The Sinner’s Sanctuary: Gospel Freedom from Death, Condemnation, and the Law (Binning)

"He was, by any measure, a remarkable minister. But today he is largely forgotten."
— Sinclair Ferguson, from the Forward

"The quality of his godliness and the depth of his scholarly insight were so great that he made a profound impact on his century and far beyond. Binning is both stimulation for the mind and
food for the soul."
— Eric Alexander

The Sinner’s Sanctuary consists of a series of forty sermons on Romans 8:1–15. They were preached by Hugh Binning, minister in Govan, now part of Glasgow, on the south bank of the River Clyde in the west of Scotland. Walking readers through the apostle Paul’s argument, Binning carefully explains the safety and freedom saved sinners experience through life united to Christ and walking according to His Spirit. The results are particularly powerful and comforting for believers. These sermons are representative of Binning’s all-too-brief ministry from 1650 until his death in 1653 at the age of twenty-six. He was, by any measure, a remarkable minister.

Sample Pages from The Sinner's Sanctuary

Contents

Hugh Binning, Preacher of The Sinner’s Sanctuary

1. The Day of Complete Redemption (Romans 8:1)
2. The City of Refuge (Romans 8:1)
3. The Marks of the Justified Believers (Romans 8:1)
4. The Walk of the New Man in Christ (Romans 8:1)
5. The Principles and Motivation of Spiritual Walking (Romans 8:1)
6. No Walking in the Spirit—No Fruit of the Spirit (Romans 8:1)
7. True Freedom in Christ (Romans 8:2)
8. Strive Earnestly for True Freedom in Christ (Romans 8:2)
9. Salvation for Sinners Accomplished (Romans 8:2)
10. The Only Remedy for Sinners (Romans 8:3)
11. The Fountain of Sweetest Consolation (Romans 8:3)
12. The Mystery of the Incarnation (Romans 8:3)
13. Sin Fully and Finally Dealt With (Romans 8:3)
14. In Christ Justice and Mercy Embrace (Romans 8:4)
15. The Relationship between Justification and Sanctification (Romans 8:4)
16. The Spirit versus the Flesh (Romans 8:4–5)
17. The Desires of the Flesh Are against the Spirit (Romans 8:5)
18. The Great Difference between Flesh and Spirit (Romans 8:5–6)
19. The Way of Death and the Way of Life (Romans 8:6)
20. The Vile Ugliness of Enmity against God and the Bitter Fruit of Rebellion against Him (Romans 8:7)
21. The Implacable Enmity of the Carnal Mind against God (Romans 8:7–8)
22. No Other Way—In Christ Alone (Romans 8:8)
23. The Vivid Contrast between Those in the Spirit and Those in the Flesh (Romans 8:8)
24. The Holy Spirit Dwells in Genuine Believers (Romans 8:9)
25. Our Union with Christ through the Indwelling Spirit (Romans 8:9)
26. Love Unites Christ with the Soul That Is Cleansed (Romans 8:10)
27. The Truth about Death without Christ (Romans 8:10)
28. Christ Has Removed the Sting from Death (Romans 8:10)
29. Death’s Terrors Outside of Christ Contrasted with Death’s Joys for Those in Christ (Romans 8:10)
30. The Blessed Hope (Romans 8:11)
31. The Twofold Resurrection (Romans 8:11)
32. The Believer’s Unlimited Eternal Debt of Love (Romans 8:12)
33. The Threefold Cord and Our Souls on the Weighing Scales (Romans 8:12–13)
34. Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve (Romans 8:13)
35. Mortification Restores Human Dignity (Romans 8:13–14)
36. The Spirit of Adoption, Part I (Romans 8:14–15)
37. The Unspeakable Privilege of Adoption (Romans 8:14–15)
38. The Spirit of Adoption, Part II (Romans 8:15)
39. What a Man Is on His Knees before God in Prayer, That He Is and That Alone (Romans 8:15)
40. Toward Understanding the Precious Privilege of Prayer (Romans 8:15)

Endorsements

“The quality of Hugh Binning’s godliness and the depth of his scholarly insight were so great that he made a profound impact on his century and far beyond. Binning is both stimulation for the mind and food for the soul.”
—Eric Alexander, minister (1977–1997) of St. George’s-Tron Church, Glasgow

“There is a striking freshness in the way that Hugh Binning presents truths commonly handled. The profound becomes plain and practical without losing a sense of wonder but rather increasing it. He reaches the conscience with gospel sweetness but loses none of the power of sharp conviction. His reasoning is strong and biblical yet winsome and compassionate. Any topic is dealt with in a thorough yet concise way with apt illustration.”
—Matthew Vogan, editor of The King in His Beauty: The Piety of Samuel Rutherford

About the Editor

David Searle was director of Rutherford House, a theological research and study center in Edinburgh, Scotland. Prior to that he pastored two Presbyterian churches in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland.

About the Introduction Author

Sinclair B. Ferguson is currently the honorary evening preacher in St. Peter’s Free Church of Scotland, Dundee; vice-chairman of Ligonier Ministries; and Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary.

About the Author

Hugh Binning (1627–1653) was a Scottish Covenanter who served as a professor at the University of Glasgow and a minister of Govan. Binning showed great promise as a student from a young age. He entered Glasgow University at the age of thirteen and finished his master’s degree and had become a professor of philosophy at the university by the time he was nineteen. Two years later he married Barbara Simpson, the daughter of a minister from Ireland, and the couple had a son, John. The call to the ministry was strong, though, and so he set out to learn theology. When he was twenty-two, he took up the pastorate at Govan, where he served until his death from consumption at the age of twenty-six. All his writings were collected posthumously.