Morning Prayer

For Psalm 25, Prof. Calvin comments on fixing the mind of divine providence, divine promises and a firm reliance upon them. This is Reformed piety which arises from the Reformed faith.

Zondervan Pictorial Bible: Exodus: concludes with a 15^th century Exodus with Thutmose 3 and Amenhotep 2 as the Pharaohs of the oppression and exodus, respectively. This view has several advantages in dating.

ISBE on the route of the Exodus: Prof. T. V. Brisko concludes his article in favor of the southern exodus. Sinai was the focus, not Kadesh Barnea.

For Genesis 12-25: Prof. Keil comments on the four phases of Abraham’s life, each phase introduced by divine revelation. These revelations are inspired and warrant full trust. Abraham has a firm faith. Acts follow God-given, living faith.

For Judges 6.27-35, Prof. Keil comments on the Spirit of the LORD falling upon and enabling Gideon to execute his war. One can see a solid metaphor to see the assured victories of Romans 8.18-38, solid Reformed piety.

For Isaiah 10.5-19, Prof. Henry comments further on the corrupted and proud soul of Sennacherib. Can anyone say “Ancient Putin?” Also, off with the minimizers of total depravity who can’t handle Paul’s Romans, including Romanists, Greeks, mainliners, and evangelical Arminians.

ISBE on Johannine Theology, Prof. I. Howard Marshall notes that John 1.1-14 is thematic for the Gospel. Prof. Marshall has dismissed the fancies that John is working with Hellenizing and governing categories (e.g. Bultmann or Ehrman).

For Mathew 8.1-4, Prof. Jamieson comments on the God-given confidence and faith in the leprous man. God was already working in the poor man.

For Romans 5.12-21, Prof. Hodge begins to finalize his doctrinal conclusions and is very careful to guard the issue of “imputation” for the first and second Adam. Make mistakes here and one will slip into the perennial trap (many expressions of it) of justification by sanctification.

For Acts 1.6-11, Prof. Henry gives the Ascension. The apostles lived and died as martyrs for this faith. Would any of the English bishops live and die as martyrs for this faith?

Frederick Copleston’s “History of Philosophy: Greece and Rome (1.1):” enlarges on the Ephesian elite, Heraclitus, with several aspects of his thinking, including “everything is in flux” (panta dei). One never steps into the same river. Philosophy is done collaterally to systematic theology to see where impurities enter into the stream of systematic theology, e.g. Hegelianism. Heraclitus sounds like a pantheist, the ever-perennial system of confusion.

For Systematic Theology (locus 2), Prof. Hodge comments on the ever-recurring elasticity in ever-recurring types like Schleiermacher, a model of other views. I-me-and-my is the governing hermeneutic. Reformed doctrine and piety rightly stresses theology proper. Salt and light.

For Theology Proper (locus 2), Prof. Reymond goes wonky on the 381 Council arguing that the Council overstated the case on eternal procession by denying the reference is to an internal and eternal Trinitarian operation.

For Eschatology (locus 7), Prof. Berkhof comments on the complex of events to precede Christ’s second coming, vitiating the idea of the “imminent return.” It’s quite sad to notice how infrequently this is assessed in this scribe’s orbit. We are told to be alert, awake, on standby, to be watchful, to be waiting, etc., not asleep, indifferent, drifty, silent, etc.

ODCC: Commodian: a 3^rd century north African, Christian poet who produces some apologetic pieces. He’s not well-known. The vast majorities of Christians will never be widely known, but will live, die and still be the recipients of the joyful benefits of redemption.

For Apostolic Christianity, Vol. 1 (1-100) Prof. Schaff introduces Paul/Saul as he turns to Gentile Christianity. Some overstatements.

For Medieval Christianity, Vol. 4 (590-1073), Prof. Schaff talks about the boy king Benedict 11 who grew into a moral monster on Schaff’s telling.

For the Swiss Reformation Vol. 8 (1519-1605), Prof. Schaff tells how Calvin spoke freely at the varied foreign colloquies, one time as a representative of Strassburg. Also, Calvin was not impressed by Bucerian and Melancthonian “studied ambiguities.” Farel was right. Melancthon was timid and cowardly.

For Dr. Cranmer, Prof. MacCulloch comments on the lengthy Royal entourage in 1535 in which Crum and Cram are included and which sees some spectacular puffing preaching for Supremacy.

For the Creeds of Christendom, Vol. 1, Prof. Schaff tells us about Melancthon’s (modest, our word) Loci Communes of 1535, a volume that Cranmer had and which was dedicated to Old Harry Tudor. A retour of the Loci Communes is being considered. It was read 20 years ago and it was unimpressive then. It certainly was not the Institutes.

1994 CCC: our infallibilists in paragraphs #549-552 get to the Petrine supremacy card. The depths of the Devil are on view in seeing how the Devil seized the Matthean passage to exalt Roman jurisdictional sovereignty, a point not evident in the apostolic or early post-apostolic period.

Westminster Confession of Faith 4.6:

6. As for those wicked and ungodly men whom God, as a righteous Judge, for former sins, doth blind and harden, from them he not only withholdeth his grace whereby they might have been enlightened in their understandings, and wrought upon in their hearts; but sometimes also withdraweth the gifts which they had, and exposeth them to such objects as their corruption makes occasions of sin; and, withal, gives them over to their own lusts, the temptations of the world, and the power of Satan, whereby it comes to pass that they harden themselves, even under those means which God useth for the softening of others.