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33 Bible Doctrine – The Doctrine Of The Free Offer
I would like to welcome you back to another study in Bible Doctrine. In our previous study, I began to tackle the three controversial issues which separate 17th century Hyper-Calvinism from 18th century Hyper-Calvinism—the doctrines of duty faith, the free offer and the ten commandments as the believer’s rule of conduct. For this study, I would like to look at the subject of the free offer. The free offer is the belief that the preacher has the biblical mandate to offer the gift of God unto salvation to unregenerate sinners. There is reference to it in the three major confessional statements of the 17th century—(1) The 1646 Westminster Confession—“He freely offers unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ”; (2) The 1658 Savor Declaration—“he freely…
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A Practical Discourse On God’s Sovereignty
This high and tremendous attribute, being an ocean that has neither bank nor bottom, may not lightly be launched into by any, though ever so strongly built and well-manned, (much less by so weak a vessel,) without a divine compass, and an anchor within the veil. That the author of this Discourse came into it, was not of choice or designment, but of course and emergent necessity. Could he have found another basis to repose that doctrine upon, (which was, at first, his only intended subject,) he had not touched upon this: but apparently to him, no ground would bear the weight of election, but that of sovereignty; and there it fixed as on a rock; all the lines of its whole circumference running there,…
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The Life And Ministry Of John Collett Ryland
John Collett Ryland (1723-1792), divine, son of Joseph Ryland, a farmer and grazier of Lower Ditchford, Gloucestershire, and grandson of John Ryland, yeoman, of Hinton-on-the-Green, Gloucesterhisre, was born at Bourton-on-the-Water in the same county on 12 Oct. 1723. His mother, Free-love Collett, of Slaughter, was a collateral descendant of John Colet, dean of St. Paul’s. Ryland was baptized in 1741 by Benjamin Beddome, who, perceiving him to be a lad of promise, sent him about 1744 to Bernard Foskett’s academy at Bristol to prepare for the ministry. After undergoing much spiritual conflict he left Bristol in 1750 to be pastor of the Baptist church at Warwick, where he had already preached for four or five years. Here he kept school in St. Mary’s parsonage-house, rented…
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Article 13 – Final Perseverance
Articles Of The Faith And Order Of A Primitive Or Strict And Particular Baptist Church Of The Lord Jesus Christ, Based On The Declaration Of Faith And Practice Of John Gill, D. D., 1720 XIII. Final Perseverance. We believe that all those who were chosen by the Father, and redeemed by the Son, and who have been sanctified by the Holy Ghost, shall certainly and finally persevere so that not one of them shall ever perish, but all shall attain to everlasting life hereafter. ------------------------------- Job 17:9; Ps 84:5,7; Prov 4:18; Matt 18:14; Jn 10:28; Rom 8:30; 11:29; 1 Cor 15:58; Eph 4:30; Phil 1:6; 2 Thess 2:13,14; Heb 10:38,39; 1 Pet 1:2-5; 1 Jn 5:18 Annotations: As our convictions on this Doctrine do not…
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The Potter’s House
The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.’ Jeremiah 18:1-6 God sent…
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Cotton Mather Vindicated: A New Look at the Salem Witch Trials
In 1692, New England was in a tumult. Within a matter of weeks no less than 150 suspects had been charged with witchcraft and in the Massachusetts colony frightened men women and children believed that the devil was on the loose. The epicentre of this wave of evil which was to alienate children from their parents, churches from their pastors, servants from their masters and even wives from their husbands was the small community of Salem several hours ride on horseback from Boston. Salem, though of very insignificant size, has received an over-proportioned importance in American ‘popular’ history as an example of how the Puritans strove to purge a town of its sin by burning its evil-doers[1. There were no burnings in Salem. The numerous…
