1665-Joseph Mede (1586-1639).-An interesting discourse on 1 Cor. 11:5 explaining what Paul meant when he spoke of women prophesying. In the course of the discussion, he throws some light on the function of precentors and the antiphony between the preceptor and the congregation (much like lining of the Psalms). Pointedly, he also discusses what Paul meant to teach respecting headcoverings or veils for women in the worship of the church.
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1632-William Twisse.-A treatise containing four catechism. The first designed to explain and distinguish the sacraments; the second treats the Lord's prayer; the third expounds the Ten Commandments; and the fourth unfolds the articles of the Apostles' Creed. This is a good example of many early Reformed catechisms written specifically for helping communicants prepare for a right reception of the Lord's supper.
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William Twisse was born near Newbury, England, in 1578. Educated at Winchester, at the age of eighteen he moved to New College, Oxford. In 1604, he received his degree in Master of Arts and, that same year, was ordained to the ministry. In 1614, he was awarded a Doctorate in Divinity. From an early age he was noted for his profound erudition and his fame came to the attention of the court of King James who appointed him chaplain to Lady Elizabeth in her travels to the Palatine. Upon return, he became the minister of Newbury. When the Book of Sports was issued in 1617/8, Twisse refused to read and publicly declared himself against it. Though many Puritan ministers were suspended from the ministry or even imprisoned, King James allowed Twisse to remain unmolested because of his reputation in all the Reformed churches. In 1643, he was chosen to be the prolocutor to the Assembly of Divines...
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1840-David Steele.-Mr. Steele’s first salvo in a long war of words over the defections that increasingly plagued the Reformed Presbyterian Synod throughout the nineteenth century. Mr. Steele was a witness to the events that transpired at the various Old Light Synods after the split in 1833 until their defections drove him to form a separate presbytery, in 1840, to uphold the testimony. He shows that it was necessitated by the habitual judicial tyranny some of which he records in this letter.
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1854-David Steele.-A short outline of the reasons for the separate existence of the Reformed Presbytery together with a discussion of the meaning and purpose of historical testimony.
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1855-1857-David Steele and James M. Willson.-A series of articles debating the so-called “Steelite” position on testimony bearing, history testimony and several other points of dispute. In this, David Steel represents the historic Covenanter position against the departures embodied in the preface of “Reformation Principles Exhibited.”
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1839-Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian Church.-The American Synod presents the doctrine of covenanting together with its history with an eye to renovation of covenants. This document is filled with many helpful and interesting information not easily available elsewhere.
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1882-William Wishart (1821-1906).-An article from the Evangelical Repository examining the claims of proponents of musical instruments in worship taken from the meaning of the Greek word PSALLO. Dr. Wishart explains why PSALLO does not provide Biblical support for the use of mechanical instruments of worship.
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1803-Samuel Brown Wylie.-This small treatise constitutes one of the most readable and comprehensive expositions of the Reformed Presbyterian position with respect to the application of its principles on civil magistracy in the United States. Written in the early days of the republic, it shows that godless principles were incorporated into the U.S. Constitution.
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1713-Anonymous.-A very instructive essay which explains the rise of the use of musical instruments and the reason their use was discontinued in the best Reformed churches.
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1650-John Cotton (1584-1652).-An excellent treatise on Psalm singing by an eminent New England Puritan. Cotton gives a good overview for the arguments for only singing Psalms together with a spirited defense of the use of metrical psalmody.
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1832-Thomas Houston.-An excellent survey of the qualifications and duties of the civil magistrate. Houston is particularly helpful to explain how a Christian magistrate is responsible to establish the true religion and his power circa sacra. His discussion of punishing heretics and idolaters required a full length defense which he issued the following year. This is a strong indictment of theological liberalism and its tendencies.
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Thomas Houston was born in Donegore, County Antrim, Ireland, in 1803. When still a child, his family moved to Cullybackey to attend the ministry of William Stavely, who was a legendary figure amongst Irish Covenanters. It was under his ministry that he was first affected with the cause of true religion. In 1819, he began his study at the Belfast Academical Institution and, afterward, had a brief stint teaching there and at the Ballymena Academy. In 1825, he commenced his theological studies at the Theological Hall of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland, under the renowned Andrew Symington. On December 25, 1826, he was licensed to preach by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland. Receiving a call to Knockbracken, ...
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1833-Thomas Houston.-A vigorous defense of his discourse on the Christian Magistrate from charges of being contrary to the received doctrine of the Reformed Presbyterian Church. Mr. Houston demonstrates the depth of historical support for this doctrine. This pamphlet also has much to teach about historical testimony and the engagement to walk in the footsteps of the flock.
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1663-Anonymous.-This piece presents a clear exposition of the doctrine of the civil magistracy. It addresses the duties of both rulers and subjects. Most importantly, it explains how to know when magistrates degenerate into tyrants and what the proper response of Christians should be when magistrates become illegitmate.
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1803-Samuel Brown Wylie.-An excellent sermon on the duty of covenanting originally published with “Two Sons of Oil.” This is a reasoned defense which includes discussions of federal headship and descending obligations of social and religious covenants.
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1857-Thomas Houston.-A volume written to instruct the Irish Reformed Presbyterians in the duty and obligation of covenanting in consequence of their covenant “renewal” in Dervock, 1853. This volume contains much of historical value and concerning the doctrine of covenanting generally. However, it is defective in its views of the manner of covenant renovation.
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1888-Samuel T. Lowrie (1835-1924).-An often acerbic look at the Temperance fanatics who wished to remove wine from the Lord's supper. This small volume also contains many other interesting observations and admonitions to keep to the traditional sacramental usages of Reformed Protestantism. There is also a helpful discussion of why we use leavened rather than unleavened bread in Reformed churches. It contains an appendix by Dunlop Moore on Biblical wine that condenses his arguments.
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1882-Dunlop Moore (1830-1905).-The second article on the issue of Bible wines in which the author vigorously defends the use of wine (not grape juice) in the sacrament of the Lord's supper. Having defended the intoxicating nature of Biblical wine, he is forward to press the claims of its use in the sacramental observance. Once more, he lays waste to the dishonesty and poor scholarship amongst the promoters of total abstinence.
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1881-Dunlop Moore (1830-1905).-The first of two articles examining the claims of Temperance advocates that there are two kinds of wine in Scripture-one unfermented and the other fermented. He notes the novelty of those who advance this view and dissects their flawed logic with the precision of a skilled surgeon. He also shows their lack of honesty in scholarship on the question. The only wine known to the Bible has the potential to intoxicate and that has implications for Christian practice, especially with respect to the Lord's supper.
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