I have long been an admirer of the works of AW Pink and after reading this biography on him I have become an admirer of the man himself. The biography itself was exceptionally written, as one would expect from any work by Mr. Iain H. Murray. What I like most about the biography, however, is the fact that while Murray has written very respecftully of his subject, he cannot be said to have written overly admiringly of Pink. On the contrary, he has painted a complete picture of the man, warts and all. In areas where Murray felt the need to point out possible mistakes that he felt Pink made regarding decisions in ministry, he still presented all the facts of the situation, allowing the reader to come to his or her own conclusions.
I have always felt that we as Believers should spend some time reading biographies of godly men and women, that we might be encouraged in our own walk and grow in our appreciation for the saints of God that came before us. The life of this particular man is one I maintain should be studied by the saints...and this specific biography is the one to begin with. I highly recommend it.
Having said this, I would like to share some of what I read, just to provide you with the necessary inducements! :)
The first thing, the best thing, is the narrative of Pink's conversion. It is a beautiful account, and all such accounts should fill the people of God with thankfulness over the mighty Sovereign work of salvation. We should always rejoice when a soul is redeemed! Here, then, is the account:
"He was now twenty-two years of age, and ...deeply involved in the occult..." Murray goes on to say that "[h]is father always waited up until his son returned from meetings late in the evening and to Arthur's annoyance often accompanied his 'Good-night' with some brief but telling word of Scripture. ONe such evening, in the year 1908, as Pink hurriedly passed his father and dashed upstairs to his room, the text which he received was, 'There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death' (Prov. 14:12). As he shut the bedroom door...the text remained with him and so disturbed his concentration that work was impossible." Murray next goes on to quote from some very good friends of Pink: "He, A.W.P., told us that he could no longer reject the God of the Bible and began to cry unto the Lord in prayer, convicted by the Holy Spirit and his power to bring a soul to see his lost condition and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior. His early training [from his parents] taught him about our Lord, but now, like Paul of old, was the appointment with a Holy Sovereign God. For almost three days he did not leave his room to join the family, but his father and mother prayed, and in late afternoon on the third day A.W.P. made his appearance and his father said, 'Praise God, my son has been delivered.'" (from page 10-11)
Two things on this passage: 1) What a testimony to the love of parents! His father never gave up praying for his son, despite the fact that at this time Pink was involved in spiritualism. What a reminder for those of who have children to remain faithful to the teaching of our children. And when the teaching is done with and they have entered adulthood, if thay have not come to faith, then we must pray for their salvation regularly. Only the Calvinist has the full assurance that God can answer such a prayer, for the Arminian must of necessity believe that all God can do is plead with the sinner. 2) This passage also provides a cautionary note for those who have attacked AW Pink for his strong beliefs. I know of some who refuse to refer to him as a brother in Christ, and who post hateful videos against this saint on YouTube. Why? Because he was a Calvinst and not ashamed of it. O what a divisive thing is this Calvinism...its very existence infuriates those who love their free will more than the holy God of the Bible! If after reading this narrative of Pink's conversion, and knowing about the stalwart life he lead in the service of Christ, one can still deny that he was a true servant of the Most High...then there are serious heart issues with that person!
As I've already mentioned, Murray is a very fair biographer with no axe to grind. Although he opposes many of Pink's doctrinal conclusions (though he is quick to suggest many of these were due to Pink's early misunderstandings) and his final almost hermitical existence, he praises his subject where he feels it is merited. Ultimately, he concludes with this passage, in which he begins with a letter received by Pink:
"Your own history is very staggering," a friend once wrote to him. "It is most mysterious that your mouth should be closed as to a public oral ministry." Now, half a century later, we may see alittle more of its meaning and give thanks to God. The present write [Murray] can do no better than concur with the opinion that Dr. Belcher gave at the conclusion of his biography of our subject:
He feels he is not worthy to tie the shoe strings of a man such as Arthur W. Pink. That was not the conviction of this writer when he began his long study of Pink, though even then he had a respect for him. That is the conviction of the writer now as he has got to know the man and his heartbeat through his many writings."
I can now certainly add myself to this conviction. The man I knew as an author of worthy writings I have come to love as a brother in Christ...no, as a superior in the faith. To think that God has periodically given us men such as Pink is a measure of His love for the church.
Ultimately, the best I can say as to the power of Murray as a biographer is that he managed to bring to life the man he wrote about. When I came to the last days of Arthur W. Pink, just yesterday morning, I cannot deny that I shed tears. I actually felt as if a dear loved one had passed on. Throughout the day, as I thought over this peculiar response on my part, I realized that it was because Pink came alive for me in this biography. Though I knew he had passed on to be with the Lord in the year 1952, still I had followed the path of his life from his younger days, and so when the moment came I felt such a loss. I have now added his name to the list of men I plan to spend some time chatting with when I reach heaven myself!
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