e Marrow Controversy and Seceder Tradition REFORMED H ISTORICAL -THEOLOGICAL S TUDIES General Editors Joel R. Beeke and Jay T. Collier BOOKS IN SERIES : e Christology of John Owen Richard W. Daniels e Covenant eology of Caspar Olevianus Lyle D. Bierma John Diodati’s Doctrine of Holy Scripture Andrea Ferrari Caspar Olevian and the Substance of the Covenant R. Scott Clark Introduction to Reformed Scholasticism Willem J. van Asselt, et al. e Spiritual Brotherhood Paul R. Schaefer Jr. Teaching Predestination David H. Kranendonk e Marrow Controversy and Seceder Tradition William VanDoodewaard e Marrow Controversy and Seceder Tradition Marrow eology in the Associate Presbytery and Associate Synod Secession Churches of Scotland (1733–1799) William VanDoodewaard Reformation Heritage Books Grand Rapids, Michigan e Marrow Controversy and Seceder Tradition © 2011 by William VanDoodewaard All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Direct your requests to the publisher at the following addresses: Reformation Heritage Books 2965 Leonard St. NE Grand Rapids, MI 49525 616-977-0889 / Fax 616-285-3246 [email protected] www.heritagebooks.org Printed in the United States of America 11 12 13 14 15 16/10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 [CIP data] For additional Reformed literature, both new and used, request a free book list from Reformation Heritage Books at the above address. Table of Contents Acknowledgments . vii Introduction ...................................... 1 Part 1: Views of the Gospel and Its Proclamation: e Era of the Marrow Controversy 1. e Marrow of Modern Divinity and the Marrow Controversy .. 9 2. Views of the Gospel and Its Proclamation: Opponents of e Marrow ....................................... 29 3. Views of the Gospel and Its Proclamation: Supporters of e Marrow . 59 4. Conclusions on the Doctrines of the Atonement, Saving Faith, and the Gospel O er during the Marrow Controversy . 104 Part 2: Views of the Gospel and Its Proclamation in the Associate Presbytery (1733–1747) and Associate Synod (1747–1799) Secession Churches in Scotland 5. A Historical Introduction to the Secession Churches . 113 6. Historiographical Evidences for the Continuity of Marrow !eology .....................................119 7. !eological Evidences for the Continuity of Marrow !eology in the Associate Presbytery (1733–1747) . 138 8. !e Associate Presbytery, George White #eld, and the Cambuslang Revival . 175 9. !eological Evidences for the Continuity of Marrow !eology in the Associate Synod: John Swanston to John Fraser (1748–1770) ..................................... 185 vi e Marrow Controversy and Seceder Tradition 10. !eological Evidences for the Continuity of Marrow !eology in the Associate Synod: George Lawson to Henry Belfrage (1771–1799) ..................................... 223 11. Departures from Marrow !eology and the Growth of Latitudinarianism in the Associate Synod . 267 12. Conclusions on the Continuity of Marrow !eology in the Associate Presbytery and Associate Synod Secession Churches in Scotland to 1799 . 272 Appendix 1: Outline Chart of Ecclesiastical History in Scotland . 277 Appendix 2: A Visual Chronology of Continuities of Marrow !eology .....................................279 Bibliography ...................................... 281 Acknowledgments !ere are many to whom I owe thanks in reaching the completion of this study, #rst written as a doctoral dissertation. My supervisors, Nick Needham and Robert Shillaker of Highland !eological College provided insight, helpful critique, and encouragement throughout the doctoral process, as did my examiners, Andrew McGowan and Stewart Brown, at the end. !e other sta at Highland !eological College were graciously kind and welcoming during my multiple stays in Ding- wall. Particular thanks are due to Jamie Grant, Martin Cameron, and John Walmsley for their assistance at many points along the way. My research involved extensive archival and special collections work, and thanks are due to the helpful sta of the following librar- ies: Highland !eological College Library; Special Collections and Archives, King’s College, University of Aberdeen; New College Library, University of Edinburgh; Wren Library, Trinity College, University of Cambridge; Princeton !eological Seminary Library; Pittsburgh !eological Seminary Library; Reformed Presbyterian !eological Seminary Library; Huntington University Library. While I began the doctoral process looking to secular agencies and foundations for support, we were blessed instead in innumerable ways through the church. Our home congregation, Grace Presbyte- rian Church in Woodstock, Ontario, and the Canada Presbytery of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church supported us graciously throughout the process. During our family’s time in Scotland we enjoyed the warm hospitality of the saints at Kingsview Christian Cen- tre (Associated Presbyterian), Inverness, Scotland. Sycamore Reformed Presbyterian Church of Kokomo, Indiana, welcomed us during my viii e Marrow Controversy and Seceder Tradition visiting professorship at Huntington University and graciously took me on as a pastoral intern and doctoral student for the following two years, allowing me to devote substantial time to my research and con- tinue as an adjunct professor at Huntington. Good News Presbyterian Church (Associate Reformed Presbyterian) of Frederick, Maryland, welcomed us as we took up residence in northern Virginia to teach at Patrick Henry College. In each of these settings I and my family have enjoyed the love of the saints. I am also indebted to the following for their encouragement and wise counsel: William Campbell, Je Kingswood, Ben Short, Chad VanDixhoorn, Malcolm McInnes, Ross MacFarlane, Barry York, Roy Blackwood, and Joseph Pipa. Jack Whytock and Joel Beeke introduced me to Marrow theology and Secession Church history through their teaching. Colleagues in the history faculty at Huntington University —Dwight Brautigam, Paul Michelson, and Je Webb—were both understanding and supportive during the dissertation process, while faculty fellows at Patrick Henry College, particularly Robert Spinney, Stephen Hake, David Aikman, and Gene Veith, gave encouragement in the publication process. Jay Collier and the Reformation Heritage Books editorial sta ensured a smooth transition to publication. Of course my deepest thanks is due to my family: above all my beloved Rebecca, who is my soul mate, fellow pilgrim, and editor; our daughter, Anna, for playing hide-and-seek, an endless variety of back- yard games, and working at her “desk” beside me; our son, Matthew, born near the end of this work, for his smiling and laughing distraction; my parents, siblings, and in-laws for their Christlike examples and love. If there is one thing I have learned from this study, it is the gracious love of God, who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. My utmost thanks are to Him. —William VanDoodewaard Introduction Many in Reformed and Presbyterian communities continue to view the Marrow controversy in the Church of Scotland (1718–1726), with its contentious debate over the gospel and its proclamation, as a critical juncture in church history and theology. David Lachman notes, “[ !e Marrow controversy] involved issues at the heart of Reformed theol- ogy...particularly the great emphasis laid on God’s gracious dealing with men in Christ.”1 He states that the Marrow men’s gospel view gained “a considerable popularity in the country at large and helped create a ready constituency for the Secession.” 2 In an article on the Marrow controversy, Donald Beaton argues that “the Marrow of Mod- ern Divinity and the ‘Marrow Controversy’...stand for much that is vital in the religious life in Scotland...because of the in $uence [ e Marrow of Modern Divinity ] exercised over such men as Fraser of Brea, Boston, the Erskines, White #eld, Hervey and Chalmers, apart from the fact that it was the cause of one of the greatest controversies in the Scottish Church.” 3 J. B. Torrance states, “‘ !e Marrow Controversy’... in itself is from beginning to end a most revealing commentary on Scottish theology.” 4 William Philip concurs, stating, “ !e issues [the 1. David C. Lachman, e Marrow Controversy, 1718–1723: An Historical and eo- logical Analysis , Rutherford Series One: Historical !eology (Edinburgh: Rutherford House, 1988), 6, 485. 2. Lachman, Marrow Controversy , 485. 3. Donald Beaton, “ !e ‘Marrow of Modern Divinity’ and the Marrow Contro- versy,” Records of the Scottish Church History Society 1 (1926): 112–13. 4. J. B. Torrance, “Covenant or Contract? A Study of the !eological Background of Worship in Seventeenth-Century Scotland,” Scottish Journal of eology 23 (1970): 59. 2 e Marrow Controversy and Seceder Tradition controversy] raised touch the very heart of the Reformed faith, to the extent that what was at stake was not the merit of one mere human publication, e Marrow of Modern Divinity , but the very nature of the gospel and the free grace of God itself.” 5 In a recent republication of e Marrow of Modern Divinity , Sinclair Ferguson agrees, promoting the enduring value of the book: “Anyone who comes to grips with the issues raised in e Marrow of Modern Divinity will almost certainly grow by leaps and bounds in understanding three things: the grace of God, the Christian life, and the very nature of the gospel itself.” 6 Despite the perceived historical