Evening Prayer (1662 Book of Common Prayer)

PSALTER-ALERT. PROUD POOHBAH-ALERT. Bishop McI’vaine: “The nature man is wedded to his pride.” 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 Larger Catechism, 1-4. For Psalm 10, Prof. Calvin comments on how the proud indulge themselves in themselves and to themselves, absolving themselves from their guilt, entertaining themselves to avoid the inner witness, feeding their bellies, entertaining their eyes with eye-candy, tickling their ears with varied itchings, and making great boasts of themselves. This will not get notice in any Episcopal pulpits known to this scribe in his travels. In contrast, Dr. Cranmer was a mature Augustinian and was Reformed in this respect. Psalm 10.3-4: “For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth. 4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.” For Joshua 9, Prof. Keil deals further with the Gibeonite’s “snookering” of Joshua and the elders. For Isaiah 1, Prof. Henry comments on God’s statement, “Come, let us reason together…” After the take-down earlier, the guilty are invited to make their case and “reason” with God. For the Introduction to the Gospels, Prof. Jamiesson does himself and us no favors in his work-up on Mark. This needs to be upped. For Revelation 4, Prof. Henry further describes the Beatific Vision of the heavenly throne-room. The elect behold the "hem of the garment" with wonder and joy while the black-souled unregenerates want this repressed. For Bibliology, Prof. Reymond cites Dr. E.J. Young’s comments on the Self-Authenticating Word, God speaking and validating His own words. For Soteriology, Prof. Berkhof notes that God stays the immediate execution of the death sentence, restrains sin in wild outbreaks and preserves some sense of morality and truth in history. For Apostolic Christianity, Mr. Schaff reveals the triumph of Christianity against all comers across the centuries. The gates of Hell will not conquer His Majesty's elect and invisible church. For Medieval Christianity, Mr. Schaff—finally—again, finally--as we've been saying--thank you Prof--finally tells us about the contracted and impertinent imposition of Canterbury’s solutions, directed from Rome, upon Celtic Churchmen. Schaff finally gets it as so few do. Rarely does this get appreciation. It was about "authority," "authoritarian impulses," "impulses to autocracy," "and impulses to supremacy. The egg laid here will hatch the Hildebrandian Papacy. For the Swiss Reformation, Mr. Schaff tells us of Erasmus’s somewhat bitter end, his death and interment in the Basel Cathedral while noting that the University faculty has cleared out, fearing the theological changes will impede academic studies. For the Creeds, Mr. Schaff finishes up extolling, as is justly due, the 451 Chalcedonian Creed. It's a pity this gets so little publicity. For the WLC 1-4, mans’ chief end, Scriptures and God.