Sermons and Addresses of George Smeaton

George Smeaton was a 19th-century Scottish theologian and scholar. Most known as Professor of New Testament Exegesis at New College in Edinburgh, this was my first time reading his outstanding sermons.

The Holy Spirit

His works on the Doctrine of the Atonement and the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit are what many consider to be his best books. In this collection of 13 sermons and addresses, I found his focus on sin and our Triune God to be reflective of this.

I was most interested to see how Smeaton connects being filled with the Holy Spirit to having the will to do the work of Christ. In fact, a truly witnessing church must be filled with the Holy Spirit. Our work for God should come naturally as our eternal hope is secured. The greatest work would be to pray for the Spirit’s power, that God would be glorified.

Faith

I was most fascinated to read Smeaton’s short essay on Faith, as it appeared in The Imperial Bible Dictionary in 1866. Smeaton shows that faith contains the element of trust, and the Bible never backs away from this idea. He furthers that faith also contains the feelings of knowledge and assent, and he ties it to our experience of justification and our participation in the fellowship of Christ.

The latter half of the book contains chapters around the pastor: The True Preacher, A Faithful Minister of Christ, and The Confessing of Christ before Men, and the Promised Reward. While he was a scholar and his legacy lies in his writings, it is clear that he had a heart for the church and her shepherds. Read this book and find a man of God filled with fervor, and extraordinary devotion to Christ.

I received a media copy of Sermons and Addresses of George Smeaton and this is my honest review. Find more of my book reviews and follow Dive In, Dig Deep on Instagram - my account dedicated to Bibles and books to see the beauty of the Bible and the role of reading in the Christian life. To read all of my book reviews and to receive all of the free eBooks I find on the web, subscribe to my free newsletter.x