Baptism and the Benefits of Christ
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The Confessional Presbyterian A Journal for Discussion of Presbyterian Doct rine & Pract ice Table of Contents . Editorial Articles . Baptism and the Benefi ts of Christ : Th e Double Mode of Communion in the Covenant of Grace By R. Scott Clark, D.Phil. Severing the Dragon’s Tail: Th e Reject ion of the Mass and the Adoption of the Reformed Pract ice of the Lord’s Supper during the Scottish Reformation By T. J. Phillips . Presbyterian Due Process: A Scottish and American Recovery of Procedural Canons By Stuart R. Jones . Liberty of Conscience in the West minst er Confession and its Application to Modern “Worship Wars” By John (Jack) Allen Delivuk, Th .D. An Analysis of Open Th eism By W. Gary Crampton, Ph.D. Francis Makemie and the Meaning of American Presbyterianism By D. G. Hart, Ph.D. Critical-Realism & the Relation of Redemptive Act to Revelatory Word By James J. Cassidy . Th e Regulative Principle of Worship: Sixty Years in Reformed Literature. Part One (–) By Frank J. Smith, Ph.D., D. D. with Chris Coldwell . Reviews & Responses (see the detailed listing on page ) . Psallo: Psalm . In Translatiōne: John Brown of Wamphray: Th e Universal Visible Church . Antiquary: T. & J. Swords. Part One. Printers During the Federal Period to Doct ors, Scientist s, Friendly and Calliopean Clubers, and other New York Literati, as well as High Churchist s, and the Occasional Presbyterian . Bibliography Addenda & Errata . Th e Editor and Contributing Editors In Brief (see page ) Contributing Editors: Th e Revs. Richard E. Bacon, Th .D., W. Gary Crampton, Th e Confessional Presbyterian, Volume (). Ph.D., J. Ligon Duncan, Ph.D., John T. Dyck, David W. Hall, Ph.D., Sherman ISSN – Isbell, Ray B. Lanning, Th omas G. Reid, Frank J. Smith, Ph.D., D. D., Alan ISBN ––– Strange, C. N. Willborn, Ph.D. Mr. John R. Muether; Mr. Wayne Sparkman. All Material Copyright © by Reformation Presbyterian Press, a minist ry Editor: Mr. Chris Coldwell. of Faith Presbyterian Church, Reformed of Mesquite, Texas. Editorial Address: Th e Confessional Presbyteri an, P. O. Box , Dallas, Front Cover: John M. Mason, D.D. (–), Presbyterian Minist er and Texas . Email: edi [email protected]. Subscriptions: Individual USA Educator. Graphite and charcoal on brist ol, Copyright © by Lori Teibel. ; Library/Foreign . Retail Price: . Back Cover: “Th e West End of West minst er Abbey,” taken from Supplement Article and Review Submissions: Please mail the Editor regarding submissions to the Gentleman’s Magazine, for the Year ([London: E. Cave, ]). Th e for publication, or visit http://www.cpjournal.com for more details. addition of the towers to the abbey were completed by . Th e Confessional Presbyterian church. We would also note the rather lengthy “Antiquary” entry, on the New York printers T. & J. Swords, one of the most famous fi rms of the Federal Period. Even though they funct ioned to a large degree as the publishing house for the Editorial Protest ant Episcopal Church, the Swords published several important American Presbyterian titles between and As the inaugural issue has been generally well received, . Th e fi rst inst allment of this two-part series presents the publishers are happy to present a second volume of Th e some interest ing information regarding the Presbyterian and Confessional Presbyterian. As with the fi rst , we believe the Reformed clergy of New York City at the time, which included reader will fi nd some signifi cant and important material in Dr. Samuel Miller (a pict ure of whom was featured on the this issue of the journal. Last year’s issue ran to cover of this journal’s inaugural issue) and Dr. John Mitchell pages, and as God continues to bless this endeavor we trust Mason (whose likeness is on the cover of the present issue). we will be able to produce subsequent volumes of similar size. Part two will treat the New York ‘High Churchism’ controversy However, the reader will no doubt note that the current issue which began about and brought an end to the Swords’ was blessed with an abundance of matter, and extends to occasional work publishing Presbyterian titles. pages. Th is is due in large part to the lengthy survey of regula- Of the other featured articles, many will view Dr. R. S. tive principle literature by Dr. Frank J. Smith, part of which Clark’s “Baptism and the Benefi ts of Christ ” as the most signifi - of necessity must be delayed to a subsequent issue. Th e value cant. Th e article presented here is a refi nement of the lect ure of this article may be seen not only in its critical interact ion given at the January West minst er Seminary California with the literature, but also in that it brings a large sampling conference, “Meeting God on His Terms: Word and Sacrament of material together in one place, much of which many may as Means of Grace.” Pieces that are more hist orical in nature be unaware exist ed. Th e survey test ifi es clearly to the fact that include T. J. Phillips’ submission on the “Reformed Pract ice adherence to, and interest in, the regulative principle of wor- of the Lord’s Supper” at the time of the Scottish Reformation; ship has grown signifi cantly over the last sixty years. an excellent survey of “Presbyterian Due Process” by Stuart In addition to Dr. Smith’s survey, we are pleased to present R. Jones; and, since this year is the th anniversary of what a “Reviews & Resp onses” sect ion that has tripled in size. Th e is thought to be the founding of American Presbyterianism, a select ion this year contains an interest ing mix of critical re- piece on Francis Makemie by D. G. Hart. Th e submission by views, replies and resp onses, including a balanced assessment James Cassidy takes a st ep back from tackling direct ly the New of Lewis Bevins Schenck’s Th e Presbyterian Doct rine of Chil- Persp ect ives’ view of the doct rine of Just ifi cation, to look more dren in the Covenant by Dr. Rowland S. Ward, and a friendly generally at “N.T. Wright’s approach to interpreting Scripture review and resp onse between Dr. J. V. Fesko and Dr. Guy and his presuppositions with reference to the Bible.” Of the Waters over the latter’s Just ifi cation and the New Persp ect ives remaining pieces, Dr. W. Gary Crampton writes on Open on Paul. Th e various departments introduced and explained Th eism, and Dr. John Delivuk on the oft en-misunderst ood in the “Editorial” continue as well. Of these, we draw doct rine of Liberty of Conscience, particularly in how it ap- sp ecial attention to the fi rst -time translation of John Brown of plies to the “worship wars” of our day. Wamphray’s comments on the nature of the universal visible Chris Coldwell ■ Table of Contents Continued . Reviews & Resp onses: Leonard J. Coppes, Th e Divine Days of Creation (Resp onse by Dr. Leonard J. Coppes to “Reply by Dr. Benjamin Shaw”) ■ C. N. Willborn, Ph.D., “In Th esi Deliverances,” Th e Confessional Presbyterian (Resp onse by Stuart R. Jones) ■ Sean Michael Lucas, Robert Lewis Dabney: A Southern Presbyterian Life (C. N. Willborn, Ph.D.) ■ George M. Marsden, Jonathan Edwards: A Life (W. Gary Crampton, Ph.D.) ■ Lewis Bevens Schenck, The Presbyterian Doct rine of Children in the Covenant (Rowland S. Ward, Th.D.) ■ Guy Prentiss Waters, Justifi cation and the New Perspectives on Paul (J. V. Fesko) with Response (Guy Prentiss Waters) ■ Samuel Rutherford, The Covenant of Life Opened (Guy M. Richard) ■ Tim Gallant, Feed My Lambs (Leonard J. Coppes, Th .D.) with Resp onse (Tim Gallant) . In Brief: Introduct ion to the United States Christ ian Magazine of () ■ John Mitchell Mason on the New York ‘High Churchism’ Controversy () ■ Transcription of a Letter from T. & J. Swords () ■ Extract s from Sermons by Samuel Miller and John M. Mason published by T. & J. Swords (–). Volume () Th e Confessional Presbyterian Baptism and the Benefi ts of Christ: Th e Double Mode of Communion in the Covenant of Grace By R. Scott Clark, D.Phil. Introduction “reprobates.” Th ey participate in “external worship,” but do not enter into fellowship with Christ . Only the elect As part of his polemic against the Judaizers of his day, believe and only they receive Christ ’s benefi ts, i.e., the the Apost le Paul in his letter to the Romans made a re- subst ance of the covenant. Christ is present and of- markable and vital dist inct ion: fered to the congregation, but Christ and his benefi ts are received through faith alone. One fi nds this very For one is not a Jew who is a Jew outwardly (fanerw`) same dist inct ion also in the theology of Olevianus’ col- but he is a Jew who is one inwardly (kruptw`) … (Ro- league Zacharias Ursinus (–). mans :–). Th ese two Heidelberg theologians articulated a fun- damental convict ion of the Reformed Churches, that Th e Apost le did not create this dist inct ion but rather there is a dist inct ion to be made between the church carried on a polemic as old as Moses’ exhortation to the Israelites to “circumcise the foreskin” of their hearts The Author: Dr. R. Scott Clark is Associate Professor of Historical and Systematic Th eology at Westminster Seminary California, and (Deut :), and the clear dist inct ion made in Jere- is also Associate Pastor of the Oceanside United Reformed Church miah :– between those who are circumcised only (URCNA).