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Propitiation: the turning away of the wrath of God by sacrifice.
Conversation: manner or way of life
impugn: call into question, challenge
vulgar: common or every day
Oaths: solemn promises made before the Lord, but to men.
Vows: solemn promises made to the Lord.
Supererogate: to do over and above what God requires or expects.
In Roman Catholic theology supererogate works are meritorious and can
avail for the benefit of others(eg. in the case of saints).
Insuperable: that which cannot be overcome or got over
Affinity: designates a relationship by marriage.
Consanguinity: designates a blood relationship.
Avouch: to put into words positively and with conviction.
Vouchsafed: given or granted in a condescending or gracious manner.
Open/Closed Membership: A strong dispute arose in the 1660s and
1670s over the necessity of believer baptism for membership in a local
church. Some churches, such as John Bunyan's Bedford church, and Henry
Jessey's London church, argued that it was unnecessary, and are thus called
"open-membership" churches. Others, like William
Kiffin, Hanserd Knollys, and Benjamin
Keach, were pastors of "closed-membership" churches. The
vast majority of Particular Baptist churches were closed membership, although
the Broadmead, Bristol Church, which sent representatives to the 1689-92
General Assemblies, and whose pastor, Thomas Vaux subscribed the Confession
in 1689, was open-membership.
Restoration of 1660: The return of King Charles II from exile.
Gifted Brethren: A controversy arose in the 17th Century over who
was properly eligible to preach and teach in the churches. Presbyterians
argued that the office of preaching and teaching was limited to the ordained
clergy, while most Independents and Baptists argued that it must not be
confined in this way. The Particular Baptists resolved the problem by recognizing
that some men were given gifts of ministry by Christ, though they were
not necessarily to be called into full-time ministry. If it was suspected
that a man might have such gifts, he would be asked to preach to the church
in private, and if approved, would then be permitted to preach in public.
These were the "gifted brethren". This issue is described in
Chapter 26, Paragraph 11 of the 1689 London
Baptist Confession of Faith. Some of these gifted brethren later were called
into the ministry, while others were not.
William Ames: (1576-1633) English theologian, educated at Christ's
College, Cambridge under William Perkins. Exiled in 1610, his writings
are of immense importance for both English and American Puritanism.
The Clarendon Code: A series of 6 penal acts, passed between 1661
and 1673, intended to re-establish the church of England and punish dissenters.
The Commonwealth: The period from 1649-1660 when England was ruled
by Oliver Cromwell and Parliament (Cromwell disbanded Parliament in 1655).
The Protectorate: The period from 1653-58 during which Oliver Cromwell
was known as the Lord Protector.
1596 True Confession: This was the Confession of an English separatist
church, possibly written by its pastor Henry Ainsworth, which was published
while in exile in Amsterdam.
Abingdon Association: An association of Particular Baptist Churches
from Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire,
and Hampshire which began its existence in October, 1652. The records of
the Association have been reprinted as Vol. 3 of the Association Records
of the Particular Baptists (London: The Baptist Historical Society,
1974).
The Western Association: An association of churches in the western
counties, including Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Cornwall, Somerset &
Devon which began its existence in Nov. 1653. The records of the Association
have been reprinted as Vol. 2 of the Association Records of the Particular
Baptists (London: The Baptist Historical Society, 1973).
Annihilationism: In opposition to the Orthodox Christian Doctrine
of the eternal punishment of the wicked (1689, 31
and 32), Annihilationists are heretics who
falsely claim that God punishes wicked men by ending their existence (annihilating
them), not by tormenting them with unending suffering in Hell. Note well
that the Bible clearly teaches that the error of denying eternal punishment
is indeed a damning heresy, inconsistent with being a true Christian and
with going to heaven (Rev.14:9-11; 20:15; 22:19).
Asceticism: In oppostition to the Puritan doctrine of the dignity
and sanctity of Christian marriage, and its propriety for all, even Christian
ministers (1689, 25), the error of Asceticism
wrongly claims that godliness comes through denying the legitimate appetites
of the body for food, rest, and sexual fufillment, and therefore, that
only celibate men and women can achieve the highest levels of godliness,
and therefore, that all Christian ministers must live a celibate life.
Decisionism: In opposition to the Calvinistic doctrine of regeneration,
or "Irresistible Grace" (1689, 10
and 20:4), the error of dicisionism, building
on the error of prevenient grace, claims that a some men, of their own
free will, use or cooperate with the divine enablement of prevenient grace
and are saved, while others, also of their own free will, choose not to
use or to cooperate with God's prevenient grace and perish in their sins.
Thus, according to the false doctrine of decisionism, the decisive factor
in the conversion of a sinner is the sinner's decision and cooperation,
not God's decision and regeneration.
The Dispensational Error: In opposition to the covenantal doctrine
(1689, 7) that since the fall, God only has
one method of saving sinners, namely by grace, through faith in Christ,
the dispensational error falsely claims that God has at times used various
methods of salvation from sin, specifically, that under the law he saved
the Jews by their works, and that now, under the gospel, he saves men by
grace through faith. Note well that I do not mean to offer a general definition
of what is commonly termed the modern dispensational movement. Further,
note well, that many Christians today who call themselves "Dispensationalists"
have properly abandoned and no longer hold what I have here termed the
dispensational error, which was taught by early leaders of that movement
and widely propagated by the notes in the old Scofield Bible.
Easy Believism: In opposition to the Orthodox Christian doctrine
of saving faith and holiness (1689, 11:2,
and 13), "easy believists" (or "carnal Christians")
are heretics who falsely claim that their verbal assent to the gospel is
true and saving faith, even though their professed faith is not accompanied
by any evangelical repentance toward God on their part, and even though
their professed faith in Christ does not issue in any moral sanctification
of their lifestyle.
Erastianism: In opposition to Baptist doctrine of the separation
of church and state (1689, 25, omission
of WC, pgh.4), and to the Reformed (Baptist and Paedobaptist) doctrine
of the headship of Christ over all the churches in every nation under heaven,
the universal church on earth (1689, 26:4),
Erastianism wrongly asserts that the King of England, rather than the Pope
of Rome, is the head of the universal church in England. Accordingly, the
"Church of England" wrongly recognizes this false royal claim
to ecclesiastical headship. Thus, in general terms, Erastianism promotes
the erroneous notion that the head of state in each nation has authority
to act as the head of the churches in that nation.
Health-Wealth: In opposition to the Puritan doctrine that spiritual
blessings and graces are the distinctive mark of God's people under the
new covenant (1689, 10 - 20),
the Health-wealth movement erroneously believes that physical health and
material prosperity always distinguish those who please God.
Landmarkism: In opposition to the Reformed (Baptist and Paedobaptist)
doctrine of the church universal (1689, 26:1,
2), the error of Landmarkism denies the
existence of any universal church on earth.
Libertarian: In opposition to the Puritan doctrine of the Christian
Sabbath (1689, 22:7, 8),
the Libertarian error claims that the observance of the Lord's day as a
day of rest and worship is a matter of Christian liberty, not a matter
of Christian duty or moral obligation.
Pietism: In opposition to the Puritan doctrine of the propriety
of Christian involvement in civic, political, and military activity (1689,
24), the error of Pietism wrongly asserts
that gospel holiness mandates that a Christian withdraw from any involvement
in political, civic, or military action.
Prevenient Grace: In opposition to the Calvinistic doctrine of total
inability (1689, 6 and 9),
the error of prevenient grace claims that God, by an act of "prevenient
grace", removes the moral disability and bondage to indwelling sin
from all men, and thus morally enables all men to come to Christ in repentance
and faith. This error serves as the foundation for the companion error
of Decisionism.
Sovereign Grace: The Sovereign Grace movement, although it openly
adheres to Orthodox Christian, Calvinist, and Baptistic doctrines, nevertheless
errs in its opposition to the open confession of the 1689's covenantal
teaching, ecclesiastical polity, and Puritanism, especially, its Puritan
doctrines of the regulative principle and Christian Sabbath (1689, 22:1,
7 ,8). Note
well, that while some advocates of the Sovereign Grace movement personally
hold to the1689, the distinctive beliefs of the Sovereign Grace movement
are defined, not by the 1689 Confession, but by a fifteen point doctrinal
statement, which does not adhere to the 1689's Covenantal (1689, 7),
Puritan (1689, 10 - 20,
22), and Savoy Church Polity (1689, 26:5
- 15) distinctives. Practically speaking,.
if we replace the 1689 Confession with the 15 point Sovereign Grace doctrinal
statement, the result will be the watering down of the things most surely
believed among us, by eliminating covenant theology, Puritanism, and Savoy
polity from our defining and distinctive beliefs as Reformed Baptists.
Theonomy: In opposition to the Puritan doctrine of the priority
of experiential religion and spiritual things, both in the Christian life
and in the Christian church (1689, 10 -
20), the theonomy movement errs by pursuing
the priority of societal religion and material things. Their wrong priorities
are based on their erroneous belief that the prime mandate of Christians
and churches is to move their society to adopt and implement Mosaic moral
and civil law in every realm, whether political, sociological, economic,
cultural, educational, judicial, or religious. Accordingly, in opposition
to the biblical doctrine that God's kingdom is spiritual and ecclesiastical,
and comes when Christians and Christian churches keep God's law evangelically,
Theonomists erroneously think that God's kingdom, or rule, is national,
and comes when a whole society formally adopts God's law in its national
life. Accordingly, Theonomists typically, yet vainly, hope for materialistic
millennium (Theonomic Postmillennialism), in which every nation in the
world, as a society, for an extended period of time, approximately 1000
years, adopts and implements God's moral and civil law in every realm of
its national life.
Universalism: In opposition to the Orthodox Christian Doctrine of
the eternal punishment of the wicked (1689, 31
and 32), universalists are heretics who
falsely claim that all men, even atheists, go to heaven, and that here
is no such thing as hell or eternal punishment. Note that the word "universalism"
sometimes refers to a similar but distinct error, not a damning heresy,
held by some Christians, namely, the erroneous notion that all God does
with a view to salvation from sin he does to and for all men alike. I refer
here, not to evangelical universalism, but to heretical universalism.
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