Review: The Blessed and Boundless God by George Swinnock
The Blessed and Boundless God by George Swinnock
God is so beyond our comprehension; so beyond what we can fathom (preface, xi, xiii). This is the God which Swinnock seeks to address in his book, The Blessed and Boundless God. As the editor points out, (p. Xiv, xv)
Book info
P. #: p. 170
Author: George Swinnock (1627-1673)
Life: Swinnock was born at Maidstone in Kent and his father passed away when he was young. He was raised by his uncle and was educated at multiple colleges in both Cambridge and Oxford. After receiving his Master of Arts in 1650, he was ordained and became vicar in 1651. In 1662 he was ejected for nonconformity. Over the next several years, he preached in homes and prepared his books for publication. Swinnock has been described as “a man of good abilities and a serious, warm, and practical preacher.”
General info about author: Swinnock was a theologian, pastor, author, husband, and father of 9.
Overall Summary/review:
As we have seen already from the preface, it introduces who God is. Swinnock in the introduction, declares what this God does for us (p. 1, 2, 4, 5).
This book is essentially a short systematic on the Existence and Attributes of God. Being so, it is very similar to Stephen Charnock’s work, with two major differences: 1. The obvious length difference. 2. Swinnock devotes an entire section of his work to application as opposed to Charnock, who sprinkles application throughout or leaves it to the reader to interpret themselves.
As a result, this book is much more approachable and easier to read.
This book also has very short chapters which also aids in its readability. Because of these short chapters (which are only 1-6 pages) the book could be read as a devotional book, guiding the reader on topics upon which to pray.
The book is split into five major sections and 45 chapters (read table of contents).
The writing in this book is extremely poetic and beautiful and always points back to the majesty and glory of God (p. 18, 36, 58, 65, 104).
And finally, this book is full of biblical wisdom (p. 40, 112, 124, 139, 152).
And I want to close this review with the comforting words we read at the end of the book (p. 170).
My Thoughts on the whole series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95j_QTG7X6w
You can Purchase this book here: https://amzn.to/4axPSJh