Debate: Protestant Antidote to Modern Disunity (1/5) Protestant Fundamentals of Separation and Unity — Greg Barrow

The Protestant Antidote to Modern Schismatical Disunity being Chapter 4 of Greg Barrow's book the Covenanted Reformation defended against Contemporary Schismatics. Hello, I'm Larry Berger. You're about to hear the most clear exposition of the biblical Protestant doctrine of terms of communion that I believe can be found anywhere today.

Regrettably time and circumstantial restrictions have prevented me from giving a prefatory overview of this subject and its vital importance. However as the title of these tapes indicates the doctrine and practice of our faithful Protestant forefathers Concerning church membership and the biblical requirements for coming to the Lord's table are truly the Protestant antidote to today's schismatical practices.

Biblical Unity and the Lord's Table

They sought for and even vowed themselves to true unity that is unity that comes as Paul says in 1st Corinthians 1 10 From being of the same mind and in the same judgment concerning biblical doctrine worship and church government and discipline in contrast to the false unity promoted today, which is but unity in name and utterly destructive of truth and godliness as.

You listen, please consider whether what you're currently being taught and what so-called Protestant churches today are practicing concerning the Lord's table are actually the biblical Protestantism of the Reformation if not, why not and what then are we to do as.

An introductory answer to these questions I've decided to include here my narrator's preface for eschewing ecclesiastical tyranny the duty of Christ's sheep. Which is appendix G of the covenanted Reformation defended.

Although this preface does not deal directly with the biblical teaching on terms of communion I believe it is nevertheless very relevant and I trust it will prove a helpful forerunner to Barrow's treatment.

One that provokes us to love and good works and a greater appreciation of our Savior's mercy. May God richly bless you as you hear expounded the biblical old paths wherein is rest for our souls Jeremiah 6 16.

Please note that Barrow's entire book is free on Stillwaters revival books website www .swrb .com. It is also available in hardcover from Stillwaters along with a treasure trove of the finest Protestant Reformed and Puritan literature available anywhere in the world today Stillwaters can be reached at 7 8 0 4 5 0 3 7 3 0 or by email at swrb at swrb .com.

Church Unity Must Be Grounded in Christ

Let us therefore remember that whenever church unity is commended to us. This is required that while our minds agree in Christ. Our wills should also be joined with mutual benevolence in Christ. Paul therefore while urging us to it takes it as his foundation that there is one God one faith and one baptism.

Indeed wherever Paul teaches us to feel the same and will the same he immediately adds in Christ or according to Christ. He means that apart from the Lord's Word. There is not an agreement of believers, but a faction of wicked men.

We therefore conclude that among the godly the communion of the church ought not to extend so far. That if it degenerates into profane and corrupted rights, they have to follow it headlong. Some will therefore ask me what counsel I would like to give to a believer who thus dwells in some Egypt or Babylon where he May not worship God purely but is forced by the common practice to accommodate himself to bad things.

The first advice would be to leave that is to relocate if he could. If someone has no way to depart I would counsel him to consider whether it would be possible for him to abstain from all Idolatry in order to preserve himself pure and spotless toward God in both body and soul.

Then since we are to abstain from all such idolatry Let him worship God in private praying him to restore his poor church to its right estate. Hello, I'm Larry Berger. These powerful quotes from book 4 chapter 2 of John Calvin's institutes of the Christian religion and from his anti-nicodemite writings forthcoming from Protestant heritage press Demonstrate that while we are to place the highest premium on the unity of the church We must be certain that it is true scriptural unity.

We are promoting and not a satanic substitute. Indeed this worthy reformer is emphatic that true unity is so precious to Christ and his people. That if anything but the real thing is presented to the church She is to reject it and wait prayerfully for such time that God will bring about true lasting unity.

To accept tawdry substitutes for biblical unity. Those that promote unity at the expense of any of the least of the truths of the Word of God. Those that make unity an end in itself rather than subservient to the promotion and preservation Of the truth and the pure worship of God is not to preserve Christ's body whole But to rip her into a thousand pieces and to court the wrath of her jealous husband.

Such as the state of affairs in the church today where it seems all schemes. But the biblical plan for unity are championed and where when so-called unity is attained truth and purity are always the losers.

Private Judgment and Liberty of Conscience

One of the precious fundamental teachings of scripture recovered in the Protestant Reformation was the doctrine of private judgment that is that each individual Christian has both the right and the Responsibility to test all that is put before him for acceptance and to believe and to practice that and only that which is agreeable to the scriptures.

Thus the Westminster Confession of Faith asserts God alone is the Lord of the conscience and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in anything Contrary to his word or beside it in matters of faith or worship so that to believe such doctrines or to obey such commandments out of conscience is to betray true liberty of conscience and The requiring of an implicit faith and an absolute and blind obedience is to destroy liberty of conscience and reason also.

That's chapter 20 section 2. In stark contrast the Roman Catholic Church maintains the infallibility of the Pope in matters of faith or morals and Asserts that it is the domain of the Holy Mother Church Not that of individual believers to determine the true sense or meaning of the scriptures.

Thus in the Creed of Pope Pius the fourth 1564 we find I Also admit the Holy Scripture according to that sense or meaning which our Holy Mother the church has held and does hold. To which church it belongs to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the scriptures.

Neither will I ever take and interpret them. Otherwise than according to the unanimous consent of the fathers. Notwithstanding these blasphemous and despotic assertions. However private judgment as will be shown is the privilege and duty of all believers.

Indeed it is essential to the unity and purity of Christ Church. So much so that there can be no biblical unity without it. And it also affords the last defense against the kind of arbitrary soul damaging and even damning tyranny and error exemplified by but not limited to the Roman Catholic Church.

Lamentably churches wearing the name Protestant have since the time of the Protestant Reformation Increasingly embraced numerous Romanist errors. These include a false and dangerous conception of the visible church tyrannical doctrines of ecclesiastical and civil authority Corruptions of the sacraments false views of free will and the nature of man and other points of Arminianism in doctrine Arminianism in worship such as the use of choirs Celebration of holy days like Christmas and Easter church calendars with their various days and seasons and pictures of Christ and perversions of church government and discipline for example Episcopalian ism congregational ism and independency as You will hear on this tape.

Some have even gone to the point of denying the fundamental doctrine of sola scriptura. That is that the Bible is the alone infallible rule of faith and practice by denying private judgment. Which is a natural and necessary consequence of sola scriptura.

Because even this most vital teaching is being eroded and attacked. Which if it continues will plunge the church back into a full-fledged slavery to error and idolatry as was the case before the Reformation.

Scriptural Foundations for Private Judgment

I'd like to spend a few moments considering how prominent the doctrine of private judgment is in the scriptures. By so doing I hope to fix more firmly in our minds the privilege and duty we have to eschew or shun Ecclesiastical tyranny and thereby to enhance the usefulness of mr. Barrow's concise explanation and defense of private judgment.

By giving careful heed to the Word of God and to the testimony of our faithful reformed forefathers. To which testimony the Bible commands us to listen Proverbs 1 8 Jeremiah 6 16 Hebrews 11 4 and 13 17 and so forth.

We will be led to a fresh appreciation of one of the chief benefits purchased for us by the blood and sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ and to a renewed holy hatred of all that is contrary to this precious benefit.

By this means we will be equipped to recover and maintain the true biblical unity of Christ Church and End the multitudinous schisms currently afflicting her and grieving and dishonoring her Lord. The scriptures confirm and urge the right and duty of private judgment in numerous ways.

First we see it in the biblical conception of authority where God alone bears absolute unqualified rule over men's consciences. The Lord commands us be not servants to men first corinthians 7 23. While insisting as the ultimate reason for believing and obeying him that I am the Lord thy God exodus 20 verse 2 and so forth.

Thus the Apostles expressly said they were only helpers of our faith and not Lords over it 2nd Corinthians 124 and Referred to their ministry as existing only for the purpose of edification 2nd Corinthians 10 8 and 13 verse 10.

They expressly taught they had authority only insofar as their officiations were according to the truth 2nd Corinthians 13 8 and not simply because they claimed a title and held an ecclesiastical office.

We can only give implicit faith then to the Lord God and not to any even the most faithful church or leader. To do otherwise is to ascribe to them an incommunicable attribute of God blasphemous idolatrous and perilous indeed.

Moreover every command to submit to church leadership necessarily implies this duty. The Bible tells us that we are to submit to emulate and follow faithful leaders and churches. For example 1st Timothy 5 17 in Hebrews 13 17.

Faithful is not here a meaningless adjective. But rather presupposes sound scriptural evaluation of this leadership on our parts. The same applies to God's command to receive faithful doctrine. We are as well frankly and soberly told of the existence of false teachers not outside the church.

Discerning False Teachers

But within the church we must be certain here however to distinguish the various types of false teachers. Some men like Apollos are godly incompetent, but simply uninstructed in the whole counsel of God.

Others like Nicodemus John chapter 3 have no business teaching not yet at least as they are incompetent in their doctrinal knowledge. Others have been soundly instructed, but like Peter have fallen back into their old sin and errors.

Still others are described in the most fearful terms Satan's ministers 2nd Corinthians 11 15. Deceivers and being deceived 2nd Timothy 3 13 twice dead and clouds without water Jude 12. And in the case of the man of sin who the Reformers identified as the office of the Pope.

One who exalts himself above God and is like Judas a son of perdition 2nd Thessalonians 2 3. Obviously if we are to identify any of these errant teachers we must judge them ourselves Individually by criteria independent of their mere profession to be teachers and leaders or faithful churches and denominations or their insistence that the Bible supposedly says we are to submit to them and In fact this is exactly what we observe in the scriptures and the Holy Spirit highly commends such examples for our imitation.

Thus the Bereans are said to be more noble than the Thessalonians because they not only heard the Apostle Paul But heard him with a ready-minded careful discernment searching the scriptures daily whether those things were so Acts 17 11.

Likewise the Ephesian elders in Revelation 2 were praised by Christ Because they tried them which said they were Apostles and were not and found them liars Revelation 2 2. Whereas the churches of Pergamos and Thyatira were sternly rebuked for merely tolerating false guides.

Warning that those who tolerated these teachers though they themselves were Orthodox were nevertheless subject to the judgment sent upon the false teachers. See also Revelation 18 4. Finally as if these overwhelming scriptural evidences and arguments weren't enough we have the plain command of God throughout the entire Bible.

Examples are so numerous that we're forced to limit ourselves to just a few. In Deuteronomy 13 we're forewarned that God will test us by allowing false prophets to arise who will have every seemingly good Qualification to commend us to believe them and yet whose doctrine will lead us away from the true God.

Solomon is emphatic concerning the need to flee from error and erroneous teachers. Cease my son to hear the instruction that caused it to err from the words of knowledge. Proverbs 19 27. Both Isaiah and the Lord Jesus Christ himself warn us that if we follow unsound instruction, we will suffer the severe consequences.

For the leaders of this people caused them to err and they that are led of them are destroyed. His watchmen are blind. They are all ignorant. They are all dumb dogs. They cannot bark. Let them alone. They be blind leaders of the blind and if the blind lead the blind both shall fall into the ditch.

Isaiah 9 16 and 56 10. Matthew 15 14. And We should note here as was alluded above That it is not simply teachers who we regard to be non-christians or obstinate opponents to the truth. That we are to take heed of and avoid.

This ought to be evident for a teacher as such should be judged by his teaching. Not by whether we think he'll spend eternity in heaven, though. This is obviously a vital matter. Just because he's qualified for heaven does not mean he's qualified to teach and lead Christ's sheep.

It is also plainly taught in the verses themselves. For they do not say that the primary reason the people are being led astray is because the teachers are unsaved. Though in many cases this is indeed the ultimate reason for their teaching error.

But because they are blind to and ignorant of the truth and their doctrine causes the people to err. We are thus forbidden every bit as much from sitting ourselves under ignorant Unsafe teachers as we are from sitting under those who are likely unsaved ravenous wolves.

Many more instances can be found in the New Testament. Indeed one need only consider that most of the New Testament itself was written to refute errors and erring teachers and thereby to confirm and protect Christ's sheep.

Thus in a very real sense the New Testament en masse is a direct commandment to judge and reject all false teaching and teachers. For the sake of brevity, however, we will consider only one more clear command Romans 16 17.

Now I beseech you brethren mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which he have learned and avoid them. Notice that there are three commands here to explicit and one implicit.

The implicit command is that we ensure that we ourselves know the apostolic doctrine the whole Council of God acts 2026 the doctrine which we have learned. The first explicit command is to mark that is to identify to make careful note of those who deviate from this doctrine.

Thereby causing schisms and all manner of damage to the Church of Christ. The second explicit command flows from it. We are to avoid shun or eschew all such teachers churches or denominations. For it is obvious that if one teacher who thus causes schism is to be avoided how much more an entire church or denomination?

Which is causing such division by its false doctrines? Interestingly the command to mark in this passage is the same Greek word used in Philippians 3 17. Where we are commanded to mark faithful teachers and to emulate their faithfulness.

Finally note how serious a matter it is for us to identify and separate from such false teachers and teachings. Paul beseeches us earnestly entreating that we do so and commands us by invoking the terrible name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This single consideration alone the invocation of the name of the Lord. Recall the language in Exodus. I am the Lord thy God. Should overwhelmingly compel us to follow through carefully on this command.

All the more should we do so when in conjunction with this we consider that it is taught either expressly or by implication from one end of the Bible to the other. Even from this cursory view of the doctrine of private judgment its prominence in Scripture and the great care employed by the Holy Spirit in Communicating it to us our manifest.

It is precisely because Christ's sheep do not use this precious gift and then separate from those who are ignorant blind guides. Or who are obstinately holding to error that the blindness error disunity and decline in practical godliness characterizing the church today continue and thrive.

With the exercise of private judgment these grievous sins could not continue. Without the exercise of private judgment, they will not cease. Dear brethren, we have a command not from the Reformers. But from the Lord Jesus Christ to use this private judgment and to act on it accordingly.

Indeed, we have more than a command. He has purchased it for us with his own blood and given us the Holy Spirit in order to employ it. He will bless us if we practice it scripturally and his anger will follow us if we don't.

He is honored greatly when we faithfully exercise it. It is the height of impiety and blasphemy when we neglected. Let us then not be those who maintain and even widen the breaches in the walls of Christ, Jerusalem.

But those who instead endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Ephesians 4 3. May God bless all of us with peace and joy as we stand fast in the freedom wherewith Christ has made us free.

Misrepresentation of the Puritan Reformed Church of Edmonton

The Protestant antidote to modern schismatical disunity being chapter 4 of Greg Barrow's book the covenanted Reformation defended against contemporary schismatics. Misrepresentation number 4 the Puritan Reformed Church of Edmonton PRCE is guilty of imposing the traditions of men upon the conscience by requiring terms of communion that are unscriptural.

Men are always inclined to be critical and misrepresentative when they haven't taken adequate time to understand the issues and study the works of those. They are attacking Mr. Bacon as demonstrated in his defense departed is such a man.

It is one thing to read carefully and digest the arguments of one's opponent and another thing to read one or two short articles for the Purpose of drawing numerous inaccurate inferences from them though.

The articles in this case are exceedingly clear and in no way support. Mr Bacon's misconstruals. Though there are obvious theological differences between mr. Bacon and the PRCE. Before continuing I must address the issues of fairness and integrity.

Has mr. Bacon accurately represented what the PRCE believes or as he built a caricature of our belief in an attempt to discredit us. I Contend that mr. Bacon has so severely either intentionally or ignorantly Overlooked the plain statements of David Steele the Reformed Presbytery and the PRCE that he should be profoundly ashamed of himself.

I have been involved in many debates over the years and I can honestly say that never has an opponent so blatantly ignored our plainest statements. Prejudice in this form and intensity must be directly answered by demonstrating that mr. Bacon has possessed adequate information to leave him without excuse.

I intend to do this by setting mr Bacon's statements directly against what pastor Steele the Reformed Presbytery and the PRCE have said. We as a session sent mr. Bacon many free books and articles to help him correctly determine what we believe.

The careful reader will notice that in his defense departed he cites two or three small sources of information. Whereas he had been given many volumes for his perusal the point I am making is this if mr. Bacon really cared to honestly and fairly debate this issue with us.

He would never have been so foolish as to ignore our most explicit statements. I conclude that mr Bacon really did not want to debate. But rather wanted to slander and abuse the PRCE in retaliation for our efforts in dissociating from his pretended presbytery.

Considering that mr. Bacon had been given free access to most of the cited works I'm about to quote. I urge you dear reader to ask yourself these questions. Has mr Bacon been fair to the position he is attacking.

Has he clearly demonstrated his opponent's position from their own works. Has he done his homework. Are these acts of poor scholarship or malicious intent or both? The following scripture characterizes the substance of our response to this current misrepresentation.

Then I sent unto him saying there are no such things done as thou sayest but thou faintest them out of thine own heart. Nehemiah 6 8. A Man that beareth false witness against his neighbor is a mall and a sword and a sharp arrow.

Proverbs 25 18. As we survey the evidence in the next several pages, I think the reader will be amazed at how completely mr Bacon has misled his readers. I certainly had anticipated something stronger from a man of his gifts than outright denial of our explicit statements.

That he has risen no higher than this is a is quite telling as to the bankruptcy of his positive position. To prove that mr. Bacon has totally ignored our explicit statements while substituting his own fictitious fantasies in their place.

Please consider the following examples. Mr. Bacon has not done his homework. One mr. Bacon misrepresents how we view our own church standards when he says. Quote. It must seem strange to some who are reading this to be faced with the fact that there are some who call themselves Protestants yay reformed and Presbyterian Protestants who appear to place their own traditions as the Constitution of the church rather than scripture.

That's from defense departed again. The National Covenant or confession of faith is to be sworn not because the church has required it. But because it is an accurate representation of the sense of God's law.

It is not as the Steelites claim because the church's testimony tells us what to believe. The church's testimony must be judged according to the Word of God and not vice versa. Defense departed. Do we the so-called Steelites claim that the church's testimony tells us what to believe.

Has mr. Bacon honestly represented our position. The reformed Presbytery of Scotland responds directly to this absurd notion. Quote. Convinced of the self-evidencing power intrinsic worth and divine excellencies of the holy scriptures.

We ever wish them to be considered as a complete and sufficient rule in themselves. Independent of oral law tradition of the fathers or any human invention. Whatever. And in opposition to that absurd notion that the true sense depends upon the church.

Can it be stated any more clearly than this asks mr. At the same time in our practical application of the inspired oracles we consider them to be a rule as Consistently understood and properly applied for though they be an absolutely perfect and sufficient rule in themselves.

Yet it is possible to mistake their true meaning. But this we endeavor to guard against the conduct of those who while they pretend to believe in the divine authority of scriptures Do meanwhile evidently rest them?

Imposing glosses which make one make one part of the sacred volume to contradict another and which lead us away from the true scope and design Of the whole and that's from the reformed Presbytery's explanation and defense of the terms of communion.

Page 161. Speaking of using confessions of faith and covenants as a term of communion the reformed Presbytery states quote it is only after mature deliberation Carefully comparing them with the Word of God and Receiving full conviction in our own minds of their being wholly founded upon it that we consider the confession and catechisms or any other human composure whatsoever as Properly entitled to our belief and deserving to be ranked amongst the subordinate standards of our church.

But after being convinced of their agreeable agreeableness to the infallible rule We cheerfully receive them. It is not with the remotest intention of supplying a defect in the oracles of truth Which we ever consider a complete rule in themselves.

Nor is it at all that in the view of putting the either the confession or any other book in the world on a level with The Bible that we adopt these explanatory standards. But purely to ascertain the true meaning of scripture.

Help us to understand one another in our church fellowship and through these mediums to transmit a faithful testimony for truth from generation to generation again the explanation and defense of the terms of communion.

Page 161. A False witness shall not be unpunished and he that speaketh lies shall not escape. Proverbs 19 5. To mr. Bacon says the Puritan Reformed Church of Edmonton has adopted this entire line of thinking by the approach of first accept the doctrine.

Then you can understand it later. But this is the very kind of implicit faith required by Rome and condemned by our confession again from defense departed. Is it true that David Steele the Reformed Presbytery and the PRCE require implicit faith?

In their preface to the Arkansas renovation a committee of the Reformed Presbytery made up of David Steele Robert Alexander and John Clyde state. Quote. The reader may be assured that neither we nor the Reformed Presbytery whose committee we are Claim papal infallibility or Christian perfection nor do we ask implicit faith in our documents?

But we sincerely believe ourselves that the Arkansas renovation and the bond to which the foregoing statements are prefixed Will be found on examination to be sound faithful and in nothing contrary to the Word of God as from the Arkansas renovation and again Beware of acting implicit faith.

It is long since the error falsely imputed imputed to us was broached among professing covenant errs. For example, we heard from the mouth of a minister in that body more than a quarter of a century ago the declaration in the pulpit.

Quote. The first term of communion is the only proper term of communion in the church and the time is not distant. We trust when she will have no more the first term of communion being that the Bible alone is the The Bible is the alone infallible rule of faith in life.

That is when all the displays of a covenant God's justice mercy faithfulness, etc In dealing with the church and her anti-christian opposers shall have passed into oblivion and unbelieving an ungrateful hope or desire.

The Protestant world is so denominated because simply of a solemn protest against Rome's impious claim to infallibility and cognate invasions of Messiah's prerogatives Attach the attribute of infallibility to any of the subordinate standards of our Christian profession.

And we are instantly deprived of them all as a near and necessary consequence. We sincerely hope that the Covenanter that is James M Wilson will arrive at a clearer light on the general subject of creeds and confessions.

And if so, we are sure he will come to a better temper. It is part of the known character of the two witnesses that they contend for the faith once delivered to the Saints as the nearest And surest way to victory.

Again we would say to the reader beware of exercising implicit faith in human authority as well as testimony and Hold in dread all assumptions of infallibility by Pope Prelate or Presbyterian and especially Reformed Presbyterian standing by the exclusive supremacy of Zion's King and that's from David Steele's the two witnesses page 41.

David Steele adds let no one imagine that I defend symbols of faith from force of force of habit or Because they are old perfect immutable or infallible. For I have for many years repeatedly said the contrary that no document framed by wisdom learning or piety of any Uninspired man or body of such is either perfect or immutable and much less infallible.

No, I do not plead for immutability. But for the faithfulness of subordinate standards both of doctrine and practice and that's from Steele's reminiscences pages 135 and 136. Now does David Steele or other so-called steel lights even remotely resemble mr. Bacon's caricature.

Do we teach implicit faith if the reader had access to this information as did mr. Bacon? What do you have written what mr. Bacon wrote? Oh. All he had to do was read the books we provided or listen to Pastor Price's set of tapes on our terms of communion 19 cassettes available at Stillwater's revival books to be forever convinced of the contrary.

Instead he ignored the evidence and printed his vain imaginations. This clearly shows a serious lack of scholarship and integrity. These six things doth the Lord hate. Yea seven are an abomination unto him a Proud look a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood and heart that deviseth wicked imaginations feet that be swift in running to mischief.

A False witness that speaketh lies and he that soweth discord among brethren. Proverbs 6 16 through 19 3. Speaking of the solemn league and covenant as a term of communion. Mr. Bacon says quote. So the steelite turns that which was good and useful and lawful for the Church of Scotland to use in a time of national and Ecclesiastical distress to that which is nothing more than the imposition of traditions upon the conscience.

That's from defense departed on December 18 1996 in an email. Mr. Bacon writes. Necessity implies some rule other than scripture which binds the conscience if you wish to take the solemn league and covenant.

Which I assume you have done no bother to me. However, the term necessity implies precisely the position that you all have now taken which I believe to be directly contrary to the doctrine of sola scriptura.

Close quote. Does the PRC e impose the traditions of men upon others when they require the solemn league and covenant as a term of communion? Is this a denial of sola scriptura? The reformed presbytery responds.

Quote. Concerning these covenants some have proposed the query. In what sense can they be said as they are in our testimony? To be of divine authority or obligation. We reply the divine authority of heaven's great sovereign is evidently Interposed in requiring us to enter into such covenants bow unto the Lord your God.

And when once we have entered into them the same divine authority binds us to performance. Hey that which thou has vowed. Add to these that the great and dreadful name the Lord our God is invoked in the solemn transaction.

While his declarative glory among men is deeply concerned in the faithful fulfillment of our engagements. So that besides the intrinsic obligation of the covenants viewed simply as human deeds Whereby men bind their souls there is in all such covenants an obligation of divine authority.

Requiring first to make and then to perform our covenants from the invocation of the divine name considering Jehovah as witness and Avenger and From the interfering with the divine glory in the keeping or violating of our oath.

Hence in the scripture the same oath is in one respect Considered as the covenant of the man giving his hand and in another respect as the Lord's covenant whose glory is concerned in it. See for example Ezekiel 17 11 through 21.

Our testimony if properly attended to explains itself. Telling us the covenants are of divine authority or obligation as having their foundation upon the Word of God. And that again is from the explanation and defense of the terms of communion.

Page 161. David Steele adds quote. Even the doctrinal propositions of our confessions and catechisms are received not because they are inspired or infallible. But simply because they are in the apprehension of the Christian agreeable to the Holy Scriptures.

Much more does this obviously apply to our solemn covenants as embodying the heroic achievements of our martyred and witnessing fathers add to these all the real attainments of those who survived the overthrow of the Second Reformation.

And That's from pastor Steele's printed correspondences with the editor of the Covenanter magazine. That is James M. Wilson. Which is published by Stillwater's revival books under the title apostasy in the RPC na.

The Evidence thus far is compelling and clear. Mr. Bacon was not even trying to accurate accurately represent David Steele the reformed presbytery or the PRCE. Though this should be enough to convince those who are open to hard evidence I intend to belabor this point so that mr Bacon's dishonesty and irresponsibility will become abundantly evident and so that none will ever have any Justifiable reason for concluding that the so-called steelites teach anything but historic reform doctrine.

What more can be done than to prove that the Covenanters have for hundreds of years been saying the exact opposite of what? Mr Bacon represents them to say if our public and explicit statements will not be accepted as our statement of belief.

Then what can be done to convince the gainsayer? Let the proud be ashamed for they deal for they dealt perversely with me without a cause. But I will meditate in my precepts. But those that fear thee turn unto me and those that have known my testimonies psalm 119 78 and 79 for mr Bacon writes.

Quote, but one must remember that the steelites invest a similar meaning in the term historical testimony. But the Romanist does with his inspired tradition of the father's that's from defense departed.

Pastor David Steele aptly answers. Mr. Bacon rightly dividing that which is which is our alone infallible standard in matters relating to salvation. From the fallible standards which are to be included in terms of communion.

Quote. No symbols of faith and order framed by uninspired men are faultless much less infallible either in substance or form. Otherwise, they would not be subordinate. Divine truth is the sole ground of saving faith and is not to be confounded with terms of communion as ignorance and presumption.