Bookmeister
Puritan Board Freshman
Just speaking as one who was in a non-confessional, dispensational credo-baptist type church Horton's book convinced me of covenant theology and I still stand behind my recommendation.
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Rev. Winzer makes an excellent point.
I'll recommend 1689 LBC: Chapter 7: "Of God's Covenant" and Samuel Waldron's exposition of the chapter.
Section I.—The distance between God and the creature is so great, that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience unto him as their Creator, yet they could never have any fruition of him, as their blessedness and reward, but by some voluntary condescension on God's part, which he hath been pleased to express by way of covenant.
Section II.—The first covenant made with man was a covenant of works, wherein life was promised to Adam, and in him to his posterity, upon condition of perfect and personal obedience.
Section III.—Man, by his fall, having made himself incapable of life by that covenant, the Lord was pleased to make a second, commonly called the covenant of grace: wherein he freely offereth unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ, requiring of them faith in him, that they may be saved, and promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto life, his Holy Spirit, to make them willing and able to believe.
Section IV.—This covenant of grace is frequently set forth in the Scripture by the name of a testament, in reference to the death of Jesus Christ, the testator, and to the everlasting inheritance, with all things belonging to it, therein bequeathed.
Section V.—This covenant was differently administered in the time of the law, and in the time of the gospel: under the law it was administered by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the paschal lamb, and other types and ordinances delivered to the people of the Jews, all fore-signifying Christ to come, which were for that time sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah, by whom they had full remission of sins, and eternal salvation, and is called the Old Testament.
Section VI.—Under the gospel, when Christ the substance was exhibited, the ordinances in which this covenant is dispensed, are the preaching of the Word, and the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper; which, though fewer in number, and administered with more simplicity and less outward glory, yet in them it is held forth in more fullness, evidence, and spiritual efficacy, to all nations, both Jews and Gentiles; and is called the New Testament. There are not, therefore, two covenants of grace differing in substance, but one and the same under various dispensations.
CHAPTER 7*- GOD'S COVENANT
1. THE distance between God and His creature man is so great that, although men, endowed as they are with reason, owe obedience to Him as their creator, yet they could never have attained to life as their reward had not God, in an act of voluntary condescension, made this possible by the making of a covenant.
Job_35:7-8; Luk_17:10.
2. Furthermore, since man, by reason of his fall into sin, had brought himself under the curse of God's law, it pleased the Lord to make a covenant of grace, in which He freely offers life and salvation by Jesus Christ to sinners. On their part He requires faith in Him that they may be saved, and promises to give His Holy Spirit to all those who are elected unto eternal life, in order that they may be made willing and able to believe.
Gen_2:17; Psa_110:3; Eze_36:26-27; Mar_16:15-16; Joh_3:16; Joh_6:44-45; Rom_3:20-21; Rom_8:3; Gal_3:10.
3. God's covenant is revealed in the gospel; in the first place to Adam in the promise of salvation by 'the seed of the woman', and afterwards, step by step, until the full revelation of salvation was completed in the New Testament. The salvation of the elect is based upon a covenant of redemption that was transacted in eternity between the Father and the Son; and it is solely through the grace conveyed by this covenant that all the descendants of fallen Adam who have been saved have obtained life and a blessed immortality; for the terms of blessing which applied to Adam in his state of innocency have no application to his posterity to render them acceptable to God.
Gen_3:15; Joh_8:56; Act_4:12; Rom_4:1-5; 2Ti_1:9; Tit_1:2; Heb_1:1-2; Heb_11:6; Heb_11:13.
Thanks for the info. I was just looking for somewhere to start, as I appreciate the large scope of this issue. Baptism was the issue I realized I could not solve properly without a study of covenant theology, so I am starting. I feel like I have a pretty good list of resources to start with, I am particularily interested in gaining a full-orbed understanding of the P&R perspective on covenant theology as it pertains to paedobaptism, as opposed to the reformed Baptist take on credobaptism.
Nathan,Thanks for the info. I was just looking for somewhere to start, as I appreciate the large scope of this issue. Baptism was the issue I realized I could not solve properly without a study of covenant theology, so I am starting. I feel like I have a pretty good list of resources to start with, I am particularily interested in gaining a full-orbed understanding of the P&R perspective on covenant theology as it pertains to paedobaptism, as opposed to the reformed Baptist take on credobaptism.
Let me just say that Randy's book recommendation doesn't really dive into the baptism debate. However, it isn't so much as an introduction to CT as it is a close examination of the Abrahamic and Mosaic and New Covenant, as opposed to a broad overview of them all.
I am also fairly new to Covenant Theology. I began by reading Horton's book, several O Palmer Roberson books on the subject, Berkof, Reymond, and some other unpublished articles (see, for example, http://www.fpcjackson.org/resources/apologetics/Covenant%20Theology%20&%20Justification/index.htm"]these excellent articles[/URL] by Ligon Duncan), but Covenant Theology From Adam to Christ is one of the best treatments I've read --regardless of whether you're paedo or not. Remember that the last half of the book is actually by John Owen.
Don't count it out, even if you don't want to get into the baptism debate right now. It is an excellent book on Covenant Theology.
Nathan,
You should know that John Owen is almost universally viewed to have one of the most idiosyncratic views of the Covenant of Works.
I make a third and very strong motion for the Marrow of Modern Divinity.
Thanks guys, I am going to get Marrow ordered.
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Herman Witsius, The Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man, trans. William Crookshank, 2 vols. (Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 1990).
Any idea where I might be able to purchase a copy of this?
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You should know that John Owen is almost universally viewed to have one of the most idiosyncratic views of the Covenant of Works.
No, their removal from the land was evangelical, not legal. It was an administration of the covenant of grace, not the covenant of works. They were removed from the land, not in the first place because they sinned (the stipulation of the covenant of works), but because they had not faith (the stipulation of the covenant of grace). See Hebrew 2-3 and 2 Kings 17:14.I think there could be a rapprochement between Republicationists and other Covenant Theologians. I'm sure in their better moments, non-Republicationists admit that there is a conditional '' legal'' element to the Mosaic Covenant, involving susceptibility to removal from the Land by execution or expulsion.
No, their removal from the land was evangelical, not legal. It was an administration of the covenant of grace, not the covenant of works. They were removed from the land, not in the first place because they sinned (the stipulation of the covenant of works), but because they had not faith (the stipulation of the covenant of grace). See Hebrew 2-3 and 2 Kings 17:14.I think there could be a rapprochement between Republicationists and other Covenant Theologians. I'm sure in their better moments, non-Republicationists admit that there is a conditional '' legal'' element to the Mosaic Covenant, involving susceptibility to removal from the Land by execution or expulsion.
If you can tolerate a Baptist's opinion: Michael Horton, Palmer Robertson, Witsius, and The Marrow. Witsius is longish (nearly 900 pages) but breathtaking in its scope and detailed consideration of so many points and passages.
Then it's the Covenant of Redemption he wasn't too crazy about?
The impression I get from those coming out of Westminster is that Mr. Bavink is foundational to the 20th century works on the covenants.What about Bavinck, does he deal with the doctrine of covenant?
Then it's the Covenant of Redemption he wasn't too crazy about?
I'm not sure where anyone would get this idea. Mr. Robertson shows a continuity of the OT covenants reaching their culmination in Christ and the new covenant.
Several authors (Trueman [1998], Rehnman [2002], Daniels [2004], Kapic [2007]) have shown that when discussing the Federal Theology of the Seventeenth Century, John Owen deserves a prominent place.
Several authors (Trueman [1998], Rehnman [2002], Daniels [2004], Kapic [2007]) have shown that when discussing the Federal Theology of the Seventeenth Century, John Owen deserves a prominent place.
Would you please provide some support for this claim or at least some reference to pagination of the works cited. I recall Rehnman showing Owen's "revelational" use of the federal scheme as well as a disagreement with reformed scholasticism over the use of reason for the systematisation of theology. I also recall Kapic speaking of the federal theology in relation to the sinlessness of Christ in Owen's thought. But that Owen deserves a prominent place in discussions on 17th century federalism seems to be an over-statement at best.
There is a recent dissertation that many paedo's endorsed.
http://www.puritanboard.com/f24/family-tree-reformed-biblical-theology-new-book-rich-barcellos-59986/
Just look it up. If you want I will have one sent to you at my cost. I am third of the way through the book. It is heavily footnoted.
That is a lot. I just read that section. You really want all the endorsements? I would have to spend a lot of typing doing it.
Are you claiming that Owen didn't have a Federal theme here?