noticed the presents, the trees and the fuss, I’ve

noticed the shoppers all out in a rush, I’ve noticed

plum puddings and turkey and beer – but this great

love of God – well I had no idea.”

“Look – there’s the star – it’s rising on high, with

angels assembling across the night sky, There’s a cry

from the stable - Christmas has come. The Lord God

has done it – He’s sent His own Son.”

Oaks, Christmas and Isaiah 61

<sup>At the small meeting we attend in an Anglican Church on Wednesday mornings where we are the 'young folk' of an older group of 80 and 90 year olds, the senior pastor spoke on the connection among Oaks and Isaiah 61.

In Isaiah 61 the Messiah (the Anointed One) says:</sup>
 

¹The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

 ²To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

 ³To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified (KJV). 

The KJV speaks of 'trees of righteousness' which the NIV renders as 'oaks of righteousness'. The pastor referred at the older folk in this small group and said that in them that the mission of the Messiah was to prepare us all to be 'oaks of righteousness'; he believed that the older ones had a particular vocation to play as the elderly in the congregation.

I warmed to his suggestion. Often I think that the elderly are regarded as past it and of little worth; if we would listen to their stories we would hear narratives of faith that would challenge our often weak desire for God.

After this sermon I talked with a lady who told me that she would be 98 next month! She confessed that she didn't know why God still had her here alive but she believed He knew what he was doing!! I have a good mate, Bill, at this service--he's 88--and he sings a solo at each service. He has a great voice and we are all blessed listening to his singing of his old favourites. He used to be a primary school teacher and I know he was a blessing to all those pupils he taught because of his quick witted humour.  What a privilege it must have been to have him as one's teacher!

There are other gracious older ones I could mention too and they all have the oak-like character of trees of righteousness which one instantly feels being with them.

Jesus' Birth according to Matthew

Recently, I heard Jesus' birth recounted in Matthew (1:18-25) spoken about as if it were an object lesson on obedience.

The speaker emphasised the fact that just as Joseph was obedient to the voice of an angel of the Lord in a dream so we also were to be obedient to the direction of the Lord.

Viewing this passage I would have to say that I think it is not primarily about Joseph's obedience at all. It's more about the faithfulness of God in keeping covenant with his people by his sending of a new King, a deliverer who will save his people from their sins.

For firstly consider that the passage is preceded by 17 verses of genealogy that we readers usually ignore to get to the birth story. In doing that we just show how Western we are because we have little knowledge of our ancestors in the way that Middle-Eastern peoples have.

Jesus Christ has an impressive lineage that begins in Matthew's account with Abraham the patriarch but goes through David the King. Jesus comes from the kingly tribe of Judah (1.3). Matthew wants to show that Jesus Christ is the son of David. And not only so but that Jesus Messiah is the fulfilment of the promises made in the covenants with David (and with Abraham).

Secondly, in the next chapter (2:1-12) Jesus is sought as the 'King of the Jews' and worshiped as a king (v11).

The birth story is told without fanfare but shows the amazing circumstances of Jesus' birth for he is born of a virgin!

The great line in this pericope is 'and you shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save [deliver] his people from their sins' (1.21).

According to Matthew, the salvation of God's people from their sins is the mission of Jesus; this being embedded in his very name. Jesus means salvation [from sin].

Meeting a Muslim

Happened to listen to a YouTube featuring a Muslim speaker using the NT to deride the fact that Jesus is God. He reeled off the normal scriptures from John's gospel account that the cults use against the deity of Christ which I found ironic.

Got into discussion with a Muslim after I commented and we exchanged a few points of difference. But he (she?) started to become more aggressive and scornful. Faced with such a response one can either not reply, assertively reply in kind or do something else.

I did something else. I was enabled to do something else.

It was as if God's Spirit said to me, 'Deal gently with this person for My sake'. I can't remember feeling quite like that before but am convinced that the Spirit of gentleness overcame any wish on my part to retaliate.

I told him that he wasn't dealing fairly with me but also said that according to Jesus he was my neighbour and hence I wished him the best in his life.

He responded positively saying that he had been testing (!) me because other Christians had become 'violent' with him in discussion so he was trying to determine what type of person I was.

Only God's grace enabled me to respond the way I did. Only grace so that the love of God was shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us all (Rom 5.5).

Praise My Soul

Yesterday I had what I can only describe as a feeling of Paradise. I was babysitting my 2 y.o. granddaughter and we had been up to our local park. She hadn't been as interested in that as she normally is but she did enjoy her regular swing.

We left there to buy some bread and as we walked home with her pushing the pusher--or trying to--I was seized with a spirit of thanksgiving. I began to sing, Praise My Soul the King of Heaven. I didn't care who heard me. (In any case I didn't and can't sing very loud!)

This was a grace-filled moment when the privilege of being when I was with my gorgeous little granddaughter on a beautiful, albeit hot, sunny day with her steering the pusher all over the place because she can't see over the top of it!!