Introduction

This volume is planned to be one of seven bringing together ministry by Alfred J Gardiner not previously collected in this form. The volumes together comprise nearly 250 articles. I am very grateful to others who have helped to collect this material, and to make it fit to publish.

Several volumes of our brother’s ministry (listed at the end of this book) can be readily found second-hand. A lot more of his ministry, however, was published in monthly periodicals, leaflets, and other forms. These are no longer in print, and the articles are therefore much less accessible.

These other sources have been used in this collection, as shown at the end of almost every article. Material from two magazines is translated from French; this includes ministry given in France, and ministry elsewhere rendered in French—I have found few of these in English publications so far. I am sure others are more able at translating, but I am sufficiently confident that I have given a good account of this very useful ministry.

I have already produced two new books, without at first having planned any others, but a lot more material then came to hand. This book has additional articles ministered from 1934 to 1950. I assume what has been already published in English was revised before first publication—and expect that the author was able to do this himself. I have read every item carefully, without doing my own revision. I have left scripture quotations from the King James’ Version as found.

In my early years, I attended meetings in Streatham where Mr Gardiner broke bread; and have held him in great affection and regard. He was, of course, very active in ministry, and often away, but he never forgot his local meeting—either in his prayers or his attention to our practical and spiritual welfare. I remember him as apt to repeat himself in ministry, but I now know this was not a sign of age—it will be seen in these books too.

Mr Gardiner has salutary advice on page 158: ‘Books by themselves, however good they may be, cannot establish us in the truth … It is only in the power of the Spirit that the thoughts of God can be grasped and made profitable, and if we are well aware of that, we are cast on God in prayer’. May reading of these books be taken up in this spirit to God’s glory!

ANDREW BURR

2020