Disclaimers
We acknowledge that some of the ministers or chapels were, at various points in their history, not associated with The Gospel Standard magazine. We also acknowledge that it is beyond our ability to listen to every sermon and certify it for accuracy in every statement. Men are but men at best. There is only one standard: the Word of God; and only one perfect preacher: Jesus Christ. We ask listeners to exercise their own discretion in listening. If any listener believes a sermon should be removed from this website because of its content, please do feel free to contact us.
Permissions and Copyright
While we have sought to obtain permission for publication (either historically while the minister was still alive or since from their families) we realise there may be situations where the family of a deceased minister may not wish their sermons to appear on this website. Neither do we wish to infringe copyright in any way. So where somebody with a legitimate interest in the published sermons asks for them to be removed, we are willing to take their request into consideration. We regard a legitimate interest as being from:
- the wife or, in her absence, children and siblings, then other direct descendants;
- the church which sanctioned the minister to preach or of which he was a member when the sermon in question was preached;
- the church to which the sermon was originally addressed.Neither do we wish to infringe copyright in any way.
While the sermons may be freely listened to and used as audio recordings, if you plan to transcribe any of them, especially for publication, it is important that permission for this is sought from the families of the ministers. We may be able to help you obtain this if you contact us in the first instance.
Content of the Sermons
The recordings stand as a record in themselves. We have not been able to listen to all the recordings individually, so we cannot vouch for the correctness of the interpretation of Scripture or the doctrinal teaching of these sermons. If you think there is a serious problem with the content of any of the sermons, please feel free to let us know.
Views of the ministers regarding recorded sermons
The Trustees acknowledge that some ministers may not have approved of having their sermons recorded. Nevertheless some sermons of these ministers exist. The reasons for this will be various and open to conjecture. In some cases there may even be conflicting accounts of how the recording came into being. The trustees take the view that the very existence of these sermons is subject to the Lord’s will and that He can make their content profitable to hearers today. We will therefore publish sermons sent to us in good faith that they were recorded with permission, unless direct evidence can be provided to the contrary.
Quality
Many of the recordings included in this collection are over 50 years old. Recording quality can be variable. Please bear this in mind when listening to the sermons. Wherever possible we are re-mastering the recordings to improve their quality. If you feel any of the recordings are particularly poor quality and need attention, please feel free to let us know.
Contemporary recordings
Heritage Sermons does not commission or even encourage the recording of contemporary ministry. We only preserve recordings donated by churches or individuals.
Use of the recordings on Heritage Sermons
The trustees do not advocate listening to the sermons on the website to be a substitute for attending upon a living ministry. The trustees believe that all should seek first a living ministry in the physical gathering of ourselves together to hear the word preached (Hebrews 10:25). Where physical gathering is not possible, or as a supplement to regular gathering in the Lord’s house, we hope these recordings may prove to be a blessing to the Lord’s people. The sermons in our collection were recorded in the public worship of God and we would ask for them to be listened to in a way which respects this fact.
In the past the Gospel Standard magazine has warned against the playing of recordings in public worship. We would not quarrel with the warning given.