Evening Prayer (1662 Book of Common Prayer)

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, Swiss Reformation and Creeds of Christendom. Westminster Larger Catechism, 109-110. For Psalm 13.1-2, Prof. Calvin discusses the aggravated condition David is experiencing as an harried exile and fugitive. For Joshua 13.1-14, Joshua, perhaps aged 90-100, finalizes land-allocations. For Isaiah 2.10-22, Prof. Henry continues to explore God’s hammer on the forehead of the proud. For Mathew 2.13-25 gives the flight of the holy family to Egypt, Herod’s death, the replacement by his son Herod Agrippa, and the holy family’s circumvention of Jerusalem by settling in Nazareth. For Revelation 7.1-12, Prof. Henry describes the elect Jews and Gentiles in white robes, the elect 144,000, rending praise to God on His throne. For Bibliology, Prof. Reymond disarms Hegel, Kierkegaard, and followers that they necessarily have to give up rationality, undermining themselves, arguing for “grab-as-you-can” meaning where you can by a leap into the dark as the raison d’etre. Moral relativism is the offspring. For Soteriology, Prof. Berkhof discusses the immediacy and direct-action of the Triune God in regeneration. For Apostolic Christianity, Prof. Schaff turns his attention to American historians, starting with Henry Smith of Union, NYC. For Medieval Christianity, Prof. Schaff begins the work of describing Columba on St. Iona, Scotland in the mid-6th century, evincing again, the Celtic Christianity long ante-dated Gregory’s agents yet to arrive in Canterbury. For the Swiss Reformation, Prof. Schaff continues to describe the conversion of a high-placed Romanist turned Reformer, Paolo Vergerius, denied admittance to Trent, and retires to Lago di Garda near Trent. For the Creeds of Christendom, Prof. Schaff further outlines Dositheus’s Confession: Calvinists err, are impious and blasphemous, holy synods are as infallible as Scriptures, Synods cannot err, man is not justified by faith alone, man is justified by faith and works, man is not totally depraved, man still has a free will, seven sacraments, ex opere operato, opus operatum, baptismal regeneration. Westminster Larger Catechism, 109-110: Q. 109. What sins are forbidden in the second commandment? A. The sins forbidden in the second commandment are, all devising, counseling, commanding, using, and any wise approving, any religious worship not instituted by God himself; the making any representation of God, of all or of any of the three persons, either inwardly in our mind, or outwardly in any kind of image or likeness of any creature whatsoever; all worshiping of it, or God in it or by it; the making of any representation of feigned deities, and all worship of them, or service belonging to them; all superstitious devices, corrupting the worship of God, adding to it, or taking from it, whether invented and taken up of ourselves, or received by tradition from others, though under the title of antiquity, custom, devotion, good intent, or any other pretense whatsoever; simony; sacrilege; all neglect, contempt, hindering, and opposing the worship and ordinances which God hath appointed. Q. 110. What are the reasons annexed to the second commandment, the more to enforce it? A. The reasons annexed to the second commandment, the more to enforce it, contained in these words, For I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments; are, besides God's sovereignty over us, and propriety in us, his fervent zeal for his own worship, and his revengeful indignation against all false worship, as being a spiritual whoredom; accounting the breakers of this commandment such as hate him, and threatening to punish them unto divers generations; and esteeming the observers of it such as love him and keep his commandments, and promising mercy to them unto many generations.