Meet The Puritans

Judgment According to Works Bibliography

Posted on 21. Sep, 2009 by Mark Jones.

If you are interested in both old and modern views on how the Reformed orthodox have typically argued for a judgment according to works I think you may find the following references helpful in the first instance.  I’m not saying that the Reformed have always said the same thing on this issue.  In fact, I rarely ever say that.  Several of the first of ten references are going to form the substance of an essay I am writing on this theme in Reformed orthodoxy.

1. Herman Witsius, The Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man, pages 418-419. For example, Witsius writes:

Let us briefly explain the whole manner of this justification in the next world. Christ, the judge, being delegated to that office by the Father, Acts x.42. Acts xvii. 32. will pronounce two things concerning his elect. 1st. That they are truly pious, righteous and holy. And so far this justification will differ from the former; for by that the ungodly is justified, Rom. iv.5. Whereas here, God, when he enjoins his angels to summon one of the parties to be judged, says, ‘gather my saints together’ … these words refer to the last judgment …. The ground of the former is inherent righteousness, graciously communicated to man by the Spirit of sanctification, and good works proceeding therefrom … [...]

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Owen on “Lively Justifying Faith”

Posted on 18. Sep, 2009 by Mark Jones.

One of the biggest points of contention over the Protestant doctrine of justification concerns the nature of true, saving faith.  The topic of conditions in the New Covenant also relates to this issue.  In this post I hope to address both topics.  In the first place, Owen asks in his “Greater Catechism”, “By what means do we become actual members of this church of God?” Answer: “By a lively justifying faith …” [...]

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A Warning from Owen to Students

Posted on 17. Sep, 2009 by Mark Jones.

The nature of engaging in theological discourse and reflection was an important topic for the Puritans.  John Owen, in Theologoumena (“Biblical Theology”), suggests that students of theology should be aware that in their reading and meditation, “the all-holy God is, in a special manner, close to him as he works” (699).  God speaks to us in his Word no less directly than if he spoke audibly from heaven.  As a result, we should be overcome with humility and conduct our studies with appropriate reverence.  The same exhortation might prove valuable for those who write and comment on blogs.

Owen continues: “Wherever fear and caution have not infused the student’s heart, God is despised.  His pleasure is only to dwell in hearts which tremble at His Word.  Light or frivolous perusal of the Scriptures is a sickness of soul which leads on to the death of atheism” (699). [...]

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Puritan Moralism?

Posted on 13. Sep, 2009 by Mark Jones.

Antinomianism has always been an enemy of the true Christian faith.   As Rabbi Duncan said: “All sin is antinomianism” because all sin is against God’s law.  The recent work of Chad van Dixhoorn has demonstrated that the major enemies of the Westminster divines were not the Roman Catholics or even the crypto-Popish Laudians, but instead Antinomian theologians whose influence in the 1640s was rapidly gaining ground. Other examples, besides the 17thC, would be the Majoristic controversy in 16thC or the Marrow debate in 18thC.  But, in this post, I want to focus on the Puritans and their views on the necessity of holiness for all Christians. [...]

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Goodwin on Weekly Communion

Posted on 10. Sep, 2009 by Mark Jones.

The question of the Lord’s Supper interests me on a number of levels (e.g. pastoral, personal, theological, and Christological).  The “Calvin versus the Calvinists” issue on the Lord’s Supper is admittedly complex.  I’m not personally persuaded that the Westminster divines shared the same view of the Lord’s Supper as Calvin.  That may surprise some, but there has been some diversity in the Reformed tradition on this question.  But, one area where there is complete unanimity with Calvin and the Puritans is on the frequency of Communion. [...]

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Adam-Christ Parallels (e.g. Holy Spirit)

Posted on 08. Sep, 2009 by Mark Jones.

The parallels between Adam and Christ provide an interesting starting-point for theological discussion, particularly in the area of Christology.  A question in connection with the parallels between Adam and Christ that seems to be rarely asked is whether Adam possessed the Holy Spirit.  Christ was the man of the Spirit par excellence (Isa. 41:1; 61:1-2; Lk. 4).

The Puritan, Thomas Goodwin, affirms that Adam possessed the Spirit in Eden.  Goodwin suggests that the Spirit “was in Adam’s heart to assist his graces, and cause them to flow and bring forth, and to move him to live according to those principles of life given him (6:54)”  There are, however, differences between his having the Spirit and ours!  The emphasis in our experience is, of course, Christological; we receive the risen exalted Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9) who dwells in our hearts by faith (Eph. 3:17), which happens to be the best way to discuss the ordo/historia salutis problem in my opinion. [...]

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Canticles: Communion with Christ?

Posted on 07. Sep, 2009 by Mark Jones.

Interpretation of Canticles or “The Song of Songs” in the last fifty years has predominately favored the view that the book reflects the love between a man and his wife, and not, in the first instance, the intimate relationship a believer has with Christ.  Many in the (Reformed) church today seem to talk so little about the enjoyment of sweet communion with the risen Savior who “dwells in our hearts by faith”.  They can speak about the ordo-historia issue all night long, but they are decidedly silent on Christian experience; indeed, they may even be embarrased to speak of their relationship with Christ in the manner we read of in the Song of Songs. [...]

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WCF: Supra or Infra?

Posted on 05. Sep, 2009 by Mark Jones.

The Westminster Confession of Faith is sometimes deliberately ambiguous, which allows theologians with disagreements to adopt the Confession as a faithful summary of the Scripture’s teaching.  For example, regarding eschatology, there were a good deal of chiliasts (millennialists) at Westminster (e.g. Goodwin), but there were also ‘Augustinians’, namely, the Scots (e.g. Robert Baillie).  Yet, both could agree with the basic teaching of the Confession on ‘last things.’ [...]

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The Best Puritan Work

Posted on 03. Sep, 2009 by Mark Jones.

In my reading of the Puritans a number of works stand out.  Because of various reprints, John Owen’s works have received the most attention.  However, in my opinion, which comes from reading hundreds of Puritan Works, thus giving me some credibility, Thomas Goodwin’s short treatise, “The Heart of Christ in Heaven Towards Sinners on Earth”, represents the very best Puritan work I’ve read.  The Christology is quite simply breathtaking; but, more than that, Goodwin’s work shows the way Christology ought to be done, namely, with application to the ordinary Christian who sits in the pew each week.

Incidentally, this may be one of the most edifying posts from my previous blog and yet it did not receive the readership that I had hoped for.  Indeed, my review of “The Law is Not of Faith” or my response to Bruce McCormack on Enns controversy at WTS generated a massive readership, which shows, of course, that people are generally more interested in a good debate than devotional literature.  Sad, really.

Anyway, below I have summarized a small portion of Goodwin’s work on Christ’s heart in Heaven towards sinners on earth. Enjoy, I hope! [...]

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Re-thinking Calvin and the “Calvinists”

Posted on 02. Sep, 2009 by Mark Jones.

Assessing Calvin’s relationship to the so-called “Calvinists” is not easy to determine.  Methodological, historical, and theological matters need to be appreciated and understood if we are to move forward in this much-vexed debate.

This may surprise some, but it needs to be said that for the most part Calvin’s theology was not original.  At least, he did not wish to view himself that way.  On some doctrines he did make unique contributions, namely, the Son’s aseity and Christ’s “descent” into Hell. Interestingly, both of these contributions produced a firestorm of debate among his successors in the 16^th and 17^th centuries, particularly at the Westminster Assembly. [...]

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