With Mercy and With Judgment

Harold St. John, a great Bible teacher and preacher of a previous generation, was once asked which commentaries and helps to Bible study he would recommend. His reply went something like this: “A man who deals with Scripture,” he said, “has a conscience which needs to be trained, a heart which must be warmed, and a will that should be yielded, and finally, a mind which must be fed. For the conscience, none is better than Alexander Whyte-his Lord, Teach Us to Pray and With Mercy and With Judgment will make his readers hot and ashamed.” And sometimes, being hot and ashamed is just what we need, spiritually speaking. “Do no put off reading Whyte’s sermons,” urges Warren Wiersbe in his 50 People Every Christian Should Know. The sermons found in this collection were deemed by the compilers to be representative of Dr. Whyte’s pulpit ministry. The title was taken from the hymn which was mostly closely associated with his ministry, being the one he chose perhaps oftener than any other for the close of a service.

Author Biography

Dr. Alexander Whyte (1836-1921) was widely acknowledged to be the greatest Scottish preacher of his day. He was the minister of the largest and most influential congregation in the Free Church of Scotland. He was a mighty pulpit orator who thundered against sin, awakened the consciences of his hearers, and then gently led them to the Savior. His “pulpit presence” or force of personality was said to be almost as powerful as his preaching, which very often focused on the wrath of God against sin and His mercy toward sinners. He was also a great teacher, who would teach a class of around five hundred young men after the Sunday night service, instructing them in the way of the Lord more perfectly. He also served as professor of New Testament literature and principal of New College, Edinburgh. His many books include: Bible Characters, Commentary on the Shorter Catechism, The Duty of Prayer, The Apostle Paul, and many others.