The Westminster Confession

into the 21st Century

Essays in Remembrance of the 350th Anniversary
of the Westminster Assembly

Volume 1

General Editor
J. Ligon Duncan, III

Associate Editors
W. Duncan Rankin
Derek W. H. Thomas
Robert C. “Ric” Cannada, Jr.
Stephen R. Berry
Stephen E. Tindall

CFP Additions.p65 2 22/01/2004, 10:54

 © J. Ligon Duncan III

ISBN 1-85792-862-8

First Published in 2003, reprinted 2004

in the
Mentor imprint
by
Christian Focus Publications,
Geanies House, Fearn,
Ross-shire, IV20 1TW, Scotland

www.christianfocus.com

Cover design by Alister MacInnes

Printed and bound by

W.S. Bookwell, Finland

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be repro-

duced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form,
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording
or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher or a
license permitting restricted copying.

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 Foreword
Almost a decade ago we marked the three hundred fiftieth
anniversary of the English Parliament’s ordinance calling for the
historic Westminster Assembly (1643-1649/52). Reformed
Theological Seminary (RTS) has a special interest in the
promotion of the study of the Assembly since the Confession
serves as our basic doctrinal position. Because we passionately
believe these truths, RTS has aimed to produce pastors who
believe and promote them in a way that is warmly and winsomely
Reformed and biblically ecumenical, spreading the influence of
these truths as broadly as possible.
This set of books is published with a view to introducing the
student to some of the main issues in the history, theology and
literature of the Assembly, and in hopes of spurring new interest
in the work of the Westminster divines. Our aims, however, are
not merely academic. They are also pastoral and devotional. We
hope to provide material that will prove both interesting and
helpful to the scholars, ministers, elders, candidates and
congregations of the various evangelical churches influenced by
the Westminster Assembly.
We catch something of the pastoral and devotional heart of
the Assembly in the words of Samuel Rutherford (a Scottish
commissioner to the Assembly), speaking of his Savior, Jesus
Christ: “I am so in love with His love, that if His love were not in
heaven, I should not be willing to go thither.” This kind of

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 passionate adoration of Christ is at the heart of Reformed theology
at its best, and that is the sort of devotion we seek to promote
through the work of Reformed Theological Seminary: love for
God, love for his truth, love for Christ, love for people. Our
message is “A mind for truth, a heart for God.”
There is much indeed to feed our souls (as well as to strengthen
our minds) which we can learn from these forefathers in the faith.
The Westminster Assembly has provided for us both a profound,
reverent, moving exposition of the doctrines of the Bible, and a
worthy model of the function of truth in the pursuit of godliness.
Personally, my parents led me to memorize the Westminster
Shorter Catechism when I was a young boy. Later I was given a
copy of the complete Westminster Standards by my home church,
First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi, along with all
others in that congregation when we completed our secondary
education. My parents made sure that copy was packed in my
luggage when I left home for undergraduate studies. A number of
times as I discussed issues with others at Vanderbilt University, I
turned to the Westminster Confession for guidance into the truths
of Scripture. In particular the Confession was a great help to me
in those days in my understanding and teaching on the subject of
assurance of salvation and for my own personal comfort and
encouragement in this vital area of the Christian life.
May our Sovereign God use these volumes to reacquaint His
people with the rich spiritual heritage bequeathed to them by their
Puritan forefathers and to spur them on to further study of their
“affectionate, practical” theology.

Dr. Robert C. “Ric” Cannada, Jr.

President, Reformed Theological Seminary
Jackson, MS; Orlando, FL; Charlotte, NC; Washington,
DC; Atlanta, GA, USA
Associate Editor, Westminster Assembly Project
March 25, 2003
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 Introduction
June of 1993, February of 1999 and March of 2002 respectively
marked the three hundred fiftieth anniversaries of the seating, the
final session and the informal dissolution of the historic Westminster
Assembly. As you know, that godly gathering of divines met steadily
throughout the ravages of the English Civil War, from 1643 to 1649,
patiently putting together a testimony of the faith in hopes of uniting
the Reformed movement in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland
(and even continental Europe), in doctrine, worship, discipline and
church government. Hence, there have been over the last decade a
number of conferences and commemorations celebrating the
memory of that venerable convention.
In the early 1990s, with the encouragement of the administration
of Reformed Theological Seminary (Jackson, MS; Orlando, FL;
Charlotte, NC; Washington, DC; Atlanta, GA), a group of eminent
scholars from around the world was approached to participate in
the production of literature (both popular and academic) designed
to discuss and debate the most important issues in current post-
Reformation studies, as well as promote interest in the Westminster
Assembly and its work. This effort was designated “The
Westminster Assembly Project” and received encouragement from
many quarters, not the least of which came from the then-President
of RTS, Dr. Luder G. Whitlock, Jr. RTS has been unwavering in its
support of this long-standing project of scholarship and the whole
editorial team is grateful for it. I am especially appreciative of the

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 continuing interest and assistance of two good friends, RTS Vice
President, Robert J. Bailey (a Ruling Elder of First Presbyterian
Church, Yazoo City, Mississippi) and our new President of RTS,
Dr. Robert C. “Ric” Cannada, Jr.
The distinguished historian of the Reformation and post-
Reformation eras, Richard Muller of Calvin Theological Seminary,
calls the Westminster Assembly Project “a most worthy undertaking
and, to my mind, one that is quite timely not only because of the
anniversary of the Assembly but also because of the clear need in
Presbyterian and Reformed circles for scholarly work on the
Reformed tradition and its confessions.” And so, we have been
busy for over a decade researching, producing literature and
preparing for a multi-volume set of scholarly essays on various
subjects related to the work of the Westminster Assembly. This
volume is the first of three projected, with another planned for
release this year. The timing of its publication, though much delayed,
has turned out to be providentially propitious. Chad Van Dixhoorn’s
discovery of long forgotten and never before transcribed or
published minutes of the Westminster Assembly has scholars keenly
interested. Westminster Seminary’s (Philadelphia, PA)
announcement of a new center for the study of the Westminster
Assembly will bring a fresh attention to this subject area.
Meanwhile, we have already produced a brief “user-friendly”
bibliography of the Assembly (in conjunction with the North
American Presbyterian and Reformed Council commemoration)
called The Westminster Assembly: A Guide to Basic
Bibliography, (Greenville: Reformed Academic Press, 1993),
a revised version of William Beveridge’s Short History of the
Westminster Assembly, (Greenville: Reformed Academic Press,
1993) which has received some nice commendations,1 a new

1
“The rediscovery of reformed theology throughout the world has given fresh
relevance to the Westminster Divines’ classical exposition of biblical

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 edition of S.W. Carruthers’, Everyday Work of the Westminster
Assembly, (Greenville: Reformed Academic Press, 1994), a
reprint of S.W. Carruthers’, The Westminster Confession: The
Preparation and Printing of its Seven Leading Editions and A
Critical Edition, (Greenville: Reformed Academic Press, 1995),
and a chain of articles called “The Belgic Confession: A View from
Westminster,” in the Presbyterian Perspective Series in Christian
Observer 1995-1996. Soon to be released is J. V. Fesko’s, Diversity
within the Reformed Tradition: Supra- and Infralapsarianism
in Calvin, Dort, and Westminster, (Greenville: Reformed
Academic Press, 2003), and two more volumes in this three volume
set on The Westminster Confession in the 2lst Century (Tain:
Christian Focus, 2003-2004). Among the other major projects which
have been initiated is a comprehensive annotated bibliography on
the Assembly - The Westminster Assembly: A Comprehensive and
Selectively Annotated Bibliography.
One of our major focuses is the Westminster theology (and
the Puritan/Protestant Scholastic legacy) and its relation to the
Reformed tradition as a whole. In particular, the Westminster
Assembly Project aims to discuss the Westminster theology in its
interrelationship to the earlier Reformed tradition–arguing for the
basic continuity between Calvin and Calvinism, without ignoring
developments and discontinuities. The seventeenth-century

teaching. To an extraordinary degree they studied in depth the same issues

which trouble and challenge the church today, and their work continues to
serve as an invaluable guide. In this context, Professor Ligon Duncan’s fine
edited version of William Beveridge’s valuable study of the Assembly should
be widely welcomed. Its appearance augurs well for the success and
usefulness of the important work of the Westminster Assembly Project”
(Sinclair B. Ferguson). Douglas F. Kelly has added: “...beautifully done;
the notes and bibliography are extremely helpful for both historical and
contemporary scholarship relating to the Westminster Standards. This will
prove to be another incentive to the church to maintain and further our great
doctrinal heritage for the rising generation.”

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 Reformed theologians have not fared well in the hands of late
nineteenth and twentieth century historical theologians. We hope
to continue the current redress of that imbalance (à la mode de
Muller, Clark, Trueman, Marsden and others) and to contribute
to the rectification of a common, but bad, historiography.
The purpose of these volumes, then, is to inform, evaluate,
and commend. We wish to inform the reader about the Assembly
in its historical, theological, political and social setting. Further,
we wish to challenge unhistorical assertions commonly made
about Westminster in its relation to both earlier and later Reformed
theology, and to provide fresh evaluation of its place in and
contribution to the Calvinian tradition. Finally, we wish to
commend the Westminster theology as a faithful expression of
clear-headed Christian thinking to a generation in the thralls of
dying modernity and nascent postmodernity.
There are many reasons why it would be beneficial for the
scholars, ministers, elders, students and congregations of the
various Reformed churches to study the Westminster Assembly.
We will mention a few of them here. First, there is a pastoral
reason. That learned gathering of divines was representative of a
movement which bequeathed to us a tradition of pastoral theology
unsurpassed in the history of Christianity in the English-speaking
world. We need to hear them because a significant proportion of
the church of our day has decided that its ministry should be
carried out pragmatically rather than theologically, while another
quadrant (more theologically sophisticated, it should be said)
places a premium on contextualization and general revelation in
its theology of ministry, at the expense of the divine modes and
norms of church life clearly set forth in the Scriptures. The Puritans
were not so tempted by such modern folly. The members of the
Assembly (in their corporate work, lives and writings) offer to us
a pattern of ministry that was biblically grounded, theologically
informed, culturally engaged and pastorally effective.

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 Second, there is an historical reason. It hardly needs to be
said that the work of Westminster has served for over three and a
half centuries as the basic doctrinal formulary for Presbyterianism
worldwide, but it has also been influential in several other
Protestant traditions. Thus the Westminster Confession and
Catechisms have made an historical contribution to the whole
Reformed tradition’s understanding of Christian faith and life,
and have functioned either as the basis of or a major influence on
the public theology not only of Presbyterianism, but also of the
historic Baptist churches (e.g., via the Second London Confession
of 1689, adopted as the Philadelphia Confession in 1742), the
Congregational churches (e.g., via the Savoy Declaration of 1658)
and the Anglican tradition. This alone argues for its historical
importance and hence the value of its study. Nevertheless, it may
be further suggested that knowledge and appreciation of the times
and teachings of Westminster can serve to inoculate us against
the false teachings and superficialities of our own age. “Reading
old books,” C.S. Lewis once said, keeps “the clean sea breeze of
the centuries blowing through our minds” so that we are not so
prone to modern errors and trivialities.
Third, there is a theological reason. All Christians are systematic
theologians, the question is whether we are going to be good ones
or bad ones. The mastering of the theology of Westminster will
provide the minister with a wholesome and comprehensive grasp
of biblical truth, which will serve our systematic theology better
than prevalent alternatives in today’s market. The scope and
precision of the Assembly’s product is an especially helpful
corrective to the current, seemingly ubiquitous, anti-systematic
theology sentiment, and to contemporary tendencies towards
minimalism and reductionism. Indeed, many divinity halls and
ecclesiastical assemblies are populated these days by self-styled
“biblical theologians,” (which usually means merely thematic
theologians who harbor deep suspicions of the categories of

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 historical theology, precise distinctions and larger theological
systems, who have not themselves done the hard work of theological
synthesis, who often unreflectively import their own philosophical
presuppositions into their exegesis and redemptive historical
method, while at the same time criticizing “scholastic theology”
for doing this very thing, and who ironically have a more
dominating, if smaller and narrower, theological grid than any post-
Reformation scholastic you can name). The result of this is the
total domination of the canon by “single issue” theologues – every
passage turns out to be about whatever is the particular bee in their
bonnet. Hence, their protest against Protestant scholastic theology
turns out to be a case of the pot calling the kettle black, and that
unfairly. It was Karl Barth who said “Fear of scholasticism is the
mark of a false prophet.” For once, he was right. The Assembly
was not afraid of exactitude, distinctions, deductions, or historic
categories, and yet was philosophically more self-aware (and self-
critical) than most contemporary theologians.
Fourth, there is a devotional reason. The devotional value of
the Westminster documents has never before been so
underestimated as it is today. And yet there waits a deep pool of
living water for the refreshing of the soul for any who will take
the time to drink. The divines provide for us both a profound,
reverent, affectionate exposition of the doctrines of the Bible,
and a worthy model of the function of truth in the pursuit of
godliness, thus making a wonderful contribution to the cultivation
of “Christian piety” or “heart religion.” Though it is often
compared unfavorably to the Heidelberg Catechism,
Westminster’s Shorter Catechism is far from cold and academic,
rather we find in it a warm, evangelical expression of the Christian
faith. This is nowhere more evident than in the very first question
and answer of the Catechism: What is the chief end of man? A.
Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. (See
1 Corinthians 10:31 and Psalm 73:25-26). You can’t get more

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 basic or practical than this. What is the meaning of life? What is
our purpose in life? What are we here for? If you get the answer
to this question wrong, everything else will go wrong. To glorify
God is to know him, trust him and serve him, according to his
word. To enjoy him is to seek him as our greatest good and our
greatest desire. We glorify him in enjoying him, and enjoy him in
glorifying him. Nothing gloomy or pedantic about that!
For all those reasons (and more) the study of the Westminster
Assembly is never a waste of time. To make the exercise even
more valuable, we have assembled contributions from an
impressive list of students of Westminster and its context: William
S. Barker, former Dean of Westminster Theological Seminary
(Philadelphia, PA, USA), an outstanding scholar of English
Puritanism; David B. Calhoun, Professor of Church History at
Covenant Theological Seminary (St Louis, MO, USA), an expert
in the Princeton Theology; Hugh Cartwright, formerly of the
Free Church of Scotland College (Edinburgh, UK) and now in
the Free Presbyterian Church; Mark E. Dever, brilliant Puritan
scholar, author of a major academic work on Richard Sibbes, and
senior minister of the Capitol Hill Baptist Church (Washington,
DC, USA); Sinclair B. Ferguson, formerly of Westminster
Theological Seminary (Philadelphia, PA, USA), and St. George’s
Tron Kirk in Glasgow, Scotland, a widely known author and
theologian; Richard B. Gaffin, Jr. of Westminster Theological
Seminary (Philadelphia, PA, USA), an outstanding exegete and
theologian, known for his research on the Sabbath in the Reformed
tradition; Timothy George, Dean of the Beeson School of
Divinity, Samford University, (Birmingham, AL, USA), world
class Baptist historian; Stewart D. Gill, formerly of the
Presbyterian Theological Hall (Melbourne, Australia), now Dean
and Deputy Warden, Trinity College and Senior Fellow,
Department of History, University of Melbourne (Victoria,
Australia); W. Robert Godfrey, President of Westminster

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 Theological Seminary (Escondido, CA, USA); David W. Hall,
formerly of the Covenant Presbyterian Church (Oak Ridge, TN,
USA) and well-known scholar of and author on the Westminster
Assembly; Darryl G. Hart, formerly of Westminster Theological
Seminary (Philadelphia, PA, USA), now Dean of Westminster
Theological Seminary (Escondido, CA, USA), exceptional church
historian; Paul Helm, formerly of King’s College (London, UK),
noted author on issues relating to Calvin and Calvinism; Michael
S. Horton, of Westminster Theological Seminary (Escondido,
CA, USA) and President of the Alliance of Confessing
Evangelicals (Philadelphia, PA, USA); Douglas F. Kelly, Jordan
Professor of Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary
(Charlotte, NC, USA); Andrew T.B. McGowan, Principal of the
Highland Theological College (Dingwall, Scotland), known for
his knowledge of Scottish Historical Theology; Donald Macleod,
Principal of the Free Church of Scotland College (Edinburgh,
Scotland), first order systematic theologian and master of Scottish
theology; James L. Macleod, formerly of the University of
Nottingham (Nottingham, UK) and now in the Department of
History, University of Evansville, Indiana; W. David J. McKay,
of the Ballylaggan Reformed Presbyterian Church (Aghadowey,
Northern Ireland, UK); Nicholas R. Needham of the Highland
Theological College (Dingwall, Scotland); J.I. Packer, of Regent
College, (Vancouver, Canada); Robert L. Reymond, of Knox
Theological Seminary (Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA); O. Palmer
Robertson, President of African Bible College (Uganda, Africa);
Morton H. Smith, of Greenville Presbyterian Theological
Seminary (Taylors, SC, USA); Wayne R. Spear of the Reformed
Presbyterian Theological Seminary (Pittsburgh, PA, USA);
Andrew A. Woolsey of the Crumlin Evangelical Presbyterian
Church (Crumlin, Northern Ireland, UK); David F. Wright, of
New College, University of Edinburgh (Edinburgh, Scotland);
and more.

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 The topics we cover in this set are wide-ranging, from the
history of the Westminster Assembly Commemorations; to recent
objections to the Covenant Theology of Westminster Confession;
the Holy Spirit in the Westminster Confession; Westminster and
the relationship of Church and State (from both Scottish and
American perspectives); the theology of the Westminster Larger
Catechism; the Westminster doctrine of union with Christ;
Westminster and Sanctification; Westminster on the Sabbath; the
Westminster Doctrine of Scripture; Baptists and Westminster;
Princeton and the Westminster Confession; Westminster and the
Regulative Principle; Scotland and the Westminster Confession;
Westminster and Australian Presbyterians; Calvin, Westminster
and Assurance; Westminster and Protestant Scholasticism;
revision of the Westminster Confession and the Free Church
Declaratory Act of 1892; the Confession in the Fundamentalist-
Modernist Debate; Westminster Confession and Missions;
Westminster and the Atonement; Finney’s Attacks on
Westminster; Westminster and Worship: Psalms, Hymns?, &
Musical Instruments?; and more.
In this volume the essays commence with David Hall’s
interesting “History of Westminster Assembly Commemorations”
which has a fascinating subplot regarding what the
commemorations themselves tell us about the denominations
celebrating the Assembly. Then there is Wayne Spear’s “Word
and Spirit in the Westminster Confession” – which provides a
nice, if partial rebuttal to the old and outmoded Rogers-McKim
thesis on the Reformed doctrine of Scripture. O. Palmer Robertson
provides a pastoral overview of “The Holy Spirit in the
Westminster Confession” which undercuts the charge (often
heard) that the role of the Holy Spirit is underplayed in the
Westminster Confession. We are introduced to the “Theology of
the Larger Catechism” by Morton H. Smith, a well-known scholar
of Westminster, and Richard B. Gaffin critically but appreciatively

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 engages the Confession on the currently controversial matter of
“Westminster and the Sabbath.” Dean Timothy George of the
Beeson Divinity School, Samford University, gives us a helpful
treatment of “Baptists and the Westminster Confession” thus
reminding us of the importance of Westminster to and in that
ecclesial tradition. David F. Wright of the University of Edinburgh
brings to bear his expertise is the area of the doctrine of baptism
to engage the debate about baptismal realism, regeneration and
efficacy in his chapter “Baptism at the Westminster Assembly” –
his findings are nuanced and provocative. Andrew McGowan, an
expert in Scottish Federal Theology, demonstrates the fundamental
theological continuity in pre-Westminster and post-Westminster
Scottish theology (contrary to regnant historical mythology) in
“Edinburgh to Westminster,” while W.D.J. McKay explores the
influence of the Scottish participants in the Assembly in “Scotland
and the Westminster Assembly. Stewart Gill’s “The Battle for the
Westminster Confession in Australia” gives us insight into a sad
instance of doctrinal erosion in a case study important to all who
aspire to work within and maintain the integrity of confessional
churches. Mark E. Dever’s chapter on “Calvin, Westminster and
Assurance” counters the flawed but common argument (typified
in the Kendal thesis) that the Puritan tradition fundamentally
undercut the Calvinian doctrine of assurance. This is an important
point in the larger debate regarding Calvin and Calvinism. J. L.
Macleod takes a hard look at “Revision of the Westminster
Confession (Declaratory Act of 1892)” and the late nineteenth-
century Free Church’s departure from confessional Calvinism.
Michael Horton looks at the self-conscious and even radical
rejection of confessional Reformed theology by one of the most
famous evangelists of the nineteenth century in “Finney’s Attacks
on the Westminster Confession.” Finally, William S. Barker,
outstanding historian and former Dean of Westminster Seminary
in Philadelphia, considers the issue of church and state in “Lord

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 of Lords and King of Commoners.
The nineteenth-century historian of Westminster William
Hetherington once said that the Westminster Assembly “was the
most important event in the century in which it occurred . . . and
has exerted, and in all probability will yet exert, a far more wide
and permanent influence upon both the civil and the religious
history of mankind than has generally been even imagined.” That
statement, made over two centuries after the event and perhaps
uncharacteristically enthusiastic and generous for a Scot talking
about anything from south of the Border, may certainly be debated
(I can already hear today’s historian crying “Anglo-centrism”!),
but is at least indicative of the magnitude of the Assembly and its
work, and its significance for the English-speaking world and
beyond in successive generations. After all, Richard Baxter, a
contemporary of the Assembly who held some serious divergences
from the Westminster theology, himself declared that “Since the
days of the Apostles there has never been a Synod of more
excellent divines. . . .” Whatever the hyperbole of these
estimations, the Assembly marks the highpoint of Reformed
confessionalism and warrants the further study and consideration
that these essays of ours intend to promote.

J. Ligon Duncan, III, BA, MDiv, MA, PhD

General Editor, The Westminster Assembly Project
Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church (PCA), Jackson,
Mississippi, USA
Adjunct Professor, Reformed Theological Seminary
Convener, Twin Lakes Fellowship
Council, Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals
Chairman, Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
Secretary of the Board, Belhaven College
Editorial Director, Reformed Academic Press

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 Acknowledgments
This first volume of the Westminster Assembly Project’s essays
on the Assembly has been waiting to see the light of day for more
than half a decade. The General Editor wishes to express his
appreciation to the authors, who have so patiently awaited its arrival,
for their outstanding work. I am also appreciative of the labors of my
Associate Editors, W. Duncan Rankin, Derek W.H. Thomas, Robert
C. “Ric” Cannada, Jr., and Stephen Berry. Professor Rankin has been
a vital part of this project from the beginning and recruited many of
the contributors. Professor Thomas, who now holds the John E.
Richards chair at RTS and serves with me at First Presbyterian
Church, has shouldered some of the unglamorous aspects of editorial
work. Dr. Cannada, now President of RTS, has continued the crucial
support of the Seminary to this project and is vitally interested in its
fruition. Stephen Berry, a former student and now PhD candidate at
Duke did much of the initial editorial work in earlier drafts, while he
was Professor Rankin’s Thornwell scholar at RTS Jackson. Stephen
Tindall, my intern and assistant, has painstakingly reviewed every
letter and space of the final manuscript, numerous times. We are all
indebted to him for his herculean labors and his liaison work with
typesetters, publishers and printers in two states, three countries and
two continents (not to mention his detective work in tracking down
contributors world-wide). He has earned every drop of editorial
attribution! Each of these men is a dear Christian friend to me and I
am grateful for each of your unique contributions to this long labor.

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 Collectively, the whole editorial team here expresses our
thanks to the Executive Committee of RTS for its ongoing
encouragement and support. Many congregations and individuals
have given financially toward the work of the Westminster
Assembly Project, among them, James R. “Sonny” Peaster (a
trustee of the Banner of Truth Trust) and A. William May (a Ruling
Elder of First Presbyterian Church, Jackson) stand out. Without
their gifts, we could not have brought this work to completion.
We all also wish to express our gratitude to our publisher,
William Mackenzie, Managing Director of Christian Focus
Publications, and our Editorial Manager, Willie Mackenzie (not
to be confused with his aforementioned uncle!).

Soli Deo Gloria

L.D.

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