1646-Anthony Burgess.-In this sermon, Anthony Burgess presses the claims of reformation upon the magistrates. To this end, he counsels them to be careful in their families and every department of their lives, private and public. After, he sets forth many reasons for the magistrates to embrace the claims of true religion experimentally. Burgess assumes that magistrates have a part in maintaining the true religion in their realms and he commands them to set of faithful and learned ministers in all parts of the kingdom.
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Anthony Burgess was born at Watford in Hartfordshire, England, the son of a learned schoolmaster. Although Dr. Cornelius Burgess was minister there, he was not related. In 1623, Burgess entered the University of Cambridge where he was admitted to Emanuel College. Afterwards, in 1635, he became pastor of the church of Sutton-Coldfield, in Warwickshire, where he gained a reputation as an eminent preacher, a sound and solid divine. There Mr. Burgess continued to labor among his people with great diligence, until the plundering and terrors of the soldiers, in the time of the civil war, made him take refuge in Coventry. From there, he was called to sit in the Assembly of divines at Westminster. During his time in London, he was often called to preach unto the Parliament, at their solemn fasts, and on other public occasions. Upon completing his labors in London, he returned to discharge the duties of his pastoral office at Sutton Coldfield where he remained until he was ejected by the act for Uniformity, in 1662. After the Restoration, despite pressures, he refused to conform, so he removed to Tamworth, where he died, in 1664. He was a prolific author of numerous sermons and volumes of lectures and sermons on various theological topics. His work “Vindiciae Legis, a Vindication of the Moral Law,” (1646), is a valuable work on covenant theology; his “True Doctrine of Justification, (3rd ed. 1654) contains many help thoughts in defense of this Protestant doctrine; and his “Treatise of Original Sin” (1658) is a full defense of that foundational Christian doctrine.
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1642-Samuel Rutherfurd.-This is Rutherfurd’s first book length entry into the controversy over church government. In it, he sets out the differences between Presbyterianism and Independency. This book sets forth many of the basic principles of Presbyterianism as Biblical and superior to the principles espoused by those of the Independent persuasion.
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1644-Thomas Hill.-In this sermon, Thomas Hill calls the church and the kingdom back to the good old way. First, he tells us who must inquire after this good old way; second, from whom we must make this inquiry; and third, he explains the purpose to which we must inquire after this good old way. Toward the end of the sermon, Hill explains the duties of magistrates with respect to true religion and helps draw the lineaments of a proper civil establishment of the Reformed Church. Hill also offers some helpful comments on what kinds of things may and may not be tolerated under a Reformed national establishment.
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Thomas Hill was born at Kington in Worcestershire, England, and he was educated in Emanuel College, Cambridge. There, he gained a B.A., in 1622, an M.A., in 1626, a B.D., in 1633, and a D.D., in 1646. Upon finishing his studies at the university, he matriculated under the tutelage of Mr. John Cotton, later of Boston, in Lincolnshire. When the plague raged in the place, Hill never fled his station. Once removed from the university, he was chosen to be the pastor of the church of Tichmarch, in Northamptonshire, where he remained for nine years. In 1643, he was chosen to be a member of the Assembly of Divines that met at Westminster. He preached frequently before the House of Parliament, and was chosen morning lecturer at the Abbey church, Westminster. From 1645 until 1653, Hill was appointed an instructor of Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was elected vice-chancellor of the University, in 1646. He published several sermons which he had preached before Parliament. He died December 18, 1653.
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1918-J. Gresham Machen (1881-1937).-In this short letter to a U.S. Congressman, Machen, early in his tenure at Princeton Seminary, expresses several concerns about the manner in which the women’s suffrage amendment was being pushed through Congress and imposed on the nation.
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1832-David Scott.-In this “Calm Examination,” Scott surveys Gilbert McMaster’s “Four Letters on Civil Government,” which was written to give an apology for the defecting party known as “New Lights.” Scott takes McMaster’s arguments seriously and systematically dismantles them. He shows the defects in the thinking of the “New Light” theology and demonstrates that it is contrary to the historic position of the Reformed Presbyterian Church.
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Born in Pollackshaws, near Glasgow, Scotland, July 17, 1794. He entered a course of classical study, in preparation for ministry, at an early age. In 1820, after graduating from the University of Glasgow, having spent two years studying medicine, he studied theology in the Paisley Seminary of the Reformed Presbyterian Church and was licensed by the Glasgow Presbytery, June 19, 1824. He preached and taught in Scotland for approximately five years. Afterward, he came to the United States, in the spring of 1829, and preached for three years with much acceptance from the people. He was ordained sine titulo [without a particular ministerial charge] by the Southern Presbytery, as a home missionary, and he itinerated among various mission stations. On June 7, 1836, he was installed pastor of the congregation of Albany, New York, where he remained until he resigned, May 8, 1842. He was installed as the pastor of the Rochester, New York, congregation, July 11, 1844, where he remained until released from that charge, July 19, 1862. In the winter of 1866, he taught at the Theological Seminary, in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, and, then, he returned to work within the bounds of the Rochester Presbytery for the rest of his life. He died at his home in Rochester, New York, of heart disease, March 29, 1871.
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1828-William L. Roberts.-This is one of William Roberts earliest productions. In it, he defends the classic Covenanter positions regarding the doctrine of the civil magistrate. It is particularly helpful in its exposition of what the term “powers that be” means.
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1848-Anonymous.-Probably written by J.M. Willson, following the lead of his father, this article speaks to the issue of using the productions of heathen authors in the education of the youth.
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1833-David Scott.-In this examination of McMaster’s “Brief Inquiry,” Scott shows that the narrative of the “New Lights’ is wrong and even dishonest. He explains that the history which is a term of communion in the Reformed Presbyterian church is that which has the sanction of Synod. This is a very good explanation of the historical roots of political dissent, including voting and serving on juries, in America.
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1659-Samuel Clarke (1599-1683).-This chapter from Clarke’s Medulla surveys various questions that often surround the matter of Christian baptism. From the question of who should be baptized to the method that is to be used together with many other related questions, Clarke provides accurate and pithy answers.
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1843-Reformed Presbyterian Synod, Scotland-During the first half of the 19th century, Reformed Presbyterians around the world were in foment over various attempts to revamp and reinterpret the Covenanter testimony. Despite slipping in their terms of communion, the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland issued this excellent exposition of the claims of King Jesus over civil governments with particular emphasis on the use of the elective franchise. We see in this document that Covenanters do not vote or actively participate in immoral administrations of government. The section touching on objections is especially helpful.
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2020-RP Session-
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2020-Presbytery of the Puritan Reformed Church in Brazil-What should the church’s response be to the demands of the state when, under pretext of plague, they call for the churches not to assemble? How should Christians response and why? The presbytery spells out both the Biblical and historical grounds for resisting such ungody commands.
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1900-James Dick-Irish Reformed Presbyterian professor explains why “open communion” is destructive of church discipline and how pulpit exchange amongst ministers of various ecclesiastical connections undermines the testimony of the RP church.
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1863-David Scott.-This pamphlet contains a synopsis of Scott’s earlier works prepared during the controversy with the “New Lights.” It is a good overview of the position of the Reformed Presbyterian church regarding relations to the civil authorities in the United States. It is also notable for its discussion of church authority through its courts.
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1851-James W. Shaw.-An interesting article designed to help the reader understand why the doctrine of election is useful. It a doctrine which, when properly improved, is one of comfort and assurance for the believer.
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1811-James Renwick Willson.-One of Willson’s earliest productions, this article shows his familiarity with numerous fields of natural science. Willson was, at this time, disqualified from his ministerial pursuits due to some kind of ailment. As the local classical teacher, in the Bedford Academy, he may have been attracted to the healings properties exhibited by these springs.
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1812-James Renwick Willson.-In this address, Willson, who was a young school teacher at the Bedford Academy, explains to his young scholars the value of learning Latin, Greek and Hebrew. He was himself a trained classical scholar and hoped to instill in his students a love for the classics.
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