Morning Prayer (1662 Book of Common Prayer)

ISAIAH-ALERT. ELECTION. OH NO!

LECTIONS. John Calvin on the Psalms. Keil & Delitzsch: Joshua. Matthew Henry: Isaiah. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown: Gospels. Matthew Henry: Revelation. Dr. Robert Reymond: Systematic Theology. Prof. Berkhof, Systematic Theology: Soteriology. Dr. Philip Schaff, Apostolic Christianity, Medieval Christianity and Swiss Reformation. Dr. Philip Schaff: Creeds. Westminster Shorter Catechism, 31-40.

For Psalm 9, Prof. Calvin is unremarkable and offers little of note on 9.13-14.

For Joshua 8, Prof. Keil dispatches one puerile comment by a Graff-Wellhausian who claims, willy nilly, that the Gerizim-Ebal covenant ceremony is misplaced as a matter of chronicity. A lovely head-butt to and take-down of Knobel. Some have to do the hard work and Keil does it. As one Marine Commander noted, "Ya' won't hurt 'em if ya' don't hit 'em." Beta-boys and thumb-suckers in playpens are not equipped for war. Thankfully, Prof. Keil is equipped.

For Isaiah 1, Prof. Henry brings forth a wonderful comfort. After describing the ubiquitous fever-blisters and sores up-and-down-and-around the body of Jerusalem, Isaiah gives this grand comfort. Election. God’s work itself in this horrific scene of national corruption. Isaiah 1.9: “Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.” While Jerusalem has gone down the sinkhole toward Sodom and Gomorrah, hotbeds for bend-over boys, sodomites and other reprobates, at least some were delivered from the sulfuric acid baths from above. Even in Noah’s day, 8 were left. Or, as below, even though the Anglo-Saxons may have repressed the Celtic Christians, God’s elect are always saved. Paul will later draw on this when noting that elect Jews believed and the Jewish reprobates were “never of the seed of Abraham.” The comfort for the Christian of 2021 is that no matter how corrupted the seminaries, churches, Bishops and other collars have become, there are “7000 who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” In Isaiah’s time, this phrase of 1.9 is the source of strength and hope. 90% will be flushed. The “remnant,” or 10%, will remain.

For the Introduction to the Gospels, Prof. Jamiesson comments that intellectual fads—e.g. Hume, et. al. ad nauseum—come, go and die, like seasonal blossoms, while the Gospel witness as the living Vox Dei shines anew in every generation by His canonical Word.

For Revelation 3, Prof. Henry, following the leads of Jesus’s comments about the low-watt Laodiceans, lay down some more ordnance on target. Dead-beats and lukewarm confessors are in the crosshairs of Jesus.

For Bibliology, Prof. Reymond notes that the Bible’s authority does not depend upon man or a church’s statements. It’s authority is intrinsic to its Author who Self-authenticates it. That will be hard for the Poop since the Poop is all about his own power.

For Soteriology, Prof. Berkhof claims Bavinck and Kuyper developed common grace in the Reformed community—it also brought down, in our estimation—the Reformed community by mitigating the results of sin and gab-festing on human works. Augustine and Dr. Jack Gerstner held the ground. Sorry, Louis. Up the game. Straighten up and fly right.

For Apostolic Christianity, Mr. Schaff exculpated himself on the “history of theology” in placing it last. He noted that he wanted to leave on that final note. Fine, Mr. Schaff, point conceded, but it still should have been placed as #1 in church history as a branch in the opening remarks—the history of theology or the intellectual history of Christian theology is the premier and leading branch of church history. What we think, say and, as a result, do is the work of God in history.

For Medieval Christianity, Mr. Schaff insists on the repression of Celtic Christianity due to Anglo-Saxon invasions. Perhaps a repression, but where there is one Celtic Christian, one has the Omnipotent hand of God. Where there is 8 left in Noah’s day, there is a majority. Whatever else the pagan Anglo-Saxons did or didn’t do, they did not destroy the Celtic Church since His Majesty was working His kingdom with His people. The Celts may have shifted, moved and/or gone underground, but the pagan Teutons were powerless against God’s people. True then. True now.

For the Swiss Reformation, Mr. Schaff describes the participants at the 1528 disputation at Berne. Eck begs off since he does not think that the Baden disputation of 1526 (favoring the Poops) should be relitigated. He’s irritated at the Bernese authorities. The disputation began on 19 Jan 1528, lasted 19 days and resulted in 10 propositions consisting of theological bullets aimed straight at the Poop’s head. These 10 propositions did not nip at the Poops' heels.

For the Creeds, Mr. Schaff makes the effort to dismiss an early date for the Apostles’ Creed. The arguments involve issues of silence and lack cognizable force.

For the WCF, the redemptive benefits of justification, adoption, sanctification, joy in the Holy Ghost, peace of conscience, increase of grace, perseverance, passage to heaven at death, and the resurrection of the body and reunification with the spirit are addressed.