Contents: Chapter 9, "Corporate Faithfulness and Sanctification" (parts 1, 2, 3, and 4), interactive
http://www.lettermen2.com/bcrr9cha.html#index9
Combined Interactive Contents for The Web Edition of Biblical Counsel: Resources for Renewal
http://www.lettermen2.com/combtoc.html
Freedom is one of the major underlying themes of the entire Bible.Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. (2 Corinthians 3:17)
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. (James 1:25)
The Bible is the Magna Carta of our liberty; when it is neglected, it is not merely its morality that is jeopardized; it is not merely its virtue that is undermined; indeed, all the good it has wrought is thereby despised. -- Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847)
The roots of liberty and limited government are in the Protestant Reformation. We believe the key to the maintenance of liberty and limited government is to be found in the Scottish covenanting struggle. -- James A. Dodson
See the Theological Notes: "The Law of God," at Exodus 20:1 in The Reformation Study Bible.
Where then is this servitude? In the first place, I answer, that though God, in threatening men, does not immediately execute what he denounces, yet his threats are never weak and ineffectual. Secondly, that the judgments of God are not always exhibited before our eyes, nor apprehended by our carnal reason. The Canaanites, having shaken off the yoke of servitude, which was divinely imposed upon them, even proceeded to grasp at empire for themselves. But although they triumph for a time, yet in the sight of God their condition is not deemed free. Just as when the faithful are iniquitously oppressed, and tyrannically harassed by the wicked, their spiritual liberty is still not extinct in the sight of God. It behoves us then to be content with this proof of the divine judgment, that God promised the dominion of the land of Canaan to his servant Abraham, and at length devoted the Canaanites to destruction. -- John Calvin commenting on Genesis 9:28 and context
He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. (Revelation 13:10)
It is this author's contention that the modern churches have let go of this important piece of the faith [Christ's Kingship over the nations -- compiler], once for all delivered to the saints. Thereby they have delivered the church, not to kings as nursing fathers, but to the cruel civil domination of the enemies of the true religion, their sheep being taught that they must submit passively to every pretended civil authority as the ordinance of God. By this defection, these leaders of the flock have also undermined the magistracy, allowing and even encouraging wicked men to remove this blessed ordinance from its foundation in God its creator, and from its subjection to Christ His King, thereby directly opposing God's benevolent ends in instituting civil government: Thus have [they] made the commandment of God of none effect by [their] tradition. . . . teaching for doctrines the commandments of men (Matthew 15:6,9). Furthermore, by their false teaching regarding civil government, they have made themselves guilty of the very sin of which we are often accused: opposing the ordinance of God. If this wasn't enough, however, consider that their sin is worse than that of the garden variety rebel, inasmuch as their opposition to God's institution is not so much practical as it is principle; and because of their position as teachers and guides of the flock of God. Be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. . . . For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. (James 3:1; II Cor. 13:8 [2 Corinthians 13:8]) -- Greg Price, Biblical Civil Government Verses the Beast, p. 64
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:12)
http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/romans-14-12.html
http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/romans/14.htmlBad men cannot make good citizens. It is impossible that a nation of infidels or idolaters should be a nation of freemen. It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated [defective] state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, are incompatible with freedom. -- Patrick Henry
If we are not governed by God, then we will be ruled by tyrants. (See 1 Samuel 8) -- William Penn
Man will ultimately be governed by God or by tyrants. . . . Those who are willing to trade their essential liberties for a little temporary safety, deserve neither safety nor liberty. -- Benjamin Franklin
Freedom essentially is the predicate of immortality. Freedom is the grace of God streaming into the world of man. -- E. Merrill Root
Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof. (Leviticus 25:10a)
*Bolton (or Boulton), Samuel, and John Cameron (1579?-1625), The True Bounds of Christian Freedom, or A Treatise Wherein the Rights of the law are Vindicated, the Liberties of Grace Maintained, and Severall Late Opinions Against the Law are Examined and Confuted. A Christian classic. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"Samuel Boulton was one of the Westminster Assembly of Divines. He 'expounds the nature of Christian liberty and then clearly sets the bounds of that liberty. . . '." -- Publisher
Downame, George, The Christian's Freedom: Wherein is Fully Expressed the Doctrine of Christian Liberty, ISBN: 1877611751 9781877611759.
*Luther, Martin (1483-1546), J.I. Packer (translator), and O.R. Johnston (translator), Bondage of the Will, ISBN: 0800753429 9780800753429. A Christian classic. Available (PDF and MP3) on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"THE BONDAGE OF THE WILL is fundamental to an understanding of the primary doctrines of the Reformation. In these pages, Luther gives extensive treatment to what he saw as the heart of the gospel. Free will was no academic question to Luther; the whole gospel of the Grace of God, he believed, was bound up with it and stood or fell according to the way one decided it . . . This is the greatest piece of writing that came from Luther's pen. In its vigour of language, its profound theological grasp, and the grand sweep of its exposition, it stands unsurpassed among Luther's writings." -- Publisher
"Luther recognized this book as his most important work and even said that if all his other books perished, he would hope that this one, along with his SMALL CATECHISM, would be the only ones to remain. As noted above, this is one of the most important books of the early Reformation, for it deals with what Luther saw to be the heart of the Gospel. Luther here refutes the Romish notion of 'free will' in man and upholds the absolute sovereignty of God in the salvation of sinners -- as well as justification by faith alone. Luther clearly saw the issue of free will as the primary cause of his separation from Rome.
"In this book he replied to the Roman Catholic scholar, Erasmus, and his diatribe THE FREEDOM OF THE WILL. Though disagreeing with just about everything else Erasmus wrote, Luther commended Erasmus for recognizing the crux of the matter at issue between Rome and the Bible believers, the debate over 'free will.' In this regard Luther wrote,
that unlike all the rest, you alone have attacked the real issue, the essence of the matter in dispute [i.e. man's so-called free-will -- RB] . . . You and you alone saw, what was the grand hinge upon which the whole turned, and therefore you attacked the vital part at once; for which, from my heart, I thank you." 'This book is most needful at the present day,' noted Atherton in 1931, for 'the teachings of many so-called Protestants are more in accordance with the Dogmas of the Papists, or the ideas of Erasmus, than with the Principles of the Reformers; they are more in harmony with the Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent than with the Protestant or Reformed Confessions of Faith.'
*Luther, Martin (1483-1546), Concerning Christian Liberty, ISBN: 0585150281 9780585150284. A Christian classic.
"An unabridged edition, to include: LETTER OF MARTIN LUTHER TO POPE LEO X and CONCERNING CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, with updated typeface." -- Publisher
Martin, Ralph P., Colossians: The Church's Lord and the Christian's Liberty: An Expository Commentary, ISBN: 0853641250 9780853641254.
Perkins, William (1558-1602), A Treatise of Gods Free Grace, and Mans Free Will, 1601.
Schaff, Philip (1819-1893), Church and State in the United States; or, The American Idea of Religious Liberty and its Practical Effects, ISBN: 0405040830 9780405040832.
"Distinctly unimpressed by this peculiar current in the stream of American culture, the immigrant theologian and church-state historian Philip Schaff commented that in the United States 'every theological vagabond and peddler may drive here his bungling trade, without passport or license, and sell his false ware at pleasure'." -- Philip Schaff, The Principle of Protestantism as Related to the Present State of the Church
The social consequences of the "American Idea of Religious Liberty," can be likened to the "idea of permissiveness in child rearing" in the minds of unregenerate, indifferent parents. The result is rebellious children who have no respect for authority, and leave home early with no wisdom about how to live in a cold, cruel world, destined for self-destruction. See: Toleration, liberty of conscience, pluralism, 'religious freedom,' and neutrality.
"This monograph, written during the centennial celebration of the United States Constitution, charts the historical relationship between church and state. Schaff writes from the unique position of a theologian and a historian who has lived on both sides of the Atlantic. Citing examples from Presidential addresses, court cases, and European observers such as Alexis de Tocqueville, Philip Schaff describes the genesis and growth of American Christianity and the unique historical context from which it sprang. He also outlines its historical connection with the church in Europe, and offers possibilities for the American church's future mission within this unique political climate." -- Publisher
Schaff, Church and State in the United States
https://archive.org/details/churchstateinuni00scharich
Schaff, Philip (1819-1893), The Principle of Protestantism as Related to the Present State of the Church, 1845, ISBN: 1177859289 9781177859288.
"Distinctly unimpressed by this peculiar current in the stream of American culture [American religious freedom -- compiler], the immigrant theologian and church-state historian Philip Schaff commented that in the United States 'every theological vagabond and peddler may drive here his bungling trade, without passport or license, and sell his false ware at pleasure'." -- Philip Schaff, The Principle of Protestantism as Related to the Present State of the Church
The social consequences of the "American Idea of Religious Liberty," can be likened to the "idea of permissiveness in child rearing" in the minds of unregenerate, indifferent parents. The result is rebellious children who have no respect for authority, and leave home early with no wisdom about how to live in a cold, cruel world, destined for self-destruction. See: Toleration, liberty of conscience, pluralism, 'religious freedom,' and neutrality.
*Shepard, Thomas (1605-1649), and Jonathan Mitchel (1624-1668), Subjection to Christ in all his Ordinances and Appointments the Best Means to Preserve our Liberty: Together with a treatise of ineffectual hearing the Word, how we may know whether we have heard the same effectually, and by what means it may become effectual unto us: with some remarkable passages of his life / by Tho. Shephard . . . now published by Mr. Jonathan Michel . . . Running title: A WHOLESOME CAVEAT FOR A TIME OF LIBERTY. "To the reader" signed: William Greenhill [and] Samuel Mather. "To the Christian reader" signed: Edm. Calamy, 1654.
Zanchius, Jerom (1516-1590, Girolamo Zanchi, Augustus Toplady, and Justus Lipsius, The Doctrine of Absolute Predestination, ISBN: 0801099277. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #3, #4, #19.
"Translated by Toplady at the age of nineteen and held from publication for some time, it was later requested by Dr. Gill that it be released to the public. After good circulation in North America and overseas, 'John Wesley attempted to circulate a few mutilated extracts from the book, signed with the initials of Toplady's name. This forgery of Mr. Wesley caused Toplady to issue another edition, and this is the edition that we have reprinted,' notes Atherton in the introduction. Furthermore, Atherton calls this 'one of the best, if not the best book ever issued on Absolute Predestination.' He also notes that 'in our day so-called Protestants not only deny and reject these truths, but very zealously support the popish theory of free-will. There is one thing all history testifies to, namely, that what the world calls Calvinism is the only doctrine that produces civil and religious liberty, pure and undefiled religion, national independence and prosperity, whilst all other systems produce superstition, worldliness and national decay, only to end in lawlessness, Bolshevism and destruction. It is forgotten that only the pure truth of God can make a nation great or save a sinner. To our Triune Covenant Lord be all the praise and glory'." -- Publisher
The Doctrine of Absolute Predestination
http://www.truecovenanter.com/gospel/zanchius_absolute_predestination.html
See also: Freedom: A gift of the grace of god, An Introduction to the covenanted reformation, The scottish covenanting struggle, alexander craighead, and the mecklenburg declaration, The covenanted reformation of scotland author/title listing, The utter failure of the u.s. constitution as a social deed of covenant, Slavery, our systems of enslavement, economic enslavement, National establishment of religion: establishmentarianism, Biblical economics, and so forth, and so on.
The Temptation of Eve (part 1 of 2), a sermon on Genesis 3:1-6 by Brian Schwertley
The Satanic Worldview, as a secondary point, is exegeted from Genesis 3
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=720081817191
The Temptation of Eve (part 2 of 2), a sermon on Genesis 3:1-6 by Brian Schwertley
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=72008182576
If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. -- The Lord Jesus Christ (John 8:31b, 32)If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. -- The Lord Jesus Christ (John 8:36)
Jesus alone gives true freedom.
And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. (Exodus 6:7; Exodus 15:1-21)
Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? (Deuteronomy 4:34)
John Calvin commenting on Deuteronomy 4:34 and the context of Deuteronomy 4:32-40
https://ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom03/calcom03.v.viii.html?scrBook=Deut&scrCh=4&scrV=32#v.viii-p20.1In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.
And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. (Exodus 19:1-6)GOD spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:1-3)O God! when thou wentest forth before thy people, etc. The Psalmist now proceeds to show that the Divine goodness is principally displayed in the Church, which God has selected as the great theater where his fatherly care may be manifested. What follows is evidently added with the view of leading the posterity of Abraham, as the Lord's chosen people, to apply the observations which had been just made to themselves. The deliverance from Egypt having been the chief and lasting pledge of the Divine favor, which practically ratified their adoption under the patriarch, he briefly adverts to that event. He would intimate that in that remarkable exodus, proof had been given to all succeeding ages of the love which God entertained for his Church. Why were so many miracles wrought? why were heaven and earth put into commotion? why were the mountains made to tremble? but that all might recognize the power of God as allied with the deliverance of his people. He represents God as having been their leader in conducting them forth. And this not merely in reference to their passage of the Red Sea, but their journeys so long as they wandered in the wilderness. When he speaks of the earth being moved, he would not seem to allude entirely to what occurred upon the promulgation of the law, but to the fact that, throughout all their progress, the course of nature was repeatedly altered, as if the very elements had trembled at the presence of the Lord. It was upon Mount Sinai, however, that God issued the chief displays of his awful power; it was there that thunders were heard in heaven, and the air was filled with lightnings; and, accordingly, it is mentioned here by name as having presented the most glorious spectacle of the Divine majesty which was ever beheld. -- John Calvin commenting on Psalm 68:7
It is true that Christianity, as over against certain social tendencies of the present day, insists upon rights of the individual souls. We do not deny the fact; on the contrary we glory in it. Christianity, if it be true Christianity, must place itself squarely in opposition to the soul-killing collectivism which is threatening to dominate our social life; it must provide the individual soul with a secret place of refuge from the tyranny of psychological experts; it must fight the great battle for the liberty of the children of God. The rapidly regressing liberty is one of the most striking phenomena of recent years . . . If liberty is to be preserved against the materialistic paternalism of the modern state, there must be something more than courts and legal guarantees; freedom must be written not merely in the constitution but in the people's heart. And it can be written in the heart, we believe, only as a result of the redeeming work of Christ. -- J. Gresham Machen (1881-1937)
The man is truly free who is most truly a slave to Jesus Christ. -- Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD)
And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2:15)
See the Theological Notes: "The Greatness of God," at 1 Chronicles 29:11 in The Reformation Study Bible.
Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. (1 Chronicles 29:11)
He is the fountain and centre of every thing that is bright and blessed. All that we can, in our most exalted praises, attribute to him he has an unquestionable title to. His is the greatness; his greatness is immense and incomprehensible; and all others are little, are nothing, in comparison of him. His is the power, and it is almighty and irresistible; power belongs to him, and all the power of all the creatures is derived from him and depends upon him. His is the glory; for his glory is his own end and the end of the whole creation. All the glory we can give him with our hearts, lips, and lives, comes infinitely short of what is his due. His is the victory; he transcends and surpasses all, and is able to conquer and subdue all things to himself; and his victories are incontestable and uncontrollable. And his is the majesty, real and personal; with him is terrible majesty, inexpressible and inconceivable. . . . His sovereign dominion, as rightful owner and possessor of all: "All that is in the heaven, and in the earth, is thine, and at thy disposal, by the indisputable right of creation, and as supreme ruler and commander of all: thine is the kingdom, and all kings are thy subjects; for thou art head, and art to be exalted and worshipped as head above all." -- Matthew Henry (1662-1714), An Exposition of the Old and New TestamentsSee the Theological Notes: "The Law of God," at Exodus 20:1 in The Reformation Study Bible.
See the Theological Notes: "Christian Liberty," at Galatians 5:1 in The Reformation Study Bible.
See the Theological Notes: "The Freedom and Bondage of the Will," at Jeremiah 17:9 in The Reformation Study Bible.
The righteousness of God is a prerequisite of true freedom, as explained briefly by John Calvin.
See The Institutes of the Christian Religion, (Battles translation, vol. 1), Book II, CHAPTER III.
Chapter III: Only Damnable Things Come Forth From Man's Corrupt Nature
(Corruption of man's nature is such as to require total renewal of his mind and will, 1-5)
1. The whole man is flesh
2. Romans, ch. 3 [Romans 3], as witness for man's corruption
3. God's grace sometimes restrains where it does not cleanse
4. Uprightness is God's gift; but man's nature remains corrupted
5. Man sins of necessity, but, without compulsion
(Conversion of the will is the effect of divine grace inwardly bestowed, 6-14)
6. Men's inability to do good manifests itself above all in the work of redemption, which God does quite alone
7. It is not a case of the believer's "co-operation" with grace; the will is first actuated through grace
8. Scripture imputes to God all that is for our benefit
9. The prayers in Scripture especially show how the beginning, continuation, and end of our blessedness come from God alone
10. God's activity does not produce a possibility that we can exhaust, but an actuality to which we cannot add
11. Perseverance is exclusively God's work; it is neither a reward nor a complement of our individual act
12. Man cannot ascribe to himself even one single good work apart from God's grace
13. Augustine also recognizes no independent activity of the human will
14. Augustine does not eliminate man's will, but makes it wholly dependent upon grace
See also the surrounding chapters."The human will does not obtain grace by freedom, but obtains freedom by grace." -- John Calvin, summarizing the teaching of Augustine
Carrying this to a logical conclusion, the honest must seriously questions the validity of a secular government, which enforces the separation of Church and State, and which is utterly intolerant of the Christian Ethic. The secularist's promise to deliver true freedom becomes a colossal modern myth, obviously intended to enslave and exploit a nation's people and their wealth. But the matter cannot be summed up in briefer form than in the eighth chapter of the book ON REBUKE AND GRACE TO VALENTINUS [available in the Anti-Pelagian Writings.] There Augustine first teaches: the human will does not obtain grace by freedom, but obtains freedom by grace; when the feeling of delight has been imparted through the same grace, the human will is formed to endure; it is strengthened with unconquerable fortitude; controlled by grace, it never will perish, but, if grace forsake it, it will straightway fall; by the Lord's free mercy it is converted to good, and once converted it perseveres in good; the direction of the human will toward good, and after direction its continuation in good, depend solely upon God's will, not upon any merit of man. Thus there is left to man such free will, if we please so to call it, as he elsewhere describes: that except through grace the will can neither be converted to God nor abide in God; and whatever it can do it is able to do only through grace.(38), (38. Passages from Augustine quoted or alluded to in sec. 14 are: On Grace and Free Will xx. 41 (MPL 44. 905; tr. NPNF V. 461); On the Spirit and the Letter xxx. 52 (MPL 44. 333; tr. NPNF V. 106); Letters ccxvii. 5. 16 (MPL 33. 984 f.; tr. FC 32. 86); Sermons clxxvi. 5, 6 (MPL 38. 952 f.; tr. LF Sermons II. 907 f.); On Rebuke and Grace viii. 17 (MPL 44. 926; tr. NPNF V. 478); Letters ccxiv. 7 (MPL 33. 970; tr. FC 32. 61 f.) -- John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book II, Chapter III, Section 14. "Augustine does not eliminate man's will, but makes it wholly dependent upon grace"And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends. (Job 42:10a)
A religious doctrine involves practical consequences so important, and its effects upon individual and social life are so infallible and so profound, that it can never be contemplated with indifference by the mass of society, and much less by their rulers. We pray you to observe, amongst other things, that the stronger the feeling of dependence to which religion reduces the individual, the more she invests him, on the other hand, with a lofty independence. All religion is freedom. By introducing us into the service of one master, she emancipates us from the dominion of all others. If she does not altogether do away with dependencies of another order, she transforms them from absolute into relative ones. We still belong to society, we are perhaps linked to it by closer ties than before; but it is in a mediate manner, for man cannot serve two masters. It is this independence which exasperates the rulers of this world, and indeed, for the most part, all those who do not share in it. It is this sacred retreat of liberty which they would invade -- this freedom, of which they would deprive us; as if the numerous sacrifices which from time to time liberty has made for the common weal were insufficient, as if it were not enough, or rather as if it were nothing, for us to have devoted all our bodily powers and all our worldly goods to the service of society, so long as this offering is not completed by the sacrifice of the soul. It is spiritual domination, dominion over the soul, of which despotism, whether of princes or of the people, is especially desirous. Thus, when a tyrant has bereft a nation of all its liberties, until throughout the realm his will has become law, his ambition having nothing else wherewith to satiate its appetite, directs itself against religion. Thenceforward, having subjugated the bodies of men, he directs his attacks against their souls. It is because he cannot but be sensible that dominion over souls -- what do you say? -- over one single soul, is as much superior to that over bodies, as the soul itself is superior to its envelope of clay. He cannot endure the humiliation of knowing that there is a sphere in which the most obscure man, by the force of sympathy alone, wields a greater power than his own. A deep-rooted and bitter feeling of envy takes possession of him; he can enjoy no more repose, until moral force shall have yielded to the pressure of physical force -- until the second Mordecai shall have bowed down to this second Haman -- until the soul, by dethroning itself, shall have delivered him from this odious rivalry. And should he encounter in this enterprise an unlooked-for resistance, his impatience becomes fury, and he destroys those whom he cannot subdue. This has been the origin of many religious persecutions, and it discloses the secret motives of those atrocities by which some have been distinguished.
It does not follow, however, that all the evils with which the world has been inundated in the name of religion, are to be referred to this cause alone. They have originated in that preeminently just idea, that religion gives the true signification of every man, and of the whole of society; that there is nothing more deeply seated in us, nothing which more decisively determines what we are; and that to declare what we believe, is at the same time, and as a matter of necessity, to declare what we wish to be. The influence of a lordly spirit apart, it is not astonishing that the social power has everywhere, more or less, attempted to regulate the faith of the citizens and the instructions of the priesthood. Nor is it surprising that the priesthood, in aid of the state, have themselves attempted to dictate in a matter of this importance. For the suppression of this evil, the assistance of ages has been necessary, and this has not proved sufficient; the veto of public opinion has been also needed. Perhaps in certain countries something further has been required -- the progress of religious indifference. But nowhere is the fire extinguished, because nowhere is man changed; he will never witness unmoved, the energetic manifestation of religious principle; he may be indulgent to philosophical religions, or to religious philosophy, which penetrates not to the very sources of will and of action; but he will be, with his own full knowledge and consent, severe upon genuine faith. And why? because man possessing genuine faith, rises to his highest elevation; an elevation to which it is necessary that others should rise also, not indeed to rule over him (for this is impossible), but to treat with him, and to be at peace together. This is the true position and individuality of each renewed man, and everything is put in requisition to annul, subdue, and modify it.
We dwell no longer upon these different attempts, but return to the principle. We find that in the judgment of the community, the religious conviction of a man moulds his character, estimates his worth, and foretells his life. It is the invisible source of many efforts, and often of much violence. Well, then, we infer [sic] unhesitatingly, that the faith of a member of society cannot remain either a mystery or a matter of doubt to those who surround him. If, as we have sought to establish a former part of this work, the spiritual unity of society, its reality in the elevated sense of that word, depends on the mutual interchange of sentiments; and if that individual only can be said to belong to the community, with whose character she is acquainted, it must be especially in the sphere of religious convictions that this truth is apparent; we may even go further, and say, that although we might keep our sentiments on other subjects to ourselves, those that we entertain respecting religion could not be concealed. For our religious convictions imbue us so thoroughly and practically, that society knows not what she possesses in us, except as she knows what we are with respect to God.
This fact is more conspicuous, we admit, with reference to the Christian religion than to any other. In comparison with it, all other systems of faith are superficial; and we may remark in passing, that this is the reason why Christianity has drawn upon itself, and even excited among its followers, more intolerance than any other religion. The experimental character of its doctrines, coming in contact with the diverse passions of the human heart, has enkindled in the midst of society an active and devouring flame; and its profession has occasioned a host of outrages and calamities. Christianity is radical in the highest degree; radical in morals. It uproots one life, it implants another. Of all religions, it alone is in direct hostility with human nature in its fallen condition, as it is also the only religion which coincides with that same nature in all that sin has not polluted; at once the most human, and the least human of all systems; appearing to grant us everything, and to refuse us everything, but, in reality, granting everything to humanity, and refusing everything to sin. No religion consequently so effectually reforms the moral being; in such a manner, that the complexion of our life and conduct depends on whether we are or are not Christians, and upon what sort of Christians we are.
We should find it impracticable to attempt to distinguish between the doctrines of Christianity and its morals; between what is called its natural and universal morality, and its peculiar and arbitrary doctrines. Christian doctrine is morality -- Christian morality; to wish to distinguish between the two is to desire to divide a stream from its source. Christian doctrine is no sooner received than it regulates the conduct; the character of God becomes a model for man; what God is, man ought to be; and inasmuch as God in the Scriptures is invested with attributes which belong not to human nature, so also man, by means of the Gospel, is invested with a character which nature had not impressed upon him; it makes him a new man in every sense of the term: a man peculiar and extraordinary in the eyes of nature, but in every case a man, who, by the judgment of that very nature, is approved and esteemed. To declare our opinion upon Christian doctrine avails much; it is in fact to profess certain principle of conduct, and to attach ourselves to one or another system of morality; it is to reveal our inward man, to publish the operations of conscience; it is to give the standard of our judgments, and the rule of our actions.
We do well to avow it: whenever we revert to the considerations which most forcibly recommend a duty, we revert to the greatest difficulties in the way of its accomplishment; indeed, in most cases, to point out the motive, is to recognize the difficulty. In the present case, for example, nothing can render candour more difficult than that which enforces its obligation. It is just because such a religious doctrine, of necessity involves such a principle of morality, and such a rule of conduct; it is precisely because it is a disclosure of inward man, that so many persons are averse to declare to what doctrine they adhere. And it is sometimes because their opinion condemns them, sometimes because it elevates them, not so much in itself as in the characteristics and practical consequences with which public opinion has invested it. It is painful to excite repugnance or aversion, and it is sometimes still more painful to excite expectations which we feel but too conscious we cannot fulfill. If it were not so, why should we make a secret of our religious opinions, when we are at no pains to conceal any other? Why, when we are open and unreserved upon all the rest, should we not allow free expression to our thoughts upon this, the noblest of subjects? Why should communications of this nature be so generally regarded as the acme of candour and the pledge of intimacy? Why is there no real union, no true communion of soul, until both parties have expressed what they think, and above all, what they feel upon invisible and infinite subjects? Why do beings long united by the closest ties of affection, as soon as spiritual communion is formed between them, discover with surprise, that up to that period they had really never known, understood, or loved each other? -- that, as Montaigne expresses it, there was wanting to their friendship 'a certain inexplicable, yet essential power, the mediatrix of that union;' or that (as is really the fact), 'God is the true medium of true friendship?' All such instance go to confirm the truth of what we have said. A great effect supposes a powerful force -- a powerful force is employed only against a formidable resistance, and a formidable resistance has no place but in opposition to an urgent necessity. Here the necessity is a moral one -- it is a duty; an evident, and urgent, but a painful duty; for the consequences, even limiting them to their narrowest range, and considering none but those which are developed in the bosom of private relations, these consequences are, it must be confessed, of a startling character.
Nevertheless, if regarded only in the light of morality and natural reason, this candour, which appears so difficult and dangerous, would be found to possess real advantages, whilst reserve would have none but what are false and deceptive. Candour would break the ice which dissimulation thickens and consolidates from day to day; it would procure a more lasting peace; it would put the seal to confidence and friendship. You dread a storm: any storm would be preferable to the dead calm in which you live, -- a calm without peace and without security; for since no one can suppose that you are altogether destitute of religious prepossessions, that you have not some inward conviction to disclose, it will become a matter either of dread or of desire that you should disclose it. This very feeling of anxiety will be an evil in your social relations; if your connexions are desirous of it, when you are averse to making it, their importunity will disturb your peace; on the contrary, if they are averse to its manifestation, when you yourself desire it, they will avoid your company; there will of necessity be in your social relations something painful, constrained, and, in the end, insupportable. If they neither desire nor fear it, it must be because they are not acquainted with your character, and have no desire to become so, because they are not solicitous about your most important interests -- in other words, because they do not love you. And as between a mind occupied with spiritual things and one that is not, there is a wide gulf fixed, as true intimacy between two persons so different is altogether impossible, it is the duty of the more serious of the two, to sound the mind of his friend by disclosing his own, to provide a declaration by declaring himself. Every connexion founded upon a voluntary and designedly prolonged misunderstanding, every factitious union between minds pursuing directly opposite courses, is contrary to human dignity. . . . -- Alexander Vinet (1797-1847), and Charles Theodore Jones (translator), An Essay on the Profession of Personal Religious Conviction, pp. 73-81, and Vinet on FreedomThe concept of freedom does not explain sin. While sin is not unrelated to freedom, the latter does not explain the rise of the former. God has authentic freedom and cannot sin, and God created man with a freedom that was morally qualified and whose continuance depended on a refraining from sin. Man as created possessed the ability not to sin, and the man recreated in Christ, and begotten of God, does not sin. (1 John 5:18) ["The present tense of the Greek suggests behavior that is characteristic or usual. In this way John acknowledges, but does not excuse, the possibility of occasional sin."] True freedom is constituted by man's created, and later recreated, ability to do the good, not by a morally unqualified faculty to do either the one or the other. Freedom belongs to the essence of man as created by God and as restored by Christ; in neither instance is it a morally neutral and unqualified aspect of humanity. The effect of human sin upon freedom is defined in Biblical thought, therefore, not as another form of freedom, but rather as slavery and bondage (Romans 6). Man as created was no more free to sin than, having sinned and fallen into moral bondage, he is free again to become what he once was. Sin constitutes a loss, not an exercise of freedom. Sin is a mystery, immoral and irrational, whose denouement is not found in the concept of human freedom. Freedom as an explanation of sin leads invariably into some form of Pelagianism and Arminianism.
If in freedom man could sin against his Maker, freedom by the same definition would contain the possibility of man's self-propelled return to his Maker. If sin is a true exercise of freedom, such freedom, even after sin, remains also free both to act in Pelagian, semi-Pelagian, or Arminianistic fashion to undo its sin and to return to God -- or to refuse to return to God.
According to the Genesis account of man's fall into sin, man was not free to sin, but under divine command not to sin, on threat of death. Adam and Eve were under the restrictive divine command not to do what they in fact did. Freedom, as authority, is comprised of the components: might plus right. An authority which exercises a might without right is a totalitarian perversion of authority; a freedom which does that which it has no right to do is an anarchistic perversion of true freedom.
The theological tenet that God created man free, that is, with a freedom that was free to sin (posse peccare), is an explanation of sin in terms of sin. If God had endowed man with such freedom, God could not in justice allow man's freedom to suffer that bondage which sin inflicts upon freedom.
In Biblical thought, however, man's act of sin is regarded as a loss of freedom. According to the Genesis account of the Fall, man loses his right to existence in the Garden of Eden, his right to life, and his right to be himself -- naked and not ashamed. In the continuing Biblical account, man as sinner is exhibited as no longer free to be himself. He is either a slave to sin and under the power of death, a devotee of idols -- who in this devotion to idols becomes sub-human and like his idols (Psalm 115:8), or he becomes a captive to grace and through this captivity again receives his true freedom as a gift from God, a freedom permitting him to enjoy release from, and forgiveness for, his sinful past and the gift of grace that justifies his right to live in an open and unending future. -- James DaaneSo then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:12)
http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/romans-14-12.html
http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/romans/14.htmlThe Treasury of David, Psalm 85, C.H. Spurgeon
Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?
Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?
Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.
I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.
Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
http://archive.spurgeon.org/treasury/ps085.phpTo open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and those who sit in darkness out of the prison house. (Isaiah 42:7)
The work of the Messiah, according to the text, is to bring out the prisoners from the prison. I think this relates to the bondage under which a man lies to his sins. Habits of sin, like iron nets, surround the sinner, and he cannot escape their meshes. The man sins, and imagines that he cannot help sinning. How often do the ungodly tell us that they cannot renounce the world, cannot break off their sins by righteousness, and cannot believe in Jesus? Let all men know that the Savior has come on purpose to remove every bond of sin from the captive, and to set him free from every chain of evil. I have known men to strive against the habit of blasphemy, others against unchaste passions, and many more against a haughty spirit, or an angry temper. And when they have striven manfully, but unsuccessfully, in their own strength, they have been filled with bitter chagrin that they should have been so betrayed by themselves. When a man believes in Jesus his resolve to become a free man is to a great extent accomplished at once. Some sins die the moment we believe in Jesus, and these trouble us no more. Others hang on to us, and these die by slow degrees; but they are overcome so as never again to get the mastery over us. O struggler after mental, moral, spiritual liberty, if you would be free, your only possible freedom is in Christ. If you desire to shake off evil habits, or any other mental bondage, I shall prescribe no remedy to you but this, to commit yourself to Christ the Liberator. Love Him and you will hate sin. Trust Him, and you will no more trust yourself. Submit yourself to the sway of the incarnate God, and He will break the dragon's head within you, and hurl Satan beneath your feet. Nothing else can do it. Christ must have the glory. -- C.H. Spurgeon commenting on Isaiah in Devotional Classics of C.H. Spurgeon, p. 69In Scripture, religion means covenant. By His Word, God called into being an order of creation culminating in man. By that Word He also gave man His favor and brought him into a life of conscious covenantal fellowship with Himself. As De Graaf himself puts it: "Without covenant, there is no religion, no conscious fellowship between man and God, no exchange of love and faithfulness. Without the covenant, man would be just an instrument in God's hand. When God created man, He had more than an instrument in mind: He made a creature that could respond to Him . . . ." -- H. Evan Runner from Promise and Deliverance
The Treasury of David, Psalm 107, C.H. Spurgeon
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! (Psalm 107:8)
http://archive.spurgeon.org/treasury/ps107.phpAnd I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts. (Psalm 119:45). Saints find no bondage in sanctity. The Spirit of holiness is a free spirit; he sets men at liberty and enables them to resist every effort to bring them under subjection. The way of holiness is not a track for slaves, but the King's highway for freemen, who are joyfully journeying from the Egypt of bandage to the Canaan of rest. God's mercies and his salvation, by teaching us to love the precepts of the word, set us at a happy rest; and the more we seek after the perfection of our obedience the more shall we enjoy complete emancipation from every form of spiritual slavery. . . ." -- C.H. Spurgeon commenting on Psalm 119:45 in The Treasury of David, p. 228
The Treasury of David, Psalm 126, C.H. Spurgeon
Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south.
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
http://archive.spurgeon.org/treasury/ps126.phpWe can imagine the restored exiles at this time singing -- Psalm 126
When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.
(It seemed too good to be true, they could not realize that so good a thing had befallen them.)
Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.
The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.
(What others declared concerning them was true, and they boldly avowed it; they did not bury the Lord's mercies in forgetfulness, or cast doubts upon them by mock modesty. We too often say "We hope and we trust," when we ought rather to say, "The Lord hath done great things for us.")
Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south.
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. -- Spurgeon's Devotional Bible Psalm 126To the kindly influence of Christianity we owe that degree of civil freedom and political happiness which mankind now enjoy. In proportion as the genuine effects of Christianity are diminished in any nation, either through unbelief, or the corruption of its doctrines, or the neglect of its institutions; in the same proportion will the people of that nation recede from the blessings of genuine freedom . . . Whenever the pillars of Christianity shall be overthrown, our present republican forms of government, and all the blessings which flow from them, must fall with them. -- Jedediah Morse
What the Reformation's return to Biblical teaching gave society was the opportunity for tremendous freedom, but without chaos. That is, an individual had freedom because there was a consensus based upon the absolutes given in the Bible, and therefore real values within which to have freedom, without these freedoms leading to chaos. The world had not known anything like this before. -- Francis Schaeffer (1912-1984)
A republic once equally poised must either preserve its virtue or lose its liberty. . . . He is the best friend of American liberty who is most sincere and active in promoting pure and undefiled religion. -- John Witherspoon (1723-1794)
Briefly stated, where Christ is demoted or limited, His Kingdom and crown rights are limited and demoted. There is then a shift of sovereignty from God to man, which means the triumph of the state. The state as the new sovereign becomes god walking on earth, and the result is the rapid death of all freedom. -- R.J. Rushdoony (1916-2001)
The Bible should be the principle text in our schools. -- Thomas Jefferson, author of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States
Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is impossible that a nation of infidels or isolators should be a nation of freemen. It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated [defective] state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, are incompatible with freedom. -- Patrick Henry
Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. "It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt." -- John Philpot Curran, Speech Upon the Right of Election, 1790. (Speeches. Dublin, 1808.)
The real value of an object is that which one who knows its worth will give for it. He who made the soul, knew its worth, and gave His life for it. -- Arthur Jackson
Spoken to his wife, after visiting the cell in which he was incarcerated and for 16 months in Lefortovo prison in the Soviet Union, "I've always thought that the most powerful weapon in the world was the bomb. I've come to the conclusion that the most powerful weapon in the world is the truth." -- Nathan Sharansky, recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, The Presidential Medal of Freedom (2006), and The Ronald Reagan Freedom Award (2008), and former member of the Israel cabinet
It might be argued, generally, that all of life is a conflict between the opposites of truth and falsehood, light and darkness, love and hate, freedom and bondage, fair and foul, stability and destruction, life and death, eternity and temporal time, and so forth, and so on, with many subtle variations. Careful observation will show that everywhere love is withheld to control others -- in the family, among children, among adults, in Midwestern society, in the urban centers of the East and West, in government, in business, and so forth, and so on. So, as painful as the facts are, it might be concluded that we all are "rednecks."
Furthermore, mankind's blunder extends vertically to his relationship with the Triune God, the God of our fathers, the source of all wisdom, understanding, truth, and life. Withhold love from God and one is left without wisdom, blinded, in darkness, in bondage, and without hope. That is the redneck dilemma. It is also the dilemma of the unregenerate man.Freedom is a mystical truth -- It's expressed best in THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV, the chapter when the Grand Inquisitor confronted the returned Christ. The freedom that Christ gave the world was the freedom of being an individual, in a collectivity, of basing one's life on love, as distinct from power, of seeking the good of others rather than nourishing one's own ego. That was liberation. And the Chief Inquisitor, who speaks for every dictator, every millionaire, every ideologue that's ever been, says "we can't have it. Go away. Stay away." -- Malcolm Muggeridge (1903-1990)
Adler, Mortimer, and Max Weismann, How to Think About the Great Ideas: From The Great Books of Western Civilization, ISBN: 0812694120 9780812694123.
Mortimer Adler concluded that more problems are caused by the denial of God than by anything else -- it changes the whole tenure of life. A compendium index is available for the series.
Augustine (of Hippo), Benjamin Breckridge Warfield, Peter Holmes, and Philip Schaff, Anti-Pelagian Writings, ISBN: 1565630998 9781565630994.
"The human will does not obtain grace by freedom, but obtains freedom by grace." -- John Calvin summarizing the teaching of Augustine
Bainton, Roland H., The Travail of Religious Liberty.
"Biographical studies of Thomas R. Torquemada, John Calvin, Miquel Servetus, Sebastian Castellio, David Joris, Bernardino Ochino, John Milton, Roger Williams, and John Locke. First published in 1951." -- Cyril J. Barber
Banks, Robert J., and Julia Banks, The Church Comes Home, ISBN: 156563179X 9781565631793.
"In our modern dislocated society many are searching for a church experience that offers true Christian sharing, nurturing, and discipleship, in addition to teaching and worship. For many such people the answer is found in the home church: a small, committed group of often diverse people who meet together in homes to pray, eat, sing, study, and share their lives.
"THE CHURCH COMES HOME is a handbook for those interested in home churches. It is both visionary and practical. It describes how home churches can be formed, how they should grow, and how networks of home churches can develop. It examines issues-for example, how to make decisions; how to determine doctrine; how to include children, singles, elders; and how to reach out to the community at large-and offers practical suggestions for their resolution.
"Robert Banks is Professor of the Ministry of the Laity and Chair of the Ministry Division at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California.
"Julia Banks and her husband Robert have been involved with home churches for over twenty-five years. Together they have led seminars and assisted congregations in developing this style of gather in many parts of the world. Julia coordinates the community house in which she and Rob live with a group of students. She is also active as a church planter and in building networks among house churches." -- Publisher
Black, John (1768-1849), and Chauncey Webster, Divine and Human Rights, or, The Westminster Confession and the Constitution of the United States Tested by the Holy Scripture. In MISCELLANEOUS, VOL. 6, 1819-1849.
"The substance of a discourse delivered Nov. 14, 1844, at the First Associate Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia."
Bloesch, Donald George, Freedom of Obedience: Evangelical Ethics in Contemporary Times, ISBN: 1579109322 9781579109325.
"Among my reasons for writing this book is the desire to present an evangelical alternative to the situationist and naturalist ethics that presently dominate the discussion in this field. While the primary focus of the book is on theological ethics, frequently references are made to current social issues; the last chapter is devoted to the intractable problem of war." -- Publisher
*Bolton (or Boulton), Samuel, and John Cameron (1579?-1625), The True Bounds of Christian Freedom, or A Treatise Wherein the Rights of the law are Vindicated, the Liberties of Grace Maintained, and Severall Late Opinions Against the Law are Examined and Confuted. A Christian classic. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"Samuel Boulton was one of the Westminster Assembly of Divines. He 'expounds the nature of Christian liberty and then clearly sets the bounds of that liberty. . . '." -- Publisher
*Bonar, Horatius (1808-1889), Free-will A Christian classic.
Brooks, Pat, The Return of the Puritans, 5th edition, ISBN: 0932050042 9780932050045.
"Pat Brooks' classic on Christianity vs. socialism in mortal combat points the way back from degeneracy to divine favor for the U.S."
Shows the Masonic connection in the origins of the Illuminati, CRF, and the Red world government movement.
Brooks, Pat, Dale Crowley, Jr., and Des Griffin, Freedom or Slavery?
"A profoundly disturbing book . . . exposes the hidden agenda to de-Christianize and destroy her [the United States] through dispensational, 'Christian Zionism' and 'JudeoChristianity'."
*Brown, John (1810-1882), John Bunyan: His Life, Times and Work. A Christian classic.
"The tercentenary edition of the Bedford tinker's life and ministry, preaching and dissent, and travail for religious liberty." -- Cyril J. Barber
*Brown, John (of Haddington, 1722-1787), The Absurdity and Perfidy of all Authoritative Toleration of Gross Heresy, Blasphemy, Idolatry, Popery, in Britain. In two letters to a friend in which the doctrine of the Westminster Confession of Faith [1646] relative to Toleration of a False Religion, and the power of the civil magistrate about sacred matters; and the nature, origin, ends and obligation of the National Covenant and Solemn League are candidly represented and defended, 1797. Alternate title: A COMPEND OF THE LETTERS OF THE REV. JOHN BROWN, LATE MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL IN HADDINGTON: ON AUTHORITATIVE TOLERATION OF GROSS HERESY, BLASPHEMY, IDOLATRY, POPERY IN BRITAIN, AND ON NATIONAL COVENANTING; IN WHICH THE DOCTRINE OF THE WESTMINSTER CONFESSION OF FAITH . . . AND OF THE NATIONAL COVENANT AND SOLEMN LEAGUE ARE CANDIDLY REPRESENTED AND DEFENDED, 1797, and "REFORMATION ATTAINMENTS VERSUS BACKSLIDING RELIGIOUS PROFESSORS," appears to be an excerpt. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #7, #25, #26.
The Absurdity and Perfidy of all Authoritative Toleration of Gross Heresy, Blasphemy, Idolatry, Popery, in Britain
http://archive.org/details/absurdityperfidy00brow
"Reformation Attainments Versus Backsliding Religious Professors (excerpt from THE ABSURDITY AND PERFIDY OF ALL AUTHORITATIVE TOLERATION . . .
"Here Brown deals with three major Reformation attainments (anti-tolerationism, establishmentarianism and the obligations of lawful covenants as they biblically bind posterity), that Satan has always been especially concerned to overthrow -- in every major demonic move to open the floodgates of lawlessness, anarchy and misrule. Fletcher, in the preface to the 1797 edition, relates this truth as it comes to bear on various religious professors, stating, 'Papists were enemies to our covenants because they were a standard lifted up against their system of abominable idolatries. Episcopalians were enemies to them, because they were a standard lifted up against their anti-scriptural church-officers and inventions of men in the worship of God. Some Presbyterians are enemies to them in our day through ignorance of their nature and ends; and others through fear of being too strictly bound to their duty.' (cited in Johnston, Treasury of the Scottish Covenant, p. 486)
"A History of Heresy
"It is also interesting to note the long list of backsliders and heretics that often oppose one or more of these points. 'The ancient Donatists, a sect of Arian separatists, who appeared about the beginning of the 4th century, seem to have been among the first who held out these opinions to the Christian world. Feeling the weight of the arm of power for their schismatical practices, by way of reprisal, they stripped the magistrate of all power in religion; -- maintaining that he had no more power about religious matters than any private person, and refusing him the right of suppressing the propagators of doctrines different from those professed by the Church, or the observers of a different form of worship. From them the German Anabaptists adopted the same views. Then the Socinians (i.e. an early form of Scripture-denying liberals -- RB), and remonstrant Arminians, whenever the magistrate ceased to patronize their cause. The English Independents during the time of the Long Parliament were the zealous supporters of the same opinions. In their rage for liberty of conscience, they formed the strongest opposition in the Westminster Assembly which the Presbyterians had to encounter. Through their influence that venerable body was much embarrassed (hindered -- RB), in their proceeding; and by their means (in collusion with that "Judas of the Covenant," Cromwell -- RB), certain passages of the Confession of Faith never obtained the ratification of the English Parliament. The English Dissenters of the present age are generally in the same views, especially the Socinians, the Arians, and the Quakers, who have most to dread from the Laws of the Land against their blasphemies. And who knows not that the high reputation of Mr. Locke as a Philosopher . . . has given these opinions such an air of respectability, that many youth in the Universities have been thereby inclined to embrace them?' (Preface, pp. vi-vii).
"The Covenantal Hammer Smashing the Idols of our day
"In our day the tree of toleration (and the anti-Scriptural principles which logically grow out of it), has spread its branches in ways that could have never been envisioned by those that took the first steps away from biblical and covenanted uniformity. What Brown is fighting against here is an error so foundational that when left unchecked it permeates all of society, cutting out the foundational roots that are necessary for all national Reformations. And if the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Ps. 11:3 [Psalm 11:3]). Furthermore, as the preface notes 'liberty of conscience and of opinion' are 'the great idols of the day.' Here Brown takes out his covenantal hammer and smashes these idols with an inconoclastic zeal worthy of our earlier Reformed forefathers. This book is especially useful in answering the persistent fear and questions that always arise when these old Reformed views are discussed: that is, the questions dealing with religious persecution. Brown spends much time in clearing the Westminster Divines of such false charges, while also setting these controversial Reformed teachings on a thoroughly biblical foundation.
"Westminster's View of the 'Everlasting' Solemn League and Covenant
"Interestingly, in the section defending the continuing obligation of the National and Solemn League and Covenant, we also note that the Westminster Assembly considered the Solemn League and Covenant an 'everlasting covenant.' Brown cites the following as proof, 'That the body of the English nation also swore the Solemn League and Covenant, is manifest. The Westminster Assembly and English Parliament, affirm, 'The honourable house of Parliament, the Assembly of Divines, the renowned city of London, and multitudes of other persons of all ranks and quality in this nation, and the whole body of Scotland, have all sworn it, rejoicing at the oath so graciously seconded from heaven. God will, doubtless, stand by all those, who with singleness of heart shall now enter into an everlasting covenant with the Lord.' (p. 161, emphasis added). The footnote tells us that the words Brown was quoting were taken from 'Exhortation to take the Covenant, February, 1644.'
"Our Modern Day Malignants
"Brown also includes a helpful section on a point some modern day malignants are once again attempting to use to overthrow the biblical attainments of the Covenanted Reformation. This section shows that 'the intrinsic obligation of promises, oaths, vows, and covenants which constitutes their very essence or essential form, is totally and manifestly distinct from the obligation of the law of God in many respects.' (p. 120)
"Brown's Dying Testimony to his Children
"Finally, we cite a portion of Brown's dying testimony to his children given in the introduction (p. xix). Such testimonies, from notable Christian leaders, often contain singularly pertinent charges to their hearers. (For another notable example of this see James Renwick's dying testimony, as he was about to be martyred for his adherence to the Solemn League and Covenant, when he recounts what was later to become most of the terms of communion in Covenanted Presbyterian churches. This testimony can be found in Thompson's A CLOUD OF WITNESSES FOR THE ROYAL PREROGATIVES OF JESUS CHRIST BEING THE LAST SPEECHES AND TESTIMONIES OF THOSE WHO HAVE SUFFERED FOR THE TRUTH IN SCOTLAND SINCE . . . 1680. Here are Brown's dying words to his children: 'Adhere constantly, cordially and honestly to the Covenanted Principles of the Church of Scotland, and to that Testimony which hath been lifted up for them. I fear a generation is rising up which will endeavour silently,' (O how prophetic!), 'to let slip these matters, as if they were ashamed to hold them fast, or even to speak of them' (as with many "reformed" publishers and preachers today, who dare not touch the topics Brown deals with in this book -- RB). 'May the Lord forbid that any of you should ever enter into this confederacy against Jesus Christ and his cause! This from a dying father and minister, and a witness for Christ' (Signed) 'John Brown'."
"Do you Have What it Takes?
"If you have the courage to compare the original Reformed faith with that which is often promoted under its name today (and in many ways the old Reformed faith bears little resemblance to the 'new light' Reformers and innovators of our day), then this is an ideal book to obtain and study." -- Reg Barrow
Following are three works related to THE ABSURDITY AND PERFIDY OF ALL AUTHORITATIVE TOLERATION OF GROSS HERESY, BLASPHEMY, IDOLATRY, POPERY, IN BRITAIN by John Brown of Wamphray.
1. Barrow, Reg, Calvin, Covenanting, Close Communion and the Coming Reformation, 1996, a book review of ALEXANDER AND RUFUS . . . by John Anderson, 1862. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"Shows how Calvin practiced covenanting and close communion and how the biblical view of these ordinances is intended to purify the individual, church and nation. Refutes the Popish, Independent and paedocommunion heresies -- as well as all views of open communion (so common in our day). Also argues that Arminians, anti-paedobaptists, anti-regulativists, and all those who openly violate the law of God (and are unrepentant), should be barred from the Lord's table -- as a corrective measure ordained of God for their recovery. Also demonstrates that those that would not swear to uphold the Geneva Confession (or 'human constitution,' as it was agreeable to the Word of God), of 1536 in Calvin's day were to be excommunicated and exiled from Geneva. This is Reformation History Notes number two." -- Reg Barrow
Calvin, Covenanting and Close Communion
http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualnls/CalvinCC.htm
2. Price, Greg L., Terms of Communion: Covenants and Covenanting, a series of 7 audio cassettes [audio file]. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"Explains and defends the fourth term of communion, which is 'That public, social covenanting is an ordinance of God, obligatory on churches and nations under the New Testament; that the National Covenant and the Solemn League are an exemplification of this divine institution; and that these Deeds are of continued obligation upon the moral person; and in consistency with this, that the Renovation of these Covenants at Auchensaugh, Scotland, 1712 was agreeable to the word of God.' Includes the studies offered separately on the National Covenant (2 tapes), the Solemn League and Covenant (1 tape), the Auchensaugh Renovation (2 tapes), as well as two introductory lectures (only available in this set), on the biblical principles related to the ordinance of covenanting, the descending obligation of lawful covenants, objections against covenanting, etc. Roberts, in his REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CATECHISM, catches the spirit of this tape set in the following question and answer:
"Q. May we not indulge the hope, that, in the goodness of our covenant God, and by the promised outpouring of his Holy Spirit, 'the kingdoms of the world' at large, and the British empire in particular, will dedicate themselves to God in a covenant not to be forgotten -- animated by the example of our covenant fathers exhibited in these memorable deeds?
"A. Yes. We have the most cheering grounds for this blessed hope; for it is written, that the nations at large in the spirit of devoted loyalty, shall cry -- 'Come and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten': and it cannot be well doubted, that the death-cry of the martyred Guthrie has been heard on high, and shall be verified -- 'The covenants, the covenants, shall yet be Scotland's (and the world's -- RB), reviving.' (p. 151)
"A thoroughly amazing set of tapes -- among our best!" -- Publisher
3. Cunningham, John (1819-1893), The Ordinance of Covenanting, 1843. A Christian classic. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #3, #27.
"This book is considered by many as the classic work on covenanting. 'The theology of Covenanting is here unfolded with a richness of scriptural research and a maturity of intellectual strength which would have made the grey eye of Peden glisten with delight. The treatise is a valuable addition to that solid theological literature of which the Reformed Presbyterian Church has produced repeated and enduring specimens, and stamps Mr. Cunningham as a distinguished disciple of the thoughtful and scriptural school of Mason and the Symingtons' (Presbyterian Review (1844), as cited by Johnston, Treasury of the Scottish Covenant).
"The author himself notes that 'prayer and the offering of praise are universally admitted to be duties of religion. The Scriptures announce a place among these for the exercise of solemn Covenanting . . . What the word of God unfolds concerning it, is addressed to the most resolute consideration of all, and is capable of engaging the most extensive and prolonged investigation. And yet, though none have found this subject, like all God's judgments, else than a great deep, still in meditating upon it, the ignorant have been brought to true knowledge, and the wise have increased in wisdom. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant. (Psalm 25:14). Mutual federal engagements, concerning things religious and civil, whether entered into merely by simple promise, or confirmed by the solemn oath, have been made from the highest antiquity to the present. The hostility to some such engagements, and also the proud disregard for their obligation, which have been evinced by some in all ages, demand a most careful examination into their nature and design . . . Furnished with the key of Scripture, approaching the subject, we are enabled to open the mysteries in which ignorance and prejudice had shut it up; and equipped with the armour of light shooting forth its heavenly radiance, in safety to ourselves we assail the darkness thrown around it, and behold the instant flight of the spirits of error which that darkness contains. Standing alone in beauteous attractions descended from heaven upon it, this service beckons us to approach it, and engages to connect extensive good with a proper attention to its claims. The observance, under various phases, is described in Scripture as an undisputed and indisputable reality.'
"In this book Cunningham exhaustively covers the subject of covenanting in over 400 pages. He deals with the manner, duty and nature of covenanting (including personal and social covenanting), the obligation covenanting confers, how covenanting is provided for in the everlasting covenant, how it is adapted to the moral constitution of man and how it is according to the purposes of God. Numerous Divine examples are cited from Scripture and covenanting is shown to be one of the great privileges of the Christian life.
"An interesting chapter covers 'Covenanting Enforced By the Grant of Covenant Signs and Seals;' which touches on circumcision, baptism, the Sabbath, the Priesthood, the new heart and the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Furthermore, this book demonstrates how God's approbation rested upon Covenanters in former ages, how covenanting is predicted in prophecy, how it is recommended by the practice of the New Testament Church and at what seasons it is appropriate. The appendices touch on the relationship of covenanting to immoral and unscriptural civil governments, the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland, the British constitution and the apostasy of the Revolution settlement.
"Additionally, Cunningham acknowledges that the true church is 'bound by the obligations of the Church of God is past times' and is still obligated to pay what it has vowed to the Lord in those magnificent attainments of the Second Reformation (the epitome of these attainments being embodied in the Solemn League and Covenant and the Westminster Standards).
"If you are interested in the ordinance of covenanting this is the most extensive treatment you will find in one book. It is a gold mine of Scriptural references and should be read at least once by everyone who calls upon the name of Christ." -- Publisher
"David Steele dedicated this work [NOTES ON THE APOCALYPSE -- compiler], to John Cunningham (1819-1893), author of THE ORDINANCE OF COVENANTING." -- Publisher
The Ordinance of Covenanting
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/6/29/ordinance-of-covenanting
*Brutus, Junius (attributed to Philippe Duplessis-Mornay [1549-1623] and sometimes to Hubert Languet [1518-1581]), A Defense of Liberty Against Tyrants, ISBN: 0921148453. Alternate title: VINDICIAE, CONTRA TYRANNOS: OR, CONCERNING THE LEGITIMATE POWER OF A PRINCE OVER THE PEOPLE, AND OF THE PEOPLE OVER A PRINCE, Hubert Languet (author) [also attributed to Stephanus Junius Brutus a pseudonym for Philippe Duplessis-Mornay], George Garnett (editor), ISBN: 0521342090 9780521342094. This [ISBN: 0921148453] is a reprint of a 1689 edition of this work, which was originally written in 1579. A Christian classic. Available [ISBN: 0921148453] on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available [ISBN: 0921148453] on Reformation Bookshelf CD #26.
"Piety commands that the law and church of God be maintained. Justice requires that tyrants and destroyers of the commonwealth be compelled to reason. Charity challenges the right of relieving and restoring the oppressed. Those who make no account of these things do as much as in them lies to drive piety, justice, and charity out of this world, that they may never more be heard of." -- Junius Brutus
"John Adams held this book to be one of the most influential books in America on the eve of the Revolution. This 'defense' manual will help equip you for the battle." -- Publisher
"This book was even more influential than Thomas Payne's COMMON SENSE, in molding the American mind and preparing it for the war for independence. Much of our Declaration of Independence reflects its wisdom and thought. Written by a French Huguenot to give Biblical and civil justification for fighting against a government that was illegally killing it own people during the religious wars on France between the 1540s and late 1700. A must reading for those who want to understand religious and political history of Europe, or want to better understand the Biblical justification sought by our own founding fathers in their fight for independence. A must read!" -- Reader's Comment
Vidiciae Contra Tyrannos: A Defense of Liberty Against Tyrants, by Junius Brutus, attributed to Philippe Duplessis-Mornay [1549-1623]
http://www.constitution.org/vct/vindiciae.htm
Brutus, Junius, The Covenant Between God and Kings, from A DEFENSE OF LIBERTY
http://www.constitution.org/vct/vindiciae1a.htm
*Bunyan, John (1628-1688), and Robert Philip (1791-1858), The Greatness of the Soul: and The Unspeakableness of the Loss Thereof; No way to Heaven but by Jesus Christ; The Strait Gate. Alternate title: THE GREATNESS OF THE SOUL, AND UNSPEAKABLENESS OF THE LOSS THEREOF: WITH THE CAUSES OF THE LOSING IT: FIRST PREACHED AT PINNERS HALL, AND NOW ENLARGED, AND PUBLISHED FOR GOOD. A Christian classic. Considered to be among the ten greatest books in the English language. Available (THE WORKS OF JOHN BUNYAN), on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"In the 1660s, Charles II, King of England, asked John Owen (1616 -- 83), why he went to hear the preaching of an uneducated tinker. [John Bunyan -- compiler]. Looking the King in the eye, Owen answered, 'May it please your Majesty, could I possess the tinker's ability for preaching, I would willingly relinquish all my learning'." -- Andrew Thomson, John Owen, Prince of Puritans
Owen would not have been surprised to learn that Bunyan's most influential work, PILGRIM'S PROGRESS, would be translated into more languages over the next 400 years than any book except the Bible.
The Greatness of the Soul: and The Unspeakableness of the Loss Thereof; No way to Heaven but by Jesus Christ; The Strait Gate
http://archive.org/details/greatnessofsoulu00bunyuoft
Pilgrim's Page: A John Bunyan Archive
This is the complete set of THE WORKS OF JOHN BUNYAN, George Offor edition, reprinted by The Banner of Truth. It is free online, and is downloadable in the following formats: HTML, RTF, TEXT, and PDF.
http://www.chapellibrary.org/literature/bunyan/
THE COMPLETE WORKS OF JOHN BUNYAN is also available at Project Gutenberg.
Cullen, Edgar M., The Decline of Personal Liberty in America.
*Cunningham, John (1819-1893), The Church History of Scotland: From the Commencement of the Christian Era to the Present Time, 1882, 2nd edition, 2 volumes. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #30.
"Few people are as well qualified to write such a history as the author of these volumes. Provides a vivid recounting of the struggle for independence and religious freedom." -- Cyril J. Barber
*Deane, William J., and Thomas Kirk, Studies in the First Book of Samuel.
*Dillenberger, John (editor), Martin Luther: Selections From his Writings, ISBN: 0385098766 9780385098762. A Christian classic.
"The development of Martin Luther's thought was both a symptom and moving force in the transformation of the Middle Ages into the modern world. Geographical discovery, an emerging scientific tradition, and a climate of social change had splintered the unity of medieval Christian culture, and these changes provided the background for Luther's theological challenge. His new apprehension of Scripture and fresh understanding of man's relation to God demanded a break with the Church as then constituted and released the powerful impulses that carried the Reformation. Luther's vigorous, colorful language still retains the excitement it had for thousands of his contemporaries. In this volume, Dr. Dillenberger has made a representative selection from Luther's extensive writings, and has also provided the reader with a lucid introduction to his thought." -- Publisher
See: "Martin Luther's Treatise on Christian Liberty" (The Freedom of the Christian).
"If one were to single out one short document representing the content and spirit of Luther's faith 'The Freedom of the Christian' would undoubtedly be at the top." -- John Dillenberger
*Ellul, Jacques (1912-1994), Ethics of Freedom.
"Ellul examines political freedom, but also talks about working it out in all human relationships. In a kind of dialogue with the Bible, he relates the Christian concept of freedom as rooted in the liberating work of Christ . . ." -- Vernon Grounds
*Ganz, Richard, You Shall be Free Indeed! The Statutes of Liberty for Godly Living.
"Shows how to have the freedom Christ gives. Rings the changes on 'freedom:' true vs. false, internal and external, from the expectations of others, to fail or succeed, to change, from self-love, to love, from legalistic holiness, for gospel holiness." -- David Powlison (1949-2019)
"Drawing from his experience as a nouthetic counselor and pastor, Ganz shows how Christians can have the freedom that Christ gives his people. Jay Adams says: 'This is one of the most encouraging and helpful books I have read in a long time'." -- GCB
Girardeau, John L., Individual Liberty and Church Authority: A Sermon Preached at Westminster Church, Charleston, Thursday Night, April 11, 1889, During the Sessions of Charleston Presbytery.
Gray, Andrew (1633-1656), The Duty and the Liberty of a Christian Church: Asserted Against Popery, Puseyism and Erastianism (BiblioBazaar, August 19, 2009), 48 pages, ISBN: 1113347295 9781113347299.
*Hammon, T.C., Perfect Freedom: An Introduction to Christian Ethics.
Hayek, Friedrich A., The Road to Serfdom, ISBN: 0415035287.
"A modern restatement of the great conflict between liberty and authority." -- Publisher
"This classic by one of the 20th century's leading libertarian thinkers has established itself beside the works of Orwell and others as a timeless meditation on the relationship between human freedom and government authority. Hayek argues that empowering government with increasing economic control leads not to utopia but to horrors such those seen in Nazi Germany.
"Hayek describes the world in 1944, alarmed by the rising ideas of the 'inevitable' trends to economic planning and centralization, pointing out the path that leads to totalitarian regimes. He says that socialism, fascism and nazism are 'species' of collectivisation which don't differ in their nature.
"In his book he tries to prove that in searching for security, governments can start to plan economic activities and, as this power grows, embark in building a society where every aspect of people's daily life was previously decided by the desire of a planner, because 'economic control is the control of the means for all our ends.'
"Hayek's work was a sort of bible for the neo-liberal era inaugurated by Thatcher and Reagan in the 80's and, although he explicitly opposes to the 19th century 'laissez-faire' economy, in many paragraphs he seems very "nostalgic" about it.
"It is maybe one of the best counterparts of Marx's THE CAPITAL and, thus, a must-read for any socialist or communist (as Marx is a must-read for every capitalist), in order to widen your knowledge of economics and to come to a better conclusion about defining your political beliefs. -- Reader's Comment
"I was introduced to Friedrich von Hayek through reading Thomas Sowell. And I decided to read this book because it was a highly recommended read in the Freedom's Nest Website Reading List. . . .
"In a totalitarian state, it is always the ruthless and the unsophisticated who ascend to the top. Extensive governmental control harms the society not just in delivering dismal economic results, but, more seriously, it produces a psychological change, an alteration in the character of the people.
"This little book was said to have had definitive influence on such giants as Churchill, Thatcher, Reagan and many others. Perhaps the book's influence was best attested to by its being banned in the USSR, China and many other totalitarian countries." -- Reader's Comment
*Hopkins, Rev. Mark, D.D., The Sabbath and Free Institutions. A Paper Read Before the National Sabbath Convention, Saratoga, Aug. 13, 1863. On Invitation of the New York Sabbath Committee.
"Hopkins argues three points, 1. That a religious observance of the Sabbath, or, as it may be called by way of distinction, the religious Sabbath, would secure the permanence of free institutions [civil governments], 2. That without the Sabbath religiously observed, the permanence of free institutions cannot be secured, and 3. That the civil, as based on the religious Sabbath, is an institution to which society has a natural right, precisely as it has to property." -- Wurth Books
"These propositions were demonstrated by a process of reasoning simple and irresistible, and, we may add, majestic. The third of these propositions, viz.: That society has a natural right to the civil Sabbath, is one of special interest and importance. It furnishes a firm foundation on which to rest rights and duty of the community to protect the Sabbath by civil legislation." -- Charles Hodge, D.D., of Princeton, reporting to The National Sabbath Convention, 1863, p. 19, "The Sabbath and Free Institutions." Charles Hodge and his son, A.A. Hodge, are considered to be two of the finest theologians produced by America.
"Mark Hopkins, educator, b. in Stockbridge, Mass., 4 Feb., 1802; d. in Williamstown, Mass., 17 June, 1887. He was a grandson of Col. Mark, of the Revolutionary army, a graduate of Yale, and the first lawyer in Berkshire county, who was a younger brother of Dr. Samuel, the theologian, and married to a half-sister of Ephraim Williams, the founder of Williams College. He was graduated at Williams in 1824, with the valedictory, was a tutor in that college in 1825-7, studied medicine at the same time, and was graduated at the Berkshire medical school in 1829. He began practice in New York city, but in 1830 was called to the chair of moral philosophy and rhetoric at Williams. He was licensed to preach in 1832. In 1836 he succeeded Dr. Edward D. Griffin as president of the college, which post he held until 1872, when he resigned, though retaining the chair of moral and intellectual philosophy, which was established for him in 1836, and that of Christian theology, which he assumed in 1858. The pastorate of the college church, on which he entered in 1836, he retained till 1883. He became president of the American board of commissioners for foreign missions in 1857. He received the degree of D.D. from Dartmouth in 1837, and Harvard in 1841, and that of LL.D. from the University of the state of New York in 1857, and from Harvard at its 259th anniversary in 1886.
"President Hopkins had a large influence for good, and was much beloved by his pupils, many of whom became eminent men, among them James A. Garfield. He was one of the most acute students of moral science that this country has produced since Jonathan Edwards. The last and fullest expression of his philosophical system is found the works entitled THE LAW OF LOVE AND LOVE AS THE LAW [CHRISTIAN ETHICS], ISBN: 9781429017824 1429017821 and AN OUTLINE STUDY OF MAN [AN OUTLINE STUDY OF MAN, or, THE BODY AND MIND IN ONE SYSTEM WITH ILLUSTRATIVE DIAGRAMS, AND A METHOD FOR BLACKBOARD TEACHING, New York: Scribners, 1887, c1886], both extensively used as textbooks, and the latter illustrating his methods in the classroom." -- Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography, 1888.
The Sabbath and Free Institutions
http://www.lettermen2.com/hopkins.html
Kelly, Kent, The Separation of Church and Freedom: A war Manual for Christian Soldiers, ISBN: 0960413804 9780960413805.
Lindgren, Alvin J., and Norman Shawchuk, Let my People go: Empowering Laity for Ministry, ISBN: 0687213770 9780687213771.
"Well reasoned and on target, this discussion of the potential of laypeople comes like a breath of fresh air to those engaged in ministry." -- Cyril J. Barber
*Lloyd-Jones, D. Martyn (1899-1981), Authority, ISBN: 0851513867 9780851513867.
"The late Doctor was revered for his adherence to all the teachings of the Bible, wherever they might lead. By the time of his death in the last decade, there were only a few preachers left in England who were able and also willing to preach the whole counsel of God. But Lloyd-Jones never flinched, nor excused those who did.
"This little book contains three of his sermons on the subject of authority: The Authority of Jesus Christ; The Authority of the Scriptures; The Authority of the Holy Spirit. They were preached because the Doctor saw that there is a crisis of authority in society in our day. Name an authority, and see if it is not being violated. The fools of our age think that authority is incompatible with man's freedom. Whereas, the only freedom worthy of that name comes from being under the authority of Christ Jesus, our Saviour, our Lord, and our God. . . . Dr. L-J sees the road to recovery from this rebellion to lie in the fearless assertion of Divine authority as pictured in the Holy Scriptures. Either we must admit the authority of truth, or else it is to be a state of 'the blackness of darkness for ever' for us . . ." -- Jay P. Green, Sr. (1918-2008)
*Loane, Marcus L., Makers of Religious Freedom in the Seventeenth Century: Henderson, Rutherford, Bunyan, Baxter.
"Students of church and state will appreciate this book because it narrates the vigorous struggle for religious freedom on the part of Alexander Henderson and Samuel Rutherford in Scotland, and John Bunyan and Richard Baxter in England." -- Cyril J. Barber
*Luther, Martin (1483-1546), Commentary on Galatians, English translation by Erasmus Middleton, B.D., edited by John Prince Fallowes, M.A., Pembroke College, Cambridge, ISBN: 0825431247. A Christian classic. Considered to be among the ten greatest books in the English language. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"I prefer this book of Martin Luther's (except the Bible), before all the books I have ever seen, as most fit for a wounded soul." -- John Bunyan
"This is a great, historic work, and is beyond criticism on account of its great usefulness. As a comment its accuracy might be questioned; but for emphatic utterances and clear statements of the great doctrine of the Epistle it remains altogether by itself, and must be judged per se." -- C.H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)
"The reissue of a famous series of lectures delivered at Wittenberg University in 1553." -- Cyril J. Barber
Commentary on Galatians, Martin Luther
http://archive.org/details/cu31924029294133
Luther's Commentary on Galatians, That He might deliver us from the present evil world. (Galatians 1:4 excerpt), English translation by Erasmus Middleton, B.D., edited by John Prince Fallowes, M.A., Pembroke College, Cambridge
http://www.lettermen2.com/luther2.html
Luther's Commentary on Galatians, Who hath bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth. (Galatians 3:1 excerpt), English translation by Erasmus Middleton, B.D., edited by John Prince Fallowes, M.A., Pembroke College, Cambridge
http://www.lettermen2.com/luther1.html
*Luther, Martin (1483-1546), Concerning Christian Liberty, ISBN: 0585150281 9780585150284. A Christian classic.
"An unabridged edition, to include: LETTER OF MARTIN LUTHER TO POPE LEO X and CONCERNING CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, with updated typeface." -- Publisher
*Machen, J. Gresham (1881-1937), The Christian View of Man, ISBN: 0851511120 9780851511122.
"This book by one of the founders of Westminster Theological Seminary and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church is undoubtedly one of the best guides, from a Reformed perspective, to be found anywhere. If you want a sound guide to the basic teachings of the Bible, you will find it in this book. Highly recommended!" -- GCB
"Provides an excellent introduction to Christian anthropology. First published in 1937." -- Cyril J. Barber
Deals with predestination and human freedom.
*MacPherson, Hector, Scotland's Battles for Spiritual Independence, 1905.
"Ably delineates between the quest for power (ecclesiastical as well as political), and a true spirit of independence based upon Biblical principles. Describes the struggle between church and state, and lays justifiable stress upon the far-ranging effects of the battles they fought and won." -- Cyril J. Barber
*Marshall, Walter (1628-1680), The Gospel-Mystery of Sanctification: Growing in Holiness by Living in Union With Christ, ISBN: 189277724X. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
The Reformation Heritage Books edition is a reprint of the 1954 edition set by Oliphants and includes an introduction by Joel R. Beeke. Also includes the author's famous sermon on "The Doctrine of Justification Opened and Applied."
See the WorldCat record for various foreign language editions.
Other editions:
Marshall, Walter, The Gospel-Mystery of Sanctification, ISBN: 1597520543 9781597520546.
"This is by far the best book on the doctrine of Sanctification in print. It was originally written in the 17th century, but has been put into modern English with this edition. This book will help you better understand the Gospel and its power not only for our Justification, but our Sanctification as well." -- Reader's Comment
Marshall, Walter, The Gospel-Mystery of Sanctification, ISBN: 1589600630 9781589600638.
"Here you will read the most closely reasoned defense of scriptural sanctification to be found anywhere. . . . Fourteen directions are given to the reader, all perfected with the aim of explaining to sincere souls what sanctification is, what it is not, and how to attain a holy walk before God. . . ." -- Jay P. Green, Sr. (1918-2008)
Marshall, Walter, The Gospel-mystery of Sanctification, Opened, in Sundry Practical Directions: Suited Especially to the Case of Those who Labor Under the Guilt and Power of Indwelling Sin. To Which is Added a Sermon on Justification (1859)
http://archive.org/details/gospelmysteryofs02mars
Martin, Ralph P., Colossians: The Church's Lord and the Christian's Liberty: An Expository Commentary, ISBN: 0853641250 9780853641254.
*McFetridge, N.S., Calvinism in History. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"A splendid book." -- Loraine Boettner
"The rich Reformation heritage of truth and freedom is set forth in four chapters: 1. Calvinism as a Political Force, 2. Calvinism as a Political Force in the History of the USA, 3. Calvinism as a Moral Force, 4. Calvinism as an Evangelizing Force." -- Publisher
"Arminianism, taking to an aristocratic form of church government, tend toward a monarchy in civil affairs, while Calvinism, taking to a republican form of church government, tends toward a democracy in civil affairs."
McLeod, John Niel (1806-1874), Protestantism, the Parent and Guardian of Civil and Religious Liberty. Found in MISCELLANEOUS, VOL. 6.
Protestantism, the Parent and Guardian of Civil and Religious Liberty. A lecture, Delivered, March 26, 1843, Under Appointment of the N.Y. Protestant Reformation Society (1843), John Niel McLeod
http://archive.org/details/protestantismpar00mcle
*Morey, Robert, The new Atheism and the Erosion of Freedom, ISBN: 0875523625 9780875523620.
"Exposes the godless suppression of religious freedom today and presents effective ways to convert atheists to Christ. In case you have not noticed atheism/secular humanism is gaining ground. Are you grounded in what these philosophies teach? Can you refute them? Dr. Morey will show you how." -- GCB
The American Atheist Union has said this is the most dangerous book ever written about religion.
Includes bibliography.
*Murray, Iain, The Reformation of the Church: A Collection of Reformed and Puritan Documents on Church Issues, ISBN: 085151118X 9780851511184.
"First published in 1965 and once again available. Documents are drawn largely from the 16th and 17th centuries and presents the finest thinking of the fathers on authority and freedom, the need for reformation, the nature of the government, unity, and membership of the Church of Jesus Christ." -- GCB
*Neal, Daniel (1678-1743), and Joshua Toulmin, The History of the Puritans, or, Protestant Non-conformists: From the Reformation in 1517, to the Revolution in 1688; Comprising an Account of Their Principles; Their attempts for a farther reformation in the church, their sufferings, and the lives and characters of their most considerable divines, 3 volumes.
"Reprinted from the latest edition and containing critical notes, this outstanding presentation of Protestant nonconformity (from 1517 to 1688), delineates the course of action taken by those dubbed Puritan, describes the seeds of liberty and democracy that they spread and that lie latent in their history and teachings, and presents a vivid picture of the effect of their stand for truth. This is an excellent work and is well-deserving of careful study. The benefits of reading these volumes is too great to be tabulated here. We can only hope that a new generation of men and women who are loyal to the Lord and His Word will peruse these pages to their own great profit." -- Cyril J. Barber
The History of the Puritans, or, Protestant Non-conformists . . . (vol. 1 of 4)
https://archive.org/details/historyofp01neal
The History of the Puritans, or, Protestant Non-conformists . . . (vol. 2 of 4)
https://archive.org/details/historyo02neal
The History of the Puritans, or, Protestant Non-conformists . . . (vol. 3 of 4)
https://archive.org/details/historyofpurit03neal
The History of the Puritans, or, Protestant Non-conformists . . . (vol. 4 of 4)
https://archive.org/details/historyofpurit04neal
Osborn, Robert T., Freedom in Modern Theology.
Includes bibliographic footnotes.
*Parliament, The First Parliament During the Reign of James VI of Scotland, Christ's Triumphant Entry Into Scotland; Or, The Subjugation of the People, Laws, Liberties, and Crown of Scotland to His Supreme Majesty Jesus Christ, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords; Being, The Complete Text of all of the Acts of the First Parliament During the Reign of James VI of Scotland.
He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. (Isaiah 42:4)
The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. (Psalm 97:1)
And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. (Psalm 37:6)
http://truecovenanter.com/official/acts_of_parliament_scotland_james_vi_p01.phtml
See: Skene, John, THE LAVVES AND ACTES OF PARLIAMENT, MAID BE KING IAMES THE FIRST, AND HIS SUCCESSOURS KINGES OF SCOTLAND.
Robbins, John W. (1949-2008), Slavery Christianity: Paul's Letter to Philemon, an article (Unicoi, TN: The Trinity Foundation, November, 2005), ISBN: 1891777173 9781891777172.
"Slavery. Racism. Rebellion. Civil disobedience. The problems are as pressing today as they were 1900 years ago when the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to a slave-owner, Philemon, about his runaway slave -- and the runaway slave carried Paul's letter back to his legal owner.
"What did the letter say? Did Paul -- does Christianity -- approve of slavery? Does Christianity condone slavery? Or does the Gospel abolish slavery and establish freedom wherever it is believed? Jesus said, If you abide in my Word, you are my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:31,32)
"Paul's letter to Philemon is a masterpiece of divinely inspired political philosophy. It provides the basis for the non-violent abolition of slavery wherever the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached and believed.
"Dr. John W. Robbins holds the Ph.D. in Political Philosophy from The Johns Hopkins University. His most recent book is FREEDOM AND CAPITALISM: ESSAYS ON CHRISTIAN POLITICS AND ECONOMICS." -- Publisher
*Roberts, William Louis (1798-1864), The Reformed Presbyterian Catechism, ISBN: 0524065543 9780524065549. A Christian classic. Considered to be among the ten greatest books in the English language. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available from ATLA 1991-2638.
A magnificent catechism that sets forth the Crown Rights of The King of Glory and Lord of Lords. It also presents incontrovertible evidence that the United States Constitution is not a Christian document, and that it is, in fact, a slavery document.
"A manual of instruction, drawing from such notable authors as William Symington and J.R. Willson, presenting arguments and facts confirming and illustrating the 'Distinctive Principles' of the Reformed Presbyterian Church. Chapters deal with: 'Christ's Mediatorial Dominion in General;' Christ's Exclusive Headship Over the Church;' 'The Supreme and Ultimate Authority of the Word of God in the Church;' Civil Government, the Moral Ordinance of God;' Christ's Headship Over the Nations;' 'The Subjection of the Nations to God and to Christ;' The Word, or Revealed Will of God, the Supreme Law in the State;' 'The Duty of Nations, in Their National Capacity, to Acknowledge and Support the True Religion:' 'The Spiritual Independence of the Church of Christ:' 'The Right and Duty of Dissent From an Immoral Constitution of Civil Government;' 'The Duty of Covenanting, and the Permanent Obligations of Religious Covenants;' 'The Application of These Principles to the Governments, Where Reformed Presbyterians Reside, in the Form of a Practical Testimony;' and finally 'Application of the Testimony to the British Empire. . . '." -- Publisher
Reformed Presbyterian Catechism, William L. Roberts D.D.
http://archive.org/details/ReformedPresbyterianCatechism
On the Mediatorial Dominion of The Lord Jesus Christ, excerpted from THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CATECHISM.
http://www.truecovenanter.com/reformedpresbyterian/roberts_rp_catechism_section_01_mediatorial_dominion.html
The Exclusive Headship of The Lord Jesus Christ Over the Church of God, excerpted from THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CATECHISM.
http://www.truecovenanter.com/reformedpresbyterian/roberts_rp_catechism_section_02_christs_headship_over_the_church.html
Civil Government the Moral Ordinance of God, excerpted from THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CATECHISM.
http://www.truecovenanter.com/reformedpresbyterian/roberts_rp_catechism_section_04_civil_government.html
On Christ's Headship Over the Nations, excerpted from THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CATECHISM.
http://www.truecovenanter.com/reformedpresbyterian/roberts_rp_catechism_section_05_christs_headship_over_nations.html
The Subjection of the Nations to God and to Christ, excerpted from THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CATECHISM.
http://www.truecovenanter.com/reformedpresbyterian/roberts_rp_catechism_section_06_subjection_of_nations_to_christ.html
See also: The Scottish Covenanting Struggle, Alexander Craighead, and the Mecklenburg Declaration, SECRET PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION; CONSPIRACY IN PHILADELPHIA: THE ORIGINS OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION, and A THEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF AMERICAN HISTORY.
*Rushdoony, Rousas J. (1916-2001), Christianity and the State, ISBN: 9996717755. Available through Exodus Books.
"The need to return to a Biblical doctrine of civil government is evidenced by our century's worldwide drift into tyranny. Humanism invariably rushes in to fill the world's theological vacuums: the need of the hour is to restore a full-orbed, Biblical, theology of the state. This work sets forth that theology." -- GCB
*Rutherford, Samuel (1600-1661), A Free Disputation Against Pretended Liberty of Conscience, 1649. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #9, #25, and #26.
"Rutherford's FREE DISPUTATION, though scarce, is still one of his most important works with maybe only a few copies of the actual book left in existence. Though Rutherford is affectionately remembered in our day for his LETTERS, or for laying the foundations of constitutional government (against the divine right of kings), in his unsurpassed LEX, REX his FREE DISPUTATION should not be overlooked for it contains the same searing insights as LEX, REX. In fact, this book should probably be known as Rutherford's 'politically incorrect' companion volume to LEX, REX. A sort of sequel aimed at driving pluralists and antinomians insane. Written against 'the Belgick Arminians, Socinians, and other Authors contending for lawless liberty, or licentious Tolerations of Sects and Heresies,' Rutherford explains the undiluted Biblical solution to moral relativism, especially as it is expressed in ecclesiastical and civil pluralism! (Corporate pluralism being a violation of the first commandment and an affront to the holy God of Scripture). He also deals with conscience, toleration, penology (punishment), and the judicial laws, as related to both the civil and ecclesiastical realms. Excellent sections are also included which address questions related to determining the fundamentals of religion, how covenants bind us, the perpetual obligation of social covenants (with direct application to the Solemn League and Covenant and the covenant-breaking of Cromwell and his sectarian supporters), whether the punishing of seducing teachers be persecution of conscience, and much more. Walker adds these comments and context regarding Rutherford's FREE DISPUTATION, 'The principle of toleration was beginning to be broached in England, and in a modified shape to find acceptance there. Samuel Rutherford was alarmed, or rather, I should say, he was horrified, for he neither feared the face of man or argument. He rushed to the rescue of the good old view . . . It is not so easy to find a theoretical ground for toleration; and Rutherford has many plausible things to say against it. With the most perfect confidence, he argues that it is alike against Scripture and common sense that you should have two religions side by side. It is outrageous ecclesiastically, it is sinful civilly. He does not, however, take what I call the essentially persecuting ground. He does not hold that the magistrate is to punish religion as religion. Nay, he strongly maintains that the civil magistrate never aims at the conscience. The magistrate, he urges, does not send anyone, whether a heretic (who is a soul murderer -- RB), or a murderer, to the scaffold with the idea of producing conversion or other spiritual result, but to strengthen the foundations of civil order. But if he gives so much power to the king, he is no lover of despotism withal: the king himself must be under law. To vindicate this great doctrine is the object of another book, the celebrated LEX, REX; of which it has been said by one competent to judge, that it first clearly developed the constitutionalism which all men now accept.' (Theology and Theologians . . . pp. 11-12). In our day Francis Schaeffer, and numerous others, have critiqued many of the problems found in modern society, but most have spent little time developing explicitly Biblical solutions especially regarding the theoretical foundations that Rutherford addresses here. Rutherford's FREE DISPUTATION provides a detailed blueprint for laying the foundations that must be laid before any lasting, God-honoring solutions will be found. Furthermore, Rutherford and his writings were the enemies of all governments not covenanted with Christ. This book will give you a very clear picture as to why 'the beast' (civil and ecclesiastical), has reserved his special hatred for such teaching. As Samuel Wylie noted 'the dispute, then, will not turn upon the point whether religion should be civilly established . . . but it is concerning what religion ought to be civilly established and protected, -- whether the religion of Jesus alone should be countenanced by civil authority, or every blasphemous, heretical, and idolatrous abomination which the subtle malignity of the old serpent and a heart deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, can frame and devise, should be put on an equal footing therewith." -- The two Sons of oil; or, The Faithful Witness for Magistracy and Ministry Upon a Scriptural Basis. Can our generation swallow Rutherford's hard, anti-pluralistic, Covenanter medicine, poured forth from the bottle of the first commandment, without choking on their carnal dreams of a free and righteous society divorced from God (and His absolute claims upon everyone and everything)? Not without the enabling power of the Holy Spirit -- that is for sure! In summary, this book answers all the hardest questions theonomists (and their wisest and best opponents), have been asking for the last 20-30 years (and these answers are much more in depth than any we have seen in the last couple of millennia [less about a century to account for the apostles]). As the reader will discover, Rutherford was a wealthy man when it came to wisdom (and much advanced theologically), and those who take the time to gaze into the King's treasure house, as exhibited in this book, will find that they are greatly rewarded. Furthermore, because of its uncompromising stand upon the Word of God, this book is sure to be unpopular among a wicked and adulterous generation. However, on the other hand, it is sure to be popular among the covenanted servants of King Jesus! This is one of the best books (in the top five anyway), for advanced study of the Christian faith. We have now obtained an easy-to-read, amazingly clear copy of this very rare, old treasure. Great price too, considering that a copy of the 1649 edition, containing this quality of print, would likely cost upwards of $1000 on the rare book market -- though it is unlikely you would ever see a copy for sale!" -- Publisher
A Brotherly and Free Epistle to the Patrons and Friends of Pretended Liberty of Conscience, Samuel Rutherford
http://www.truecovenanter.com/anti_toleration/rutherfurd_epistle_against_pretendedlibertyofconscience.html
Brutus, Junius, The Covenant Between God and Kings, from A DEFENSE OF LIBERTY
http://www.constitution.org/vct/vindiciae1a.htm
*Rutherford, Samuel (1600-1661), Influences of the Life of Grace. Or, A Practical Treatise Concerning the way, Manner, and Means of Having and Improving of Spiritual Dispositions, and Quickening Influences From Christ the Resurrection and the Life. By Samuel Rutherfurd (sic), Professor of Divinity in the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #9 and 21.
*Rutherford, Samuel (1600-1661), Lex, rex, or The law and the Prince, ISBN: 0873779517. Alternate title: A TREATISE OF CIVIL POLICY: BEING A RESOLUTION OF FORTY THREE QUESTIONS CONCERNING PREROGATIVE, RIGHT AND PRIVILEGE, IN REFERENCE TO THE SUPREME PRINCE AND THE PEOPLE. / BY SAMUEL RUTHERFORD PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY OF ST ANDREWS IN SCOTLAND. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #10, #25.
" 'Lex, rex' is Latin for 'law is king.'
"LEX, REX is 'the great political text of the Covenanters.' (Johnston citing Innes in Treasury of the Scottish Covenant, p. 305). 'Rutherford was the first to formulate the great constitutional principle Lex est Rex -- the law is King . . . much of the doctrine has become the constitutional inheritance of all countries in modern times.'
"Gilmour writes [in SAMUEL RUTHERFORD], 'that, as regards religious fervour, scholastic subtlety of intellect, and intensity of ecclesiastical conviction, Samuel Rutherford is the most distinctively representative Scotsman in the first half of the seventeenth century'." -- Publisher
"Without a doubt one of the greatest books on political philosophy ever written. Rutherford here has penned a great Christian charter of liberty against all forms of civil tyranny -- vindicating the Scriptural duty to resist tyrants as an act of loyalty to God." -- Publisher
"That resistance to lawful authority -- even when that authority so called has, in point of fact, set at nought 'all law' -- is in no instance to be vindicated, will be held by those only who are the devotees of arbitrary power and passive obedience. The principles of Mr. Rutherford's LEX, REX, however obnoxious they may be to such men, are substantially the principles on which all government is founded, and without which the civil magistrate would become a curse rather than a blessing to a country. They are the very principles which lie at the basis of the British Constitution, and by whose tenure the House of Brunswick does at this very moment hold possession of the throne of these realms." -- Rev. Robert Burns, D.D., in his "Preliminary Dissertation" to Wodrow's Church History
Additional sources of text related to LEX REX are as follows:
"Though Rutherford is affectionately remembered in our day for his LETTERS, or for laying the foundations of constitutional government (against the divine right of kings), in his unsurpassed LEX, REX, his FREE DISPUTATION should not be overlooked, for it contains the same searing insights as LEX, REX. In fact, this book [A FREE DISPUTATION AGAINST PRETENDED LIBERTY OF CONSCIENCE -- compiler] should probably be known as Rutherford's 'politically incorrect' companion volume to LEX, REX. It is a sort of sequel aimed at driving pluralists and antinomians insane. Written against 'the Belgick Arminians, Socinians, and other Authors contending for lawless liberty, or licentious Tolerations of Sects and Heresies,' Rutherford explains the undiluted Biblical solution to moral relativism, especially as it is expressed in ecclesiastical and civil pluralism! (Corporate pluralism being a violation of the first commandment, and an affront to the holy God of Scripture)." -- Publisher
A HIND LET LOOSE by Alexander Shields is sometimes referred to as 'Lex, Rex, Volume Two.'
A Hind let Loose; or An Historical Representation of the Testimonies of the Church of Scotland. . . . by Mr. Alexander Shields, Minister of the Gospel, in St. Andrews
http://www.truecovenanter.com/shields/
A Hind let Loose; or, An Historical Representation of the Testimonies of the Church of Scotland, for the Interest of Christ
"This book sets forth the Crown rights of King Jesus, against all usurpers in both church and state, giving a history of some of faithful sufferings endured by the elect, in maintaining this truth." -- Publisher
http://archive.org/details/hindletlooseorhi00shie
"This [THE DUE RIGHT OF PRESBYTERIES OR A PEACEABLE PLEA FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND -- compiler], could be considered the LEX, REX of church government -- another exceedingly rare masterpiece of Presbyterianism! Characterized by Walker as sweeping 'over a wider field than most'." -- Publisher
Rutherford, Samuel (1600-1661), Lex, rex: The law and the Prince, a Dispute for the Just Prerogative of King and People (1843)
http://archive.org/details/lexrexlawandpri00ruthgoog
Lex, rex, or The law and the Prince, Samuel Rutherford
"Rutherford is to be praised for his teaching that the king is subject to the law of God. The Bible has nothing but condemnation for those who frame mischief by a law and declares rhetorically, Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee? (Psalm 94:20). Deuteronomy 17 is the classic passage in defense of LEX, REX, wherein the king is charged to read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 17:19)." -- Publisher
http://www.constitution.org/sr/lexrex.htm
Lex, rex: the law and the Prince, a Dispute for the Just Prerogative of King and People, containing the reasons and causes of the defensive wars of the kingdom of Scotland, and of their expedition for the ayd and help of their brethren of England. In which a full answer is given to a seditious pamphlet, intituled, Sacro-sancta regum majestas, penned by J. Maxwell. By S. Rutherford. [Followed by], De jure regni apud Scotos; a dialogue, tr. by R. Macfarlan (repr. from the ed. of 1799).
http://books.google.com/books?id=jtYDAAAAQAAJ&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html
Brutus, Junius, The Covenant Between God and Kings, from A DEFENSE OF LIBERTY
http://www.constitution.org/vct/vindiciae1a.htm
*Shepard, Thomas (1605-1649), and Jonathan Mitchel (1624-1668), Subjection to Christ in all his Ordinances and Appointments the Best Means to Preserve our Liberty: Together with a treatise of ineffectual hearing the Word, how we may know whether we have heard the same effectually, and by what means it may become effectual unto us: with some remarkable passages of his life / by Tho. Shephard . . . now published by Mr. Jonathan Michel . . . Running title: A WHOLESOME CAVEAT FOR A TIME OF LIBERTY. "To the reader" signed: William Greenhill [and] Samuel Mather. "To the Christian reader" signed: Edm. Calamy, 1654.
Sibbes, Richard (1577-1635), Glorious Freedom, ISBN: 0851517919. Alternate title: THE EXCELLENCY OF THE GOSPEL ABOVE THE LAW. Available (THE WORKS OF RICHARD SIBBES), on the Puritan Hard Drive.
*Stevens, R. Paul, Liberating the Laity: Equipping All the Saints for Ministry, ISBN: 0877846138 9780877846130.
"Seeks to abolish the distinction between clergy and laity and to elevate believers to their true dignity as ministers of Christ. Stevens is not an anticleric. His iconoclasm is of a different order; and his goal is the mobilization of the people of God to do the work he desires. . . ." -- Cyril J. Barber
*Swindoll, Charles, The Grace Awakening, ISBN: 9780849911880 0849911885.
"This is a book about the wonderful fact that Christianity faithfully lived will bring blessedness to our earthly existence, if we ignore the unholy 'grace-killers' among us. Jesus said, If therefore the Son shall make your free, you shall be free indeed. . . ." -- Publisher
"More and more Christians are realizing that the man-made restrictions and legalistic regulations under which they have been living have not come from the God of grace, but have been enforced by people who do not want others to be free. . . . Scarcely a day passes when I am not reminded of the need for a book emphasizing the full extent of grace, giving people permission to be free, absolutely free in Christ. Why? Because so few are!" -- Charles Swindoll
The author believes this is the most important book he has written. The message of Christian freedom is as repressed as the Gospel itself. This book will bless the hearts of the many who have never read a presentation of the message of our freedom in Christ and its wonderful practical implications for the individual, the church, and the nation. A study guide by the same name is available.
"The God of the universe has given us an amazing, revolutionary gift of grace and freedom. This freedom and grace set us apart from every other 'religion' on the face of the earth.
"In this bestselling classic, Charles Swindoll urges you not to miss living a grace-filled life. Freedom and joy -- not lists and demands and duties -- await all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. -- Publisher
Toon, Peter, Free to Obey: The Real Meaning of Authority, ISBN: 084230925X 9780842309257.
"Treats clearly and concisely the fact of sin and the enslavement of mankind to it. Explains the only path to perfect freedom. . . ." -- Cyril J. Barber
*VanderKemp (Van der Kemp), Johannes, The Christian Entirely the Property of Christ, in Life and Death: Exhibited in Fifty-three Sermons on the Heidelberg Catechism, ISBN: 9781142354152 1142354156. See: "all editions" in WorldCat.org.
The Christian Entirely the Property of Christ in Life and Death (Free download, Kindle format)
http://archive.org/details/christianentire00kempgoog
*Weaver, Henry Grady, Mainspring of Human Progress.
A monograph on the history of freedom.
Includes bibliography.
Woodhouse, A.S.P. (compiler and editor), Puritanism and Liberty: Being the Army Debates (1647-1649), From the Clarke Manuscripts With Supplementary Documents.
"The literature devoted to freedom is one of the exciting features of the middle years of the seventeenth century."
Woodson, William (editor), Freedom: Heritage, Accomplishments and Prospects in Christ.
Freed-Hardeman College Lectures, 1976. Includes bibliographical references.
Wylie, James A. (1808-1890), The Papal Hierarchy: An Exposure of the Tactics of Rome for the Overthrow of the Liberty and Christianity of Great Britain.
See: The History of Protestantism (1902), vol. 1 of 3.
http://archive.org/details/historyofprotes01wyli
See also: The sovereignty of god, The doctrine of man (human nature, total depravity), The sovereign grace of god: his everlasting mercy and lovingkindness, Church and state, Galatians, Christian liberty, Will and recalcitrance, Selection of covenant heads for positions of leadership, The Westminster Standards and family of documents, Ethics, computer ethics, cyberethics, Sex ethics, sex education, Conscience, casuistry, cases of conscience, The covenanted reformation, Toleration and liberty of conscience, Slavery, our systems of enslavement, economic enslavement, Conspiracy, corruption, organized crime, Sexual relationship, Spiritual adultery (spiritual whoredom/harlotry), The application of scripture to the corporate bodies of church and state, The scottish covenanting struggle, alexander craighead, and the mecklenburg declaration, The Christian foundation of America, Freedom: a gift of the grace of god, The covenanted reformation of scotland author/title listing, Corporate faithfulness and sanctification, Pseudo-christian movements: a selection of works, Conspiracy, corruption, organized crime, Secret societies, ungodly alliances, voluntary alliances, and so forth, and so on.
TCRB5: 2134-2136, 2531, 4056
The Battle Continues: The Establishment of Liberty Through God's Law, Norman Patterson
"This 'higher' law was not the collective wisdom of human ingenuity. It was based upon the belief God revealed His perfect law in the Bible. This law was articulated succinctly in the Ten Commandments. No one, not even a king, had the right to claim divinity, blaspheme, lie, steal, fornicate, and bear false witness, etcetera. Biblical law annuls the divine right of kings. There is only One King and He has only one law. The most God allows government to do is punish evildoers who insist on violating His law. (Romans 13:1-4). These violations include trampling upon the life, liberty and property of others. As government secures the God-given rights of individuals, the whole of society prospers. When government sees themselves as the sovereign and the people as their property, society deteriorates. Conversely, when people put divine-like faith in government to create law to solve all their problems, they make government a god and thereby become idolatrous. Either way liberty is destroyed."
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig4/patterson-norman9.html
*Biblical Slavery: It's Meaning and Necessity, a sermon [audio file], by Brian Schwertley
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=74101315272
The Scottish Covenanting Struggle, Alexander Craighead, and the Mecklenburg Declaration
http://www.lettermen2.com/craig.html
Toleration: The Cut-throat of True Religion
http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualNLs/ToleratT.htm
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
http://www.uscirf.gov/
Why a Truly Christian People CANNOT be Subjugated by a Lawless State, a video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRFPNFt4xNs&lc=UgyfL4e2as0gY8qy7bN4AaABAg
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, [then] are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. -- The Lord Jesus Christ (John 8:31,32)Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority. -- John Emerich Edward Dalberg, Lord Acton (1834-1902), in a letter to Mandell Creighton, April 5, 1887, quoted by Gertrude Himmelfarb in Acton, Essays on Freedom and Power, pp. 335-36 (1972)
Of all the enemies of true liberty, war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other.
War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. -- James Madison (1751-1836)It is quite evident that in all of this Calvin was setting forth a view of free enterprise which is strictly Biblical. Free enterprise is that means adapted for man by which he fulfills the conditions of his stewardship. Enterprise that is truly free is constantly governed by the law of God. -- C. Gregg Singer, "Calvinism and Economic Thought and Practice" in John Calvin: His Roots and Fruits, p. 46
See the Theological Notes: "The Law of God," at Exodus 20:1 in The Reformation Study Bible.
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:12)
http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/romans-14-12.html
http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/romans/14.htmlPaul does not regard government as provider of income, health care, education, national parks, money, or any of the other services common to our modern welfare states; its function is quite simple: to punish wrongdoers. -- John W. Robbins
The Biblical doctrine of sin forbids the optimistic conclusion of Adam Smith [THE WEALTH OF NATIONS -- compiler], and the laissez faire school of economic thought. -- C. Gregg Singer, "Calvinism and Economic Thought and Practice" in John Calvin: His Roots and Fruits, p. 46
Planned economies do not work, because they fail to take into account man's sinfulness. -- Reader's comment on The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith
The roots of liberty and limited government are in the Protestant Reformation. We believe the key to the maintenance of liberty and limited government is to be found in the Scottish covenanting struggle. -- James A. Dodson
Having learnt from the Holy Scriptures that wise, brave, and virtuous men were always friends to liberty -- that God gave the Israelites a king in His anger, because they had not the sense and virtue enough to like a free commonwealth [1 Samuel 8:4-22] -- and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty [2 Corinthians 3:17] -- this made me conclude that freedom was a great blessing. -- Jonathan Mayhew, from his autobiography
Man will ultimately be governed by God or by tyrants. . . . Those who are willing to trade their essential liberties for a little temporary safety, deserve neither safety nor liberty. -- Benjamin Franklin
The Corporate worldview we are operating under today remains rooted in the Feudal Age, a system in which a few wealthy noblemen lived in luxury at the expense of the masses. The capital of corporations is distributed by an accounting system that was constituted to serve the wishes of an aristocracy of wealth under a 16th century monarchy. The principles of accounting have remained essentially unchanged since that Feudal Age, 600 years ago. -- Vladimir Shlapentokh and Daniel Martinez, Feudal America: Elements of the Middle Ages in Contemporary Society
Hazlitt came to the conclusion that "this [the Eisenhower Administration program -- compiler] seems to take over from the New Deal the essence of the Keynesian ideology -- the belief in compensation spending -- the belief that any decline from a peak of inflationary prosperity can and should be offset and rectified by an increase in deficit spending." (21. Newsweek, January 10, 1980, p. 33.)
Lying at the very heart of the Eisenhower program was the philosophy of John Maynard Keynes, the noted English economist, who had gained the ear of Franklin D. Roosevelt with the result that the New Deal legislation from then on reflected this approach to the problems of the nation. For a long time Keynes had been a member of the Fabian Society in England, a socialist group in that country. (22. Keynes had set forth his philosophy in his Treatise on Money and General Theory of Economics, the first in England in 1930 and the second in this country in that same year. In 1936 his General Theory of Employment, Money and Interest was published.) Like most of his Fabian colleagues, Keynes erected his philosophy on the basic assumption that Christianity was not and could not be true and that new principles of human action must be found in a form of socialism which was very close to communism. Roosevelt's first contact with Keynes seems to have been a letter which Keynes published in the New York Times on December 31, 1933, and which apparently influenced him to abandon the gold standard a few months later. In a personal interview with President Roosevelt in 1934, Keynes was able to persuade him that he should adopt deficit spending as the policy which would lift the nation out of the depression. That there was a radical intent behind the writings of Keynes and the tone of his later compared with his earlier works is not difficult to demonstrate. He wrote:Lenin is said to have remarked that the best way to destroy the capitalist system was to debauch the currency. . . . Lenin was right. There is no subtler, no surer means of over-turning the existing basis of society than to debauch the currency. (23. Essays in Persuasion. New York, Norton, 1963, p. 77.)That such an idea was not an incidental reference, but lay at the heart of his whole approach to economic issues is quite evident, and he had given it much thought. He wrote: "The debauching of the currency is a process that engages all the hidden forces of economic law on the side of destruction and it does it in a manner which not one man in a million is able to diagnose." (24. Ibid.)
Thus, this Keynesian approach to combating depression became the standard monetary policy for the succeeding administrations. It is doubtful that all those who have espoused such an approach, or even those who continue to support it today, are aware of the Marxian origins, or of its almost inevitable results. It was with good reason that Henry Hazlitt called the Eisenhower program a "Mini New Deal."
The debauchery of the currency through the persistent policy of encouraging inflation was and remains the standard radical attack on the fiscal soundness and integrity of the United States Government. Very few Americans are aware that it has its origins in a radical philosophy which was, and is, necessarily anti-Christian in both content and outlook. But liberals from the days of Franklin Roosevelt to our own day have, to varying degrees, been aware of its radical background and have sought to conceal it from the people. They have defended their inflationary programs on the ground that we must provide foreign aid for our friends abroad and an ever-widening social welfare program at home. Not only does such a program give an appearance of prosperity, but it also is an ideal way of redistributing the wealth of the nation according to a Marxian formula.
The liberal leadership within the major denominations and the National Council of Churches eagerly embraced such a policy on the ground that it was a necessary application of the principles of the Social Gospel. The leadership of the National Council has at times been willing to go further and faster into the area of creating a total social welfare state than the politicians have seen fit to tread.
The momentum achieved by this policy of planned inflation by the time of Eisenhower had become a popular national disease because money was so abundant and many people interpreted this vast supply of money as an indication of an increasing and virtually endless time of national prosperity. From 1952 on, both Democratic and Republican presidents have felt the compulsion to continue the inflationary process even though during their campaigns they would make valiant, if unrealistic, pleas for a balanced budget even while pleading for more and more federal expenditures for various welfare project, some of which have had dubious value, while others have proved to be very harmful, not only to the nation at large but to the recipients of the federal grants. (25. Today many observers have come to the conclusion that this inflationary spiral is almost irreversible apart from stringent political and fiscal policies which no president or Congress could put into effect without very serious consequences.) -- C. Gregg Singer (1910-1999), in A Theological Interpretation of American History (1994, 1981, 1964), pp. 289-292The notion that additional government expenditures magically increase national output is ingrained in the national psyche. Keynesian economics professors can certainly take credit for this mindset; it is they who have schooled multiple generations of college students in Keynesian multiplier analysis.
The professors' counter intuitive tease in this effort has always been what is called the 'balanced budget multiplier.' (BBM) That is, even with equal increases in government spending and taxes increase output, output should supposedly rise by the same amount that spending and taxes rise . . .
The BBM is so at odds with simple economic logic that it should be an embarrassment for the economics profession. Strong words? Yes. But how else to describe economic nonsense? If output and taxes rise by the same amount, producers' after-tax income is unaltered by the fiscal action. -- T. Norman Van Cott, "Keynesian Multipliers are Like Dogs Chasing Their Tails"Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! -- Patrick Henry
One Nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.
Without justice there can be no liberty.
When justice is taken away, what are kingdoms (regna) but a vast banditry (magna latocinia)? -- Augustine in City of God, IV. iv (MPL [Migne, J.P., Patrologiae cursus completus, series Latina], 41. 115; tr. NPNF [A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, second series], II. 66).
Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. "It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt." -- John Philpot Curran, Speech Upon the Right of Election, 1790. (Speeches. Dublin, 1808.)
Politics is a compromise with the authority of unholy spirits, unholy spirits who know that their lives will not go according to their destructive and self-destructive desires should they chose to be subject to the authority of Christ in his Mediatorial Reign.
If there is no final place for civil disobedience, then the government has been made autonomous, and as such, it has been put in the place of the Living God. -- Francis Schaeffer (1912-1984)
*Acton, John E., (1834-1902), The Correspondence of Lord Acton and Richard Simpson, 3 volumes, ISBN: 9780521738132 052173813X 9780521083553 0521083559 0521083699 9780521083690 052108380X 9780521083805.
*Acton, John E. (1834-1902), Essays on Freedom and Power, ISBN: 0844600008.
Essays such as, "The History of Freedom in Christianity," "The Protestant Theory of Persecution," and so forth.
Includes bibliography.
It should be noted that The Acton Institute has come under the control of the Roman Catholic Institution.
"Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority." -- John Emerich Edward Dalberg, Lord Acton (1834-1902), in a letter to Mandell Creighton, April 5, 1887, quoted by Gertrude Himmelfarb in Acton, Essays on Freedom and Power, pp. 335-36 (1972)
The History of Freedom and Other Essays, John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton (1834-1902), John Neville Figgis, Reginald Vere Laurence
http://books.google.com/books?id=iOB6zeQ-rRwC&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html
Acton, John E., (1834-1902), History of Freedom and Other Essays, ISBN: 0836901355 9780548101537 0548101531.
"Perhaps better known for the famous quote of how 'power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.' This work by Lord Acton is an excellent example of Europe's finest late 19th century political/historical intellectual. Acton's assertions are often dated due to the age within which he lived, but his perceptive views are worth investigating. Unfortunately Acton never wrote a single full volume of history. All that we have from Acton are compilations of his lectures, essays, and smaller works. The above such title being an example. The most interesting essay for American readers is Acton's essay on the American Revolution. A well read novice will be able to understand Acton's thesis, though his language can be somewhat difficult at times. The most fascinating aspect of this essay is Acton's assertion that America will degenerate into a 'barbarous' nation unless America's black population is segregated to another country. Acton did not live long enough to see America's burgeoning civil rights movements, and was obliged to see America from the standpoint of post-Reconstruction America. The only reason I graded this work short of '10' is due to the language. Besides being fluent in five languages, Acton was an awe inspiring intellectual, and sometimes his prose reflects his intellectualism, thereby sacrificing some readability." -- John R. Grace
*Acton, John E., (1834-1902), Lectures on the French Revolution.
Adler, Mortimer, and Max Weismann, How to Think About the Great Ideas: From The Great Books of Western Civilization, ISBN: 0812694120 9780812694123.
Mortimer Adler concluded that more problems are caused by the denial of God than by anything else -- it changes the whole tenure of life. A compendium index is available for the series.
Armey, Dick, The Freedom Revolution, ISBN: 0895264692 9780895264695.
"The new Republican House Majority Leader tells why big government failed, why freedom works, and how we will rebuild America." -- Publisher
*Bastiat, Frederic (1801-1850), The Law. Considered to be among the ten greatest books in the English language.
"Full of truths that are not merely relevant, but are absolutely vital to our future." -- Dick Armey
"If ever there was a concise and powerful argument for defending Liberty and the Law against every social engineer, this has to be it (only 75 pages!). Bastiat is a master of words and the analogy. Every lover of freedom who wishes to get a nutshell understanding of why Liberty and Law matters ought to read this book. . . ." -- Reader's Comment
The Law, by Frederic Bastiat (part 1 of 10)
"The law perverted! And the police powers of the state perverted along with it! The law, I say, not only turned from its proper purpose but made to follow an entirely contrary purpose! The law become the weapon of every kind of greed! Instead of checking crime, the law itself guilty of the evils it is supposed to punish! " -- Frederic Bastiat, from the Introduction
The Law, Frederic Bastiat
http://archive.org/details/law00fredguat
Beard, Charles Austin (1874-1948), and Forrest McDonald (introduction), An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States, ISBN: 0029024803.
"In this classic and controversial interpretation of the economic conditions of the United States between 1783-1787, Beard proposes the thesis that the Framers were motivated by economic concerns. In his landmark work, THE GROWTH OF AMERICAN LAW, Hurst describes AN ECONOMIC INTERPRETATION . . . as 'one of "the basic works" on the Federal Convention of 1787.' (Hurst, The Growth of American Law: 458). Beard [1874-1948], was a founder of The New School for Social Research." -- Publisher
Bethell, Tom, Noblest Triumph: Property and Prosperity Through the Ages, ISBN: 0312223374 9780312223373.
"The phenomenal success of Western civilization and the remarkable economic expansion fueled by modern capitalism, says Tom Bethell, depend chiefly [see "Christ's Influence on Western Civilization," "The Ten Commandments," Robbins, Christ and Civilization, Smith's The Wealth of Nations, and so forth -- compiler], on the institution of private property and the development of secure property rights, yet this simple, striking idea is misunderstood by elite opinion leaders in the United States and around the world. Bethell, a reporter for the American Spectator, offers a history of property as an idea and a reality around the world. His sweeping narrative will appeal to fans of David Landes's THE WEALTH AND POVERTY OF NATIONS and Jared Diamond's GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL. Yet, in many crucial respects, THE NOBLEST TRIUMPH (the title comes from British philosopher Jeremy Bentham's line that property laws represent 'the noblest triumph of humanity over itself'), is better than both, displaying a keener understanding of human nature and of how incentives shape behavior. In a chapter sure to inspire controversy, Bethell argues that the Irish potato famines of the 1840s were due primarily to Ireland's lack of stable property rights in the 19th century. Full of astute observations and written with real clarity, THE NOBLEST TRIUMPH makes a unique and welcome contribution to the debate over why some countries thrive while others languish." -- John J. Miller
Black, John (1768-1849), and Chauncey Webster, Divine and Human Rights, or, The Westminster Confession and the Constitution of the United States Tested by the Holy Scripture. In MISCELLANEOUS, VOL. 6, 1819-1849.
"The substance of a discourse delivered Nov. 14, 1844, at the First Associate Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia."
Bovard, James, Freedom in Chains: The Rise of the State and the Demise of the Citizen, ISBN: 0312229674 9780312229672.
"Bovard (LOST RIGHTS), throws more red meat to angry libertarians in this anti-government jeremiad. While he provides some frightening examples of how governments -- mostly the U.S. Federal -- do more harm than good, his passion leads him to some hyperbolic conclusions. There are many passages that will make readers -- not only welfare-state liberals but also moderate Democrats and Republicans -- wonder whether they live in the same country as Bovard. One of his biggest targets is the notion of state sovereignty: 'The doctrine of "sovereignty" often does nothing more than provide a respectable gloss for some people's lust to control other people's behaviors, or to seize the fruits of other people's labor.' That last clause is telling, for it could just as well be turned against Bovard. It is precisely to stop nongovernmental entities (e.g., factory owners), from seizing the fruit of other people's labor (e.g., factory workers), that so many of the regulations and laws Bovard decries (e.g., a minimum wage or corporate taxes), were instituted. But Bovard is well-read and makes entertaining use of Rousseau, Hegel, Hobbes (he's very fond of Leviathan), and other thinkers. He's also consistent and intellectually honest enough to follow his own ideology to its logical conclusion about, for instance, marijuana (legalize it, he says). Few readers will agree with Bovard that the dominant spirit in America today is one that idolizes the state, but most will find that he makes a rousing theoretical case against statism." -- Publishers Weekly
*Brown, E. Richard, Rockefeller Medicine Men: Medicine and Capitalism in America, ISBN: 0520038177 9780520038172.
This book is as relevant today (2015) as it was in 1979. The players are still the same: foundations, corporations, and government. If anything the political-economic process of healthcare reform is even more complex today.
"This book explains how controlled the medicine industry is, how it became that way, and why America has the highest costs in the world for less than adequate medical care." -- Reader's Comment
"Historical epidemiological evidence overwhelmingly supports the conclusion that medical science has played a relatively small role in reducing morbidity and mortality." (p. 219)
"Medical science rescued the medical profession, in particular the practitioners, from the widespread lack of confidence in their effectiveness." (p. 77)
Capitalists and corporate managers "embraced scientific medicine as an ideological weapon in their struggle to formulate a new culture appropriate to and supportive of industrial capitalism." (p. 10)
"For members of the corporate class, technological medicine has legitimized their economic and political dominance by diverting attention from the consequences of their control -- that is, from such 'social costs' as class inequalities, domination based on race or sex, occupational hazards, and environmental degradation. For the medical profession, the knowledge generated by medical science and the techniques of medical technology provided the basis for physicians' claims to a monopoly of authority over the practice of medicine." (p. 239)
"As medical science won public and professional credibility, it also solved the second and fundamentally more serious problem facing the profession in the nineteenth century: competition. . . . The overall impact of scientific medicine within the profession was to legitimize control by elite practitioners and medical school faculty." (p. 80)
"Health care could be more effective in improving health if its research and action were directed at environmental conditions in about the same proportion that those conditions contribute to sickness and death." (p. 240)
"If you have read and 'got' anything by Noam Chomsky, or Howard Zinn, you will 'get' this book.
"After being awarded an MBA from Stanford (hence, I can confidently say I very well understand the 'business' of medicine), and practicing medicine for 20 years in both the public and private sector, I have come to the conclusion that Mr. Brown's thesis is on the money. -- Reader's Comment
*Brutus, Junius (attributed to Philippe Duplessis-Mornay [1549-1623] and sometimes to Hubert Languet [1518-1581]), A Defense of Liberty Against Tyrants, ISBN: 0921148453. Alternate title: VINDICIAE, CONTRA TYRANNOS: OR, CONCERNING THE LEGITIMATE POWER OF A PRINCE OVER THE PEOPLE, AND OF THE PEOPLE OVER A PRINCE, Hubert Languet (author) [also attributed to Stephanus Junius Brutus a pseudonym for Philippe Duplessis-Mornay], George Garnett (editor), ISBN: 0521342090 9780521342094. This [ISBN: 0921148453] is a reprint of a 1689 edition of this work, which was originally written in 1579. A Christian classic. Available [ISBN: 0921148453] on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available [ISBN: 0921148453] on Reformation Bookshelf CD #26.
"Piety commands that the law and church of God be maintained. Justice requires that tyrants and destroyers of the commonwealth be compelled to reason. Charity challenges the right of relieving and restoring the oppressed. Those who make no account of these things do as much as in them lies to drive piety, justice, and charity out of this world, that they may never more be heard of." -- Junius Brutus
"John Adams held this book to be one of the most influential books in America on the eve of the Revolution. This 'defense' manual will help equip you for the battle." -- Publisher
"This book was even more influential than Thomas Payne's COMMON SENSE, in molding the American mind and preparing it for the war for independence. Much of our Declaration of Independence reflects its wisdom and thought. Written by a French Huguenot to give Biblical and civil justification for fighting against a government that was illegally killing it own people during the religious wars on France between the 1540s and late 1700. A must reading for those who want to understand religious and political history of Europe, or want to better understand the Biblical justification sought by our own founding fathers in their fight for independence. A must read!" -- Reader's Comment
Vidiciae Contra Tyrannos: A Defense of Liberty Against Tyrants, by Junius Brutus, attributed to Philippe Duplessis-Mornay [1549-1623]
http://www.constitution.org/vct/vindiciae.htm
Brutus, Junius, The Covenant Between God and Kings, from A DEFENSE OF LIBERTY
http://www.constitution.org/vct/vindiciae1a.htm
*Bunyan, John (1628-1688), and Robert Philip (1791-1858), The Greatness of the Soul: and The Unspeakableness of the Loss Thereof; No way to Heaven but by Jesus Christ; The Strait Gate. Alternate title: THE GREATNESS OF THE SOUL, AND UNSPEAKABLENESS OF THE LOSS THEREOF: WITH THE CAUSES OF THE LOSING IT: FIRST PREACHED AT PINNERS HALL, AND NOW ENLARGED, AND PUBLISHED FOR GOOD. A Christian classic. Considered to be among the ten greatest books in the English language. Available (THE WORKS OF JOHN BUNYAN), on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"In the 1660s, Charles II, King of England, asked John Owen (1616-1683), why he went to hear the preaching of an uneducated tinker. [John Bunyan -- compiler]. Looking the King in the eye, Owen answered, 'May it please your Majesty, could I possess the tinker's ability for preaching, I would willingly relinquish all my learning'." -- Andrew Thomson, John Owen, Prince of Puritans
Owen would not have been surprised to learn that Bunyan's most influential work, PILGRIM'S PROGRESS, would be translated into more languages over the next 400 years than any book except the Bible.
The Greatness of the Soul: and The Unspeakableness of the Loss Thereof; No way to Heaven but by Jesus Christ; The Strait Gate
http://archive.org/details/greatnessofsoulu00bunyuoft
Pilgrim's Page: A John Bunyan Archive
This is the complete set of THE WORKS OF JOHN BUNYAN, George Offor edition, reprinted by The Banner of Truth. It is free online, and is downloadable in the following formats: HTML, RTF, TEXT, and PDF.
http://www.chapellibrary.org/literature/bunyan/
THE COMPLETE WORKS OF JOHN BUNYAN is also available at Project Gutenberg.
*Calvin, Jean (John, 1509-1564), and John H. Leith, The Christian Life, ISBN: 0060612983 9780060612986.
Calvin, On the Christian Life
http://www.ccel.org/calvin/christian_life/christian_life.html
Clark, William Roberts, Capitalism, not Globalism: Capital Mobility, Central Bank Independence, and the Political Control of the Economy, ISBN: 0472112937 9780472112937.
*Cole, Franklin P., (introductory essay and biographical sketches), They Preached Liberty, ISBN: 0913966169 9780913966167.
"An anthology of timely quotations from New England ministers of the American Revolution on the subject of liberty: its source, nature, obligations, types, and blessings." -- Publisher
*Coral Ridge Ministries, Taking Liberties: The Betrayal of our Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, FL: Coral Ridge Ministries).
A one-hour television special available in the form of a transcript, audio cassette [audio file], video cassette, or CD.
"Perhaps there is no other concept more important than liberty in understanding America."
A brilliant presentation of the concepts of liberty by a wide range of authorities.
Corey, Lewis, The Decline of American Capitalism, ISBN: 0405041160 9780405041167.
Includes bibliography.
Cragg, Gerald R., Freedom and Authority: A study of English Thought in the Early Seventeenth Century, ISBN: 0664207383 9780664207380.
Very extensive bibliography of 17th century authors.
Cullen, Edgar M., The Decline of Personal Liberty in America.
*Cunningham, William (1805-1861), John Calvin. Available in THE REFORMERS AND THE THEOLOGY OF THE REFORMATION. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #17.
"As Cunningham states, 'John Calvin was by far the greatest of the Reformers with respect to the talents he possessed, the influence he exerted, and the services he rendered in the establishment and diffusion of important truth.' Here we have a succinct account of Calvin's works and the leading principles that he maintained. Calvin is without a doubt one of the great men in all of human history, and as he often pointed out, he owed everything to the Lord Jesus Christ -- all his talents, all his influence, his very salvation, etc. -- for that is the nature of 'Calvinism,' giving God all the glory!" -- Publisher
*Davies, Alfred M., Foundation of American Freedom.
"Traces the history of democracy and the American Constitution to the foundation for liberty and freedom that Calvin laid in his writings, and discourses on secular ideals and history. Forcibly reminds readers that America's concept of government rests ultimately on the authority of the Scriptures." -- Cyril J. Barber
DeJong, Norman, Christianity and Democracy.
"He will convince you that democracy is foreign to, and is the enemy of Christianity. And in that you will see why the Christians are again facing the lion's den, being overwhelmed by the democratic society that does not consent to their rule, or even to their peaceful existence." -- Jay P. Green, Sr. (1918-2008)
De Jong, Norman, Christianity vs. Democracy
(Westminster Media), An audio file.
Dima, Nicholas, Journey to Freedom, ISBN: 0944273041 9780944273043.
"This book is Dima's autobiographical description of the effects of communism on a nation, a family, and an individual. His description will haunt you. Communism loses any pretension of benevolence when you see the child hungry and hear his mother crying. The grandfatherly veil drops when you look in the prisons and labor camps and see the life of the people beaten, starved, and murdered. . . . We highly recommend this book. It is beautifully written. Like the Holocaust, it teaches lessons we must never forget." -- Susan Alder
*Domhoff, G. William, Who Rules America? Power and Politics, 4th edition, ISBN: 0767416376 9780767416375.
"Professor Domhoff poses (and answers), these questions:
Ellul, Jacques (1912-1994), The Subversion of Christianity, ISBN: 0802800491 9780802800497.
"What we today call Christianity, says Ellul, is actually far removed from the revelation of God. The church has perverted and reinterpreted Scripture over the years in order to mitigate the scandal of the Gospel. Yet Ellul remains hopeful, for the Holy Spirit continues to move in the world." -- Publisher
Ferguson, Niall, The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World, ISBN: 1594201927 9781594201929.
"Niall Ferguson follows the money to tell the human story behind the evolution of finance, from its origins in ancient Mesopotamia to the latest upheavals. To Christians, love of it is the root of all evil. To generals, it's the sinews of war. To revolutionaries, it's the chains of labor. But historian Ferguson shows that finance is in fact the foundation of human progress. What's more, he reveals financial history as the essential backstory behind all history. Through Ferguson's expert lens, for example, the civilization of the Renaissance looks very different: a boom in the market for art and architecture made possible when Italian bankers adopted Arabic mathematics. The rise of the Dutch republic is reinterpreted as the triumph of the world's first modern bond market over insolvent Habsburg absolutism. Yet the central lesson of financial history is that, sooner or later, every bubble bursts." -- Publisher
Ferguson, Niall, The Ascent of Money Boom and Bust (PBS Home Video), ISBN: 0793670519 9780793670512.
"Bestselling author, economist and historian Niall Ferguson takes a look at how money evolved, from the concept of credit and debt in the Renaissance to the emergence of a global economy and the subprime crisis we face today." -- Publisher
*Fertig, Lawrence, Prosperity Through Freedom.
Forbes, Steve, A New Birth of Freedom: Vision for America, ISBN: 0895263203 9780895263209.
"America today has the potential for the greatest economic boom and spiritual renewal in our history. Presidential candidate and publishing magnate Steve Forbes shows how we can once again brighten economic prospects for everyone, reform our corrupt political institutions, and restore the severely weakened moral foundations of our country." -- Publisher
*Frankland, Mark, and Ivan R. Dee, The Patriots' Revolution: How Eastern Europe Toppled Communism and won its Freedom, ISBN: 0929587804 9780929587806.
"The reasons for Eastern Europe's rejection of communism are complex and prismatic according to Mark Frankland, an award-winning journalist who's covered the politics and passions of the Warsaw Pact nations for the London Observer for 20 years. Nationalism, guilt, fear, mistrust, and the intolerance of political hypocrisy have all been mixed into a stew that finally bubbled over into demands for democracy and freedom. . . ." -- Gerald Wisz
*Griffin, G. Edward, The Creature From Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve, ISBN: 0912986212 9780912986210.
"This is a story about limitless money and hidden global power. The good news is that it is as fascinating as any work of fiction could be, and this, I trust, will add both pleasure and excitement to the learning process. The bad news is that every detail of what follows is true." -- G. Edward Griffin
The CREATURE makes the fundamental political issues surrounding the Federal Reserve understandable to the American people -- hard-working citizens like you and me -- who are its victims." -- The New American
"This book is about the most blatant scam of all history. It's all here: the cause of wars, boom-bust cycles, inflation, depression, prosperity. . . ." -- Publisher
Grigg, William Norman, Freedom on the Altar: the U.N.'s Crusade Against God and Family, ISBN: 0964567903 9780964567900.
*Hammon, T.C., Perfect Freedom: An Introduction to Christian Ethics.
*Jones, E. Michael , Libido Dominandi: Sexual Liberation and Political Control, ISBN: 1587314657 9781587314650.
"Thus, a good man, though a slave, is free; but a wicked man, though a king, is a slave. For he serves, not one man alone, but, what is worse, as many masters as he has vices." -- Saint Augustine in City of God
"Writing at the time of the collapse of the Roman Empire, St. Augustine both revolutionized and brought to a close antiquity's idea of freedom. A man was not a slave by nature or by law, as Aristotle claimed. His freedom was a function of his moral state. A man had as many masters as he had vices. This insight would provide the basis for the most sophisticated form of social control known to man.
"Fourteen hundred years later, a decadent French aristocrat turned that tradition on its head when he wrote that 'the freest of people are they who are most friendly to murder.' Like St. Augustine, the Marquis de Sade would agree that freedom was a function of morals. Unlike St. Augustine, Sade proposed a revolution in sexual morals to accompany the political revolution then taking place in France. LIBIDO DOMINANDI -- the term is taken from Book I of Augustine's CITY OF GOD -- is the definitive history of that sexual revolution, from 1773 to the present.
"Unlike the standard version of the sexual revolution, LIBIDO DOMINANDI shows how sexual liberation was from its inception a form of control. Those who wished to liberate man from the moral order needed to impose social controls as soon as they succeeded because liberated libido led inevitably to anarchy. Aldous Huxley wrote in his preface to the 1946 edition of BRAVE NEW WORLD that 'as political and economic freedom diminishes, sexual freedom tends compensatingly to increase.' This book is about the converse of that statement. It explains how the rhetoric of sexual freedom was used to engineer a system of covert political and social control. Over the course of the two-hundred-year span covered by this book, the development of ecologies of communication, reproduction, and psychic control -- including psychotherapy, behaviorism, advertising, sensitivity training, pornography, and plain old blackmail -- allowed the Enlightenment and its heirs to turn Augustine's insight on its head and create masters out of men's vices. LIBIDO DOMINANDI is the story of how that happened.
"E. Michael Jones, a Roman Catholic author of numerous books, is the editor and publisher of Culture Wars magazine." -- Reader's Comment
*Kelly, Douglas F., The Emergence of Liberty in the Modern World: The Influence of Calvin on Five Governments From the 16th Through 18th Centuries, ISBN: 0875522971.
"Examines Calvin's influence on the civil governments of Geneva, Huguenot France, Knox's Scotland, Puritan England, and Colonial America. Shows how Calvin's legacy continues to bear upon the issues that guide and agitate Western nations today." -- Publisher
*Knox, John (1505-1572), David Laing (editor), The Works of John Knox, 6 volumes. A Christian classic. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #1.
"Here is a chance to touch the flame that ignited whole nations for covenanted Reformation. John Knox is considered by many to have been the most biblically consistent and thoroughgoing of all the great Reformers of the sixteenth century. 'John Knox was in fact the embodiment of the Scottish Reformation as its preacher, theologian, liturgist, historian, and catalyst for reform.' (Hall and Hall [editors], Paradigms in Polity: Classic Readings in Reformed and Presbyterian Church Government [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1994], p. 219). 'With this concern for purity of worship,' notes Kevin Reed regarding Knox, 'it is no wonder that the Scottish Reformation was the most thorough among any of the Protestant nations.' (from the introduction to John Knox, True and False Worship: A Vindication of the Doctrine that the Sacrifice of the Mass is Idolatry [Dallas, TX: Presbyterian Heritage Publications, 1550 reprinted 1994], p. 14). 'I know not,' states George Smeaton, 'if ever so much piety and genius were lodged in such a frail and weak body. Certain I am, that it will be difficult to find one in whom the gifts of the Holy Spirit shone so bright to the comfort of the church.' (cited in Thomas M'Crie, The Life of John Knox [1831], p. 272). THE WORKS OF JOHN KNOX listed here is the complete six volume set collected by David Laing, 1895. Concerning this 6 volume collection, Kyle, in THE MIND OF JOHN KNOX (p. 14), notes, 'The only real basis for a study of Knox's thought must be the writings of the reformer himself. From 1846 to 1864, David Laing collected and edited nearly all of Knox's extant writings. This remarkable collection, which scholars regard highly, is indispensable for any serious study of John Knox.' Contains much that is related to worship questions and the blessings that God pours out upon Churches that keep the second commandment -- as well as the curses that follow those who reject the regulative principle of worship." -- Publisher
*Kuyper, Abraham, Lectures on Calvinism, ISBN: 9781598564440 1598564447. Alternate title: CHRISTIANITY AS A LIFE-SYSTEM: THE WITNESS OF A WORLD VIEW.Knox, John, Unedited History of the Reformation in Scotland Vol. 1 of 6.
"Reid, in his TRUMPETER OF GOD, notes that Knox 'wrote history as a prophet' and that, wherever he could, he used original sources, many of which he reproduced. Furthermore, he proclaims that this 'is still a work that no one interested in this area can afford to neglect.' As W.C. Dickinson has commented, 'it is his monument, for in it he puts flesh and blood on the whole Reformation movement.' Innes (JOHN KNOX, p. 45), says of this work, 'the author who has enabled us to see his own confused and changing age under 'the broad clear light of that wonderful book' the History of the Reformation in Scotland, and who outside that book was the utterer of many an armed and winged word which pursues and smites us to this day, must have been born with nothing less than genius -- genius to observe, to narrate, and to judge. Even had he written as a mere recluse and critic, looking out upon his world from a monk's cell or from the corner of a housetop, the vividness, the tenderness, the sarcasm and the humour would still have been there.' Moreover, Burton writes, 'there certainly is in the English language no other parallel to it in clearness, vigour, and picturesqueness with which it renders the history of a stirring period.' (cited in Innes, John Knox, p. 45). This photocopy edition far surpasses the edited down version that is available in paperback. Over 600 pages of stirring Reformation history." -- Publisher
The Works of John Knox (1846), vol. 1 of 6.
http://archive.org/details/worksofjohnkn01knox
Knox, John, Unedited History of the Reformation in Scotland Vol. 2 of 6.
"Knox portrayed the origins and development of a movement and not a mere chronology of events . . . Knox based his arguments on original sources and he often cited the documents in full. When Knox's History is compared to the contemporary vernacular narratives of Bishop Leslie and Sir James Melville, the superiority of Knox's work becomes evident. For the most part, these writers were preoccupied with petty details and had no conception of the momentous issues that hung on the events they recorded . . . Knox used history to demonstrate his single-track philosophy. And his philosophy said: 'The hearts of men, their thoughts, and their actions are but in the hands of God.' Lee said Knox's History was a sermon without an audience, a preaching book, one long inflammatory speech in behalf of God's truth as the reformer saw it.' (Kyle, The Mind of John Knox, p. 13). Our editions of volumes one and two of Knox's Works contain the only full, unedited version of Knox's massive History of the Reformation in Scotland available today." -- Publisher
Knox, John, Epistles, Admonitions, etc., Vol. 3 of 6
"Includes 'That the Sacrifice of the Mass is Idolatry.' Also, writings on justification by faith, prayer, the Lord's supper, obedience to magistrates, an exposition of the sixth Psalm, letters of warning, comfort and more." -- Publisher
Knox, John, The Works of John Knox, Vol. 4 of 6
"Includes 'The Appellation . . . to the Scottish Nobility,' 'The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women,' Answers Concerning Baptism, Form of Prayers/Sacraments in Geneva 1556, 'Letter to the Queen,' 'Summary of the Proposed Second Blast of the Trumpet,' and much more." -- Publisher
Knox, John, The Works of John Knox, Vol. 5 of 6
"Includes 'On Predestination, in Answer to the Cavillations by an Anabaptist' (462 pp.), which Boettner, in his REFORMED DOCTRINE OF PREDESTINATION, calls Knox's 'chief theological work.' Also, A Letter to John Foxe, Names of Martyrs, etc. . . .
"Includes the Life of Knox, Letters Relating to Reformation in Scotland, The Book of Common Order, A Debate Concerning the Mass, Fasting, 'The Order of Excommunication and Public Repentance,' indices of names, places and the general index, etc. 755 pages." -- Publisher
Knox, John, The Works of John Knox, Vol. 6 of 6
"Includes 'The Life of Knox,' 'John Knox Debates God's Law, Idolatry and Civil Resistance in the General Assembly of 1564,' 'The Scottish Confession of Faith (1560),' 'John Knox's Only Written Sermon - A Sermon on Isaiah 23:13-21, Preached in St. Giles's Church, Edinburgh, 19th August 1565,' 'A Letter of Wholesome Counsel Addressed to His Brethren in Scotland Or "What to do When There is no Faithful Church to Attend in Your Local Area" originally published in 1556,' 'Select Practical Writings of John Knox,' 'Against Romish Rites and Political and Ecclesiastical Tyranny, A Faithful Admonition to the Professors of God's Truth in England (1554),' 'An Admonition to Flee Idolatry, Romanism and all False Worship (1554),' 'An Answer to a Jesuit: The Marks of a True Church and Ministry: An Answer to a Letter Written by James Tyrie, A Scottish Jesuit, 1572,' 'Against an Anabaptist: In Defense of Predestination,' 'Against Apostasy and Indifference (An Epistle to the Inhabitants of New Castle and Berwick, 1558),' 'On Justification by Faith Alone,' 'National Repentance and Reformation (A Brief Exhortation to England for the Speedy Embracing of the Gospel, 1559),' 'Reformation, Revolution and Romanism: An Appeal to the Scottish Nobility (1558),' 'The Pulpit of the Reformation: "The Last Judgment," by John Welch,' "The Parable of the Householders," and "The Parable of the Tares," by Hugh Latimer.' 'John Knox to the King,' 'The Execution of Servetus for Blasphemy, Heresy, Obstinate Anabaptism,' 'Defended (excerpted from his Treatise on Predestination),' 'A Debate Between John Knox and Secretary Lethington on the Duty of Christian Subjects to Execute Judgement Upon Criminal Magistrates,' 'The Execution of Servetus for Blasphemy, Heresy, Obstinate Anabaptism, Defended (excerpted from John Knox's Treatise on Predestination),' 'It Is I Be Not Afraid,' 'The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women (1558),' and 'Sermon on Isaiah 26.'(sic, all of volume 6)
La Boétie, Etienne de (1530-1563), and Murray N. Rothbard, The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude, ISBN: 0914156101 9780914156109.
"Properly pronounced not, as might be thought, La Bo-ay-see, but rather La Bwettie (with the hard 't')."
"THE DISCOURSE OF VOLUNTARY SERVITUDE has influenced some of the world's greatest social thinkers; from Leo Tolstoy to Mohandus Gandhi to Ayn Rand. Written in the 1550s, as something of an underground tract or pamphlet by a young French student and friend of essayist Michelle de Montaigne, this short work remains a timeless exposé of the psychology and inherent corruption involved in social or political power. The work has been in and out of print in English (Some of its various titles over the years were SLAVES BY CHOICE, ANTI-DICTATOR, THE WILL TO BONDAGE, and THE POLITICS OF OBEDIENCE: THE DISCOURSE OF VOLUNTARY SERVITUDE). In North America it has been out of print for some time now, unfortunately. Since its original circulation in the early 1550s as de la servitude volontaire ou contr'un, this short but powerful work seems to find its way back into print whenever the winds of social change began blowing toward tyranny." -- Reader's Comment
Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude, Etienne de La Boétie
https://archive.org/details/PoliticsOfObedienceTheDiscourseOfVoluntaryServitude
Larson, John Lauritz, The Market Revolution in America: Liberty, Ambition, and the Eclipse of the Common Good, ISBN: 9780521883658 0521883652 9780521709897 052170989X.
*Leith, John H., John Calvin's Doctrine of the Christian Life, ISBN: 0664213308 9780664213305.
"This work provides a thorough analysis of Calvinist doctrine, defining Christian life in relation to four aspect of Calvinist thought: justification by faith, providence and predestination, history and the transhistorical, and church and society. The relationship between God and man is seen as the most central." -- GCB
Levin, Mark R., Plunder and Deceit, ISBN: 9781451606300 1451606303.
"Several decades ago I spent a considerable amount of time querying young people in regards to their understanding of the Declaration of Independence whose preamble defined and emphasized the natural rights that belong to every individual. Since I was able to recite the preamble from memory I was shocked that not one of these youth, even vaguely, understood that our God-given rights were clearly stipulated within this document. My parents were both patriots but it was not they who were responsible for my having committed the preamble of the Declaration to memory. It was my high school American History teacher who demanded that the entire class do so. What public school teacher would do so today? What public school teacher could do so today? Generations of Americans have been denied the education required to maintain our republic and many have, alternatively, been successfully indoctrinated to dislike core American values, culture, traditions, history and the very men who gave us the Constitution upon which our republic is founded.
"America, once a land of opportunity that people the world over sought to immigrate to, based upon the organic principles of individual liberty and free markets, has become a nation more akin to the places people have fled from. Opportunity has been stymied by regulations and taxes. Radical egalitarianism has changed the concept of opportunity to one of redistribution using a pseudo altruism and implemented by a powerful, omnipresent central federal authority which represents the worst possible scenario that the 9th and 10th Constitutional Amendments sought to prevent. All branches of government, in complete disregard for the separation of powers doctrine, have melded together so as to act uniformly, in concert, not only against the will of the people but, even more importantly, against the very Constitution designed to prevent such a central coalition of power. Federal agencies and bureaucracies have escaped the confines of the Constitutional bulwarks and firewalls and rule with an iron fist from which there is often no recourse to defy their tyranny. Career, professional politicians are bought and paid for by lobbyists looking to achieve advantages not afforded by free markets and capitalism but by exception from government implemented regulations designed to restrain their competition. Large swathes of our population has succumbed to a reliance and dependency on government for medical care, retirement, food, clothing and shelter which can only be afforded by heavy taxation and borrowing implemented by inefficient government bureaucrats at a cost which is predicted to outdistance and devour our entire GDP for decades in order to succeed. America is heading towards an unsustainable future and it is doing so more rapidly than was ever imagined.
"Americans have had enough from the masters of the universe, the elites, the Washington based insiders whose covetousness of power and control has gone beyond critical mass. The American people have hired republicans en masse to do what they campaigned upon and promised. These politicians have been deceitful. To address their failure Donald Trump has heralded their deceit which earned him an instantaneous advantage within the republican field of primary candidates. Democrats, such as Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Barack Obama love the direction American is heading. It is a progressive direction whose ethos, when adopted by governments, has failed since Plato's pathos attempted to supplant Hellenic World democracy with his vision of utopia.
"Mark Levin is doing what American Education has failed to do for decades. He is a historian, a Constitutional scholar, a philosopher and through both his radio show and books a superb educator who delivers powerful incriminations against progressive liberal ideology and politics. He addresses our political crisis through the hindsight of history and reminds us of the applicable solutions offered by the Founders of our Constitution, a document from which we have drifted, which has been criticized by Justice Ginsberg as inadequate for modern times and hailed by Ayn Rand as the single greatest legislative achievement in the history of Western Civilization. He is my High School American History teacher who familiarized her classes with the Declaration of Independence. He is an oracle through which the vision of our founders and their mentors is transmitted to generations of Americans who have been stigmatized against our nation by a centrally controlled education system and a media which continues to do so post graduation. I believe that this will be the greatest educational book he has written. I'm sure, as always, it will challenge us to understand that our liberty is bequeathed by natural law which each individual is heir to and which no government has the authority to deny." -- Reader's Comment
*Levitt, Steven, and Stephen J. Dubner, Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, ISBN: 9780062132345 0062132342 9788466645775 8466645772.
"Nothing is more powerful than information, especially when its power is abused. . . .
"Though extraordinarily diverse, these crimes all have a common trait: they were sins of information. Most of them involved an expert, or a gang of experts, promoting false information or hiding true information; in each case the experts were trying to keep the information asymmetry as asymmetrical as possible.
"The practitioners of such acts, especially in the realm of high finance, inevitably offer this defense: 'Everybody else was doing it.' Which may be largely true. One characteristic of information crimes is that very few of them are detected." -- Levitt and Dubner
"More than 4 million copies sold worldwide. Published in 35 languages. . . . Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He studies the riddles of everyday life 'from cheating and crime to parenting and sports' and reaches conclusions that turn conventional wisdom on its head. FREAKONOMICS is a groundbreaking collaboration between Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, an award-winning author and journalist. They set out to explore the inner workings of a crack gang, the truth about real estate agents, the secrets of the Ku Klux Klan, and much more." -- Publisher
Mackinnon, James, Calvin and the Reformation, 1936.
"This book is an attempt to portray Calvin's work as a leader of the Reformation at Geneva and far beyond it. He is an international, not merely a local or national figure, who had his finger on the pulse of the Reformation in many lands outside the little republic on the shore of Lake Leman. The Reformed churches are under no small obligation to John Calvin. If Luther was the creator of the Reformation, Calvin was its great organizer, developer, and propagandist." -- Publisher
Mackinnon, James (1860-1945), A History of Modern Liberty, 4 volumes, 1906-41.
Marshall, John Lewis, Natural Law and the Covenant: The Place of Natural Law in the Covenantal Framework of Samuel Rutherford's "Lex, Rex."
A dissertation. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Theological Seminary, 1995.
McDonald, Forrest, Novus Ordo Seclorum: The Intellectual Origins of the Constitution, ISBN: 0700603115 9780700603114.
"McDonald does a great job here unwinding the ideas and institutions developed by the founding generation to produce our system of dual sovereignty. He retains a reverence for what our founders accomplished, and constrains himself to an explanation of what happened to bring into operation our 'New Order' which now looks quite old.
"McDonald is critical of the Charles Beard brand of economic reductionism, and has no patience for the relentless deconstruction of the constitutionalist era by modern historians who insist on showing us that they, rather than these founders, are actually superior moral beings with better insights, as well as more slavish devotion to the current strains of academic obsessions.
"This should be on the list of the 10 best books to understand the American system of government." -- Reader's Comment
"Forrest McDonald, widely considered one of the foremost historians of the Constitution and of the early national period, reconstructs the intellectual world of the Founding Fathers -- including their understanding of law, history political philosophy, and political economy, and their firsthand experience in public affairs -- and then analyzes their behavior in the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in light of that world. No one has attempted to do so on such a scale before. McDonald's principal conclusion is that, though the Framers brought a variety of ideological and philosophical positions to bear upon their task of building a 'new order of the ages,' they were guided primarily by their own experience, their wisdom, and their common sense." -- Publisher
McDonald, Forrest, and Russell Kirk, We the People: The Economic Origins of the Constitution, ISBN: 1560005742 9781560005742.
"Few vices are easier to arouse than envy. Politicians and ideologues have had great success exploiting the resentment that arises when pitting rich against the poor.
"From the time of its publication in 1913 until the 1960s, Charles Beard's thesis dominated discussion of the founders' motives. In the mode of the Marxist interpretation of history as class struggle, Beard argued that economic self-interest, rather than concern for the general good, determined the writing and outcome of the Constitution.
"Interestingly, Beard asserted his system of alignment without actually proving it, admitting that his work was fragmentary because it failed to fill in the blanks. The real legwork of research wasn't done until over fifty years later, when historian Forrest McDonald put Beard's thesis to the test. McDonald dug through numerous public records to write economic biographies of the delegates (the 55 who attended the Constitutional Convention and the 1,750 members at the state conventions), analyzing their occupations, income, and assets. By comparing these to how the delegates voted, he found that Beard's thesis was incompatible with the facts.
"In We the People McDonald analyzed the geographical and political factions represented by delegates, their property holdings and occupations, their voting patterns, if any, and whether they benefited directly from the proposed Constitution. For the state conventions he divided chapters into states favorable, divided, and opposed to the Constitution. At the end he re-evaluated Beard's thesis and discussed whether any economic interpretation could be applied to our founding given the complexity and variety of occupations and opinions that existed.
"The result was a remarkable, though at times necessarily tedious, bit of historical detective work. Very likely it came as a great relief to many Americans to learn that the founders had something other than their own economic gain at heart. Probably few were surprised that the founders were a much more diverse group than Beard had realized.
"We may find that independence difficult to believe today, when the forces of selfishness, materialism, and special interest seem so dominant, not merely among political and business leaders but among the general populace. Today propagandists still want to align people into absolutes, much like trial lawyers who portray their clients as angels and their opponents as devils. Our shallow political debates revolve around false dichotomies such as the Party of Business and the Party of the Common Man. But I imagine this adversarial, intellectually dishonest approach will continue to be used as an effective tool as long as there is envy to be harvested in the heart of man. -- Reader's Comment
*McFetridge, N.S., Calvinism in History. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"A splendid book." -- Loraine Boettner
"The rich Reformation heritage of truth and freedom is set forth in four chapters: 1. Calvinism as a Political Force, 2. Calvinism as a Political Force in the History of the USA, 3. Calvinism as a Moral Force, 4. Calvinism as an Evangelizing Force." -- Publisher
"Arminianism, taking to an aristocratic form of church government, tend toward a monarchy in civil affairs, while Calvinism, taking to a republican form of church government, tends toward a democracy in civil affairs."
*McLeod (M'Leod), Alexander (1774-1833), A Scriptural View of the Character, Causes, and Ends of the Present War (1815), 224 pages. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"Though having the war of 1812 (to 1815), between the United States and Britain, in view, the author notes that 'the principles which I have laid down, and enforced in these sermons, are not, however, of mere temporary interest. Whether in peace, or at war, they are of importance to a Christian community. There are the permanent principles of social order and public equity.'
Chapter headings include: 'The Right Discussing of Public Affairs,' dealing with why 'Ministers have the right of discussing from the pulpit those political question which affect Christian morals' and 'The Moral Character of the U.S. Federal Constitution;' The Moral Character of the Two Belligerents' (i.e. the national character, as moral persons, of both the United States and Britain); 'The Lawfulness of Defensive War;' 'The Present War,' dealing with how 'War in Defence of Property, Liberty, and National Independence and Honour is Lawful: and (How) Defensive War May Be for Precaution, Resistance, or Redress;' and 'The Ends for Which God in His Providence Permits the Existence of this War.' M'Leod concludes this work with these stirring words, 'the most faithful of Reformers with patriotic ardour contended with the sword in defence of their civil and religious liberties. Ulric Zwingle, the morning-star of the reformation, fell in battle at Zurich, 1530, at the commencement of the strife against arbitrary power; and towards the close of the struggle which terminated in the overthrow of the purest of the churches (i.e. the covenanted Presbyterian Church of Scotland -- RB), Richard Cameron fell at Airsmoss, 1680, while defending, as a Christian hero, the religion and liberties of his country, against the tyranny of the bishops, and the royal house of Stuart . . . If I claim a place among consistent Protestants, I must testify against all the acts of anti-Christian power. If I follow the steps which are died by the blood of the Martyrs, I must raise my voice against the thrones which shed that blood. If the Bible is my system of religion, and of social order, I must disclaim attachment to those powers that are hostile to evangelical doctrine'." -- Publisher
McLeod, John Niel (1806-1874), Protestantism, the Parent and Guardian of Civil and Religious Liberty. Found in MISCELLANEOUS, VOL. 6.
Protestantism, the Parent and Guardian of Civil and Religious Liberty. A lecture, Delivered, March 26, 1843, Under Appointment of the N.Y. Protestant Reformation Society (1843), John Niel McLeod
http://archive.org/details/protestantismpar00mcle
Morecraft III, Joe, With Liberty and Justice for All.
"Joe Morecraft III was the pastor of the late Senator Larry McDonald, who was killed when the Russians shot down his plane. This is Christian politics made simple. A very readable book that will help you to think through the place of the government in our lives, namely, the government's authority and limitations. All this is done with many passages quoted from Scripture. There is a chapter on the life of Larry McDonald. . . ." -- Publisher
"What are Christians to do when the civil government is evil? Must they always obey the authorities? What are the origins of civil government? Does the Bible authorize the government to execute criminals? Is abortion murder if it is legal? Shouldn't Christians stay out of politics? This book answers these questions and many more. Dr. Morecraft, pastor of Chalcedon Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, seeks Biblical answers to these questions. An instructive book for today." -- GCB
*Morey, Robert, The new Atheism and the Erosion of Freedom, ISBN: 0875523625 9780875523620.
"Exposes the godless suppression of religious freedom today and presents effective ways to convert atheists to Christ. In case you have not noticed atheism/secular humanism is gaining ground. Are you grounded in what these philosophies teach? Can you refute them? Dr. Morey will show you how." -- GCB
The American Atheist Union has said this is the most dangerous book ever written about religion.
Includes bibliography.
*Mullins, Eustace Clarence, Secrets of the Federal Reserve: The London Connection, ISBN: 9992967595.
"The greatest financial monopoly the world has ever known, is also responsible for worldwide moral decay, world wars, financial panics and revolutions." -- Eustace Mullins
"As an attorney I was impressed with the documentation by the author of the history of the development of the Federal Reserve. My undergraduate degree 25 years ago was in economics and I had to read much further to truly understand how our monetary system was unnecessarily based upon debt. Debt is bondage and central banks as the heart of fractional reserve banking hold the key to control of the world. If you do not believe this look at the policies of the IMF and realize that economic imperialism through central banking essentially controls the world today. A great companion book to read is THE CREATURE FROM JEKYELL ISLAND which explains our monetary system in more depth, and the video "Capital Crimes" is an excellent four hour treatise on the history of central banking beginning with the money changers in the temple whom Christ confronted and ending with a brilliant plan to gradually increase bank reserves while issuing Constitutional 'money' such that banks become mere vaults and the Federal Reserve is put to rest." -- Reader's Comment
Napolitano, Andrew P., The Freedom Answer Book: How the Government is Taking Away Your Constitutional Freedoms, ISBN: 9781400320295 1400320291.
"Answers questions about constitutional freedoms and explains how the government's actions are causing them to erode." -- Publisher
*Owen, John (1616-1683), The Death of Christ, volume 10 of WORKS, ISBN: 0851510647 9780851510644. Alternate title: SALUS ELECTORUM, SANGUIS JESU: OR THE DEATH OF DEATH IN THE DEATH OF CHRIST. BEING A TREATISE OF THE REDEMPTION AND RECONCILIATION THAT IS IN THE BLOOD OF CHRIST; WHEREIN THE WHOLE CONTROVERSY ABOUT UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION IS FULLY DISCUSSED: IN FOUR PARTS; . . . BY JOHN OWEN, D.D. A Christian classic. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #20.
"Greatest Biblical apologetic on the specific and limited nature of the atoning work of Christ in print. Contains discussions on Arminianism, the death of death in the death of Christ, Divine justice, and also discusses, in detail, many views of the atonement that certain men and groups held (and still hold)." -- Publisher
"THE DEATH OF DEATH IN THE DEATH OF CHRIST is a polemical work, designed to show, among other things, that the doctrine of universal redemption is unscriptural and destructive of the gospel. . . . Those who see no need for doctrinal exactness and have no time for theological debates which show up divisions between so-called Evangelicals may well regret its reappearance. Some may find the very sound of Owen's thesis so shocking that they will refuse to read his book at all. . . . But . . . there are signs today of a new upsurge of interest in the theology of the Bible: a new readiness to test traditions, to search the Scriptures and to think through the faith. It is to those who share this readiness that Owen's treatise is now offered, in the belief that it will help us in one of the most urgent tasks facing evangelical Christendom today -- the recovery of the Gospel.
"It is safe to say that no comparable exposition of the work of redemption as planned and executed by the Triune Jehovah has ever been done since Owen published his in 1684. None has been needed.
"Owen's interpretation of the texts . . . is sure; his power of theological construction is superb; nothing that needs discussing is omitted, and . . . no arguments for or against his position have been used since his day which he has not himself noted and dealt with. . . . Owen's work is a constructive, broad-based biblical analysis of the heart of the gospel, and must be taken seriously as such. . . Nobody has a right to dismiss the doctrine of the limitedness . . . of the atonement as a monstrosity of Calvinistic logic until he has refuted Owen's proof that it is part of the uniform biblical presentation of redemption, clearly taught in plain text after plain text. And nobody has done that yet." -- J.I. Packer, from the Introduction
"Packer's well balanced definition of Calvinism in the introduction to that volume [John Owen's THE DEATH OF DEATH IN THE DEATH OF CHRIST], is by far the best we have seen in 42 years of intensive reading." -- Jay P. Green, Sr. (1918-2008)
The Death of Death in the Death of Christ
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/owen/deathofdeath
The Death of Death in the Death of Christ: Being a Treatise of the Redemption and Reconciliation That is in the Blood of Christ; Wherein the whole controversy about universal redemption is fully discussed: In four parts (1792)
http://archive.org/details/deathofdeathinde00owen
The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, including J.I. Packer's Introduction by John Owen
http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/packer_intro.html
The Death of Death in the Death of Christ: Redemption and Reconciliation That is in the Blood of Christ (Limited Atonement), 1 of 33, [audio file]
An audio file reading by Still Waters Revival Books from THE WORKS OF JOHN OWEN. Currently (October 2018), there are 77 readings of John Owen by SWRB and Reformed Baptist of Holland (Michigan), (Thomas Sullivan), at SermonAudio.com available for listening online, downloading as MP3 files, [audio file], and listening on iPhone, mobile phones, and MPE players.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=47081639571
*Parker, Thomas H.L., John Calvin: A Biography, ISBN: 0745912192 9780745912196.
"A definitive account of Calvin's life and labors with special attention being paid to Calvin's doctrine, writing, and influence." -- Cyril J. Barber
*Perks, Stephen C., The Christian Philosophy of Education Explained, ISBN: 0951889907 9780951889909.
"The editor of Calvinism Today magazine has written a book which, in the words of Samuel L. Blumenfeld, demonstrates with simplicity the cogent argument that the Christian and humanist worldviews are mutually exclusive, and that it is 'treason against God' to put children in the hands of non-believers for their education. Every Christian parent should read this challenging, forthright, insightful book before deciding where and how to educate his or her children." -- GCB
Peterson, Robert A., Calvin's Doctrine of the Atonement, ISBN: 0875523692 9780875523699.
"Peterson is a professor at Biblical Theological Seminary, in Pennsylvania. . . . The task has not been tackled in print before in so adequate a manner, and this essay is something of a milestone. I commend it heartily . . ." -- J.I. Packer
"To understand Calvin on the atonement is to understand the Reformed position on atonement." -- GCB
*Pink, Arthur W., (1886-1952), The Doctrine of Salvation, ISBN: 0801069807.
"A strongly Calvinistic exposition of the doctrine of soteriology, including in its treatment the practical aspects of growing in grace." -- Cyril J. Barber
Pipes, Richard, Property and Freedom, ISBN: 0375704477 9780375704475.
"While the bulk of the book compares England and Russia, showing how varying attitudes toward private property led these two nations in totally different directions, the final section examines the broad theme of property rights in the late 20th century -- a period when they have come under assault, and have been made increasingly conditional, by the growing strength of the welfare state. Pipes concludes with a broadside against New Deal and Great Society programs. Although liberal readers may bristle, none can deny that PROPERTY AND FREEDOM is the product of a great mind tackling a big theme with great enthusiasm." -- John J. Miller
Plum, Harry Grant (b. 1868), Restoration Puritanism: A Study of the Growth of English Liberty, ISBN: 0804616442 9780804616447.
Powell, James, The Triumph of Liberty: A 2,000 Year History Told Through the Lives of Freedom's Greatest Champions, ISBN: 068485967X 9780684859675.
"This volume contains the stories of men and women who have overcome great obstacles to give freedom to the world. Through the lives of 65 people, these stories cover the struggle to abolish slavery, stop wars, and overthrow tyrants, as well as the fight for human rights, religious toleration, individualism, the liberation of women and other such freedoms. The entries are based on biographies, diaries and interviews with scholars to provide an instructive narrative." -- Publisher
Reid, W. Stanford (editor), and Paul Woolley, John Calvin: His Influence in the Western World, ISBN: 0310447216 9780310447214.
"This book, which is dedicated to Paul Woolley, covers over 400 pages. There are 16 different chapters. The contributor's include: Robert Knudsen, W. Stanford Reid, Richard Gamble, D. Clair Davis, Philip Hughes, R.T. Kendall, J.N.D. Douglas, George Marsden, C. Gregg Singer, John Bratt, and others." -- GCB
Includes "The Scotch-Irish in America" by C. Gregg Singer.
*Richardson, Cyril Charles, Early Christian Fathers, ISBN: 0684829517.
The Early Christian Fathers, 38 vols.
http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/
*Robbins, John W. (1949-2008), Ecclesiastical Megalomania: The Economic and Political Thought of the Roman Catholic Church, ISBN: 0940931753 9780940931756.
"This book is a detailed examination of the official statements of the Vatican on economic and political matters. It demonstrates the collectivism and totalitarianism of the Roman Catholic Church-State. It is the only such book written by a Christian in the twentieth century.
"This book explores the conflict between Roman Catholic social thought and human freedom, relying on official pronouncements from the Vatican to show that the political and economic theory of the Roman Church-State justifies feudalism, corporativism [corporatism -- compiler], liberation theology, the welfare state, and fascism.
"Dr. John W. Robbins attended Grove City College (A.B. 1969), and The Johns Hopkins University (M.A. 1970, Ph.D. 1973). He has served as chief of staff for a Member of Congress [Ron Paul of Texas], editor of The Freeman magazine, Economist for The Heritage Foundation, and Professor of Political Philosophy in The Freedom School." -- Publisher
Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, Samuel Rutherford, John Owen, Thomas Manton, The Westminster Assembly, James Renwick, Archibald Mason, Christopher Ness, Francis Turretin, The Reformed Presbytery, David Steel, James R. Willson, Alexander M'Leod, William L. Roberts, James Aiken Wylie, Andrew Wilet, Henry Wilkinson, James Wylie, Patrick Fairbairn, James Aiken, Andrew Wilet, Alexander Hislop, Francis Nigel Lee, Arthur W. Pink, and so forth, and so on, have all believed and argued in print that the seated Pope is the Antichrist of the Bible.
The Roman Church-State is "the world's oldest, largest, most powerful and most influential politico-ecclesiastical institution" and it "may also be the world's wealthiest." The Roman Catholic Institution is the ultimate "negative guide to the positive," the reformers ultimate "opposite guide to political and economic reform."
*Robbins, John (1949-2008), Freedom and Capitalism: Essays on Christian Politics and Economics, ISBN: 1891777157 9781891777158.
"The relationship between Christianity, freedom, and capitalism has been a subject of scholarly study for centuries. In this volume, John Robbins argues that political and economic freedom are the results of Biblical Christianity. Political freedom and capitalism arose in Northwestern Europe and North America after the Christian Reformation of the 16th century, and they are unique in world history. The nations and peoples that heard and accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ as proclaimed by the Reformers quickly became free and prosperous on a scale previously unimaginable. Some historians and economists have denied any causal connection between Christianity, freedom, and capitalism, but they are able to deny this connection only by ignoring clear philosophical, economic, legal, sociological, and historical evidence demonstrating that Christianity is the source of capitalism.
"Dr. John W. Robbins attended Grove City College (A.B. 1969), and The Johns Hopkins University (M.A. 1970, Ph.D. 1973). He has served as chief of staff for a Member of Congress, editor of The Freeman magazine, Economist for The Heritage Foundation, and Professor of Political Philosophy in The Freedom School." -- Publisher
Table of Contents: Foreword | Politics | The Founder of Western Civilization | The Sine Qua Non of Enduring Freedom | Some Problems with Natural Law | The Political Philosophy of the Founding Fathers | The Bible and the Draft | The Messianic Character of American Foreign Policy | Truth and Foreign Policy | Compassionate Fascism | Conservatism: An Autopsy | Rightwing Radical Chic | The Reconstructionist Assault on Freedom | Roman Catholic Totalitarianism | The Relation of Church and State (Charles Hodge) | Abortion, the Christian, and the State | The Ethics and Economics of Health Care | The Chickens' Homecoming (John Whitehead) | The Coming Caesars (John Whitehead) | Rebuilding American Freedom in the Twenty-first Century | The Religious Wars of the Twenty-First Century | Economics: The Failure of Secular Economics | The Promise of Christian Economics | Teaching Economics from the Bible | The Neo-Evangelical Assault on Capitalism | The Reformed Assault on Capitalism | The Roman Catholic Assault on Capitalism | How Romanism Ruined America | Not Yours to Give (Edward Ellis) | Money, Freedom, and the Bible | The Case Against Indexation | Is Christianity Tied to Any Political or Economic System? | Ecology: The Abolition of Man | Scripture Index | Index | The Crisis of Our Time | Intellectual Ammunition.
*Robbins, John W. (1949-2008), The Grand Inquisitor's Second Coming.
"Totalitarianism is historically the most prevalent form of human government, from the tribal society in which all activities are regulated by the tribe or its rulers, the council, and witch doctor, to the totalitarianism of the Middle Ages when the Roman Church ruled all of life. . . . It is these more enduring forms of totalitarianism that will still be with us when the ghosts of Marx and Lenin are finally busted. . . . It is this new religiosity that will threaten the political, economic, religious, and social freedom of men in the twenty-first century. . . ." -- John W. Robbins
See: The Grand Inquisitor, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
http://www.trinityfoundation.org/reviews/journal.asp?ID=070a.html
*Robbins, John W. (1949-2008), Money, Freedom and the Bible.
"Paul does not regard government as provider of income, health care, education, national parks, money, or any of the other services common to our modern welfare states; its function is quite simple: to punish wrongdoers." A lecture given at the Gold Standard Corporation Conference, August 1989.
*Robbins, John W. (1949-2008), Rebuilding American Freedom in the Twenty-first Century.
"This article was originally written in 1996. It was first published in 2006 in FREEDOM AND CAPITALISM: ESSAYS ON CHRISTIAN POLITICS AND ECONOMICS by John W. Robbins.
"By almost any measure, by virtually any criterion one selects, our fathers were freer and more civilized than we are, and their fathers had been freer and more civilized than they were."
http://www.trinityfoundation.org/PDF/281-Rebuilding_Freedom_in_America.pdf
*Rushdoony, Rousas J. (1916-2001), Christianity and the State, ISBN: 9996717755. Available through Exodus Books.
"The need to return to a Biblical doctrine of civil government is evidenced by our century's worldwide drift into tyranny. Humanism invariably rushes in to fill the world's theological vacuums: the need of the hour is to restore a full-orbed, Biblical, theology of the state. This work sets forth that theology." -- GCB
*Rutherford, Samuel (1600-1661), A Free Disputation Against Pretended Liberty of Conscience, 1649. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #9, #25, and #26.
"Rutherford's FREE DISPUTATION, though scarce, is still one of his most important works with maybe only a few copies of the actual book left in existence. Though Rutherford is affectionately remembered in our day for his LETTERS, or for laying the foundations of constitutional government (against the divine right of kings), in his unsurpassed LEX, REX his FREE DISPUTATION should not be overlooked for it contains the same searing insights as LEX, REX. In fact, this book should probably be known as Rutherford's 'politically incorrect' companion volume to LEX, REX. A sort of sequel aimed at driving pluralists and antinomians insane. Written against 'the Belgick Arminians, Socinians, and other Authors contending for lawless liberty, or licentious Tolerations of Sects and Heresies,' Rutherford explains the undiluted Biblical solution to moral relativism, especially as it is expressed in ecclesiastical and civil pluralism! (Corporate pluralism being a violation of the first commandment and an affront to the holy God of Scripture). He also deals with conscience, toleration, penology (punishment), and the judicial laws, as related to both the civil and ecclesiastical realms. Excellent sections are also included which address questions related to determining the fundamentals of religion, how covenants bind us, the perpetual obligation of social covenants (with direct application to the Solemn League and Covenant and the covenant-breaking of Cromwell and his sectarian supporters), whether the punishing of seducing teachers be persecution of conscience, and much more. Walker adds these comments and context regarding Rutherford's FREE DISPUTATION, 'The principle of toleration was beginning to be broached in England, and in a modified shape to find acceptance there. Samuel Rutherford was alarmed, or rather, I should say, he was horrified, for he neither feared the face of man or argument. He rushed to the rescue of the good old view . . . It is not so easy to find a theoretical ground for toleration; and Rutherford has many plausible things to say against it. With the most perfect confidence, he argues that it is alike against Scripture and common sense that you should have two religions side by side. It is outrageous ecclesiastically, it is sinful civilly. He does not, however, take what I call the essentially persecuting ground. He does not hold that the magistrate is to punish religion as religion. Nay, he strongly maintains that the civil magistrate never aims at the conscience. The magistrate, he urges, does not send anyone, whether a heretic (who is a soul murderer -- RB), or a murderer, to the scaffold with the idea of producing conversion or other spiritual result, but to strengthen the foundations of civil order. But if he gives so much power to the king, he is no lover of despotism withal: the king himself must be under law. To vindicate this great doctrine is the object of another book, the celebrated LEX, REX; of which it has been said by one competent to judge, that it first clearly developed the constitutionalism which all men now accept.' (Theology and Theologians . . . pp. 11-12). In our day Francis Schaeffer, and numerous others, have critiqued many of the problems found in modern society, but most have spent little time developing explicitly Biblical solutions especially regarding the theoretical foundations that Rutherford addresses here. Rutherford's FREE DISPUTATION provides a detailed blueprint for laying the foundations that must be laid before any lasting, God-honoring solutions will be found. Furthermore, Rutherford and his writings were the enemies of all governments not covenanted with Christ. This book will give you a very clear picture as to why 'the beast' (civil and ecclesiastical), has reserved his special hatred for such teaching. As Samuel Wylie noted 'the dispute, then, will not turn upon the point whether religion should be civilly established . . . but it is concerning what religion ought to be civilly established and protected, -- whether the religion of Jesus alone should be countenanced by civil authority, or every blasphemous, heretical, and idolatrous abomination which the subtle malignity of the old serpent and a heart deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, can frame and devise, should be put on an equal footing therewith." -- The two Sons of oil; or, The Faithful Witness for Magistracy and Ministry Upon a Scriptural Basis. Can our generation swallow Rutherford's hard, anti-pluralistic, Covenanter medicine, poured forth from the bottle of the first commandment, without choking on their carnal dreams of a free and righteous society divorced from God (and His absolute claims upon everyone and everything)? Not without the enabling power of the Holy Spirit -- that is for sure! In summary, this book answers all the hardest questions theonomists (and their wisest and best opponents), have been asking for the last 20-30 years (and these answers are much more in depth than any we have seen in the last couple of millennia. [less about a century to account for the apostles]). As the reader will discover, Rutherford was a wealthy man when it came to wisdom (and much advanced theologically), and those who take the time to gaze into the King's treasure house, as exhibited in this book, will find that they are greatly rewarded. Furthermore, because of its uncompromising stand upon the Word of God, this book is sure to be unpopular among a wicked and adulterous generation. However, on the other hand, it is sure to be popular among the covenanted servants of King Jesus! This is one of the best books (in the top five anyway), for advanced study of the Christian faith. We have now obtained an easy-to-read, amazingly clear copy of this very rare, old treasure. Great price too, considering that a copy of the 1649 edition, containing this quality of print, would likely cost upwards of $1000 on the rare book market -- though it is unlikely you would ever see a copy for sale!" -- Publisher
A Brotherly and Free Epistle to the Patrons and Friends of Pretended Liberty of Conscience, Samuel Rutherford
http://www.truecovenanter.com/anti_toleration/rutherfurd_epistle_against_pretendedlibertyofconscience.html
Brutus, Junius, The Covenant Between God and Kings, from A DEFENSE OF LIBERTY
http://www.constitution.org/vct/vindiciae1a.htm
*Rutherford, Samuel (1600-1661), Lex, rex, or The law and the Prince, ISBN: 0873779517. Alternate title: A TREATISE OF CIVIL POLICY: BEING A RESOLUTION OF FORTY THREE QUESTIONS CONCERNING PREROGATIVE, RIGHT AND PRIVILEGE, IN REFERENCE TO THE SUPREME PRINCE AND THE PEOPLE. / BY SAMUEL RUTHERFORD PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY OF ST ANDREWS IN SCOTLAND. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #10, #25.
" 'Lex, rex' is Latin for 'law is king.'
"LEX, REX is 'the great political text of the Covenanters.' (Johnston citing Innes in Treasury of the Scottish Covenant, p. 305). 'Rutherford was the first to formulate the great constitutional principle Lex est Rex -- the law is King . . . much of the doctrine has become the constitutional inheritance of all countries in modern times.'
"Gilmour writes [in SAMUEL RUTHERFORD], 'that, as regards religious fervour, scholastic subtlety of intellect, and intensity of ecclesiastical conviction, Samuel Rutherford is the most distinctively representative Scotsman in the first half of the seventeenth century'." -- Publisher
"Without a doubt one of the greatest books on political philosophy ever written. Rutherford here has penned a great Christian charter of liberty against all forms of civil tyranny -- vindicating the Scriptural duty to resist tyrants as an act of loyalty to God." -- Publisher
"That resistance to lawful authority -- even when that authority so called has, in point of fact, set at nought 'all law' -- is in no instance to be vindicated, will be held by those only who are the devotees of arbitrary power and passive obedience. The principles of Mr. Rutherford's LEX, REX, however obnoxious they may be to such men, are substantially the principles on which all government is founded, and without which the civil magistrate would become a curse rather than a blessing to a country. They are the very principles which lie at the basis of the British Constitution, and by whose tenure the House of Brunswick does at this very moment hold possession of the throne of these realms." -- Rev. Robert Burns, D.D., in his "Preliminary Dissertation" to Wodrow's Church History
Additional sources of text related to LEX REX are as follows:
"Though Rutherford is affectionately remembered in our day for his LETTERS, or for laying the foundations of constitutional government (against the divine right of kings), in his unsurpassed LEX, REX, his FREE DISPUTATION should not be overlooked, for it contains the same searing insights as LEX, REX. In fact, this book [A FREE DISPUTATION AGAINST PRETENDED LIBERTY OF CONSCIENCE -- compiler] should probably be known as Rutherford's 'politically incorrect' companion volume to LEX, REX. It is a sort of sequel aimed at driving pluralists and antinomians insane. Written against 'the Belgick Arminians, Socinians, and other Authors contending for lawless liberty, or licentious Tolerations of Sects and Heresies,' Rutherford explains the undiluted Biblical solution to moral relativism, especially as it is expressed in ecclesiastical and civil pluralism! (Corporate pluralism being a violation of the first commandment, and an affront to the holy God of Scripture)." -- Publisher
A HIND LET LOOSE by Alexander Shields is sometimes referred to as 'Lex, Rex, Volume Two.'
A Hind let Loose; or An Historical Representation of the Testimonies of the Church of Scotland. . . . by Mr. Alexander Shields, Minister of the Gospel, in St. Andrews
http://www.truecovenanter.com/shields/
A Hind let Loose; or, An Historical Representation of the Testimonies of the Church of Scotland, for the Interest of Christ
"This book sets forth the Crown rights of King Jesus, against all usurpers in both church and state, giving a history of some of faithful sufferings endured by the elect, in maintaining this truth." -- Publisher
http://archive.org/details/hindletlooseorhi00shie
"This [THE DUE RIGHT OF PRESBYTERIES OR A PEACEABLE PLEA FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND -- compiler], could be considered the LEX, REX of church government -- another exceedingly rare masterpiece of Presbyterianism! Characterized by Walker as sweeping 'over a wider field than most'." -- Publisher
Rutherford, Samuel (1600-1661), Lex, rex: The law and the Prince, a Dispute for the Just Prerogative of King and People (1843)
http://archive.org/details/lexrexlawandpri00ruthgoog
Lex, rex, or The law and the Prince, Samuel Rutherford
"Rutherford is to be praised for his teaching that the king is subject to the law of God. The Bible has nothing but condemnation for those who frame mischief by a law and declares rhetorically, Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee? (Psalm 94:20). Deuteronomy 17 is the classic passage in defense of LEX, REX, wherein the king is charged to read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 17:19)." -- Publisher
http://www.constitution.org/sr/lexrex.htm
Lex, rex: the law and the Prince, a Dispute for the Just Prerogative of King and People, containing the reasons and causes of the defensive wars of the kingdom of Scotland, and of their expedition for the ayd and help of their brethren of England. In which a full answer is given to a seditious pamphlet, intituled, Sacro-sancta regum majestas, penned by J. Maxwell. By S. Rutherford. [Followed by], De jure regni apud Scotos; a dialogue, tr. by R. Macfarlan (repr. from the ed. of 1799).
http://books.google.com/books?id=jtYDAAAAQAAJ&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html
Brutus, Junius, The Covenant Between God and Kings, from A DEFENSE OF LIBERTY
http://www.constitution.org/vct/vindiciae1a.htm
Schaff, Philip (1819-1893), Church and State in the United States; or, The American Idea of Religious Liberty and its Practical Effects, ISBN: 0405040830 9780405040832.
"Distinctly unimpressed by this peculiar current in the stream of American culture, the immigrant theologian and church-state historian Philip Schaff commented that in the United States 'every theological vagabond and peddler may drive here his bungling trade, without passport or license, and sell his false ware at pleasure'." -- Philip Schaff, The Principle of Protestantism as Related to the Present State of the Church
The social consequences of the "American Idea of Religious Liberty," can be likened to the "idea of permissiveness in child rearing" in the minds of unregenerate, indifferent parents. The result is rebellious children who have no respect for authority, and leave home early with no wisdom about how to live in a cold, cruel world, destined for self-destruction. See: Toleration, liberty of conscience, pluralism, 'religious freedom,' and neutrality.
"This monograph, written during the centennial celebration of the United States Constitution, charts the historical relationship between church and state. Schaff writes from the unique position of a theologian and a historian who has lived on both sides of the Atlantic. Citing examples from Presidential addresses, court cases, and European observers such as Alexis de Tocqueville, Philip Schaff describes the genesis and growth of American Christianity and the unique historical context from which it sprang. He also outlines its historical connection with the church in Europe, and offers possibilities for the American church's future mission within this unique political climate." -- Publisher
Schaff, Church and State in the United States
https://archive.org/details/churchstateinuni00scharich
Schaff, Philip, The Principle of Protestantism as Related to the Present State of the Church, 1845, ISBN: 1177859289 9781177859288.
"Distinctly unimpressed by this peculiar current in the stream of American culture [American religious freedom -- compiler], the immigrant theologian and church-state historian Philip Schaff commented that in the United States 'every theological vagabond and peddler may drive here his bungling trade, without passport or license, and sell his false ware at pleasure'." -- Philip Schaff, The Principle of Protestantism as Related to the Present State of the Church
The social consequences of the "American Idea of Religious Liberty," can be likened to the "idea of permissiveness in child rearing" in the minds of unregenerate, indifferent parents. The result is rebellious children who have no respect for authority, and leave home early with no wisdom about how to live in a cold, cruel world, destined for self-destruction. See: Toleration, liberty of conscience, pluralism, 'religious freedom,' and neutrality.
*Robbins, John (1949-2008), Freedom and Capitalism: Essays on Christian Politics and Economics, ISBN: 1891777157 9781891777158.
See, in particularly, the Foreword.
"The relationship between Christianity, freedom, and capitalism has been a subject of scholarly study for centuries. In this volume, John Robbins argues that political and economic freedom are the results of Biblical Christianity. Political freedom and capitalism arose in Northwestern Europe and North America after the Christian Reformation of the 16th century, and they are unique in world history. The nations and peoples that heard and accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ as proclaimed by the Reformers quickly became free and prosperous on a scale previously unimaginable. Some historians and economists have denied any causal connection between Christianity, freedom, and capitalism, but they are able to deny this connection only by ignoring clear philosophical, economic, legal, sociological, and historical evidence demonstrating that Christianity is the source of capitalism.
"Dr. John W. Robbins attended Grove City College (A.B. 1969), and The Johns Hopkins University (M.A. 1970, Ph.D. 1973). He has served as chief of staff for a Member of Congress, editor of The Freeman magazine, Economist for The Heritage Foundation, and Professor of Political Philosophy in The Freedom School." -- Publisher
Table of Contents: Foreword | Politics | The Founder of Western Civilization | The Sine Qua Non of Enduring Freedom | Some Problems with Natural Law | The Political Philosophy of the Founding Fathers | The Bible and the Draft | The Messianic Character of American Foreign Policy | Truth and Foreign Policy | Compassionate Fascism | Conservatism: An Autopsy | Rightwing Radical Chic | The Reconstructionist Assault on Freedom | Roman Catholic Totalitarianism | The Relation of Church and State (Charles Hodge) | Abortion, the Christian, and the State | The Ethics and Economics of Health Care | The Chickens' Homecoming (John Whitehead) | The Coming Caesars (John Whitehead) | Rebuilding American Freedom in the Twenty-first Century | The Religious Wars of the Twenty-First Century | Economics: The Failure of Secular Economics | The Promise of Christian Economics | Teaching Economics from the Bible | The Neo-Evangelical Assault on Capitalism | The Reformed Assault on Capitalism | The Roman Catholic Assault on Capitalism | How Romanism Ruined America | Not Yours to Give (Edward Ellis) | Money, Freedom, and the Bible | The Case Against Indexation | Is Christianity Tied to Any Political or Economic System? | Ecology: The Abolition of Man | Scripture Index | Index | The Crisis of Our Time | Intellectual Ammunition
*Scott, Otto, R.J. Rushdoony, M.R. Rushdoony, Martin G. Selbrede, and John Lofton, Jr., The Great Christian Revolution: The Myths of Paganism and Arminianism, ISBN: 1879998025 9781879998025.
"Dr. Warfield noted that Calvinism represents the Christian religion in its highest and purest form, for Calvinism alone acknowledges the totality of God's kingly prerogatives over every square inch of our world. This volume supports these powerful truths from three different perspectives, with each author supplying cumulative weight to the proposition that God rules in the affairs of all men, from the least to the greatest. This book will help you sort out much of the current error in theology in our day." -- GCB
"Never has so broad a sweep of Christian history been so swiftly or dramatically told. From the savage tribes of Europe to the rise of the most wealthy and intellectual civilization in the world; from the Dark Ages to the Reformation; from the tyranny of English kings to the spirit of freedom in Philadelphia. Otto Scott takes you on a gripping journey through the rise and fall of men and empires, while the Christian faith has always shined through every generation. Get this book for your library." -- Publisher
*Singer, C. Gregg (1910-1999), John Calvin: His Roots and Fruits (A Press, 1989), 78 pages.
"What then is the role of the state in economic matters? Is it to stand idly by and take no steps or initiate no policies to defend the poor? The state, in the economic realm, is under a mandate to enforce the moral law and to punish those who break it for the sake of economic gain. It may prevent monopolistic and other business practices which are contrary to the Biblical ethic, as well as stealing and other forms of dishonesty and may pass laws for this purpose. It is certain that Calvin would support more statutes of this kind than some advocates of free enterprise would tolerate today. In general, however, Calvin agreed that the state had no right to undertake schemes of redistributing wealth in order to achieve economic equality. The legislative taking of wealth under the guise of legality is no less stealing than if it is done by robbers and thieves. Such schemes, rather than being an application of Christian principles, are actually a form of human rebellion against the will of God for the right ordering of society." -- C. Gregg Singer in "Calvinism and Economic Thought and Practice"
Notes: "Appeared in volume II of THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHRISTIANITY . . . and was later printed by Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company . . . 1967, for their Philosophical and historical studies series."
Contents: The author; Preface; I. The patristic foundations of calvinism; II. Calvinism: the summit of reformation theology; III. The later history of calvinism; IV. Influence of calvinism on western history and culture; V. Calvinism and economic thought and practice; VI. Calvinism and Philosophy; VII. Calvinism and education; VIII. Calvinism and social thought and practice; Bibliography.
*Singer, C. Gregg (1910-1999), A Theological Interpretation of American History, 1994 edition, 354 pages, ISBN: 0875524265 9780875524269. A Christian classic.
This book portrays "the influence of theology and the changing doctrines in the life of the church on the pattern of American political, constitutional, social and economic development.
"The author shows that the decline of constitutional government in this country is the result of the departure from historical Christian faith and the resulting rise of alien political philosophies. Particularly does he emphasize the intimate relationship between theological liberalism on the one hand and political, social, and economic liberalism on the other. This theological liberalism has been a major agent in the decline of the Constitution in the political life of the people and in the appearance of a highly centralized government." -- Publisher
"There is between the democratic philosophy and theological liberalism a basic affinity which has placed them in the same camp in many major political struggles.
"This condition exists because theological liberalism shares the basic postulates of the democratic philosophy. . . .
"Theological liberalism at heart has been a continuing protest against Calvinism, particularly against its insistence on the Sovereignty of God and the Total Depravity of the race. These two Biblical doctrines have often proved to be a stumbling block to theologians within the church as well as to the unbelieving world.
"The result of theological liberalism has been the movement away from constitutionalism and away from liberty, and a movement toward collectivistic society and totalitarian regime." -- C. Gregg Singer, A Theological Interpretation of American History, p. 290
See also: John Knox, the Scottish Covenanters, and the Westminster Assembly (tape 3 of 5), in a series of addresses, History Notes on Presbyterianism, Reformation, and Theology by Dr. C. Gregg Singer on SermonAudio.com
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12607114250
Dr. C. Gregg Singer at SermonAudio.com (161 messages)
http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?SpeakerOnly=true&currSection=sermonsspeaker&Keyword=Dr.^C.^Gregg^Singer
Sklar, Martin J., The Corporate Reconstruction of American Capitalism, 1890-1916: The Market, the Law, and Politics, ISBN: 0521313821 9780521313827.
"This is a major work, its insights and reconceptualizations comparable to those of such books as Morton J. Horwitz's THE TRANSFORMATIONS OF AMERICAN LAW, 1790-1860 (Cambridge, 1977), and Ellis W. Hawley's THE NEW DEAL AND THE PROBLEM OF MONOPOLY (Princeton, 1966). Like these works, Martin J. Sklar's book fuses legal history with economic and intellectual history. In addition, Sklar provides a powerful overlay of political theory. The result is the most arresting reinterpretation of the Progressive Era to appear in two decades. . . .
"Here Sklar exhibits rich and original insight grounded in political theory and also in an appreciation of the gravity of what was going on within the economy and the inordinate difficulty of coming to terms with it. . . . Here Sklar has engaged, with remarkable wisdom and originality, the most difficult questions in one of the most complex periods of American history; and he has written a masterpiece that places us all in his debt." -- Thomas K. McCraw, The American Journal of Legal History
"This book is a judicious, immensely learned, thorough, and, in many places, brilliant analysis of the regulatory response to the corporate transformation of American capitalism." -- Donald J. Pisani, Texas A&M University, in The Journal of American History
"Of all the theories of contemporary society we have, Sklar's, it seems to me, is the only one that even begins to give adequate attention to the continued play of private interests, not only in the economy but in politics and culture as well. If his interpretation is correct, he has certainly provided a key to understanding the twentieth century." -- Eli Zaretsky, Journal of Social History
"The opening portion of the book deals also, as background, with the impetus in America toward economic imperialism beginning not later than the post-Civil War era and in doing so presents another means of understanding it, in addition to that presented by the British economist John A. Hobson in his 1902 book, IMPERIALISM, and especially in its chapter "The Economic Taproot of Imperialism." Hobson's work was well known to the players in Sklar's work, and the topic was discussed frankly and openly by mainstream capitalists and theorists of the day." -- Reader's Comment
*Spurgeon, C.H., (1834-1892), Spurgeon's Sovereign Grace Sermons, ISBN: 0921148437 9780921148432. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #29.
"This book contains a wide range of Calvinistic sermons centering on soteriology, including one gem that is clearly postmillennial. It is completely retypeset." -- GCB
"So apt are Spurgeon's sermons that a host of preachers are to this very day preaching from his outlines. Of course, you can't do that unless you are willing to be as bold and fearless as was Spurgeon. He was not contentious, but he would not be silent when anyone was denying the plain teachings of the Bible. These he put forth in a style that was pleasing, but solidly founded on the Scriptures. This meant that he preached the sovereignty of God and Christ over this world in everyone and in everything, down to the minutest details. For as he says it, either God through Christ rules the world, or Satan rules the world. Whichever you believe will tell who it is that you serve. Spurgeon preached Christ, For of him, and through him, and to him are all things; to whom be the glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36). If you believe that, Spurgeon believes that you would not long be deceived by the Devil's appeal to your human senses, and prejudices, and natural self-love . . ." -- Jay P. Green, Sr. (1918-2008)
The Spurgeon Center
http://www.spurgeon.org/
Steele, David N., and Curtis Thomas, The Five Points of Calvinism, ISBN: 0875524443 9780875524443. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"Defines, defends, and documents the five points of Calvinism. A good introduction to Reformed Theology; excellent for study groups or personal use. Well indexed, easy to use, with much information leading to other books concerning the five points and other area of Calvinistic thought." -- Publisher
Stepelevich, Lawrence S., (editor), The Capitalist Reader, ISBN: 0870003798 9780870003790.
Swancara, Frank, Thomas Jefferson Versus Religious Oppression.
"Swancara was a journalist, wrote book in his old age, apparently had an obsession with 'religious oppression,' Jefferson was a hero of his, he actually studied the collection of Jefferson's library, Jefferson gave it to the Library of Congress when it was formed.
"Swancara was godless and argued everything from the wrong side, but it is the best listing of public documents and legislation calling for religious tests for office holders that I have seen, goes back to English law which prohibited a man from being a member of Parliament unless he believed there was going to be a final judgment and our actions have eternal consequences. Swancara unwittingly produced a valuable work for the reformer." -- Reader's Comment
Szasz, Thomas Stephen, Law, Liberty, and Psychiatry; An Inquiry into the Social uses of Mental Health Practices.
*Tame, Chris R., and Centre for Policy Studies, Bibliography of Freedom, ISBN: 0905880250 9780905880259.
Tawney, R.H., Religion and the Rise of Capitalism, ISBN: 0765804557 9780765804556.
Thornwell, James H., (1812-1862), Analysis of Calvin's Institutes, With Notes, Questions and Comments. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"A valuable, but sometimes overlooked, aid in understanding Calvin's masterpiece. Great for use as a study guide or for use in teaching groups." -- Publisher
*Tocqueville, Alexis de, Democracy in America, ISBN: 0060915226.
Translated by Henry Reeve and revised by Francis Bowen. Edited by Philip Bradley
"Tocqueville in the early part of the 19th century was commissioned by the French government to travel throughout the United States in order to discover the secret of the astounding success of this experiment in democracy. . . . A classic of political and sociological reporting and analysis . . ." -- Publisher
Democracy in America
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/DETOC/home.html
Toon, Peter, Puritans and Calvinism
*Turretin, Francis (1623-1687), Institutes of Elenctic Theology, Vols. 1, 2, and 3, ISBN: 0875524516 9780875524511 0875524524 9780875524528.
Turretin was the renowned teacher of the Academy in Geneva and successor to Calvin, Beza, and Diodati.
These three volumes "mark the arrival of the first complete edition of the INSTITUTES OF ELENCTIC THEOLOGY to be published in the English language. Heartily recommended by James Montgomery Boice, Sinclair B. Ferguson, John H. Gerstner, Leon Morris, and others. Theologians, pastors, and students will welcome this treatise, which first develops and then contrast Reformed doctrines with Roman Catholic, Arminian, and Socinian views. . . ." -- Publisher
Francis Turretin, excerpts
http://www.apuritansmind.com/FrancisTurretin/francisturretin.htm
Vision Video, The Better Hour: The Legacy of William Wilberforce, DVD (Vision Video, March 18, 2008), ISBN: 0793694124 9780793694129, 60 minutes.
A new documentary about William Wilberforce, subject of the film "Amazing Grace."
" 'The Better Hour' is the story of a man who, inspired by faith, used his political and social influence to change the world for the better. At the beginning of the 19th century, almost a third of the British economy depended on the trade of human beings. William Wilberforce was determined to end this horrific practice, by persuading both Parliament and British society to abolish slavery in the British Empire.
"Once, everyone knew the name William Wilberforce. Frederick Douglas said, 'Let no man forget the name of William Wilberforce.' A quarter century after Wilberforce's death, Abraham Lincoln said, 'Every school boy knows the name of William Wilberforce.' Yet 'few Americans today understand why, or even know Wilberforce's name,' explains 'The Better Hour' executive producer Cullen Schippe.
"Shot in high definition, 'The Better Hour: The Legacy Of William Wilberforce' is an engaging documentary, rich with content and commentary, that can inspire people with the remarkable story of William Wilberforce. He used his position as a British parliamentarian to launch 69 organizations for the betterment of society and end the trans-Atlantic slave trade -- a business that was key to the country's economic strength.
"The film focuses on a politician who, over time, developed strength of character in the service of high and seemingly unattainable goals. This film highlights William Wilberforce's drive and love for humanity and reveals how he and his colleagues worked tirelessly to end the slave trade, even as it represented a large portion of the British economy. In Wilberforce, we see character and a sense of justice for all join together to bring into the world what the English poet William Cowper described as 'the better hour'." -- Publisher
*Von Mises, Ludwig, Liberty and Property, ISBN: 9781579703783 157970378X.
"Originally delivered as a lecture at Princeton University, October 1958, at the 9th meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society." Includes bibliographical references.
*Wallace, Ronald S., Calvin's Doctrine of the Christian Life, ISBN: 1579100473 9781579100476.
"This renowned student of Calvin's theology says that the great Reformer did not hold that the doctrine of the priesthood of believers was an individualistic idea apart from the Church. Also sets forth Calvin's views on prayer, ethics, and other Christian disciplines. Always the idea of assurance, achievement, and hope was present because of our union with Christ." -- GCB
Wallace, Ronald, S., Calvin, Geneva, and the Reformation: A Study of Calvin as Social Reformer, Churchman, Pastor, and Theologian, ISBN: 0707305128 9780707305127.
Warfield, Benjamin B., (1851-1921), Calvin and Augustine, ISBN: 0875525261.
Augustine was a major influence on Calvin. It is said that Calvin paraphrased Augustine about 400 times in THE INSTITUTES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
*Warfield, B.B., (1851-1921), The Works of B.B. Warfield, 10 volumes, ISBN: 0801096456 9780801096457.
"Edited by E.D. Warfield, W.P. Armstrong and C.W. Hodge. Warfield's complete writings are back in print after years of unavailability! Professor of theology at Princeton Theological Seminary from 1887 to his death in 1921, Warfield was the leading Calvinistic theologian of his time. His precise scholarship, keen logic, and spiritual insight were enormously influential then, and still are illuminating to contemporary evangelicals. This reprint of Oxford's 1927-1932 edition appears now in 10 volumes. . . ." -- CBD
*Weaver, Henry Grady, Mainspring of Human Progress.
A monograph on the history of freedom.
Includes bibliography.
Winstanley, Gerrard (b. 1609), The law of Freedom in a Platform: or, True Magistracy Restored, ISBN: 0952807068 9780952807063.
Woodhouse, A.S.P., (compiler and editor), Puritanism and Liberty: Being the Army Debates (1647-1649), From the Clarke Manuscripts With Supplementary Documents.
"The literature devoted to freedom is one of the exciting features of the middle years of the seventeenth century."
Woodiwiss, Michael, Gangster Capitalism: The United States and the Globalization of Organized Crime, ISBN: 0786716711 9780786716715.
"Everyone knows what organized crime is. Each year dozens of feature films, hundreds of books, and thousands of news stories explain to an eager public that organized crime is what gangsters do. Closely knit, ethnically distinct, and ruthlessly efficient, these mafias control the drugs trade, people trafficking and other serious crimes. If only states would take the threat seriously and recognize the global nature of modern organized crime, the FBI's success against the Italian mafia could be replicated throughout the world. The wicked trade in addictive drugs could be brought to a halt.
"The trouble is, as Woodiwiss demonstrates in shocking and surprising detail, what everyone knows about organized crime is pretty much completely wrong. In reality the most important figures in organized crime are employees of multinational companies, politicians and bureaucrats. Gangsters are certainly a problem, but much of their strength comes from attempts to prohibit the market for certain drugs. Even here they are minor players when compared with the intelligence and law enforcement agencies that selectively enforce prohibition and profit from it. Woodiwiss shows how respectable businessmen and revered statesmen have seized these opportunities in an orgy of fraud and illegal violence." -- Reader's Comment
Woodiwiss, Michael, The Return of Gangster Capitalism: The Global Rise of Organised Crime, ISBN: 9780745332024 0745332021.
Yiannopoulos, Milo, Dangerous, ISBN: 069289344X 9780692893449.
"A book on free speech written by the Breitbart columnist and blogger Milo Yiannopoulos." -- Abstract
"The liberal media machine did everything they could to keep this book out of your hands. Now, finally, DANGEROUS, the most controversial book of the decade, is tearing down safe spaces everywhere." -- Publisher
See also: The sovereignty of god, The doctrine of man (human nature, total depravity), The sovereign grace of god: his everlasting mercy and lovingkindness, Church and state, Freedom: a gift of the grace of god, Political and economic freedom, Justice, judgment, god's final judgment, the great white throne judgment, the day of the lord, day of judgment, Theft, fraud, stealing: property rights and freedom, Reform of the church, The application of scripture to the corporate bodies of church and state, Christian self-government, True republicanism, Christianity and democracy, The utter failure of the u.s. constitution as a social deed of covenant, Theft, fraud, stealing: property rights and freedom, Theft: commentary and cases of conscience, Slavery, our systems of enslavement, economic enslavement, Friendly fascism, Taxation and War, Ethics, Biblical civil government and the basis for civil resistance, Friendly fascism, Slavery, our systems of enslavement, economic enslavement, The decline of american society, irrationality, the decline of western thought, Male role and responsibility, gender equality, suffrage, reproductive rights, and the decline of american society, Meltdown: the depression of 2008, God's deliverance of nations, Corporate faithfulness and sanctification, The counter-reformation, Toleration and liberty of conscience, The covenanted reformation of scotland background and history, The national covenant, The solemn league and covenant, The covenanted reformation of scotland author/title listing, Biography of covenanters, Acts of faithful assemblies, The scottish covenanting struggle, Confession of national sin and covenant renewal, Corporate faithfulness and sanctification, Selection of covenant heads for positions of leadership, The scottish covenanting struggle, Covenanting in america, The scottish covenanting struggle, alexander craighead, and the mecklenburg declaration, Servant leadership, Selection of covenant heads for positions of leadership, Creeds, confessions and catechisms, Arminianism, Antinomianism, The courts, the law base, and the judicial system, The banking system, Biblical economics, Slavery, our system of enslavement, The decline of american society, irrationality, the decline of western thought, Male role and responsibility, gender equality, suffrage, reproductive rights, and the decline of american society, The american civil war (the war between the states), Sexual relationship, Spiritual adultery (spiritual whoredom/harlotry), and so forth, and so on.
TCRB5: 2135
America's Republic: How the Great Experiment Came About (and how we Keep it), November 09, 2018
"A brief history of America, its founding documents, and what we can do to keep the flame of liberty burning bright."
https://fee.org/articles/america-s-republic-how-the-great-experiment-came-about-and-how-we-keep-it/
America's Transformation From Liberty to Democracy, Randall G. Holcombe
"If we were able to go back to the time of the Revolutionary War and ask the typical American to describe, in one word, the underlying principle of the new American government, that one word would have been liberty. If we were to ask the typical American citizen today to describe, in one word, the underlying principle of American government, that one word would be democracy. The Declaration of Independence is largely a list of grievances against the King of England, and the American Founders wanted to escape the oppression of the British government and establish a constitutionally limited government to protect the rights of its citizens -- to preserve their liberty. Today Americans view the role of their government as carrying out the will of the majority. My new book, FROM LIBERTY TO DEMOCRACY: THE TRANSFORMATION OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT (University of Michigan Press), describes how the fundamental principle of American government has been transformed from liberty to democracy."
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig3/holcombe1.html
*Biblical Slavery: It's Meaning and Necessity, a sermon [audio file], by Brian Schwertley
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=74101315272
John Calvin
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, 46 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=92903104854Speaking on Calvinism
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, 53 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=8110391415Theology of John Calvin
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, 40 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1060385424The History of Calvinism
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, The Christian View of History
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=72902195726Calvinism and the Reformation
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, 76 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=8180372910Church History #28: John Calvin
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Church History, 76 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=4150417057Church History #29: John Calvin and the Church #1
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Church History, 43 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=415041727Church History #30: John Calvin and the Church #2
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Church History, 67 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=4150417258
Christian Reconstruction Critiqued, a tract
http://www.swrb.com/newslett/FREEBOOK/Recon.htm
Corporate Faithfulness and Sanctification (part 2)
http://www.lettermen2.com/bcrr9chb.html
The Foundation for Economic Education, Inc.
http://www.fee.org/
Freedom of Speech in the United States
"Time, place, and manner restrictions and the First Amendment
"Traditional public forums include public areas, such as parks and sidewalks. These areas have the strongest protections under the First Amendment."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech_in_the_United_States
The Illusion of Freedom: We're Only as Free as the Government Allows, John W. Whitehead and Nisha Whitehead, April 26, 2022
https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/the_illusion_of_freedom_were_only_as_free_as_the_government_allows
Magna Carta
"Magna Carta Libertatum (Medieval Latin for 'the Great Charter of the Liberties'), commonly called Magna Carta (also Magna Charta; "Great Charter"), is a charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215."
Includes Magna Carta clauses in the 1215 and later charters.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_Carta
Magna Carta and the Fight for Freedom Today, an address by Peter Hammond
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. (James 1:25)
"Magna Carta is one of the most important legal documents in history, a powerful symbol of liberty, a potent foundation for the protection of freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, freedom of association, the right to private ownership of property, trial by jury by one's peers, the right to determine one's taxes, the right to a just and uniform standard of weights and measures for money transactions and goods, the right of having a voice in the running of government, municipal rights and all the other essential foundations for Christian civilization. 15 June [2020] marks the 804th anniversary of the proclamation of Magna Carta, the first statute, the first written restriction on the powers of government, the grandfather of all Bills of Rights.
"At this time of lawlessness, corruption, gross abuse of government and threats to constitutional protections for private ownership of property, it is necessary to go back to Magna Carta, the great charter of liberties, to give hope for the future and direction for peace, productivity and justice." -- Reformation500
https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=61419813532698&fbclid=IwAR3Nd0LUhkgLel6f0WdgkPM1dSQTviOwalz0xj4pj3k_R04UPLVNSb7lB
Magna Carta and the Fight for Freedom Today in History
https://vimeo.com/channels/1317537/342199070
Blessing the Nations: 800 Years of the Magna Carta
https://www.slideshare.net/frontfel/magna-carta-800-47560613
Modern Monetary Theory (MMT)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Monetary_Theory
Great Moments in Presbyterian History #1
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Great Movements in Presbyterian History
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?ID=12160371437Great Moments in Presbyterian History #2
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Great Movements in Presbyterian History, 34 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12160371538Great Moments in Presbyterian History #3: The Westminster Assembly
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Great Movements in Presbyterian History
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?ID=12160371617Great Moments in Presbyterian History #4: Colonial Presbyterianism and the Great Awakening
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Great Movements in Presbyterian History
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?ID=1216037179Great Moments in Presbyterian History #5: Theological Tensions of the 19th Century: Old School -- New School
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Great Movements in Presbyterian History
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?ID=1216037188Great Moments in Presbyterian History #6: Presbyterianism in the 20th Century
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Great Movements in Presbyterian History
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?ID=12160371916Great Moments in Presbyterian History #7: The Presbyterian Church in the 20th Century: Emergence of the OPC
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Great Movements in Presbyterian History
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?ID=12160372014Great Moments in Presbyterian History #8: What the Bible has to say About the Nature of Government
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Great Movements in Presbyterian History
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?ID=12160372131
History of the American Presbyterian Church #1
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, History of the AP Church, 40 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1270518534History of the American Presbyterian Church #2
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, History of the AP Church, 52 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=127051872Great Moments in Presbyterian History #4: Colonial Presbyterianism and the Great Awakening
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Great Movements in Presbyterian History
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?ID=1216037179The Religious and Theological Causes of Secession
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, 75 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12705181136Theological Tensions of the 19th Century: Old School -- New School
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, History of the American Presbyterian Church, 34 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1216037188Presbyterianism in the 20th Century
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, History of the American Presbyterian Church, 42 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12160371916The Presbyterian Church in the 20th Century: Emergence of the OPC
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, History of the American Presbyterian Church, 47 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12160372014
What the Bible has to say About the Nature of Government
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, 48 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12160372131Presbyterian Church Government #01: Introduction to Biblical Church Government
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Presbyterian Church Government
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1270518133Presbyterian Church Government #02: Different Forms of Church Government
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Presbyterian Church Government
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12705181353Presbyterian Church Government #03: The Visible Church Offices #1
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Presbyterian Church Government
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12705181435Presbyterian Church Government #04: The Visible Church Offices #2
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Presbyterian Church Government
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12705181925Presbyterian Church Government #05: The Visible Church Offices #3
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Presbyterian Church Government
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12705181547Presbyterian Church Government #06: The Visible Church Offices #4
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Presbyterian Church Government
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12705181925Presbyterian Church Government #07: Presbytery
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Presbyterian Church Government
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12705182013Presbyterian Church Government #08: General Assembly
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Presbyterian Church Government
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12705182052Presbyterian Church Government #09: Commission and Committee
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Presbyterian Church Government
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12705182214Presbyterian Church Government #10: Ordination and Candidates
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Presbyterian Church Government
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12705182250Presbyterian Church Government #11: Licensure and Worship
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Presbyterian Church Government
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12705182348Presbyterian Church Government #12: Worship
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Presbyterian Church Government
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12705182423
The Reformation in England 1 of 2 (The Providential Historical Preparation for the Westminster Assembly), Hebrews 11:2; Ephesians 4:11
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Presbyterian History, 44 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12607144153The Reformation in England 2 of 2 (and America)
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Presbyterian History, 76 min., Matthew 5:13-16; Luke 19:13
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=126071623510John Knox, the Scottish Covenanters, and the Westminster Assembly 1/3 (History Notes on Presbyterianism, Reformation, and Theology)
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Presbyterian History, 52 min., Acts 1:11; Romans 13
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=124071413102John Knox, the Scottish Covenanters, and the Westminster Assembly (tape 3 of 5), in a series of addresses, History Notes on Presbyterianism, Reformation, and Theology by Dr. C. Gregg Singer on SermonAudio.com
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12607114250The Westminster Assembly
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, 50 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12160371617
The Illusion of Freedom: We're Only as Free as the Government Allows, John W. Whitehead and Nisha Whitehead, April 26, 2022
https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/the_illusion_of_freedom_were_only_as_free_as_the_government_allows
Liberty Bookshop
"Reading and studying great books is a life long and enjoyable pursuit. Every person should pursue the intellectual life of the autodidact (self-educated). Liberty Bookshop's goal is to provide the tools and the community to encourage the liberal education of autodidacts everywhere."
http://www.libertybookshop.com/shop/customer/home.php
Meet Bill Still, Fiat-money Advocate
"An analysis of the documentaries Money Masters and Capital Crimes by G. Edward Griffin.
http://www.freedomforceinternational.org/freedomcontent.cfm?fuseaction=meetstill
The Moral Basis of a Free Society, Steve Forbes
"Americans have always defined true freedom as an environment in which one may resist evil and do what is right, noble, and good without fear of reprisal. It is the presence of justice tempered with mercy. It is a rule of law based on fundamental moral truths that are easily understood and fairly and effectively administered. It offers individuals and families equal opportunity to better their lives morally, spiritually, intellectually, and economically.
"Freedom, in other words, is neither a commodity for dictators to distribute and deny at will nor a moral, spiritual, or political vacuum in which anything goes. Freedom is a priceless treasure that the state is supposed to safeguard. Why? Because human beings have an intrinsic right to be free, a right that comes not from the state but from God. To the Founding Fathers, this was a 'self-evident' truth. It is the essence of the American experiment in self-government.
"The Founders, even those most suspicious of organized religion, believed that man's place in the universe was no accident -- that man himself and the world in which he lived were created and sustained by a just and loving God. 'It is impossible to account for the creation of the universe without the agency of a Supreme Being,' wrote George Washington, 'and it is impossible to govern the universe without the aid of a Supreme Being.' James Madison put it this way: 'The belief in a God All Powerful, wise and good, is so essential to the moral order of the World and to the happiness of man, that arguments which enforce it cannot be drawn from too many sources.'
http://www.policyreview.org/nov97/moral.html
A Resolution to Combat Mind Control With Truth
http://www.lettermen2.com/mindc.html
The Scottish Covenanting Struggle, Alexander Craighead, and the Mecklenburg Declaration
http://www.lettermen2.com/craig.html
Theft: Commentary and Cases of Conscience. A Listing Excerpted From The Institutes of Biblical Law by Rousas John Rushdoony, 1973 edition
http://www.lettermen2.com/theft.html
Three New Testament Roots of Economic Liberty by Howard Ahmanson
http://www.acton.org/publicat/randl/97jan_feb/ahmanson.html
The Trinity Foundation
http://trinityfoundation.org/
*Truth in Accounting, Financial State of the Union 2021.
*The National Debt is Worse Than Advertised
"When you include unfunded liabilities such as Social Security and Medicare, that actual US debt stands at $123.11 trillion, according to the 'Financial State of the Union 2021' published by Truth in Accounting.
"In order to pay off all of Uncle Sam's liabilities, every taxpayer in the US would have to write a check for $796,000. . . .
"The federal government has $5.95 trillion in assets and $129.06 trillion in liabilities. If it were a private company, the US government would be bankrupt."
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2021/04/23/the-national-debt-is-worse-than-advertised/
About our National Debt
https://www.truthinaccounting.org/about/our_national_debt
It is quite evident that in all of this Calvin was setting forth a view of free enterprise which is strictly Biblical. Free enterprise is that means adapted for man by which he fulfills the conditions of his stewardship. Enterprise that is truly free is constantly governed by the law of God. -- C. Gregg Singer, "Calvinism and Economic Thought and Practice" in John Calvin: His Roots and Fruits, p. 46The wealthy stand as magistrates in the economic arena and have the same duty of stewardship as do those who hold political office. -- C. Gregg Singer, "Calvinism and Economic Thought and Practice" in John Calvin: His Roots and Fruits, p. 46
If the American people ever wish to regain control of the government, we must understand the monetary system and materially alter the banking system so as to replace our debt based money-out-of-thin air economy with an economy based on production, savings, capitalism, and competition. Only then, can true prosperity return. If we ever get to audit the Fed and its money lenders, the demand to End the Fed will become overwhelming. -- Andrew Napolitano
The Biblical doctrine of sin forbids the optimistic conclusion of Adam Smith [THE WEALTH OF NATIONS -- compiler], and the laissez faire school of economic thought. -- Singer, C. Gregg, "Calvinism and Economic Thought and Practice" in John Calvin: His Roots and Fruits, p. 46
The notion that additional government expenditures magically increase national output is ingrained in the national psyche. Keynesian economics professors can certainly take credit for this mindset; it is they who have schooled multiple generations of college students in Keynesian multiplier analysis.
The professors' counter intuitive tease in this effort has always been what is called the 'balanced budget multiplier.' (BBM) That is, even with equal increases in government spending and taxes increase output, output should supposedly rise by the same amount that spending and taxes rise . . .
The BBM is so at odds with simple economic logic that it should be an embarrassment for the economics profession. Strong words? Yes. But how else to describe economic nonsense? If output and taxes rise by the same amount, producers' after-tax income is unaltered by the fiscal action. -- T. Norman Van Cott, "Keynesian Multipliers are Like Dogs Chasing Their Tails"The Great Depression as Moral Failure: Presbyterian Industrialists and a Religious Rationale for Opposing the New Deal, Tyler Flynn, Assistant Professor of History, Eastern University, St. Davids, PA.
"For these business-friendly Presbyterians, the economy was in a free-fall because of human failure, not the failure of capitalism. As one Presbyterian clergyman wrote, capitalism was the 'oldest social order in the world' that 'came down to us through thousands of years;' it was the 'outgrowth of trial and experience.' The problem of the Great Depression was not capitalism, they claimed, but the foolishness and greed of the individuals at the helm of this economic system, captains of industry who pursued personal wealth at the expense of workers and the public." -- Tyler FlynnConservatism is a political philosophy that professes to be practical and grounded in reality -- not in ideological or utopian dream worlds -- yet it cannot furnish a coherent answer to a very practical question: What is the proper punishment for a thief? Even ignoring the big questions -- What is the ideal government? Is there an ideal government? Is any government justified? What is the proper relationship between church and state? -- conservatism cannot answer a small question. If conservatism cannot offer a justified answer to a small question, it probably cannot answer larger questions. -- John W. Robbins in Conservatism: An Autopsy
Hazlitt came to the conclusion that "this [the Eisenhower Administration program -- compiler] seems to take over from the New Deal the essence of the Keynesian ideology -- the belief in compensation spending -- the belief that any decline from a peak of inflationary prosperity can and should be offset and rectified by an increase in deficit spending." (21. Newsweek, January 10, 1980, p. 33.)
Lying at the very heart of the Eisenhower program was the philosophy of John Maynard Keynes, the noted English economist, who had gained the ear of Franklin D. Roosevelt with the result that the New Deal legislation from then on reflected this approach to the problems of the nation. For a long time Keynes had been a member of the Fabian Society in England, a socialist group in that country. (22. Keynes had set forth his philosophy in his Treatise on Money and General Theory of Economics, the first in England in 1930 and the second in this country in that same year. In 1936 his General Theory of Employment, Money and Interest was published.) Like most of his Fabian colleagues, Keynes erected his philosophy on the basic assumption that Christianity was not and could not be true and that new principles of human action must be found in a form of socialism which was very close to communism. Roosevelt's first contact with Keynes seems to have been a letter which Keynes published in the New York Times on December 31, 1933, and which apparently influenced him to abandon the gold standard a few months later. In a personal interview with President Roosevelt in 1934, Keynes was able to persuade him that he should adopt deficit spending as the policy which would lift the nation out of the depression. That there was a radical intent behind the writings of Keynes and the tone of his later compared with his earlier works is not difficult to demonstrate. He wrote:Lenin is said to have remarked that the best way to destroy the capitalist system was to debauch the currency. . . . Lenin was right. There is no subtler, no surer means of over-turning the existing basis of society than to debauch the currency. (23. Essays in Persuasion. New York, Norton, 1963, p. 77.)That such an idea was not an incidental reference, but lay at the heart of his whole approach to economic issues is quite evident, and he had given it much thought. He wrote: "The debauching of the currency is a process that engages all the hidden forces of economic law on the side of destruction and it does it in a manner which not one man in a million is able to diagnose." (24. Ibid.)
Thus, this Keynesian approach to combating depression became the standard monetary policy for the succeeding administrations. It is doubtful that all those who have espoused such an approach, or even those who continue to support it today, are aware of the Marxian origins, or of its almost inevitable results. It was with good reason that Henry Hazlitt called the Eisenhower program a "Mini New Deal."
The debauchery of the currency through the persistent policy of encouraging inflation was and remains the standard radical attack on the fiscal soundness and integrity of the United States Government. Very few Americans are aware that it has its origins in a radical philosophy which was, and is, necessarily anti-Christian in both content and outlook. But liberals from the days of Franklin Roosevelt to our own day have, to varying degrees, been aware of its radical background and have sought to conceal it from the people. They have defended their inflationary programs on the ground that we must provide foreign aid for our friends abroad and an ever-widening social welfare program at home. Not only does such a program give an appearance of prosperity, but it also is an ideal way of redistributing the wealth of the nation according to a Marxian formula.
The liberal leadership within the major denominations and the National Council of Churches eagerly embraced such a policy on the ground that it was a necessary application of the principles of the Social Gospel. The leadership of the National Council has at times been willing to go further and faster into the area of creating a total social welfare state than the politicians have seen fit to tread.
The momentum achieved by this policy of planned inflation by the time of Eisenhower had become a popular national disease because money was so abundant and many people interpreted this vast supply of money as an indication of an increasing and virtually endless time of national prosperity. From 1952 on, both Democratic and Republican presidents have felt the compulsion to continue the inflationary process even though during their campaigns they would make valiant, if unrealistic, pleas for a balanced budget even while pleading for more and more federal expenditures for various welfare project, some of which have had dubious value, while others have proved to be very harmful, not only to the nation at large but to the recipients of the federal grants. (25. Today many observers have come to the conclusion that this inflationary spiral is almost irreversible apart from stringent political and fiscal policies which no president or Congress could put into effect without very serious consequences.) -- C. Gregg Singer (1910-1999), in A Theological Interpretation of American History (1994, 1981, 1964), pp. 289-292No corporation on earth comes close to the accounting fraud practiced year after year by the Federal Government. In fact, there is no real accountability at all for the trillions in tax dollars raised and spent annually by Congress and our entrenched Federal Agencies. The official 'accounting' that does take place is a sham. Every year Congress creates a meaningless budget, the Fed prints phony money, the Budget Office issues false revenue forecasts, and the Administrative Agencies waste billions in the most unproductive ways imaginable. Literally tens of billions of dollars go unaccounted for every year, simply disappearing down bureaucratic black holes. [and the banking system is controlled by the Federal Reserve -- compiler]. This hardly represents a standard against which corporations should be judged! -- Texas Congressman, Ron Paul in What About Government Accountability?
Totalitarianism is historically the most prevalent form of human government, from the tribal society in which all activities are regulated by the tribe or its rulers, the council, and witch doctor, to the totalitarianism of the Middle Ages when the Roman Church ruled all of life. . . . It is these more enduring forms of totalitarianism that will still be with us when the ghosts of Marx and Lenin are finally busted. . . . It is this new religiosity that will threaten the political, economic, religious, and social freedom of men in the twenty-first century. . . . . -- John W. Robbins
Interestingly the decade (1850-1860), before the War Between the States, was a decade of unprecedented industrial growth and growing prosperity, which lead to economic depression in 1857. War began in 1860.
I believe it is high time America quit sacrificing our moral health at the altar of economic strength. By continuing to put financial considerations before morality, we are producing a nation that is rich, but has completely seared its conscience and can't even enjoy the fruit of our labor anymore. We have become a nation that doesn't know how to blush, and our children are the ones who are paying the price. -- Rusty Lee Thomas
The powerful and wealthy conceal theft, of course, by economic and legal games, the game rules being of their own making.
For example, (1) A ten percent capitalization rate on residential rental property results in a profit of 100 percent over a ten year period, based on the current market price of the property. In other words, after ten years of renting the owner has recovered the entire cost of the property, and he still owns the property at an appreciated market value, making residential rental property one of the most lucrative investments possible. (2) The cost of building a new home is just a fraction of the market value of the property, the balance is a windfall profit to the developer. Some of the reasons for the inflated market value follow. (3) The Federal Government of the United States of America is the largest business enterprise in the world. It is run by politicians who, for the most part, are businessmen and lawyers, not scholars and statesmen. They can sit down at a table together for 20 minutes and write a multi-million dollar budget. They are accountable to practically no one. (4) The cost of living is high in big cities because, among other reasons, after the multi-million dollar budget is written by the politicians, then taxes and assessments are increased to pay for it. By raising property assessments to generate revenue, the cost of real estate simultaneously increases, and it follows that the cost of all goods go up. (5) All these changes, increasing taxes, assessments, market values of real estate, costs of goods, and the resulting inflation, all these changes profit the wealthy property owners and business owners who simply pass on tax increases and higher costs to the consumer. (6) The banking system, money, is controlled by The Federal Reserve System, which in turn is run by unelected officials, veteran leaders of corporate investment banks, who control the amount of money in the economy and interest costs. Generally speaking, this amounts to a complete monopoly over the economy and value of the dollar. (7) The principles of accounting being used today have generally remained essentially unchanged since the Feudal Age, 600 years ago, principles of accounting which allowed a few wealthy noblemen to live in luxury at the expense of the masses. (8) And so forth, and so on. This is just a very, very brief and general overview of some of the games being played, and how the powerful and wealthy game the system. For more details on things you may not have learned in the public education system see other book-length works in this topical listing.
The middle and lower classes are, for the most part, uneducated and ignorant of the extent of the games, therefore, they do not fully understand how they are being fleeced by the "Aristocracy of Wealth."
Meanwhile, many of the unregenerate members of society, who by their human nature are unable to trust in The Triune God to "place a table before them." That is to say, they are unable to trust in God to provide for all their needs, just, as recorded in Genesis and Exodus, he set his people free from bondage, fought against their enemies and gave them victory, guided them through the Wilderness, daily feed them with manna from heaven, and then gave them the Promised Land of Canaan.
Regrettably, unregenerate men, not able to trust in the Faithfulness of a Covenant God, become "flesh-pleasers." They are all too willing to trust in man, all too ready to submit to the influence of the powerful and the wealthy, welcoming them and their "games" with open arms, and with great enthusiasm, in hopes of securing their fleshly desires.
Regrettably, these unregenerate men, these "Cains," are all too often both incompetent and corrupt, are all too often in the majority, and all too often seize political and economic power.
All to often unregenerate men are willing to submit to the influence of the powerful and the wealthy, as opposed to submitting to the influence of the Faithful, Triune God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who has covenanted to be their God, to redeem them from their rebellious, Fallen State, and to show them "The Way, the Truth, and the Life," both temporal and eternal.
The Ten Commandments are, of course, the "constitution" of that covenant between God and man. Notice that all Ten Commandments speak to covetousness, and the tenth summarizes all that is not to be coveted in the second table, commandments four through ten.
Consequently the world is subject to repeating economic depression and collapse caused by immoral rule, the covetousness, incompetence, and corruption of the Cains in political and economic power.Selfishness and pride will blind even the gifted and learned to the truth. Lust for power and the will to play God will blind us to the truth. Intense nationalistic pride, political bent, alienation during secular schooling, or personal ambitions blind us to the "evident connection between Absolute Truth, sovereign authority, holiness, life, loving obedience, moral behavior, sanctification, justice, freedom (political, economic, and individual), social stability, and real progress. . . ." -- Preface to Biblical Counsel: Resources for Renewal
Bastiat, Frederic (1801-1850), and David Ames Wells (1828-1898), Essays on Political Economy (1877)
http://archive.org/details/essaysonpolitica00bastuoft
Beard, Charles Austin (1874-1948), and Forrest McDonald (introduction), An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States, ISBN: 0029024803.
"In this classic and controversial interpretation of the economic conditions of the United States between 1783-1787, Beard proposes the thesis that the Framers were motivated by economic concerns. In his landmark work, THE GROWTH OF AMERICAN LAW, Hurst describes AN ECONOMIC INTERPRETATION . . . as 'one of "the basic works" on the Federal Convention of 1787.' (Hurst, The Growth of American Law: 458). Beard [1874-1948], was a founder of The New School for Social Research." -- Publisher
Bello, Walden, with Shea Cunningham and Bill Pau, Dark Victory: The United States, Structural Adjustment, and Global Poverty, ISBN: 0935028765 9780935028768.
"Best short work on the role of the IMF in global misery. Bello provides a clear, concise and well evidenced argument that the structural adjustment programs of the IMF and World Bank have sunk the countries of the global south into deeper and deeper debt and impoverishment. Bello sets this argument in the historical frame of the northern backlash against the rising economic power of the south. He also links the economic philosophy behind adjustment to the widening prosperity gap and falling real wages in the north.
"A must read for all those curios about the World Bank and IMF and why people are against them." -- Reader's Comment
Braby, Don, The Greatest Depression of All Time: Will America Survive This Time and What can you do About it, ISBN: 1438201931 9781438201931.
"THE GREATEST DEPRESSION is a book that is written to alert Americans of the coming economic crisis that many believed would occur during the lives of our children's or our grandchildren's lives. However, that time is now. The United States is about to see an economic crisis for the ages. Buy this book now and discover how to prepare for the financial crisis of 2009 and beyond." -- Publisher
"Revisiting his earlier predictions of precarious times in American economics [THE APPROACHING WINTER: THE NEXT GREAT DEPRESSION, 2005], Braby has created a second, more telling book, rife with explanations of our current financial crisis and its symptoms (layoffs, mortgage defaults, chronic unemployment, failure of government and financial institutions to recognize/prevent catastrophe). While I'm no economist, I understood and appreciated Braby's explanation of cyclical economics, and how -- whether it's inflated stocks or a subprime mortgage crisis -- history has a way of repeating itself, especially when it comes to our economy. Detailing an 80-year economic 'cycle,' and weaving in the current effects of a Bear Market on our 'American psyche,' Braby leaves no room for doubt: we're in a mess and should have seen it coming.
"While THE GREATEST DEPRESSION OF ALL TIME isn't a how-to for anyone looking to weather the current financial crisis, it is a solid, well-researched read for those interested in a crash course in American economic history or the state of American economic affairs (through late summer 2008). For that reason, and for Braby's concise, easy approach to economics, I heartily recommend this read." -- Reader's Comment
*Brzezinski, Zbigniew, Out of Control: Global Turmoil on the eve of the Twenty-first Century, ISBN: 0684196301 9780684196305.
"Rarely has there been a book as explosive and challenging as this brilliant analysis of today's massive geopolitical disorder. The triumphant collapse of communism has brought neither economic stability nor social democracy to the former Soviet Union. Nor, for that matter, to the rest of the world. We are living in a time of fragmentation: increasing disunity in Europe, dangerous eruptions in the Islamic republics, growing disparity between the world's rich and poor, and the evils of the 'permissive cornucopia' in America which, through overstimulation of material desires and sensual self-gratification, is leading to the collapse of Western moral and spiritual values. In short, we are living in a philosophical climate that is 'out of control.' It is Zbigniew Brzezinski's firm belief that we must draw both moral and political lessons from the 'megadeaths' of the twentieth century, a century in which at least 167 million people were slaughtered in the name of the 'politics of organized insanity,' or the 'meta-myths' of such dictators as Hitler, Stalin, and Mao, among others. Unless we can practice self-restraint derived from a moral commitment in the quest for global democratic 'interdependence,' we stand destined to risk again our very own survival.
"Lives deliberately extinguished by politically motivated carnage: 167,000,000 to 175,000,000. Including: War Dead: 87,500,000, Military War Dead: 33,500,000, Civilian War Dead: 54,000,000, Not-war Dead: 80,000,000, Communist Oppression: 60,000,000." -- Publisher
Chomsky, Noam, 9-11 by Noam Chomsky, ISBN: 1583224890 9781583224892.
"Though Chomsky repeatedly states that the 9/11 attack is unjustified, he rightly argues that if we fail to understand the context of such an attack, then we're doomed, like the state of Israel, to live without any hope of peace and justice. Throughout the various interviews reproduced in this book, he maintains that 'we should recognize that in much of the world the U.S. is regarded as a leading terrorist state, and with good reason. We might bear in mind, for example, that in 1986 the U.S. was condemned by the World Court for 'unlawful use of force' (international terrorism), and then vetoed a Security Council resolution calling on all states (meaning the U.S.), to adhere to international law.' What the U.S. has done or supported in Vietnam, Granada, Guatemala, Nicaragua, the Sudan, El Salvador, Chile, occupied Palestine, etc. constitute a recent history of political terrorist repression, whereby hundreds of thousands of innocent people, especially women and children, have been killed primarily to protect the political and economic (e.g. oil, coffee), interests of the United States.
"Chomsky reminds us that the current war is nothing new or partisan. The attack on Afghanistan is/will be 10 times as devastating as Clinton's attack on the Sudan in which the 'death toll from the bombing has continued, quietly, to rise . . . Thus, tens of thousands of people -- many of them children -- have suffered and died from malaria, tuberculosis, and other treatable diseases . . .' And this attack as we must remember was done based on the same current erroneous reasons given for the current attack on the people of Afghanistan and Iraq -- all three in pursuit of a despotic leader.
"Not a supporter of the Islamic fundamentalist bin Landen, Chomsky does remind readers of the history of the U.S. in Afghanistan whereby in the 1980s, the U.S. trained and funded networks to commit a 'holy war against the Russian occupiers . . . .' By 1989, they [the Mujahidin, in which bin Landen was a principle leader], succeeded in their Holy War in Afghanistan. As soon as the U.S. established a permanent military presence in Saudi Arabia, bin Landen and the rest announced that from their point of view, that was comparable to the Russian occupation of Afghanistan and they turned their guns on the Americans, as had already happened in 1983 when the U.S. had military forces in Lebanon. Saudi Arabia is a major enemy of the bin Laden network, just as Egypt is. That's what they want to overthrow, what they call the un-Islamic governments of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, other states of the Middles East, and North Africa. And it continued." -- Reader's Comment
Chomsky, Noam, and Edward S. Herman, The Washington Connection and Third World Fascism (Political Economy of Human Rights, Vol. 1), ISBN: 0896080919 9780896080911.
"Chomsky and Herman present a brilliant, shattering, and convincing account of United States-backed suppression of political and human rights in the Third World. The 'best and brightest' pundits of the status quo emerge from this book thoroughly denuded of their credibility." -- Publisher
Clark, William Roberts, Capitalism, not Globalism: Capital Mobility, Central Bank Independence, and the Political Control of the Economy, ISBN: 0472112937 9780472112937.
Coral Ridge Ministries, Economic Manifesto. A call to America's Leaders: Reverse our Nation's Disastrous Economic Policies! (Fort Lauderdale, FL: Coral Ridge Ministries).
"You shall not steal (Exodus 20:15 NKJV), applies to government, just as it does to private individuals. Tax policy to redistribute income, to take from the rich and give to the poor, and economic policy to steal from everyone to bail out the rich, amounts to 'legalized theft' and violates God's law.
"Socialism threatens freedom.
"Man is sinful (Genesis 3, Romans 3:23), and any system that places economic and political power in the hands of a few is a threat to liberty. Socialism concentrates economic authority in government and empowers politicians to impose their will and 'wisdom' on the marketplace by force of law.
"Government should not play favorites.
"The proper role of government is to ensure a level playing field by providing equal justice to all. Federal policy should favor neither poor nor rich: You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty." (Leviticus 19:15 NKJV) -- Coral Ridge Ministries
https://store.coralridge.org/_layouts/CRMCommon/pages/Economic%20Manifesto.htm
Cunningham, William (1805-1861), Politics and Economics: An Essay on the Nature of the Principles of Political Economy Together With a Survey of Recent Legislation.
Ellul, Jacques (1912-1994), Money and Power, ISBN: 0551013923 9780551013926.
"Discusses the ethics of wealth and incidentally elucidates the Biblical teaching on money and its use. . . ." -- Cyril J. Barber
"In this one of many brilliant books by Ellul, he exposes the folly of a purely collective, societal approach, such as that offered by communism, or capitalism. Instead, through a study of various Biblical references in the Old and New Testament, puts the responsibility on the individual. The new covenant of Jesus is compared to the Old Testament pattern of wealth as a sign of blessing. He examines the teaching of Jesus on God and Mammon. Contemporary models of stewardship are exposed as inadequate. Further, he clearly shows the underlying power money has over a person, despite any feelings of control we may think we have. The teachings of Jesus about giving and trusting provide the path to freedom -- every hair is numbered. Only by God's grace and transforming love are we able to overcome this subtle and insidious power. Highly recommended, especially at a time in our history when many have lost faith in the market." -- Reader's Comment
*Galbraith, James, The Predator State: How Conservatives Abandoned the Free Market and why Liberals Should too, ISBN: 141656683X 9781416566830.
"Shows how to break the spell that conservatives have cast over the minds of liberals (and everyone else), for many years." -- Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences (2001)
"The cult of the free market has dominated economic policy-talk since the Reagan revolution of nearly thirty years ago. Tax cuts and small government, monetarism, balanced budgets, deregulation, and free trade are the core elements of this dogma, a dogma so successful that even many liberals accept it. But a funny thing happened on the bridge to the twenty-first century. While liberals continue to bow before the free-market altar, conservatives in the style of George W. Bush have abandoned it altogether. That is why principled conservatives -- the Reagan true believers -- long ago abandoned Bush.
"Enter James K. Galbraith, the iconoclastic economist. In this riveting book, Galbraith first dissects the stale remains of Reaganism and shows how Bush and company had no choice except to dump them into the trash. He then explores the true nature of the Bush regime: a 'corporate republic,' bringing the methods and mentality of big business to public life; a coalition of lobbies, doing the bidding of clients in the oil, mining, military, pharmaceutical, agribusiness, insurance, and media industries; and a predator state, intent not on reducing government but rather on diverting public cash into private hands. In plain English, the Republican Party has been hijacked by political leaders who long since stopped caring if reality conformed to their message.
"Galbraith follows with an impertinent question: if conservatives no longer take free markets seriously, why should liberals? Why keep liberal thought in the straitjacket of pay-as-you-go, of assigning inflation control to the Federal Reserve, of attempting to 'make markets work'? Why not build a new economic policy based on what is really happening in this country?
"The real economy is not a free-market economy. It is a complex combination of private and public institutions, including Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, higher education, the housing finance system, and a vast federal research establishment. The real problems and challenges -- inequality, climate change, the infrastructure deficit, the subprime crisis, and the future of the dollar -- are problems that cannot be solved by incantations about the market. They will be solved only with planning, with standards and other policies that transcend and even transform markets.
"A timely, provocative work whose message will endure beyond this election season, THE PREDATOR STATE will appeal to the broad audience of thoughtful Americans who wish to understand the forces at work in our economy and culture and who seek to live in a nation that is both prosperous and progressive." -- Publisher
"James Galbraith has written an extremely challenging book. Although its principal target is conservative economics, it is no less critical of conventional liberalism. Galbraith correctly recognizes that today both approaches are intellectually bankrupt and incapable of addressing the nation's pressing economic problems. I hope The Predator State stimulates needed debate among both liberals and conservatives on the mistakes both sides have made that have gotten us to where we are now." -- Bruce Bartlett, author of Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy
Huffington, Arianna, Pigs at the Trough: How Corporate Greed and Political Corruption are Undermining America, ISBN: 1400047714 9781400047710.
"Who filled the trough? Who set the table at the banquet of greed? How has it been possible for corporate pigs to gorge themselves on grossly inflated pay packages and heaping helpings of stock options while the average American struggles to make do with their leftovers?
"Provocative political commentator Arianna Huffington yanks back the curtain on the unholy alliance of CEOs, politicians, lobbyists, and Wall Street bankers who have shown a brutal disregard for those in the office cubicles and on the factory floors. As she puts it: 'The economic game is not supposed to be rigged like some shady ring toss on a carnival midway.' Yet it has been, allowing corporate crooks to bilk the public out of trillions of dollars, magically making our pensions and 401(k)s disappear and walking away with astronomical payouts and absurdly lavish perks-for-life.
"The media have put their fingers on pieces of the sordid puzzle, but Pigs at the Trough presents the whole ugly picture of what's really going on for the first time -- blistering, wickedly witty portrait of exactly how and why the worst and the greediest are running American business and government into the ground.
"Tyco's Dennis Kozlowski, Adelphia's John Rigas, and the Three Horsemen of the Enron Apocalypse -- Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling, and Andrew Fastow -- are not just a few bad apples. They are manifestations of a megatrend in corporate leadership -- the rise of a callous and avaricious mind-set that is wildly out of whack with the core values of the average American. WorldCom, Enron, Adelphia, Tyco, AOL, Xerox, Merrill Lynch, and the other scandals are only the tip of the tip of the corruption iceberg.
"Making the case that our public watchdogs have become little more than obedient lapdogs, unwilling to bite the corporate hand that feeds them, Arianna Huffington turns the spotlight on the tough reforms we must demand from Washington. We need, she argues, to go way beyond the lame Corporate Responsibility Act if we are to stop the voracious corporate predators from eating away at the very foundations of our democracy.
"Devastatingly funny and powerfully indicting, PIGS AT THE TROUGH is a rousing call to arms and a must-read for all those who are outraged by the scandalous state of corporate America." -- Publisher
"The gluttony continues! Every day brings another jaw-dropping new example of precisely the kind of political and corporate outrages that prompted me to write Pigs at the Trough. As I wrote in the book, our representatives in Washington have tried to fool us with a Madison Avenue version of reform, featuring glitzy bill signings and execs-in-chains photo-ops but pitifully little substance. The president's assertion in his State of the Union address that one of the greatest accomplishments of his presidency was reforming corporate America was outrageous. The ongoing march of corporate sleaze proves otherwise.
"In just the last few weeks alone, as we prepare our own taxes, we've learned that the Wall Street firms who've agreed to pay $1.5 billion to settle conflict-of-interest charges will actually be able to claim the vast majority of those payments as tax deductions. Think of that: not only do these financial flimflam artists escape criminal indictment, they get a massive write-off to boot! Then there's the astounding story of how Sprint's top two executives paid no taxes on $288 million in stock-option profits thanks to highly imaginative tax shelters dreamed up by the accounting alchemists at Ernst and Young. And you were worried about whether you could deduct that $42 dollar business lunch you had with a friend?
"PIGS AT THE TROUGH shows how and why such appalling abuses continue to happen -- and why Washington continues to turn a blind eye.
"Normally, it's satisfying to be right. But in this case, it's just plain nauseating." -- Arianna Huffington
*Kelly, Marjorie, The Divine Right of Capital: Dethroning the Corporate Aristocracy, ISBN: 1576752372 9781576752371.
First published just prior to the Enron debacle, the new paperback edition, includes new material on Enron.
"Wealth inequality, corporate welfare, and industrial pollution are symptoms -- the fevers and chills of the economy. The underlying illness, says Business Ethics magazine founder Marjorie Kelly, is shareholder primacy: the corporate drive to make profits for shareholders, no matter who pays the cost. In THE DIVINE RIGHT OF CAPITAL, Kelly argues that focusing on the interests of stockholders to the exclusion of everyone else's interests is a form of discrimination based on property or wealth. She shows how this bias is held by our institutional structures, much as they once held biases against blacks and women. THE DIVINE RIGHT OF CAPITAL exposes six aristocratic principles that corporations are built on, principles that we would never accept in our modern democratic society but which we accept unquestioningly in our economy. Wealth bias is a holdover from our pre-democratic past. It has enabled shareholders to become a kind of economic aristocracy. Kelly shows how to design more equitable alternatives -- new property rights, new forms of corporate governance, new ways of looking at corporate performance -- that build on both free-market and democratic principles. We think of shareholder primacy as the natural law of the free market, much as our forebears thought of monarchy as the most natural form of government. But in THE DIVINE RIGHT OF CAPITAL, Kelly brilliantly demonstrates that it is no more 'natural' than any other human creation. People designed this system and people can change it. We need a change of mind as profound as that of the American Revolution. We must question the legitimacy of a system that gives the wealthy few -- the ten percent of Americans who own ninety percent of all stock -- a disproportionate power over the many. In so doing, we can fulfill the democratic principles of our nation not only in the political sphere, but in the economic sphere as well." -- Publisher
"Brilliant. So simple. So direct. And so beautifully written. I think we have found our Thomas Paine for the new millennium." -- David Korten, author of When Corporations Rule the World
"Marjorie Kelly is the cofounder and editor of Business Ethics, a national publication on corporate social responsibility. Kelly's writing has appeared in publications such as The Utne Reader, The Progressive Populist, Tikkun, Earth Island Journal, Hope Magazine, and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Her work has been anthologized in a half-dozen books, including THE NEW ENTREPRENEURS and THE NEW PARADIGM IN BUSINESS. Kelly is a regular speaker and commentator on business ethics and corporate social responsibility featured in The Wall Street Journal, quoted in the New York Times, and interviewed frequently on NPR and other radio networks." -- Publisher
Divine Right of Capital
http://www.divinerightofcapital.com/
Business Ethics Magazine
http://www.business-ethics.com/
An Opening for Change: Understanding the Enron Crisis
Excerpted from THE DIVINE RIGHT OF CAPITAL: DETHRONING THE CORPORATE ARISTOCRACY, by Marjorie Kelly, San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, paperback edition 2003
http://www.divinerightofcapital.com/new_agenda.htm
Corporate Accountability Project
http://www.corporations.org/
Corporate Governance
http://corpgov.net/
Code for Corporate Responsibility
http://www.c4cr.org/
Kennedy, D. James (1930-2007), The Mortgaging of America, ISBN: 9781929626038 1929626037.
"The stock market is down. Unemployment is up. And Congress is furiously spending taxpayer dollars to 'bail out' our ailing economy.
"We are in a time of economic trouble. One in which America desperately needs the timeless truths of God's Word.
"These messages from Dr. D. James Kennedy offer enduring biblical wisdom that transcends today's frightening headlines and give both understanding and hope.
"THE MORTGAGING OF AMERICA presents Dr. Kennedy's warning about the dangers of socialism, a failed economic system now gaining popularity on Capitol Hill. It also gives readers biblical perspective on economics, the nature and reason for work-the difference between justice and charity -- and the way in which the concept of 'social justice' has led to America's welfare state mentality.
"The perspective, wisdom, and guidance provided in this book reveal the causes of many of our fiscal woes and shed light on the pathway to true economic recovery." -- Publisher
*Korten, David C., When Corporations Rule the World, 2nd edition, ISBN: 1887208046 9781887208048.
"WHEN CORPORATIONS RULE THE WORLD explains how economic globalization has concentrated the power to govern in global corporations and financial markets and detached them from accountability to the human interest. It documents the devastating human and environmental consequences of the successful efforts of these corporations to reconstruct values and institutions everywhere on the planet to serve their own narrow ends. It also reveals why and how millions of people are acting to reclaim their political and economic power from these elitist forces and presents a policy agenda for restoring democracy and rooting economic power in people and communities. This new edition is expanded with new information, including a new preface, a new introduction, a new chapter on The Global Democracy Movement, and a new epilogue.
"David C. Korten is board chair of the Positive Futures Network, publishers of YES! A Journal of Positive Futures, and founder and president of The People-Centered Development Forum. He is a former faculty member of the Harvard Business School and the author of nine previous books including the bestselling WHEN CORPORATIONS RULE THE WORLD and THE POST-CORPORATE WORLD." -- Publisher
Yes! Magazine
http://www.yesmagazine.org/
McChesney, Fred S., Money for Nothing: Politicians, Rent Extraction, and Political Extortion, ISBN: 0674583302 9780674583306.
"Surveys reveal that a majority of Americans believe government is run for special interests, not public interest. The increased presence and power of lobbyists in Washington and the excesses of PAC and campaign contributions, in-kind benefits, and other favors would seem to indicate a government of weak public servants corrupted by big private-interest groups.
"But as Fred McChesney shows, this perspective affords only a partial understanding of why private interests are paying, and what they are paying for. Consider, for example, Citicorp, the nation's largest banking company, whose registered lobbyists spend most of their time blocking legislation that could hurt any one of the company's credit-card, loan, or financial-service operations. What this scenario suggests, the author argues, is that payments to politicians are often made not for political favors, but to avoid political disfavor, that is, as part of a system of political extortion or 'rent extraction.'
"The basic notion of rent extraction is simple: because the state can legally take wealth from its citizens, politicians can extort from private parties payments not to expropriate private wealth. In that sense, rent (that is, wealth), extraction is 'money for nothing' -- money paid in exchange for politicians' inaction. After constructing this model of wealth extraction, McChesney tests it with many examples, including several involving routine proposals of tax legislation, followed by withdrawal for a price. He also shows how the model applies more generally to regulation. Finally, he examines how binding contracts are written between private interests and politicians not to extract wealth.
"This book, standing squarely at the intersection of law, political science, and economics, vividly illustrates the patterns of legal extortion underlying the current fabric of interest-group politics.
"Fred S. McChesney is Professor of Law at the Cornell Law School." -- Publisher
"To support his view that rent extraction imposes enormous costs on the economy, McChesney provides a wealth of evidence from recent policy debates. For example, he cites the United States Federal Trade Commission's efforts -- at the request of Congress -- to impose warranty and defect disclosure requirements on used car dealers as an attempt by individual members of Congress to obtain campaign contributions in exchange for voiding the rules. In this instance, he provides statistics on contributions made by the National Auto Dealers' Association to members of Congress who voted to repeal the regulations. In discussing the Supreme Court's response to the wheeling and dealing, he points out that the dealers were essentially tricked into paying to repeal legislation that Congress never intended to enact anyway.
"On the Clinton health care plan, he states that stock prices of pharmaceutical firms began to fall before the policy was formally proposed. He emphasizes that investors knew that once price controls became an issue, the firms involved would have to spend money fighting the legislation by making campaign contributions. Thus, the firms were expected to lose enormous sums of money whether or not the bill was actually passed. Most importantly, he points out that the firms were never able to recover any of the money they lost in the process.
"In addition to legislative threats to impose price caps, he cites situations in which politicians threaten to repeal existing price caps to obtain contributions. For example, he states that proposals to raise admission fees at Yellowstone National Park have met with resistance from local merchants and users who benefit from lower prices. In other words, politicians can even threaten regulatory systems that they inherited from previous regimes in order to extract contributions from the firms that benefit from those systems. . . ." -- Reader's Comment
McDonald, Forrest, and Russell Kirk, We the People: The Economic Origins of the Constitution, ISBN: 1560005742 9781560005742.
"Few vices are easier to arouse than envy. Politicians and ideologues have had great success exploiting the resentment that arises when pitting rich against the poor.
"From the time of its publication in 1913 until the 1960s, Charles Beard's thesis dominated discussion of the founders' motives. In the mode of the Marxist interpretation of history as class struggle, Beard argued that economic self-interest, rather than concern for the general good, determined the writing and outcome of the Constitution.
"Interestingly, Beard asserted his system of alignment without actually proving it, admitting that his work was fragmentary because it failed to fill in the blanks. The real legwork of research wasn't done until over fifty years later, when historian Forrest McDonald put Beard's thesis to the test. McDonald dug through numerous public records to write economic biographies of the delegates (the 55 who attended the Constitutional Convention and the 1,750 members at the state conventions), analyzing their occupations, income, and assets. By comparing these to how the delegates voted, he found that Beard's thesis was incompatible with the facts.
"In We the People McDonald analyzed the geographical and political factions represented by delegates, their property holdings and occupations, their voting patterns, if any, and whether they benefited directly from the proposed Constitution. For the state conventions he divided chapters into states favorable, divided, and opposed to the Constitution. At the end he re-evaluated Beard's thesis and discussed whether any economic interpretation could be applied to our founding given the complexity and variety of occupations and opinions that existed.
"The result was a remarkable, though at times necessarily tedious, bit of historical detective work. Very likely it came as a great relief to many Americans to learn that the founders had something other than their own economic gain at heart. Probably few were surprised that the founders were a much more diverse group than Beard had realized.
"We may find that independence difficult to believe today, when the forces of selfishness, materialism, and special interest seem so dominant, not merely among political and business leaders but among the general populace. Today propagandists still want to align people into absolutes, much like trial lawyers who portray their clients as angels and their opponents as devils. Our shallow political debates revolve around false dichotomies such as the Party of Business and the Party of the Common Man. But I imagine this adversarial, intellectually dishonest approach will continue to be used as an effective tool as long as there is envy to be harvested in the heart of man." -- Reader's Comment
Mooney, S.C., Usury: Destroyer of Nations.
"Nothing quite like this book to be found anywhere which thoroughly covers this important topic of usury (charging interest), from a foundation of God's Word. A definition and history of usury is given along with a survey of Biblical texts and popular excuses for usury. Mooney concludes with a call to repentance." -- GCB
Includes bibliographical references.
North, Gary, Introduction to Christian Economics,
Institute for Christian Economics Freebooks.com
http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/
North, Gary, The Pirate Economy, ISBN: 0930462254 9780930462253.
Institute for Christian Economics Freebooks.com
http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/
North, Gary, Salvation Through Inflation: The Economics of Social Credit, ISBN: 0930464648 9780930464646 0930464664 9780930464660.
Institute for Christian Economics Freebooks.com
http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/
North, Gary, The Sinai Strategy: Economics and the Ten Commandments, ISBN: 0930464079 9780930464073.
"A detailed exploration of the Ten Commandments and their social, political and especially, economic implications for all of mankind. Nations in which the Bible is freely preached tend to adopt a free market economy. The capitalism vs. socialism controversy is really God vs. Satan." -- GCB
Institute for Christian Economics Freebooks.com
http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/
North, Gary, Successful Investing in an Age of Envy, ISBN: 0930462084 9780930462086.
Institute for Christian Economics Freebooks.com
http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), No Longer Business as Usual: Fighting Bribery and Corruption, ISBN: 9264176608 9789264176607.
"Corruption respects no borders, knows no economic distinctions, and infects all forms of government. Today, corruption has moved to the top of the global political agenda as its dramatic impact on economic development and its corrosive effect on political stability and democratic political institutions has become increasingly obvious. In the new millennium, the OECD and associated governments, which account for over 75 percent of trade and investment worldwide, will play by stricter rules. The Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions will outlaw the practice of bribing foreign officials, making competition for international business much more fair and open. Bribery in commercial transactions is only part of the problem. A whole arsenal of legal instruments to combat corruption have now been developed to improve ethical standards in the public sector, to end tax deductibility for bribes, to curtail money laundering, and to clean up public procurement practices. This book provides the key elements needed to build and preserve corruption-free institutions, systems, and private enterprises."
Paul, Ron, The Revolution: A Manifesto, ISBN: 9780446537513 0446537519.
"This Much Is True: You Have Been Lied To.
"In THE REVOLUTION, Texas Congressman and Presidential Candidate Ron Paul has exposed the core truths behind everything threatening America, from the real reasons behind the collapse of the dollar and the looming financial crisis, to terrorism and the loss of our precious civil liberties. In this book, Ron Paul provides answers to questions that few even dare to ask. . .The government is expanding. Taxes are increasing. More senseless wars are being planned. Inflation is ballooning. "Our basic freedoms are disappearing. . . .
*Phillips, Kevin, Wealth and Democracy: A Political History of the American Rich, ISBN: 0767905334 9780767905336.
"For more than thirty years, Kevin Phillips' insight into American politics and economics has helped to make history as well as record it. His bestselling books, including THE EMERGING REPUBLICAN MAJORITY (1969) and THE POLITICS OF RICH AND POOR (1990), have influenced presidential campaigns and changed the way America sees itself. Widely acknowledging Phillips as one of the nation's most perceptive thinkers, reviewers have called him a latter-day Nostradamus and our 'modern Thomas Paine.' Now, in the first major book of its kind since the 1930s, he turns his attention to the United States' history of great wealth and power, a sweeping cavalcade from the American Revolution to what he calls 'the Second Gilded Age' at the turn of the twenty-first century.
"The Second Gilded Age has been staggering enough in its concentration of wealth to dwarf the original Gilded Age a hundred years earlier. However, the tech crash and then the horrible events of September 11, 2001, pointed out that great riches are as vulnerable as they have ever been. In WEALTH AND DEMOCRACY, Kevin Phillips charts the ongoing American saga of great wealth -- how it has been accumulated, its shifting sources, and its ups and downs over more than two centuries. He explores how the rich and politically powerful have frequently worked together to create or perpetuate privilege, often at the expense of the national interest and usually at the expense of the middle and lower classes.
"With intriguing chapters on history and bold analysis of present-day America, Phillips illuminates the dangerous politics that go with excessive concentration of wealth. Profiling wealthy Americans -- from Astor to Carnegie and Rockefeller to contemporary wealth holders -- Phillips provides fascinating details about the peculiarly American ways of becoming and staying a multimillionaire. He exposes the subtle corruption spawned by a money culture and financial power, evident in economic philosophy, tax favoritism, and selective bailouts in the name of free enterprise, economic stimulus, and national security.
"Finally, WEALTH AND DEMOCRACY turns to the history of Britain and other leading world economic powers to examine the symptoms that signaled their declines -- speculative finance, mounting international debt, record wealth, income polarization, and disgruntled politics -- signs that we recognize in America at the start of the twenty-first century. In a time of national crisis, Phillips worries that the growing parallels suggest the tide may already be turning for us all." -- Publisher
Pipes, Richard, Property and Freedom, ISBN: 0375704477 9780375704475.
"While the bulk of the book compares England and Russia, showing how varying attitudes toward private property led these two nations in totally different directions, the final section examines the broad theme of property rights in the late 20th century -- a period when they have come under assault, and have been made increasingly conditional, by the growing strength of the welfare state. Pipes concludes with a broadside against New Deal and Great Society programs. Although liberal readers may bristle, none can deny that PROPERTY AND FREEDOM is the product of a great mind tackling a big theme with great enthusiasm." -- John J. Miller
*Powell, Jim, FDR's Folly: How Roosevelt and His New Deal Prolonged the Great Depression, ISBN: 140005477X 9781400054770.
"The Great Depression and the New Deal. For generations, the collective American consciousness has believed that the former ruined the country and the latter saved it. Endless praise has been heaped upon President Franklin Delano Roosevelt for masterfully reining in the Depression's destructive effects and propping up the country on his New Deal platform. In fact, FDR has achieved mythical status in American history and is considered to be, along with Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln, one of the greatest presidents of all time. But would the Great Depression have been so catastrophic had the New Deal never been implemented?
"In FDR'S FOLLY, historian Jim Powell argues that it was in fact the New Deal itself, with its shortsighted programs, that deepened the Great Depression, swelled the federal government, and prevented the country from turning around quickly. You'll discover in alarming detail how FDR's federal programs hurt America more than helped it, with effects we still feel today, including:
"This groundbreaking book pulls back the shroud of awe and the cloak of time enveloping FDR to prove convincingly how flawed his economic policies actually were, despite his good intentions and the astounding intellect of his circle of advisers. In today's turbulent domestic and global environment, eerily similar to that of the 1930s, it's more important than ever before to uncover and understand the truth of our history, lest we be doomed to repeat it. -- PublisherHow Social Security actually increased unemployment
How higher taxes undermined good businesses
How new labor laws threw people out of work
And much more
"The economic results of FDR's programs were devastating. For example, consider the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA). The price and production controls of the AAA led to perverse practices such as millions of tons of domestic oat and corn being burned while the U.S. simultaneously imported oat and corn, millions of peaches being left to rot and millions of 'excess' pigs being needlessly slaughtered while lard was being imported from overseas. The extent of economic regulation under the FDR Administration reached such absurd levels, there was even a government board organized solely to control the production and pricing of milk![We think the Cato Institute is naive here, or playing into the hands of the Aristocracy of Wealth. One major factor in economic depression is the Governments failure to enforce regulations on business, regulations that may be seen as "token regulations" that deceive the public. In fact, they are never enforced. The Securities and Exchange Commission is a prime example. -- compiler]. Programs that inundated private businesses with unprecedented waves of regulations, such as the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, the National Recovery Administration and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Programs that redistributed wealth from producers to consumers, such as the Federal Emergency Relief Act and the Reconstruction Finance Corporation.
Programs that nationalized industries, centrally planned infrastructure or created make-work projects to increase employment such as the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Public Works Administration and the Tennessee Valley Authority. Powell argues that these programs typically led to poorly planned infrastructure that was more expensive than what could have been acquired in a free market.
"From reading this book, you will also learn that many of FDR's earliest programs, such as the AAA and the National Recovery Act, were originally ruled as unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. Unfortunately FDR stayed in office long enough to appoint 7 of the 9 sitting supreme court justices, which eventually opened the floodgates for New Deal reforms. Thus, is the unforeseen danger of having a President serve more than two terms.That government spending is always good for the economy, even if it is engaging in pointless ventures such as building pyramids.
War is good for the economy.
Gold (as a standard of currency), is a "barbarous relic" that prevents economic growth.
A capitalist economy will inevitably slow to a halt without periodic bolsters from centralized planning.
Consumption (i.e., the destruction of wealth), not production, drives the economy. Thus, government should redistribute wealth from those who would invest it to those who would spend it.
*Robbins, John W. (1949-2008), Ecclesiastical Megalomania: The Economic and Political Thought of the Roman Catholic Church, ISBN: 0940931753 9780940931756.
"This book is a detailed examination of the official statements of the Vatican on economic and political matters. It demonstrates the collectivism and totalitarianism of the Roman Catholic Church-State. It is the only such book written by a Christian in the twentieth century.
"This book explores the conflict between Roman Catholic social thought and human freedom, relying on official pronouncements from the Vatican to show that the political and economic theory of the Roman Church-State justifies feudalism, corporativism [corporatism -- compiler], liberation theology, the welfare state, and fascism.
"Dr. John W. Robbins attended Grove City College (A.B. 1969), and The Johns Hopkins University (M.A. 1970, Ph.D. 1973). He has served as chief of staff for a Member of Congress [Ron Paul of Texas], editor of The Freeman magazine, Economist for The Heritage Foundation, and Professor of Political Philosophy in The Freedom School." -- Publisher
Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, Samuel Rutherford, John Owen, Thomas Manton, The Westminster Assembly, James Renwick, Archibald Mason, Christopher Ness, Francis Turretin, The Reformed Presbytery, David Steel, James R. Willson, Alexander M'Leod, William L. Roberts, James Aiken Wylie, Andrew Wilet, Henry Wilkinson, James Wylie, Patrick Fairbairn, James Aiken, Andrew Wilet, Alexander Hislop, Francis Nigel Lee, Arthur W. Pink, and so forth, and so on, have all believed and argued in print that the seated Pope is the Antichrist of the Bible.
The Roman Church-State is "the world's oldest, largest, most powerful and most influential politico-ecclesiastical institution" and it "may also be the world's wealthiest." The Roman Catholic Institution is the ultimate "negative guide to the positive," the reformers ultimate "opposite guide to political and economic reform."
*Robbins, John (1949-2008), Freedom and Capitalism: Essays on Christian Politics and Economics, ISBN: 1891777157 9781891777158.
"The relationship between Christianity, freedom, and capitalism has been a subject of scholarly study for centuries. In this volume, John Robbins argues that political and economic freedom are the results of Biblical Christianity. Political freedom and capitalism arose in Northwestern Europe and North America after the Christian Reformation of the 16th century, and they are unique in world history. The nations and peoples that heard and accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ as proclaimed by the Reformers quickly became free and prosperous on a scale previously unimaginable. Some historians and economists have denied any causal connection between Christianity, freedom, and capitalism, but they are able to deny this connection only by ignoring clear philosophical, economic, legal, sociological, and historical evidence demonstrating that Christianity is the source of capitalism.
"Dr. John W. Robbins attended Grove City College (A.B. 1969), and The Johns Hopkins University (M.A. 1970, Ph.D. 1973). He has served as chief of staff for a Member of Congress, editor of The Freeman magazine, Economist for The Heritage Foundation, and Professor of Political Philosophy in The Freedom School." -- Publisher
Table of Contents: Foreword | Politics | The Founder of Western Civilization | The Sine Qua Non of Enduring Freedom | Some Problems with Natural Law | The Political Philosophy of the Founding Fathers | The Bible and the Draft | The Messianic Character of American Foreign Policy | Truth and Foreign Policy | Compassionate Fascism | Conservatism: An Autopsy | Rightwing Radical Chic | The Reconstructionist Assault on Freedom | Roman Catholic Totalitarianism | The Relation of Church and State (Charles Hodge) | Abortion, the Christian, and the State | The Ethics and Economics of Health Care | The Chickens' Homecoming (John Whitehead) | The Coming Caesars (John Whitehead) | Rebuilding American Freedom in the Twenty-first Century | The Religious Wars of the Twenty-First Century | Economics: The Failure of Secular Economics | The Promise of Christian Economics | Teaching Economics from the Bible | The Neo-Evangelical Assault on Capitalism | The Reformed Assault on Capitalism | The Roman Catholic Assault on Capitalism | How Romanism Ruined America | Not Yours to Give (Edward Ellis) | Money, Freedom, and the Bible | The Case Against Indexation | Is Christianity Tied to Any Political or Economic System? | Ecology: The Abolition of Man | Scripture Index | Index | The Crisis of Our Time | Intellectual Ammunition
*Robbins, John W. (1949-2008), The Grand Inquisitor's Second Coming.
"Totalitarianism is historically the most prevalent form of human government, from the tribal society in which all activities are regulated by the tribe or its rulers, the council, and witch doctor, to the totalitarianism of the Middle Ages when the Roman Church ruled all of life. . . . It is these more enduring forms of totalitarianism that will still be with us when the ghosts of Marx and Lenin are finally busted. . . . It is this new religiosity that will threaten the political, economic, religious, and social freedom of men in the twenty-first century. . . ." -- John W. Robbins
See: The Grand Inquisitor, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
http://www.trinityfoundation.org/reviews/journal.asp?ID=070a.html
*Robbins, John W. (1949-2008), Money, Freedom and the Bible.
"Paul does not regard government as provider of income, health care, education, national parks, money, or any of the other services common to our modern welfare states; its function is quite simple: to punish wrongdoers." A lecture given at the Gold Standard Corporation Conference, August 1989.
*Robbins, John W. (1949-2008), Rebuilding American Freedom in the Twenty-first Century.
"This article was originally written in 1996. It was first published in 2006 in FREEDOM AND CAPITALISM: ESSAYS ON CHRISTIAN POLITICS AND ECONOMICS by John W. Robbins.
"By almost any measure, by virtually any criterion one selects, our fathers were freer and more civilized than we are, and their fathers had been freer and more civilized than they were."
http://www.trinityfoundation.org/PDF/281-Rebuilding_Freedom_in_America.pdf
Robbins, John W. (1949-2008), Slavery Christianity: Paul's Letter to Philemon, an article (Unicoi, TN: The Trinity Foundation, November, 2005), ISBN: 1891777173 9781891777172.
"Slavery. Racism. Rebellion. Civil disobedience. The problems are as pressing today as they were 1900 years ago when the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to a slave-owner, Philemon, about his runaway slave -- and the runaway slave carried Paul's letter back to his legal owner.
"What did the letter say? Did Paul -- does Christianity -- approve of slavery? Does Christianity condone slavery? Or does the Gospel abolish slavery and establish freedom wherever it is believed? Jesus said, If you abide in my Word, you are my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:31,32)
"Paul's letter to Philemon is a masterpiece of divinely inspired political philosophy. It provides the basis for the non-violent abolition of slavery wherever the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached and believed.
"Dr. John W. Robbins holds the Ph.D. in Political Philosophy from The Johns Hopkins University. His most recent book is FREEDOM AND CAPITALISM: ESSAYS ON CHRISTIAN POLITICS AND ECONOMICS." -- Publisher
Ross, Robert Gaylon, Sr. Who's who of the Elite: Members of the Bilderbergs, Council on Foreign Relations, and Trilateral Commission, ISBN: 0964988801 9780964988804.
"The January 2000 revision brings an all-new source of information about the international banking cabal that is dominating the entire world, both politically and economically. Every page is new and improved over the 1996 edition, which was very good, as well." -- Robert Gaylon Ross, Sr.
Rothbard, Murray N., What has Government Done to our Money, ISBN: 0945466102 9780945466109.
"Rothbard's most famous monetary essay. It has appeared in multiple editions and influenced two generations of economists, investors, and businessmen. After presenting the basics of money and banking theory, he traces the decline of the dollar from the 18th century to the present, and provides lucid critiques of central banking, New Deal monetary policy, Nixonian fiat money, and fixed exchange rates. He also provides a blueprint for a return to a 100 percent reserve gold standard." -- Publisher
Rushdoony, R.J., (1916-2001), Larceny in the Heart: The Economics of Satan and the Inflationary State, ISBN: 1879998327 9781879998322.
*Rushdoony, Rousas J. (1916-2001), Salvation and Godly Rule, ISBN: 999144789X. Available through Exodus Books.
"The Christian is commissioned to bring all things into captivity to Christ. Godly rule in our personal, family, social, vocation, political, and economic life is a consequence of salvation. Includes 72 short chapters, over 500 pages." -- GCB
Sauer, Richard, Selling America Short: The SEC and Market Contrarians in the Age of Absurdity, ISBN: 9780470582114 0470582111.
"An industry insider reveals the inner workings of our financial system and the agencies who attempt to control it. During his dozen years as an SEC attorney, author Richard Sauer opened and supervised some of its most notable financial cases-investigations that took him to a dozen countries and returned hundreds of millions of dollars to American investors. While a partner at a major law firm and, later, a hedge fund manager, he saw firsthand the follies and failures of our system. Now, in SELLING AMERICA SHORT, he shares his extraordinary experiences with you. SELLING AMERICA SHORT is a gripp. -- Publisher
"Mr. Sauer shares a fascinating professional biography with us. First, he shares his experiences about working at the SEC enforcement division -- breaking down a couple of corporate fraud stories. He then gives us a perspective on municipal bond disclosures and politics. Finally, he walks through his time at a short-focused fund Copper River. This multi-faceted experience weaves together some hard learned conclusions:
1. "It's difficult to count on the SEC to stop financial crooks in a timely manner. Even worse, if you become a vocal critic of these corporate abusers, you run into the financial, legal, and reputational risks yourself. And the government may not always be on your side!
2. "From the fund management perspective, another takeaway is to diversify your investment banking relationships. When the crunch time comes, a hedge fund may run into partner risks that can become existential.
3. "Bottom line, when you become a public critic of the bad guys, do not be surprised to get some rocks be thrown your way. Your own house better be made of steel, or better yet, be a bunker." -- Reader's Comment
*Singer, C. Gregg (1910-1999), From Rationalism to Irrationality: The Decline of the Western Mind From the Renaissance to the Present, ISBN: 0875524281 9780875524283, and a reprint of the P&R Publishing edition of 1979 (Wipf and Stock, 2006), 479 pp.
"Now, frankly students, this course is presented from obviously the Reformed Theology. I hold unabashedly, unashamedly to the whole of Reformed Theology as we find it specifically in the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Longer and Shorter Catechisms.
"At the same time I hold to a position in regard to Apologetics generally known as Presuppositionalism, and particularly that view held by Cornelius Van Til.
"This book is an attempt to enlarge and to broaden the scope of Van Til's own Apologetical system, and also his Epistemology. By that I mean, and I worked this book with him, so anything that I say is not to be construed as a criticism of Cornelius Van Til. I might add he wrote me a letter. He is delighted with this book. But what I did was to take his principles, both of Apologetics and of Epistemology, and apply them to all realms of modern thought.
"Dr. Van Til, for good and sufficient reason, sought to limit to the main stream of what we might call pure Philosophy, that is from Saint Thomas, well even before them, back to the Greeks, but particularly in the more modern period, from Saint Thomas Aquinas, William of Ockham (Occam), down through Descartes, the Rationalists, the Empiricists, down to Kant and Hegel, and of course Modern Philosophy and Modern Theology. Very seldom has he gone into what we might call the arena of Political Philosophy, or the arena of Social Thought, or the arena of Psychology and Psychiatry, the realm of Educational Philosophy, and into Art, Music, and so on, to the Fine Arts.
"This book is an attempt to apply his system, and show what happens when the Western mind has forsaken his principles, or the principles which he has espoused, and turned into its own way. And thus the book called FROM RATIONALISM TO IRRATIONALITY. The thesis being that the Rationalism inherent in Saint Thomas and the post-Thomists, and more particularly, and more openly, in the Philosophy of the Renaissance, and Descartes, and Spinosa, and Leibniz has, as it's gained momentum in the modern world, brought Western Culture to its knees. We are living, as I would think, in the death throws of the Western Cultures, the Western Civilization." -- Dr. C. Gregg Singer, in the introductory address to his course in Apologetics soon after FROM RATIONALISM TO IRRATIONALITY came off the press in 1979
Apologetics: #01: Classical and Medieval Thought #1
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Apologetics, 56 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=2250511453
"Locke endeavored to set forth a political philosophy which would anchor his democratic political thought on what he felt were the firm foundations of his empiricism. However, his insistence that nature has bestowed upon mankind certain basic and inalienable rights was an assumption quite contrary to his empiricism. His denial of conscience as an innate possession or quality makes it impossible for men to know that they possess the rights of life, liberty, and property. The very concept of a human right is moral in nature and has its basis of authority in the human conscience. It is thus impossible for men to know through the senses that they have these cherished human rights. Granted that it was far from Locke's intention to undermine or destroy the traditional English concept of personal rights, his empiricism removed from his political thought the necessary foundations on which a government could be built for the protection of these rights. His empiricism supported neither the idea that men have such rights nor that they are inalienable. (p. 61)
"Underlying the secular and naturalistic assumptions of the thought of the Enlightenment was a related and equally serious problem. In their political and economic thought the leaders of this era were passionately devoted to the pursuit of freedom, and yet they seemed to be completely unaware of this incompatibility between their quest for freedom on the one hand and their reliance upon natural law on the other. How can an impersonal and deterministic concept of law produce and sustain a meaningful concept of freedom? Blindly convinced that there was no problem involved in the contradiction, the leaders of the Enlightenment pushed boldly ahead in the quest for political and economic liberty. However, their failure to recognize the issues involved in this quest led not only to the disaster of the French Revolution but to the growth of the totalitarian political and economic philosophies which first appeared in Hegel and Marx during the nineteenth century and reached their culmination in the totalitarianism of the twentieth century." (p. 73) -- quoted at the blog, Imago Veritatis: Post-modern Reformed Paleo-orthodoxy
Singer used this as textbook for his course in Apologetics. Epistemology is a recurring theme throughout the textbook and the course. The series of 24 addresses on Apologetics is available free online. See: "Apologetics" under:
Works of C. Gregg Singer
http://www.lettermen2.com/bcrr3ch.html#cgsinger
*Singer, C. Gregg (1910-1999), John Calvin: His Roots and Fruits (A Press, 1989), 78 pages.
"What then is the role of the state in economic matters? Is it to stand idly by and take no steps or initiate no policies to defend the poor? The state, in the economic realm, is under a mandate to enforce the moral law and to punish those who break it for the sake of economic gain. It may prevent monopolistic and other business practices which are contrary to the Biblical ethic, as well as stealing and other forms of dishonesty and may pass laws for this purpose. It is certain that Calvin would support more statutes of this kind than some advocates of free enterprise would tolerate today. In general, however, Calvin agreed that the state had no right to undertake schemes of redistributing wealth in order to achieve economic equality. The legislative taking of wealth under the guise of legality is no less stealing than if it is done by robbers and thieves. Such schemes, rather than being an application of Christian principles, are actually a form of human rebellion against the will of God for the right ordering of society." -- C. Gregg Singer in "Calvinism and Economic Thought and Practice"
Notes: "Appeared in volume II of THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHRISTIANITY . . . and was later printed by Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company . . . 1967, for their Philosophical and historical studies series."
Contents: The author; Preface; I. The patristic foundations of calvinism; II. Calvinism: the summit of reformation theology; III. The later history of calvinism; IV. Influence of calvinism on western history and culture; V. Calvinism and economic thought and practice; VI. Calvinism and Philosophy; VII. Calvinism and education; VIII. Calvinism and social thought and practice; Bibliography.
*Singer, C. Gregg (1910-1999), A Theological Interpretation of American History, 1994 edition, 354 pages (Greenville, SC: A Press, 1994, 1981, 1975, 1974, 1964), ISBN: 0875524265 9780875524269. A Christian classic.
This book portrays "the influence of theology and the changing doctrines in the life of the church on the pattern of American political, constitutional, social and economic development.
"The author shows that the decline of constitutional government in this country is the result of the departure from historical Christian faith and the resulting rise of alien political philosophies. Particularly does he emphasize the intimate relationship between theological liberalism on the one hand and political, social, and economic liberalism on the other. This theological liberalism has been a major agent in the decline of the Constitution in the political life of the people and in the appearance of a highly centralized government." -- Publisher
"There is between the democratic philosophy and theological liberalism a basic affinity which has placed them in the same camp in many major political struggles.
"This condition exists because theological liberalism shares the basic postulates of the democratic philosophy. . . .
"Theological liberalism at heart has been a continuing protest against Calvinism, particularly against its insistence on the Sovereignty of God and the Total Depravity of the race. These two Biblical doctrines have often proved to be a stumbling block to theologians within the church as well as to the unbelieving world.
"The result of theological liberalism has been the movement away from constitutionalism and away from liberty, and a movement toward collectivistic society and totalitarian regime." -- C. Gregg Singer, A Theological Interpretation of American History, p. 290
See also: John Knox, the Scottish Covenanters, and the Westminster Assembly (tape 3 of 5), in a series of addresses, History Notes on Presbyterianism, Reformation, and Theology by Dr. C. Gregg Singer on SermonAudio.com
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12607114250
Dr. C. Gregg Singer at SermonAudio.com (161 messages)
http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?SpeakerOnly=true&currSection=sermonsspeaker&Keyword=Dr.^C.^Gregg^Singer
Sowell, Thomas, Applied Economics: Thinking Beyond Stage One, ISBN: 9780465081431, 9780465003457, 0465081436, 0465003451.
"The application of economics to major contemporary real world problems -- housing, medical care, discrimination, the economic development of nations -- is the theme of this new book that tackles these and other issues head on in plain language, as distinguished from the usual jargon of economists. It examines economic policies not simply in terms of their immediate effects but also in terms of their later repercussions, which are often very different and longer lasting. The interplay of politics with economics is another theme of APPLIED ECONOMICS, whose examples are drawn from experiences around the world, showing how similar incentives and constraints tend to produce similar outcomes among very disparate peoples and cultures. -- Publisher
Sowell, Thomas, and Brian Emerson (reader), Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy, an audio-book, ISBN: 9781441733153 1441733159.
"Thomas Sowell has a different idea about how economics should be taught. With this groundbreaking introduction to economics, Sowell has thrown out the graphs, statistics, and jargon. Learning economics, he believes, should be relaxing, and even enjoyable.
"Listen to Basic Economics, narrated by Brian Emerson, on your smartphone, notebook or desktop computer.
"Thomas Sowell is the Rose and Milton Friedman Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. Among his published works are BASIC ECONOMICS, LATE TALKING CHILDREN, and RACE AND CULTURE. He has also published in both academic journals and the popular media including Newsweek, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and 150 newspapers that carry his nationally syndicated column." -- Publisher
Sowell, Thomas, Economic Facts and Fallacies, ISBN: 9780465003495 0465003494.
"From one of America's most distinguished economists, a short, brilliant and revelatory book: the fundamental ideas people most commonly get wrong about economics, and how to think about the subject better.
"ECONOMIC FACTS AND FALLACIES exposes some of the most popular fallacies about economic issues -- and does so in a lively manner and without requiring any prior knowledge of economics by the readers. These fallacies include many beliefs widely disseminated in the media and by politicians, such as fallacies about urban problems, income differences, male-female economic differences, as well as economics fallacies about academia, about race, and about Third World countries.
"One of the themes of ECONOMIC FACTS AND FALLACIES is that fallacies are not simply crazy ideas but in fact have a certain plausibility that gives them their staying power -- and makes careful examination of their flaws both necessary and important, as well as sometimes humorous.
"Written in the easy to follow style of the author's BASIC ECONOMICS, this latest book is able to go into greater depth, with real world examples, on specific issues.
"Thomas Sowell has taught economics at a number of colleges and universities, including Cornell University, University of California, Los Angeles, and Amherst College. He has published both scholarly and popular articles and books on economics, and is currently a scholar in residence at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.
"In this slim volume, Sowell exposes, refutes and debunks six of the major economic fallacies of our time:
1. Urban Facts and Fallacies"As you've probably noticed, these are six of the major flashpoint issues of our times -- and Sowell knocks down the myths and lies the left-wing has worked so hard to spread.
2. Male-Female Facts and Fallacies
3. Academic Facts and Fallacies
4. Income Facts and Fallacies
5. Racial Facts and Fallacies
6. Third World Facts and Fallacies
Spannaus, Nancy (editor), and Christopher White (editor), The Political Economy of the American Revolution, ISBN: 0943235146 978-0943235141.
"Do you Know What the American System of Economics is all About?
"Most Americans actually don't -- and it's not because they are stupid. It's because there's been a systematic suppression of the truth, to the point where it's been written out of the history books and schools throughout the nation. THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was first published in 1977 in order to revive the truth about American history. Newspaper editor Nancy Spannaus and historian Christopher White assembled the crucial writings which defined the American System, as a continuation of the Italian Golden Renaissance tradition, and a war against British imperialism and free trade. They produced a book of readings which served as an assault on the Treason School of American history. This new edition adds some crucial materials, but its guts are the same: the works of Alexander Hamilton and his French predecessor, Jean-Baptiste Colbert. These are writings you either can't find anywhere else, or which are hard to find. They are supplemented by introductory essays by Spannaus and White. The scholar and the conscientious citizen will find this book indispensable. The American war against British imperialist methods continues today, and must be won." -- Publisher
*Stockman, David Alan, The Great Deformation: The Corruption of Capitalism in America, ISBN: 9781586489120 1586489127. Release date: April 2, 2013.
"THE GREAT DEFORMATION is a searing look at Washington's craven response to the recent myriad of financial crises and fiscal cliffs. It counters conventional wisdom with an eighty-year revisionist history of how the American state -- especially the Federal Reserve -- has fallen prey to the politics of crony capitalism and the ideologies of fiscal stimulus, monetary central planning, and financial bailouts. These forces have left the public sector teetering on the edge of political dysfunction and fiscal collapse and have caused America's private enterprise foundation to morph into a speculative casino that swindles the masses and enriches the few. . . .
"Defying right- and left-wing boxes, David Stockman provides a catalogue of corrupters and defenders of sound money, fiscal rectitude, and free markets. The former includes Franklin Roosevelt, who fathered crony capitalism; Richard Nixon, who destroyed national financial discipline and the Bretton Woods gold-backed dollar; Fed chairmen Greenspan and Bernanke, who fostered our present scourge of bubble finance and addiction to debt and speculation; George W. Bush, who repudiated fiscal rectitude and ballooned the warfare state via senseless wars; and Barack Obama, who revived failed Keynesian "borrow and spend" policies that have driven the national debt to perilous heights. By contrast, the book also traces a parade of statesmen who championed balanced budgets and financial market discipline including Carter Glass, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Bill Simon, Paul Volcker, Bill Clinton, and Sheila Bair.
"Stockman's analysis skewers Keynesian spenders and GOP tax-cutters alike, showing how they converged to bloat the welfare state, perpetuate the military-industrial complex, and deplete the revenue base -- even as the Fed's massive money printing allowed politicians to enjoy "deficits without tears." But these policies have also fueled new financial bubbles and favored Wall Street with cheap money and rigged stock and bond markets, while crushing Main Street savers and punishing family budgets with soaring food and energy costs. THE GREAT DEFORMATION explains how we got here and why these warped, crony capitalist policies are an epochal threat to free market prosperity and American political democracy.
"David A. Stockman was elected as a Michigan congressman in 1976 and joined the Reagan White House in 1981. Serving as budget director, he was one of the key architects of the Reagan Revolution plan to reduce taxes, cut spending, and shrink the role of government. He joined Salomon Brothers in 1985 and later became one of the early partners of the Blackstone Group. During nearly two decades at Blackstone and at a firm he founded, Stockman was a private equity investor. Stockman attended Michigan State University and Harvard Divinity School and then went to Washington as a congressional aide in 1970. He is also the author of the New York Times bestseller THE TRIUMPH OF POLITICS: WHY THE REAGAN REVOLUTION FAILED." -- Publisher
*Tocqueville, Alexis de, Seymour Drescher (translator), and Gertrude Himmelfarb (introduction), Memoir on Pauperism, ISBN: 156663167X 9781566631679.
"In this neglected memoir, written just after the first volume of DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA, Tocqueville seeks to understand why the most impoverished countries of Europe in his time had the fewest paupers, while the most opulent nation -- England -- had the most." -- Publisher
*Ubel, Peter A., Free Market Madness: Why Human Nature is at Odds With Economics -- And why it Matters, ISBN: 1422126099 9781422126097.
"In this book, Peter Ubel argues that the combination of human nature and free markets can be downright dangerous for our health and well-being. That government must step in and further regulate the markets that reward those who exploit our weaknesses. He shows that by understanding and controlling the factors that go into our decisions, we can all begin to stop the damage we do to our bodies, our finances, and our economy as a whole." -- Publisher
Valeri, Mark, Heavenly Merchandize: How Religion Shaped Commerce in Puritan America, ISBN: 9780691143590 0691143595.
"HEAVENLY MERCHANDIZE offers a critical reexamination of religion's role in the creation of a market economy in early America. Focusing on the economic culture of New England, it views commerce through the eyes of four generations of Boston merchants, drawing upon their personal letters, diaries, business records, and sermon notes to reveal how merchants built a modern form of exchange out of profound transitions in the Puritan understanding of discipline, providence, and the meaning of New England.
"Mark Valeri traces the careers of men like Robert Keayne, a London immigrant punished by his church for aggressive business practices; John Hull, a silversmith-turned-trader who helped to establish commercial networks in the West Indies; and Hugh Hall, one of New England's first slave traders. He explores how Boston ministers reconstituted their moral languages over the course of a century, from a scriptural discourse against many market practices to a providential worldview that justified England's commercial hegemony and legitimated the market as a divine construct. Valeri moves beyond simplistic readings that reduce commercial activity to secular mind-sets, and refutes the popular notion of an inherent affinity between puritanism and capitalism. He shows how changing ideas about what it meant to be pious and puritan informed the business practices of Boston's merchants, who filled their private notebooks with meditations on scripture and the natural order, founded and led churches, and inscribed spiritual reflections in their letters and diaries.
"Unprecedented in scope and rich with insights, HEAVENLY MERCHANDIZE illuminates the history behind the continuing American dilemma over morality and the marketplace. -- Publisher
"HEAVENLY MERCHANDIZE is a magisterial account of the interplay of economics and religion in early America. In place of abstract theories of 'modernization' or 'the spirit of capitalism,' Valeri engages representative figures on the ground, and through their stories narrates the ways in which transformations in religious thought actually shaped a premodern market culture. Students of early American religion, economics, and imperialism will have to consult this seminal work." -- Harry S. Stout, Yale University
Various, Proceedings of the Fourth Calvinistic Congress: Held in Edinburgh 6th to 11th July, 1938.
"Contents: Reformed faith and its ethical consequences: to the individual / E. Sebestyen; W. Childs Robinson | in the family / John Macleod | in the church / G.T. Thomson | in society / R.J.G. M'Knight | in the state / V.H. Rutgers | in economics / J.H.S. Burleigh | in art / Leon Wencelius, and P.R. Musculus | The interrelation of theology and secular knowledge / J. de Saussure | Significance of the Old Testament for the Christian life / W. Vischer | Speeches delivered at public meetings / G.D. Henderson, Auguste Lecerf, M.P. Ramsey, David Read, Dr. Kromsigt, Stewart M. Robinson, J.B. Soucek, and W.H. Hamilton."
Vidal, Gore, Dreaming War: Blood for Oil and the Cheney-Bush Junta, ISBN: 1560255021 9781560255024.
"Stunning selection of essays which offer a passionate critique of the Bush-Cheney coup in 2000. Vidal shows that Bush's Government represented the oil and gas industries and also incorporated some of their leading executives into the government: 'Bush Senior of the Carlyle Group, Bush Junior of Harken, Cheney of Halliburton, Condoleezza Rice of Chevron-Texaco, Rumsfeld of Occidental, Gale Norton of BP-Amoco.'
"The book shows that not only were Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld expecting the September 11th attack, but that they were actively preparing for it. Vidal provides the evidence to show that al-Qaida were virtually goaded into attacking the US.
"Another theme is the undermining of the original democratic aims of the U.S. republic by the 'oligarchy,' who control every facet of U.S. society. He argues that the founders of the republic had 'invented the Electoral College so that the popular voice of the people could be throttled, much as the Supreme Court throttled the Floridians on 12 December [2000:]. We were to be neither a democracy, subject to majoritarian tyranny, nor a dictatorship, subject to Caesarean folly.'
"There are many powerful historical and political insights which emanate from the author's comprehensive knowledge of history and from contemporary developments. Vidal makes three startling claims which he substantiates: that the U.S. forced Japan into the attack on Pearl Harbor; that the Japanese had been trying to surrender from May 1945 and that there was no good reason to drop the two atom bombs; that it was the U.S. which started the Cold War as Truman wanted a military build-up." -- Reader's Comment
*Vieira, Edwin, Pieces of Eight: The Monetary Powers and Disabilities of the United States Constitution, ISBN: 9780967175911, 0967175917.
"This book gives a detailed legal (constitutional) argument demonstrating that our present monetary system is a contradiction of what was intended and what is expressed in the U.S. Constitution. The book also describes the legal history of the Supreme Court cases that brought the system to this point." -- Publisher
Woodiwiss, Michael, Gangster Capitalism: The United States and the Globalization of Organized Crime, ISBN: 0786716711 9780786716715.
"Everyone knows what organized crime is. Each year dozens of feature films, hundreds of books, and thousands of news stories explain to an eager public that organized crime is what gangsters do. Closely knit, ethnically distinct, and ruthlessly efficient, these mafias control the drugs trade, people trafficking and other serious crimes. If only states would take the threat seriously and recognize the global nature of modern organized crime, the FBI's success against the Italian mafia could be replicated throughout the world. The wicked trade in addictive drugs could be brought to a halt.
"The trouble is, as Woodiwiss demonstrates in shocking and surprising detail, what everyone knows about organized crime is pretty much completely wrong. In reality the most important figures in organized crime are employees of multinational companies, politicians and bureaucrats. Gangsters are certainly a problem, but much of their strength comes from attempts to prohibit the market for certain drugs. Even here they are minor players when compared with the intelligence and law enforcement agencies that selectively enforce prohibition and profit from it. Woodiwiss shows how respectable businessmen and revered statesmen have seized these opportunities in an orgy of fraud and illegal violence." -- Reader's Comment
Woodiwiss, Michael, The Return of Gangster Capitalism: The Global Rise of Organised Crime, ISBN: 9780745332024 0745332021.
See also: Covetousness, greed, and selfishness, Carnality and flesh pleasing: lust, desires, ambition, pleasure, Gambling, The aristocracy of wealth, Feudalism, Anarchy, Tyranny, The aristocracy of wealth, War, Wealth and prosperity, the snare of, Slavery, our systems of enslavement, economic enslavement, Ethics, computer ethics, cyberethics, Sex ethics, sex education, Conscience, casuistry, cases of conscience, Church and state, Reform, state sovereignty, and corporate immunity: reform of corporations, Background, foundation, and history of the covenanted reformation of scotland, The theology of freedom, Freedom: a gift of the grace of god, Political and economic freedom, Biblical economics, Christian liberty, Freedom with responsibility to god, Christian self-government, Christianity and democracy, The utter failure of the u.s. constitution as a social deed of covenant, The application of scripture to the corporate bodies of church and state, Justice, judgment, god's final judgment, the great white throne judgment, the day of the lord, The decline of american society, irrationality, the decline of western thought, Male role and responsibility, gender equality, suffrage, reproductive rights, and the decline of american society, Meltdown: the depression of 2008, God's deliverance of nations, and so forth, and so on.
Decline (Political, Economic, Cultural), part 1
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Decline of American Culture
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?ID=819021843
Decline (Political, Economic, Cultural), part 2
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Decline of American Culture
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=8190218822
How Government Budget Deficits Make us Poorer
"According to some commentators the US federal budget deficit still remains a major economic problem, notwithstanding that it draws less attention than in the past."
https://mises.org/blog/how-government-budget-deficits-make-us-poorer
What the Price of Gold is Telling us, Ron Paul
This is a 4865 word article. Just a few quotes follow.
"The dollar price of gold reflects dollar depreciation." [devaluation, inflation -- compiler]
The gold price has risen "from $250 per ounce in 2001 [the year of 9/11 -- compiler], to over $1000 today . . . .
"Since 2001 the dollar has been devalued by 60 percent . . . .
"Though our inflation -- i.e., the depreciation of the U.S. dollar -- has been insidious, average Americans are unaware of how this occurs. For instance, few Americans know nor seem concerned that the 1913 pre-Federal Reserve dollar is now worth only four cents. . . .
"Forget about the lip service given to transparency by new Fed Chairman Bernanke. Not only is this administration one of the most secretive across the board in our history, the current Fed firmly supports denying the most important measurement of current monetary policy to Congress, the financial community, and the American public. Because of a lack of interest and poor understanding of monetary policy, Congress has expressed essentially no concern about the significant change in reporting statistics on the money supply.
"Beginning in March [2008 -- compiler], though planned before Bernanke arrived at the Fed, the central bank discontinued compiling and reporting the monetary aggregate known as M3. M3 is the best description of how quickly the Fed is creating new money and credit. Common sense tells us that a government central bank creating new money out of thin air depreciates the value of each dollar in circulation. Yet this report is no longer available to us and Congress makes no demands to receive it. . . . [could this complex policy issue also be the Feds' "solution" to the impending financial crisis in Social Security fund? -- compiler]
"A soaring gold price is a vote of -- no confidence -- in the central bank and the dollar. This certainly was the case in 1979 and 1980. Today, gold prices reflect a growing restlessness with the increasing money supply, our budgetary and trade deficits, our unfunded liabilities, and the inability of Congress and the administration to rein in runaway spending. . . .
"Special interest groups, who vigorously compete for federal dollars, want to perpetuate the system rather than admit to a dangerous addiction. Those who champion welfare for the poor, entitlements for the middle class, or war contracts for the military industrial corporations, all agree on the so-called benefits bestowed by the Fed's power to counterfeit fiat money. Bankers, who benefit from our fractional reserve system, likewise never criticize the Fed, especially since it's the lender of last resort that bails out financial institutions when crises arise. And it's true, special interests and bankers do benefit from the Fed, and may well get bailed out -- just as we saw with the Long-Term Capital Management fund crisis a few years ago. In the past, companies like Lockheed and Chrysler benefited as well. But what the Fed cannot do is guarantee the market will maintain trust in the worthiness of the dollar. Current policy guarantees that the integrity of the dollar will be undermined. Exactly when this will occur, and the extent of the resulting damage to the financial system, cannot be known for sure -- but it is coming. There are plenty of indications already on the horizon.
"Foreign policy plays a significant role in the economy and the value of the dollar. A foreign policy of militarism and empire building cannot be supported through direct taxation. The American people would never tolerate the taxes required to pay immediately for overseas wars, under the discipline of a gold standard. Borrowing and creating new money is much more politically palatable. It hides and delays the real costs of war, and the people are lulled into complacency -- especially since the wars we fight are couched in terms of patriotism, spreading the ideas of freedom, and stamping out terrorism. Unnecessary wars and fiat currencies go hand-in-hand, while a gold standard encourages a sensible foreign policy.
"The cost of war is enormously detrimental; it significantly contributes to the economic instability of the nation by boosting spending, deficits, and inflation. Funds used for war are funds that could have remained in the productive economy to raise the standard of living of Americans now unemployed, underemployed, or barely living on the margin. . . ." and so forth (another 2495 words follow) -- Ron Paul in What the Price of Gold Is Telling Us
"Dr. Paul is the author of several books, including CHALLENGE TO LIBERTY; THE CASE FOR GOLD; and A REPUBLIC, IF YOU CAN KEEP IT. He has been a distinguished counselor to the Ludwig von Mises Institute, and is widely quoted by scholars and writers in the fields of monetary policy, banking, and political economy. He has received many awards and honors during his career in Congress, from organizations such as the National Taxpayers Union, Citizens Against Government Waste, the Council for a Competitive Economy, Young Americans for Freedom, and countless others."
http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul445.html
It has been said that the only thing the Christian really needs to do is to learn to trust in God, and then to be obedient to him in all things.Economics is based on covenant relationships.
Thou shalt not steal. (Exodus 20:15)
Thou shalt not covet. (Exodus 20:17)
John Calvin has been credited with being the founder of capitalism.
It is quite evident that in all of this Calvin was setting forth a view of free enterprise which is strictly Biblical. Free enterprise is that means adapted for man by which he fulfills the conditions of his stewardship. Enterprise that is truly free is constantly governed by the law of God. -- C. Gregg Singer, "Calvinism and Economic Thought and Practice" in John Calvin: His Roots and Fruits, p. 46
Capitalization is the accumulation of wealth, the conversion of work, savings, and forethought into tangible working assets. No progress is possible without some measure of capitalization. It is a serious error to assume that socialism and communism are opposed to capitalization or to capitalism; their opposition is simply to private capitalism, but their dedicated policy is to state capitalism. For the state to plan any program of progress, public works, or conquest, work, frugality, and forethought are necessary. The work is exacted from the people by force; the frugality or savings is again forced out of the people by means of wage controls, compulsory savings and bond-buying programs, and slave labor, the forethought is provided by the state planners.
To return to the matter of capitalization, capitalization in a society requires a background of faith and character. In every era of history, capitalization is a product of the Puritan disposition, of the willingness to forego present pleasures to accumulate some wealth for future purposes. Where there is no character, there is no capitalization but rather decapitalization, the steady depletion of wealth. Society becomes consumption centered rather than productive, and it begins to decapitalize the centuries-rich inheritance which surrounds it.
Thus, decapitalization is preceded always by a breakdown of faith and character. Where men feel that private happiness is man's purpose and goal rather than serving and glorifying God, and finding joy in Him, where men feel that life owes them something rather than seeing themselves as debtors to God, and where men feel called to fulfill themselves apart from God rather than in Him, there society is in rapid process of decapitalization." -- R.J. Rushdoony (1916-2001), The Institutes of Biblical Law, 1973 edition, p. 522-524It is possible to speak of the studied irrelevance of much preaching and comment on Scripture. A law of central importance to the monetary and economic morality of a nation is treated casually or not at all. -- R.J. Rushdoony (1916-2001), in Institutes of Biblical Law, p. 468
The notion that additional government expenditures magically increase national output is ingrained in the national psyche. Keynesian economics professors can certainly take credit for this mindset; it is they who have schooled multiple generations of college students in Keynesian multiplier analysis.
The professors' counter intuitive tease in this effort has always been what is called the 'balanced budget multiplier.' (BBM) That is, even with equal increases in government spending and taxes increase output, output should supposedly rise by the same amount that spending and taxes rise . . .
The BBM is so at odds with simple economic logic that it should be an embarrassment for the economics profession. Strong words? Yes. But how else to describe economic nonsense? If output and taxes rise by the same amount, producers' after-tax income is unaltered by the fiscal action. -- T. Norman Van Cott, "Keynesian Multipliers are Like Dogs Chasing Their Tails"Reformed scholars attribute recurring, national, economic depression to broad scale immorality, in other words, unethical business practices, or, fleecing one's fellowman. In one sense all ten commandments of The Decalogue address covetousness in human nature. And the 10th is a summary of the previous nine. (Tyler Flynn)
The Biblical doctrine of sin forbids the optimistic conclusion of Adam Smith [THE WEALTH OF NATIONS -- compiler], and the laissez faire school of economic thought. -- Singer, C. Gregg, "Calvinism and Economic Thought and Practice" in John Calvin: His Roots and Fruits, p. 46
Planned economies do not work, because they fail to take into account man's sinfulness. -- Reader's comment on The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith
Conservatism is a political philosophy that professes to be practical and grounded in reality -- not in ideological or utopian dream worlds -- yet it cannot furnish a coherent answer to a very practical question: What is the proper punishment for a thief? Even ignoring the big questions -- What is the ideal government? Is there an ideal government? Is any government justified? What is the proper relationship between church and state? -- conservatism cannot answer a small question. If conservatism cannot offer a justified answer to a small question, it probably cannot answer larger questions. -- John W. Robbins in Conservatism: An Autopsy
No corporation on earth comes close to the accounting fraud practiced year after year by the Federal Government. In fact, there is no real accountability at all for the trillions in tax dollars raised and spent annually by Congress and our entrenched Federal Agencies. The official 'accounting' that does take place is a sham. Every year Congress creates a meaningless budget, the Fed prints phony money, the Budget Office issues false revenue forecasts, and the Administrative Agencies waste billions in the most unproductive ways imaginable. Literally tens of billions of dollars go unaccounted for every year, simply disappearing down bureaucratic black holes. [and the banking system is controlled by the Federal Reserve -- compiler]. This hardly represents a standard against which corporations should be judged! -- Texas Congressman, Ron Paul in What About Government Accountability?
I believe it is high time America quit sacrificing our moral health at the altar of economic strength. By continuing to put financial considerations before morality, we are producing a nation that is rich, but has completely seared its conscience and can't even enjoy the fruit of our labor anymore. We have become a nation that doesn't know how to blush, and our children are the ones who are paying the price. -- Rusty Lee Thomas
The powerful and wealthy conceal theft, of course, by economic and legal games, the game rules being of their own making.
For example, (1) A ten percent capitalization rate on residential rental property results in a profit of 100 percent over a ten year period, based on the current market price of the property. In other words, after ten years of renting the owner has recovered the entire cost of the property, and he still owns the property at an appreciated market value, making residential rental property one of the most lucrative investments possible. (2) The cost of building a new home is just a fraction of the market value of the property, the balance is a windfall profit to the developer. Some of the reasons for the inflated market value follow. (3) The Federal Government of the United States of America is the largest business enterprise in the world. It is run by politicians who, for the most part, are businessmen and lawyers, not scholars and statesmen. They can sit down at a table together for 20 minutes and write a multi-million dollar budget. They are accountable to practically no one. (4) The cost of living is high in big cities because, among other reasons, after the multi-million dollar budget is written by the politicians, then taxes and assessments are increased to pay for it. By raising property assessments to generate revenue, the cost of real estate simultaneously increases, and it follows that the cost of all goods go up. (5) All these changes, increasing taxes, assessments, market values of real estate, costs of goods, and the resulting inflation, all these changes profit the wealthy property owners and business owners who simply pass on tax increases and higher costs to the consumer. (6) The banking system, money, is controlled by The Federal Reserve System, which in turn is run by unelected officials, veteran leaders of corporate investment banks, who control the amount of money in the economy and interest costs. Generally speaking, this amounts to a complete monopoly over the economy and value of the dollar. (7) The principles of accounting being used today have generally remained essentially unchanged since the Feudal Age, 600 years ago, principles of accounting which allowed a few wealthy noblemen to live in luxury at the expense of the masses. (8) And so forth, and so on. This is just a very, very brief and general overview of some of the games being played, and how the powerful and wealthy game the system. For more details on things you may not have learned in the public education system see other book-length works in this topical listing.
The middle and lower classes are, for the most part, uneducated and ignorant of the extent of the games, therefore, they do not fully understand how they are being fleeced by the "Aristocracy of Wealth."
Meanwhile, many of the unregenerate members of society, who by their human nature are unable to trust in The Triune God to "place a table before them." That is to say, they are unable to trust in God to provide for all their needs, just, as recorded in Genesis and Exodus, he set his people free from bondage, fought against their enemies and gave them victory, guided them through the Wilderness, daily feed them with manna from heaven, and then gave them the Promised Land of Canaan.
Regrettably, unregenerate men, not able to trust in the Faithfulness of a Covenant God, become "flesh-pleasers." They are all too willing to trust in man, all too ready to submit to the influence of the powerful and the wealthy, welcoming them and their "games" with open arms, and with great enthusiasm, in hopes of securing their fleshly desires.
Regrettably, these unregenerate men, these "Cains," are all too often both incompetent and corrupt, are all too often in the majority, and all too often seize political and economic power.
All to often unregenerate men are willing to submit to the influence of the powerful and the wealthy, as opposed to submitting to the influence of the Faithful, Triune God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who has covenanted to be their God, to redeem them from their rebellious, Fallen State, and to show them "The Way, the Truth, and the Life," both temporal and eternal.
The Ten Commandments are, of course, the "constitution" of that covenant between God and man. Notice that all Ten Commandments speak to covetousness, and the tenth summarizes all that is not to be coveted in the second table, commandments four through ten.
Consequently the world is subject to repeating economic depression and collapse caused by immoral rule, the covetousness, incompetence, and corruption of the Cains in political and economic power.Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration. -- Abraham Lincoln, December 3, 1861, First Annual Message to Congress
Interestingly the decade (1850-1860), before the War Between the States, was a decade of unprecedented industrial growth and growing prosperity, which lead to economic depression in 1857. War began in 1860.
Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. "It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt." -- John Philpot Curran, Speech Upon the Right of Election, 1790. (Speeches. Dublin, 1808.)
Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. -- The Golden Rule
*Bastiat, Frederic (1801-1850), The Law. Considered to be among the ten greatest books in the English language.
"Full of truths that are not merely relevant, but are absolutely vital to our future." -- Dick Armey
"If ever there was a concise and powerful argument for defending Liberty and the Law against every social engineer, this has to be it (only 75 pages!). Bastiat is a master of words and the analogy. Every lover of freedom who wishes to get a nutshell understanding of why Liberty and Law matters ought to read this book. . . ." -- Reader's Comment
The Law, by Frederic Bastiat (part 1 of 10)
"The law perverted! And the police powers of the state perverted along with it! The law, I say, not only turned from its proper purpose but made to follow an entirely contrary purpose! The law become the weapon of every kind of greed! Instead of checking crime, the law itself guilty of the evils it is supposed to punish! " -- Frederic Bastiat, from the Introduction
The Law, Frederic Bastiat
http://archive.org/details/law00fredguat
Bastiat, Frederic (1801-1850), Selected Essays in Political Economy, ISBN: 0910614156 9780910614153.
"He was the most uncompromisingly consistent advocate of laissez-faire in the 19th century -- and the most quotable! Here, in a single volume, are this great political economist's most brilliant writings. They include his immortal classic, 'The Law,' as well as such unforgettable essays as 'The State,' 'What Is Seen and What Is Not Seen,' 'Property and Plunder,' 'Declaration of War Against the Professors of Political Economy' and many others. An intellectual feast! With an Introduction by Nobel Laureate Friedrich Hayek." -- Publisher
Beisner, E. Calvin, Prosperity and Poverty: The Compassionate Use of Resources in a World of Scarcity, ISBN: 1579108083 9781579108083.
"E. Calvin Beisner here looks at all the same assumptions that Austrian economics [Libertarians -- compiler], does, though from a biblical perspective. He reasons in more or less the same way; one thing that impressed me about this work, though, is how efficient he is at getting to some rather important conclusions such as: the free market is the most efficient and best way to determine prices. Therefore, to allow any other entity to determine prices (such as the government), is a misuse of resources, and therefore disobeying the Dominion Mandate set forth in Genesis.
"This work, though building on the work of other economists such as Ludwig von Mises and Eugene von Bohm-Bawerk, represents the close of communism, and all done from the Christian worldview. Highly recommended! " -- Reader's Comment
Bethell, Tom, Noblest Triumph: Property and Prosperity Through the Ages, ISBN: 0312223374 9780312223373.
"The phenomenal success of Western civilization and the remarkable economic expansion fueled by modern capitalism, says Tom Bethell, depend chiefly [see "Christ's Influence on Western Civilization," "The Ten Commandments," Robbins, Christ and Civilization, Smith's The Wealth of Nations, and so forth -- compiler], on the institution of private property and the development of secure property rights, yet this simple, striking idea is misunderstood by elite opinion leaders in the United States and around the world. Bethell, a reporter for the American Spectator, offers a history of property as an idea and a reality around the world. His sweeping narrative will appeal to fans of David Landes's THE WEALTH AND POVERTY OF NATIONS and Jared Diamond's GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL. Yet, in many crucial respects, THE NOBLEST TRIUMPH (the title comes from British philosopher Jeremy Bentham's line that property laws represent 'the noblest triumph of humanity over itself'), is better than both, displaying a keener understanding of human nature and of how incentives shape behavior. In a chapter sure to inspire controversy, Bethell argues that the Irish potato famines of the 1840s were due primarily to Ireland's lack of stable property rights in the 19th century. Full of astute observations and written with real clarity, THE NOBLEST TRIUMPH makes a unique and welcome contribution to the debate over why some countries thrive while others languish." -- John J. Miller
Burkett, Larry, What the Bible Says About Money: A Topical Concordance Containing Every Verse in the Bible Related to Money and Personal Financial Matters, ISBN: 0943497752 9780943497754.
"This is actually a 'topical concordance' to every verse in the Bible relating to money and personal financial matters. A valuable reference and study tool for pastors, students, teachers and all serious Christians." -- GCB
Carson, Thomas, and Mary Bonk, Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History, ISBN: 0787677264 9780787677268 0787638889 9780787638887 0787638897 9780787638894 0787638900 9780787638900.
Chalmers, Thomas (1780-1847), Application of Christianity to the Commercial and Ordinary Affairs of Life (1853). Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #21.
Chamberlain, John, The Roots of Capitalism, ISBN: 0913966231 9780913966235.
Chilton, David, Productive Christians in an Age of Guilt Manipulators: A Biblical Response to Ronald J. Sider, ISBN: 0930464001 9780930464004.
Clouse, Robert G., William E. Diehl, et al., Wealth and Poverty: Four Christian Views of Economics, ISBN: 0877843473 9780877843474.
Coral Ridge Ministries, Economic Manifesto. A call to America's Leaders: Reverse our Nation's Disastrous Economic Policies! (Fort Lauderdale, FL: Coral Ridge Ministries).
"You shall not steal (Exodus 20:15 NKJV), applies to government, just as it does to private individuals. Tax policy to redistribute income, to take from the rich and give to the poor, and economic policy to steal from everyone to bail out the rich, amounts to 'legalized theft' and violates God's law.
"Socialism threatens freedom.
"Man is sinful (Genesis 3, Romans 3:23), and any system that places economic and political power in the hands of a few is a threat to liberty. Socialism concentrates economic authority in government and empowers politicians to impose their will and 'wisdom' on the marketplace by force of law.
"Government should not play favorites.
"The proper role of government is to ensure a level playing field by providing equal justice to all. Federal policy should favor neither poor nor rich: You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty." (Leviticus 19:15 NKJV) -- Coral Ridge Ministries
https://store.coralridge.org/_layouts/CRMCommon/pages/Economic%20Manifesto.htm
Cunningham, William (1805-1861), The Mercantile System.
Cunningham, William (1805-1861), Modern Civilization in Some of its Economic Aspects.
Dabney, Robert Lewis, Principles of Christian Economy.
Davis, John Jefferson, Your Wealth in God's World: Does the Bible Support the Free Market? ISBN: 087552219X 9780875522197.
*Galbraith, James, The Predator State: How Conservatives Abandoned the Free Market and why Liberals Should too, ISBN: 141656683X 9781416566830.
"Shows how to break the spell that conservatives have cast over the minds of liberals (and everyone else), for many years." -- Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences (2001)
"The cult of the free market has dominated economic policy-talk since the Reagan revolution of nearly thirty years ago. Tax cuts and small government, monetarism, balanced budgets, deregulation, and free trade are the core elements of this dogma, a dogma so successful that even many liberals accept it. But a funny thing happened on the bridge to the twenty-first century. While liberals continue to bow before the free-market altar, conservatives in the style of George W. Bush have abandoned it altogether. That is why principled conservatives -- the Reagan true believers -- long ago abandoned Bush.
"Enter James K. Galbraith, the iconoclastic economist. In this riveting book, Galbraith first dissects the stale remains of Reaganism and shows how Bush and company had no choice except to dump them into the trash. He then explores the true nature of the Bush regime: a 'corporate republic,' bringing the methods and mentality of big business to public life; a coalition of lobbies, doing the bidding of clients in the oil, mining, military, pharmaceutical, agribusiness, insurance, and media industries; and a predator state, intent not on reducing government but rather on diverting public cash into private hands. In plain English, the Republican Party has been hijacked by political leaders who long since stopped caring if reality conformed to their message.
"Galbraith follows with an impertinent question: if conservatives no longer take free markets seriously, why should liberals? Why keep liberal thought in the straitjacket of pay-as-you-go, of assigning inflation control to the Federal Reserve, of attempting to 'make markets work'? Why not build a new economic policy based on what is really happening in this country?
"The real economy is not a free-market economy. It is a complex combination of private and public institutions, including Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, higher education, the housing finance system, and a vast federal research establishment. The real problems and challenges -- inequality, climate change, the infrastructure deficit, the subprime crisis, and the future of the dollar -- are problems that cannot be solved by incantations about the market. They will be solved only with planning, with standards and other policies that transcend and even transform markets.
"A timely, provocative work whose message will endure beyond this election season, THE PREDATOR STATE will appeal to the broad audience of thoughtful Americans who wish to understand the forces at work in our economy and culture and who seek to live in a nation that is both prosperous and progressive." -- Publisher
"James Galbraith has written an extremely challenging book. Although its principal target is conservative economics, it is no less critical of conventional liberalism. Galbraith correctly recognizes that today both approaches are intellectually bankrupt and incapable of addressing the nation's pressing economic problems. I hope The Predator State stimulates needed debate among both liberals and conservatives on the mistakes both sides have made that have gotten us to where we are now." -- Bruce Bartlett, author of Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy
*Grant, George, Bringing in the Sheaves: Transforming Poverty Into Productivity, ISBN: 0915815036 9780915815036 0915815044 9780915815043. Alternate title: PRAYING IN THE SHEAVES: TRANSFORMING POVERTY INTO PRODUCTIVITY.
"The Biblical mandate is to care for the poor, the oppressed, and the disenfranchised -- to take the salve of Gospel love to the stranger, the hungry, and the misbegotten. Rev. Grant knows the dismal failures and the Biblical solutions. He believes the Bible and the blueprint it offers can transform poverty into productivity. Unlike most other books on poverty, it is not primarily theory; it is primarily practice, Biblical practice. This is the single most helpful book on the subject." -- Publisher
Grant, George, The Dispossessed: Homelessness in America, ISBN: 0891074112 9780891074113.
"Grant has a solution to the problem of the homeless that really works. How does he know his ideas work; he practices them. He says that the Bible speaks directly to this problem. The answer is not more government control. His ideas on homelessness and social policy are really different." -- Publisher
Institute for Christian Economics Freebooks.com
http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/
Grant, George, with Gary North (general editor), In the Shadow of Plenty: Biblical Principles of Welfare and Poverty.
"The Bible tells us what to do, when, where, how, and why. It offers us a 'blueprint' for victory over poverty. The SHADOW OF PLENTY lays out that 'blueprint' simply, practically, and understandably." -- Publisher
Institute for Christian Economics Freebooks.com
http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/
Griffiths, Brian, The Creation of Wealth: A Christian's Case for Capitalism, ISBN: 0877845662: 9780877845669.
"Few people have attempted a Biblical approach to economics. Griffiths considers the theological implications after divesting contemporary theories of their humanistic values. The result is a major step forward and the proposal of solutions to the abuses that presently prevail." -- Cyril J. Barber
Hayek, Friedrich A., The Road to Serfdom, ISBN: 0415035287.
"A modern restatement of the great conflict between liberty and authority." -- Publisher
"This classic by one of the 20th century's leading libertarian thinkers has established itself beside the works of Orwell and others as a timeless meditation on the relationship between human freedom and government authority. Hayek argues that empowering government with increasing economic control leads not to utopia but to horrors such those seen in Nazi Germany.
"Hayek describes the world in 1944, alarmed by the rising ideas of the 'inevitable' trends to economic planning and centralization, pointing out the path that leads to totalitarian regimes. He says that socialism, fascism and nazism are 'species' of collectivisation which don't differ in their nature.
"In his book he tries to prove that in searching for security, governments can start to plan economic activities and, as this power grows, embark in building a society where every aspect of people's daily life was previously decided by the desire of a planner, because 'economic control is the control of the means for all our ends.'
"Hayek's work was a sort of bible for the neo-liberal era inaugurated by Thatcher and Reagan in the 80's and, although he explicitly opposes to the 19th century 'laissez-faire' economy, in many paragraphs he seems very "nostalgic" about it.
"It is maybe one of the best counterparts of Marx's THE CAPITAL and, thus, a must-read for any socialist or communist (as Marx is a must-read for every capitalist), in order to widen your knowledge of economics and to come to a better conclusion about defining your political beliefs. -- Reader's Comment
"I was introduced to Friedrich von Hayek through reading Thomas Sowell. And I decided to read this book because it was a highly recommended read in the Freedom's Nest Website Reading List. . . .
"In a totalitarian state, it is always the ruthless and the unsophisticated who ascend to the top. Extensive governmental control harms the society not just in delivering dismal economic results, but, more seriously, it produces a psychological change, an alteration in the character of the people.
"This little book was said to have had definitive influence on such giants as Churchill, Thatcher, Reagan and many others. Perhaps the book's influence was best attested to by its being banned in the USSR, China and many other totalitarian countries." -- Reader's Comment
Hodge, Ian, Baptized Inflation: A Critique of 'Christian' Keynesianism, ISBN: 0930464087 9780930464080.
"This book is a refutation of the writings of Douglas Vickers. But it is more than this. It is a Bible-based critique of the monstrous lies of Keynesian economics, and written in clear language, unlike the books of Keynes and Vickers. It also sets forth the Biblical case for the free market economy." -- Publisher
Institute for Christian Economics Freebooks.com
http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/
Kennedy, D. James (1930-2007), The Mortgaging of America, ISBN: 9781929626038 1929626037.
"The stock market is down. Unemployment is up. And Congress is furiously spending taxpayer dollars to 'bail out' our ailing economy.
"We are in a time of economic trouble. One in which America desperately needs the timeless truths of God's Word.
"These messages from Dr. D. James Kennedy offer enduring biblical wisdom that transcends today's frightening headlines and give both understanding and hope.
"THE MORTGAGING OF AMERICA presents Dr. Kennedy's warning about the dangers of socialism, a failed economic system now gaining popularity on Capitol Hill. It also gives readers biblical perspective on economics, the nature and reason for work-the difference between justice and charity -- and the way in which the concept of 'social justice' has led to America's welfare state mentality.
"The perspective, wisdom, and guidance provided in this book reveal the causes of many of our fiscal woes and shed light on the pathway to true economic recovery." -- Publisher
Lannom, Jack, The Ministry of The Trinity Foundation, "Introduction to Economics," a lecture series on CD, The Trinity Foundation Lecture Series, 2005
This is Collection 1: Introduction to Economics, Lecture 3, "The Ministry of The Trinity Foundation" of The Conference on Christianity and Economics.
Jack Lannom speaks on the influence of The Trinity Foundation, and John Robbins on his life. "God's truth is all truth" not all truth is God's truth. The Bible is "Our Legacy of Salvation, Sanity, and Civilization." There is no truth in any science. Science provides us with much useful knowledge, but it is not a source of truth.
http://www.trinitylectures.org/
Lee, Francis Nigel, The Christian Manifesto of 1984: An Answer to the Communist Manifesto of 1848, ISBN: 0949762032 9780949762030.
Lee, Francis Nigel, Communism, a Christian Evaluation, ISBN: 0949762016 9780949762016.
Lee, Francis Nigel, Communism Versus Christianity.
Love, Christopher (1618-1651), Scripture Rules to be Observed in Buying and Selling. By Mr. Christopher Love, Late Minister at Laurence Jury, London. Rules Concerning Buying Commodities. Rules Concerning Selling Commodities, 1653.
Mises, Ludwig Von, and George Reisman, Epistemological Problems of Economics, ISBN: 0814787576 9780814787571 0814787584 9780814787588.
Caveat: These are probably libertarian authors.
Mooney, S.C., Usury: Destroyer of Nations.
"Nothing quite like this book to be found anywhere which thoroughly covers this important topic of usury (charging interest), from a foundation of God's Word. A definition and history of usury is given along with a survey of Biblical texts and popular excuses for usury. Mooney concludes with a call to repentance." -- GCB
Includes bibliographical references.
Nash, Ronald H., Poverty and Wealth: The Christian Debate Over Capitalism, ISBN: 0891074023 9780891074021.
"This book demonstrates that of all economic systems that are in use on this planet capitalism is the one based on the Bible's whole teaching. Some systems emphasize one teaching of the Bible to the exclusion of the others. True capitalism takes the whole of the Bible into view. Nash is right-on!" -- GCB
Nelson, Robert H., Reaching for the Heaven on Earth: The Theological Meaning of Economics, ISBN: 0822630249 9780822630241.
"Nelson has labeled the two great traditions the Roman and the Protestant. Thinkers whom he categorizes as Roman tend to believe deeply in reason, that mankind can improve his lot, find salvation even, by applying reason. Thinkers in the Protestant tradition do not have such faith. They see mankind as depraved and alienated, to be saved by grace or some other force outside its own power. They despair of the institution set up to govern mankind, pointing out that such creations do not perform as intended (that is, as reason might dictate), but willy-nilly. They become bureaucratic, if not corrupt, and need to be overthrown. . . . Nelson is an economist by training, and one of his aims is to show the roots of modern economic ideas in these Roman and Protestant traditions. . . . ." -- Jean A. Briggs
North, Gary, The Coase Theorem: A Study in Economic Epistemology, ISBN: 0930464613 9780930464615.
"To those who may wonder if Gary North is qualified to speak on this subject have no fear, he is. His training and study in economics, adjusted by his study of the Bible . . . provide a rather different view." -- GCB
Institute for Christian Economics Freebooks.com
http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/
North, Gary, Leviticus: An Economic Commentary, ISBN: 0930464729 9780930464721.
North, Gary, Marx's Religion of Revolution: Regeneration Through Chaos, ISBN: 093046415X 9780930464158.
"Primarily Karl Marx was a man filled with the hatred for God and for humanity and only secondarily an economic theorist, according to Dr. North. This book, first published in 1968, returns to print in our day of 'liberation theology' which is gaining support in surprising areas of Christendom." -- GCB
Includes bibliography.
Institute for Christian Economics Freebooks.com
http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/
North, Gary, The Pirate Economy, ISBN: 0930462254 9780930462253.
Institute for Christian Economics Freebooks.com
http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/
North, Gary, Puritan Economic Experiments, ISBN: 0930464141 9780930464141.
North, Gary, Salvation Through Inflation: The Economics of Social Credit, ISBN: 0930464648 9780930464646 0930464664 9780930464660.
Institute for Christian Economics Freebooks.com
http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/
North, Gary, The Sinai Strategy: Economics and the Ten Commandments, ISBN: 0930464079 9780930464073.
"A detailed exploration of the Ten Commandments and their social, political and especially, economic implications for all of mankind. Nations in which the Bible is freely preached tend to adopt a free market economy. The capitalism vs. socialism controversy is really God vs. Satan." -- GCB
Institute for Christian Economics Freebooks.com
http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/
North, Gary, Successful Investing in an Age of Envy, ISBN: 0930462084 9780930462086.
Institute for Christian Economics Freebooks.com
http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/
North, Gary, Tithing and the Church, ISBN: 0930464699 9780930464691 0930464702 9780930464707.
North, Gary, Treasure and Dominion: An Economic Commentary on Luke.
"This judicial schizophrenia of modern Christians has led to their political and cultural paralysis. Their paralysis has led either to their persecution or their marginalization politically. In the case of marginalization, most of them have praised the result. . . .
"In Luke's Gospel, Jesus is most adamant about the dangers of riches. If long-term economic growth is the supreme evidence of God's common grace in modern history, as free market economists would insist that it is if they believed in either God or common grace, then why does the Gospel of Luke display such hostility to riches? I do my best to answer this question in this commentary. -- Preface
http://www.garynorth.com/public/467.cfm
Penney, J.C., Christian Principles in Business.
"Wise men do not light a candle and place it under a bushel. Life's greatest benefactions -- intelligence, liberty, religion -- are for dissemination. There can be no moral justification for withholding the benefits that result from a wise distribution of knowledge.
"Liberty, that one priceless boon for which all men yearn, thrives only in the light. It must be proclaimed and practiced to be enjoyed and appreciated by all.
"Religion was never intended for self-gratification. It must be turned loose upon the world, and the more unconsciously that loosening process takes place, the more beneficial its results.
"Christ declared that He was the Light of the world. Religion must scatter that Light or fail in the accomplishment of its supreme mission." -- J.C. Penney
*Perkins, William (1558-1602), The True Gaine More in Worth Than all the Goods in the World, 1601. Alternate title: CHRIST THE TRUE AND PERFECT GAINE.
Robbins, John W. (1949-2008), Christianity and Economics (2 lectures)
*Robbins, John W. (1949-2008), Ecclesiastical Megalomania: The Economic and Political Thought of the Roman Catholic Church, ISBN: 0940931753 9780940931756.
"This book is a detailed examination of the official statements of the Vatican on economic and political matters. It demonstrates the collectivism and totalitarianism of the Roman Catholic Church-State. It is the only such book written by a Christian in the twentieth century.
"This book explores the conflict between Roman Catholic social thought and human freedom, relying on official pronouncements from the Vatican to show that the political and economic theory of the Roman Church-State justifies feudalism, corporativism [corporatism -- compiler], liberation theology, the welfare state, and fascism.
"Dr. John W. Robbins attended Grove City College (A.B. 1969), and The Johns Hopkins University (M.A. 1970, Ph.D. 1973). He has served as chief of staff for a Member of Congress [Ron Paul of Texas], editor of The Freeman magazine, Economist for The Heritage Foundation, and Professor of Political Philosophy in The Freedom School." -- Publisher
Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, Samuel Rutherford, John Owen, Thomas Manton, The Westminster Assembly, James Renwick, Archibald Mason, Christopher Ness, Francis Turretin, The Reformed Presbytery, David Steel, James R. Willson, Alexander M'Leod, William L. Roberts, James Aiken Wylie, Andrew Wilet, Henry Wilkinson, James Wylie, Patrick Fairbairn, James Aiken, Andrew Wilet, Alexander Hislop, Francis Nigel Lee, Arthur W. Pink, and so forth, and so on, have all believed and argued in print that the seated Pope is the Antichrist of the Bible.
The Roman Church-State is "the world's oldest, largest, most powerful and most influential politico-ecclesiastical institution" and it "may also be the world's wealthiest." The Roman Catholic Institution is the ultimate "negative guide to the positive," the reformers ultimate "opposite guide to political and economic reform."
*Robbins, John (1949-2008), Freedom and Capitalism: Essays on Christian Politics and Economics, ISBN: 1891777157 9781891777158.
"The relationship between Christianity, freedom, and capitalism has been a subject of scholarly study for centuries. In this volume, John Robbins argues that political and economic freedom are the results of Biblical Christianity. Political freedom and capitalism arose in Northwestern Europe and North America after the Christian Reformation of the 16th century, and they are unique in world history. The nations and peoples that heard and accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ as proclaimed by the Reformers quickly became free and prosperous on a scale previously unimaginable. Some historians and economists have denied any causal connection between Christianity, freedom, and capitalism, but they are able to deny this connection only by ignoring clear philosophical, economic, legal, sociological, and historical evidence demonstrating that Christianity is the source of capitalism.
"Dr. John W. Robbins attended Grove City College (A.B. 1969), and The Johns Hopkins University (M.A. 1970, Ph.D. 1973). He has served as chief of staff for a Member of Congress, editor of The Freeman magazine, Economist for The Heritage Foundation, and Professor of Political Philosophy in The Freedom School." -- Publisher
Table of Contents: Foreword | Politics | The Founder of Western Civilization | The Sine Qua Non of Enduring Freedom | Some Problems with Natural Law | The Political Philosophy of the Founding Fathers | The Bible and the Draft | The Messianic Character of American Foreign Policy | Truth and Foreign Policy | Compassionate Fascism | Conservatism: An Autopsy | Rightwing Radical Chic | The Reconstructionist Assault on Freedom | Roman Catholic Totalitarianism | The Relation of Church and State (Charles Hodge) | Abortion, the Christian, and the State | The Ethics and Economics of Health Care | The Chickens' Homecoming (John Whitehead) | The Coming Caesars (John Whitehead) | Rebuilding American Freedom in the Twenty-first Century | The Religious Wars of the Twenty-First Century | Economics: The Failure of Secular Economics | The Promise of Christian Economics | Teaching Economics from the Bible | The Neo-Evangelical Assault on Capitalism | The Reformed Assault on Capitalism | The Roman Catholic Assault on Capitalism | How Romanism Ruined America | Not Yours to Give (Edward Ellis) | Money, Freedom, and the Bible | The Case Against Indexation | Is Christianity Tied to Any Political or Economic System? | Ecology: The Abolition of Man | Scripture Index | Index | The Crisis of Our Time | Intellectual Ammunition
*Robbins, John W. (1949-2008), The Grand Inquisitor's Second Coming.
"Totalitarianism is historically the most prevalent form of human government, from the tribal society in which all activities are regulated by the tribe or its rulers, the council, and witch doctor, to the totalitarianism of the Middle Ages when the Roman Church ruled all of life. . . . It is these more enduring forms of totalitarianism that will still be with us when the ghosts of Marx and Lenin are finally busted. . . . It is this new religiosity that will threaten the political, economic, religious, and social freedom of men in the twenty-first century. . . ." -- John W. Robbins
See: The Grand Inquisitor, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
http://www.trinityfoundation.org/reviews/journal.asp?ID=070a.html
Robbins, John W. (1949-2008), Intermediate Economics, a CD lecture series, The Trinity Foundation Lecture Series
This is Collection 2: Intermediate Economics, a series of 18 lectures by John Robbins, including:
Robbins, John W. (1949-2008), Introduction to Economics, a CD lecture series, The Trinity Foundation Lecture Series.
This is Collection 1: Introduction to Economics, a series of 10 lectures, including:
Conference on Christianity and Economics (8 lectures)
The Growth of Government in the United States, John Robbins The Roots and Fruits of the Environmental Movement, E. Calvin Beisner The Ministry of the Trinity Foundation, Jack Lannom The Failure of Secular Economic Theory, John Robbins The Failure of Secular Economic Policy, Ronald Cooper Justice and Wealth, E. Calvin Beisner Christian Economists: Do They Know What They Are Doing? Ronald Cooper The Promise of Christian Economics, John Robbins
*Robbins, John W. (1949-2008), Money, Freedom and the Bible.
"Paul does not regard government as provider of income, health care, education, national parks, money, or any of the other services common to our modern welfare states; its function is quite simple: to punish wrongdoers." A lecture given at the Gold Standard Corporation Conference, August 1989.
Rockwell, Llewellyn H. Jr., Speaking of Liberty, ISBN: 0945466382 9780945466383.
"Ludwig von Mises said that teaching the public was just as important as addressing scholars -- maybe more so. That is what Lew Rockwell specializes in: history and theory and analysis in defense of the free society, written in clear prose to reach a broad audience. Rockwell's new book is as pro-liberty as it is brutally critical of government. It is relentlessly forthright yet hopeful about the prospects for liberty. It is rigorous enough to withstand the enemy's closest scrutiny, and chock full of the energy and enthusiasm that will keep you reading.
"SPEAKING OF LIBERTY is a collection of speeches delivered by Rockwell over a period of ten years. The book begins with economics, and explains why Austrian economics matters, how the Federal Reserve brings on the business cycle, why we need private property and free enterprise, the unrecognized glories of the capitalist economy, and why the gold standard is still the best monetary system. Other sections deal with war, Mises and his work, other important thinkers in the libertarian tradition, and the culture and morality of liberty.
"The book is united by a set of fixed principles: the corruption of politics, the universality and immutability of the ideas of freedom, the centrality of sound money and free enterprise, the moral imperative of peace and trade, the importance of hope and tenacity in the struggle for liberty, and the need for everyone to join the intellectual fight. We all have searched for the book we could give to friends and neighbors, business associates and family members, to explain why we believe in the cause of liberty. SPEAKING OF LIBERTY is that book." -- Publisher
Rose, Tom, Economics: The American Economy From a Christian Perspective, ISBN: 0961219807 9780961219802.
Rose, Tom, Economics: Principles and Policy From a Christian Perspective, ISBN: 0915134225 9780915134229.
"This book covers the nature of economics and the nature of man, the Bible and economics, basic economics, the distribution and market system, and more. Here is a good place to start for a proper understanding of money. Could easily be used as a textbook." -- GCB
Rothbard, Murray N., What has Government Done to our Money, ISBN: 0945466102 9780945466109.
"Rothbard's most famous monetary essay. It has appeared in multiple editions and influenced two generations of economists, investors, and businessmen. After presenting the basics of money and banking theory, he traces the decline of the dollar from the 18th century to the present, and provides lucid critiques of central banking, New Deal monetary policy, Nixonian fiat money, and fixed exchange rates. He also provides a blueprint for a return to a 100 percent reserve gold standard." -- Publisher
*Rushdoony, Rousas J. (1916-2001), Institutes of Biblical Law, 3 volumes, ISBN: 1879998130. Available through Exodus Books.
Volume 1: Institutes of Biblical Law, ISBN: 0875524109.Rushdoony, Rousas J. (1916-2001), The Roots of Inflation.
"A monumental volume . . . Deeply explores the meaning and application of the Ten Commandments for today in civil government, social ethics, and personal conduct." -- GCB
"Many consider this to be the author's most important work. With indices." -- Publisher
Volume 2: Law and Society, ISBN: 1879998238.
"The relationship of Biblical Law to communion and community, the sociology of the Sabbath, the family and inheritance, and much more are covered in the second volume. Contains an appendix by Herbert Titus. With indices." -- Publisher
Volume 3: The Intent of the Law, ISBN: 1879998130.
" 'God's law is much more than a legal code; it is a covenantal law. It establishes a personal relationship between God and man.' The first section summarizes the case laws. The author tenderly illustrates how the law is for our good, and makes clear the difference between the sacrificial laws and those that apply today. The second section vividly shows the practical implications of the law. The examples catch the reader's attention; the author clearly has had much experience discussing God's law. The third section shows that would-be challengers to God's law produce only poison and death. Only God's law can claim to express God's 'covenant grace in helping us'. With indices." -- Publisher
See also: Theft: Commentary and Cases of Conscience. A Listing Excerpted From The Institutes of Biblical Law by Rousas John Rushdoony, 1973 edition
http://www.lettermen2.com/theft.html
Rushdoony, Rousas J. (1916-2001), and Edward A. Powell, Tithing and Dominion. Available through Exodus Books.
"Discusses Biblical tithing, government taxation, and the validity of each. Under the tithe, Powell discusses taxation, first fruits, firstborn, the tithe, the social tithe, the rejoicing tithe, the poor tithe, and enforcing God's taxes." -- GCB
*Singer, C. Gregg (1910-1999), From Rationalism to Irrationality: The Decline of the Western Mind From the Renaissance to the Present, ISBN: 0875524281 9780875524283, and a reprint of the P&R Publishing edition of 1979 (Wipf and Stock, 2006), 479 pp.
See: "Irrationalism in Economic Thought and Practice," pp. 376-383, "Conclusion: The Recovery of Christian Theism," pp. 411-412, and "The Reconstruction of Economic Life," pp. 425-435.
"But what does this return to Christian theism mean? First of all, it means that in our private and public economic activities we are stewards of a sovereign God and that our wealth is His. We do not possess it in fee simple, but only as His stewards, and in our acquisition and use of that wealth we are responsible to Him who has created us in His image, the world, and its wealth which He has entrusted to us. This also means that we must sweep aside all the economic philosophies which have emerged out of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. It means that if we are to recover a sane biblical rationalism in economic affairs, we must ignore all the theories derived from Adam Smith and the Enlightenment, the Manchester school of English thought, Karl Marx, the Christian socialism of nineteen-century England, and its more modern derivatives, the American version of the Social Gospel movement, the New Deal, the Fair Deal, the New Frontier, the Great Society, and all other programs which are unbiblical in their origins and aims."
Works of C. Gregg Singer
http://www.lettermen2.com/bcrr3ch.html#cgsinger
*Singer, C. Gregg (1910-1999), John Calvin: His Roots and Fruits (A Press, 1989), 78 pages.
"What then is the role of the state in economic matters? Is it to stand idly by and take no steps or initiate no policies to defend the poor? The state, in the economic realm, is under a mandate to enforce the moral law and to punish those who break it for the sake of economic gain. It may prevent monopolistic and other business practices which are contrary to the Biblical ethic, as well as stealing and other forms of dishonesty and may pass laws for this purpose. It is certain that Calvin would support more statutes of this kind than some advocates of free enterprise would tolerate today. In general, however, Calvin agreed that the state had no right to undertake schemes of redistributing wealth in order to achieve economic equality. The legislative taking of wealth under the guise of legality is no less stealing than if it is done by robbers and thieves. Such schemes, rather than being an application of Christian principles, are actually a form of human rebellion against the will of God for the right ordering of society." -- C. Gregg Singer in "Calvinism and Economic Thought and Practice"
Notes: "Appeared in volume II of THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHRISTIANITY . . . and was later printed by Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company . . . 1967, for their Philosophical and historical studies series."
Contents: The author; Preface; I. The patristic foundations of calvinism; II. Calvinism: the summit of reformation theology; III. The later history of calvinism; IV. Influence of calvinism on western history and culture; V. Calvinism and economic thought and practice; VI. Calvinism and Philosophy; VII. Calvinism and education; VIII. Calvinism and social thought and practice; Bibliography.
Sowell, Thomas, Economic Facts and Fallacies, ISBN: 9780465003495 0465003494.
"From one of America's most distinguished economists, a short, brilliant and revelatory book: the fundamental ideas people most commonly get wrong about economics, and how to think about the subject better.
"ECONOMIC FACTS AND FALLACIES exposes some of the most popular fallacies about economic issues -- and does so in a lively manner and without requiring any prior knowledge of economics by the readers. These fallacies include many beliefs widely disseminated in the media and by politicians, such as fallacies about urban problems, income differences, male-female economic differences, as well as economics fallacies about academia, about race, and about Third World countries.
"One of the themes of ECONOMIC FACTS AND FALLACIES is that fallacies are not simply crazy ideas but in fact have a certain plausibility that gives them their staying power -- and makes careful examination of their flaws both necessary and important, as well as sometimes humorous.
"Written in the easy to follow style of the author's BASIC ECONOMICS, this latest book is able to go into greater depth, with real world examples, on specific issues.
"Thomas Sowell has taught economics at a number of colleges and universities, including Cornell University, University of California, Los Angeles, and Amherst College. He has published both scholarly and popular articles and books on economics, and is currently a scholar in residence at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.
"In this slim volume, Sowell exposes, refutes and debunks six of the major economic fallacies of our time:
1. Urban Facts and Fallacies"As you've probably noticed, these are six of the major flashpoint issues of our times -- and Sowell knocks down the myths and lies the left-wing has worked so hard to spread.
2. Male-Female Facts and Fallacies
3. Academic Facts and Fallacies
4. Income Facts and Fallacies
5. Racial Facts and Fallacies
6. Third World Facts and Fallacies
*Tocqueville, Alexis de, Seymour Drescher (translator), and Gertrude Himmelfarb (introduction), Memoir on Pauperism, ISBN: 156663167X 9781566631679.
"In this neglected memoir, written just after the first volume of DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA, Tocqueville seeks to understand why the most impoverished countries of Europe in his time had the fewest paupers, while the most opulent nation -- England -- had the most." -- Publisher
Valeri, Mark, Heavenly Merchandize: How Religion Shaped Commerce in Puritan America, ISBN: 9780691143590 0691143595.
"HEAVENLY MERCHANDIZE offers a critical reexamination of religion's role in the creation of a market economy in early America. Focusing on the economic culture of New England, it views commerce through the eyes of four generations of Boston merchants, drawing upon their personal letters, diaries, business records, and sermon notes to reveal how merchants built a modern form of exchange out of profound transitions in the Puritan understanding of discipline, providence, and the meaning of New England.
"Mark Valeri traces the careers of men like Robert Keayne, a London immigrant punished by his church for aggressive business practices; John Hull, a silversmith-turned-trader who helped to establish commercial networks in the West Indies; and Hugh Hall, one of New England's first slave traders. He explores how Boston ministers reconstituted their moral languages over the course of a century, from a scriptural discourse against many market practices to a providential worldview that justified England's commercial hegemony and legitimated the market as a divine construct. Valeri moves beyond simplistic readings that reduce commercial activity to secular mind-sets, and refutes the popular notion of an inherent affinity between puritanism and capitalism. He shows how changing ideas about what it meant to be pious and puritan informed the business practices of Boston's merchants, who filled their private notebooks with meditations on scripture and the natural order, founded and led churches, and inscribed spiritual reflections in their letters and diaries.
"Unprecedented in scope and rich with insights, HEAVENLY MERCHANDIZE illuminates the history behind the continuing American dilemma over morality and the marketplace. -- Publisher
"HEAVENLY MERCHANDIZE is a magisterial account of the interplay of economics and religion in early America. In place of abstract theories of 'modernization' or 'the spirit of capitalism,' Valeri engages representative figures on the ground, and through their stories narrates the ways in which transformations in religious thought actually shaped a premodern market culture. Students of early American religion, economics, and imperialism will have to consult this seminal work." -- Harry S. Stout, Yale University
*Von Mises, Ludwig, Liberty and Property, ISBN: 9781579703783 157970378X.
"Originally delivered as a lecture at Princeton University, October 1958, at the 9th meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society." Includes bibliographical references.
*Weber, Max, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism: The Relationship Between Religion and the Economic and Social Life of Modern Culture, ISBN: 0024248606 9780024248602.
*Witsius, Herman (1636-1708), The Economy of the Covenants. Alternate title: THE OECONOMY OF THE COVENANTS BETWEEN GOD AND MAN, COMPREHENDING A COMPLETE BODY OF DIVINITY. BY HERMAN WITSIUS, . . . FAITHFULLY TRANSLATED FROM THE LATIN, AND CAREFULLY REVISED, BY WILLIAM CROOKSHANK, D.D. TO WHICH IS PREFIXED THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. . . Vol. 1. Dublin, 1774, 3 Vols., ISBN: 0875528708. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #27. A Christian classic.
Witsius is considered to be the father of Covenant Theology.
"Witsius (1636-1708), was a Dutch theologian, professor of Divinity at the Universities of Frankes, Utrecht, and Leyden. . . . In the very full introduction by J.I. Packer, you can get a very good overview. And at the same time you will get a succinct but amazingly appropriate overview of the scriptural covenants. . . . Packer compares Witsius to John Owen as a thorough, meticulous scholar who thought through everything before he set his pen to paper. It was this reviewer's blessing to obtain a set of Witsius in his early Christian life, and can testify to much help from them." -- Jay P. Green, Sr. (1918-2008)
Witsius, Herman, The Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man: Comprehending a Complete Body of Divinity (1837)
http://archive.org/details/MN41373ucmf_5
Witsius, Herman, Of Election from ECONOMY OF THE COVENANTS BETWEEN GOD AND MAN
http://www.truecovenanter.com/gospel/witsius_election.html
Witsius, Herman, Of Justification, from ECONOMY OF THE COVENANTS BETWEEN GOD AND MAN
http://www.truecovenanter.com/gospel/witsius_justification.html
Witsius, Herman, Of the Violation of the Covenant of Works on the Part of Man from ECONOMY OF THE COVENANTS BETWEEN GOD AND MAN
http://www.truecovenanter.com/gospel/witsius_violation_of_the_Covenant_of_Works.html
Woodiwiss, Michael, Gangster Capitalism: The United States and the Globalization of Organized Crime, ISBN: 0786716711 9780786716715.
"Everyone knows what organized crime is. Each year dozens of feature films, hundreds of books, and thousands of news stories explain to an eager public that organized crime is what gangsters do. Closely knit, ethnically distinct, and ruthlessly efficient, these mafias control the drugs trade, people trafficking and other serious crimes. If only states would take the threat seriously and recognize the global nature of modern organized crime, the FBI's success against the Italian mafia could be replicated throughout the world. The wicked trade in addictive drugs could be brought to a halt.
"The trouble is, as Woodiwiss demonstrates in shocking and surprising detail, what everyone knows about organized crime is pretty much completely wrong. In reality the most important figures in organized crime are employees of multinational companies, politicians and bureaucrats. Gangsters are certainly a problem, but much of their strength comes from attempts to prohibit the market for certain drugs. Even here they are minor players when compared with the intelligence and law enforcement agencies that selectively enforce prohibition and profit from it. Woodiwiss shows how respectable businessmen and revered statesmen have seized these opportunities in an orgy of fraud and illegal violence." -- Reader's Comment
Woodiwiss, Michael, The Return of Gangster Capitalism: The Global Rise of Organised Crime, ISBN: 9780745332024 0745332021.
See also: State sovereignty and corporate immunity: reform of corporations, Gambling, The banking system, The federal reserve, Conspiracy, corruption, organized crime, Slavery, our systems of enslavement, economic enslavement, Church and state, Treason and impeachment, The sabbath, The application of scripture to the corporate bodies of church and state, The banking system, Meltdown 2008, the greatest depression in history, Personal finance, Greed, Corporate faithfulness and sanctification, Selection of covenant heads for positions of leadership, Stress, The workplace, and so forth, and so on.
TCRB5: 557-608
Decline (Political, Economic, Cultural), part 1
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Decline of American Culture
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?ID=819021843
*The Fed, Fiat Currency, and Feckless Keynesian Economics, Steven T. Matthews
The creation of the Fed [The Federal Reserve -- compiler], is "the most tragic blunder ever committed by Congress. The day it [the Federal Reserve Act of 1913] was passed, old America died and a new era began. A new institution was born that was to cause, or greatly contribute to, the unprecedented economic instability in the decades to come." -- Hans F. Sennholz in Money and Freedom, quoted in End the Fed, p. 23
The Fed, Fiat Currency, and Feckless Keynesian Economics, Steven T. Matthews
http://www.trinityfoundation.org/journal.php?id=316
The Impact of Judicial Reforms on Economic Activity in Texas by The Perryman Group
http://www.cse.org/informed/867.html
Inheritance and Dominion -- Deuteronomy, by Gary North
Gary North, Freebooks.com
http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/
Institute for Christian Economics Freebooks.com
http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/
See there additional e-books on Christian Economics by Gary North and others
Judicial Reform has Economic Benefits
http://freedom.gov/news/releases/judicial.asp
LewRockwell.com
http://www.lewrockwell.com/
The Puritan Political Heritage
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Puritan Heritage, 47 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=922039503
Theft: Commentary and Cases of Conscience. A Listing Excerpted From The Institutes of Biblical Law by Rousas John Rushdoony, 1973 edition
http://www.lettermen2.com/theft.html
The Trinity Foundation
http://trinityfoundation.org/
Thomas Chalmers Page
http://www.newble.co.uk/chalmers/
Three New Testament Roots of Economic Liberty by Howard Ahmanson
http://www.acton.org/publicat/randl/97jan_feb/ahmanson.html
What's Wrong With Multi-level Marketing?
http://www.vandruff.com/mlm.html
See the Theological Notes: "The Image of God," at Genesis 1:27 in The Reformation Study Bible.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1:27)See the Theological Notes: "Christian Liberty," at Galatians 5:1 in The Reformation Study Bible.
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. -- The Lord Jesus Christ (John 8:31,32)If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. -- The Lord Jesus Christ (John 8:36)
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. (James 1:25)
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. (Titus 2:11, 12)
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. (2 Peter 1:2, 3)
"The human will does not obtain grace by freedom, but obtains freedom by grace." Carrying this to a logical conclusion, the honest must seriously questions the validity of a secular government, which enforces the separation of Church and State, and which is utterly intolerant of the Christian Ethic. The secularist's promise to deliver true freedom becomes a colossal modern myth, obviously intended to enslave and exploit a nation's people and their wealth. But the matter cannot be summed up in briefer form than in the eighth chapter of the book ON REBUKE AND GRACE TO VALENTINUS [available in the Anti-Pelagian Writings.] There Augustine first teaches: the human will does not obtain grace by freedom, but obtains freedom by grace; when the feeling of delight has been imparted through the same grace, the human will is formed to endure; it is strengthened with unconquerable fortitude; controlled by grace, it never will perish, but, if grace forsake it, it will straightway fall; by the Lord's free mercy it is converted to good, and once converted it perseveres in good; the direction of the human will toward good, and after direction its continuation in good, depend solely upon God's will, not upon any merit of man. Thus there is left to man such free will, if we please so to call it, as he elsewhere describes: that except through grace the will can neither be converted to God nor abide in God; and whatever it can do it is able to do only through grace.(38), (38. Passages from Augustine quoted or alluded to in sec. 14 are: On Grace and Free Will xx. 41 (MPL 44. 905; tr. NPNF V. 461); On the Spirit and the Letter xxx. 52 (MPL 44. 333; tr. NPNF V. 106); Letters ccxvii. 5. 16 (MPL 33. 984 f.; tr. FC 32. 86); Sermons clxxvi. 5, 6 (MPL 38. 952 f.; tr. LF Sermons II. 907 f.); On Rebuke and Grace viii. 17 (MPL 44. 926; tr. NPNF V. 478); Letters ccxiv. 7 (MPL 33. 970; tr. FC 32. 61 f.) -- John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book II, Chapter III, Section 14. "Augustine does not eliminate man's will, but makes it wholly dependent upon grace"
There is an evident connection between absolute truth, life, moral behavior, freedom (political, economic, and individual), and social stability.
A religious doctrine involves practical consequences so important, and its effects upon individual and social life are so infallible and so profound, that it can never be contemplated with indifference by the mass of society, and much less by their rulers. We pray you to observe, amongst other things, that the stronger the feeling of dependence to which religion reduces the individual, the more she invests him, on the other hand, with a lofty independence. All religion is freedom. By introducing us into the service of one master, she emancipates us from the dominion of all others. If she does not altogether do away with dependencies of another order, she transforms them from absolute into relative ones. We still belong to society, we are perhaps linked to it by closer ties than before; but it is in a mediate manner, for man cannot serve two masters. It is this independence which exasperates the rulers of this world, and indeed, for the most part, all those who do not share in it. It is this sacred retreat of liberty which they would invade -- this freedom, of which they would deprive us; as if the numerous sacrifices which from time to time liberty has made for the common weal were insufficient, as if it were not enough, or rather as if it were nothing, for us to have devoted all our bodily powers and all our worldly goods to the service of society, so long as this offering is not completed by the sacrifice of the soul. It is spiritual domination, dominion over the soul, of which despotism, whether of princes or of the people, is especially desirous. Thus, when a tyrant has bereft a nation of all its liberties, until throughout the realm his will has become law, his ambition having nothing else wherewith to satiate its appetite, directs itself against religion. Thenceforward, having subjugated the bodies of men, he directs his attacks against their souls. It is because he cannot but be sensible that dominion over souls -- what do you say? -- over one single soul, is as much superior to that over bodies, as the soul itself is superior to its envelope of clay. He cannot endure the humiliation of knowing that there is a sphere in which the most obscure man, by the force of sympathy alone, wields a greater power than his own. A deep-rooted and bitter feeling of envy takes possession of him; he can enjoy no more repose, until moral force shall have yielded to the pressure of physical force -- until the second Mordecai shall have bowed down to this second Haman -- until the soul, by dethroning itself, shall have delivered him from this odious rivalry. And should he encounter in this enterprise an unlooked-for resistance, his impatience becomes fury, and he destroys those whom he cannot subdue. This has been the origin of many religious persecutions, and it discloses the secret motives of those atrocities by which some have been distinguished.
It does not follow, however, that all the evils with which the world has been inundated in the name of religion, are to be referred to this cause alone. They have originated in that preeminently just idea, that religion gives the true signification of every man, and of the whole of society; that there is nothing more deeply seated in us, nothing which more decisively determines what we are; and that to declare what we believe, is at the same time, and as a matter of necessity, to declare what we wish to be. The influence of a lordly spirit apart, it is not astonishing that the social power has everywhere, more or less, attempted to regulate the faith of the citizens and the instructions of the priesthood. Nor is it surprising that the priesthood, in aid of the state, have themselves attempted to dictate in a matter of this importance. For the suppression of this evil, the assistance of ages has been necessary, and this has not proved sufficient; the veto of public opinion has been also needed. Perhaps in certain countries something further has been required -- the progress of religious indifference. But nowhere is the fire extinguished, because nowhere is man changed; he will never witness unmoved, the energetic manifestation of religious principle; he may be indulgent to philosophical religions, or to religious philosophy, which penetrates not to the very sources of will and of action; but he will be, with his own full knowledge and consent, severe upon genuine faith. And why? because man possessing genuine faith, rises to his highest elevation; an elevation to which it is necessary that others should rise also, not indeed to rule over him (for this is impossible), but to treat with him, and to be at peace together. This is the true position and individuality of each renewed man, and everything is put in requisition to annul, subdue, and modify it.
We dwell no longer upon these different attempts, but return to the principle. We find that in the judgment of the community, the religious conviction of a man moulds his character, estimates his worth, and foretells his life. It is the invisible source of many efforts, and often of much violence. Well, then, we infer [sic] unhesitatingly, that the faith of a member of society cannot remain either a mystery or a matter of doubt to those who surround him. If, as we have sought to establish a former part of this work, the spiritual unity of society, its reality in the elevated sense of that word, depends on the mutual interchange of sentiments; and if that individual only can be said to belong to the community, with whose character she is acquainted, it must be especially in the sphere of religious convictions that this truth is apparent; we may even go further, and say, that although we might keep our sentiments on other subjects to ourselves, those that we entertain respecting religion could not be concealed. For our religious convictions imbue us so thoroughly and practically, that society knows not what she possesses in us, except as she knows what we are with respect to God.
This fact is more conspicuous, we admit, with reference to the Christian religion than to any other. In comparison with it, all other systems of faith are superficial; and we may remark in passing, that this is the reason why Christianity has drawn upon itself, and even excited among its followers, more intolerance than any other religion. The experimental character of its doctrines, coming in contact with the diverse passions of the human heart, has enkindled in the midst of society an active and devouring flame; and its profession has occasioned a host of outrages and calamities. Christianity is radical in the highest degree; radical in morals. It uproots one life, it implants another. Of all religions, it alone is in direct hostility with human nature in its fallen condition, as it is also the only religion which coincides with that same nature in all that sin has not polluted; at once the most human, and the least human of all systems; appearing to grant us everything, and to refuse us everything, but, in reality, granting everything to humanity, and refusing everything to sin. No religion consequently so effectually reforms the moral being; in such a manner, that the complexion of our life and conduct depends on whether we are or are not Christians, and upon what sort of Christians we are.
We should find it impracticable to attempt to distinguish between the doctrines of Christianity and its morals; between what is called its natural and universal morality, and its peculiar and arbitrary doctrines. Christian doctrine is morality -- Christian morality; to wish to distinguish between the two is to desire to divide a stream from its source. Christian doctrine is no sooner received than it regulates the conduct; the character of God becomes a model for man; what God is, man ought to be; and inasmuch as God in the Scriptures is invested with attributes which belong not to human nature, so also man, by means of the Gospel, is invested with a character which nature had not impressed upon him; it makes him a new man in every sense of the term: a man peculiar and extraordinary in the eyes of nature, but in every case a man, who, by the judgment of that very nature, is approved and esteemed. To declare our opinion upon Christian doctrine avails much; it is in fact to profess certain principle of conduct, and to attach ourselves to one or another system of morality; it is to reveal our inward man, to publish the operations of conscience; it is to give the standard of our judgments, and the rule of our actions.
We do well to avow it: whenever we revert to the considerations which most forcibly recommend a duty, we revert to the greatest difficulties in the way of its accomplishment; indeed, in most cases, to point out the motive, is to recognize the difficulty. In the present case, for example, nothing can render candour more difficult than that which enforces its obligation. It is just because such a religious doctrine, of necessity involves such a principle of morality, and such a rule of conduct; it is precisely because it is a disclosure of inward man, that so many persons are averse to declare to what doctrine they adhere. And it is sometimes because their opinion condemns them, sometimes because it elevates them, not so much in itself as in the characteristics and practical consequences with which public opinion has invested it. It is painful to excite repugnance or aversion, and it is sometimes still more painful to excite expectations which we feel but too conscious we cannot fulfill. If it were not so, why should we make a secret of our religious opinions, when we are at no pains to conceal any other? Why, when we are open and unreserved upon all the rest, should we not allow free expression to our thoughts upon this, the noblest of subjects? Why should communications of this nature be so generally regarded as the acme of candour and the pledge of intimacy? Why is there no real union, no true communion of soul, until both parties have expressed what they think, and above all, what they feel upon invisible and infinite subjects? Why do beings long united by the closest ties of affection, as soon as spiritual communion is formed between them, discover with surprise, that up to that period they had really never known, understood, or loved each other? -- that, as Montaigne expresses it, there was wanting to their friendship 'a certain inexplicable, yet essential power, the mediatrix of that union;' or that (as is really the fact), 'God is the true medium of true friendship?' All such instance go to confirm the truth of what we have said. A great effect supposes a powerful force -- a powerful force is employed only against a formidable resistance, and a formidable resistance has no place but in opposition to an urgent necessity. Here the necessity is a moral one -- it is a duty; an evident, and urgent, but a painful duty; for the consequences, even limiting them to their narrowest range, and considering none but those which are developed in the bosom of private relations, these consequences are, it must be confessed, of a startling character.
Nevertheless, if regarded only in the light of morality and natural reason, this candour, which appears so difficult and dangerous, would be found to possess real advantages, whilst reserve would have none but what are false and deceptive. Candour would break the ice which dissimulation thickens and consolidates from day to day; it would procure a more lasting peace; it would put the seal to confidence and friendship. You dread a storm: any storm would be preferable to the dead calm in which you live, -- a calm without peace and without security; for since no one can suppose that you are altogether destitute of religious prepossessions, that you have not some inward conviction to disclose, it will become a matter either of dread or of desire that you should disclose it. This very feeling of anxiety will be an evil in your social relations; if your connexions are desirous of it, when you are averse to making it, their importunity will disturb your peace; on the contrary, if they are averse to its manifestation, when you yourself desire it, they will avoid your company; there will of necessity be in your social relations something painful, constrained, and, in the end, insupportable. If they neither desire nor fear it, it must be because they are not acquainted with your character, and have no desire to become so, because they are not solicitous about your most important interests -- in other words, because they do not love you. And as between a mind occupied with spiritual things and one that is not, there is a wide gulf fixed, as true intimacy between two persons so different is altogether impossible, it is the duty of the more serious of the two, to sound the mind of his friend by disclosing his own, to provide a declaration by declaring himself. Every connexion founded upon a voluntary and designedly prolonged misunderstanding, every factitious union between minds pursuing directly opposite courses, is contrary to human dignity. . . . -- Alexander Vinet (1797-1847), and Charles Theodore Jones (translator), An Essay on the Profession of Personal Religious Conviction, pp. 73-81, and Vinet on FreedomJesus alone gives true freedom.
It is true that Christianity, as over against certain social tendencies of the present day, insists upon rights of the individual souls. We do not deny the fact; on the contrary we glory in it. Christianity, if it be true Christianity, must place itself squarely in opposition to the soul-killing collectivism which is threatening to dominate our social life; it must provide the individual soul with a secret place of refuge from the tyranny of psychological experts; it must fight the great battle for the liberty of the children of God. The rapidly regressing liberty is one of the most striking phenomena of recent years . . . If liberty is to be preserved against the materialistic paternalism of the modern state, there must be something more than courts and legal guarantees; freedom must be written not merely in the constitution but in the people's heart. And it can be written in the heart, we believe, only as a result of the redeeming work of Christ. -- J. Gresham Machen (1881-1937)
Christians in their unregenerate state, walked according to the course of this world, according to the Prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2). The ungodly are the slaves of Satan. Said our Lord to the Pharisees, Ye are of your father the Devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do (John 8:44). Men are taken captive by him (the Devil) at his will (2 Timothy 2:26).
Now the Gospel is God's appointed agency for delivering men from their awful bondage to the Devil. When the Lord commissioned the apostle Paul to go unto the Gentiles, He sent him to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God (Acts 26:18). Christians are a people who have been delivered from the Power of darkness (Satan) and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son (Colossians 1:13). -- Arthur Pink (1886-1952), Christian LibertyThe roots of liberty and limited government are in the Protestant Reformation. We believe the key to the maintenance of liberty and limited government is to be found in the Scottish covenanting struggle. -- James A. Dodson
Hold fast to the Bible as the anchor of your liberty. Write its precepts in your heart, and practice them in your lives. -- Ulysses S. Grant
Christian fellowship should be characterized by spontaneity and freedom.
Acton, John, E. (1834-1902), The History of Freedom and Other Essays, ISBN: 1596052244 9781596052246.
*Anderson, James N.D., Morality, Law and Grace, ISBN: 0877845468 9780877845461.
"Faces the pressing problems of the present day and provides perceptive counsel and sane solutions to the moral confusion of our contemporary society. Also underscores the relevancy of the Christian message, the uniqueness of its ethic, and the richness of its liberty. An admirable blending of scientific logic, legal expertise, and Biblical knowledge." -- Cyril J. Barber
Augustine (of Hippo), Benjamin Breckridge Warfield, Peter Holmes, and Philip Schaff, Anti-Pelagian Writings, ISBN: 1565630998 9781565630994.
"The human will does not obtain grace by freedom, but obtains freedom by grace." -- John Calvin summarizing the teaching of Augustine
Barrett, C.K., Freedom and Obligation: A Study of the Epistle to the Galatians, ISBN: 0664246621 9780664246624.
"Writing clearly and succinctly, Barrett argues that Galatians stands at the heart of the New Testament. He introduces Paul's method of theological reflection and analyzes the dispute about freedom within the early church. . . . ." -- CBD
Black, John (1768-1849), and Chauncey Webster, Divine and Human Rights, or, The Westminster Confession and the Constitution of the United States Tested by the Holy Scripture. In MISCELLANEOUS, VOL. 6, 1819-1849.
"The substance of a discourse delivered Nov. 14, 1844, at the First Associate Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia."
*Blumenfeld, Samuel, Is Public Education Necessary? ISBN: 0815958269 9780815958260.
"This book tells, for the first time, the story of how and why Americans gave up educational freedom so early in their history for the imagined benefits of state-controlled education. The author delves into a wealth of original sources to reveal how a comparative handful of secularists, who were more concerned with destroying religion than with freeing man, spearheaded the drive toward public education. Centered at Harvard, this nineteenth-century liberal elite worked tirelessly -- and successfully -- to put America on the road to educational statism. By exploring the very roots of the system, this book provides the missing link in our educational history." -- Publisher
*Bolton (or Boulton), Samuel, and John Cameron (1579?-1625), The True Bounds of Christian Freedom, or A Treatise Wherein the Rights of the law are Vindicated, the Liberties of Grace Maintained, and Severall Late Opinions Against the Law are Examined and Confuted. A Christian classic. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"Samuel Boulton was one of the Westminster Assembly of Divines. He 'expounds the nature of Christian liberty and then clearly sets the bounds of that liberty. . . '." -- Publisher
*Bonar, Horatius (1808-1889), The Everlasting Righteousness, or How Shall man be Just With God? A Christian classic. Considered to be among the ten greatest books in the English language.
"First published in 1874, THE EVERLASTING RIGHTEOUSNESS, may be the best book on the doctrine of justification by faith alone ever written.
"Since the seventeenth century, the church's adherence to the central doctrine of the Christian faith has been weakening; in the twentieth century it has all but disappeared. But to those who remain faithful -- to those who are called of God -- justification by faith alone is the best news there could ever be: that Christ died for our sins, and we shall live forever because of Christ's righteousness.
"Justification by faith alone -- the 'principal hinge of religion,' according to John Calvin, the 'doctrine by which the church stands or falls,' according to Martin Luther -- is salvation. Without it, all hope is lost; with it, Heaven gained. Bonar's discussion is without equal in the English language." -- John W. Robbins
The Everlasting Righteousness, Horatius Bonar
http://books.google.com/books?id=nQMDAAAAQAAJ&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html
*Bonar, Horatius (1808-1889), Free-will A Christian classic.
*Brown, John (of Edinburgh, 1784-1858), Exposition of Galatians. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"AN EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE GALATIANS, by the Rev. Dr. Brown, is a work of deep piety, vast learning, unwearied industry, and sound judgment. The author 'has endeavoured to make this exposition at once a readable book for intelligent Christians, though unacquainted with the sacred languages, and a satisfactory statement of the facts and principles on which the exegesis is based, to critical students of the New Testament'." -- William Pringle, translator of Calvin's Commentary on Galatians
"His discussion of the fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of the flesh is very useful. And his discourse on faith, and the duties and responsibilities of those who have the faith that works by love is penetrating and inspiring. This does not duplicate Luther. Brown has original ideas you can use." -- Jay P. Green, Sr. (1918-2008)
"A refreshing treatment of Paul's letter that has been called the Charter of Christian Liberty. . . ." -- Cyril J. Barber
*Brutus, Junius (attributed to Philippe Duplessis-Mornay [1549-1623] and sometimes to Hubert Languet [1518-1581]), A Defense of Liberty Against Tyrants, ISBN: 0921148453. Alternate title: VINDICIAE, CONTRA TYRANNOS: OR, CONCERNING THE LEGITIMATE POWER OF A PRINCE OVER THE PEOPLE, AND OF THE PEOPLE OVER A PRINCE, Hubert Languet (author) [also attributed to Stephanus Junius Brutus a pseudonym for Philippe Duplessis-Mornay], George Garnett (editor), ISBN: 0521342090 9780521342094. This [ISBN: 0921148453] is a reprint of a 1689 edition of this work, which was originally written in 1579. A Christian classic. Available [ISBN: 0921148453] on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available [ISBN: 0921148453] on Reformation Bookshelf CD #26.
"Piety commands that the law and church of God be maintained. Justice requires that tyrants and destroyers of the commonwealth be compelled to reason. Charity challenges the right of relieving and restoring the oppressed. Those who make no account of these things do as much as in them lies to drive piety, justice, and charity out of this world, that they may never more be heard of." -- Junius Brutus
"John Adams held this book to be one of the most influential books in America on the eve of the Revolution. This 'defense' manual will help equip you for the battle." -- Publisher
"This book was even more influential than Thomas Payne's COMMON SENSE, in molding the American mind and preparing it for the war for independence. Much of our Declaration of Independence reflects its wisdom and thought. Written by a French Huguenot to give Biblical and civil justification for fighting against a government that was illegally killing it own people during the religious wars on France between the 1540s and late 1700. A must reading for those who want to understand religious and political history of Europe, or want to better understand the Biblical justification sought by our own founding fathers in their fight for independence. A must read!" -- Reader's Comment
Vidiciae Contra Tyrannos: A Defense of Liberty Against Tyrants, by Junius Brutus, attributed to Philippe Duplessis-Mornay [1549-1623]
http://www.constitution.org/vct/vindiciae.htm
Brutus, Junius, The Covenant Between God and Kings, from A DEFENSE OF LIBERTY
http://www.constitution.org/vct/vindiciae1a.htm
*Calvin, John (1509-1564), The Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2 volumes, ISBN: 0664220207 9780664220204. Considered to be among the ten greatest books in the English language. A Christian classic.
"Edited by John McNeill and translated by Ford Lewis Battles, this is the definitive English language edition of one of the monumental works of the Christian church -- Calvin's INSTITUTES.
"Still considered by many to be the finest explanation and defense of the Protestant Reformation available.
"The work is divided into four books: I. The Knowledge of God the Creator, II. The Knowledge of God the Redeemer in Christ, III. The Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ, IV. The External Means or Helps by Which God Allures us Into Fellowship With Christ and Keeps us in it. . . . THE INSTITUTES is praised by the secular philosopher, Will Durant, as one of the ten books that shook the world." -- GCB
Calvin spent a lifetime writing and perfecting INSTITUTES OF CHRISTIAN RELIGION. His Prefatory Address makes it clear that he intended the work to be a defense of Christianity to the King of France.
Therefore, plainly stated, one of the most influential works ever published in the English language is a defense of Christianity to leaders of State.
Prefatory Address to His Most Christian Majesty, The Most Mighty and Illustrious Monarch, Francis, King of the French, His Sovereign, John Calvin. Available in THE INSTITUTES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
"Indeed, this consideration makes a true king: to recognize himself a minister of God in governing his kingdom. Now, that king, who in ruling over his realm does not serve God's glory, exercises not kingly rule but brigandage. [Footnote: 'Nec iam regnum ille sed latrocinium exercet.' An echo of Augustine's famous phrase: 'When justice is taken away, what are kingdoms [[regna]] but a vast banditry [[magna latocinia]]?' City of God, IV. iv (MPL [[Migne, J.P., Patrologiae cursus completus, series Latina]], 41. 115; tr. NPNF [[A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, second series]], II. 66)]. Furthermore, he is deceived who looks for enduring prosperity in his kingdom when it is not ruled by God's scepter, that is, his Holy Word; for the heavenly oracle that proclaims that where prophecy fails the people are scattered [Prov. 29:18 (Proverbs 29:18)], cannot lie." (Battles translation)
"The characteristic of a true sovereign is, to acknowledge that, in the administration of his kingdom, he is a minister of God. He who does not make his reign subservient to the divine glory, acts the part not of a king, but a robber. He, moreover, deceives himself who anticipates long prosperity to any kingdom which is not ruled by the sceptre of God, that is, by his divine word. For the heavenly oracle is infallible which has declared, that where there is no vision the people perish (Proverbs 29:18), (Beveridge translation)."
See the entire Prefatory Address, Beveridge translation. Considered to be one of the greatest prefaces ever written.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.ii.viii.html
"The doctrines of covenant liberty were rediscovered in the Reformation. John Calvin went further than anyone else in defining liberty and what Christians need to do to maintain it. Includes bibliographies."
It is recommended that INSTITUTES OF CHRISTIAN RELIGION be used for daily devotions and may be used in combination with Ford Lewis Battles and John Walchenbach, AN ANALYSIS OF THE INSTITUTES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION OF JOHN CALVIN and with CALVIN'S COMMENTARIES.
Calvin's Commentaries at BibleStudyGuide.org
http://www.biblestudyguide.org/comment/calvin/comm_index.htm
Calvin's Commentaries, complete
From the Calvin Translation Society edition.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/commentaries.i.html
One Hundred Aphorisms, Containing, Within a Narrow Compass, the Substance and Order of the Four Books of The Institutes of the Christian Religion
http://www.lettermen2.com/pringle.html
Contents and Chapter Sections for Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, 1559 (McNeill/Battles)
http://www.lettermen2.com/icrcont.html
Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion; A New Translation by Henry Beveridge (1845), Volume: 1
http://archive.org/details/instituteschrist01calvuoft
Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion; A New Translation by Henry Beveridge (1845), Volume: 2
http://archive.org/details/institutesofreli02calvuoft
Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Beveridge translation
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.iii.vii.html
Monergism: Commentaries
From Mongergism.com search "commentaries."
http://www.monergism.com
*Cole, Franklin P., (introductory essay and biographical sketches), They Preached Liberty, ISBN: 0913966169 9780913966167.
"An anthology of timely quotations from New England ministers of the American Revolution on the subject of liberty: its source, nature, obligations, types, and blessings." -- Publisher
Diekema, Anthony J., Academic Freedom and Christian Scholarship, ISBN: 0802847560.
"This book reflects on the scholarly literature on academic freedom and the personal experience of an educator with 20 years experience as a college president. The book offers a balanced approach which develops a working definition of academic freedom, assesses the threats it faces, acknowledges the significance of academic freedom, and explores educational policy implications for Christian colleges. The chapters are: (1) Introduction; (2) The Search for Definition; (3) Threats to Academic Freedom; (4) Academic Freedom in the Context of Worldview; (5) Policy Development in the Christian College: Modest Proposals; and (6) Reflections: Toward an Ethos of Freedom. An appendix contains the expanded mission statement for Calvin College (contains 254 references)." -- Publisher
*Dillenberger, John (editor), Martin Luther: Selections From his Writings, ISBN: 0385098766 9780385098762. A Christian classic.
"The development of Martin Luther's thought was both a symptom and moving force in the transformation of the Middle Ages into the modern world. Geographical discovery, an emerging scientific tradition, and a climate of social change had splintered the unity of medieval Christian culture, and these changes provided the background for Luther's theological challenge. His new apprehension of Scripture and fresh understanding of man's relation to God demanded a break with the Church as then constituted and released the powerful impulses that carried the Reformation. Luther's vigorous, colorful language still retains the excitement it had for thousands of his contemporaries. In this volume, Dr. Dillenberger has made a representative selection from Luther's extensive writings, and has also provided the reader with a lucid introduction to his thought." -- Publisher
See: "Martin Luther's Treatise on Christian Liberty" (The Freedom of the Christian).
"If one were to single out one short document representing the content and spirit of Luther's faith 'The Freedom of the Christian' would undoubtedly be at the top." -- John Dillenberger
Downame, George, The Christian's Freedom: Wherein is Fully Expressed the Doctrine of Christian Liberty, ISBN: 1877611751 9781877611759.
*Edwards, Jonathan (1703-1758), An Inquiry Into the Modern Prevailing Notions of That Freedom of the Will: Which is Supposed to be Essential to Moral Agency, Virtue and Vice, Reward and Punishment, Praise and Blame. A Christian classic.
"Contains a detailed inquiry into the prevailing theory regarding the freedom of the will and human determinism. First published in 1754." -- Cyril J. Barber
*Finley, Martha (1828-1909), The Elsie Books 28-book series (Bulverde, TX: Mantle Ministries; Elkton, MD: Holly Hall Publications, and various other publishers).
Originally written in the late 1800's for girls and young women, the Elsie Dinsmore books were bestsellers for over thirty years. When we are introduced to Elsie in the first book she is a sweet and humble eight-year-old whose great desire in life is to be reunited with her father, whom she has never met. Her faith and her obedience to God's commandments uphold her in the great troubles she often faces, and the drama to which we are spectators is as timely for today's girls as it was for the young ladies of the 19th century. A new edition of one of GCB's bestsellers, the series offers Christian values and character building examples through stories that are compelling, heartwarming, and enduring. Ages 10 and up." -- GCB
"The Elsie Books -- 28 in all -- are some of the most widely read children's stories ever written. When they first came out more than a hundred years ago, the publisher could scarcely keep them in stock. . ." -- Publisher
"Altogether Miss Finley's novels sold more than 28,000,000 copies in the last century. This made them among the bestselling novels of all time. . ." -- Jay P. Green, Sr. (1918-2008)
*Book 1: Elsie Dinsmore, ISBN: 158182064X 9781581820645. (Bulverde, TX: Mantle Ministries), ISBN: 1888306319.
"Set amid the sweet blossoms of a southern mansion, this timeless classic delves into the heart of Elsie -- by all counts, an extraordinary little girl. Share in Elsie's quest for love from her earthly father as it leads to a mature understanding of the love of her Father in Heaven. Join Elsie as she suffers through endless hours of scrutiny from Miss Day, her mean-spirited school teacher, taunting from her mischievous young Uncle Arthur, and scoldings from a cold-hearted father she so desires to please -- all with the peace and quiet countenance that comes from knowing she is God's child. This, the first of the heart-warming Elsie Books, will both challenge and inspire you." -- Publisher
Elsie Dinsmore: Book 1, Martha Finley
http://www.hshangout.com/elsie.html
*Book 2: Elsie's Holidays at Roselands, ISBN: 9781888306323 1888306327.
"When Elsie's father becomes ill, she takes on the job of nurse-companion, and all goes well until Elsie, because it is the Sabbath, as a matter of conscience refuses to read to him from a secular book. The battle of wills that ensues nearly causes first her father's death, and then Elsie's. Lonely Elsie -- punished, ostracized, and then abandoned by her father -- turns to her heavenly Father for comfort and assurance. Will her father realize that Elsie's obedience to God must be paramount, and submit himself to the same Divine Authority?" -- Publisher
On an even more serious note, one moral of this story is the broader life and death struggle between Truth and Falsehood (See: Absolute truth and relativism [duality and non-duality], Epistemology of theology, the theory of knowledge, and Christian scholarship.) The consequence of conflict of will is death of the "One," or war of the "Many" (see Rushdoony, THE ONE AND THE MANY: STUDIES IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF ORDER AND ULTIMACY. Conflict of will (see Will and recalcitrance, Rebellion and lawlessness: wickedness, demonic possession, abnormal behavior, insanity, mental illness, mental retardation,) may begin when one individual (see The doctrine of man [human nature, total depravity],) or the corporate body (see Corporate faithfulness and sanctification), tries to usurping authority over others (see Power, Authority) -- tries to control and possess the other (see Tyranny, Slavery, our systems of enslavement, economic enslavement.) The means of control may be either outward or occult (see The occult, spiritism, witchcraft), deceit, repression or suppression of the truth, replacing moral and ethical absolutes with relativism (see Ethics, computer ethics, cyberethics, Medical ethics, Absolute truth and relativism [duality and non-duality], unfaithfulness to the highest ethical standards (see The ten commandments: the moral law, The holy bible), Heresy and apostasy (apostacy, old english), Spiritual adultery [spiritual whoredom/harlotry,] (see Idolatry, syncretism, Jeremiah and lamentations,) invocation of the demonic, Oaths, ensnaring vows, promises, and covenants, bonds with the ungodly Carnality and flesh pleasing: desires, pleasure, Justice, judgment, god's final judgment, the great white throne judgment, the day of the lord,) attempts to take authority over another politically or by mental malpractice (see Selection of covenant heads for positions of leadership, making up their own rules (see Absolute truth and relativism [duality and non-duality],) ignoring or changing constitutional or creedal documents, unjust laws for the accumulation of wealth and power, indebtedness, disenfranchisement, (see denial of freedom,) Priestcraft, pharisaism, soul-stealing, possessiveness, physical seduction and whoredom, political economic or sexual enslavement (see Sexual relationship,) and so forth, and so on.
This abuse, this soul-violence, quenches the Holy Spirit (see Owen, God's Presence With a People the Spring of Their Prosperity; With Their Special Interest in Abiding in Him.) If either side is immovable, then death is the consequence (see Soteriology, atonement, The blood of christ, Hell, and Heaven.)
How are conflicts of will resolved? By submission to the Absolute Truths of God's word, the great common denominator, Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. -- The Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:6)
All this bears a strain of the Gospel (see Book-length presentations of the free offer of the gospel message of salvation and the life to come: the means of grace, The westminster confession of faith.)
Book 2: Holidays at Roselands
http://archive.org/details/holidaysatrosel00finlgoog
Holidays at Roselands (Gutenberg text)
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=14280
Mantle Ministries (Elsie Dinsmore Series and Mildred Series)
http://www.mantlemin.com
Fiske, John, The Beginnings of New England, or, the Puritan Theocracy in its Relations to Civil and Religious Liberty, 1902, ISBN: 0781228492.
*Ganz, Richard, You Shall be Free Indeed!: The Statutes of Liberty for Godly Living, ISBN: 1895019001 9781895019001.
"Shows how to have the freedom Christ gives. Rings the changes on 'freedom:' true vs. false, internal and external, from the expectations of others, to fail or succeed, to change, from self-love, to love, from legalistic holiness, for gospel holiness." -- David Powlison (1949-2019)
"Drawing from his experience as a nouthetic counselor and pastor, Ganz shows how Christians can have the freedom that Christ gives his people. Jay Adams says: 'This is one of the most encouraging and helpful books I have read in a long time'." -- GCB
Girardeau, John L., Individual Liberty and Church Authority: A Sermon Preached at Westminster Church, Charleston, Thursday Night, April 11, 1889, During the Sessions of Charleston Presbytery.
*Hall, David W., and David J. Vaughan, A Heart Promptly Offered: The Revolutionary Leadership of John Calvin, ISBN: 9781581825053 1581825056.
"Few today realize the extent to which John Calvin, the great Genevan reformer, and his work have shaped modern culture. Few know that it was John Calvin who pioneered the effort to decentralize government by calling for checks and balances against the rule of the few or the king. Equally unknown are his efforts to establish a productive social safety net for immigrants, create educational models that were far ahead of his time, and instill a sense of self-worth in all citizens (regardless of their occupations or class). He was also known for his support of free markets, the rise of private enterprise, and the advancement of publishing and knowledge beyond its medieval confines. The result of his efforts was an explosion of culture and liberty, a story that often is lost or ignored in the rush to offer criticism of the man. A HEART PROMPTLY OFFERED presents the basic story of Calvin's life, along with numerous excerpts from his own pen -- writings from his letters, commentaries, and sermons. In addition to summarizing the main topics of CALVIN'S INSTITUTES, it lays out his ground-breaking political theory." -- Publisher
Hopkins, Evan H., The Law of Liberty in the Spiritual Life, ISBN: 0875082734.
James, Charles F., Documentary History of the Struggle for Religious Liberty in Virginia Including the Essay "The Presbyterian Church and Religious Liberty in Virginia," by William Wirt Henry, ISBN: 0306719770 9780306719776.
Reprinted in conjunction with the 400 year celebration of the founding of Virginia and the settlement of Jamestown (1607-2007).
"Both the book and essay were originally printed in the same year -- 1900. The timely importance of this reprint is based on the fact that the religious liberty guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution was born in the struggle for religious liberty in Virginia. This volume deals with Virginia Baptists and their great suffering for religious or soul liberty. By this is meant the natural and inalienable right of every soul to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, and that religion is, and must be, a voluntary service; and that no earthly power, whether civil or ecclesiastical, has any right to compel conformity to any creed or to any species of worship, or to tax a man for its support. The author, Charles James, became a convert to Christ and the Baptist faith during the War Between the States in 1864. From his memoriam, he was a soldier of the Confederacy, a soldier of the Cross, a patriot, loyal friend, devout Christian, diligent student, accurate scholar, able minister, and a skilled educator. He began serious research on this volume around 1883, never stopping his research until this volume was published with his own funds through J.P. Bell in 1900, only two years before his death." -- Publisher
James, Charles F., and William Wirt Henry, Documentary History of the Struggle for Religious Liberty in Virginia. Alternate title: THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IN VIRGINIA, ISBN: 9781594421549 1594421544.
Lim, Paul Chang-Ha, In Pursuit of Purity, Unity, and Liberty: Richard Baxter's Puritan Ecclesiology in its Seventeenth-century Context, ISBN: 1429408065 9781429408066 9789004138124 9004138129.
"Richard Baxter's ecclesiology will be the focus of this study. Baxter (1615-1691) lived through the British Civil Wars, the Regicide, the Interregnum, the restoration of monarchy and episcopacy in 1660, subsequent ejection of numerous Puritan pastors, and the Glorious Revolution of 1689. His ecclesiology was formed within these multifarious contexts. Among others, three significant facets of purity, unity, and liberty are examined in detail. This book re-examines the central role of catechizing and congregational discipline in Baxter's understanding of the true church, his insistence that the purity and unity of the church are to be pursued concurrently, the self-perceived identity of English Puritans, and the question of the true church in the latter-half of the seventeenth century." -- Publisher
*Luther, Martin (1483-1546), J.I. Packer (translator), and O.R. Johnston (translator), Bondage of the Will, ISBN: 0800753429 9780800753429. A Christian classic. Available (PDF and MP3) on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"THE BONDAGE OF THE WILL is fundamental to an understanding of the primary doctrines of the Reformation. In these pages, Luther gives extensive treatment to what he saw as the heart of the gospel. Free will was no academic question to Luther; the whole gospel of the Grace of God, he believed, was bound up with it and stood or fell according to the way one decided it . . . This is the greatest piece of writing that came from Luther's pen. In its vigour of language, its profound theological grasp, and the grand sweep of its exposition, it stands unsurpassed among Luther's writings." -- Publisher
"Luther recognized this book as his most important work and even said that if all his other books perished, he would hope that this one, along with his SMALL CATECHISM, would be the only ones to remain. As noted above, this is one of the most important books of the early Reformation, for it deals with what Luther saw to be the heart of the Gospel. Luther here refutes the Romish notion of 'free will' in man and upholds the absolute sovereignty of God in the salvation of sinners -- as well as justification by faith alone. Luther clearly saw the issue of free will as the primary cause of his separation from Rome.
"In this book he replied to the Roman Catholic scholar, Erasmus, and his diatribe THE FREEDOM OF THE WILL. Though disagreeing with just about everything else Erasmus wrote, Luther commended Erasmus for recognizing the crux of the matter at issue between Rome and the Bible believers, the debate over 'free will.' In this regard Luther wrote,
that unlike all the rest, you alone have attacked the real issue, the essence of the matter in dispute [i.e. man's so-called free-will -- RB] . . . You and you alone saw, what was the grand hinge upon which the whole turned, and therefore you attacked the vital part at once; for which, from my heart, I thank you." 'This book is most needful at the present day,' noted Atherton in 1931, for 'the teachings of many so-called Protestants are more in accordance with the Dogmas of the Papists, or the ideas of Erasmus, than with the Principles of the Reformers; they are more in harmony with the Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent than with the Protestant or Reformed Confessions of Faith.'
*Luther, Martin (1483-1546), Christian Liberty.
*Luther, Martin (1483-1546), Commentary on Galatians, English translation by Erasmus Middleton, B.D., edited by John Prince Fallowes, M.A., Pembroke College, Cambridge, ISBN: 0825431247. A Christian classic. Considered to be among the ten greatest books in the English language. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"I prefer this book of Martin Luther's (except the Bible), before all the books I have ever seen, as most fit for a wounded soul." -- John Bunyan
"This is a great, historic work, and is beyond criticism on account of its great usefulness. As a comment its accuracy might be questioned; but for emphatic utterances and clear statements of the great doctrine of the Epistle it remains altogether by itself, and must be judged per se." -- C.H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)
"The reissue of a famous series of lectures delivered at Wittenberg University in 1553." -- Cyril J. Barber
Commentary on Galatians, Martin Luther
http://archive.org/details/cu31924029294133
Luther's Commentary on Galatians, That He might deliver us from the present evil world. (Galatians 1:4 excerpt), English translation by Erasmus Middleton, B.D., edited by John Prince Fallowes, M.A., Pembroke College, Cambridge
http://www.lettermen2.com/luther2.html
Luther's Commentary on Galatians, Who hath bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth. (Galatians 3:1 excerpt), English translation by Erasmus Middleton, B.D., edited by John Prince Fallowes, M.A., Pembroke College, Cambridge
http://www.lettermen2.com/luther1.html
*Luther, Martin (1483-1546), Concerning Christian Liberty, 80 pages, ISBN: 0585150281 9780585150284. A Christian classic.
"An unabridged edition, to include: LETTER OF MARTIN LUTHER TO POPE LEO X and CONCERNING CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, with updated typeface." -- Publisher
*Luther, Martin (1483-1546), Rhegius Urbanus (1489-1541), and Walter, Lynne, A Frutefull and Godly Exposition and Declaracion of the Kyngdom of Christ, and of the Christen Lybertye, made vpon the wordes of the prophete Jeremye in the xxij. chapter [Jeremiah 22], with an exposycyon of the viij. Psalme [Psalm 8], intreatyng of the same matter, by the famous clerke Doctor Martyn Luther, whereunto is annexed A godly sermon, of Doctor Urbanus Regius, vpon the ix. Chapyter of Mathewe [Matthew 9] of the woman that had an issew of blood and of the rulers daughter, newly translated oute of hyghe Almayne, 1548.
Includes: "An homily or sermon of the famous doctour Urbanus Rhegius of fayth and resurrection, upon the Gospell of Mathew, in the ix. chapter [Matthew 9], of the woman, whiche was grieued with the issew of bloudde, and of the doughter of the chief ruler, which being dead Christ restored to lyfe, preached to the people of Hannouer in Sarou," with caption title. Running title reads: OF THE KYNGDOME OF CHRIST AND THE CHRISTEN LIBERTE. A TRANSLATION, BY WALTER LYNNE, OF EINE EPISTEL AUS DEM PROPHETEN JEREMIA.
*MacPherson, Hector, Scotland's Battles for Spiritual Independence, 1905.
"Ably delineates between the quest for power (ecclesiastical as well as political), and a true spirit of independence based upon Biblical principles. Describes the struggle between church and state, and lays justifiable stress upon the far-ranging effects of the battles they fought and won." -- Cyril J. Barber
McDonald, James McGowan, The Perfect law of Liberty: An Address, Delivered in Rehoboth Church, Iowa, July 4th, 1861.
Manton, Thomas (1620-1677), Liberty and Blessing in the Law of Christ. Available (WORKS OF THOMAS M'CRIE) on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #5.
*Marshall, Walter (1628-1680), The Gospel-Mystery of Sanctification: Growing in Holiness by Living in Union With Christ, ISBN: 189277724X. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
The Reformation Heritage Books edition is a reprint of the 1954 edition set by Oliphants and includes an introduction by Joel R. Beeke. Also includes the author's famous sermon on "The Doctrine of Justification Opened and Applied."
See the WorldCat record for various foreign language editions.
Other editions:
Marshall, Walter, The Gospel-Mystery of Sanctification, ISBN: 1597520543 9781597520546.
"This is by far the best book on the doctrine of Sanctification in print. It was originally written in the 17th century, but has been put into modern English with this edition. This book will help you better understand the Gospel and its power not only for our Justification, but our Sanctification as well." -- Reader's Comment
Marshall, Walter, The Gospel-Mystery of Sanctification, ISBN: 1589600630 9781589600638.
"Here you will read the most closely reasoned defense of scriptural sanctification to be found anywhere. . . . Fourteen directions are given to the reader, all perfected with the aim of explaining to sincere souls what sanctification is, what it is not, and how to attain a holy walk before God. . . ." -- Jay P. Green, Sr. (1918-2008)
Marshall, Walter, The Gospel-mystery of Sanctification, Opened, in Sundry Practical Directions: Suited Especially to the Case of Those who Labor Under the Guilt and Power of Indwelling Sin. To Which is Added a Sermon on Justification (1859)
http://archive.org/details/gospelmysteryofs02mars
McKenzie, Richard B., Bound to be Free, ISBN: 0817975519 9780817975517.
"Why is it that in the land of the free, special interests control what we eat, wear, and drive, whereas government tells us how our children will be educated and how much we will pay for life's essentials? In this book McKenzie identifies the forces destroying us bit by bit, and shows what can be done now to stop the erosion of individual and marketplace freedom before it's too late. In a daring departure, he argues that the key to each person's freedom is a business community free of government favor and interference. Only a reassertion of the principles of constitutional democracy will really speak to the people's deeply felt need to 'get the government off our backs.' This book goes beyond a tough, objective delineation of our economic malaise. It provides a hard-hitting, multifaceted program that includes a free market constitutional amendment, an enforceable way to limit the government's ability to levy taxes and print money, and a novel procedure to eliminate the control of Congress by special interests. The result is a message of hope and freedom for all Americans." -- Cyril J. Barber
Mill, John Stuart, On Liberty and Other Essays, ISBN: 019282208X 9780192822086.
*Morey, Robert, The new Atheism and the Erosion of Freedom, ISBN: 0875523625 9780875523620.
"Exposes the godless suppression of religious freedom today and presents effective ways to convert atheists to Christ. In case you have not noticed atheism/secular humanism is gaining ground. Are you grounded in what these philosophies teach? Can you refute them? Dr. Morey will show you how." -- GCB
The American Atheist Union has said this is the most dangerous book ever written about religion.
Includes bibliography.
*Price, Greg L., Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience, 3 audio files. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"Demonstrates from Scripture what Christian liberty is and what it isn't. Shows why this liberty is not a license to sin or an excuse to place man's independent conscience above the word of God (a common mistake in a democratic, egalitarian, atomistic age). Samuel Rutherford battled this error in the mid-seventeenth century in his classic FREE DISPUTATION AGAINST PRETENDED LIBERTY OF CONSCIENCE. Price not only applies these teachings to the individual, but to the church and state also; asking the question regarding the latter: 'How can a moral wrong be a civil right?' (which applies to many areas of present pagan civil juridical ineptitude -- not the least of which is the abortion holocaust). Uses the alcohol issue to show how fundamentalists and others misuse (and misunderstand), this doctrine; with a lengthy and detailed treatment of this subject defending the believer's freedom to moderately partake of alcohol." -- Publisher
Richardson, Peter, Paul's Ethic of Freedom, ISBN: 0664242618 9780664242619.
Richman, Sheldon, Richard M. Ebeling (introduction), and Walter E. Williams, Your Money or Your Life: Why we Must Abolish the Income Tax, ISBN: 0964044781 9780964044784.
"Sheldon Richman's concise and informative book, YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE, explains how the income tax is one of the greatest threats to the liberty of the American people ever devised. By making our employers surrogate federal tax collectors, most Americans don't feel the pain because they really don't know what they're losing. But even worse, as Richman points out, by having access to our paychecks, the government can tap into an almost limitless pool of money to expand its size and scope. We need to scrap the income tax and replace it with a tax on consumption." -- Reader's Comment
Consider this the essential argument of the anti-income tax movement." -- Reader's Comment
Rockwell, Llewellyn H. Jr., Speaking of Liberty, ISBN: 0945466382 9780945466383.
"Ludwig von Mises said that teaching the public was just as important as addressing scholars -- maybe more so. That is what Lew Rockwell specializes in: history and theory and analysis in defense of the free society, written in clear prose to reach a broad audience. Rockwell's new book is as pro-liberty as it is brutally critical of government. It is relentlessly forthright yet hopeful about the prospects for liberty. It is rigorous enough to withstand the enemy's closest scrutiny, and chock full of the energy and enthusiasm that will keep you reading.
"SPEAKING OF LIBERTY is a collection of speeches delivered by Rockwell over a period of ten years. The book begins with economics, and explains why Austrian economics matters, how the Federal Reserve brings on the business cycle, why we need private property and free enterprise, the unrecognized glories of the capitalist economy, and why the gold standard is still the best monetary system. Other sections deal with war, Mises and his work, other important thinkers in the libertarian tradition, and the culture and morality of liberty.
"The book is united by a set of fixed principles: the corruption of politics, the universality and immutability of the ideas of freedom, the centrality of sound money and free enterprise, the moral imperative of peace and trade, the importance of hope and tenacity in the struggle for liberty, and the need for everyone to join the intellectual fight. We all have searched for the book we could give to friends and neighbors, business associates and family members, to explain why we believe in the cause of liberty. SPEAKING OF LIBERTY is that book." -- Publisher
*Rushdoony, Rousas J. (1916-2001), Christianity and the State, ISBN: 9996717755. Available through Exodus Books.
"The need to return to a Biblical doctrine of civil government is evidenced by our century's worldwide drift into tyranny. Humanism invariably rushes in to fill the world's theological vacuums: the need of the hour is to restore a full-orbed, Biblical, theology of the state. This work sets forth that theology." -- GCB
Russell, Letty M., Human Liberation in a Feminist Perspective: A Theology, ISBN: 0664249914 9780664249915.
Includes bibliography.
Sandoz, Ellis, The Politics of Truth and Other Untimely Essays: The Crisis of Civic Consciousness, ISBN: 0826212131 9780826212139.
"THE POLITICS OF TRUTH AND OTHER UNTIMELY ESSAYS explores the historical and theoretical underpinnings of personal liberty and free government and provides a trenchant analysis of the crisis of civic consciousness endangering both of them today. The book addresses a range of issues in contemporary political philosophy and constitutional theory. These are seen to be all the more urgent in importance because of the surging aspirations for liberty in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet empire and the post-Cold War anomaly of crisis, malaise, and disarray in free government itself in America and in other bastions of modern democracy." -- Publisher
Schaff, Philip (1819-1893), Church and State in the United States; or, The American Idea of Religious Liberty and its Practical Effects, ISBN: 0405040830 9780405040832.
"Distinctly unimpressed by this peculiar current in the stream of American culture, the immigrant theologian and church-state historian Philip Schaff commented that in the United States 'every theological vagabond and peddler may drive here his bungling trade, without passport or license, and sell his false ware at pleasure'." -- Philip Schaff, The Principle of Protestantism as Related to the Present State of the Church
The social consequences of the "American Idea of Religious Liberty," can be likened to the "idea of permissiveness in child rearing" in the minds of unregenerate, indifferent parents. The result is rebellious children who have no respect for authority, and leave home early with no wisdom about how to live in a cold, cruel world, destined for self-destruction. See: Toleration, liberty of conscience, pluralism, 'religious freedom,' and neutrality.
"This monograph, written during the centennial celebration of the United States Constitution, charts the historical relationship between church and state. Schaff writes from the unique position of a theologian and a historian who has lived on both sides of the Atlantic. Citing examples from Presidential addresses, court cases, and European observers such as Alexis de Tocqueville, Philip Schaff describes the genesis and growth of American Christianity and the unique historical context from which it sprang. He also outlines its historical connection with the church in Europe, and offers possibilities for the American church's future mission within this unique political climate." -- Publisher
Schaff, Church and State in the United States
https://archive.org/details/churchstateinuni00scharich
Schaff, Philip, The Principle of Protestantism as Related to the Present State of the Church, 1845, ISBN: 1177859289 9781177859288.
"Distinctly unimpressed by this peculiar current in the stream of American culture [American religious freedom -- compiler], the immigrant theologian and church-state historian Philip Schaff commented that in the United States 'every theological vagabond and peddler may drive here his bungling trade, without passport or license, and sell his false ware at pleasure'." -- Philip Schaff, The Principle of Protestantism as Related to the Present State of the Church
The social consequences of the "American Idea of Religious Liberty," can be likened to the "idea of permissiveness in child rearing" in the minds of unregenerate, indifferent parents. The result is rebellious children who have no respect for authority, and leave home early with no wisdom about how to live in a cold, cruel world, destined for self-destruction. See: Toleration, liberty of conscience, pluralism, 'religious freedom,' and neutrality.
*Robbins, John (1949-2008), Freedom and Capitalism: Essays on Christian Politics and Economics, ISBN: 1891777157 9781891777158.
See, in particularly, the Foreword.
"The relationship between Christianity, freedom, and capitalism has been a subject of scholarly study for centuries. In this volume, John Robbins argues that political and economic freedom are the results of Biblical Christianity. Political freedom and capitalism arose in Northwestern Europe and North America after the Christian Reformation of the 16th century, and they are unique in world history. The nations and peoples that heard and accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ as proclaimed by the Reformers quickly became free and prosperous on a scale previously unimaginable. Some historians and economists have denied any causal connection between Christianity, freedom, and capitalism, but they are able to deny this connection only by ignoring clear philosophical, economic, legal, sociological, and historical evidence demonstrating that Christianity is the source of capitalism.
"Dr. John W. Robbins attended Grove City College (A.B. 1969), and The Johns Hopkins University (M.A. 1970, Ph.D. 1973). He has served as chief of staff for a Member of Congress, editor of The Freeman magazine, Economist for The Heritage Foundation, and Professor of Political Philosophy in The Freedom School." -- Publisher
Table of Contents: Foreword | Politics | The Founder of Western Civilization | The Sine Qua Non of Enduring Freedom | Some Problems with Natural Law | The Political Philosophy of the Founding Fathers | The Bible and the Draft | The Messianic Character of American Foreign Policy | Truth and Foreign Policy | Compassionate Fascism | Conservatism: An Autopsy | Rightwing Radical Chic | The Reconstructionist Assault on Freedom | Roman Catholic Totalitarianism | The Relation of Church and State (Charles Hodge) | Abortion, the Christian, and the State | The Ethics and Economics of Health Care | The Chickens' Homecoming (John Whitehead) | The Coming Caesars (John Whitehead) | Rebuilding American Freedom in the Twenty-first Century | The Religious Wars of the Twenty-First Century | Economics: The Failure of Secular Economics | The Promise of Christian Economics | Teaching Economics from the Bible | The Neo-Evangelical Assault on Capitalism | The Reformed Assault on Capitalism | The Roman Catholic Assault on Capitalism | How Romanism Ruined America | Not Yours to Give (Edward Ellis) | Money, Freedom, and the Bible | The Case Against Indexation | Is Christianity Tied to Any Political or Economic System? | Ecology: The Abolition of Man | Scripture Index | Index | The Crisis of Our Time | Intellectual Ammunition
*Schuettinger, Robert, Lord Acton: Historian of Liberty, ISBN: 0875482945 9780875482941.
Includes appendix, bibliography, and index.
Sibbes, Richard (1577-1635), Glorious Freedom, ISBN: 0851517919. Alternate title: THE EXCELLENCY OF THE GOSPEL ABOVE THE LAW, 1639. Available (THE WORKS OF RICHARD SIBBES), on the Puritan Hard Drive.
*Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr Isaevich (1918-2008), One Word of Truth: The Nobel Speech on Literature 1970, ISBN: 0060139439 9780060139438. A Christian classic.
The author saw the Christian faith as "the only force capable of undertaking the spiritual healing of Russia."
Translated from the Russian by the members of the BBC Russian Service.
One Word of Truth . . .
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1970/solzhenitsyn-lecture.html
*Solzhenitsyn, Alexandr (1918-2008), A World Split Apart, his Harvard University commencement address, delivered 8 June 1978.
"It is feasible and easy everywhere to undermine administrative power and in fact it has been drastically weakened in all Western countries. The defense of individual rights has reached such extremes as to make society as a whole defenseless against certain individuals. It's time, in the West -- It is time, in the West, to defend not so much human rights as human obligations. . . .
"Hastiness and superficiality are the psychic disease of the 20th century and more than anywhere else this disease is reflected in the press. Such as it is, however, the press has become the greatest power within the Western countries, more powerful than the legislative power, the executive, and the judiciary. And one would then like to ask: By what law has it been elected and to whom is it responsible? In the communist East a journalist is frankly appointed as a state official. But who has granted Western journalists their power, for how long a time, and with what prerogatives?"
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/alexandersolzhenitsynharvard.htm
*Swindoll, Charles, The Grace Awakening, ISBN: 9780849911880 0849911885.
"This is a book about the wonderful fact that Christianity faithfully lived will bring blessedness to our earthly existence, if we ignore the unholy 'grace-killers' among us. Jesus said, If therefore the Son shall make your free, you shall be free indeed. . . ." -- Publisher
"More and more Christians are realizing that the man-made restrictions and legalistic regulations under which they have been living have not come from the God of grace, but have been enforced by people who do not want others to be free. . . . Scarcely a day passes when I am not reminded of the need for a book emphasizing the full extent of grace, giving people permission to be free, absolutely free in Christ. Why? Because so few are!" -- Charles Swindoll
The author believes this is the most important book he has written. The message of Christian freedom is as repressed as the Gospel itself. This book will bless the hearts of the many who have never read a presentation of the message of our freedom in Christ and its wonderful practical implications for the individual, the church, and the nation. A study guide by the same name is available.
"The God of the universe has given us an amazing, revolutionary gift of grace and freedom. This freedom and grace set us apart from every other 'religion' on the face of the earth.
"In this bestselling classic, Charles Swindoll urges you not to miss living a grace-filled life. Freedom and joy -- not lists and demands and duties -- await all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. -- Publisher
*Weaver, Henry Grady, Mainspring of Human Progress.
A monograph on the history of freedom.
Includes bibliography.
Woodson, William (editor), Freedom: Heritage, Accomplishments and Prospects in Christ.
Freed-Hardeman College Lectures, 1976. Includes bibliographical references.
Zacharias, Ravi (1946-2020), The Christian Privilege, a series of five audio files [audio file].
"Do you think your life is random, or do you believe that you are unique, having been designed by a loving God?
"Why do we turn away from God when we have a better alternative? Instead, we can enjoy a rich connection with Him in the fullness of our humanity.
"Why are we here on earth? Is there some higher purpose that we might not have guessed? Our purpose on earth is completely intertwined with the One who created us.
"What is the goal of your life? Where do you expect to be 20 years from now? These are hard questions, but important ones for those who want to finish life well.
"Do you need God? There's never been a better day to find Him, especially since He wants to be found." -- Publisher
https://www.christianbook.com/the-christian-privilege-ravi-zacharias/pd/DA21164-CP?event=ESRCG
See also: The incarnation of our lord (the deity of the lord jesus christ), The sovereignty of god, The doctrine of man (human nature, total depravity), Church and state, The sovereign grace of god: his everlasting mercy and lovingkindness, Taxation, property, and liberty, Selection of covenant heads for positions of leadership, Corporate faithfulness and sanctification, The one and the many, The application of scripture to the corporate bodies of church and state, Sexual relationship, Spiritual adultery (spiritual whoredom/harlotry), Slavery, our systems of enslavement, economic enslavement, and so forth, and so on.
*Biblical Slavery: It's Meaning and Necessity, a sermon [audio file], by Brian Schwertley
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=74101315272
Christian Liberty
"Many of the Lord's own people are being taught that legal restrictions are incompatible with true Christian liberty, and this in the face of the words of the Saviour -- teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. -- The Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:20)
"1. Christian liberty is deliverance from the Wrath of God. . . .
2. Christian liberty is deliverance from the Power of the Devil. . . .
3. Christian liberty is deliverance from the Bondage of Sin. . . .
4. Christian liberty is deliverance from the Authority of Man. . . .
5. Christian liberty is deliverance unto the Service of God. . . ." -- Arthur Pink (1886-1952), Christian Liberty
https://www.facebook.com/ArthurPinkQuotes/posts/2263932050390059?__tn__=K-R0.g
Mantle Ministries (Elsie Dinsmore Series and Mildred Series)
http://www.mantlemin.com
The Official Flat Tax Homepage
http://flattax.house.gov/
The Scottish Covenanting Struggle, Alexander Craighead, and the Mecklenburg Declaration
http://www.lettermen2.com/craig.html
Classic Christian Fiction by Martha Finley
http://www.lettermen2.com/bcrr11ch.html#cfbmf
There is no counsel, nor prudence, nor strength against the Lord." (Proverbs 21:30)
Unless the blessing of God be present, from which alone we may expect a prosperous issue, all that we attempt will necessarily perish. Since, then, God declares that he is at perpetual war with the unmeasured audacity of men; anything we undertake without his approval will end miserably, even though all creatures above and beneath should earnestly offer us their assistance. -- John Calvin commenting on Genesis 11:7They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies. (Hosea 7:3)
The Prophet now arraigns all the citizens of Samaria, and in their persons the whole people, because they rendered obedience to the king by flattery, and to the princes in wicked things, respecting which their own conscience convicted them. He had already in the fifth chapter mentioned the defection of the people in this respect, that they had obeyed the royal edict. It might indeed have appeared a matter worthy of praise, that the people had quietly embraced what the king commanded. This is the case with many at this day, who bring forward a pretext of this kind. Under the papacy they dare not withdraw themselves from their impious superstitions, and they adduce this excuse, that they ought to obey their princes. But, as I have already said, the Prophet has before condemned this sort of obedience, and now he shows that the defection which then reigned through all Israel, ought not to be ascribed to the king or to few men, but that it was a common evil, which involved all in one and the same guilt, without exception. How so? "By their wickedness," he says, "they have exhilarated the king, and by their lies the princes"; that is, If they wish to cast the blame on their governors, it will be done in vain; for whence came then such a promptitude? As soon as Jeroboam formed the calves, as soon as he built temples, religion instantly collapsed, and whatever was before pure, degenerated; how was the change so sudden? Even because the people had inwardly concocted their wickedness, which, when an occasion was offered, showed itself; for hypocrisy did lie hid in all, and was then discovered. We now perceive what the Prophet had in view. And this place ought to be carefully noticed: for it often happens that some vice creeps in, which proceeds from one man or from a few; but when all readily embrace what a few introduce, it is quite evident that they have no living root of piety or of the fear of God. They then who are so prone to adopt vices were before hypocrites; and we daily find this to be the case. When pious men have the government of a city, and act prudently, then the whole people will give some hope that they will fear the Lord; and when any king, influenced by a desire of advancing the glory of God, endeavors to preserve all his subjects in the pure worship of God, then the same feeling of piety will be seen in all: but when an ungodly king succeeds him, the greater part will immediately fall back again; and when a magistrate neglects his duty, the greater portion of the people will break out into open impiety. I wish there were no proofs of these things; but throughout the world the Lord has designed that there should exist examples of them. This purpose of God ought therefore to be noticed; for he accuses the people of having made themselves too obsequious and pliant. When king Jeroboam set up vicious worship, the people immediately offered themselves as ready to obey: hence impiety became quite open. They then "delighted the king by their wickedness, and the princes by their lies"; as though he said, "They cannot transfer the blame to the king and princes. Why? Because they delighted them by their wickedness; that is, they haltered the king by their wickedness and delighted the princes by their lies." -- John Calvin in a sermon on Hosea 7:3 in Calvin's Commentary on HoseaTo open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and those who sit in darkness out of the prison house. (Isaiah 42:7)
The work of the Messiah, according to the text, is to bring out the prisoners from the prison. I think this relates to the bondage under which a man lies to his sins. Habits of sin, like iron nets, surround the sinner, and he cannot escape their meshes. The man sins, and imagines that he cannot help sinning. How often do the ungodly tell us that they cannot renounce the world, cannot break off their sins by righteousness, and cannot believe in Jesus? Let all men know that the Savior has come on purpose to remove every bond of sin from the captive, and to set him free from every chain of evil. I have known men to strive against the habit of blasphemy, others against unchaste passions, and many more against a haughty spirit, or an angry temper. And when they have striven manfully, but unsuccessfully, in their own strength, they have been filled with bitter chagrin that they should have been so betrayed by themselves. When a man believes in Jesus his resolve to become a free man is to a great extent accomplished at once. Some sins die the moment we believe in Jesus, and these trouble us no more. Others hang on to us, and these die by slow degrees; but they are overcome so as never again to get the mastery over us. O struggler after mental, moral, spiritual liberty, if you would be free, your only possible freedom is in Christ. If you desire to shake off evil habits, or any other mental bondage, I shall prescribe no remedy to you but this, to commit yourself to Christ the Liberator. Love Him and you will hate sin. Trust Him, and you will no more trust yourself. Submit yourself to the sway of the incarnate God, and He will break the dragon's head within you, and hurl Satan beneath your feet. Nothing else can do it. Christ must have the glory." -- C.H. Spurgeon commenting on Isaiah in Devotional Classics of C.H. Spurgeon, p. 69It does no good to blame society or the church for our deficiencies before the Lord because Christ holds men, not churches and states, accountable. In the words of Hugh Miller, "Churches, however false and detestable, are never to be summoned to the bar of judgment. . . . To Christ, as his head and king, must every man render an account."
Let us pray that God's kingdom come, and let us covenant to fulfill our obligations to be his people. . . . When persecution comes, let us pray that we would stand as firm as did the Scottish Covenanters. When covenanting comes, let us praise the Lord, for only in him will we stand firm. . . ." -- Edwin Nisbet Moore in Our Covenant Heritage: The Covenanters' Struggle for Unity in Truth as Revealed in the Memoir of James Nisbet (1667-1728), and Sermons of John Nevay (d. 1672)See the Theological Notes: "The Freedom and Bondage of the Will," at Jeremiah 17:9 in The Reformation Study Bible.
Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains upon their own appetites, -- in proportion as their love to justice is above their rapacity . . . in proportion as their soundness and sobriety of understanding is above their vanity and presumption . . . in proportion as they are more disposed to listen to the counsels of the wise and good, in preference to the flattery of knaves. Society cannot exist, unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere; and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without. It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters. -- Sir Edmund Burke in Letter to a Member of the National Assembly (1791)
How can God be sovereign and man still be free?
Responsibility and voluntary choice are not the same thing as free will. We affirm that man is indeed responsible for the choices he makes, yet we deny that the Bible teaches that man has a free will since it is no where taught in the pages of Scripture. The Bible teaches, rather, that God ordains all things that come to pass (Ephesians 1:11) and it also teaches that man is culpable for his choices (Ezekiel 18:20, Matthew 12:37, John 9:41). Since the Scripture is our ultimate authority and highest presuppsosition, the multitude of clear scriptural declarations on this matter outweigh all unaided human logic. We find that almost always the objections to God's meticulous providence over all things are moral and philosophical rather than exegetical. This means we must strive to consciously affirm what the Scripture declares over all our finite understanding and sinful inner drive for independence. -- Brian Osisek
*Baxter, Richard (1615-1691), A Christian Directory: Baxter's Practical Works, Vol. 1. Full title: A Christian Directory: or A Sum of Practical Theology, and Cases of Conscience. Directing Christians how to use Their Knowledge and Faith; How to Improve all Helps and Means, and to Perform all Duties; How to Overcome Temptations, and to Escape or Mortify Every Sin. In Four Parts.
I. Christian Ethics (or Private Duties)
II. Christian Economics (or Family Duties)
III. Christian Ecclesiastics (or Church Duties)
IV. Christian Politics (or Duties to Our Rulers and Neighbours) (Morgan, PA: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1997, 1990, 1838, 1707, 1678, 1673), ISBN: 1877611131 9781877611131. Foreword by J.I. Packer (Soli Deo Gloria edition only). The Soli Deo Gloria publication is a facsimile reprint of the 19th century reprint by George Virtue, London, 1846. The original 1673 edition and the 1678 edition, both printed by Robert White for Nevill Simmons. Bibliographic and scriptural footnotes. A Christian classic. Considered to be among the ten greatest books in the English language. Available (less the J.I. Packer's Foreword, but searchable with an OCR-based index), on the Puritan Hard Drive.
This work is available in many editions, and in many formats.
Reformation Heritage Books has new copies of the Soli Deo Gloria edition (including the J.I. Packer Introduction), as of March 2008, even though it is generally thought to be out of print. They acquired Soli Deo Gloria from Ligonier Ministries in late 2007.
The best digital format of the reprint by George Virtue is included on the Puritan Hard Drive. It has an OCR scan in the background, meaning one can search the entire volume and copy text into another document. It also has a computer generated indexed from the OCR scan which is, of course, in Baxter's vocabulary.
A PDF image scan only of the same edition is available on the Reformation Bookshelf CD #21.
The reprint by George Virtue is available online and may be downloaded in PDF format at Christian Classics Ethereal Library.
The reprint by George Virtue appears in full preview in Google Books but may not be downloaded. So it is useful if the reader wants to become acquainted with the book. Text can be searched, but can not be copied into another document. This particular Google Books scan includes the contents in detail on pages iii-xix which is not included in the Christian Classics Ethereal Library PDF files. About five other editions from libraries are available in Google Books, and may be downloaded (August 2008).
Notice that the e-text in Google Books has the advantage of being searchable. Searching an image-based PDF file (without an OCR scan in the background), is not possible, unless the user owns software such as Abode Acrobat Pro or Kirtas BookScan Editor. They both have an OCR (optical character recognition), feature that will search an image-based PDFs (bit-map scans). Searches appear to be perfect in this work, although one must know Baxter's vocabulary. Text can be cut and pasted from image-based PDF format to OCR (character) format. This particular Google Books scan can not be cut and pasted or downloaded.
One of the older, multi-volume editions of THE WORKS OF RICHARD BAXTER is available at Monergism.com in the "Puritan Library," "Richard Baxter." A CHRISTIAN DIRECTORY, volume 23. It can be downloaded.
http://www.puritanlibrary.com/
Another older edition is available on microfilm (Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms, 1970), 1 microfilm reel, 35 mm (Early English books, 1641-1700; 343:11).
"The complete practical works of Richard Baxter are in print in four volumes entitled BAXTER'S PRACTICAL WORKS. This volume (about 1 1/4 million words, 1028 pages), is volume one of the set. The editor's preface (1707), p. xiii, stated that the works of Richard Baxter are 'perhaps the best body of practical divinity that is extent in our own or any other tongue.' Richard Baxter lived from 1615-1691. The DIRECTORY was completed in 1665. Its scope was intended to cover all of practical theology, a summa of casuistry . . ." -- Don Kistler
"Baxter's series, which grew in range and scope as it proceeded . . . is a peak point in Puritan devotional writing, and remains a precious resource for all, in this or any age, who want to know what is involved in Biblical godliness. . . . A CHRISTIAN DIRECTORY may justly be described as a landmark. It is the fullest, most thorough, and in this writer's judgment, most profound treatment of Christian spirituality and standards that has ever been attempted by an English-speaking Evangelical author. The fact that it embraces both spirituality and standards (the principles of communion with God plus the specifics of obedience to God), merits approving comment in itself; nowadays spirituality and ethics have become two distinct disciplines in the schools, and books written on either say virtually nothing about the other . . ." -- J.I. Packer
Timothy Keller calls it the greatest manual on Biblical counseling ever produced.
"There are many Puritan classics on this subject. Thomas Brooks' PRECIOUS REMEDIES FOR SATAN'S DEVICES, Thomas Goodwin's A CHILD OF LIGHT WALKING IN DARKNESS, William Bridge's A LIFTING UP FOR THE DOWNCAST, and many other similar works give evidence that the Puritans were. . . . masters at applying Biblical answers and principles to problems that can only be solved by spiritual means. No Puritan work, however, has ever approached the popularity, the scope, or the depth of Baxter's classic treatise. With the widespread interest in counseling in today's church, this reprint of Baxter's work should be a welcome addition to every pastor's library, or to anyone else who wishes to give solid Biblical answers to man's questions." -- Don Kistler
"We have long waited for a purely Biblical treatment of the spiritual ills and cures of men which is untainted by the views of psychology. Since Baxter lived about 200 years before psychology arrived, his deep work is completely void of its encroachment -- thankfully!" -- John MacArthur
"The kings men sought to arrest Richard Baxter, but he traveled ceaselessly from place to place, writing his sermons and his books even on horseback (he had an inkwell in his saddle), and preached over a wide area." -- Brian H. Edwards
"Baxter was a wonder of his age. His writings total 72 large volumes, much of it written on horseback as he traveled in his widespread preaching efforts. He seldom, if ever, edited anything he wrote. Knowing this any reader will be amazed at how well he communicated his deep love for his Savior. For 26 years he was public enemy No. 1 to the king, yet he lived to see the flight of the king in 1688." -- Jay P. Green, Sr. (1918-2008)
POOR MAN'S FAMILY BOOK (1674) and THE CATECHIZING OF FAMILIES (1683), are less detailed works and are found in THE REFORMED PASTOR: BAXTER'S PRACTICAL WORKS, VOL. 4. They are more suitable for family instruction than are the detailed presentation in A CHRISTIAN DIRECTORY.
"Ptacek in FAMILY WORSHIP: BIBLICAL BASIS, HISTORICAL REALITY, CURRENT NEED (pp. 51-52), supplies the following information in regard to Baxter and this book. He notes that after the Episcopalians ejected numerous 'nonconformists,' in what is know as the 'great ejection,' in 1662, 'Baxter pastored from house to house, visiting families of his parish in their homes. These visits contributed to Baxter's A CHRISTIAN DIRECTORY, a large and still very relevant manual of pastoral care.' Focusing on just one area of great importance, Ptacek demonstrates how this book's relevance is not limited by time or culture, though sometimes the use of specific words are. 'Published in 1673, but written 1664-65, a large book-length part of Baxter's CHRISTIAN DIRECTORY is devoted to the family. It is entitled 'Christian Economics' based on the archaic usage of the word, which reflects the proper sense of the Greek root oikonomos as the manager of a household, in the Christian case, the spiritual leader of the family. The family head is essential to Baxter's view of family worship and instruction. Baxter asserts that it is God's will that this instruction be carried out by the rulers of the families.' For a male head of the household to fail to do so, or to have another instruct in the family, is contrary to his position of authority.' This is the kind of book that can be passed on from generation to generation and still find much use in the service of the kingdom of God.
"Though relatively weak on corporate sanctification, corporate faithfulness and some important areas of doctrine (such as justification), Baxter's work on subjects related to personal piety can be of good practical use to the Christian -- if one is careful to separate out his aberrant doctrinal views and any practical errors they may lead to." -- Publisher
The following three excerpts are included as bonus free books on Reformation Bookshelf CD #28.
1. "The Duties of Parents for Their Children" from BAXTER'S PRACTICAL WORKS, VOL. 1, A CHRISTIAN DIRECTORY, on Christian Economics, Chap. X., pp. 449-454.
2. "The Special Duties of Children Towards Their Parents" from BAXTER'S PRACTICAL WORKS, VOL. 1, A CHRISTIAN DIRECTORY, on Christian Economics, Chap. XI., pp. 454-457.
3. "The Special Duties of Children and Youth Towards God" from BAXTER'S PRACTICAL WORKS, VOL. 1, A CHRISTIAN DIRECTORY, on Christian Economics, Chap. XII., pp. 457-458).
A summary of currently (2012) available publications.
http://www.lettermen2.com/pwrbcd.html
Richard Baxter, from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Baxter
*Baxter, Richard, The Reformed Pastor: Baxter's Practical Works, Vol. 4, ISBN: 1877611360. A Christian classic.
"This is the fourth and final volume in this great set. Includes, 'Compassionate Counsel to all Young men,' 'The Reformed Pastor,' 'Poor Man's Family Book,' 'The Catechizing of Families,' and 'The Mother's Catechism,' in all 25 sermons, treatises, and catechisms. Dr. J.I. Packer says, 'For me, the great joy of this year is that it see the completion of Soli Deo Gloria's reprint of Baxter's incomparable PRACTICAL WORKS'." -- GCB
Richard Baxter, from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Baxter
Compassionate Counsel to all Young men (1681), by Richard Baxter
http://www.lettermen2.com/ccaym.html
*Bonar, Horatius (1808-1889), Free-will A Christian classic.
Calvin, John, Calvin's Commentary on Hosea
http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/m.sion/calvhose.htm
*Calvin, John (1509-1564), The Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2 volumes, ISBN: 0664220207 9780664220204. Considered to be among the ten greatest books in the English language. A Christian classic.
"Edited by John McNeill and translated by Ford Lewis Battles, this is the definitive English language edition of one of the monumental works of the Christian church -- Calvin's INSTITUTES.
"Still considered by many to be the finest explanation and defense of the Protestant Reformation available.
"The work is divided into four books: I. The Knowledge of God the Creator, II. The Knowledge of God the Redeemer in Christ, III. The Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ, IV. The External Means or Helps by Which God Allures us Into Fellowship With Christ and Keeps us in it. . . . THE INSTITUTES is praised by the secular philosopher, Will Durant, as one of the ten books that shook the world." -- GCB
Calvin spent a lifetime writing and perfecting INSTITUTES OF CHRISTIAN RELIGION. His Prefatory Address makes it clear that he intended the work to be a defense of Christianity to the King of France.
Therefore, plainly stated, one of the most influential works ever published in the English language is a defense of Christianity to leaders of State.
Prefatory Address to His Most Christian Majesty, The Most Mighty and Illustrious Monarch, Francis, King of the French, His Sovereign, John Calvin. Available in THE INSTITUTES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
"Indeed, this consideration makes a true king: to recognize himself a minister of God in governing his kingdom. Now, that king, who in ruling over his realm does not serve God's glory, exercises not kingly rule but brigandage. [Footnote: 'Nec iam regnum ille sed latrocinium exercet.' An echo of Augustine's famous phrase: 'When justice is taken away, what are kingdoms [[regna]] but a vast banditry [[magna latocinia]]?' City of God, IV. iv (MPL [[Migne, J.P., Patrologiae cursus completus, series Latina]], 41. 115; tr. NPNF [[A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, second series]], II. 66)]. Furthermore, he is deceived who looks for enduring prosperity in his kingdom when it is not ruled by God's scepter, that is, his Holy Word; for the heavenly oracle that proclaims that where prophecy fails the people are scattered [Prov. 29:18 (Proverbs 29:18)], cannot lie." (Battles translation)
"The characteristic of a true sovereign is, to acknowledge that, in the administration of his kingdom, he is a minister of God. He who does not make his reign subservient to the divine glory, acts the part not of a king, but a robber. He, moreover, deceives himself who anticipates long prosperity to any kingdom which is not ruled by the sceptre of God, that is, by his divine word. For the heavenly oracle is infallible which has declared, that where there is no vision the people perish (Proverbs 29:18), (Beveridge translation)."
See the entire Prefatory Address, Beveridge translation. Considered to be one of the greatest prefaces ever written.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.ii.viii.html
"The doctrines of covenant liberty were rediscovered in the Reformation. John Calvin went further than anyone else in defining liberty and what Christians need to do to maintain it. Includes bibliographies."
It is recommended that INSTITUTES OF CHRISTIAN RELIGION be used for daily devotions and may be used in combination with Ford Lewis Battles and John Walchenbach, AN ANALYSIS OF THE INSTITUTES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION OF JOHN CALVIN and with CALVIN'S COMMENTARIES.
Calvin's Commentaries at BibleStudyGuide.org
http://www.biblestudyguide.org/comment/calvin/comm_index.htm
Calvin's Commentaries, complete
From the Calvin Translation Society edition.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/commentaries.i.html
One Hundred Aphorisms, Containing, Within a Narrow Compass, the Substance and Order of the Four Books of The Institutes of the Christian Religion
http://www.lettermen2.com/pringle.html
Contents and Chapter Sections for Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, 1559 (McNeill/Battles)
http://www.lettermen2.com/icrcont.html
Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion; A New Translation by Henry Beveridge (1845), Volume: 1
http://archive.org/details/instituteschrist01calvuoft
Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion; A New Translation by Henry Beveridge (1845), Volume: 2
http://archive.org/details/institutesofreli02calvuoft
Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Beveridge translation
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.iii.vii.html
Monergism: Commentaries
From Mongergism.com search "commentaries."
http://www.monergism.com
*Carson, Donald A., Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility: Biblical Perspectives in Tension, ISBN: 0804237077 9780804237079.
"A masterful treatment of all the doctrinal issues (e.g., Biblical anthropology, the providence and government of God, the history of doctrine, etc.), that comprise the study of free will and determinism." -- Cyril J. Barber
Kesler, Jay, Raising Responsible Kids: Ten Things you can do now to Prepare Your Child for a Lifetime of Independence, ISBN: 1561210528 9781561210527 0380719762 9780380719761. Alternate title: RAISING RESPONSIBLE KIDS: HOW TO GUIDE YOUR CHILD TOWARD INDEPENDENT ADULTHOOD.
"If you wait until your child is ready for his diploma before you teach him/her responsible independence, you have waited too long. The teaching of responsibility comes gradually through specific lessons and experience. Here is help for parents in accomplishing this task -- by starting right now." -- GCB
*Guinness, Os, A Free People's Suicide: Sustainable Freedom and the American Future, ISBN: 9780830834655, 0830834656.
" 'If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.'-- Abraham Lincoln
"Nothing is more daring in the American experiment than the founders' belief that the American republic could remain free forever. But how was this to be done, and are Americans doing it today? It is not enough for freedom to be won. It must also be sustained. Cultural observer Os Guinness argues that the American experiment in freedom is at risk. Summoning historical evidence on how democracies evolve, Guinness shows that contemporary views of freedom -- most typically, a negative freedom from constraint -- are unsustainable because they undermine the conditions necessary for freedom to thrive. He calls us to reconsider the audacity of sustainable freedom and what it would take to restore it. 'In the end,' Guinness writes, 'the ultimate threat to the American republic will be Americans. The problem is not wolves at the door but termites in the floor.' The future of the republic depends on whether Americans will rise to the challenge of living up to America's unfulfilled potential for freedom, both for itself and for the world.
"Os Guinness (Ph.D., Oxford) is the author or editor of more than thirty books, including FOOL'S TALK, RENAISSANCE, THE GLOBAL PUBLIC SQUARE, A FREE PEOPLE'S SUICIDE, UNSPEAKABLE, THE CALL, TIME FOR TRUTH and THE CASE FOR CIVILITY. A frequent speaker and prominent social critic, he has addressed audiences worldwide from the British House of Commons to the U.S. Congress to the St. Petersburg Parliament. He founded the Trinity Forum and served as senior fellow there for fifteen years. Born in China to missionary parents, he is the great-great-great-grandson of Arthur Guinness, the Dublin brewer. After witnessing the climax of the Chinese revolution in 1949, he was expelled with many other foreigners in 1951 and returned to England where he was educated and served as a freelance reporter with the BBC. Since coming to the U.S. in 1984, he has been a guest scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies and a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution. He was the lead drafter of the Williamsburg Charter, celebrating the First Amendment, and has also been senior fellow at the EastWest Institute in New York, where he drafted the Charter for Religious Freedom. He also co-authored the public school curriculum Living With Our Deepest Differences. Guinness has had a lifelong passion to make sense of our extraordinary modern world and to stand between the worlds of scholarship and ordinary life, helping each to understand the other -- particularly when advanced modern life touches on the profound issues of faith. He lives with his wife, Jenny, in McLean, Virginia, near Washington, D.C." -- Publisher
Lennox, John C., Determined to Believe: The Sovereignty of God, Freedom, Faith, and Human Responsibility, ISBN: 9780310589808 0310589800.
"DETERMINED TO BELIEVE is written for those who are interested in or even troubled by questions about God's sovereignty and human freedom and responsibility. John Lennox writes in the spirit of helping people to come to grips with the biblical treatment of this issue for themselves. In this comprehensive review of the topic of theological determinism, Lennox seeks firstly to define the problem, looking at the concepts of freedom, the different kinds of determinism, and the moral problems these pose. He then equips the reader with biblical teaching on the topic and explores the spectrum of theological opinion on it. Following this, Lennox delves deeper into the Gospels and then investigates what we can learn regarding determinism and responsibility from Paul's discussion in Romans on God's dealings with Israel. Finally Lennox tackles the issue of Christian assurance. This nuanced and detailed study challenges some of the widely held assumptions in the area of theological determinism and brings a fresh perspective to the debate." -- Publisher
McLeod, John Niel (1806-1874), Protestantism, the Parent and Guardian of Civil and Religious Liberty. Found in MISCELLANEOUS, VOL. 6.
Protestantism, the Parent and Guardian of Civil and Religious Liberty. A lecture, Delivered, March 26, 1843, Under Appointment of the N.Y. Protestant Reformation Society (1843), John Niel McLeod
http://archive.org/details/protestantismpar00mcle
*Moore, Edwin Nisbet, Our Covenant Heritage: The Covenanters' Struggle for Unity in Truth as Revealed in the Memoir of James Nisbet (1667-1728), and Sermons of John Nevay (d. 1672), ISBN: 1857926188. Includes bibliographical references and index.
"A new book, OUR COVENANT HERITAGE, examines the rise and fall of the Scottish Church. It rose when men placed the rights of God above the rights of man. It fell when men abandoned unity in truth. It is written by Ed Moore, who spent several years examining why the Covenanters, particularly those who lived near Loudoun Castle, were willing to die for their understanding of God's truth. The answer is found in the sermons of their minister John Nevay on God's Covenant of Grace and in the Memoirs of James Nisbet, one of their number who survived their epic battle for truth only to face the age-old struggle of Christ's church for unity in truth." -- Publisher
Our Covenant Heritage, Edwin Nisbet Moore
http://www.covenanters.com/
Rice, N.L., God Sovereign and man Free: or the Doctrine of Divine Foreordination and Man's Free Moral Agency, Stated, Illustrated, and Proved From Scriptures (1850), ISBN: 9781425513054 1425513050. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #19.
"Dealing with this perplexing question, Rice shows the Scriptural, historic, and creedal warrants for this truth. Exposing the errors and contradictions of Arminianism he also sets forth the practical aspects of this doctrine." -- Publisher
*Rushdoony, Rousas J. (1916-2001), The One and the Many: Studies in the Philosophy of Order and Ultimacy. Available through Exodus Books.
"The author deals with an age-old problem: the question of the one and the many and their relationship. As you might guess, the way one answers (or avoids), this question will affect views of justice, government, taxes, welfare, war, property, and freedom in general." -- GCB
See also: The Question of the One and the Many
http://www.lettermen2.com/bcrr9chc.html#onemany
Zagzebski, Linda Trinkaus, and Abrol Fairweather, Virtue Epistemology: Essays on Epistemic Virtue and Responsibility, ISBN: 019514077X 9780195140774.
See also: The incarnation of our lord (the deity of the lord jesus christ), The sovereignty of god, The doctrine of man (human nature, total depravity), The sovereign grace of god: his everlasting mercy and lovingkindness, Selection of covenant heads for positions of leadership, Freedom: a gift of the grace of god, Christian liberty, Individual responsibility for corporate faithfulness and sanctification, The question of the one and the many, The covenanted reformation, Corporate faithfulness and sanctification, Discipleship, Ethics, computer ethics, cyberethics, Sex ethics, sex education, Conscience, casuistry, cases of conscience, The teaching of our lord jesus christ, Sexual relationship, Spiritual adultery (spiritual whoredom/harlotry), Slavery, our systems of enslavement, economic enslavement, Christ's influence on western civilization, Gambling, and so forth, and so on.
See the Theological Notes: "The Image of God," at Genesis 1:27 in The Reformation Study Bible.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1:27)See the Theological Notes: "The Law of God," at Exodus 20:1 in The Reformation Study Bible.
The roots of liberty and limited government are in the Protestant Reformation. We believe the key to the maintenance of liberty and limited government is to be found in the Scottish covenanting struggle. -- James A. Dodson
See the Theological Notes: "Christians and Civil Government," at Romans 13:1 in The Reformation Study Bible.
What the Reformation's return to Biblical teaching gave society was the opportunity for tremendous freedom, but without chaos. That is, an individual had freedom because there was a consensus based upon the absolutes given in the Bible, and therefore real values within which to have freedom, without these freedoms leading to chaos. The world had not known anything like this before. -- Francis Schaeffer (1912-1984)
Martin Luther's doctrine of the The Priesthood of all Believers lead to the doctrine of the equality of all men. This is the basis of the declaration that "all men are created equal" and the belief that men are capable of self-government under God. Teaching the doctrine of the Priesthood of all Believers was part of Martin Luther's Reformation.
Having learnt from the Holy Scriptures that wise, brave, and virtuous men were always friends to liberty -- that God gave the Israelites a king in His anger, because they had not the sense and virtue enough to like a free commonwealth [1 Samuel 8:4-22] -- and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty [2 Corinthians 3:17] -- this made me conclude that freedom was a great blessing. -- Jonathan Mayhew
Man will ultimately be governed by God or by tyrants. . . . Those who are willing to trade their essential liberties for a little temporary safety, deserve neither safety nor liberty. -- Benjamin Franklin
Those unwilling to take part in the struggle for liberty are mere slaves, and are practically worthless to men fighting to keep a free democratic republic.
*Calvin, John (1509-1564), The Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2 volumes, ISBN: 0664220207 9780664220204. Considered to be among the ten greatest books in the English language. A Christian classic.
"Edited by John McNeill and translated by Ford Lewis Battles, this is the definitive English language edition of one of the monumental works of the Christian church -- Calvin's INSTITUTES.
"Still considered by many to be the finest explanation and defense of the Protestant Reformation available.
"The work is divided into four books: I. The Knowledge of God the Creator, II. The Knowledge of God the Redeemer in Christ, III. The Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ, IV. The External Means or Helps by Which God Allures us Into Fellowship With Christ and Keeps us in it. . . . THE INSTITUTES is praised by the secular philosopher, Will Durant, as one of the ten books that shook the world." -- GCB
Calvin spent a lifetime writing and perfecting INSTITUTES OF CHRISTIAN RELIGION. His Prefatory Address makes it clear that he intended the work to be a defense of Christianity to the King of France.
Therefore, plainly stated, one of the most influential works ever published in the English language is a defense of Christianity to leaders of State.
Prefatory Address to His Most Christian Majesty, The Most Mighty and Illustrious Monarch, Francis, King of the French, His Sovereign, John Calvin. Available in THE INSTITUTES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
"Indeed, this consideration makes a true king: to recognize himself a minister of God in governing his kingdom. Now, that king, who in ruling over his realm does not serve God's glory, exercises not kingly rule but brigandage. [Footnote: 'Nec iam regnum ille sed latrocinium exercet.' An echo of Augustine's famous phrase: 'When justice is taken away, what are kingdoms [[regna]] but a vast banditry [[magna latocinia]]?' City of God, IV. iv (MPL [[Migne, J.P., Patrologiae cursus completus, series Latina]], 41. 115; tr. NPNF [[A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, second series]], II. 66)]. Furthermore, he is deceived who looks for enduring prosperity in his kingdom when it is not ruled by God's scepter, that is, his Holy Word; for the heavenly oracle that proclaims that where prophecy fails the people are scattered [Prov. 29:18 (Proverbs 29:18)], cannot lie." (Battles translation)
"The characteristic of a true sovereign is, to acknowledge that, in the administration of his kingdom, he is a minister of God. He who does not make his reign subservient to the divine glory, acts the part not of a king, but a robber. He, moreover, deceives himself who anticipates long prosperity to any kingdom which is not ruled by the sceptre of God, that is, by his divine word. For the heavenly oracle is infallible which has declared, that where there is no vision the people perish (Proverbs 29:18), (Beveridge translation)."
See the entire Prefatory Address, Beveridge translation. Considered to be one of the greatest prefaces ever written.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.ii.viii.html
"The doctrines of covenant liberty were rediscovered in the Reformation. John Calvin went further than anyone else in defining liberty and what Christians need to do to maintain it. Includes bibliographies."
It is recommended that INSTITUTES OF CHRISTIAN RELIGION be used for daily devotions and may be used in combination with Ford Lewis Battles and John Walchenbach, AN ANALYSIS OF THE INSTITUTES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION OF JOHN CALVIN and with CALVIN'S COMMENTARIES.
Calvin's Commentaries at BibleStudyGuide.org
http://www.biblestudyguide.org/comment/calvin/comm_index.htm
Calvin's Commentaries, complete
From the Calvin Translation Society edition.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/commentaries.i.html
One Hundred Aphorisms, Containing, Within a Narrow Compass, the Substance and Order of the Four Books of The Institutes of the Christian Religion
http://www.lettermen2.com/pringle.html
Contents and Chapter Sections for Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, 1559 (McNeill/Battles)
http://www.lettermen2.com/icrcont.html
Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion; A New Translation by Henry Beveridge (1845), Volume: 1
http://archive.org/details/instituteschrist01calvuoft
Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion; A New Translation by Henry Beveridge (1845), Volume: 2
http://archive.org/details/institutesofreli02calvuoft
Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Beveridge translation
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.iii.vii.html
Monergism: Commentaries
From Mongergism.com search "commentaries."
http://www.monergism.com
*Cole, Franklin P. (introductory essay and biographical sketches), They Preached Liberty, ISBN: 0913966169 9780913966167.
"An anthology of timely quotations from New England ministers of the American Revolution on the subject of liberty: its source, nature, obligations, types, and blessings." -- Publisher
*Ellul, Jacques (1912-1994), The Politics of God and the Politics of Man, ISBN: 0802814425 9780802814425.
"Basing his political theory on the fact that the problems of our times are theological and not sociological, the writer shows from a study of 2 Kings how God has provided a blueprint for self-government in the Bible. Rewarding reading." -- Cyril J. Barber
*Fertig, Lawrence, Prosperity Through Freedom.
Friedman, Milton, Capitalism and Freedom.
Includes bibliographical references.
Guthrie, William D., Magna Carta and Other Addresses.
Hammon, T.C., Perfect Freedom: An Introduction to Christian Ethics.
Heath, Charles C., The Blessing of Liberty: Restoring the City on the Hill, ISBN: 1563840057 9781563840050.
"Presents a case for limited government, decentralized and self-governing communities, and the return to traditional values." -- GCB
Includes bibliography.
*Knox, John (1505-1572), David Laing (editor), The Works of John Knox, 6 volumes. A Christian classic. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #1.
"Here is a chance to touch the flame that ignited whole nations for covenanted Reformation. John Knox is considered by many to have been the most biblically consistent and thoroughgoing of all the great Reformers of the sixteenth century. 'John Knox was in fact the embodiment of the Scottish Reformation as its preacher, theologian, liturgist, historian, and catalyst for reform.' (Hall and Hall [editors], Paradigms in Polity: Classic Readings in Reformed and Presbyterian Church Government [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1994], p. 219). 'With this concern for purity of worship,' notes Kevin Reed regarding Knox, 'it is no wonder that the Scottish Reformation was the most thorough among any of the Protestant nations.' (from the introduction to John Knox, True and False Worship: A Vindication of the Doctrine that the Sacrifice of the Mass is Idolatry [Dallas, TX: Presbyterian Heritage Publications, 1550 reprinted 1994], p. 14). 'I know not,' states George Smeaton, 'if ever so much piety and genius were lodged in such a frail and weak body. Certain I am, that it will be difficult to find one in whom the gifts of the Holy Spirit shone so bright to the comfort of the church.' (cited in Thomas M'Crie, The Life of John Knox [1831], p. 272). THE WORKS OF JOHN KNOX listed here is the complete six volume set collected by David Laing, 1895. Concerning this 6 volume collection, Kyle, in THE MIND OF JOHN KNOX (p. 14), notes, 'The only real basis for a study of Knox's thought must be the writings of the reformer himself. From 1846 to 1864, David Laing collected and edited nearly all of Knox's extant writings. This remarkable collection, which scholars regard highly, is indispensable for any serious study of John Knox.' Contains much that is related to worship questions and the blessings that God pours out upon Churches that keep the second commandment -- as well as the curses that follow those who reject the regulative principle of worship." -- Publisher
*Loane, Marcus L., Makers of Religious Freedom in the Seventeenth Century: Henderson, Rutherford, Bunyan, Baxter.Knox, John, Unedited History of the Reformation in Scotland Vol. 1 of 6.
"Reid, in his TRUMPETER OF GOD, notes that Knox 'wrote history as a prophet' and that, wherever he could, he used original sources, many of which he reproduced. Furthermore, he proclaims that this 'is still a work that no one interested in this area can afford to neglect.' As W.C. Dickinson has commented, 'it is his monument, for in it he puts flesh and blood on the whole Reformation movement.' Innes (JOHN KNOX, p. 45), says of this work, 'the author who has enabled us to see his own confused and changing age under 'the broad clear light of that wonderful book' the History of the Reformation in Scotland, and who outside that book was the utterer of many an armed and winged word which pursues and smites us to this day, must have been born with nothing less than genius -- genius to observe, to narrate, and to judge. Even had he written as a mere recluse and critic, looking out upon his world from a monk's cell or from the corner of a housetop, the vividness, the tenderness, the sarcasm and the humour would still have been there.' Moreover, Burton writes, 'there certainly is in the English language no other parallel to it in clearness, vigour, and picturesqueness with which it renders the history of a stirring period.' (cited in Innes, John Knox, p. 45). This photocopy edition far surpasses the edited down version that is available in paperback. Over 600 pages of stirring Reformation history." -- Publisher
The Works of John Knox (1846), vol. 1 of 6.
http://archive.org/details/worksofjohnkn01knox
Knox, John, Unedited History of the Reformation in Scotland Vol. 2 of 6.
"Knox portrayed the origins and development of a movement and not a mere chronology of events . . . Knox based his arguments on original sources and he often cited the documents in full. When Knox's History is compared to the contemporary vernacular narratives of Bishop Leslie and Sir James Melville, the superiority of Knox's work becomes evident. For the most part, these writers were preoccupied with petty details and had no conception of the momentous issues that hung on the events they recorded . . . Knox used history to demonstrate his single-track philosophy. And his philosophy said: 'The hearts of men, their thoughts, and their actions are but in the hands of God.' Lee said Knox's History was a sermon without an audience, a preaching book, one long inflammatory speech in behalf of God's truth as the reformer saw it.' (Kyle, The Mind of John Knox, p. 13). Our editions of volumes one and two of Knox's Works contain the only full, unedited version of Knox's massive History of the Reformation in Scotland available today." -- Publisher
Knox, John, Epistles, Admonitions, etc., Vol. 3 of 6
"Includes 'That the Sacrifice of the Mass is Idolatry.' Also, writings on justification by faith, prayer, the Lord's supper, obedience to magistrates, an exposition of the sixth Psalm, letters of warning, comfort and more." -- Publisher
Knox, John, The Works of John Knox, Vol. 4 of 6
"Includes 'The Appellation . . . to the Scottish Nobility,' 'The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women,' Answers Concerning Baptism, Form of Prayers/Sacraments in Geneva 1556, 'Letter to the Queen,' 'Summary of the Proposed Second Blast of the Trumpet,' and much more." -- Publisher
Knox, John, The Works of John Knox, Vol. 5 of 6
"Includes 'On Predestination, in Answer to the Cavillations by an Anabaptist' (462 pp.), which Boettner, in his REFORMED DOCTRINE OF PREDESTINATION, calls Knox's 'chief theological work.' Also, A Letter to John Foxe, Names of Martyrs, etc. . . .
"Includes the Life of Knox, Letters Relating to Reformation in Scotland, The Book of Common Order, A Debate Concerning the Mass, Fasting, 'The Order of Excommunication and Public Repentance,' indices of names, places and the general index, etc. 755 pages." -- Publisher
Knox, John, The Works of John Knox, Vol. 6 of 6
"Includes 'The Life of Knox,' 'John Knox Debates God's Law, Idolatry and Civil Resistance in the General Assembly of 1564,' 'The Scottish Confession of Faith (1560),' 'John Knox's Only Written Sermon - A Sermon on Isaiah 23:13-21, Preached in St. Giles's Church, Edinburgh, 19th August 1565,' 'A Letter of Wholesome Counsel Addressed to His Brethren in Scotland Or "What to do When There is no Faithful Church to Attend in Your Local Area" originally published in 1556,' 'Select Practical Writings of John Knox,' 'Against Romish Rites and Political and Ecclesiastical Tyranny, A Faithful Admonition to the Professors of God's Truth in England (1554),' 'An Admonition to Flee Idolatry, Romanism and all False Worship (1554),' 'An Answer to a Jesuit: The Marks of a True Church and Ministry: An Answer to a Letter Written by James Tyrie, A Scottish Jesuit, 1572,' 'Against an Anabaptist: In Defense of Predestination,' 'Against Apostasy and Indifference (An Epistle to the Inhabitants of New Castle and Berwick, 1558),' 'On Justification by Faith Alone,' 'National Repentance and Reformation (A Brief Exhortation to England for the Speedy Embracing of the Gospel, 1559),' 'Reformation, Revolution and Romanism: An Appeal to the Scottish Nobility (1558),' 'The Pulpit of the Reformation: "The Last Judgment," by John Welch,' "The Parable of the Householders," and "The Parable of the Tares," by Hugh Latimer.' 'John Knox to the King,' 'The Execution of Servetus for Blasphemy, Heresy, Obstinate Anabaptism,' 'Defended (excerpted from his Treatise on Predestination),' 'A Debate Between John Knox and Secretary Lethington on the Duty of Christian Subjects to Execute Judgement Upon Criminal Magistrates,' 'The Execution of Servetus for Blasphemy, Heresy, Obstinate Anabaptism, Defended (excerpted from John Knox's Treatise on Predestination),' 'It Is I Be Not Afraid,' 'The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women (1558),' and 'Sermon on Isaiah 26.'(sic, all of volume 6)
*Marshall, Walter (1628-1680), The Gospel-Mystery of Sanctification: Growing in Holiness by Living in Union With Christ, ISBN: 189277724X. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
The Reformation Heritage Books edition is a reprint of the 1954 edition set by Oliphants and includes an introduction by Joel R. Beeke. Also includes the author's famous sermon on "The Doctrine of Justification Opened and Applied."
See the WorldCat record for various foreign language editions.
Other editions:
Marshall, Walter, The Gospel-Mystery of Sanctification, ISBN: 1597520543 9781597520546.
"This is by far the best book on the doctrine of Sanctification in print. It was originally written in the 17th century, but has been put into modern English with this edition. This book will help you better understand the Gospel and its power not only for our Justification, but our Sanctification as well." -- Reader's Comment
Marshall, Walter, The Gospel-Mystery of Sanctification, ISBN: 1589600630 9781589600638.
"Here you will read the most closely reasoned defense of scriptural sanctification to be found anywhere. . . . Fourteen directions are given to the reader, all perfected with the aim of explaining to sincere souls what sanctification is, what it is not, and how to attain a holy walk before God. . . ." -- Jay P. Green, Sr. (1918-2008)
Marshall, Walter, The Gospel-mystery of Sanctification, Opened, in Sundry Practical Directions: Suited Especially to the Case of Those who Labor Under the Guilt and Power of Indwelling Sin. To Which is Added a Sermon on Justification (1859)
http://archive.org/details/gospelmysteryofs02mars
Mayhew, Jonathan, A Discourse Concerning Unlimited Submission and Non-Resistance to the Higher Powers, Jonathan Mayhew
http://www.founding.com/library/lbody.cfm?id=230&parent=52
*McFetridge, N.S., Calvinism in History. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"A splendid book." -- Loraine Boettner
"The rich Reformation heritage of truth and freedom is set forth in four chapters: 1. Calvinism as a Political Force, 2. Calvinism as a Political Force in the History of the USA, 3. Calvinism as a Moral Force, 4. Calvinism as an Evangelizing Force." -- Publisher
"Arminianism, taking to an aristocratic form of church government, tend toward a monarchy in civil affairs, while Calvinism, taking to a republican form of church government, tends toward a democracy in civil affairs."
Morecraft III, Joe, With Liberty and Justice for All, 2nd edition.
"Joe Morecraft III was the pastor of the late Senator Larry McDonald, who was killed when the Russians shot down his plane. This is Christian politics made simple. A very readable book that will help you to think through the place of the government in our lives, namely, the government's authority and limitations. All this is done with many passages quoted from Scripture. There is a chapter on the life of Larry McDonald. . . ." -- FSP
"What are Christians to do when the civil government is evil? Must they always obey the authorities? What are the origins of civil government? Does the Bible authorize the government to execute criminals? Is abortion murder if it is legal? Shouldn't Christians stay out of politics? This book answers these questions and many more. Dr. Morecraft, pastor of Chalcedon Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, seeks Biblical answers to these questions. An instructive book for today." -- GCB
*Morey, Robert, The new Atheism and the Erosion of Freedom, ISBN: 0875523625 9780875523620.
"Exposes the godless suppression of religious freedom today and presents effective ways to convert atheists to Christ. In case you have not noticed atheism/secular humanism is gaining ground. Are you grounded in what these philosophies teach? Can you refute them? Dr. Morey will show you how." -- GCB
The American Atheist Union has said this is the most dangerous book ever written about religion.
Includes bibliography.
*Owen, John (1616-1683), Hebrews, 7 volume set, volumes 17-23 of Owen's WORKS (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1999). Alternate title: EXPOSITION OF HEBREWS and AN EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS.
Reed, Kevin, Presbyterian Government in Extraordinary Times. Available in LIBRARY OF PRESBYTERIAN HERITAGE PUBLICATIONS AND PROTESTANT HERITAGE PRESS CD-ROM LIBRARY.
Presbyterian Government in Extraordinary Times
http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualnls/PGET_ch0.htm
Ridley, Jasper, John Knox, 1968.
"The theory of the justification of revolution is Knox's special contribution to theological and political thought." -- Jasper Ridley
*Robbins, John (1949-2008), Freedom and Capitalism: Essays on Christian Politics and Economics, ISBN: 1891777157 9781891777158.
"The relationship between Christianity, freedom, and capitalism has been a subject of scholarly study for centuries. In this volume, John Robbins argues that political and economic freedom are the results of Biblical Christianity. Political freedom and capitalism arose in Northwestern Europe and North America after the Christian Reformation of the 16th century, and they are unique in world history. The nations and peoples that heard and accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ as proclaimed by the Reformers quickly became free and prosperous on a scale previously unimaginable. Some historians and economists have denied any causal connection between Christianity, freedom, and capitalism, but they are able to deny this connection only by ignoring clear philosophical, economic, legal, sociological, and historical evidence demonstrating that Christianity is the source of capitalism.
"Dr. John W. Robbins attended Grove City College (A.B. 1969), and The Johns Hopkins University (M.A. 1970, Ph.D. 1973). He has served as chief of staff for a Member of Congress, editor of The Freeman magazine, Economist for The Heritage Foundation, and Professor of Political Philosophy in The Freedom School." -- Publisher
Table of Contents: Foreword | Politics | The Founder of Western Civilization | The Sine Qua Non of Enduring Freedom | Some Problems with Natural Law | The Political Philosophy of the Founding Fathers | The Bible and the Draft | The Messianic Character of American Foreign Policy | Truth and Foreign Policy | Compassionate Fascism | Conservatism: An Autopsy | Rightwing Radical Chic | The Reconstructionist Assault on Freedom | Roman Catholic Totalitarianism | The Relation of Church and State (Charles Hodge) | Abortion, the Christian, and the State | The Ethics and Economics of Health Care | The Chickens' Homecoming (John Whitehead) | The Coming Caesars (John Whitehead) | Rebuilding American Freedom in the Twenty-first Century | The Religious Wars of the Twenty-First Century | Economics: The Failure of Secular Economics | The Promise of Christian Economics | Teaching Economics from the Bible | The Neo-Evangelical Assault on Capitalism | The Reformed Assault on Capitalism | The Roman Catholic Assault on Capitalism | How Romanism Ruined America | Not Yours to Give (Edward Ellis) | Money, Freedom, and the Bible | The Case Against Indexation | Is Christianity Tied to Any Political or Economic System? | Ecology: The Abolition of Man | Scripture Index | Index | The Crisis of Our Time | Intellectual Ammunition
*Robbins, John W. (1949-2008), Money, Freedom and the Bible.
"Paul does not regard government as provider of income, health care, education, national parks, money, or any of the other services common to our modern welfare states; its function is quite simple: to punish wrongdoers." A lecture given at the Gold Standard Corporation Conference, August 1989.
*Rushdoony, Rousas J. (1916-2001), Christianity and the State, ISBN: 9996717755. Available through Exodus Books.
"The need to return to a Biblical doctrine of civil government is evidenced by our century's worldwide drift into tyranny. Humanism invariably rushes in to fill the world's theological vacuums: the need of the hour is to restore a full-orbed, Biblical, theology of the state. This work sets forth that theology." -- GCB
*Rushdoony, Rousas J. (1916-2001), Law and Liberty. Available through Exodus Books.
"With a small but growing voice Christians everywhere in our country are questioning old ideas that have been entrenched in our system for the last 100 years. He discusses the law and morality, liberty, pornography, the family, abortion, justice, and many other topics." -- GCB
*Rushdoony, R.J. (1916-2001), The Nature of the American System. Available through Exodus Books.
"Originally published in 1965, these essays were a continuation of the author's previous work, THIS INDEPENDENT REPUBLIC, and examine the interpretations and concepts which have attempted to remake and rewrite America's past and present. 'The writing of history then, because man is neither autonomous, objective or ultimately creative, is always in terms of a framework, a philosophical and ultimately religious framework in the mind of the historian.' To the orthodox Christian, the shabby incarnations of the reigning historiographies are both absurd and offensive. They are idols, and he is forbidden to bow down to them and must indeed wage war against them." -- Publisher
*Rushdoony, R.J. (1916-2001), This Independent Republic: Studies in the Nature and Meaning of American History. Available through Exodus Books.
"First published in 1964 and out of print for many years, this series of essays gives important insight into American history by one who could trace American development in terms of the Christian ideas which gave it direction.
"These essays will greatly alter your understanding of, and appreciation for, American history. Topics discussed include: The legal issues behind the War of Independence; Sovereignty as a theological tenet foreign to colonial political thought and the Constitution; The desire for land as a consequence of the belief in 'inheriting the land' as a future blessing, not an immediate economic asset; Federalism's localism as an inheritance of feudalism; The local control of property as a guarantee of liberty; Why federal elections were long considered of less importance than local politics; How early American ideas attributed to democratic thought were based on religious ideals of communion and community; and The absurdity of a mathematical concept of equality being applied to people. With index." -- Publisher
*Rutherford, Samuel (1600-1661), A Free Disputation Against Pretended Liberty of Conscience, 1649. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #9, #25, and #26.
"Rutherford's FREE DISPUTATION, though scarce, is still one of his most important works with maybe only a few copies of the actual book left in existence. Though Rutherford is affectionately remembered in our day for his LETTERS, or for laying the foundations of constitutional government (against the divine right of kings), in his unsurpassed LEX, REX his FREE DISPUTATION should not be overlooked for it contains the same searing insights as LEX, REX. In fact, this book should probably be known as Rutherford's 'politically incorrect' companion volume to LEX, REX. A sort of sequel aimed at driving pluralists and antinomians insane. Written against 'the Belgick Arminians, Socinians, and other Authors contending for lawless liberty, or licentious Tolerations of Sects and Heresies,' Rutherford explains the undiluted Biblical solution to moral relativism, especially as it is expressed in ecclesiastical and civil pluralism! (Corporate pluralism being a violation of the first commandment and an affront to the holy God of Scripture). He also deals with conscience, toleration, penology (punishment), and the judicial laws, as related to both the civil and ecclesiastical realms. Excellent sections are also included which address questions related to determining the fundamentals of religion, how covenants bind us, the perpetual obligation of social covenants (with direct application to the Solemn League and Covenant and the covenant-breaking of Cromwell and his sectarian supporters), whether the punishing of seducing teachers be persecution of conscience, and much more. Walker adds these comments and context regarding Rutherford's FREE DISPUTATION, 'The principle of toleration was beginning to be broached in England, and in a modified shape to find acceptance there. Samuel Rutherford was alarmed, or rather, I should say, he was horrified, for he neither feared the face of man or argument. He rushed to the rescue of the good old view . . . It is not so easy to find a theoretical ground for toleration; and Rutherford has many plausible things to say against it. With the most perfect confidence, he argues that it is alike against Scripture and common sense that you should have two religions side by side. It is outrageous ecclesiastically, it is sinful civilly. He does not, however, take what I call the essentially persecuting ground. He does not hold that the magistrate is to punish religion as religion. Nay, he strongly maintains that the civil magistrate never aims at the conscience. The magistrate, he urges, does not send anyone, whether a heretic (who is a soul murderer -- RB), or a murderer, to the scaffold with the idea of producing conversion or other spiritual result, but to strengthen the foundations of civil order. But if he gives so much power to the king, he is no lover of despotism withal: the king himself must be under law. To vindicate this great doctrine is the object of another book, the celebrated LEX, REX; of which it has been said by one competent to judge, that it first clearly developed the constitutionalism which all men now accept.' (Theology and Theologians . . . pp. 11-12). In our day Francis Schaeffer, and numerous others, have critiqued many of the problems found in modern society, but most have spent little time developing explicitly Biblical solutions especially regarding the theoretical foundations that Rutherford addresses here. Rutherford's FREE DISPUTATION provides a detailed blueprint for laying the foundations that must be laid before any lasting, God-honoring solutions will be found. Furthermore, Rutherford and his writings were the enemies of all governments not covenanted with Christ. This book will give you a very clear picture as to why 'the beast' (civil and ecclesiastical), has reserved his special hatred for such teaching. As Samuel Wylie noted 'the dispute, then, will not turn upon the point whether religion should be civilly established . . . but it is concerning what religion ought to be civilly established and protected, -- whether the religion of Jesus alone should be countenanced by civil authority, or every blasphemous, heretical, and idolatrous abomination which the subtle malignity of the old serpent and a heart deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, can frame and devise, should be put on an equal footing therewith." -- The two Sons of oil; or, The Faithful Witness for Magistracy and Ministry Upon a Scriptural Basis. Can our generation swallow Rutherford's hard, anti-pluralistic, Covenanter medicine, poured forth from the bottle of the first commandment, without choking on their carnal dreams of a free and righteous society divorced from God (and His absolute claims upon everyone and everything)? Not without the enabling power of the Holy Spirit -- that is for sure! In summary, this book answers all the hardest questions theonomists (and their wisest and best opponents), have been asking for the last 20-30 years (and these answers are much more in depth than any we have seen in the last couple of millennia. [less about a century to account for the apostles]). As the reader will discover, Rutherford was a wealthy man when it came to wisdom (and much advanced theologically), and those who take the time to gaze into the King's treasure house, as exhibited in this book, will find that they are greatly rewarded. Furthermore, because of its uncompromising stand upon the Word of God, this book is sure to be unpopular among a wicked and adulterous generation. However, on the other hand, it is sure to be popular among the covenanted servants of King Jesus! This is one of the best books (in the top five anyway), for advanced study of the Christian faith. We have now obtained an easy-to-read, amazingly clear copy of this very rare, old treasure. Great price too, considering that a copy of the 1649 edition, containing this quality of print, would likely cost upwards of $1000 on the rare book market -- though it is unlikely you would ever see a copy for sale!" -- Publisher
A Brotherly and Free Epistle to the Patrons and Friends of Pretended Liberty of Conscience, Samuel Rutherford
http://www.truecovenanter.com/anti_toleration/rutherfurd_epistle_against_pretendedlibertyofconscience.html
Brutus, Junius, The Covenant Between God and Kings, from A DEFENSE OF LIBERTY
http://www.constitution.org/vct/vindiciae1a.htm
Schutz, John Howard, and Wayne A. Meeks (introduction), Paul and the Anatomy of Apostolic Authority, ISBN: 9780664228125 0664228127.
"Investigates the nature of authority as applied to the Apostles, particularly to Paul, and discusses the ramifications of that in terms of man's need for structures and his tendency to abuse power." -- Cyril J. Barber
Sibbes, Richard (1577-1635), Glorious Freedom, ISBN: 0851517919. Alternate title: THE EXCELLENCY OF THE GOSPEL ABOVE THE LAW. Available (THE WORKS OF RICHARD SIBBES), on the Puritan Hard Drive.
Willson, James Renwick (1780-1853), The Written Law: or, The Law of God Revealed in the Scriptures by Christ as Mediator: The Rule of Duty to Christian Nations in Civil Institutions.
Willson, James Renwick, The Written Law, or The Law of God Revealed in the Scriptures, by Christ as Mediator; The Rule of Duty to Christian Nations to Civil Institutions
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/8/18/james-r-willsons-sermon-on-the-written-law
Covenanter and Reformed Presbyterian Pamphlets
http://www.covenanter.org/pamphlets/
Woods, David Walker, John Witherspoon, ISBN: 9781432672799 1432672797.
"A republic once equally poised must either preserve its virtue or lose its liberty. . . . He is the best friend of American liberty who is most sincere and active in promoting pure and undefiled religion." -- John Witherspoon
"John Witherspoon, a Presbyterian minister and president of what is now Princeton University, was the only pastor to sign the Declaration of Independence." -- Francis Schaeffer (1912-1984)
See also: The incarnation of our lord (the deity of the lord jesus christ), The sovereignty of god, The doctrine of man (human nature, total depravity), Church and state, The sovereign grace of god: his everlasting mercy and lovingkindness, Selection of covenant heads for positions of leadership, Freedom: a gift of the grace of God, Christian liberty, Corporate faithfulness and sanctification, Christianity and democracy, The utter failure of the u.s. constitution as a social deed of covenant, The application of scripture to the corporate bodies of church and state, Civil government, Covenant theology and covenanting, Slavery, our systems of enslavement, economic enslavement, and so forth, and so on.
Corporate Faithfulness and Sanctification (part 2)
http://www.lettermen2.com/bcrr9chb.html
The Mayflower Compact
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower_Compact
The Scottish Covenanting Struggle, Alexander Craighead, and the Mecklenburg Declaration
http://www.lettermen2.com/craig.html
Sprinkle Publications
http://www.sprinklepub.com/aboutus.htm
And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible. (Jeremiah 15:20,21)But the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. (Daniel 11:32b)
We all and every one of us under-written, protest, That, after long and due examination of our own consciences in matters of true and false religion, we are now thoroughly resolved in the truth by the word and Spirit of God: and therefore we believe with our hearts, confess with our mouths, subscribe with our hands, and constantly affirm, before God and the whole world, that this only is the true Christian faith and religion, pleasing God, and bringing salvation to man, which now is, by the mercy of God, revealed to the world by the preaching of the blessed evangel; and is received, believed, and defended by many and sundry notable kirks and realms, but chiefly by the kirk of Scotland, the King's Majesty, and three estates of this realm, as God's eternal truth, and only ground of our salvation; as more particularly is expressed in the Confession of our Faith, established and publickly confirmed by sundry acts of Parliaments, and now of a long time hath been openly professed by the King's Majesty, and whole body of this realm both in burgh and land. To the which Confession and Form of Religion we willingly agree in our conscience in all points, as unto God's undoubted truth and verity, grounded only upon his written word. . . . And therefore we abhor and detest all contrary religion and doctrine. . . . -- The National Covenant of Scotland, subscribed at different times: 1580, 1581, 1590, 1638, 1639, 1640, 1650, 1651, in The Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), p. 347
Anonymous, An Order That the Solemn League and Covenant be Read in Church on Every Fast Day, and That Every Congregation Have a Copy Printed in a Faire Letter, Hung up in the Church. The Covenant bears the signatures (244) of the House of Commons. Alternate title: WE SHALL ALSO ACCORDING TO OUR PLACES AND CALLINGS IN THIS COMMON CAUSE OF RELIGION, LIBERTY AND PEACE OF KINGDOMES, ASSIST AND DEFEND ALL THOSE THAT ENTER INTO LEAGUE AND COVENANT.
Anonymous, Ministers of Perth and Fife, A Testimony to the Truth of Jesus Christ to the Doctrine, Worship, Discipline and Government of the Kirk of Scotland and to the National Covenant of Scotland and to the Solemn League and Covenant of the Three Nations, England, Scotland and Ireland and to the Work of Uniformity in Religion and against the errors, heresies, blasphemies and diverse practices of the times, especially against the vast toleration now on foot in these nations / by sundry ministers of the Gospel in the provinces of Perth and Fife, Ephes. 6:14,15; 2 Tim. 1:7,8 [Ephesians 6:14,15; 2 Timothy 1:7,8], 1648. Alternate title: A TESTIMONY TO THE TRUETH OF JESUS CHRIST, AND TO OUR SOLEMN LEAGUE AND COVENANT, 1660. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
A Testimony to the Truth of Jesus Christ.
http://www.truecovenanter.com/anti_toleration/testimony_against_cromwells_toleration.html
A Testimony to the Truth of Jesus Christ and to our Solemn League and Covenant
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/8/18/a-testimony-to-the-truth-of-jesus-christ
*Associate Synod of Scotland (1733-1820), A Solemn Warning . . . Wherein the Great Sin, Danger, and Duty of the Present Generation in These Lands, are Pointed out and Declared (1758). Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"A stinging rebuke against personal, ecclesiastical and national sins; with the intent to turn the readers of this title from these sins and thus avoid God's wrath: for the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation." (Jer. 10:10 [Jeremiah 10:10]) -- Publisher
*Barrow, Gregory, The Covenanted Reformation Defended Against Contemporary Schismatics. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #1, #19, #23, #27.
"A primer for the Covenanted Reformation, this is the best starting point for the new reader. It organizes the hundreds of Covenanted Reformation reprints into a logical defense of the theological landmarks established by our forefathers, with copious bibliographic references, many to e-text. An extraordinary document.
"Unsurpassed on points related to the Lord's supper and covenanting (as set forth by the best Reformers and best Reformed churches). Especially strong on citations from Calvin and the Westminster Assembly. Deals with many foundational aspects of the Covenanted Reformation (which gave us the Westminster Standards and the Solemn League and Covenant), from numerous original source documents (from the Westminster Assembly's advice to the English Parliament on the Lord's Supper to the official records of Calvin's Covenanting in Geneva). Comprehensive and compelling, this is a shocking (and sometimes advanced), look at what really took place during both the first and second Reformations -- with extensive quotations from the writings of the major Reformers (not just quotes from what others have written about them). It conclusively and irrefutably demonstrates that those churches which today call themselves Presbyterian (and even many which claim a more general Reformed heritage), have seriously departed from the Scriptural standards, principles and worship of these previous Spirit-led Reformations. It is written in an easy-to-read and easy-to-understand format and is an unsurpassed work that should not be missed by anyone interested in real Reformation in our day. This is without a doubt the best book to read if you want to understand what it means to be a Covenanter and to walk in the blood-stained footsteps of the witnessing church (Christ's Covenanted and Reformed flock), (Song of Solomon 1:8)!" -- Publisher
Publisher's Preface to The Covenanted Reformation Defended Against Contemporary Schismatics
http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualnls/pub_pref.htm
Eschewing Ecclesiastical Tyranny (Protestant Biblical Separation)
"1 Corinthians 2:15. The classic Reformation position on biblical separation, Protestant private judgment, the visible church, etc. -- contra Antichrist (the Papacy), and wayward liberal Protestants. This is Appendix G from THE COVENANTED REFORMATION DEFENDED: 'A brief examination of Mr. Bacon's principles regarding the visible church and the use of private judgment. Also, some observations regarding his ignoble attack upon Mr. Kevin Reed in his book entitled The Visible Church in the Outer Darkness'." -- Publisher
The Covenanted Reformation Defended, e-text
http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualnls/CovRefGB.htm
The Covenanted Reformation Defended, audio files
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sermonID=7702201426
The Covenanted Reformation Defended Against Contemporary Schismatics: A Response and Antidote Primarily to the Neopresbyterian Malignancy and Misrepresentations and the Manufactured 'Steelite' Controversy, Found in Richard Bacon's "A Defense Departed . . ."
http://books.google.com/books?id=LG5EHQAACAAJ&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html
Barrow, Gregory, Eschewing Ecclesiastical Tyranny (Protestant Biblical Separation), (debate with Richard Bacon), 1 Corinthians 2:15, narrated by Larry Burger. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #24.
"The classic Reformation position on biblical separation, Protestant private judgment, the visible church, etc. -- contra Antichrist (the Papacy), and wayward liberal Protestants. This is Appendix G from THE COVENANTED REFORMATION DEFENDED: 'A brief examination of Mr. Bacon's principles regarding the visible church and the use of private judgment. Also, some observations regarding his ignoble attack upon Mr. Kevin Reed in his book entitled THE VISIBLE CHURCH IN THE OUTER DARKNESS'." -- Publisher
The Covenanted Reformation Defended, e-text
http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualnls/CovRefGB.htm
The Covenanted Reformation Defended, audio files
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sermonID=7702201426
The Covenanted Reformation Defended Against Contemporary Schismatics: A Response and Antidote Primarily to the Neopresbyterian Malignancy and Misrepresentations and the Manufactured 'Steelite' Controversy, Found in Richard Bacon's "A Defense Departed . . ."
http://books.google.com/books?id=LG5EHQAACAAJ&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html
Brinsley, John, The Saints Solemn Covenant With Their God: As it was Opened in a Sermon Preached at Beccles in the Countie of Suffolk, at the Taking of the Nationall Covenant There, by the Ministers and Other Officers of That Division. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
*Clarkson, Andrew, Plain Reasons for Presbyterians Dissenting From the Revolution-Church in Scotland: As Also, Their Principles Concerning Civil Government, and the difference betwixt the reformation and revolution principles. Published for confirming the weak, and informing of the misinformed in those matters. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #6, #24, #26.
"An exceedingly rare and important book now back in print after 265 years! The Contending Witness magazine (May, 1841), described PLAIN REASONS as 'the single best volume penned defending the principles of the Second Reformation.' It sets forth 'the grounds why Presbyterian Dissenters refused to hold communion with the revolution church and state.' (Reformed Presbytery, Act Declaration and Testimony for the Whole of our Covenanted Reformation, p. 154). These principles still apply today and this still remains one of the best books explaining why and when an individual (our church), should separate itself from those (in church or state), who do not hold fast to all the attainments of our covenanted forefathers." -- Publisher
Clarkson, Andrew, Plain Reasons for Presbyterians Dissenting from the Revolution Church of Scotland. Also, Their Principles Concerning Civil Government, and the Difference Betwixt the Reformation and Revolution Principles, 1731.
http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualnls/PlainTOC.htm
Plain Reasons for Presbyterians Dissenting From the Revolution Church of Scotland (A Short Article Holding Forth the Principles of the Book by the Same Name) excerpted from The Contending Witness, Vol. I., No. 1, April, 1841.
http://www.truecovenanter.com/reformedpresbyterian/magazine/contending_witness_plain_reasons_of_dissent.html
Cook, Thomas (pastor of Drayton Magna), A Testimony of the Ministers in the Province of Salop, to the Truth of Jesus Christ, and to the Solemn League and Covenant: as Also Against the Errors, heresies, and blasphemies of these times, and the toleration of them. Sent up to the ministers within the province of London, subscribers of the first testimony, 1648.
*Covenanted General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and OTHERS, Official Acts, Declarations, Protestations, etc., Concerning the Covenanted Reformation, 686 pages. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"Contains 24 rare documents from the period 1638-1650. One document, 'The Act of Covenant Renovation' (1880) by the Reformed Presbytery (which was a faithful renewal of the National Covenant and the Solemn League and Covenant [adapted to the present time], with a confession of public sins), is added from outside this period to illustrate the continuing obligations that rest upon the moral person (civilly and ecclesiastically). Among the seventeenth century documents we find much (from both the church and the state), that relates to the central place that covenanting played in the Second Reformation. We also find various authoritative international testimonies against Popery, Prelacy and Schism (i.e. Independency, Cromwell, etc.), and for biblical covenanted uniformity, divine right Presbyterian church government, and apostolic worship.
"Military documents related to the Second Reformation are also added. One proclamation by Charles I is even included, to illustrate Royalist opposition to Reformation." -- Publisher
Craighead, Alexander (1707-1766), The Reasons of Mr. Alexander Craighead's Receding From the Present Judicatories of This Church, Together With its Constitution; To Which is Annexed a Preface to the Reader, to Discover the Basis or Foundation on Which the Reasons are Built (Philadelphia, PA: B. Franklin, 1743). Presbyterian Historical Society Microcard Evans no. 4.
"Craighead adhered to the Reformed Presbyterians from 1742 to 1749, but was never actually received as an RP minister. John Cuthbertson, who was sent out by the Reformed Presbytery in Scotland in 1751, was the first RP minister to serve in the New World. It fell to him, together with Matthew Linn and Alexander Dobbin, to organize the Reformed Presbytery, on March 10, 1774, at Paxtang, Pennsylvania. The printer was Benjamin Franklin!" -- Gordon J. Keddie "Bring the Book: A Bibliography of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, 1743 -- 1992" in REFORMED PRESBYTERIANS IN THE NEW WORLD, a special issue of Semper Reformanda, Vol. 1, No. 3, Fall 1992, ISSN: 1065-3783.
Craighead, The Reasons of Mr. Alexander Craighead's Receding From the Present Judicatories of This Church . . . 1743
http://www.truecovenanter.com/kirkgovt/creaghead_reasons_of_receding_1743.html
*Craighead, Alexander (1707-1766), Renewal of the Covenants, National and Solemn League; A Confession of Sins; An Engagement to Duties; and a Testimony; as They Were Carried on at Middle Octorara in Pennsylvania, November 11, 1743. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #27. A microform copy is held at the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary and Presbyterian Historical Society.
"A fascinating Covenanter document proclaiming that 'to the Calvinistic system of principles, and the Presbyterian form of government, this nation (the United States), is largely indebted for its civil independence and republican polity. John Calvin and John Knox are the real founders of American liberties. Their teachings, plainly deducible from the Word of God, were disseminated by the persecuted remnant of the Church of Scotland, and were generally incorporated in the structure of American independence.' Furthermore, Glasgow, in his introduction, points out that Craighead's covenanting work formed a basis for the national Declaration of Independence, which followed shorter thereafter. 'For seven years Mr. Craighead labored among the Covenanter societies; but failing to receive assistance from Scotland, he removed, in 1749, to Virginia, thence to Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. There he became identified with the Presbytery in connection with the Presbyterian Church. Being thoroughly imbued, however, with the principles of the Scotch Covenanters, Mr. Craighead taught them to his people around Charlotte. They in turn formulated them into the First Declaration of Independence, emitted at Charlotte, NC, May, 1775. According to a reliable author (Wheeler's REMINISCENCES, p. 278), Thomas Jefferson says in his autobiography that when he was engaged in preparing the National Declaration of Independence, that he and his colleagues searched everywhere for formulas, and that the printed proceedings of Octorara, as well as the Mecklenburg Declaration, were before him, and that he freely used ideas therein contained. It is difficult to determine, therefore, the real author of American Independence. Undoubtedly the principles of the Covenanters at Octarara in 1743, the sentiments of the Presbyterians at Charlotte in 1775, and the Declaration submitted by Jefferson in 1776, contain one and the same great principles. 'Honor to whom honor is due.' However, Glasgow also reports, 'hence the Declaration of American Independence was justifiable. But when the newly-born nation ignored the God of battles, rejected the authority of the Prince of the kings of the earth, and refused to administer the government in accordance with the requirements of the Divine Law, then the same loyal Covenanters, faithful to their principles and consistent with their history through all the struggles of the centuries, dissented from the Constitution of the United States, and are justifiable in the continuance of this position of political dissent so long as the government retains its character of political atheism. We may rightfully declare our independence of wicked men and rebellious nations, but we cannot declare our independence of God, and set up a government regardless of His authority, without incurring His wrath and suffering from His desolating judgements. 'Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.' This rare book contains much that is exceedingly valuable and the section titled 'The Declaration, Protestation, and Testimony of a Suffering Remnant of the Anti-Popish, Anti-Lutheran, Anti-Prelatic, Anti-Erastian, Anti-Latitudinarian, Anti-Sectarian, True Presbyterian Church of Christ, in America,' is well worth the price of the book itself. With Glasgow, we set this book forth 'trusting that his work will be of historical value to all Covenanters, and interesting to all other readers,' with the hope of 'enkindling a flame of love for the glorious principles of the Word of God, and arousing an interest in the great work of National Reformation'." -- Publisher
"The first RP church in America was established at Paxtang, Pa., in 1721, and the second at Middle Octorara, Pa., in 1732, both by immigrants from Scotland and Ireland. A third edition was published in 1895 in Beaver Falls, PA." -- Gordon J. Keddie
Craighead, Renewal of the Covenants at Middle Octorara, Pennsylvania
http://www.truecovenanter.com/covenants/octorara_covenant_renewal.html
The Scottish Covenanting Struggle, Alexander Craighead, and the Mecklenburg Declaration
http://www.lettermen2.com/craig.html
Dick, John (d. 1684), A Testimony to the Doctrine, Worship, Discipline, and Government of the Church of Scotland, and the Covenanted Work of Reformation as it was Profess'd in the Three Kingdoms: Together With an Account of the Persecution of Some of the Most Eminent in our Days for Their Adherence to the Same, 1684. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
Erskine, Ralph (1685-1752), Covenanted Grace for Covenanting Work: A Sermon Preached at Stirling, December 28, 1743, in the Evening of That day, on Which the Ministers of the Associate Presbytery did, With Uplifted Hands, Solemnly Renew the National Covenants, 1865 Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #29.
Erskine, Ralph, The Sermons and Other Practical Works of the Late Reverend Ralph Erskine, Dunfermline (1865), vol. 1
http://archive.org/details/sermonsotherpr01ersk
*Howie, John (1735-1793, collector and transcriber), Michael Shields, James Guthrie, John Kid, John King, et al., Faithful Contendings Displayed: Being an Historical Relation of the State and Actings of the Suffering Remnant in the Church of Scotland Subsisted in Select Societies, and Were United in General Correspondencies During the Hottest Time of the Late Persecution, viz. From the Year 1681 to 1691: Together with an account of the State of the land in general, and of the society people in particular, in the intervals betwixt each of their general meetings, with some pertinent remarks upon these historical occurrences, and many letters to and from the general correspondent meetings, 1780, ISBN: 1171237324 9781171237327 0548345945 9780548345948. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
The long title continues: "Collected and kept in record by Mr. Michael Shields, who was clerk unto these general societies, and personally present at most of their meetings. To which is added, ten considerations on the danger of apostacy and defection from a covenanted work of reformation. By Mr. James Guthrie, sometime minister of the Gospel at Stirling. As also, a collection of very valuable sermons, preached by these faithful and eminent servants of Jesus Christ, Messrs. John Kid, John King, John Welch, John Blackadder, John Dickson, and Gabriel Semple. Collected and transcribed by John Howie, and published at the desire of some of those who desire to own the same testimony that some of those authors owned and sealed with their blood." -- long title continued
"Howie is famous for his BIOGRAPHIA SCOTICANA: OR, A BRIEF HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE LIVES, CHARACTERS, AND MEMORABLE TRANSACTIONS OF THE MOST EMINENT SCOTS WORTHIES (often just called SCOTS WORTHIES), but this work is just as valuable. A massive, rare classic, in which Howie aims at 'the gaining of friends unto, or confirming them in the covenanted interest, in a subserviency to God's glory and the good of His church' (preface, p. xxiv). Contains much information on the Reformation and the sufferings of the Covenanters which is found nowhere else (to our knowledge)." -- Publisher
*Kerr, James (1847-1905, editor), and et al., The Covenants and the Covenanters: Covenants, Sermons, and Documents of the Covenanted Reformation, 1895, ISBN: 9781406876109 1406876100. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #1.
"The Reformed Presbytery (in 1879), has well noted the following incongruity that is still with us today, 'We heard from various quarters the cry, 'maintain the truth, stand up for the principles of the Second Reformation:' and yet many of those who are the most loud in uttering this cry, appear desirous to bury in oblivion those imperishable national and ecclesiastical deeds, by which the church and kingdom of Scotland became 'married to the Lord.' (A Short Vindication of Our Covenanted Reformation, p. 20). This book should go a long way to remedying the above noted ignorance and hypocrisy among those who now call upon the name of the Lord especially those who claim a Reformation heritage and are still open to further growth as it spells out in no uncertain terms what lay at the heart of the Second Reformation. Moreover, these covenants (landmarks of the Lord), stand as beacons to all nations of their continuing moral duty to bind themselves to Christ (First Commandment), or suffer His avenging wrath. (Ps. 2 [Psalm 2]). And make no mistake about it, the Lord will utterly destroy all those who quarrel with His covenant bonds, whether individuals, churches or nations the mystery of iniquity will fall! The prefatory note to this magnificent volume well describes its value: The Covenants, Sermons, and Papers in this volume carry the readers back to some of the brightest periods in Scottish history. They mark important events in that great struggle by which these three kingdoms (England, Scotland and Ireland -- RB), were emancipated from the despotisms of Pope, Prince, and Prelate, and an inheritance of liberty secured for these Islands of the Sea. The whole achievements of the heroes of the battlefields are comprehended under that phrase of Reformers and Martyrs, 'The Covenanted Work of Reformation.' The attainments of those stirring times were bound together by the Covenants, as by rings of gold. The Sermons here were the product of the ripe thought of the main actors in the various scenes -- men of piety, learning, and renown. Hence, the nature, objects, and benefits of personal and national Covenanting are exhibited in a manner fitted to attract to that ordinance the minds and hearts of men. The readers can well believe the statements of Livingstone, who was present at several ceremonies of covenant-renovation: 'I never saw such motions from the Spirit of God. I have seen more than a thousand persons all at once lifting up their hands, and the tears falling down from their eyes.' In the presence of the defences of the Covenants as deeds, by these preachers, the baseless aspersions of novelists and theologians fade out into oblivion. True Christians must, as they ponder these productions, be convinced that the Covenanters were men of intense faith and seraphic fervour, and their own hearts will burn as they catch the heavenly flame. Members of the Church of Christ will be stirred to nobler efforts for the Kingdom of their Lord as they meditate on the heroism of those who were the 'chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof;' and they will behold with wonder that 'to the woman were given two wings of And Statesman will discover how princes, parliaments, and peoples united in the hearty surrender of themselves to the Prince of the kings and kingdoms of the earth; and will be aroused to promote that policy of Christian Statesmanship which, illustrating the purpose and will of God, the Father, shall liberate Parliaments and nations from the bonds of false religions, and assert for them those liberties and honours which spring from the enthronement of the Son of man, and King of kings and Lord of lords. This volume of documents of olden times is sent out on a mission of Revival of Religion, personal and national, in the present times. It would do a noble work if it helped to humble classes and masses, and led them to return as one man to that God in covenant from Whom all have gone so far away. A national movement, in penitence and faith, for the repeal of the Acts Recissory and the recognition of the National Covenants would be as life from the dead throughout the British Empire. The people and rulers of these dominions shall yet behold the brilliancy of the Redeemer's crowns; and shall, by universal consent, exalt Him who rules in imperial majesty over the entire universe of God. For, 'The seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.' Here we have some of the most moving sermons ever addressed to a people and their nations, given before the most solemn of occasions national covenant renewal! Alexander Henderson, Andrew Cant, Joseph Caryl, Edmond Calamy and a host of other Puritan Covenanters (even the turncoat Independent Philip Nye), are included here in easy to read modern (1895) type. Anyone interested in seeing the royal prerogatives of King Jesus once again trumpeted throughout the nations, on a national and international scale, needs this book for these men 'were setting up landmarks by which the city of God will be known at the dawn of the millennial day'." (Thomas Sproull cited in the Reformed Presbytery's Short Vindication, p. 38) -- Publisher
"Contents: The national covenants: Introduction [Part One]. | The national covenant, or confession of faith | Exhortation to the Lords of Council | Sermon at St. Andrews / Alexander Henderson | Exhortation at Inverness / Andrew Cant | Sermon at Glasgow / Andrew Cant | Sermon at Edinburgh / Andrew Cant [Part Two]. | The solemn league and covenant | Act of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland | Exhortation at Westminster / Philip Nye | Address at Westminster / Alexander Henderson | Sermon at Westminster / Thomas Coleman | Sermon at Westminster / Joseph Caryl | Sermon at London [the first, of Sat., 30th Sept., 1643] / Thomas Case | Sermon at London [the second, of Sun., 1st Oct., 1643] / Thomas Case | An ordinance of the Lords and Commons | Exhortation by the Westminster Assembly | Sermon at London / Edmund Calamy [Part Three]. | The national covenants. Coronation sermon at Scone / Robert Douglas | Charles II, taking the covenants | The acts rescissory | The Torwood excommunication | Act against conventicles | The Sanquhar Declaration | Protestation against the Union | Secession from the revolution church."
The Covenants and the Covenanters: Covenants, Sermons, and Documents of the Covenanted Reformation. Introduction on the National Covenants by James Kerr, 1895
http://archive.org/details/covenantscovenan00kerr
The Covenants and the Covenanters
Project Gutenberg free e-text online.
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/19100
Lee, Francis Nigel, Westminster Confession and Modern Society. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"How may we confess Christ, to a changing and hostile society, in the twentieth century? Dr. Lee leads us to the teaching of the WCF (1646), showing how it addresses every area of life with its comprehensive and Biblically faithful testimony to the Truth!" -- Publisher
Mackmillan (sic) [McMillan], John, Church of Scotland. Presbytery of Kirkcudbright, A True Narrative of the Proceedings of the Presbytery of Kirkcudbright Against one of Their Number.
A True Narrative of the Proceedings of the Presbytery of Kirkcudbright Against one of Their Number; And That to the Sentence of Deposition; To Which is Added the Grievances
http://www.covenanter.org/JMcmillan1/narrative.htm
McFeeters, James Calvin (1848-1928), Christian Citizenship, No. 1: The Reformer Endued With Power.
McFeeters, James Calvin (1848-1928), Christian Citizenship: Manual of Reforms, Illustrated, 1895.
McFeeters, James Calvin (1848-1928), Covenanters in America: The Voice of Their Testimony on Present Moral Issues, Reasons for the Hope and Work of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, 1892. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"This books gives some historical information, but the bulk of it sets forth the distinctive beliefs of a branch of the Reformed Presbyterian church. Some topics covered include public social covenanting, political dissent, divine psalmody, the Sabbath, national reform and evangelism, education and more. We note that the chapter on temperance is clearly in error and that a much stronger and more vital Covenanter testimony is set forth in the ACT, DECLARATION AND TESTIMONY FOR THE WHOLE OF OUR COVENANTED REFORMATION . . . EMITTED BY THE REFORMED PRESBYTERY AT PLOUGHLANDHEAD, SCOTLAND, 1761; TOGETHER WITH THE SUPPLEMENTS ADOPTED BY THE REFORMED PRESBYTERY AT THIS DATE, JUNE 2D, 1876." -- Publisher
*Mitchell, Alexander F., (1822-1899), Minutes of the Sessions of the Westminster Assembly of Divines While Engaged in Preparing Their Directory for Church Government, Confession of Faith, and Catechisms (November 1644 to March 1649), 1874, ISBN: 0921148291 9780921148296. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"Warfield states, 'The fundamental authority for the study of the work of the Assembly for the period covered by it is, of course, the volume of its Minutes edited by Drs. A.F. Mitchell and John Struthers.' This work was also called the best book concerning the Assembly by Gregg Singer. It was compiled from transcripts originally procured by a committee of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. An invaluable aid for all those who love creedal Christianity, as it is revealed in the Holy Scriptures. A very rare resource that should contribute much to the ongoing Reformation. Indexed." -- Publisher
*Parliament, The First Parliament During the Reign of James VI of Scotland, Christ's Triumphant Entry Into Scotland; Or, The Subjugation of the People, Laws, Liberties, and Crown of Scotland to His Supreme Majesty Jesus Christ, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords; Being, The Complete Text of all of the Acts of the First Parliament During the Reign of James VI of Scotland.
He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. (Isaiah 42:4)
The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. (Psalm 97:1)
And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. (Psalm 37:6)
http://truecovenanter.com/official/acts_of_parliament_scotland_james_vi_p01.phtml
See: Skene, John, THE LAVVES AND ACTES OF PARLIAMENT, MAID BE KING IAMES THE FIRST, AND HIS SUCCESSOURS KINGES OF SCOTLAND.
Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland, Historical Part of the Testimony of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Britain and Ireland, Containing an Account of the Faithful Contendings of the Witnesses of Christ . . . (In overture), 1863. Available (REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN TESTIMONY) on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available in REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN TESTIMONY, 1842.
Reformed Presbyterian Church (Scotland), Historical Part of the Testimony of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Scotland: Containing a Brief Sketch of the Contendings of the Witnesses, From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, 1841.
*Reformed Presbyterian Church (Scotland), Reformed Presbyterian Testimony, 1842. Alternate title: TESTIMONY OF THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN SCOTLAND: HISTORICAL AND DOCTRINAL, over 400 pages. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"Keddie describes this as 'a doctrinal and historical statement, explaining and expanding upon the RPC's commitment to the Westminster Standards, the National Covenant, and the Solemn League and Covenant.' (Nigel Cameron, editor, Dictionary of Scottish Church History and Theology, p. 699). It contains the historical part of the testimony of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Scotland including a brief sketch of the contending of the witnesses from the earliest period to the present time. The doctrinal section of the Church's testimony follows, covering everything from 'Divine Revelation' to 'Covenanting'." -- Publisher
Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (RPCNA), Reformation Principles Exhibited, 1806-07, 260 pages. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"Although this document was unfaithfully adopted by the RPCNA (when they decried faithful historical testimony as an article of faith in the preface), this book still contains much useful doctrinal and historical information. Part one is 'A Brief Historical View of the Church, As a Visible Society in Covenant with God. In Two Books. The First Exhibiting the Church Universal; and the Second the Reformed Presbyterian Church.'
"Part two contains the 'Declaration and Testimony of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in America (RPCNA).'
"Furthermore, notwithstanding the unfaithfulness of the adopting body, REFORMATION PRINCIPLES EXHIBITED testifies to real attainments. Examples include testifying against the immoral U.S. constitution, against jury duty, against the use of the elective franchise (voting) and against swearing an oath of allegiance under this immoral constitution. Close communion is upheld and occasional hearing is denounced as a sinful, schismatic practice. Interestingly, this earlier edition can be compared with later editions to exhibit the continuing defection of the RPCNA -- even from what was good (and part of her own terms of communion), in her own earlier standards. For example, in part two, chapter 21, point 5, 'Of Church Fellowship,' we read, 'We therefore condemn the following errors, and testify against all who maintain them: . . . 5. That it is lawful for the Church to be without any terms of communion. 6. That any person may be admitted to communion, who opposes any of the terms of Church fellowship. 7. That occasional communion may be extended to persons who should not be received to constant fellowship.' (p. 75). Also, 'We therefore condemn the following errors, and testify against all who maintain them . . . 1. That the Bible is the only proper testimony of the church (which takes into account that the Bible is the only divine testimony, but also recognizes human testimony, agreeable to Scripture, as binding [or else why preach, for example, if no one is bound to obey any human testimony, even if the human testimony is agreeable to the divine testimony found in the Bible? (Cf. Various places in Samuel Rutherford's DUE RIGHT OF PRESBYTERIES and A FREE DISPUTATION AGAINST PRETENDED LIBERTY OF CONSCIENCE for further explanation) -- RB]. 2. That a Christian is under no obligation to follow Christ's witnesses in their faithful contendings. 3. That it is lawful, in order to enlarge the church, to open a wider door of communion, by declining from a more pointed testimony, to one which is more loose and general.' (p. 120, part 2, emphases added). How sad that these faithful testimonies are no longer upheld (as points of discipline), in the modern RPCNA." -- Publisher
"The introduction is particularly helpful in understanding Covenanter history in America.
"A final caveat must likewise be observed, and it is this: that, while (1) the History related herein forms so much of the ground for presenting the document below, and while (2) as Covenanters we defend the use of Historical Testimony as a Term of Communion, and find the Historical Testimony of the ACT, DECLARATION, AND TESTIMONY competent to this end, yet -- We do not pretend that the History contained in REFORMATION PRINCIPLES EXHIBITED, either the first edition, or any later edition, is approvable for this purpose. Besides matters related which are not to be approved, the fact is, that the historical part of this work contains a number of inaccuracies and uncertain speculations that make it many ways inferior in nature to the ACT, DECLARATION, AND TESTIMONY. In the original testimony from Scotland, no attempt is made to account for the entire history of the Church of Jesus Christ, nor even to present full details concerning the history of the Church of Scotland. Instead, the authors set in order necessary and important historical facts that were well attested, and creditably related, and testified as to their morality or immorality. REFORMATION PRINCIPLES EXHIBITED, on the other hand, presents a Narrative of History, more and less certain, useful for the reader's instruction in ecclesiastical history, but not competent to form a Historical Testimony." -- True Covenanter
Reformation Principles Exhibited
http://truecovenanter.com/reformedpresbyterian/rpe.html
*Reformed Presbytery, Auchensaugh Renovation of the National Covenant and Solemn League and Covenant; With the Acknowledgement of sins and Engagement to Duties as They Were Renewed at Auchensaugh in 1712 . . . Also the Renovation of These Public Federal Deeds Ordained at Philadelphia, Oct. 8, 1880, by the Reformed Presbytery, With Accommodation of the Original Covenants, in Both Transactions, to Their Times and Positions Respectively, 1880 edition. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #2, #25, #30.
" 'In 1712, at Auchensaugh, the Covenants, National and Solemn League, were renewed . . . At the renewal the covenant bonds were recognized as binding the descendants of those who first entered into those bonds. The Covenanters, however, sought to display the true intent of those Covenants with marginal notes. These notes explained that the Church of Jesus Christ, in Scotland (and around the world), must not join hands with any political power in rebellion to the crown rights of King Jesus. The Covenanters pledged the Covenanted Reformed Presbyterian Church to the support of lawful magistracy (i.e. magistracy which conformed itself to the precepts of God's Word), and declared themselves and their posterity against support of any power, in Church or State, which lacked biblical authority.' (From 'About the Covenanted Reformed Presbyterian Church' P.O. Box 131, Pottstown, PA 19464). An excellent introduction (historical and moral), regarding the reasons, motives and manner of fulfilling the duty of covenanting with God. Especially helpful concerning the Biblical view of the blessings (for covenant-keepers), and cursings (for covenant breakers), related to covenanting. As noted on page 37, 'the godly usually in times of great defection from the purity and power of religion, and corruption of the ordinances of God's worship, set about renewing their covenant, thereby to prevent covenant curses, and procure covenant blessing; as we find both in scripture record, 2 Chron. 15:12-13 [2 Chronicles 15:12-13]; 29:10 [2 Chronicles 29:10]; 34:30-31 [2 Chronicles 34:30-31]; Ezra 10:3, and in our own ecclesiastical history.' Times like ours certainly call for a revival of the Scriptural ordinance of covenanting, for 'the nations throughout Christendom, continue in league with Antichrist and give their strength to the beast. They still refuse to profess and defend the true religion in doctrine, worship, government and discipline, contrary to the example of the kingdoms of Scotland, England and Ireland in the seventeenth century'." -- Publisher
McMillan, John, I (1669?-1753), Renovation of Covenants, Auchensaugh
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2016/4/19/renovation-of-covenants-auchensaugh-1712
Price, Greg L., The Auchensaugh Renovation, 2 audio cassettes [audio file]. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"This is the story of the renewal of the National and Solemn League and Covenant, which took place under the leadership of John Macmillan (cf. The Cameronian Apostle by Reid), at Auchensaugh, July 24, 1712. Events leading up to this renewal are especially pertinent, as they expose the Satanic tactics which often become most useful to the devil in attacking all revivals and those seeking to return to covenanted attainments. Price notes how Cromwell's tolerationism opened the floodgates of iniquity and helped pave the way (though not intended by the covenant breaking Cromwellians), for the tyranny of Charles II. This set the stage for the corrupted and defective revolution of 1688 and the malignant Revolution church, which left the Covenanted Reformation buried under the debris of William's Erastianism, Prelacy (in England and Ireland), and the compromised Presbyterianism of the Revolution Church in Scotland (cf. Clarkson's Plain Reasons for Presbyterians Dissenting from the Revolution Church of Scotland; this Revolution church was the root of much modern day Presbyterian defection and this book still eloquently denounces this defection). The Auchensaugh Renovation cleared away all the Reformation denying rubbish that had accumulated from 1649 to 1712, and 'being agreeable to the Word of God' became part of the terms of communion of the Reformed Presbyterian church on Nov. 3, 1712 (cf. Terms of Ministerial and Christian Communion in the Reformed Presbyterian Church, point 4 of 6). It is also interesting to note that at the Lord's Supper (on July 27, 1712), following this covenant renewal, Macmillan, in 'fencing the tables' proclaimed, 'I excommunicate and debar from this Holy Table of the Lord, all devisers, commanders, users, or approvers, of any religious worship not instituted by God in His Word, all tolerators and countenancers thereof; and by consequence I debar and excommunicate from this Holy Table of the Lord, Queen and Parliament, and all under them, who spread and propagate or tolerate a false and superstitious worship, ay, and until they repent.' Furthermore, concerning those who opposed the covenants and the work of reformation, Macmillan trumpeted these faithful words, 'I excommunicate and debar all who are opposers of our Covenants and Covenanted Reformation, and all that have taken oaths contrary to our covenants, and such particularly as are takers of the Oath of Abjuration, whether Ministers or others, until they repent.' (Reformed Presbytery, The Auchensaugh Renovation . . . p. 55). Beyond the fascinating and detailed story of the history and reasons for the Auchensaugh renovation of the covenants, these studies also clearly and biblically explain the continuing obligation to renew lawful covenants, makes application to our day, and demonstrates how covenanting was foundational to the Second Reformation. A fine (and unique), set of tapes defending the attainments of our Covenanted Reformation! For more information see our bound photocopy The Auchensaugh Renovation . . . by the Reformed Presbytery." -- Publisher
The Reformed Presbytery, The Auchensaugh Renovation of the National Covenant and: Solemn League and Covenant With the Acknowledgment of Sins and Engagement to Duties, as They Were Renewed at Auchensaugh, Near Douglas, July 24, 1712. (Compared With the Editions of Paisley, 1820, and Belfast, 1835). Also, The Renovation of These Public Federal Deeds Ordained at Philadelphia, October 8, 1880, by the Reformed Presbytery, with Accommodation of the Original Covenants, in Both Transactions, to Their Times and Positions Respectively
http://archive.org/details/theauchensaughre12381gut
Reformed Presbytery, The Auchensaugh Renovation of the National Covenant and Solemn League and Covenant With the Acknowledgment of Sins and Engagement to Duties, as They Were Renewed at Auchensaugh, Near Douglas, July 24, 1712. (Compared with the editions of Paisley, 1820, and Belfast, 1835). Also, The Renovation of These Public Federal Deeds Ordained at Philadelphia, October 8, 1880, by the Reformed Presbytery, with Accommodation of the Original Covenants, in Both Transactions, to Their Times and Positions Respectively.
McMillan, John, I (1669?-1753), Renovation of Covenants, Auchensaugh
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2016/4/19/renovation-of-covenants-auchensaugh-1712
Reformed Presbytery, Minutes of the Reformed Presbytery (America) [of North America "Steelite"]
http://www.truecovenanter.com/reformedpresbyterian/minutes_rp.htm
Reformed Presbytery, The "Preamble and Resolutions" and The Reformed Presbytery's "Deed of Constitution" of 1840
http://www.truecovenanter.com/deedcons.html
*Reformed Presbytery of North America "Steelite," David Steele (1803-1887), John Thorburn (1730?-1788), John Courtass (d. 1795), et al., Act, Declaration, and Testimony, for the Whole of the Covenanted Reformation, as Attained to, and Established in, Britain and Ireland; Particularly Betwixt the Years 1638 and 1649, Inclusive. As, Also, Against all the Steps of Defection From Said Reformation, Whether in Former or Later Times, Since the Overthrow of that Glorious Work, Down to This Present day (1876), (Philadelphia, PA: Printed by Rue and Jones, 1876), a new edition of the Ploughlandhead Testimony of 1761, the subordinate standard of the original "Steelite" Reformed Presbytery that was constitutes in 1840. Available (the 1850 edition only) on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available (the 1850 edition only) on Reformation Bookshelf CD #1.
"And now, when time has proved that more recent Testimonies, Terms, and Covenants, have failed to preserve either unity or uniformity among those who framed them; it cannot be unseasonable to re-exhibit the original ACT, DECLARATION, AND TESTIMONY, which has been justly characterized as 'the most profoundly reasoned document ever emitted by the Reformed Presbyterian Church'." -- The Reformation Advocate Magazine, Vol. I, No. 8, December, 1875, page 267
"Upholds the original work of the Westminster Assembly and testifies to the abiding worth and truth formulated in the Westminster family of documents. Upholds and defends the Crown Rights of King Jesus in Church and State, denouncing those who would remove the crown from Christ's head by denying His right to rule (by His law), in both the civil and ecclesiastical spheres. Testifies to the received doctrine, government, worship, and discipline of the Church of Scotland in her purest (reforming) periods. Applies God's Word to the Church's corporate attainments 'with a judicial approbation of the earnest contendings and attainments of the faithful, and a strong and pointed judicial condemnation of error and the promoters thereof.' (The Contending Witness magazine, Dec. 17/93, p. 558). Shows the church's great historical victories (such as the National and Solemn League and Covenant, leading to the Westminster Assembly), and exposes her enemies actions (e.g. the Prelacy of Laud; the Independency, sectarianism, covenant breaking and ungodly toleration set forth by the likes of Cromwell [and the Independents that conspired with him]; the Erastianism and civil sectarianism of William of Orange, etc.). It is not likely that you will find a more consistent working out of the principles of Calvinism anywhere. Deals with the most important matters relating to the individual, the family, the church and the state. Sets forth a faithful historical testimony of God's dealings with men during some of the most important days of church history. A basic text that should be mastered by all Christians." -- Publisher
Act, Declaration, and Testimony (1876)
https://archive.org/details/actdeclarationte00refo
Act, Declaration and Testimony, 1761 (edition of 1876)
"Compared with the 1777 edition, Philadelphia. We hereby certify that this is a true edition of the ORIGINAL JUDICIAL TESTIMONY, emitted by the Reformed Presbytery at Ploughlandhead, Scotland, 1761; together with the Supplements adopted by the Reformed Presbytery at this date, June 2d, 1876. [Signed -- compiler] David Steele, James Campbell, Robert Clyde, Robert Alexander, Committee.
http://www.truecovenanter.com/
*Reformed Presbytery of North America "Steelite" (David Steele [1803-1887], James Campbell, Thomas Sproull, James Fulton), A Short Vindication of our Covenanted Reformation, 2nd Edition, Revised, and Enlarged by a Committee of the Reformed Presbytery ("Circular" and "Review" prefixed), 1879, 50 pages. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Also available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #2 (also #1, #25, and #30).
"Until the church comes to terms with what is written in this book it will remain weak and divided. Covenant breakers will not prosper, as this rare item demonstrates from both Scripture and history. The power packed ordinance of covenanting (the National and Solemn League and Covenant in particular), was foundational to the Second Reformation and the work of the Westminster Assembly. 'By the National Covenant our fathers laid Popery prostrate. By the Solemn League and Covenant they were successful in resisting prelatic encroachments and civil tyranny. By it they were enabled to achieve the Second Reformation . . . They were setting up landmarks by which the location and limits of the city of God will be known at the dawn of the millennial day . . . How can they be said to go forth by the footsteps of the flock, who have declined from the attainments, renounced the covenants and contradicted the testimony of 'the cloud of witnesses. . . . All the schisms (separations) that disfigure the body mystical of Christ . . . are the legitimate consequences of the abandonment of reformation attainments, the violation of covenant engagements.' If you are interested in knowing how to recognize a faithful church (or state), when and why to separate from unfaithful institutions, who has held up the standard of Covenanted Reformation attainments and who has backslidden (and why), what it means to subscribe to the Westminster Confession (1646), (and why most that say they do so today do not have any idea of what that means), and much more concerning individual, family, church and civil, individual, family, church and civil duties, this is one of the best books you will ever lay your hands on. It chronicles 'some instances of worldly conformity and mark(s) some steps of defection from our 'covenanted unity and uniformity,' noting how 'it is necessary to take a retrospect of our history for many years; for we did not all at once reach our present condition of sinful ignorance and manifold apostasy.' Presbyterian and the Reformed churches lay under the heavy hand of God's judgement in our day, because of the very defections noted throughout this fine work. 'We heard (hear) from various quarters the cry, "maintain the truth, stand up for the principles of the Second Reformation"; and yet many of those who are the most loud in uttering this cry, appear desirous to bury in oblivion those imperishable national and ecclesiastical deeds, by which the church and kingdom of Scotland became 'married to the Lord.' Are we married to the Lord, or have we thrown off the covenants of our forefathers; are we the chaste bride of Christ, or a harlot who is found in the bedchambers of every devilish suitor (whether ecclesiastical or civil), who tempts us with the favors of this world? Let us cry out, as with 'the noble Marquis of Argyle, upon the scaffold,' when he said, 'God hath tied us by covenants to religion and reformation. These that were then unborn are yet engaged, and it passeth the power of all the magistrates under heaven to absolve them from the oath of God. They deceive themselves, and it may be, would deceive others, who think otherwise.' Not for the weak of heart." -- Publisher
A Short Vindication of our Covenanted Reformation, Reformed Presbytery
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2016/4/26/a-short-vindication-of-our-covenanted-reformation
Reformed Presbytery [Reformed Presbytery of North America of David Steele, 1803-1887], "Steelite," Minutes and Proceedings of General Meetings and Presbytery (1840-1929)
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/6/29/minutes-of-presbytery
Minutes of Proceedings of the Reformed Presbytery at Brush Creek, Adams County, Ohio, 1840
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/8/7/1840
1841
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/8/7/1841
1842, April
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/8/7/1842april
1842, October
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/8/7/1842october
1843 | 1844, May | 1844, October | 1844, November | 1845, With the death of Rev. Robert Lusk, Presbytery was dissolved. | 1846, General Correspondence
http://www.truecovenanter.com/reformedpresbyterian/rp_general_correspondence_minutes_1846.html
1847-53, General Correspondence, Missing. With the accession of Rev. James J. Peoples, Presbytery was re-constituted. | 1854, June
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/8/7/1854june
1854, October
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/8/7/1854october
1855
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/8/7/1855
1856
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/8/7/1856
1857, June
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/8/7/1857june
1857, October
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/8/7/1857october
1858, May
http://www.covenanter.org/Minutes/min1858may.htm
1858, August
http://www.covenanter.org/Minutes/min1858aug.htm
1859
http://www.covenanter.org/Minutes/min1859.htm
1860
http://www.covenanter.org/Minutes/min1860.htm
1861
http://www.covenanter.org/Minutes/min1861.htm
1862, Missing | 1863, Missing, Part of a report is found with Minutes of 1864 | 1864
http://www.covenanter.org/Minutes/min1864.htm
1865
http://www.covenanter.org/Minutes/min1865.htm
1866 | 1867 | 1868 | 1869
http://www.covenanter.org/Minutes/min1869.htm
1870, Missing. | 1871, Missing | 1872, Presbytery did not meet | 1873
http://www.covenanter.org/Minutes/min1873.htm
1874, Presbytery did not meet | 1875, June | 1875, September | 1876 | 1877
http://www.covenanter.org/Minutes/min1877.htm
1878 | 1879 | 1880, May | 1880, October | 1881
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/8/7/1881
1882 | 1883
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/8/7/1883
1884 | 1885 | Outline of proceedings in the Reformed Presbytery since June 4, 1884
http://www.covenanter.org/Minutes/outlineofproceedings.htm
1886
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/8/7/1886
1887
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/7/30/1887
With the death of Rev. David Steele, Presbytery was dissolved. Hereafter follows the Minutes of the General Meetings of the Reformed Presbyterian Church. | 1888
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/7/30/1888
1889
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/7/30/1889
1890
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/7/30/1890
1891
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/7/30/1891
1892
http://www.covenanter.org/Minutes/min1892.htm
1893
http://www.covenanter.org/Minutes/min1893.htm
1894
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/7/29/1894
1895
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/7/29/1895?rq=McAuley
1896
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/7/29/1896
1897
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/7/29/1897
1898
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/7/29/1898
1899, Missing. | 1900, Missing. | 1901, Missing. | 1902, Missing. 1903
http://www.covenanter.org/Minutes/min1903.htm
1904 | 1905 | 1906 | 1907 | 1908 | 1909 | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 | 1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 | 1920
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/7/27/1920
1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | From 1930 to the present no Minutes are available.
Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland. Committee on Public Morals and National Righteousness, The Christian and Gambling.
Reformed Presbytery of North America "Steelite," A Statement of our Reasons for Maintaining our Separate Standing (1888)
http://www.truecovenanter.com/reformedpresbyterian/reasons_for_maintaining_separate_standing.html
Reid, H.M.B. (Henry Martyn Beckwith), The Kirk Above Dee Water, 1895. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
" 'This little book (128 pages) . . . embodies a few scattered notices of the Balmaghie Church since the year 1615 . . . The dominating figure in the following pages is, of course, the great Macmillan' (Preface). Here 'they went to hear the word of God properly preached' in the Kirk of the Hill Folk, which had never fyled its hands with 'an Erastian Establishment!' (Introduction). An interesting look at a Covenanter congregation." -- Publisher
*Schwertley, Brian M., and Westminster Presbyterian Church in the United States. Publications Committee, National Covenanting and Christ's Victory Over the Nations. Available at Reformed Online.
"This is the first book-length, scholarly exposition and defense of national covenanting since 1843. This comprehensive treatment includes the binding nature of covenants, covenant renewals under the godly kings of Israel, objections to covenanting answered, the unbiblical nature of the U.S. Constitution, the unscriptural alteration of the Westminster Confession of Faith in 1789, the necessity of the Old Testament moral law for a Christian nation and the biblical requirements for civil office. In the book, Rev. Schwertley not only sets forth the biblical case for social or national covenanting in a simple and organized manner but also critiques the modern pluralistic alternatives to the original Presbyterian teaching on this topic." -- Publisher
It was preceded by 'Social Covenanting,' a series of 31 sermons in MP3 format, given by the author starting in the summer of 2012.
Social Covenanting series of 31 sermons [audio files] by Brian Schwertley
http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?seriesOnly=true&currSection=sermonstopic&sourceid=ccc&keyword=National+Covenanting&keyworddesc=National+Covenanting
*Shaw, J.W., Hephzibah Beulah. Our Covenants the National and Solemn League; and Covenanting by the Reformed Presbyterian Synod in America: Considered, 1872. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #27.
"A very useful, easy-to-read, introductory work (by an RPCNA minister), to the topics it deals with. General Scriptural principles upon which this book is based are:
1. Departure from former laudable attainments, is a great evil, severely threatened in the Holy Scriptures; and that for which every one, who is guilty, must be accountable to the Righteous Judge of all the earth."Chapters include: The National Covenant and Solemn League and Covenant reviewed; Their Binding Obligations Shown; The Possibility That Adherence to Them may be Professed, While They are Virtually Abandoned; The Covenant Sworn and Subscribed by Synod at Pittsburgh, May 27th, 1871; Is it a Renovation or a new Covenant?; The Covenant Does not Contain all That the Church is Bound to in America; Charges Against the Covenant; Reason why Some who do not Like it, Swear it; The Covenants National and Solemn League Must Be Maintained." -- Publisher
2. They who consent unto the unrighteous deeds of others, are chargeable with guilt, as well as the principal actors.
3. Societies, or individuals, having once publicly and solemnly vowed unto the Most High God; and still, after the strictest enquiry, remain satisfied in their own mind, that their vows were scriptural; should seriously endeavor to act up to the true spirit and intention of these vows; and no power upon earth, nor any class of men, whether majority or minority, in a nation, can ever possibly dissolve the obligation.
Smyth, Thomas (1808-1873), John William Flinn, and Jean Adger Flinn, Complete Works of Rev. Thomas Smyth, D.D. 10 volumes.
Complete Works of Rev. Thomas Smyth, D.D., vol. 1 of 10.
http://archive.org/details/completeworks01smytuoft
*Sproull, Thomas (1803-1892), The Duty of Social Covenanting Illustrated and Enforced: A Sermon Preached March 14th, 1841, in the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Allegheny. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #23.
The Duty of Social Covenanting Illustrated and Enforced, Thomas Sproull
http://www.covenanter.org/TSproull/dutyofsocialcovenanting.htm
*Steele, David (1803-1887), Circular No. 3: A Concise History of the Reformed Presbyterian Church From the Middle of the Sixteenth Century and of the Reformed Presbytery From 1840 Till the Present Time, 1886. Alternate title: A SHORT HISTORY OF THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. ISBN: 092114816X 9780921148166. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #23.
Steele, Circular No. 3. A Concise History of the Reformed Presbyterian Church from the Middle of the Sixteenth Century and of the Reformed Presbytery From 1840 Till the Present Time
"A sketch of Reformed Presbyterian Church history with special emphasis on the formation of the Reformed Presbytery (i.e., "Steelite"), in 1840, and its 19th century contendings."
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2016/4/25/circular-no3-a-concise-history-of-the-reformed-presbyterian-church-from-the-middle-of-the-sixteenth-century-and-of-the-reformed-presbytery-from-1840-till-the-present-time
*Steele, David (1803-1887), Historical Testimony.
"An article explaining what historical testimony is, how it is applicable to the church and why it needs to be part of the terms of communion of the Reformed Presbyterian, or Covenanter, church." -- Publisher
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2016/4/26/historical-testimony
Historical Testimony, an excerpt from The Original Covenanter, Vol. II, December, 1879, No. 12
He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers that they should make them known to their children. (Psalm 78:5)
http://www.truecovenanter.com/reformedpresbyterian/magazine/orig_cov_historical_testimony.html
*Steele, David (1803-1887), Reminiscences: Historical and Biographical of a Ministry in the Reformed Presbyterian Church During Fifty Three Years, 1883. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #23.
David Steele, was the pastor of the Reformed Presbyterian Congregation, Philadelphia.
"Since Steele forms a continuing theological link with the faithful General Assemblies of the Church of Scotland (1638-1649), this book is of great importance. Steele held to the attainments of the second (or covenanted), Reformation which gave us the Solemn League and Covenant and the Westminster Standards -- and other Covenanters who follow in this train (along with the British Covenanters, like Rutherford and Gillespie), are sometimes derisively branded as 'Steelites' or 'Cameronians'." -- Publisher
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2016/4/26/reminiscences-historical-and-biographical-of-a-ministry-in-the-refd-presbyterian-church-during-fifty-three-years
Steele, David (1803-1887), Daughters of the American Revolution. Colonel John Donelson Chapter (D.C.), Presbyterian Church Records of Adams County, Ohio, 1831-1861; Hill Prairie, Illinois; And a few Butler County, Pennsylvania, Records, 1861-1884.
"The Reverend David Steele was ordained and installed as a third pastor of the Brush Creek Presbyterian Church community of Adams County, Ohio, on June 24, 1831. He served in this congregation for twenty nine years, and travelled thousands of miles yearly. He also took care of several other community churches, one being Mill Creek, Kentucky. After leaving Ohio, he spent several years near Sparta, Illinois, and ministered to the Paint Creek Society, Walnut Ridge Congregation, Illinois, and the Hill Prairie, Illinois, Congregation. He retired to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he died in 1887. During the time in Philadelphia, he performed marriages and some baptisms; in Butler County he performed some baptisms." -- Publisher
Steele, David (1803-1887), Presbyterian Church Records of Adams County, Ohio, 1831-1861: Hill Prairie, Ill. and a few Butler County, Pennsylvania Records, 1861-1884.
"Notes: Includes the personal records of Rev. Dr. David Steele who served as Presbyterian minister of Adams County (Ohio), Paint Creek Society, Walnut Ridge Congregation (Illinois) and the Hill Prairie Illinois Congregation -- p. 1."
Identical to above of the same title (OCLC 865991321), but two pages longer.
*Steele, David (1803-1887, editor), Reformed Presbytery of North America "Steelite," The Contending Witness (vol. 1:1 -- 2:6, Apr. 1841 to Feb. 1843), The Reformation Advocate (vol. 1:1 -- 1:12, March 1874 to Dec. 1876), The Original Covenanter (vol. 2:1 -- 2:16, March 1877 to Dec. 1880), and The Original Covenanter (vol. 3:1 -- 3:16, March 1881 to Dec. 1884). Available (all four volumes, a complete set of this continuous periodical under its various names) on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available (all four volumes, a complete set of this continuous periodical under its various names) on Reformation Bookshelf CD #18.
"The following list [complete and found above -- compiler] of [continuous issues under various names -- compiler] magazines, edited by David Steele, comprise what is likely the best compilation of Christian periodicals ever amassed under one set of bindings. Nothing we know of (before or since), authored as magazine articles related to full-orbed nation shaking biblical Reformation, even comes close to the consistent quality of writing found in these short works on various subjects. Steele himself should probably be considered the best theologian of the nineteenth century, and the other contributors to these magazines were all approaching the same class. A healthy portion of Steele's writing is found in these magazines, as he only wrote a few other books, so the reader is encouraged to sample for himself some of the best writing (defending the Covenanted Reformation), you will find anywhere!" -- Publisher
Various excerpted articles may be found elsewhere in the topical listing for David Steele.
David Steele (editor), The Reformation Advocate, vol. 1, September 1874, no. 3, "Has the Government of the United States a Christian Character?"
http://www.gcpublications.com/Documents/The%20Reformation%20Advocate/5_Has%20the%20US%20a%20Christian%20Character.pdf
David Steele (editor), The Reformation Advocate, vol. 1, December 1874, no. 4, Signs of the Times
http://www.gcpublications.com/Documents/The%20Reformation%20Advocate/6_Signs%20of%20The%20Times.pdf
David Steele (editor), The Reformation Advocate, vol. 1, March 1874, no. 1, "To our Patrons"
http://www.gcpublications.com/Documents/The%20Reformation%20Advocate/1_To%20Our%20Patrons.pdf
David Steele (editor), The Reformation Advocate, vol. 1, June 1874, no. 2, "Christmas Trees"
http://www.gcpublications.com/Documents/The%20Reformation%20Advocate/4_Christmas%20Trees.pdf
David Steele (editor), The Reformation Advocate, vol. 1, March 1874, no. 1, "Are Hymns Idols"
http://www.gcpublications.com/Documents/The%20Reformation%20Advocate/3_Are%20Hymns%20Idols.pdf
The Contending Witness magazine, Vol. 1:1-2:6, Apr. 1841 to Feb. 1843. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.See also: Covenanted Reformed Presbyterian Publishing, The Best of The Original Covenanter and Contending Witness Magazine. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available from Covenanted Reformed Presbyterian Publishing.
The Reformation Advocate magazine, Vol. 1:1-1:12, March 1874 to Dec. 1876. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
The Original Covenanter magazine, Vol. 2:1-2:16, March 1877 to Dec. 1880. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
The Original Covenanter magazine, Vol. 3:1-3:16, March 1881 to Dec. 1884. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
Steele, David (1803-1887), and Thomas Hannay, Declaration and Testimony for the Present Truth, 1864. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #24.
"On diligent searching the several Testimonies emitted since the overthrow of the work of reformation in the year 1650, the reader will doubtless find that none of them exhibits a platform so near the holy Scriptures, or presents so fully the position occupied by our church from 1638 to 1649, as that which was adopted at Ploughlandhead, Scotland, 1761. Surely we may adopt and apply the language of Nehemiah: -- Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach." [Nehemiah 2:17]
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2016/4/26/declaration-and-testimony-for-the-present-truth
*Steele, David (1803-1887), The Two Witnesses: Their Cause, Number, Character, Furniture and Special Work, 1859. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #14.
"This is a great companion volume to Steele's NOTES ON THE APOCALYPSE. Here Steele zeros in on and works primarily from the text of Revelation 11:13, I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophecy. Steele deals with Testimony-bearing, Antichrist, Popery, The beasts of revelation, The mark of the beast, 666, The image of the beast, Civil and ecclesiastical apostasy, Reformation, Covenanting, Heresy, Schism, Terms of communion, Slavery, Sectarianism, Mormonism, Independency, Freemasonry, History, Worship, Idolatry, Britain, The united states, Canada, Mystical babylon, The last days, The ultimate victory of the church, and a host of other subjects!
"As is usually the case with Steele, he makes the doctrines of Scripture eminently practical. For example, note how the faithful witnesses are continually called to testify against open opposition to the Lord's Covenanted Zion and the attainments of biblical Reformation in (the faith which was once delivered unto the saints); and against whom this testimony is directed:
'These witnesses are called and commissioned to testify especially against Antichrist -- a false christ, and therefore an opposing christ. But Christ is to be considered either personally or mystically; either abstractly in his personal rights and prerogatives, or in the concrete, in the rights and immunities of his church. There is this prejudice, too prevalent, against Christians testifying against Christians! This we are often told, is contrary to the law of charity. We have not so learned Christ. They are not all Israel which are of Israel. Much of the business of these two prophets is to oppose prophets -- to prophesy against the shepherds, Ezekiel 34:2. Moses with his miracles must confront the magicians with their enchantments, Exodus 8:19. Elijah must confront the prophets of Baal, 1 Kings 18:25. Paul must counteract false apostles, 2 Corinthians 11:13. In short, the direct object of these witnesses' testimony is apostate christendom -- those who depart from the faith, 1 Timothy 4:1 -- who have gone out from fellowship and renounced the doctrines of the apostolic church, 1 John 2:19. Their special work is to testify against error and its propagators and abettors, together with ungodliness, the natural fruit of error, rather than against pagans.' -- The Two Witnesses, p. 14"Moreover, having taken his own place 'in the wilderness' (i.e. having separated himself from, and having been ostracized by the 'civilization' of the obstinately defecting RPCNA and other unfaithful denominations of his day [2 Thessalonians 3:6,14-15; Revelation 12:6, Revelation 17:3]), it was given to Steele to see and expound those grand old principles of our covenanted forefathers (who sat at Westminster and in the best Reformed churches during both the first and second Reformations -- the Scottish Presbyterians being granted the greatest measure of light as a settled body from 1638-1649).
'These two witnesses have always testified -- not formally against pagans or infidels as such; but -- against apostate Christians, as comprising an organized and complex system of opposition to the Lord and his Anointed. And just here, the witnesses have detected the secret of Antichrist's successful enterprise among the human family . . .' Many false prophets are gone out into the world. . . this is a deceiver and an Antichrist, (2 John 7). The combination is ostensibly on the side and in the interest of Christ, and the elements of which Antichrist is composed were obviously professing Christians, They went out from us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. (1 John 2:19). Here is the apostasy, and so the witnesses are fully borne out in asserting that Antichrist is a great Christian apostasy! To trace the origin and development, in the organization and modifications of this enemy of all righteousness, is the special work of Christ's witnesses.' -- (The Two Witnesses, pp. 17-18)
Steele, David (1826-1906), and Robert Hunter, In Memory of the Rev. David Steele, D.D., LL.D. (1826-1906), 66 pages. Alternate title: IN MEMORY OF THE REV. DAVID STEELE, D.D., LL.D, FOR FORTY-FIVE YEARS PASTOR OF THE FOURTH REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CONGREGATION OF PHILADELPHIA AND PROFESSOR IN THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN SEMINARY AT PHILADELPHIA FOR FORTY-THREE YEARS . . .
The author and subject is David Steele (1826-1906), who was a nephew of David Steele (1803-1887).
"In 1853 the Rev. Dr. David Steele, Sr., an uncle of Dr. Steele, then residing in Adams Co., Ohio, and one of the foremost exponents of the Covenanter faith in the United States, visited Ireland, the result of which was that there was deepened in the mind of the nephew an intense longing to enter the ministry.
"He spent his first Sabbath in Philadelphia, worshiping in the Second Reformed Presbyterian Church (O.S.) located on 17th Street below Race Street, of which the Rev. Dr. S.O. Wylie was pastor. Shortly afterwards, he went to Adams Co., Ohio, and made his home with his uncle, Rev. David Steele, Sr., who had been instrumental in bringing him to a final decision to study for the ministry. Under his uncle's tuition, who was a proficient classical scholar, he made his final preparation for college, entering the Junior class in Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, from which he graduated in 1857, taking the classical honors in a graduating class which numbered thirty-six. Chancellor Henry M. McCraken of the New York University, and Dr. John S. Billings, Librarian of the New York Public Library were among his classmates, and President Harrison and the Hon. Whitelaw Reid were students in the college at that time though not classmates.
"He entered upon the formal study of theology in 1859 in the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Presbyterian Church (General Synod) in Philadelphia, having for his preceptors the Rev. Dr. John Niel McLeod and the Rev. Dr. Theodore W. J. Wylie."
In Memory of the Rev. David Steele, D.D., LL.D.: For Forty-Five Years Pastor of the Fourth Reformed Presbyterian Congregation of Philadelphia and Professor in the Reformed Presbyterian Seminary at Philadelphia for Forty-three Years. (1907)
"For forty-five years pastor of the Fourth Reformed Presbyterian Congregation of Philadelphia and professor in the Reformed Presbyterian Seminary at Philadelphia for forty-three years . . ."
http://books.google.com/books?id=bcAEAAAAYAAJ&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html
In Memory of the Rev. David Steele, D.D., LL.D. (1826-1906)
http://www.archive.org/details/inmemoryofrevdav00stee
David Steele (minister, 1803-1887)
"In 2010, the David Steele Reformed Presbyterian Library was formed to preserve and archive his documents and other documents relating to the broader Covenanting and Reformed Dissenting traditions." See also the Puritan Hard Drive.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Steele_(minister)
Stewart, Reid W., Covenanting in America.
"Tenth in a series of monographs on Scottish dissenting Presbyterianism in Pennsylvania.
"History of Scottish dissenting Presbyterianism in the Pennsylvania counties of Carbon, Centre, Lycoming, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, Union, and Luzerne: Being an account of Associate Presbyterian, Associate Reformed, Reformed Presbyterian Synod, Reformed Presbyterian General Synod, Gailey's Safety League, and United Presbyterian Church of North America Clergy and Congregations." -- Publisher
*Sundry Ministers of London, A Testimony to the Truth of Jesus Christ, And to our Solemn League and Covenant; As Also Against the Errours, Heresies and Blasphemies of These Times, and the Toleration of Them. Wherein is Inserted a Catalogue of Divers of the Said Errours &c. All of them being collected out of their authors own books alleadged in the margin, and laid down in their own words; except one that was maintained in a dispute in Oxford, December 11, 1646, and six or seven which were asserted before a Committee of the Honourable House of Commons in the Star-Chamber, and reported to the House, Sept. 12, 1643. Subscribed by the Ministers of Christ Within the Province of London, December 14 &c., 1647.
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/8/18/a-testimony-to-the-truth-of-jesus-christ
Sundry Ministers of London, Testimony to the Truth of Jesus Christ and our Solemn League and Covenant
http://www.truecovenanter.com/anti_toleration/testimony_truth.html
United Societies, The Apologetic Declaration, Admonitory Vindication -- October 28, 1684
http://www.truecovenanter.com/apologeticdeclaration.html
United Societies, The Declaration published at Glasgow,
June 13, 1679
http://www.truecovenanter.com/GlasgowDeclaration.html
United Societies, Declaration Published at Lanerk, January 12, 1682
http://www.truecovenanter.com/LanerkDeclaration.html
United Societies, The Declaration of the True Presbyterian Church of Christ, in Scotland -- 1692
http://www.truecovenanter.com/sanquhar1692.html
United Societies, Preface to the Following Declarations From 1692 to 1707
http://www.truecovenanter.com/prefacetodeclarations.html
United Societies, The Protestation, Apologetic Admonitory Declaration -- Sanquhar, May 28, 1685
http://www.truecovenanter.com/Sanquharadmonitorydeclaration.html
United Societies, The Protestation, Apologetic Declaration, Admonitory Vindication -- 1695
http://www.truecovenanter.com/protestation1695.html
United Societies, The Protestation, Apologetic Declaration, Admonitory Vindication of a Poor, Wasted, Misrepresented Remnant of the Suffering Antipopish, Antiprelatic, Antierastian, Antisectarian, True Presbyterian Church in Scotland, United Together in a General Correspondence, &c.-- 1703
http://www.truecovenanter.com/protestation1703.html
United Societies, The Protestation and Testimony of the United Societies -- 1707. Alternate title: A PROTESTATION AND TESTIMONY AGAINST THE INCORPORATING UNION WITH ENGLAND and THE PROTESTATION AND TESTIMONY OF THE UNITED SOCIETIES OF THE WITNESSING REMNANT OF THE ANTI-POPISH, ANTI-PRELATIC, ANTI-ERASTIAN, ANTI-SECTARIAN, TRUE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF CHRIST IN SCOTLAND, AGAINST THE SINFUL INCORPORATING UNION WITH ENGLAND AND THEIR BRITISH PARLIAMENT, CONCLUDED AND ESTABLISHED, MAY, 1707.
The Land shall not be Sold for ever. (Leviticus 25:23)
Ephraim also is like a silly Dove, without Heart, they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria. (Hosea 7:11)
http://www.truecovenanter.com/societies/united_societies_protestation_against_union_1707.html
United Societies, The Protestation and Testimony of the United Societies of the Witnessing Remnant of the anti-Popish, anti-Prelatic, anti-Erastian, anti-Sectarian, True Presbyterian Church of Christ in Scotland, Against the Sinful Incorporating Union With England and Their British Parliament, Concluded and Established, May, 1707
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2016/5/3/a-protestation-and-testimony-against-the-incorporating-union-with-england
United Societies, The Queensferry Paper, 1680. Available as an appendix to A CLOUD OF WITNESSES. Available (A CLOUD OF WITNESSES) on the Puritan Hard Drive.
http://www.truecovenanter.com/qferry.htm
A Cloud of Witnesses
http://archive.org/details/acloudwitnesses00thomgoog
United Societies, Sanquhar Declaration. Alternate title: THE DECLARATION AND TESTIMONY OF THE TRUE PRESBYTERIAN, ANTI-PRELATICK, ANTI-ERASTIAN, PERSECUTED PARTY IN SCOTLAND. PUBLISHED AT SANQUHAR, JUNE 22, 1680. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available in James Brown, THE TESTIMONY PUBLISHED AT RUTHERGLEN, MAY 29. 1679.
The Declaration and Testimony of the True Presbyterian, Anti-Prelatick, Anti-Erastian, persecuted party in Scotland. Published at Sanquhar, June 22, 1680
http://www.truecovenanter.com/sanquhar.html
United Societies, The Sanquhar Declaration of War -- 1680
http://www.truecovenanter.com/sanquhar.html
United Societies, The Testimony Published at Rutherglen, May 29, 1679
http://www.truecovenanter.com/Rutherglen.html
Various, Fifty Years of Covenanter History: The Fiftieth Anniversary of the Reorganization of the First Reformed Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, Pa., a reprint of the Semi-Centennial Number of Our Banner, January, 1884.
"This historical document contains: An engraving of the First Reformed Presbyterian Church, Cherry St., Philadelphia, 1833-1867; An engraving of the First Reformed Presbyterian Church and Parsonage, Seventeenth and Bainbridge St., Philadelphia, 1879; A discourse, "Fifty Years of Covenanter History" by Rev. T.P. Stevenson; A discourse, "Fifty Years of Foreign Missions" by Rev. James Kennedy; A discourse, "Covenanters and the Anti-Slavery Struggle" by Rev. A.M. Milligan; A discourse, "The Christian Principles of Civil Government" by Rev. David M'Allister; and a list of "Officers of the First Reformed Presbyterian Church, Phila., Since 1833." -- Publisher
Various, Renewal of the Covenants, National and Solemn League; A Confession of Sins; and Engagement to Duties; And a Testimony, as they were carried on at Middle Octarara in Pensylvania, November 11, 1743, together with an Introductory Preface, 1748.
Psalm lxxvi. 11 [Psalm 76:11]. Vow, and pay unto the Lord your God. Jeremiah l. 5 [Jeremiah 1:5] Come and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual Covenant that shall not be forgotten, &c.
Willard, Samuel (1639-1707), and Increase Mather, Covenant-keeping the way to Blessedness, or, A brief Discourse wherein is shewn the connexion which there is between the promise, on God's part; and duty, on our part, in the covenant of grace as it was delivered in several sermons, preached in order to solemn renewing of covenant. By Samuel Willard teacher of a church in Boston in New-England.
Samuel Willard was pastor of a Church of Christ in Boston and Vice-President of Harvard College. See his other works.
Winston, John, et al., The Testimony of our Reverend Brethren, Ministers of the Province of London. To the Truth of Jesus Christ, and our Solemne League and Covenant, &c. Attested by other ministers of Christ in the county of Northampton, 1648.
Notes: Signed at end: John Winston [and 68 others].
See also: The sovereignty of god, The doctrine of man (human nature, total depravity), Church and state, The sovereign grace of god: his everlasting mercy and lovingkindness, Justice, the theology of judgment, god's final judgment, the great white throne judgment, the day of the lord, God's deliverance of nations, Covenanting in america, Covenant theology and the ordinance of covenanting, Testimony, testimony-bearing, The covenant of redemption, The covenant faithfulness of god, Sexual relationship, Spiritual adultery (spiritual whoredom/harlotry), Oaths, ensnaring vows, promises, and covenants, bonds with the ungodly, The covenanted reformation of scotland background and history, The national covenant, The solemn league and covenant, The covenanted reformation of scotland author/title listing, The reformed presbytery of america, and other smaller reformed associations, Biography of covenanters, Acts of faithful assemblies, Covenanting in america, The scottish covenanting struggle, alexander craighead, and the mecklenburg declaration, Confession of national sin and covenant renewal, Corporate faithfulness and sanctification, Selection of covenant heads for positions of leadership, The application of scripture to the corporate bodies of church and state, Sermons preached before governing bodies, and so forth, and so on.
The Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. A Sermon, Preached at the Opening of the Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Glasgow, May 1, 1816, by John Fairley, Minister of the Gospel
http://www.truecovenanter.com/kirkgovt/fairley_keys_of_the_kingdom.html
The Scottish Covenanting Struggle, Alexander Craighead, and the Mecklenburg Declaration
http://www.lettermen2.com/craig.html
Speaking on Calvinism
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, 53 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=8110391415
See the Theological Notes: "Christians in the World," at Colossians 2:20 in The Reformation Study Bible.Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law? (Psalm 94:20)
The contrariety there is between man and God appears in an unwillingness that His Law should be observed by any. Not satisfied with being a rebel himself, he would have God left without any loyal subjects in the world, and therefore does he employ both temptations and threats to induce his fellows to follow his evil example -- now painting the pleasures of sin in glowing colors, then sneering at and boycotting those who have any scruples.
Ordinarily the workers of iniquity consider such as walk with God to be freaks and fools, and take delight in railing at them (1 Peter 4:4). Yet it is not because the righteous have wronged them in any way, but that the wicked hate them because they refuse to have fellowship with them in defying God. What proof is this of their awful enmity. Not only are they themselves angry at God's laws, but they cannot bear to see anyone else respecting them. Thus the apostle, after enumerating some of the vilest abominations, brought this indictment against the Gentiles, that they not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them (Romans 1:32) -- delighting in accomplishing the downfall of their fellows. -- Arthur Pink, The Doctrine of Human DepravityWherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. (2 Corinthians 6:17)
Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. (2 Timothy 2:19)
Encouragement from John Calvin for persons who, to some degree, find it necessary to stand alone in order to be obediently to God's calling.
Here Jeremiah confesses that he had departed from the people; but he did so, because he could not have otherwise obeyed God . . . . On account of thy hand; that is, because I attended to what thou [God] hast commanded, nor had I any other object but to obey thee. Hence, On account of thine hand, because I regarded thee and wished wholly to submit to thy will, I sat apart . . . . We see that there is a rule here prescribed to us by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Jeremiah. To refute then the calumnies of those who object to us our separation, this very passage [Jeremiah 15:17] is sufficient. -- John Calvin commenting on Jeremiah 15:17 and contextIn them [Exodus 34:11,12,15,16 -- compiler] God applied a remedy to all external and manifest superstitions, which might easily have insinuated themselves had they not been anticipated in good time. All will run eagerly into idolatry, even though there be none to impel us from without; but where the ungodly act upon us also like fans, and this must needs be the case, when the people of God entangle themselves in their society, this disease is increasingly inflamed. And truly the closer our familiarity is with them, it is like a yoke, whereby they draw others with them. In order then that the people, when they entered the land, might preserve themselves pure and thoroughly devoted to God, care must be taken lest they should contract pollution from other nations; . . . All will run eagerly into idolatry, even though there be none to impel us from without; but where the ungodly act upon us also like fans, and this must needs be the case, when the people of God entangle themselves in their society, this disease is increasingly inflamed. And truly the closer our familiarity is with them, it is like a yoke, whereby they draw others with them. . . . care must be taken lest they should contract pollution from other nations; . . .
We must carefully remark what I lately adverted to, that those, who voluntarily unite themselves with the ungodly, impose as it were a yoke on themselves to draw them to destruction. And in fact Paul embraced in this comparison all the grounds upon which unbelievers insinuate themselves into familiarity with us, to ensnare us by their corrupting influence. (2 Corinthians 6:14) As much as possible, therefore, must all ties of connection be rather broken, than that by union with God's enemies we should allow ourselves to be drawn away from Him by their allurements; for they will always be attempting, by all the artifices they can, to make a divorce between us and God. Besides, if we desire faithfully to serve God, there ought to be a perpetual quarrel between us and them. God then would have us not only separate ourselves from open communion with them, but since we are too much given to depravity, He also commands us to fly from all the snares which might gradually induce us to participate in their sins. But inasmuch as Paul justly reminds us, that if we are not permitted to have any dealings with unbelievers, we must needs go out of the world, (1 Corinthians 5:10,) it is proper for us to distinguish between the contracts which associate us with them and those which do not at all diminish our liberty. . . . .
As long as we live among unbelievers, we cannot escape those dealings with them which relate to the ordinary affairs of life; but if we approach nearer, so that a greater intimacy should arise, we open the door as it were to Satan. Such are alliances between kings and nations, and marriages amongst private persons; . . . But that they may cleave more earnestly to their duty, the danger I have spoken of is declared; otherwise such rejoinders as these would have been straightway in their mouths: "Although my wife is altogether averse from true piety, still I will stand firm; although my husband is not subject to God, yet I will never decline from the true course; although religion is not dear to our allies, still it shall not cease to be sacredly held in honor amongst ourselves. . . ." -- John Calvin commenting on Exodus 34:11,12,15,16 and contextChoosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. (Hebrews 11:25-26)
This clause ought to be carefully noticed; for we here learn that we ought to shun as a deadly poison whatever cannot be enjoyed without offending God; for the pleasures of sin he calls all the allurements of the world which draw us away from God and our calling. But the comforts of our earthly life, which we are allowed by pure conscience, and God's permission to enjoy, are not included here. Let us then ever remember that we ought to know and understand what God allows us. There are indeed some things in themselves lawful, but the use of which is prohibited to us, owing to circumstances as to time, place, or other things. Hence as to all the blessings connected with the present life, what is ever to be regarded is, that they should be to us helps and aids to follow God and not hindrances. And he calls these pleasures of sin temporary or for a time, because they soon vanish away together with life itself.
"In opposition to these he sets the reproach of Christ, which all the godly ought willingly to undergo. For those whom God has chosen, he has also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his own son; not that he exercises them all by the same kind of reproaches or by the same cross, but that they are all to be so minded as not to decline to undertake the cross in common with Christ. Let every one then bear in mind, that as he is called to this fellowship he is to throw off all hindrances. Nor must we omit to say, that he reckons among the reproaches of Christ all the ignominious trials which the faithful have had to endure from the beginning of the world; for as they were the member of the same body, so they had nothing different from what we have. As all sorrows are indeed the rewards of sin, so they are also the fruits of the curse pronounced on the first man: but whatever wrongs we endure from the ungodly on account of Christ, these he regards as his own. Hence Paul gloried that he made up what was wanting as to the sufferings of Christ. Were we rightly to consider this, it would not be so grievous and bitter for us to suffer for Christ.
"He also explains more fully what he means in this clause by the reproach of Christ, by what he has previously declared when he said, that Moses chose to suffer affliction with the people of God. He could not have otherwise avowed himself as one of God's people, except he had made himself a companion to his own nation in their miseries. Since, then, this is the end, let us not separate ourselves from the body of the Church: whatever we suffer, let us know that it is consecrated on account of the head. So on the other hand he calls those things the treasures of Egypt, which no one can otherwise possess than by renouncing and forsaking the Church. For he had respect unto the recompense of the reward, or for he looked to the remuneration. He proves by the description he gives, that the magnanimity of Moses' mind was owing to faith; for he had his eyes fixed on the promise of God. For he could not have hoped that it would be better for him to be with the people of Israel than with the Egyptians, had he not trusted in the promise and in nothing else.
By faith he forsook Egypt, etc.
This may be said of his first as well as of his second departure, that is, when he brought out the people with him. He then indeed left Egypt when he fled from the house of Pharaoh. Add to this, that his going out is recorded by the Apostle before he mentions the celebration of the Passover. He seems then to speak of the flight of Moses; nor is what he adds, that he feared not the wrath of the king, any objection to this, though Moses himself relates that he was constrained to do so by fear. For if we look at the beginning of his course he did not fear, that is, when he avowed himself to be the avenger of his people. However, when I consider all the circumstances, I am inclined to regard this as his second departure; for it was then that he bravely disregarded the fierce wrath of the king, being armed with such power by God's Spirit, that he often of his own accord defied the fury of that wild beast. It was doubtless an instance of the wonderful strength of faith, that he brought out a multitude untrained for war and burdened with many encumbrances, and yet hoped that a way would be opened to him by God's hand through innumerable difficulties. He saw a most powerful king in a furious rage, and he knew that he would not cease till he had tried his utmost. But as he knew that God had commanded him to depart, he committed the event to him, nor did he doubt but that he would in dug time restrain all the assaults of the Egyptians.
As seeing him who is invisible. Nay, but he had seen God in the midst of the burning bush: this then seems to have been said improperly, and not very suitable to the present subject. I indeed allow, that Moses was strengthened in his faith by that vision, before he took in hand the glorious work of delivering the people; but I do not admit that it was such a view of God, as divested him of his bodily senses, and transferred him beyond the trials of this world. God at that time only showed him a certain symbol of his presence; but he was far from seeing God as he is. Now, the Apostle means, that Moses so endured, as though he was taken up to heaven, and had God only before his eyes; and as though he had nothing to do with men, was not exposed to the perils of this world and had no contests with Pharaoh. And yet, it is certain, that he was surrounded with so many difficulties, that he could not but think sometimes that God was far away from him, or at least, that the obstinacy of the king, furnished as it was with so many means of resistance, would at length overcome him. In short, God appeared to Moses in such a way, as still to leave room for faith; and Moses, when beset by terrors on every side, turned all his thoughts to God. He was indeed assisted to do this, by the vision which we have mentioned; but yet he saw more in God than what that symbol intimated: for he understood his power, and that absorbed all his fears and dangers. Relying on God's promise, he felt assured that the people, though then oppressed by the tyranny of the Egyptians, were already, as it were, the lords of the promised land.
We hence learn, that the true character of faith is to set God always before our eyes; secondly, that faith beholds higher and more hidden things in God than what our senses can perceive; and thirdly, that a view of God alone is sufficient to strengthen our weakness, so that we may become firmer than rocks to withstand all the assaults of Satan. It hence follows, that the weaker and the less resolute any one is, the less faith he has. -- John Calvin commenting on Hebrew 11:25-27Nothing perhaps affects man's character more than the company he keeps. We catch the ways and tone of those we live and talk with, and unhappily get harm far more easily than good. Disease is infectious, but health is not.
Now if a professing Christian deliberately chooses to be intimate with those who are not friends of God and who cling to the world, his soul is sure to take harm. It is hard enough to serve Christ under any circumstances in such a world as this. But it is doubly hard to do it if we are friends of the thoughtless and ungodly. Mistakes in friendship or marriage engagements are the whole reason why some have entirely ceased to grow. Evil communications corrupt good manners. (1 Corinthians 15:33) The friendship of the world is enmity with God. (James 4:4) -- J.C. Ryle (1816-1900)As there was no face of a church for forty years, and, although the Lord had some seed, yet it was in a state so disordered and so ruinous that there was no visible people of God, he now restores the Church its name, when he has assembled it by the word of the Gospel. This majestic work of God, therefore, ought to confirm us on this point, that we may know that he will never forsake his Church; and although wicked men tear us by their slanders, and beat and spit upon us, and in every way endeavour to make us universally loathed, let us remember that God is not deprived of his right to vindicate us in the world, whose names he has deigned to write in heaven. -- John Calvin, commenting on Isaiah 62:2
Now upon this very comprehensive ground, we withdraw not only from gross heretics, and sectarians, and malignant prelatists. . . . But in this broken and declining state, even from many Presbyterian Ministers who have overturned a great part of our testimony . . . which has been signally sealed by the blood of many Martyrs who laying down their lives for this Testimony have been singularly countenanced of the Lord: yet we say, by many of our ministers this in a great measure has been deserted and perverted, by their condemning the Martyrs that died for it, as well as us who have desired to witness for it . . . -- James Renwick, An Informatory Vindication, 1687, p. 75-76
irenic: adj, FORMAL, aiming or aimed at peace. -- Oxford Dictionary of English
"The Christian with a clear witness has an irenic effect on those he associates with.
"not disturbed by strife or turmoil or war
"conducive to peace
"an irenic attitude toward former antagonists"Is it not dangerous to be found amongst idolaters? Doth not judgment sometimes sweep away the whole community and neighbourhood, of such sinners? Read 1 Samuel 6:19,20, 1 Chronicles 15:13. And hath not God given thee timely warning of the danger before it come? Revelation 18:4. And is it not more than ordinary dangerous, to be found among them now, when God is preparing his troops to invade Babylon; I mean ready to pour forth the vials of his wrath upon her? -- John Flavel (1627-1691)
*Adams, Jay E. (1929-2020), The Practical Encyclopedia of Christian Counseling, 202 pages, ISBN: 1889032468 9781889032467.
See the subject "Associations," and so forth, and so on.
"THE PRACTICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHRISTIAN COUNSELING is designed to afford Christian counselors quick reference as well as comprehensive access to the chief principles and practices of biblical counseling. It is called an 'encyclopedia' because a counselor interested in surveying the gamut of those principles and practices will find in this volume a wider variety of subjects than may be located in any other book of biblical counseling. The counseling described here is truly 'Christian' with method and content firmly rooted in careful biblical exegesis. At the same time it is 'practical' because articles consist not merely of definitions and descriptions, but also of application of the material useful to Christian counselors. Although not necessarily the only way these biblical principles can be applied, they are the fruit of years of study and experience in biblical counseling. In short, the book is designed as an aid to the working counselor who needs a quick reference guide. We trust that God will use it to His glory and to the blessing of His people." -- Preface
Some subject include: Abortion | Abuse | Admonition | Adultery | Adversity | Affliction | Aggravation | Anger | Answers | Apology | Assurance | Attitude | Authority | Balance | Behavior | Bizarre behaviour | Breakdown | Christ | Church | Commandments | Confession | Confidentiality | Contentment | Correction | Corruption | Counseling | Crises | Data gathering | Deceit | Dependence | Discipling | Divorce | Doctrine | Drugs | Education | Empathy | Evangelism | Example | Foolishness | Forgetfulness | Forgiveness | Godliness | Gospel | Gossip | Habit | Heresy | Hope | Hostility | How-to | Idolatry | Jesus | Joy | Justification | Legal matters | Legalism | Lying | Marriage | Promises of god | Put on/put off dynamic | Quickening | Radical amputation | Rage | Reconciliation | Referral | Rejuvenation | Repentance | Sanctification | Scripture | Sex | Sin | Teaching | Temptation | Testing | Think list | Thought | Training.
*Anonymous, Protesters Vindicated: Or, A Just and Necessary Defence of Protesting Against, and Withdrawing from This National Church of Scotland on Account of her Many Gross and Continued Defections, 1716. Alternate title: PROTESTERS VINDICATED: OR, A JUST AND NECESSARY DEFENCE OF PROTESTING AGAINST, AND WITHDRAWING FROM THIS NATIONAL CHURCH OF SCOTLAND; ON ACCOUNT OF HER MANY GROSS AND CONTINUED DEFECTIONS. . . 1716. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #27.
"The title continues: 'More particularly, her approving of, and going into the legal establishment of the Prelatic constitutions of England. The generality of ministers swearing, in the Oath of Abjuration, to maintain Erastianism, Prelacy, and English Popish Ceremonies. Non-Jurants joining with Jurants, judicially approving that practice to be free of scandal. The Church's establishing tyranny in government, against all who will not join in communion with her, and approve her practices without redress of grievances. Wherein these and several other causes of withdrawing are proven to be justly chargeable on the Church, demonstrated to be contrary to the Word of God and Reformed principles of this Church, and just grounds of withdrawing, and setting up judicatures distinct from her; and the objections of Jurants and others fully answered.' This is a classic, detailed statement of the old covenanted principles and the biblical attainments of the Second Reformation (like the Solemn League and Covenant, the Westminster Standards, etc.). It is also an excellent defense against the modern malignants who counsel Christ's children to remain in the backsliding and covenant breaking denominations that abound in our day. Very Rare!" -- Publisher
Bacon, Richard, The Visible Church and the Outer Darkness: A Reply Against Those Claiming to be True Presbyterians Separating in Extraordinary Times.
Barrow, Reg, Reformation Worship and Separation From Idolatry Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #19 and #27. Available (PSALM SINGING IN SCRIPTURE AND HISTORY), on Reformation Bookshelf CD #1-30.
"In two parts: 1. 'The Regulative Principle of Worship in History' and 2. 'Psalm Singing in Scripture and History.' Part one explains, defends and chronicles the Reformation use of the regulative principle as the basis of all faithful public worship. Part two defends exclusive Psalmody, demonstrating that this position is nothing less than our Reformation heritage, based on the second commandment. It argues, on the foundation of a biblically close communion, that Christians should separate themselves ecclesiastically from those who do not practice exclusive Psalmody. Hard teaching, but faithful to Scriptures and the original intent of the Westminster Standards." -- Publisher
The Regulative Principle of Worship in History, Reg Barrow (refutes Arminianism in worship)
http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualnls/CRTPWors.htm
Psalm Singing in Scripture and History. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #1-30.
http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualnls/CRTPsSing.htm
Bredenhof, Wes, A Book Review of John Calvin's Shunning the Unlawful Rites of the Ungodly and Preserving the Purity of the Christian Religion. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #18. Available in Library of Presbyterian Heritage Publications and Protestant Heritage Press CD-ROM Library
"Herein Calvin maintains the sinfulness of outward conformity to false worship. Dealing with a major problem of his day, Calvin shows that false worship should never be tolerated or participated in (even by your bodily presence), no matter what the cost -- whether it be persecution, exile, or death. For his faithfulness in this matter, Calvin was greatly scorned. Obvious parallels to our day abound, not the least of which include the Lordship controversy, false ecumenism, rampant idolatry in the false rites maintained in the public worship of backslidden Protestantism, and in the rise of the influence Roman Catholic harlot (once again in our day)." -- Publisher
A Book Review of John Calvin's Shunning the Unlawful Rites of the Ungodly and Preserving the Purity of the Christian Religion
http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualnls/ShunRev.htm
Brown, David, Samuel Chidley, Mr. Burton, and John Goodwin, Two Conferences Between Some of Those That are Called Separatists and Independents, Concerning Their Different Tenents: One Whereof, was appointed with Mr. Burton and a number of his church, and the other with Mr. John Goodwin and some of his church. Alternate title: TWO CONFERENCES BETWEEN SOME OF THOSE WHO ARE CALLED SEPARATISTS AND INDEPENDENTS.
Calvin, John (1509-1564), Separation From False Worship, Idolatry, and Popish Principles. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #5.
Clarkson, Andrew, The Reformed View of Schism
http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualnls/Schism.htm
Elazar, Daniel Judah, Covenant and Commonwealth: From Christian Separation Through the Protestant Reformation, ISBN: 1560002085 9781560002086.
Fergusson, James (1621-1667), Refutation of the Errors of Toleration, Independency, Erastianism, and Separation, 1692. Alternate title: A BRIEF REFUTATION OF THE ERRORS OF TOLLERATION, ERASTIANISM, INDEPENDENCY AND SEPARATION. DELIVERED IN SOME SERMONS FROM I JOH. 4. I [1 John 4:1]. PREACH'D IN THE YEAR 1652. TO WHICH ARE ADDED FOUR SERMONS PREACH'D ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS (1692). Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
http://archive.org/details/briefrefutationo00ferg
See also: Johannes G. Vos, THE BIBLE DOCTRINE OF THE SEPARATED LIFE: A STUDY OF BASIC PRINCIPLES.
Fraser, James (of Brea, 1639-1698), The Lawfulness and Duty of Separation From Corrupt Ministers and Churches Explained and Vindicated, 1744. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #27. A Christian classic.
"This is one of the most comprehensive treatises dealing with the lawfulness and duty of separation. It does not shy away from the hard biblical questions, but rather meets them head on. Fraser covers all the major biblical reasons for separation, both in general and in particular. Some of these Scriptural reasons for separation include (examples in parentheses are selected to fit our contemporary situation in accord with the general headings found in the book -- though a number of these specific errors are also dealt with in the book itself): 1. Heresy, or error in doctrine (e.g. Arminianism, Pelagianism, Romanism, the denial of the regulative principle of worship, antinomianism, legalism, etc.); 2. Idolatry in public worship (e.g. singing hymns of human composition, paedocommunion and open communion, the use of musical instruments, women speaking or preaching, anti-paedobaptism, Charismatic [or anabaptistic], folly and excesses, malignancy [anti-covenanting], etc.); 3. Tyranny in government (e.g. Popery, Prelacy, Independency, etc.); 4. Sinful terms of communion (e.g. any terms which deny or ignore the attainments of the Covenanted Reformation or in any way contravene Scripture); 5. Tolerationism (e.g. refusing to discipline the scandalous, open communion and countenancing false ministers or false governments or false doctrine, etc.). Many other areas are also dealt with, not the least of which include a strong testimony against the Prelatical Priest George Whitefield (who, as the preface notes, is 'a person leavened with gross errors, enthusiastic delusions, etc.'). In the publisher's original reasons for publication we read, 'In this book the case and nature of schism and separation is cleared, and the true scriptural terms of church-communion, and grounds of separation from corrupt churches and ministers, carrying on backsliding courses from the Covenanted Reformation principles . . . are clearly handled, and the same proven to be just and warrantable grounds of separation, and many useful cases of conscience concerning separation; and what are just and warrantable grounds of separation and what are not, are solidly, learnedly, and accurately discussed and resolved, and the case of separation clearly stated, handled and determined; and separation from corrupt ministers and churches is fully vindicated; and the true Scripture marks of time-servers and hirelings, who should be separated from, are given from the Word of God.' Calvin, Knox, Rutherford, Gillespie, Durham, Owen (who repented of his Independency and embraced Presbyterianism just before he died), and a host of other notable Reformers are cited throughout. Occasional hearing and occasional communion are also exposed and rebuked from Scripture. Appended to the book is, 'The Reasons agreed upon by the Reformers of the Church of Scotland, For which the Book of Common Prayer, urged upon Scotland, Anno 1637 was refused. As also the Reasons agreed upon by the Assembly of Divines at Westminster, for laying aside the English Book of Common Prayer. Together with Mr. George Graham's Renunciation and Abjuration of Episcopacy.' This is an almost flawless photocopy of this exceedingly rare and valuable book (which was obtained at great expense from the Bodleian Library [Oxford University], in England). It is one of the major Reformed classics concerning the topics that it addresses and it answers many common questions which Christians raise today regarding church affiliation. It is also a much needed landmark of Reformation testimony against the white devils of Independency and sectarianism and the black devils of Popery and Prelacy -- which can be seen to be covering the land once again -- contrary to the teaching of the Word of God and the attainments fought (and died), for during the Second Reformation." -- Publisher
Gillespie, George (1613-1648), The Testimony of a Dying Minister of Jesus Christ Against the Sinful and Scandalous Associations With Men of Corrupt Religion and no Religion. Available [THE WORKS OF GEORGE GILLESPIE], on the Puritan Hard Drive.
Gillespie, George, Dying Testimony Against Unlawful Associations
http://www.truecovenanter.com/gillespie/ggilles-ua.html
MacPherson, John, Unity of the Church: The Sin of Schism in DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH IN SCOTTISH THEOLOGY: THE SIXTH SERIES OF THE CHALMERS LECTURES, ISBN: 1331600987 9781331600985.
*Renwick, James (1662-1688), and Alexander Shields, and other "Society People," An Informatory Vindication of a poor, wasted, misrepresented remnant of the suffering, anti-prelatic, anti-Erastian . . . 1744. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #27.
"INFORMATORY VINDICATION (1687), a statement of principles issued by the Society People (see Societies, United), during James VII's reign. Prepared mainly by James Renwick, latterly in consultation with Alexander Shields, it was published in Utrecht. Its full title reflects something of the contents: AN INFORMATORY VINDICATION OF A POOR WASTED MISREPRESENTED REMNANT OF THE SUFFERING ANTI-POPISH ANTI-PRELATIC ANTI-ERASTIAN ANTI-SECTARIAN TRUE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF CHRIST IN SCOTLAND UNITED TOGETHER IN A GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE. BY WAY OF REPLY TO VARIOUS ACCUSATIONS IN LETTERS INFORMATIONS AND CONFERENCES GIVEN FORTH AGAINST THEM. It refuted charges brought against the 'Remnant' of schism (in their eyes a great evil) . . . The VINDICATION mourned the estrangement from other Presbyterians who had accepted the government's INDULGENCES OR EDICTS OF TOLERATION, and expressed love for them as fellow ministers 'with whom again we would desire to have communion in ordinances'. The separation had been forced upon the Society People by the tyranny and temper of the times, but it did not affect their position as being in the succession of the historic Kirk of Scotland. The document aimed to clear away the hostility and misunderstanding about them that had grown up in Scotland and Holland. (Nigel Cameron, editor, Dictionary of Scottish Church History and Theology, p. 429)
"In proof of the catholic, unsectarian, Christian spirit of Renwick and his followers, the clear statements of the INFORMATORY VINDICATION, the work which most fully and clearly defines their position, may be referred to . . . In these noble utterances, we have strikingly exemplified the true spirit of Christian brotherhood . . . This is the genuine import of the vow of the Solemn League and Covenant, which binds Covenanters to regard whatever is done to the least of them, as done to all and to every one in particular. While firmly holding fast all Scriptural attainments, and contending earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints, we should cordially rejoice in the evidences of grace in Christ's servants wherever we find them. We should love them as brethren, fulfill the law of Christ by bearing their burdens, wish them God speed in all that they are doing for the advancement of His glory, and fervently labour and pray for the coming of the happy period when divisions and animosities shall cease, and when there shall be one King, and His name one in all the earth. The testimony of Renwick and his associates is of permanent value and of special importance in our day, as it was directed against systems of error and idolatry, which serve to corrupt the Church and enslave the State. Against Popery in every form Renwick was a heroic and uncompromising witness. At the peril of life, he publicly testified against the usurpation of the papist James, and rejected him as having no claim to be regarded as a constitutional sovereign, and as utterly disqualified to reign in a Protestant reformed land. This was the main ground of his objection against James' toleration, for which the Indulged ministers tendered obsequious thanks to the usurper. Yet this edict of toleration was issued for the purpose of opening the way for the practice of Rome's abominations, and for the advancement of papists to places of power and trust in the nation. None of the Cameronians would, for any earthly consideration, even to save their lives, for a moment admit that a papist had any right to exercise political power in a reformed land. Our martyred forefathers we regard as worthy of high respect and imitation, for their deeply cherished dread of the growing influence of Popery, and for their determined resistance to its exclusive and extravagant claims. The system of Popery is the abnegation of all precious gospel truth; and is a complete politico-religious confederacy against the best interests of a Protestant nation. The boast of its abettors is that it is semper eadem, ever the same. Rome cannot reform herself from within, and she is incapable of reformation from external influences and agencies. The Bible never speaks of Antichrist as to be reformed, but as waxing worse and worse till the time when he shall be completely subverted and irrecoverably destroyed. Whatever changes may be going on in some Popish countries, whereby the power of the Papacy is weakened, it is evident that the principles and spirit of the Romish priesthood, and of those who are under their influence, remain unchanged. The errors of the anti-Christian system, instead of being diminished, have of late years increased. Creature worship has become more marked and general. The Immaculate Conception has been proclaimed by Papal authority as the creed of Romanism. In these countries, and some other Protestant lands, the influence of Popery in government and education, and so on the whole social system, has been greatly on the increase. Among those who have most deeply studied inspired prophecy, there is a general expectation that the period of Babylon's downfall is hastening on, and is not far distant. There is a general presentiment too, that the Man of Sin, prior to his downfall, will make some dire and violent attempt through his infatuated followers against the truth, and against such as faithfully maintain it. The 'Slaying of the Witnesses,' which we are disposed to regard as yet future may take place, not so much by the actual shedding of blood, though it is plain that Jesuit policy and violence will not hesitate to re-enact former persecution and massacre, to accomplish a desired purpose. It may mainly be effected, as Scott, the expositor, suggests, by silencing the voice of a public testimony in behalf of fundamental truths throughout Christendom; and of this there are at present unmistakable signs not a few, throughout the churches in various countries. The Protestant church in all its sections should be thoroughly awake to its danger from the destructive errors, idolatry and power of its ancient irreconcilable enemy; and should, by all legitimate means, labour to counteract and nullify its political influence. The ministry and the rising youth of the church should study carefully the Popish controversy, and should be intimately acquainted with the history of the rise and progress of the Papacy its assumed blasphemous power its accumulated errors and delusions, and its plots, varied persecutions and cruel butcheries of Christ's faithful witnesses. Above all, they should set themselves earnestly, prayerfully and perseveringly to diffuse the Bible and Gospel light in the dark parts of their native country, and among Romanists in other lands. By embracing fully and holding fast, in their practical application, the principles of the British Covenants, and by imbibing the spirit of covenanted martyrs men like Renwick and the Cameronians, we will be prepared for the last conflict with Antichrist. The firm and faithful maintenance of a martyr-testimony will be a principle instrument of the victory of truth over the error and idolatry of Rome. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. (Rev. 12:11 [Revelation 12:11]). Finally, the testimony of Renwick is valuable, as throwing light on great evils connected with systems of civil government, and with Protestant churches, and as pointing out clearly the duty of faithful witnesses in relation to them. Two great principles, the one doctrinal, and the other practical, were essential to it, or rather constituted its whole specialty. These were, first, that, according to the national vows, and the reformation attainments, the whole civil polity of the nation should be conformed to the Scriptures, and secondly, the positive duty of distinct separation from whatever systems in the state and church that are opposed to entire allegiance to Messiah the Prince." (Houston, The Life of James Renwick, pp. 52-55)
"Some of them, particularly in Scotland, loved not their lives unto death for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. Rev. vi. 9 [Revelation 6:9]. These refused to have communion in public ordinances not only with prelatical ministers, but even with the acceptors of indulgences or licenses from the civil power, to exercise their ministry under certain limitations. The INFORMATORY VINDICATION, which certainly contains the genuine principles of church communion, held by the sufferers for the cause of Christ in that period, declares, that they could by no means own or countenance the administrations of the indulged ministers; because they considered the indulgence, in any of the forms in which it was granted by the civil power, as derived from the supremacy claimed by that power in ecclesiastical matters; as laying the office of the ministry under unwarrantable restriction; and as tending, in a great measure, to suppress and bury the covenanted reformation, cf. INFORMATORY VINDICATION, Head iv." (Anderson, Alexander and Rufus; or a Series of Dialogues on Church Communion [1862], p. 294)
"To the friends of evangelical truth, and the faithful witnesses for the redeemer's royal prerogatives, the services of Renwick, at the crisis in which he exercised his public ministry, were invaluable. He was eminently the man for the time. Through the influence of the unhappy Indulgence, the strict Covenanters were reduced to what they style themselves in the Informatory Vindication, a 'wasted, suffering, anti-popish, anti-prelatic, anti-erastian, anti-sectarian remnant.' By the death of Cargill and Cameron, they were left as 'sheep without a shepherd,' broken and scattered. Through the fierceness of persecution, and the machinations of enemies, they were in danger of falling into confusion, and of being entirely wasted and destroyed. We admire the gracious providence of God in preparing, at this particular crisis, an instrument of such rare and suitable endowments for feeding 'the flock in the wilderness,' and for unfurling and upholding so nobly the 'Banner of Truth' amidst hosts of infuriated enemies. James Renwick, though a very youth when he entered on his arduous work, and trained under great outward disadvantages, had a powerful and well-cultivated mind. He was endowed with singular administrative talent, and had great tact and skill in managing men. He was an acute and logical thinker, an eloquent and attractive public speaker, and was distinguished by fertility and force as a writer. The INFORMATORY VINDICATION his testimony against King James' 'toleration, with his 'Letters,' and 'Sermons and Lectures,' bear ample evidence of his sound judgment, comprehensive mind, and ability as an author. His prudence, meekness and loving disposition, combined with his sanctified zeal, and heroic courage, deservedly gave him great influence among those to whom he ministered. He was eminently fitted to be 'a first man among men.' The Lord held him in the hollow of his hand, and made him a 'polished shaft in his quiver.' The services which Renwick rendered to the Protestant cause were invaluable. He organized the scattered remnant, and imparted new life and ardour to their proceedings. He set forth clearly the principles of the 'Society people;' and in a number of able and logical papers, clearly defined their plans of action. He rendered it, in a great measure, impossible for enemies to misrepresent and accuse them falsely to the Government. He was their Secretary in their correspondence with foreign churches; and he did much to evoke the prayerful sympathy of Protestants in other lands in behalf of the victims of persecution in Scotland. The presence and influence of Renwick among the suffering Presbyterians were of the highest importance in his own day; and not to them alone, but also to the whole church of Christ in these lands, and to the constitutional liberties of the nation. So far as we can see, but for the singular power and devoted spirit of Renwick, and the firm and unyielding position which the Cameronians through him were led to assume, the cause of truth would have been completely borne down, and Erastianism, and Popery, and Despotism had triumphed. Renwick and his followers were the vanguard 'in the struggle for Britain's liberties, and for the Church's spiritual independence.' Though, like other patriots born before their time, they were doomed to fall, yet posterity owes to them a large part of the goodly heritage which they enjoy. (Houston, The Life of James Renwick [1865], pp. 36-37). Emphases added throughout the preceding quotations. This is a very rare and valuable specimen of Paleopresbyterian (Covenanter) thought don't miss it! 142 pages, plus new material added by the present publisher." -- Publisher
An Informatory Vindication, 1687, James, Renwick, Alexander Shields and Other "Society People"
http://www.truecovenanter.com/societies/informatory_vindication.html
*Rutherford, Samuel (1600-1661), The due Right of Presbyteries or a Peaceable Plea for the Government of the Church of Scotland . . . 1644. Alternate title: THE DIVINE RIGHT OF CHURCH-GOVERNMENT AND EXCOMMUNICATION: OR A PEACABLE DISPUTE FOR THE PERFECTION OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURE IN POINT OF CEREMONIES AND CHURCH GOVERNMENT; IN WHICH THE REMOVAL OF THE SERVICE-BOOK IS JUSTIFI'D, THE SIX BOOKS OF THO: ERASTUS AGAINST EXCOMMUNICATION ARE BRIEFLY EXAMIN'D; WITH A VINDICATION OF THAT EMINENT DIVINE THEOD: BEZA AGAINST THE ASPERSIONS OF ERASTUS, THE ARGUMENTS OF MR. WILLIAM PRYN, RICH: HOOKER, DR. MORTON, DR. JACKSON, DR. JOHN FORBES, AND THE DOCTORS OF ABERDEEN; TOUCHING WILL-WORSHIP, CEREMONIES, IMAGERY, IDOLATRY, THINGS INDIFFERENT, AN AMBULATORY GOVERNMENT; THE DUE AND JUST POWERS OF THE MAGISTRATE IN MATTERS OF RELIGION, AND THE ARGUMENTS OF MR. PRYN, IN SO FAR AS THEY SIDE WITH ERASTUS, ARE MODESTLY DISCUSSED. TO WHICH IS ADDED, A BRIEF TRACTATE OF SCANDAL; . . . BY SAMUEL RUTHERFURD (sic), PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. ANDREWS IN SCOTLAND. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #9 and #24.
"Almost 800 pages long, Rutherford here deals with church membership, separation from the visible church, the civil magistrate and religion, communion among churches, the errors of the independents (specifically in New England), and much more. This could be considered the LEX, REX of church government -- another exceedingly rare masterpiece of Presbyterianism! Characterized by Walker as sweeping 'over a wider field than most. Most essential points which Gillespie has barely touched, Rutherford carefully considers; as, for instance, the nature of the visible church as such, and its constituent elements. Even in the Erastian controversy he is a necessary supplement to his great contemporary. It is something to me altogether amazing, the mass of thinking about Church questions you have in those writings.' Bannerman, in his CHURCH OF CHRIST calls this a 'very learned and elaborate treatise.' Here is a sample of Mr. Rutherford's writing: 'A private subtraction and separation from the Ministry of a known wolf and seducer, . . . this the Law of nature will warrant . . . as Parker saith from Saravia, 'it is lawful to use that blameless and just defence, if the bad church-guide cannot be deposed.' So the son may save himself by a just defence in fleeing from his mad father, or his distracted friend coming to kill him. Now this defence is not an authoritative act, nor a judicial act of authority, but a natural act that is common to any private person, yea to all without the true Church as well as within to take that care in extreme necessity, for the safety of their souls, that they would do for the safety of their bodies' (1642), cited in The Original Covenanter and Contending Witness Magazine." -- Publisher
Brutus, Junius, The Covenant Between God and Kings, from A DEFENSE OF LIBERTY
http://www.constitution.org/vct/vindiciae1a.htm
Rutherford, Samuel (1600-1661), False Unity and Biblical Separation From the Act, Declaration, and Testimony for the Whole of our Covenanted Reformation. Cited in the Act, Declaration, and Testimony for the Whole of our Covenanted Reformation . . . by the Reformed Presbytery, 1876 edition. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualnls/FalseUnity.htm
*Rushdoony, Rousas J. (1916-2001), Christianity and the State, ISBN: 9996717755. Available through Exodus Books.
"The need to return to a Biblical doctrine of civil government is evidenced by our century's worldwide drift into tyranny. Humanism invariably rushes in to fill the world's theological vacuums: the need of the hour is to restore a full-orbed, Biblical, theology of the state. This work sets forth that theology." -- GCB
Sibbes, Richard (1577-1635), The Church's Visitation. In THE WORKS OF RICHARD SIBBES, (1:371-84). Available (THE WORKS OF RICHARD SIBBES), on the Puritan Hard Drive.
Tract, Against Backsliding Modern Denominations, Nations and Individuals (Separation)
http://www.swrb.com/newslett/FREEBOOK/backslid.htm
Tract, Against the "Baconites" of Rowlett, Regarding the So-called "Steelite" Controversy (Paleocovenanters vs. Neocovenanters), a tract
http://www.swrb.com/newslett/FREEBOOK/bacon.htm
Vinke, Peter, Protestants Separated for Christ's Name's Sake, sermon on Luke 6:22, 1675. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #15.
*Vos, Johannes G., The Bible Doctrine of the Separated Life: A Study of Basic Principles.
An essay against binding the conscience with regard to practices which cannot be proved from Scripture to be sinful.
Wagner, Michael G., Paleopresbyterianism Versus Neopresbyterianism, False Unity and Biblical Separation, 1996. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #1.
"Defines the major differences between "paleo" or old Presbyterianism (the position held at the Westminster Assembly, 1648) and "neo" or new (modern) Presbyterianism."
http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualnls/Paleo.htm
Walker, James, The Theology and Theologians of Scotland, 1560-1750. Treats the Doctrine of Ecclesiology, Church Government.
Willison, John, A Defence of National Churches: And Particularly of the National Constitution of the Church of Scotland, and the Conduct of our Reforming Ancestors, Against the Cavils of Independents. With a Confutation of Independency, and several new opinions vented in some late pamphlets, intituled, A narrative of the rise and progress, &c. An explication of a proposition, &c. A letter from a lover of zion, &c. By a Minister of the Church of Scotland.
" 'A narrative of the rise and progress of the controversy about the natural covenants' and 'A letter from a lover of Zion' are by John Glas; 'An explication of that proposition contain'd in Mr. Glass's answers to the Synod's queries' was published anonymously."
Wilson, David, A Modest Apology for the Conduct of Seceders: In Refusing to Join in Christian Communion With Sectarians, Latitudinarians, etc., who Have Departed From the Purity of the Reformation Once Attained to in These Kingdoms. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #27.
"An exceedingly rare work published in 1773. Sets forth a strong case for separation from all bodies that are backslidden from the work of covenanted reformation, as it was attained during the days of the Westminster Assembly, and as set forth in the Westminster Confession of Faith [1646] and its related documents (regarding the government, worship, doctrine and discipline of Christ's church). Denounces the 'detestable indifference or neutrality' of not maintaining covenant obligations, which bind all reformers, 'to endeavour the extirpation of all superstition, heresy, schism, and whatsoever should be found contrary to sound doctrine.' Also proves that there is no liberty or love that is contrary to God's Word. Maintains Christian charity throughout by distinguishing between loving the persons in error, and taking part with, or encouraging them in their sinful confederacies or actions. A great work on the subjects of purity, faithfulness and separation. It is in keeping with the sentiments expressed in the Reformed Presbytery's ACT, DECLARATION AND TESTIMONY which states: 'The first cry against the presbytery and its members was 'schism, schismatics.' This charge was promptly and publicly met and refuted, by showing from the Scriptures, that schism 'is in the body,' 1 Cor. 12:26 [1 Corinthians 12:26]; and from the approved writings of our covenanting fathers, that 'sometimes to avoid schism, we must separate.' Our worthy ancestors knew better than to adopt the vocabulary of papal Rome. Besides, 'the majority making defection are the real separatists.' -- Samuel Rutherford (1600-1661)" -- Publisher
Wood, James (1608-1664), A Declaration of the Brethren who are for the Established Government and Judicatories of This Church, Expressing Their Earnest Desires of Union and Peace With Their Dissenting Brethren, 1658.
Wood, James (1608-1664), A Little Stone, Pretended to be out of the Mountain, Tried, and Found to be a Counterfeit, [refutation of an Independent] or, An Examination and Refutation of Mr. Lockyers lecture, preached at Edinburgh, anno 1651, concerning the mater of the visible church: and afterwards printed with an appendix for popular government of single congregations: together with an examination, in two appendices, of what is said on these same purposes in a letter of some in Aberdene, who lately have departed from the communion and government of this church, 1654.
Separation From Corrupt Churches
"Extracts From James Wood, A LITTLE STONE PRETENDED TO BE OUT OF THE MOUNTAIN, TRIED AND FOUND TO BE A COUNTERFEIT."
http://www.naphtali.com/wood.htm
Wood, James (1608-1664), and George Hutcheson, A Review and Examination of a Pamphlet Lately Published, Bearing the Title of Protesters no Subverters, and Presbyterie no Papacy, etc., 1659.
See also: The sovereignty of god, The doctrine of man (human nature, total depravity), Justice, judgment, god's final judgment, the great white throne judgment, the day of the lord, Toleration, liberty of conscience, pluralism, "religious freedom," and neutrality, Theater, sports, and entertainment, Pseudo-christian movements: a selection of works, Hell, Unfaithful reformed ministries, Bad relationships a cause of disease and death, Reform of the church, Carnality and flesh pleasing, Menpleasing, Oaths, ensnaring vows, promises, and covenants, bonds with the ungodly, Secret societies, ungodly alliances, voluntary associations, Selection of covenant heads for positions of leadership, Sexual relationship, Spiritual adultery (spiritual whoredom/harlotry), and so forth, and so on.
TCRB5: 276-297, 1272, 2991, 3072, 3353, 3916, 3918
MGTP: Judgment (Last), Judgment (or Purging), of the Church, Judgment (or Purging), of the Nation
Calvin, John, Chapter 2: Comparison Between the False Church and the True in Institutes of the Christian Religion (translated by Henry Beveridge), Book Fourth, Of The Holy Catholic Church
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.vi.iii.html
The Dangerous Dark Side of a Shared Belief System, Rick Thomas
"The dangerous dark side of these communities is when the benefits, e.g., finding approval, become more crucial to you than whatever the group believes. The temptation is to compromise what you believe because the benefits of connecting with a relational community are more vital."
https://rickthomas.net/the-dangerous-dark-side-of-a-shared-belief-system/
And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts. (Psalm 119:45). Saints find no bondage in sanctity. The Spirit of holiness is a free spirit; he sets men at liberty and enables them to resist every effort to bring them under subjection. The way of holiness is not a track for slaves, but the King's highway for freemen, who are joyfully journeying from the Egypt of bandage to the Canaan of rest. God's mercies and his salvation, by teaching us to love the precepts of the word, set us at a happy rest; and the more we seek after the perfection of our obedience the more shall we enjoy complete emancipation from every form of spiritual slavery. . . . -- C.H. Spurgeon commenting on Psalm 119:45 in The Treasury of David, p. 228A religious doctrine involves practical consequences so important, and its effects upon individual and social life are so infallible and so profound, that it can never be contemplated with indifference by the mass of society, and much less by their rulers. We pray you to observe, amongst other things, that the stronger the feeling of dependence to which religion reduces the individual, the more she invests him, on the other hand, with a lofty independence. All religion is freedom. By introducing us into the service of one master, she emancipates us from the dominion of all others. If she does not altogether do away with dependencies of another order, she transforms them from absolute into relative ones. We still belong to society, we are perhaps linked to it by closer ties than before; but it is in a mediate manner, for man cannot serve two masters. It is this independence which exasperates the rulers of this world, and indeed, for the most part, all those who do not share in it. It is this sacred retreat of liberty which they would invade -- this freedom, of which they would deprive us; as if the numerous sacrifices which from time to time liberty has made for the common weal were insufficient, as if it were not enough, or rather as if it were nothing, for us to have devoted all our bodily powers and all our worldly goods to the service of society, so long as this offering is not completed by the sacrifice of the soul. It is spiritual domination, dominion over the soul, of which despotism, whether of princes or of the people, is especially desirous. Thus, when a tyrant has bereft a nation of all its liberties, until throughout the realm his will has become law, his ambition having nothing else wherewith to satiate its appetite, directs itself against religion. Thenceforward, having subjugated the bodies of men, he directs his attacks against their souls. It is because he cannot but be sensible that dominion over souls -- what do you say? -- over one single soul, is as much superior to that over bodies, as the soul itself is superior to its envelope of clay. He cannot endure the humiliation of knowing that there is a sphere in which the most obscure man, by the force of sympathy alone, wields a greater power than his own. A deep-rooted and bitter feeling of envy takes possession of him; he can enjoy no more repose, until moral force shall have yielded to the pressure of physical force -- until the second Mordecai shall have bowed down to this second Haman -- until the soul, by dethroning itself, shall have delivered him from this odious rivalry. And should he encounter in this enterprise an unlooked-for resistance, his impatience becomes fury, and he destroys those whom he cannot subdue. This has been the origin of many religious persecutions, and it discloses the secret motives of those atrocities by which some have been distinguished.
It does not follow, however, that all the evils with which the world has been inundated in the name of religion, are to be referred to this cause alone. They have originated in that preeminently just idea, that religion gives the true signification of every man, and of the whole of society; that there is nothing more deeply seated in us, nothing which more decisively determines what we are; and that to declare what we believe, is at the same time, and as a matter of necessity, to declare what we wish to be. The influence of a lordly spirit apart, it is not astonishing that the social power has everywhere, more or less, attempted to regulate the faith of the citizens and the instructions of the priesthood. Nor is it surprising that the priesthood, in aid of the state, have themselves attempted to dictate in a matter of this importance. For the suppression of this evil, the assistance of ages has been necessary, and this has not proved sufficient; the veto of public opinion has been also needed. Perhaps in certain countries something further has been required -- the progress of religious indifference. But nowhere is the fire extinguished, because nowhere is man changed; he will never witness unmoved, the energetic manifestation of religious principle; he may be indulgent to philosophical religions, or to religious philosophy, which penetrates not to the very sources of will and of action; but he will be, with his own full knowledge and consent, severe upon genuine faith. And why? because man possessing genuine faith, rises to his highest elevation; an elevation to which it is necessary that others should rise also, not indeed to rule over him (for this is impossible), but to treat with him, and to be at peace together. This is the true position and individuality of each renewed man, and everything is put in requisition to annul, subdue, and modify it.
We dwell no longer upon these different attempts, but return to the principle. We find that in the judgment of the community, the religious conviction of a man moulds his character, estimates his worth, and foretells his life. It is the invisible source of many efforts, and often of much violence. Well, then, we infer [sic] unhesitatingly, that the faith of a member of society cannot remain either a mystery or a matter of doubt to those who surround him. If, as we have sought to establish a former part of this work, the spiritual unity of society, its reality in the elevated sense of that word, depends on the mutual interchange of sentiments; and if that individual only can be said to belong to the community, with whose character she is acquainted, it must be especially in the sphere of religious convictions that this truth is apparent; we may even go further, and say, that although we might keep our sentiments on other subjects to ourselves, those that we entertain respecting religion could not be concealed. For our religious convictions imbue us so thoroughly and practically, that society knows not what she possesses in us, except as she knows what we are with respect to God.
This fact is more conspicuous, we admit, with reference to the Christian religion than to any other. In comparison with it, all other systems of faith are superficial; and we may remark in passing, that this is the reason why Christianity has drawn upon itself, and even excited among its followers, more intolerance than any other religion. The experimental character of its doctrines, coming in contact with the diverse passions of the human heart, has enkindled in the midst of society an active and devouring flame; and its profession has occasioned a host of outrages and calamities. Christianity is radical in the highest degree; radical in morals. It uproots one life, it implants another. Of all religions, it alone is in direct hostility with human nature in its fallen condition, as it is also the only religion which coincides with that same nature in all that sin has not polluted; at once the most human, and the least human of all systems; appearing to grant us everything, and to refuse us everything, but, in reality, granting everything to humanity, and refusing everything to sin. No religion consequently so effectually reforms the moral being; in such a manner, that the complexion of our life and conduct depends on whether we are or are not Christians, and upon what sort of Christians we are.
We should find it impracticable to attempt to distinguish between the doctrines of Christianity and its morals; between what is called its natural and universal morality, and its peculiar and arbitrary doctrines. Christian doctrine is morality -- Christian morality; to wish to distinguish between the two is to desire to divide a stream from its source. Christian doctrine is no sooner received than it regulates the conduct; the character of God becomes a model for man; what God is, man ought to be; and inasmuch as God in the Scriptures is invested with attributes which belong not to human nature, so also man, by means of the Gospel, is invested with a character which nature had not impressed upon him; it makes him a new man in every sense of the term: a man peculiar and extraordinary in the eyes of nature, but in every case a man, who, by the judgment of that very nature, is approved and esteemed. To declare our opinion upon Christian doctrine avails much; it is in fact to profess certain principle of conduct, and to attach ourselves to one or another system of morality; it is to reveal our inward man, to publish the operations of conscience; it is to give the standard of our judgments, and the rule of our actions.
We do well to avow it: whenever we revert to the considerations which most forcibly recommend a duty, we revert to the greatest difficulties in the way of its accomplishment; indeed, in most cases, to point out the motive, is to recognize the difficulty. In the present case, for example, nothing can render candour more difficult than that which enforces its obligation. It is just because such a religious doctrine, of necessity involves such a principle of morality, and such a rule of conduct; it is precisely because it is a disclosure of inward man, that so many persons are averse to declare to what doctrine they adhere. And it is sometimes because their opinion condemns them, sometimes because it elevates them, not so much in itself as in the characteristics and practical consequences with which public opinion has invested it. It is painful to excite repugnance or aversion, and it is sometimes still more painful to excite expectations which we feel but too conscious we cannot fulfill. If it were not so, why should we make a secret of our religious opinions, when we are at no pains to conceal any other? Why, when we are open and unreserved upon all the rest, should we not allow free expression to our thoughts upon this, the noblest of subjects? Why should communications of this nature be so generally regarded as the acme of candour and the pledge of intimacy? Why is there no real union, no true communion of soul, until both parties have expressed what they think, and above all, what they feel upon invisible and infinite subjects? Why do beings long united by the closest ties of affection, as soon as spiritual communion is formed between them, discover with surprise, that up to that period they had really never known, understood, or loved each other? -- that, as Montaigne expresses it, there was wanting to their friendship 'a certain inexplicable, yet essential power, the mediatrix of that union;' or that (as is really the fact), 'God is the true medium of true friendship?' All such instance go to confirm the truth of what we have said. A great effect supposes a powerful force -- a powerful force is employed only against a formidable resistance, and a formidable resistance has no place but in opposition to an urgent necessity. Here the necessity is a moral one -- it is a duty; an evident, and urgent, but a painful duty; for the consequences, even limiting them to their narrowest range, and considering none but those which are developed in the bosom of private relations, these consequences are, it must be confessed, of a startling character.
Nevertheless, if regarded only in the light of morality and natural reason, this candour, which appears so difficult and dangerous, would be found to possess real advantages, whilst reserve would have none but what are false and deceptive. Candour would break the ice which dissimulation thickens and consolidates from day to day; it would procure a more lasting peace; it would put the seal to confidence and friendship. You dread a storm: any storm would be preferable to the dead calm in which you live, -- a calm without peace and without security; for since no one can suppose that you are altogether destitute of religious prepossessions, that you have not some inward conviction to disclose, it will become a matter either of dread or of desire that you should disclose it. This very feeling of anxiety will be an evil in your social relations; if your connexions are desirous of it, when you are averse to making it, their importunity will disturb your peace; on the contrary, if they are averse to its manifestation, when you yourself desire it, they will avoid your company; there will of necessity be in your social relations something painful, constrained, and, in the end, insupportable. If they neither desire nor fear it, it must be because they are not acquainted with your character, and have no desire to become so, because they are not solicitous about your most important interests -- in other words, because they do not love you. And as between a mind occupied with spiritual things and one that is not, there is a wide gulf fixed, as true intimacy between two persons so different is altogether impossible, it is the duty of the more serious of the two, to sound the mind of his friend by disclosing his own, to provide a declaration by declaring himself. Every connexion founded upon a voluntary and designedly prolonged misunderstanding, every factitious union between minds pursuing directly opposite courses, is contrary to human dignity. . . . -- Alexander Vinet (1797-1847), and Charles Theodore Jones (translator), An Essay on the Profession of Personal Religious Conviction, pp. 73-81, and Vinet on FreedomThe powerful and wealthy conceal theft, of course, by economic and legal games, the game rules being of their own making.
For example, (1) A ten percent capitalization rate on residential rental property results in a profit of 100 percent over a ten year period, based on the current market price of the property. In other words, after ten years of renting the owner has recovered the entire cost of the property, and he still owns the property at an appreciated market value, making residential rental property one of the most lucrative investments possible. (2) The cost of building a new home is just a fraction of the market value of the property, the balance is a windfall profit to the developer. Some of the reasons for the inflated market value follow. (3) The Federal Government of the United States of America is the largest business enterprise in the world. It is run by politicians who, for the most part, are businessmen and lawyers, not scholars and statesmen. They can sit down at a table together for 20 minutes and write a multi-million dollar budget. They are accountable to practically no one. (4) The cost of living is high in big cities because, among other reasons, after the multi-million dollar budget is written by the politicians, then taxes and assessments are increased to pay for it. By raising property assessments to generate revenue, the cost of real estate simultaneously increases, and it follows that the cost of all goods go up. (5) All these changes, increasing taxes, assessments, market values of real estate, costs of goods, and the resulting inflation, all these changes profit the wealthy property owners and business owners who simply pass on tax increases and higher costs to the consumer. (6) The banking system, money, is controlled by The Federal Reserve System, which in turn is run by unelected officials, veteran leaders of corporate investment banks, who control the amount of money in the economy and interest costs. Generally speaking, this amounts to a complete monopoly over the economy and value of the dollar. (7) The principles of accounting being used today have generally remained essentially unchanged since the Feudal Age, 600 years ago, principles of accounting which allowed a few wealthy noblemen to live in luxury at the expense of the masses. (8) And so forth, and so on. This is just a very, very brief and general overview of some of the games being played, and how the powerful and wealthy game the system. For more details on things you may not have learned in the public education system see other book-length works in this topical listing.
The middle and lower classes are, for the most part, uneducated and ignorant of the extent of the games, therefore, they do not fully understand how they are being fleeced by the "Aristocracy of Wealth."
Meanwhile, many of the unregenerate members of society, who by their human nature are unable to trust in The Triune God to "place a table before them." That is to say, they are unable to trust in God to provide for all their needs, just, as recorded in Genesis and Exodus, he set his people free from bondage, fought against their enemies and gave them victory, guided them through the Wilderness, daily feed them with manna from heaven, and then gave them the Promised Land of Canaan.
Regrettably, unregenerate men, not able to trust in the Faithfulness of a Covenant God, become "flesh-pleasers." They are all too willing to trust in man, all too ready to submit to the influence of the powerful and the wealthy, welcoming them and their "games" with open arms, and with great enthusiasm, in hopes of securing their fleshly desires.
Regrettably, these unregenerate men, these "Cains," are all too often both incompetent and corrupt, are all too often in the majority, and all too often seize political and economic power.
All to often unregenerate men are willing to submit to the influence of the powerful and the wealthy, as opposed to submitting to the influence of the Faithful, Triune God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who has covenanted to be their God, to redeem them from their rebellious, Fallen State, and to show them "The Way, the Truth, and the Life," both temporal and eternal.
The Ten Commandments are, of course, the "constitution" of that covenant between God and man. Notice that all Ten Commandments speak to covetousness, and the tenth summarizes all that is not to be coveted in the second table, commandments four through ten.
Consequently the world is subject to repeating economic depression and collapse caused by immoral rule, the covetousness, incompetence, and corruption of the Cains in political and economic power.The concept of freedom does not explain sin. While sin is not unrelated to freedom, the latter does not explain the rise of the former. God has authentic freedom and cannot sin, and God created man with a freedom that was morally qualified and whose continuance depended on a refraining from sin. Man as created possessed the ability not to sin, and the man recreated in Christ, and begotten of God, does not sin. (1 John 5:18) ["The present tense of the Greek suggests behavior that is characteristic or usual. In this way John acknowledges, but does not excuse, the possibility of occasional sin."] True freedom is constituted by man's created, and later recreated, ability to do the good, not by a morally unqualified faculty to do either the one or the other. Freedom belongs to the essence of man as created by God and as restored by Christ; in neither instance is it a morally neutral and unqualified aspect of humanity. The effect of human sin upon freedom is defined in Biblical thought, therefore, not as another form of freedom, but rather as slavery and bondage (Romans 6). Man as created was no more free to sin than, having sinned and fallen into moral bondage, he is free again to become what he once was. Sin constitutes a loss, not an exercise of freedom. Sin is a mystery, immoral and irrational, whose denouement is not found in the concept of human freedom. Freedom as an explanation of sin leads invariably into some form of Pelagianism and Arminianism.
If in freedom man could sin against his Maker, freedom by the same definition would contain the possibility of man's self-propelled return to his Maker. If sin is a true exercise of freedom, such freedom, even after sin, remains also free both to act in Pelagian, semi-Pelagian, or Arminianistic fashion to undo its sin and to return to God -- or to refuse to return to God.
According to the Genesis account of man's fall into sin, man was not free to sin, but under divine command not to sin, on threat of death. Adam and Eve were under the restrictive divine command not to do what they in fact did. Freedom, as authority, is comprised of the components: might plus right. An authority which exercises a might without right is a totalitarian perversion of authority; a freedom which does that which it has no right to do is an anarchistic perversion of true freedom.
The theological tenet that God created man free, that is, with a freedom that was free to sin (posse peccare), is an explanation of sin in terms of sin. If God had endowed man with such freedom, God could not in justice allow man's freedom to suffer that bondage which sin inflicts upon freedom.
In Biblical thought, however, man's act of sin is regarded as a loss of freedom. According to the Genesis account of the Fall, man loses his right to existence in the Garden of Eden, his right to life, and his right to be himself -- naked and not ashamed. In the continuing Biblical account, man as sinner is exhibited as no longer free to be himself. He is either a slave to sin and under the power of death, a devotee of idols -- who in this devotion to idols becomes sub-human and like his idols (Psalm 115:8), or he becomes a captive to grace and through this captivity again receives his true freedom as a gift from God, a freedom permitting him to enjoy release from, and forgiveness for, his sinful past and the gift of grace that justifies his right to live in an open and unending future. -- James DaaneAbsolute claims of authority over creation are an insult to God's prerogatives. -- Annotation to Isaiah 37:25 in The Reformation Study Bible
The man is truly free who is most truly a slave to Jesus Christ. -- Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD)
And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness; and thou shalt know the Lord. (Hosea 2:19-20)
Betrothment unto the Lord! What an honor and a joy! My soul, is Jesus indeed thine by His own condescending betrothal? Then, mark it is forever. He will never break His engagement, much less sue out a divorce against a soul joined to Himself in marriage bonds.
Three times the Lord says, "I will betroth thee." What words He heaps together to set forth the betrothal! Righteousness comes in to make the covenant legal; none can forbid these lawful bans. Judgment sanctions the alliance with its decree: none can see folly or error in the match. Lovingkindness warrants that this is a love union, for without love betrothal is bondage and not blessedness. Meanwhile, mercy smiles and even sings; yea, she multiplies herself into "mercies" because of the abounding grace of this holy union.
Faithfulness is the registrar and records the marriage, and the Holy Spirit says "Amen" to it as He promises to teach the betrothal heart all the sacred knowledge needful for its high destiny, What a promise! -- C.H. Spurgeon in Faith's CheckbookThe wealthy stand as magistrates in the economic arena and have the same duty of stewardship as do those who hold political office. -- C. Gregg Singer, "Calvinism and Economic Thought and Practice" in John Calvin: His Roots and Fruits, p. 46
If the American people ever wish to regain control of the government, we must understand the monetary system and materially alter the banking system so as to replace our debt based money-out-of-thin air economy with an economy based on production, savings, capitalism, and competition. Only then, can true prosperity return. If we ever get to audit the Fed and its money lenders, the demand to End the Fed will become overwhelming. -- Andrew Napolitano
In the early 18th century, slavery was outlawed in Georgia. In 1749, George Whitefield campaigned for its legalization, claiming that the territory would never be prosperous unless farms were able to use slave labour[10]; through his efforts, it was re-legalized in 1751. Whitefield became a slave owner, using them to work at his Bethesda Orphanage; to help raise money for the orphanage; he also put slaves to work at a plantation called Providence. Whitefield was known to treat his slaves well; they were reputed to be devoted to him, and he was critical of the abuse and neglect of their slaves by other owners[11]. When Whitefield died, he bequeathed his slaves to Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon[12]. -- Wikipedia article
The real value of an object is that which one who knows its worth will give for it. He who made the soul, knew its worth, and gave His life for it. -- Arthur Jackson
Barnard, Henry, Slavery, A Bibliography and Union List of the Microform Collection, ISBN: 0667006133 9780667006133.
Barnard, Henry, and Microfilming Corporation of America, Slavery, A Bibliographic Guide to the Microfiche Collection, ISBN: 0667006729 9780667006720 0667006133 9780667006133.
Black, John (1768-1849), Slavery Contrary to the Bible: An Address Delivered to the Students at the Theological Hall, Canonsburg.
Black, John (1768-1849), et al., The Bible Against Slavery: With Replies to the Bible View of Slavery, by John H. Hopkins, Bishop of the Diocese of Vermont: And to A Northern Presbyter's Second Letter to Ministers of the Gospel, by Nathan Lord, Late President of Dartmouth College: And to "X," of the New-Hampshire Patriot.
Contributors: Stephen Montford Vail, John Henry Hopkins, Nathan Lord, and New Hampshire Patriot.
The Bible Against Slavery
http://www.covenanter.org/JBlack/johnblack.htm
Black, John (1768-1849), and Chauncey Webster, Divine and Human Rights, or, The Westminster Confession and the Constitution of the United States Tested by the Holy Scripture. In MISCELLANEOUS, VOL. 6, 1819-1849.
"The substance of a discourse delivered Nov. 14, 1844, at the First Associate Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia."
Brooks, Pat, Dale Crowley, Jr., and Des Griffin, Freedom or Slavery?
"A profoundly disturbing book . . . exposes the hidden agenda to de-Christianize and destroy her [the United States], through dispensational 'Christian Zionism' and 'JudeoChristianity'."
*Brown, E. Richard, Rockefeller Medicine Men: Medicine and Capitalism in America, ISBN: 0520038177 9780520038172.
This book is as relevant today (2015) as it was in 1979. The players are still the same: foundations, corporations, and government. If anything the political-economic process of healthcare reform is even more complex today.
"This book explains how controlled the medicine industry is, how it became that way, and why America has the highest costs in the world for less than adequate medical care." -- Reader's Comment
"Historical epidemiological evidence overwhelmingly supports the conclusion that medical science has played a relatively small role in reducing morbidity and mortality." (p. 219)
"Medical science rescued the medical profession, in particular the practitioners, from the widespread lack of confidence in their effectiveness." (p. 77)
Capitalists and corporate managers "embraced scientific medicine as an ideological weapon in their struggle to formulate a new culture appropriate to and supportive of industrial capitalism." (p. 10)
"For members of the corporate class, technological medicine has legitimized their economic and political dominance by diverting attention from the consequences of their control -- that is, from such 'social costs' as class inequalities, domination based on race or sex, occupational hazards, and environmental degradation. For the medical profession, the knowledge generated by medical science and the techniques of medical technology provided the basis for physicians' claims to a monopoly of authority over the practice of medicine." (p. 239)
"As medical science won public and professional credibility, it also solved the second and fundamentally more serious problem facing the profession in the nineteenth century: competition. . . . The overall impact of scientific medicine within the profession was to legitimize control by elite practitioners and medical school faculty." (p. 80)
"Health care could be more effective in improving health if its research and action were directed at environmental conditions in about the same proportion that those conditions contribute to sickness and death." (p. 240)
"If you have read and 'got' anything by Noam Chomsky, or Howard Zinn, you will 'get' this book.
"After being awarded an MBA from Stanford (hence, I can confidently say I very well understand the 'business' of medicine), and practicing medicine for 20 years in both the public and private sector, I have come to the conclusion that Mr. Brown's thesis is on the money. -- Reader's Comment
Burin, Eric, Slavery and the Peculiar Solution: A History of the American Colonization Society, ISBN: 9780813037028 0813037026.
"An examination of the ACS's activities in America and Africa; Eric Burin assesses the organization's impact on slavery and race relations." -- Publisher
Calvin, John (1509-1564), The Bondage and Liberation of the Will: A Defense of the Orthodox Doctrine of Human Choice Against Pighius, 1543, ISBN: 9781441207012 1441207015. Available [CALVIN'S SELECTED WORKS, TRACTS AND LETTERS, 7 volumes], on the Puritan Hard Drive.
Carson, Thomas, and Mary Bonk, Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History, ISBN: 0787677264 9780787677268 0787638889 9780787638887 0787638897 9780787638894 0787638900 9780787638900.
Clarkson, Thomas, Nathaniel Wiley, and John Welwood Scott, An Essay on the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species, Particularly the African: In Three Parts.
*Coit, Margaret L. (1919-2003), John C. Calhoun: American Portrait, ISBN: 0877971854, 9780877971856.
"This heavily documented 593-page biography is a fascinating glimpse into secular American life in the times of John C. Calhoun (1782-1850), including southern plantation life, and the intricacies of political diplomacy in Washington, D.C.
For any reader who has been immersed in the Reformed Presbyterian Church History of this period, this biography offers a fresh and rewarding diversion into the parallel secular and political history.
"There is a lot to learn here. Human nature was the same in Calhoun's day as it is today. The selfishness of men in power was creating a serious imbalance in the economy. Calhoun understood this, and he fought heroically for political solutions to prevent a split in the union (Ecclesiastes 1:9,10). It informs about much of what was going on in the South prior to 'The War Between the States: The War of Northern Aggression, The War for Southern Independence,' information that revisionist historians often leave out of textbooks.
"The book has been criticized as a weak analysis of Calhoun as a political theorist, but this is probably an unfair criticism. Much is discussed about Calhoun's political position. The politician or the scholar of political science should read John C. Calhoun, et al., A DISQUISITION ON GOVERNMENT AND A DISCOURSE ON THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES, PAPERS, 28. Both his works and his correspondence also have been published.
"The biography does discuss the various causes of the split in the union: the decline of the federal character of our government with the resulting dominance of Northern industrial majority over the minority interests of the South, tariff regulations favoring the North, economic exploitation of the South, unbalanced growth, states rights, slavery, and so forth, and so on.
"The issue of Southern slavery is not as 'cut and dried' as abolitionists and the Northern sympathizers would have the public believe. For example, the similarities between Southern slavery and the 'wage slavery' of Northern industrialists is mentioned." -- Reader's Comment
The question of slavery has perplexed this writer for years. This biography, and the lecture, "Biblical Slavery: Its Meaning and Necessity," have helped clear up questions about the position of pro-unreconstructed Southern Evangelicals, the apparent "paradox" of the social benefits of Biblical slavery, conflicting motives for the Civil War, Robert L. Dabney's (1820-1898) "unbelievable blind spot" in the midst of excellent theology, and Dabney being branded a "racist."
Calhoun is said to be one of the most able statesmen and politicians ever to serve in Washington. This work by Margaret Coit received the Pulitzer Prize in biography in 1951. It accounts for why Calhoun is held in such high esteem in the South, even today. He has been praised as a politician by C. Gregg Singer, the church historian.
There is scant mention of Calhoun's religious convictions, and their influence on his politics. See: A THEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF AMERICAN HISTORY.
"The former Vice-President [under John Quincy Adams and the first term of Andrew Jackson -- compiler], was able to become the spokesman of the minority within that era. In doing so, he offered a vigorous justification of why the majority should be limited in what they can do to the minority. His explanation is as sound today for any minority as it was for defending the South in his time." -- Reader's Comment
"His influence during four decades of national life cannot be denied, which is one of the reasons why scholars to this day argue over whether there are two distinct periods to Calhoun's career: his earlier years when he seemed more inclined to support national-oriented legislation, and his later years when he appears as an early 'states rights' man.
"Coit, who clearly admires him and is determined to unearth the person behind the stony legend, argues that Calhoun's devotion to nation and state were as one, and that in his view only through a determined affirmation of the rights of the states could the larger national confederation succeed. . . ." -- Reader's Comment
"Coit hints at a distant personal connection to John C. Calhoun on page 306, saying the Reverend John C. Coit, a Presbyterian clergyman, was a friend of Calhoun's.
"Coit has a very vivid style and sometimes she comes dangerously close to crossing the line into writing fiction (such as when she enters the mind of a dying Calhoun and offers a series of flashback sketches)." -- Reader's Comment
Davies, Samuel (1723-1761), Letters From the Rev. Samuel Davies, &c. Shewing the State of Religion in Virginia, Particularly Among the Negroes. Likewise an extract of a letter from a gentleman in London to his friend in the country, containing some observations on the same, 1757.
Edwards, Jonathan (1703-1758), The Injustice and Impolicy of the Slave Trade, and of the Slavery of the Africans: Illustrated in a Sermon Preached Before the Connecticut Society for the Promotion of Freedom, and for the Relief of Persons Unlawfully Holden in Bondage, at their annual meeting in New-Haven, September 15, 1791. By Jonathan Edwards, D.D. Pastor of a church in New-Haven. Alternate title: DR. EDWARDS'S SERMON ON THE SLAVE-TRADE.
*Faria, Miguel A., America, Guns, and Freedom: A Journey Into Politics and the Public Health and Gun Control Movements, ISBN: 9781643072173 164307217X.
"AMERICA, GUNS, AND FREEDOM outlines why the Second Amendment and armed self-defense are still needed in modern society, debunks the arguments that the U.S. should follow the path of European social democracies by enforcing draconian gun control, and expounds on how civilian disarmament in Australia and Great Britain, despite media hype, has not decreased violent crime in those countries. In AMERICA, GUNS, AND FREEDOM, the author warns us of the five essential ingredients required for the creation and sustenance of tyrannical governments, one of which has been civilian disarmament via gun registration followed by gun bans and confiscation. Faria discusses mass shooting incidents and the role of mental illness. Special attention is given to the problem of how media sensationalism may encourage deranged individuals and madmen to become mass shooters seeking celebrity status, even in death. While gun control advocates decry America's 'gun culture,' Faria informs us of the significant role that this 'gun culture' played in saving England during World War II. American traditions have been and remain beacons of liberty, and this is most evident in AMERICA, GUNS, AND FREEDOM. Totalitarian governments that deny their citizens the right to keep and bear arms are a threat to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness." -- Amazon.com
Finkelman, Paul, Joseph Calder Miller, Macmillan Encyclopedia of World Slavery, ISBN: 002864607X 9780028646077 0028647807 9780028647807 0028647815 9780028647814.
Fooshee, George, Jr., You can be Financially Free, ISBN: 0800707907 9780800707903.
"A practical, and in may respects excellent, book on financial management with an emphasis on being a good steward of the resources God has entrusted to us." -- Cyril J. Barber
Gentleman in Edinburgh, Popery and Slavery Reviving: or, An Account of the Growth of Popery, and the Insolence of Papists and Jacobites in Scotland. In a letter from a gentleman in Edinburgh, to his friend in London. . . .
*Goodson, Stephen Mitford, A History of Central Banking and the Enslavement of Mankind, ISBN: 1912759217 9781912759217.
"Economist, Stephen Mitford Goodson, once Director of the South African Reserve Bank, catalogues the 'hidden hand' of moneylenders throughout history in fomenting wars, revolutions, depressions, recessions and other social upheavals to retain and extend their power and profits." -- Publisher
"This is one book I highly recommend to anyone on planet Earth! The author explains throughout his work the evil of the practice of usury. He also reveals the dangers of trying or actually ending the practice in their country, be it Libya, Iraq, Tsarist Russia, National Socialist Germany, et al. One success story of doing this can be pointed directly at the State of North Dakota in the United States of America! And in that case of North Dakota the usurers haven't yet thrown in the towel, i.e., they ain't done yet! Time will tell if the Dakota experience will be allowed to succeed on a long-term basis.
"How do the usurers take total control over the people of a nation? One example is explained in note 14 at the bottom of page 112: 'The deliberate collapse of the American agricultural sector may be compared to the destruction of agricultural production in the 1930s in the Ukraine (Russian for borderland) by Stalin and the subsequent Holodomor (Russian for death by starvation) in which an estimated six million Kulaks (Russian for fist) were either executed or died of hunger. . . .'
"Chapter Five, "The Great Depression," includes some very interesting topics like that of the work of Congressman Louis T. McFadden (R-Pennsylvania) who exposed the Federal Reserve System as the diabolical monster that it is. And his speeches delivered on the floor of the U.S. Congress in 1932 lead to his elimination (murder) in 1936. I have a book of his speeches which this author, Goodson, references in note 24 on page 115 of this book. In 208 pages you will not be disappointed in the wealth of knowledge gained by reading this book. All the evil described in this book is taking place in many countries around the entire planet Earth today! Check it out! Then educate your friends and relatives and try to put together a plan to take back what is rightfully the planet bequeathed to us by God Almighty!" -- Reader's Comment
Without Central Banking, the massive Overreaching Federal Government Wouldn't be Possible, Michael Maharrey
"The Federal Reserve serves as the engine that makes all of the U.S. government's unconstitutional spending possible. Without The Fed, the entire system would collapse. . . .
"In March and April [2020], the U.S. Treasury Department issued $1.56 trillion in debt securities to fund Uncle Sam's massive coronavirus spending spree. Meanwhile, in March, The Fed bought $1.2 trillion in Treasury bonds. The central bank slowed its roll a bit in April, but till purchased $526 billion in U.S. bonds. That brought the two-month total to $1.56 trillion.
"In effect, the Federal Reserve bought all of the debt issued by the U.S. government in March and April with money created out of thin air."
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2020/06/17/the-federal-reserve-the-engine-that-powers-the-most-powerful-government-in-history/
Himmelfarb, Gertrude, The Idea of Poverty: England in the Early Industrial Age, ISBN: 0394530624 9780394530628.
Hopkins, Henry J., A Scriptural, Ecclesiastical, and Historical View of Slavery From Abraham to the 19th Century.
Hummel, Jeffrey Rogers, Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men: A History of the American Civil War, ISBN: 0812693116 9780812693119 0812693124 9780812693126.
"The main thing I got out of this book was just how damaging Lincoln was to the cause of freedom in America. Lincoln trampled individual rights, jailing people indefinitely on his whim, initiating the draft, even assaulting freedom of speech (which I think is one of the few freedoms left). From Hummel's Libertarian perspective, Lincoln was probably the worst president in history. The one thing that should be pointed out in Lincoln's defense is that war always involves curtailments of liberty and requires an essentially fascistic operation of the government. The problem is that the increased governmental power doesn't go away after the war ends. I think this book is very timely at this moment in history, as our current president is about to lead us into yet another war. The Constitution says that only Congress can declare war. That means that the United States cannot engage in any military action with another country unless two-thirds of Congress approves it. Yet, look at all the presidents who have committed U.S. troops to war without a Congressional declaration. Why isn't this seen as unconstitutional? Why aren't they talking about it on Face the Nation? What gave Truman the right to commit U.S. forces to fight in Korea? Why does everyone in the media assume that George Bush has the right to start a war with Iraq when he has no such constitutional authority? What gave Clinton the power to bomb an aspirin factory in the Sudan to divert attention from his sex scandals? I'll tell you who: it was Lincoln. He started the whole trend." -- Reader's Comment
"In this insightful treatment of the Civil War (addressing the causes, the war itself and Reconstruction), Hummel's text argues against the thesis that armed confrontation was inevitable. 'As an excuse for civil war,' he says, 'maintaining the States territorial integrity is bankrupt and reprehensible. Slavery's elimination is the only morally worthy justification.' But slavery, he suggests, was on its way out in any case. Not only was it a political liability, but the institution's many-faceted costs (social cost, enforcement, uprisings, mistreatment), outweighed any profits. If, after decades of unsuccessful compromise, the North had recognized the South's revolutionary right to self-determination and had let the Gulf states secede, slavery would have succumbed in the border states. Hummel goes on to argue, as have many others before, that after a devastating war and the disappointment of Reconstruction, a federal government that once interfered only a little in the affairs of individual states 'had been transformed into an overbearing bureaucracy that intruded into daily life with taxes, drafts, surveillance, subsidies and regulations.' Hummel, a professor of history and economics at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, quotes David H. Donald, saying, 'Before the Civil War, many politicians and writers referred to the United States in the plural' -- i.e., the United States are, a grammatical agreement no longer used after 1865. With its insightful analysis (not to mention the extensive bibliographical essays that elaborate each chapter), EMANCIPATING SLAVES, ENSLAVING FREE MEN will supply both the academic and Civil War buff with an added perspective on the causes and consequences of the Civil War." -- Publishers Weekly
*Jones, E. Michael, Libido Dominandi: Sexual Liberation and Political Control, ISBN: 189031837X 9781890318376.
"Thus, a good man, though a slave, is free; but a wicked man, though a king, is a slave. For he serves, not one man alone, but, what is worse, as many masters as he has vices." -- St. Augustine, City of God
"Writing at the time of the collapse of the Roman Empire, St. Augustine both revolutionized and brought to a close antiquity's idea of freedom. A man was not a slave by nature or by law, as Aristotle claimed. His freedom was a function of his moral state. A man had as many masters as he had vices. This insight would provide the basis for the most sophisticated form of social control known to man.
"Fourteen hundred years later, a decadent French aristocrat turned that tradition on its head when he wrote that 'the freest of people are they who are most friendly to murder.' Like St. Augustine, the Marquis de Sade would agree that freedom was a function of morals. Unlike St. Augustine, Sade proposed a revolution in sexual morals to accompany the political revolution then taking place in France. LIBIDO DOMINANDI -- the term is taken from Book I of Augustine's CITY OF GOD -- is the definitive history of that sexual revolution, from 1773 to the present.
"Unlike the standard version of the sexual revolution, LIBIDO DOMINANDI shows how sexual liberation was from its inception a form of control. Those who wished to liberate man from the moral order needed to impose social controls as soon as they succeeded because liberated libido led inevitably to anarchy. Aldous Huxley wrote in his preface to the 1946 edition of BRAVE NEW WORLD that 'as political and economic freedom diminishes, sexual freedom tends compensatingly to increase.' This book is about the converse of that statement. It explains how the rhetoric of sexual freedom was used to engineer a system of covert political and social control. Over the course of the two-hundred-year span covered by this book, the development of technologies of communication, reproduction, and psychic control -- including psychotherapy, behaviorism, advertising, sensitivity training, pornography, and plain old blackmail -- allowed the Enlightenment and its heirs to turn Augustine's insight on its head and create masters out of men's vices. LIBIDO DOMINANDI is the story of how that happened." -- Publisher
"E. Michael Jones ['a Roman Catholic polemicist of the old-fashioned type, for whom no Roman prelate (at least before Vatican II) ever did wrong, and no Protestant ever did right. He writes with the vehemence of a pamphleteer in the time of the sixteenth-century French wars of religion.' -- Reader's Comment], is editor of Culture Wars Magazine, and author of many books, including THE SLAUGHTER OF CITIES: URBAN RENEWAL AS ETHNIC CLEANSING." -- Publisher
Jordan, Don, and Michael Walsh, White Cargo: The Forgotten History of Britain's White Slaves in America, ISBN: 9780814742723 0814742726 9780814742969 0814742963.
Harrill, James Albert, Slaves in the New Testament: Literary, Social, and Moral Dimensions, ISBN: 0800637720 9780800637729 080063781X 9780800637811.
"Provides an analysis of slaves and slavery in the New Testament. This book uses Greco-Roman evidence, discussion of hermeneutics, and treatment of the use of the New Testament in antebellum US slavery debates. It examines Philemon, 1 Corinthians, Romans, Luke, Acts, and the household codes." -- Publisher
*Howard-Browne, Rodney, and Paul L. Williams, The Killing of Uncle Sam: The Demise of the United States of America, ISBN: 1640070974 978-1640070974.
"Pride, greed, and power have driven men to do the unthinkable -- including selling out their nations and unsuspected citizens to the most corrupt and destructive 'invisible' global leaders on Earth. But how did this happen on American soil? How did the downfall begin and who were the predators that the 'land of the free and home of the brave' fell victim to? And is all hope lost?
"This book captures details of the last 200 years of American history that mainstream media does not want you to know. It dissects the 'legalized' system of the private central banks that has gone unchecked, and delivers gut-wrenching truths about the real domestic and foreign enemies of the United States. With over 1000 footnotes and quotes from former presidents, prime ministers, and state officials, it will equip you with the facts that the elites have covered up for centuries and empower you to stand up for the truth. -- Publisher
"This book is so well-documented that fact-checking proves an arduous and ultimately fruitless venture. Finally, someone has the courage to expose this corrupted government and financial system citing each wicked malpractice from America's inception to present day. The theme is simple yet highly logical . . . follow the money. We have been saying things like 'follow the money' to one another for years! In downtrodden conversations, we have attempted to identify the root of the injustice that has since thrived in America, and hurts each one of us to witness. But we typically fail to reach a verdict free of conjecture. With this book, we are armed with genuine facts that follow the timeline of our nation. Now we know exactly how our government and economy have been repeatedly perverted by tyrannical greed. On this knowledge, we citizens of America, all of us together, can finally build a viable solution." -- Reader's Comment
"What the book is about? The Money Trail. Money doesn't lie. People lie, but the money exposes their true intentions. And from what I've read so far in the pre-release, it's much worse than any of us could have imagined. The book shows that the 'select' few who actually control the money, these men and women are the ones who determine how we live, or who doesn't. They are the ones who make the laws and decide who will be in power. They control and own the media outlets. They control the information, the money and the military complex. They start wars in places like Iraq and Kosovo to control their natural resources. They puppeteer government agencies like the CIA, and even the Office of the President. . . ." -- Reader's Comment
"This book is a must-read for every American citizen. It is extremely eye-opening to what has gone on in our country for last 200 years. It walks you through how things were set in place many, many years ago by very powerful people and how it effects everything today in our current society. It is incredible the cabal of people that have planned and strategised for decades to pillage the American people of their wealth and to erode American Christian values and morality. The footnotes were also very helpful to be able to go and verify all of the information and see it for myself. -- Reader's Comment
"Lays out clearly what would require dozens of other books to connect all the dots. Outrageous, yet global-deep-state conspiracies we've heard about for years, that used to seem far-fetched, are finally laid out in logical progression and substantially supported. . . .
"The timing of this book [2018] cannot be overstated. . . . for the current U.S. political environment, and for what is happening on the world stage. . . . it really exposes what Trump is up against, and why the establishment hates him so. . . .
"Financial systems and banking are at the core of what is exposed. . . . America has been deceived for very long time, and many people have no idea what has happened. This book reveals the secret hidden agendas of the money system in our country. No other book explains it the way this does. . . . Line by line, Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne and Dr. Paul Williams unveil the corruption and wickedness that starts and ends with money. . . . See the history and the outright greed of individuals who have woven their influence and control over our country by controlling the money. . . .
"It amazed me to learn that the Federal Reserve is a PRIVATE Bank that is NOT answerable to Congress, the Judicial branch nor the White House. . . . There is no question left in my mind as to the utter and total corruption of our banking system. . . ." -- Excerpts from various readers comments
Chapter 38, "War Without End," in THE KILLING OF UNCLE SAM
https://revival.lpages.co/killingunclesambook/
*Kennedy, Walter Donald, Myths of American Slavery, ISBN: 1589800478 9781589800472.
"I agree. The Civil War created the foundation for the New Slavery, called Federal Slavery. Modern American slaves are victims to more confiscation than 19th century slaves.
"I do not agree with all author Kennedy's points. Slavery was certainly a partial cause shown by reading Jefferson Davis's first inaugural speech in the 'new' confederate union. It had slavery all over it. But, agreed, the primary cause was taxation, likewise with most wars. The history of the world is one group living off the labor of another. I love how Kennedy speaks the truth here.
"Even today, we are forced to choose between being a slave or a master. Parents, teach your children not to be the slave. Books like this give profound historical insight. The game never ends.
"This book further highlights that the master and slave relationship has not, and will not go away until people, black and white, have the courage to leave the modern Federal plantation. When forced, like in the USA, choose the master but embrace liberty. Great book!" -- Reader's Comment
Lean, Garth, God's Politician: William Wilberforce's Struggle, ISBN: 0939443031 9780939443031.
*Levitt, Steven, and Stephen J. Dubner, Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, ISBN: 9780062132345 0062132342 9788466645775 8466645772.
"Nothing is more powerful than information, especially when its power is abused. . . .
"Though extraordinarily diverse, these crimes all have a common trait: they were sins of information. Most of them involved an expert, or a gang of experts, promoting false information or hiding true information; in each case the experts were trying to keep the information asymmetry as asymmetrical as possible.
"The practitioners of such acts, especially in the realm of high finance, inevitably offer this defense: 'Everybody else was doing it.' Which may be largely true. One characteristic of information crimes is that very few of them are detected." -- Levitt and Dubner
"More than 4 million copies sold worldwide. Published in 35 languages. . . . Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He studies the riddles of everyday life 'from cheating and crime to parenting and sports' and reaches conclusions that turn conventional wisdom on its head. FREAKONOMICS is a groundbreaking collaboration between Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, an award-winning author and journalist. They set out to explore the inner workings of a crack gang, the truth about real estate agents, the secrets of the Ku Klux Klan, and much more." -- Publisher
Lewis, Gordon, Slavery, Imperialism and Freedom: Studies in English Radical Thought, ISBN: 0853454477 9780853454472 0853455015 9780853455011.
McKivigan, John R., The War Against Proslavery Religion: Abolitionism and the Northern Churches, 1830-1865, ISBN: 0801415896 9780801415890.
*McLeod (M'Leod), Alexander (1774-1833), Negro Slavery Unjustifiable, 1802. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #18.
Negro Slavery Unjustifiable
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/8/14/alexander-mcleods-sermon-on-negro-slavery-unjustifiable
*Moore, Joseph S., Founding Sins: How a Group of Antislavery Radicals Fought to put Christ Into the Constitution, ISBN: 9780190269241 0190269243. Alternate title: THE FAILURE TO FOUND A CHRISTIAN NATION: COVENANTERS AND THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC, TRACES THE COVENANTERS' POLITICAL ROOTS FROM SCOTLAND TO THE NEW WORLD.
"The Covenanters, now mostly forgotten, were America's first Christian nationalists. For two centuries they decried the fact that, in their view, the United States was not a Christian nation because slavery was in the Constitution but Jesus was not. Having once ruled Scotland as a part of a Presbyterian coalition, they longed to convert America to a holy Calvinist vision in which church and state united to form a godly body politic. Their unique story has largely been submerged beneath the histories of the events in which they participated and the famous figures with whom they interacted, making them the most important religious movement in American history that no one remembers.
"Despite being one of North America's smallest religious sects, the Covenanters found their way into every major revolt. They were God's rebels -- just as likely to be Patriots against Britain as they were to be Whiskey Rebels against the federal government. As the nation's earliest and most avowed abolitionists, they had a significant influence on the fight for emancipation. In Founding Sins, Joseph S. Moore examines this forgotten history, and explores how Covenanters profoundly shaped American's understandings of the separation of church and state.
"While modern arguments about America's Christian founding usually come from the right, the Covenanters have a more complicated legacy. They fought for an explicitly Christian America in the midst of what they saw as a secular state that failed the test of Christian nationhood. But they did so on behalf of a cause -- abolition -- that is traditionally associated with the left. Though their attempts to insert God into the Constitution ultimately failed, Covenanters set the acceptable limits for religion in politics for generations to come. . . .
"Joseph S. Moore is Assistant Professor of History at Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina. His work has appeared in The New York Times and various scholarly journals." -- Publisher
"The facts recorded in this book should have been common knowledge in our schools. The book helps complete the history of early colonial America, which has been censored in public education. Christians should be familiar with the names of Samuel Rutherford and George Gillespie. Their followers, Alexander McLeod and James R. Willson, though less known, did repeat the same Christian message, to wit: Jesus Christ is King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and, per Isaiah 60:12, For the nation and kingdom that will not serve Thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. So, it is imperative for any nation's survival to recognize Jesus Christ, as did many of the Colonial Charters and State Constitutions.
"This books traces that struggle and attempt by Christians to do just that. In a way, our current situation is a big 'I told you so' for the early colonial Christians. In the name of toleration, sin is tolerated. We are committing national suicide, slowly. The people discussed in this book point out a better alternative." -- Reader's Comment
Napolitano, Andrew P., and Ron Paul (foreword), Lies the Government Told You: Myth, Power, and Deception in American History, ISBN: 9781595552662 1595552669.
"Centuries of government deception have suspended our freedom and replaced it with a mythology rich in the ideals we are promised but do not actually experience.
"The government's lies have become our country's heritage, passed down generationally and accepted over time as status quo. We allow our leaders to regulate, under false pretenses, every area of our supposedly free lives: What we eat, how our money is spent, how we protect ourselves. The basic tenets of living in a free society -- the primacy of the individual and limited government -- are violated routinely and with little objection from those most affected.
"Judge Napolitano traces the deterioration of American freedom year by year, event by event, from the birth of the U.S. government to the economic and military crises of today. He illustrates how this distorted interpretation of government translates to loss for Americans -- loss of life, loss of property, loss of freedom. The cost is staggering.
"Amid the bleak revelation is a call to action. Judge Napolitano offers a blueprint to salvage our freedom and restore the government to its intended role as an instrument to protect the freedoms of the people." -- Publisher
Newell, John, and John C. Lord, "The Higher law," in its Application to the Fugitive Slave Bill: Review of Dr. John C. Lord's Sermon, on the Duties men owe to God and to Governments, 1851.
Newton, John (1725-1807), John Newton.
Newton, John (1725-1807), Out of the Depths, 2nd edition, ISBN: 0825433193 9780825433191.
"The original and unvarnished account of one of Christianity's most dramatic conversions -- the autobiography of John Newton, the author of 'Amazing Grace.' This is the ultimate, full-length hymn story, as spectacular and compelling today as when it was first written.
"Newton, and at age eleven went to sea with his father, a shipmaster on the Mediterranean. Disregarding his mother's prayer that he enter the ministry, he engaged in the lucrative but brutal African slave trade for a number of years. After his conversion he served in the Church of England as pastor of Olney parish and later of the combined church of St. Mary's in London.
"In addition to the words of 'Amazing Grace,' Newton was a prolific songwriter whose other well-known hymns include 'Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken' and 'How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds'." -- Publisher
North, Gary, The Biblical View of Slavery (Fort Worth, TX: Dominion Press).
"Most people fail to recognize that the 19th and 20th century concept of slavery is entirely different from the slavery in the ancient world. Dr. North surveys and contrasts the pagan view of slavery with the humanistic and the Biblical view. He discusses the Old Testament concept and how it changed in the New Testament." -- GCB
Institute for Christian Economics Freebooks.com
http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/
Palmer, B.M., Slavery a Divine Trust. The Duty of the South to Preserve and Perpetuate the Institution as it now Exists.
Paul, John (1777-1848), Persecution and the Slave Trade, 1844. Alternate title: PERSECUTION AND THE SLAVE TRADE. DR. PAUL'S SPEECH WHEN A TESTIMONIAL WAS PRESENTED TO HIM BY HIS FRIENDS IN BALLYMONEY, 9TH DECEMBER, 1844. Available in WORKS OF THE LATE REV. JOHN PAUL.
Pollock, John, Wilberforce, ISBN: 0312879423 9780312879426.
"Today Christians are on the front-lines in the battles against abortion, drugs, and pornography. Sometimes they wonder if they can win. Read the story of one brave Englishman who labored long against slavery in the British Empire and won." -- GCB
Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Presbytery of Edinburgh, Deliverance of the Reformed Presbytery of Edinburgh on American Slavery and Church-fellowship with Slave-holders.
Reformed Presbyterian Synod, Scotland, An Expostulation With Those Christians and Christian Churches, in the United States of America, That are Implicated in the Sin of Slaveholding 1848. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #18.
Ritchie, Daniel, Radical Orthodoxy: Irish Covenanters and American Slavery, Circa 1830-1865.
"This article analyzes the views of Reformed Presbyterians (Covenanters) in relation to the subject of American slavery. Popular mythology, especially that propagated by the exponents of Neo-Confederacy, would have us believe that all those who criticized the system of chattel slavery that existed in antebellum America were either secularists or adherents to heterodox religious opinions. In order to debunk this myth, this article seeks to demonstrate the solid antislavery credentials of this theologically conservative group of Presbyterians by examining the writings of various Covenanters on chattel slavery. As this agitation against slavery took place in a context of significant internal strife between the Covenanters over the issue of the civil magistrate's power circa sacra, this paper will consider how the antislavery arguments of Thomas Houston and John Paul diverged in order to suit their respective positions on civil magistracy. Related to this is the Covenanters' critique of the U.S. Constitution, which Reformed Presbyterians rejected owing to its proslavery sentiments. Hence this article provides us with an important insight into antislavery ideology and developments within Reformed theology in relation to the state during the nineteenth century. Finally, consideration will be given to understanding the complex response of the Reformed Presbyterians to the American Civil War and to debates between the Irish Covenanters and their American brethren on the proper reaction to the conflict." -- Abstract
Orthodoxy Irish Covenanters and American Slavery Circa 1830-1865
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/church-history/article/div-classtitleradical-orthodoxy-irish-covenanters-and-american-slavery-circa-18301865div/D9F62AE7BF67992995DA1C012466322E
*Robbins, John W. (1949-2008), Ecclesiastical Megalomania: The Economic and Political Thought of the Roman Catholic Church, ISBN: 0940931753 9780940931756.
"This book is a detailed examination of the official statements of the Vatican on economic and political matters. It demonstrates the collectivism and totalitarianism of the Roman Catholic Church-State. It is the only such book written by a Christian in the twentieth century.
"This book explores the conflict between Roman Catholic social thought and human freedom, relying on official pronouncements from the Vatican to show that the political and economic theory of the Roman Church-State justifies feudalism, corporativism [corporatism -- compiler], liberation theology, the welfare state, and fascism.
"Dr. John W. Robbins attended Grove City College (A.B. 1969), and The Johns Hopkins University (M.A. 1970, Ph.D. 1973). He has served as chief of staff for a Member of Congress [Ron Paul of Texas], editor of The Freeman magazine, Economist for The Heritage Foundation, and Professor of Political Philosophy in The Freedom School." -- Publisher
Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, Samuel Rutherford, John Owen, Thomas Manton, The Westminster Assembly, James Renwick, Archibald Mason, Christopher Ness, Francis Turretin, The Reformed Presbytery, David Steel, James R. Willson, Alexander M'Leod, William L. Roberts, James Aiken Wylie, Andrew Wilet, Henry Wilkinson, James Wylie, Patrick Fairbairn, James Aiken, Andrew Wilet, Alexander Hislop, Francis Nigel Lee, Arthur W. Pink, and so forth, and so on, have all believed and argued in print that the seated Pope is the Antichrist of the Bible.
The Roman Church-State is "the world's oldest, largest, most powerful and most influential politico-ecclesiastical institution" and it "may also be the world's wealthiest."
Robbins, John W. (1949-2008), Slavery Christianity: Paul's Letter to Philemon, an article (Unicoi, TN: The Trinity Foundation, November, 2005), ISBN: 1891777173 9781891777172.
"Slavery. Racism. Rebellion. Civil disobedience. The problems are as pressing today as they were 1900 years ago when the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to a slave-owner, Philemon, about his runaway slave -- and the runaway slave carried Paul's letter back to his legal owner.
"What did the letter say? Did Paul -- does Christianity -- approve of slavery? Does Christianity condone slavery? Or does the Gospel abolish slavery and establish freedom wherever it is believed? Jesus said, If you abide in my Word, you are my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:31,32)
"Paul's letter to Philemon is a masterpiece of divinely inspired political philosophy. It provides the basis for the non-violent abolition of slavery wherever the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached and believed.
"Dr. John W. Robbins holds the Ph.D. in Political Philosophy from The Johns Hopkins University. His most recent book is FREEDOM AND CAPITALISM: ESSAYS ON CHRISTIAN POLITICS AND ECONOMICS." -- Publisher
*Roberts, William Louis (1798-1864), The Reformed Presbyterian Catechism, ISBN: 0524065543 9780524065549. A Christian classic. Considered to be among the ten greatest books in the English language. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available from ATLA 1991-2638.
A magnificent catechism that sets forth the Crown Rights of The King of Glory and Lord of Lords. It also presents incontrovertible evidence that the United States Constitution is not a Christian document, and that it is, in fact, a slavery document.
"A manual of instruction, drawing from such notable authors as William Symington and J.R. Willson, presenting arguments and facts confirming and illustrating the 'Distinctive Principles' of the Reformed Presbyterian Church. Chapters deal with: 'Christ's Mediatorial Dominion in General;' Christ's Exclusive Headship Over the Church;' 'The Supreme and Ultimate Authority of the Word of God in the Church;' Civil Government, the Moral Ordinance of God;' Christ's Headship Over the Nations;' 'The Subjection of the Nations to God and to Christ;' The Word, or Revealed Will of God, the Supreme Law in the State;' 'The Duty of Nations, in Their National Capacity, to Acknowledge and Support the True Religion:' 'The Spiritual Independence of the Church of Christ:' 'The Right and Duty of Dissent From an Immoral Constitution of Civil Government;' 'The Duty of Covenanting, and the Permanent Obligations of Religious Covenants;' 'The Application of These Principles to the Governments, Where Reformed Presbyterians Reside, in the Form of a Practical Testimony;' and finally 'Application of the Testimony to the British Empire. . . '." -- Publisher
Reformed Presbyterian Catechism, William L. Roberts D.D.
http://archive.org/details/ReformedPresbyterianCatechism
On the Mediatorial Dominion of The Lord Jesus Christ, excerpted from THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CATECHISM.
http://www.truecovenanter.com/reformedpresbyterian/roberts_rp_catechism_section_01_mediatorial_dominion.html
The Exclusive Headship of The Lord Jesus Christ Over the Church of God, excerpted from THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CATECHISM.
http://www.truecovenanter.com/reformedpresbyterian/roberts_rp_catechism_section_02_christs_headship_over_the_church.html
Civil Government the Moral Ordinance of God, excerpted from THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CATECHISM.
http://www.truecovenanter.com/reformedpresbyterian/roberts_rp_catechism_section_04_civil_government.html
On Christ's Headship Over the Nations, excerpted from THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CATECHISM.
http://www.truecovenanter.com/reformedpresbyterian/roberts_rp_catechism_section_05_christs_headship_over_nations.html
The Subjection of the Nations to God and to Christ, excerpted from THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CATECHISM.
http://www.truecovenanter.com/reformedpresbyterian/roberts_rp_catechism_section_06_subjection_of_nations_to_christ.html
See also: The Scottish Covenanting Struggle, Alexander Craighead, and the Mecklenburg Declaration, SECRET PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION; CONSPIRACY IN PHILADELPHIA: THE ORIGINS OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION, and A THEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF AMERICAN HISTORY.
Sauer, Richard, Selling America Short: The SEC and Market Contrarians in the Age of Absurdity, ISBN: 9780470582114 0470582111.
"An industry insider reveals the inner workings of our financial system and the agencies who attempt to control it. During his dozen years as an SEC attorney, author Richard Sauer opened and supervised some of its most notable financial cases-investigations that took him to a dozen countries and returned hundreds of millions of dollars to American investors. While a partner at a major law firm and, later, a hedge fund manager, he saw firsthand the follies and failures of our system. Now, in SELLING AMERICA SHORT, he shares his extraordinary experiences with you. SELLING AMERICA SHORT is a gripp. -- Publisher
"Mr. Sauer shares a fascinating professional biography with us. First, he shares his experiences about working at the SEC enforcement division -- breaking down a couple of corporate fraud stories. He then gives us a perspective on municipal bond disclosures and politics. Finally, he walks through his time at a short-focused fund Copper River. This multi-faceted experience weaves together some hard learned conclusions:
1. "It's difficult to count on the SEC to stop financial crooks in a timely manner. Even worse, if you become a vocal critic of these corporate abusers, you run into the financial, legal, and reputational risks yourself. And the government may not always be on your side!
2. "From the fund management perspective, another takeaway is to diversify your investment banking relationships. When the crunch time comes, a hedge fund may run into partner risks that can become existential.
3. "Bottom line, when you become a public critic of the bad guys, do not be surprised to get some rocks be thrown your way. Your own house better be made of steel, or better yet, be a bunker." -- Reader's Comment
Skinner, E. Benjamin, A Crime so Monstrous: A Shocking Exposé of Modern-day Sex Slavery, Human Trafficking and Urban Child Markets, ISBN: 9781845963460 1845963466.
"Today there are more slaves than at any time in history, according to journalist Skinner's report on current and former slaves and slave dealers." -- Publisher
Sommerville, William (1800-1878), Southern Slavery not Founded on Scripture, 1864, ISBN: 066590830X 9780665908309.
*Sowell, Thomas, Black Rednecks and White Liberals, ISBN: 1594030863 9781594030864.
"This book challenges many assumptions about blacks, Jews, Germans, slavery, and education. Plainly written and backed with documented facts, it takes on not only the trendy intellectuals of our times but also such historic interpreters of American life as Alexis de Tocqueville and Frederick Law Olmsted. In a series of long essays, Sowell presents an in-depth look at key beliefs behind many mistaken and dangerous actions, policies, and trends, and presents insights into the historical development of the ghetto culture that is today wrongly seen as a unique black identity -- a culture cheered on toward self-destruction by white liberals who consider themselves 'friends' of blacks. One essay presents a jolting re-examination of the tragic institution of slavery and the narrow and distorted way it is too often seen today. Another explores the reasons for the venomous hatred of Jews, and of other groups like them in countries around the world. . . .
"BLACK REDNECKS AND WHITE LIBERALS is the capstone of decades of outstanding research and writing on racial and cultural issues by Thomas Sowell.
"Dr. Sowell is a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and the recipient of many awards and prizes. His previous books include ETHNIC AMERICA, BASIC ECONOMICS, A CONFLICT OF VISIONS and THE QUEST FOR COSMIC JUSTICE." -- Publisher
*Steele, David (1803-1887), A Case of Conscience. Alternate title: THE U.S. CONSTITUTION, TAXATION, SLAVERY, ANTICHRIST, CHURCH DISCIPLINE AND THE COVENANTERS and CIRCULAR NO. 2. Available (THE U.S. CONSTITUTION, TAXATION, SLAVERY . . .) on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available (THE U.S. CONSTITUTION, TAXATION, SLAVERY . . .) on Reformation Bookshelf CD #18, #26.
Circular No. 2, David Steele
"On Covenanter identity, the American 'civil' war and matters of taxation." -- Publisher
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2016/4/25/circular-no-2
Steele, David (1803-1887), A Case of Conscience
"An short article on the question of covenanters and taxation." -- Publisher
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2016/4/26/a-case-of-conscience
Tise, Larry E., Proslavery: A History of the Defense of Slavery in America, 1701-1840, ISBN: 0820309273 9780820309279 0820312282 9780820312286 0820323969 9780820323961.
"Probing at the very core of the American political consciousness from the colonial period through the early republic, this thorough and unprecedented study by Larry E. Tise suggests that American proslavery thought, far from being an invention of the slave-holding South, had its origins in the crucible of conservative New England. Proslavery rhetoric, Tise shows, came late to the South, where the heritage of Jefferson's ideals was strongest and where, as late as the 1830s, most slave owners would have agreed that slavery was an evil to be removed as soon as possible. When the rhetoric did come, it was often in the portmanteau [large traveling bag -- compiler] of ministers who moved south from New England, and it arrived as part of a full-blown ideology. When the South finally did embrace proslavery, the region was placed not at the periphery of American thought but in its mainstream." -- Publisher
*VanderKemp (Van der Kemp), Johannes, The Christian Entirely the Property of Christ, in Life and Death: Exhibited in Fifty-three Sermons on the Heidelberg Catechism, ISBN: 9781142354152 1142354156. See: "all editions" in WorldCat.org.
The Christian Entirely the Property of Christ in Life and Death (Free download, Kindle format)
http://archive.org/details/christianentire00kempgoog
Vision Video, The Better Hour: The Legacy of William Wilberforce, DVD (Vision Video, March 18, 2008), ISBN: 0793694124 9780793694129, 60 minutes.
A new documentary about William Wilberforce, subject of the film "Amazing Grace."
" 'The Better Hour' is the story of a man who, inspired by faith, used his political and social influence to change the world for the better. At the beginning of the 19th century, almost a third of the British economy depended on the trade of human beings. William Wilberforce was determined to end this horrific practice, by persuading both Parliament and British society to abolish slavery in the British Empire.
"Once, everyone knew the name William Wilberforce. Frederick Douglas said, 'Let no man forget the name of William Wilberforce.' A quarter century after Wilberforce's death, Abraham Lincoln said, 'Every school boy knows the name of William Wilberforce.' Yet 'few Americans today understand why, or even know Wilberforce's name,' explains 'The Better Hour' executive producer Cullen Schippe.
"Shot in high definition, 'The Better Hour: The Legacy Of William Wilberforce' is an engaging documentary, rich with content and commentary, that can inspire people with the remarkable story of William Wilberforce. He used his position as a British parliamentarian to launch 69 organizations for the betterment of society and end the trans-Atlantic slave trade -- a business that was key to the country's economic strength.
"The film focuses on a politician who, over time, developed strength of character in the service of high and seemingly unattainable goals. This film highlights William Wilberforce's drive and love for humanity and reveals how he and his colleagues worked tirelessly to end the slave trade, even as it represented a large portion of the British economy. In Wilberforce, we see character and a sense of justice for all join together to bring into the world what the English poet William Cowper described as 'the better hour'." -- Publisher
*Von Mises, Ludwig, Liberty and Property, ISBN: 9781579703783 157970378X.
"Originally delivered as a lecture at Princeton University, October 1958, at the 9th meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society." Includes bibliographical references.
Webster, Chauncey, Divine and Human Rights, or, The Westminster Confession and the Constitution of the United States Tested by the Holy Scripture. Found in MISCELLANEOUS, VOL. 6.
"The substance of a discourse delivered Nov. 14, 1844, at the First Associate Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia.
*Weiss, Gary, Wall Street Versus America: The Rampant Greed and Dishonesty That Imperil Your Investments, ISBN: 1591840945 9781591840947.
"For several years high-profile corporate wrongdoers have been vilified by the media. Yet the problem, according to investigative journalist Weiss, is not just a few isolated instances of malfeasance. The problem is in the very fabric of Wall Street and its practices that enable and even encourage corruption -- practices that are so pervasive and so difficult to combat that they are in effect perfect crimes, with the small investor left holding the bag. Weiss describes how the ethos of Mafia chophouses, boiler rooms, and penny stock peddlers now permeates all of Wall Street. Protected from investor lawsuits by laughably corrupt arbitration systems, Wall Street firms are free to fleece unsuspecting clients with little or no risk. But as this book shows, ordinary investors can fight back and come out on top -- if they learn to recognize warning signs, filter media chatter, and spot looming corporate meltdowns in advance." -- Publisher
"One more book about how scamster's on Wall Street rip-off the rest of America. For more than a quarter of a century Wall Street has had one scam after another. Portfolio insurance that led to the 509 point drop in October 1987, IPO's (Initial Public Offerings) of rotten companies in the 1990's, companies the insiders called POS (pile of shit) when talking to each other.
"Long-term capital making a Trillion dollar bet, heads they win tails America loses. Enron, WorldCom, Global Crossing, Tyco, Adelphia, and all the other accounting frauds in the early 00's. And right after them the prime slime mortgage mess.
"With each scam the stakes get higher and risk that financial disaster will ruin the American economy grows greater. Wall Street criminal's get MILLION dollar a year bonuses, America gets 10 percent unemployment." -- Reader's Comment
White, John H., From Slavery to Servanthood -- Tracing the Exodus Throughout Scripture, 1987, ISBN: 0934688419 9780934688413.
*Wilberforce, William (1759-1833), Real Christianity. Alternate title: A PRACTICAL VIEW OF THE PREVAILING RELIGIOUS SYSTEM OF PROFESSED CHRISTIANS IN THE HIGHER AND MIDDLE CLASSES IN THIS COUNTRY, CONTRASTED WITH REAL CHRISTIANITY. PUBLISHED IN 1797 BY WILLIAM WILBERFORCE, ESQ. MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR THE COUNTY OF YORK, ISBN: 157748584X.
"Wilberforce (1759-1833), was a member of the English Parliament for 45 years, a politician by calling, but a Christian in his faith and practice.
"He was a prime mover in the abolition of slavery in England. This book was printed in 1797, and has gone through many printings since, in English and five other languages.
"The book is highly abridged, being originally 450 pages. . . . The main thrust of the book is on practical Christianity. . . . Wilberforce teaches the importance of a God-centered life. Any life that is not centered on our Creator is not life at all, but such persons are dead while living (1 Timothy 5:6) . . ." -- Jay P. Green, Sr. (1918-2008)
Wilcox, D. Ray, The Reformed Presbyterian Church and the Antislavery Movement. (Unpublished MA thesis, Colorado State College of Education, 1948).
Willson, James Renwick (1780-1853), Address on the Subject of African Slavery: Delivered in Fayetteville, September 14, 1837.
Yates, Robert, John Lansing, and Luther Martin, Secret Proceedings and Debates of the Constitutional Convention, 1787. Alternate title: SECRET PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE CONVENTION ASSEMBLED AT PHILADELPHIA, IN THE YEAR 1787, FOR THE PURPOSE OF FORMING THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISBN: 1410203638 9781410203632.
"One of the most important collections of documents pertaining to the formation of the Constitution of the United States. Notes on the convention taken by Robert Yates, Chief Justice of New York, and copied by John Lansing, Jun. Esquire, late chancellor of that state, members of that convention. Including 'The Genuine Information,' laid before the Legislature of Maryland, by Luther Martin, Esquire, then attorney-general of that state, and member of the same convention. James Madison thought that Yates and Martin 'appear to have reported in angry terms what they observed with jaundiced eyes.' It must be added that in many particulars Yates' notes were fuller than Madison's own. Luther Martin's GENUINE INFORMATION is a general summary of the course of the Debates, with a running criticism on the provisions of the Constitution. Also contains an appendix with documents by Edmund Randolf, and others." -- Publisher
"The delegates, of the free states (in the national convention), in their extreme anxiety to conciliate the ascendancy of the Southern slaveholders, did listen to a compromise between right and wrong -- between FREEDOM and SLAVERY, of the ultimate fruits of which they had no conception, but which already, even now, is urging the Union to its inevitable ruin and depopulation, by a civil, servile, foreign, and Indian war, all combined in one; a war, the essential issue of which will be between freedom and slavery, and in which the unhallowed standard of slavery will be the desecrated banner of the North American Union -- that banner first unfurled to the breeze inscribed with the self-evident truths of the Declaration of Independence." -- John Quincy Adams, commenting on proceeding in the Constitutional Convention and prophetic of the War Between the States
Secret Proceedings and Debates of the Constitutional Convention, Conspiracy in Philadelphia: The Origins of the U.S. Constitution
http://garynorth.com/phildelphia.pdf
See also: The sovereignty of god, The doctrine of man (human nature, total depravity), Church and state, The sovereign grace of god: his everlasting mercy and lovingkindness, Covetousness, greed, and selfishness, The inspiration and infallibility of scripture (the doctrine of revelation, the doctrine of plenary inspiration, the doctrine of divine inspiration, the doctrine of verbal inspiration, theopneustia, sufficiency of scripture), The ten commandments: the moral law, Trusting god, Freedom: a gift of the grace of god, State sovereignty and corporate immunity: reform of corporations, Theft, fraud, stealing: property rights and freedom, The civil war of the united states, the war for southern independence, the war between the states: the war of northern aggression, Socialism, communism, marxism, Sexual relationship, Spiritual adultery (spiritual whoredom/harlotry), Idolatry, syncretism, Sexual wholeness, Rebellion and lawlessness: wickedness, demonic possession, substance abuse, abnormal behavior, insanity, mental illness, mental retardation, Repentance the key to salvation and change, Justice, the theology of judgment, god's final judgment, the great white throne judgment, the day of the lord, Justifying faith, Forgiveness, Sanctification, The covenant faithfulness of god, The all-sufficiency of christ, Lordship of jesus christ, Christ's kingdom, Covenant theology and the ordinance of covenanting, The covenanted reformation, The covenanted reformation of scotland background and history, Covenanted reformation short title listing, Selection of covenant heads for positions of leadership, The one and the many, Corporate faithfulness and sanctification, Individual responsibility for corporate faithfulness and sanctification, Unfaithful reformed ministries, Secret societies, ungodly alliances, voluntary associations, Conspiracy, corruption, organized crime, Pseudo-christian movements: a selection of works, Politics, Conscience, casuistry, cases of conscience, The theology of freedom, Freedom: a gift of the grace of god, Political and economic freedom, Biblical economics, Christian liberty, Freedom with responsibility to god, Christian self-government, Acts of faithful assemblies, The aristocracy of wealth, Feudalism, Anarchy, Tyranny, Biblical civil government and the basis for civil resistance, The christian foundation of america, Colonial history, Covenanting in america, Christianity and democracy, The utter failure of the u.s. constitution as a social deed of covenant, The civil war of the united states, the war for southern independence, the war between the states: the war of northern aggression, The application of scripture to the corporate bodies of church and state, and so forth, and so on.
TCRB5: 2138
Biblical Slavery vs. Roman and American Slavery, Matt Trewhella
Exodus 21:16; 1 Corinthians 7:21-23.
https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1024181717180&fbclid=IwAR3T8H_VPSYw43bxm7IXuTCjGWAfToWGhp8L4-8O_iFuriCza8VqhKPEZ9g
Exposing and Opposing Slavery Today, a video, Peter Hammond
"The abolition of slavery was a fruit of Christianity. However, those who believe that the days of slavery are over are mistaken.
"As Christians have retreated from social and political arenas, and as nations, which had once been considered Christian, now move into what they term: 'The post-Christian era,' we are seeing a resurgence of all those evils.
"Those who reject Christianity will in time embrace all of the vices outlawed by Christianity. So we are seeing in this apostate age a resurgence of legalized child killing through abortion, the killing of the aged and infirm through euthanasia, the legalization of adultery and polygamy, the legalization of perversion and prostitution, and a massive resurgence in slavery.
"The films, 'Taken, The Whistle-blower, Trade of Innocents' and 'Nefarious' shockingly expose the kidnapping, human trafficking and slavery that is going on at this very time."
https://vimeo.com/352204696
Slavery Today and Setting the Captives Free, a sermon, Peter Hammond
Isaiah 60:1-11 and 2 Corinthians 3:17
https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=7301981036205
How Government Budget Deficits Make us Poorer
"According to some commentators the US federal budget deficit still remains a major economic problem, notwithstanding that it draws less attention than in the past."
https://mises.org/blog/how-government-budget-deficits-make-us-poorer
Modern Monetary Theory (MMT)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Monetary_Theory
Negro Slavery Unjustifiable Homepage
http://www.covenanter.org/Slavery/slaveryhome.htm
Philemon
http://www.lettermen2.com/bcrr3ch.html#phlmn
The Real Story of Slavery and war Crimes, Peter Hammond and Michael Walsh
"Peter Hammond and Mike Walsh discuss: the secret history of the slave trade; why many of the prisoners in American prisons today are technically slaves; the White slaves mainstream historians never seem to talk about; the forgotten slaves of Eastern Europe; the 28 million Africans who were transported across the Sahara & East Africa to be slaves in The Muslim Middle East; the tireless work that European missionaries did in order to bring an end to the slave trade; the slave trade that still goes on in the world today, that president Obama chose to ignore on his tour of Africa; the war crimes committed against German and Japanese civilians in World War II; the NATO war crimes committed against Serbia in 1999 and in the Middle East during this century; how control of the mainstream media is in the hands of perpetrators; the international boycotts against Rhodesia and South Africa; why sanctions don't work; and many other important topics."
https://soundcloud.com/user-779428885/the-real-story-of-slavery-and-war-crimes
Reject Draft Slavery, Rep. Ron Paul, MD
"Without conscription, unpopular wars are difficult to fight. Once the draft was undermined in the 1960s and early 1970s, the Vietnam War came to an end. But most importantly, liberty cannot be preserved by tyranny. A free society must always resort to volunteers. Tyrants think nothing of forcing men to fight and serve in wrongheaded wars. A true fight for survival and defense of America would elicit, I am sure, the assistance of every able-bodied man and woman. This is not the case with wars of mischief far away from home, which we have experienced often in the past century.
"A government that is willing to enslave some of its people can never be trusted to protect the liberties of its own citizens. I hope all my colleagues to join me in standing up for individual liberty by rejecting HR 163 and all attempts to bring back the draft."
http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul209.html
Slavery Today and Setting the Captives Free, a sermon, Peter Hammond
Isaiah 60:1-11 and 2 Corinthians 3:17
https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=7301981036205
Stop Human Trafficking 2021
https://vimeo.com/579344090
*Truth in Accounting, Financial State of the Union 2021.
*The National Debt is Worse Than Advertised
"When you include unfunded liabilities such as Social Security and Medicare, that actual US debt stands at $123.11 trillion, according to the 'Financial State of the Union 2021' published by Truth in Accounting.
"In order to pay off all of Uncle Sam's liabilities, every taxpayer in the US would have to write a check for $796,000. . . .
"The federal government has $5.95 trillion in assets and $129.06 trillion in liabilities. If it were a private company, the US government would be bankrupt."
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2021/04/23/the-national-debt-is-worse-than-advertised/
About our National Debt
https://www.truthinaccounting.org/about/our_national_debt
U.S. National Debt Clock: Real Time
http://www.usdebtclock.org/
Many issues in the secular world reduce down to a dollars and cents consideration.
Beard, Charles Austin (1874-1948), and Forrest McDonald (introduction), An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States, ISBN: 0029024803.
"In this classic and controversial interpretation of the economic conditions of the United States between 1783-1787, Beard proposes the thesis that the Framers were motivated by economic concerns. In his landmark work, THE GROWTH OF AMERICAN LAW, Hurst describes AN ECONOMIC INTERPRETATION . . . as 'one of "the basic works" on the Federal Convention of 1787.' (Hurst, The Growth of American Law: 458). Beard [1874-1948], was a founder of The New School for Social Research." -- Publisher
Clouse, Robert G., William E. Diehl, et al., Wealth and Poverty: Four Christian Views of Economics, ISBN: 0877843473 9780877843474.
*Kelly, Marjorie, The Divine Right of Capital: Dethroning the Corporate Aristocracy, ISBN: 1576752372 9781576752371.
First published just prior to the Enron debacle, the new paperback edition, includes new material on Enron.
"Wealth inequality, corporate welfare, and industrial pollution are symptoms -- the fevers and chills of the economy. The underlying illness, says Business Ethics magazine founder Marjorie Kelly, is shareholder primacy: the corporate drive to make profits for shareholders, no matter who pays the cost. In THE DIVINE RIGHT OF CAPITAL, Kelly argues that focusing on the interests of stockholders to the exclusion of everyone else's interests is a form of discrimination based on property or wealth. She shows how this bias is held by our institutional structures, much as they once held biases against blacks and women. THE DIVINE RIGHT OF CAPITAL exposes six aristocratic principles that corporations are built on, principles that we would never accept in our modern democratic society but which we accept unquestioningly in our economy. Wealth bias is a holdover from our pre-democratic past. It has enabled shareholders to become a kind of economic aristocracy. Kelly shows how to design more equitable alternatives -- new property rights, new forms of corporate governance, new ways of looking at corporate performance -- that build on both free-market and democratic principles. We think of shareholder primacy as the natural law of the free market, much as our forebears thought of monarchy as the most natural form of government. But in THE DIVINE RIGHT OF CAPITAL, Kelly brilliantly demonstrates that it is no more 'natural' than any other human creation. People designed this system and people can change it. We need a change of mind as profound as that of the American Revolution. We must question the legitimacy of a system that gives the wealthy few -- the ten percent of Americans who own ninety percent of all stock -- a disproportionate power over the many. In so doing, we can fulfill the democratic principles of our nation not only in the political sphere, but in the economic sphere as well." -- Publisher
"Brilliant. So simple. So direct. And so beautifully written. I think we have found our Thomas Paine for the new millennium." -- David Korten, author of When Corporations Rule the World
"Marjorie Kelly is the cofounder and editor of Business Ethics, a national publication on corporate social responsibility. Kelly's writing has appeared in publications such as The Utne Reader, The Progressive Populist, Tikkun, Earth Island Journal, Hope Magazine, and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Her work has been anthologized in a half-dozen books, including THE NEW ENTREPRENEURS and THE NEW PARADIGM IN BUSINESS. Kelly is a regular speaker and commentator on business ethics and corporate social responsibility featured in The Wall Street Journal, quoted in the New York Times, and interviewed frequently on NPR and other radio networks." -- Publisher
Divine Right of Capital
http://www.divinerightofcapital.com/
Business Ethics Magazine
http://www.business-ethics.com/
An Opening for Change: Understanding the Enron Crisis
Excerpted from THE DIVINE RIGHT OF CAPITAL: DETHRONING THE CORPORATE ARISTOCRACY, by Marjorie Kelly, San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, paperback edition 2003
http://www.divinerightofcapital.com/new_agenda.htm
Corporate Accountability Project
http://www.corporations.org/
Corporate Governance
http://corpgov.net/
Code for Corporate Responsibility
http://www.c4cr.org/
*Levitt, Steven, and Stephen J. Dubner, Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, ISBN: 9780062132345 0062132342 9788466645775 8466645772.
"Nothing is more powerful than information, especially when its power is abused. . . .
"Though extraordinarily diverse, these crimes all have a common trait: they were sins of information. Most of them involved an expert, or a gang of experts, promoting false information or hiding true information; in each case the experts were trying to keep the information asymmetry as asymmetrical as possible.
"The practitioners of such acts, especially in the realm of high finance, inevitably offer this defense: 'Everybody else was doing it.' Which may be largely true. One characteristic of information crimes is that very few of them are detected." -- Levitt and Dubner
"More than 4 million copies sold worldwide. Published in 35 languages. . . . Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He studies the riddles of everyday life 'from cheating and crime to parenting and sports' and reaches conclusions that turn conventional wisdom on its head. FREAKONOMICS is a groundbreaking collaboration between Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, an award-winning author and journalist. They set out to explore the inner workings of a crack gang, the truth about real estate agents, the secrets of the Ku Klux Klan, and much more." -- Publisher
McDonald, Forrest, and Russell Kirk, We the People: The Economic Origins of the Constitution, ISBN: 1560005742 9781560005742.
"Few vices are easier to arouse than envy. Politicians and ideologues have had great success exploiting the resentment that arises when pitting rich against the poor.
"From the time of its publication in 1913 until the 1960s, Charles Beard's thesis dominated discussion of the founders' motives. In the mode of the Marxist interpretation of history as class struggle, Beard argued that economic self-interest, rather than concern for the general good, determined the writing and outcome of the Constitution.
"Interestingly, Beard asserted his system of alignment without actually proving it, admitting that his work was fragmentary because it failed to fill in the blanks. The real legwork of research wasn't done until over fifty years later, when historian Forrest McDonald put Beard's thesis to the test. McDonald dug through numerous public records to write economic biographies of the delegates (the 55 who attended the Constitutional Convention and the 1,750 members at the state conventions), analyzing their occupations, income, and assets. By comparing these to how the delegates voted, he found that Beard's thesis was incompatible with the facts.
"In We the People McDonald analyzed the geographical and political factions represented by delegates, their property holdings and occupations, their voting patterns, if any, and whether they benefited directly from the proposed Constitution. For the state conventions he divided chapters into states favorable, divided, and opposed to the Constitution. At the end he re-evaluated Beard's thesis and discussed whether any economic interpretation could be applied to our founding given the complexity and variety of occupations and opinions that existed.
"The result was a remarkable, though at times necessarily tedious, bit of historical detective work. Very likely it came as a great relief to many Americans to learn that the founders had something other than their own economic gain at heart. Probably few were surprised that the founders were a much more diverse group than Beard had realized.
"We may find that independence difficult to believe today, when the forces of selfishness, materialism, and special interest seem so dominant, not merely among political and business leaders but among the general populace. Today propagandists still want to align people into absolutes, much like trial lawyers who portray their clients as angels and their opponents as devils. Our shallow political debates revolve around false dichotomies such as the Party of Business and the Party of the Common Man. But I imagine this adversarial, intellectually dishonest approach will continue to be used as an effective tool as long as there is envy to be harvested in the heart of man. -- Reader's Comment
See also: The ten commandments: the moral law, Covetousness, greed, and selfishness, Biblical economics, Political and economic freedom, Theft, fraud, stealing: property rights and freedom, State sovereignty and corporate immunity: reform of corporations, Monopoly and anti-trust law enforcement, Carnality and flesh pleasing: lust, desires, ambition, pleasure, Wealth and prosperity, the snare of, Taxation and war, Conspiracy, corruption, organized crime, Slavery, our systems of enslavement, economic enslavement, and so forth, and so on.
Feudalism is still alive and well in today's modern corporate world, in spirit and intent. -- Bizshifts Trends.com.The Corporate worldview we are operating under today remains rooted in the Feudal Age, a system in which a few wealthy noblemen lived in luxury at the expense of the masses. The capital of corporations is distributed by an accounting system that was constituted to serve the wishes of an aristocracy of wealth under a 16th century monarchy. The principles of accounting have remained essentially unchanged since that Feudal Age, 600 years ago. -- Vladimir Shlapentokh and Daniel Martinez, Feudal America: Elements of the Middle Ages in Contemporary Society
Cheyney, Edward Potts, Documents Illustrative of Feudalism, ISBN: 0404089747 9780404089740.
Ghent, William J., Oliver Wendell Holmes Collection (Library of Congress), Our Benevolent Feudalism.
Himmelfarb, Gertrude, The Idea of Poverty: England in the Early Industrial Age, ISBN: 0394530624 9780394530628.
Kerr, Robert L., The Corporate Free-speech Movement: Cognitive Feudalism and the Endangered Marketplace of Ideas, ISBN: 9781593323592 159332359X.
Lederer, Emma, Feudalism as a Structure and Form of Society.
Martinez, Daniel, Self, Absurdity, and Feudalism in 21st Century America, ISBN 0988267772 9780988267770.
"America is noted around the world as the premier example of democracy and productive capitalism. But the reality is that an elite class, working in conjunction with a self-serving cooperative government, exploits America's middle- and lower-class workers, creating a covert feudalist system which produces enormous wealth principally for the benefit of the ruling class. In the general population, social, moral, and political truth are distorted by a massive system of lies, propaganda, and popular delusions, making it even more difficult for the exploited workers to see through the blinding social fog. Those who confront the truth must face an unavoidable question: Do I want to continue living my life as a mindless worker ant? -- Publisher
Orren, Karen, Belated Feudalism: Labor, the law, and Liberal Development in the United States.
Painter, Sidney, Feudalism and Liberty; Articles and Addresses.
Rader, Trout, The Economics of Feudalism, ISBN: 0677032803 9780677032801 0677032854 9780677032856.
*Robbins, John W. (1949-2008), Ecclesiastical Megalomania: The Economic and Political Thought of the Roman Catholic Church, ISBN: 0940931753 9780940931756.
"This book is a detailed examination of the official statements of the Vatican on economic and political matters. It demonstrates the collectivism and totalitarianism of the Roman Catholic Church-State. It is the only such book written by a Christian in the twentieth century.
"This book explores the conflict between Roman Catholic social thought and human freedom, relying on official pronouncements from the Vatican to show that the political and economic theory of the Roman Church-State justifies feudalism, corporativism [corporatism -- compiler], liberation theology, the welfare state, and fascism.
"Dr. John W. Robbins attended Grove City College (A.B. 1969), and The Johns Hopkins University (M.A. 1970, Ph.D. 1973). He has served as chief of staff for a Member of Congress [Ron Paul of Texas], editor of The Freeman magazine, Economist for The Heritage Foundation, and Professor of Political Philosophy in The Freedom School." -- Publisher
Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority. -- John Emerich Edward Dalberg, Lord Acton (1834-1902), in a letter to Mandell Creighton, April 5, 1887, quoted by Gertrude Himmelfarb in Acton, Essays on Freedom and Power, pp. 335-36 (1972)"As the world focuses it attention on the papacy, we ought to recall Lord Acton, the great Roman Catholic historian of the 19th century. Many have heard the aphorism, 'Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely,' though it is usually misquoted as 'Power corrupts.' Few who have heard it, however, know who its author was: John Emerich Edward Dalberg, better known as Lord Acton. Fewer still realize that Acton used the aphorism in opposing the papacy, the absolute monarchy of the Roman Catholic Church.
The object of the Inquisition [was] not to combat sin -- for the sin was not judged by it unless accompanied by [theological] error. Nor even to put down error. For it punished untimely and unseemly remarks the same as blasphemy. Only unity. This became an outward, fictitious, hypocritical unity. The gravest sin was pardoned, but it was death to deny the donation of Constantine. [The Donation of Constantine was a document forged in the eighth century in which the Roman Emperor Constantine willed the Western Roman Empire to the Pope. The Roman Church taught that the Donation was genuine, and the legal basis for the pope's civil authority, for centuries. -- JR]. So men learnt that outward submission must be given. All this [was] to promote authority more than faith. When ideas were punished more severely than actions -- for all this time the Church was softening the criminal law, and saving men from the consequences of crime: -- and the Donation was put on a level with God's own law -- men understood that authority went before sincerity."Acton believed that the Inquisition was the institution by which the medieval papacy had to be condemned or acquitted. Just as a man charged with murder is judged for a single act, though be may be kind to his mother and a great philanthropist, so the papacy must be judged for the Inquisition. To Mandell Creighton, an Anglican priest, Acton wrote:
I cannot accept your canon that we are to judge Pope and King unlike other men, with a favourable presumption that they did no wrong. If there is any presumption it is the other way, against holders of power, increasing as the power increases. Historic responsibility has to make up for the want of legal responsibility. Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority. There is no worse heresy than that the office sanctifies the holder of it. . . . For many years my view of Catholic controversy has been governed by the following chain of reasoning: 1. A crime does not become a good deed by being committed for the good of a church. 2. The theorist who approves the act is no better than the culprit who commits it. 3. The divine or historian who defends the theorist incurs the same blame. . . . To commit murder is the mark of a moment, exceptional. To defend it is constant, and shows a more perverted conscience."Acton turned his attention to other crimes of the Roman Church as well. Beginning on Sunday, August 24, 1572, tens of thousands of French Huguenots were massacred by the Catholics. Overnight, thousands were murdered, and the murders continued for several months. The massacre began in Paris. The sign of the cross was everywhere, and the murders took on the air of a crusade, a holy war against the infidels. The banks of the Seine became a slaughterhouse. Men, women, children, and infants were stabbed or dragged by a rope around the neck to be thrown into the river. The murder, looting, and rape went on for days in Paris.
The story is much more abominable than we all believed. . . . S.B. [St. Bartholomew's], is the greatest crime of modern times. It was committed on principles professed by Rome. It was approved, sanctioned, and praised by the papacy. The Holy See went out of its way to signify to the world, by permanent and solemn acts, how entirely it admired a king who slaughtered his subjects treacherously, because they were Protestants. To proclaim forever that because a man is a Protestant it is a pious deed to cut his throat in the night. . . ."For three centuries the Roman church's canon law had affirmed that the killing of an excommunicated person was not murder, and that allegiance need not be kept with heretical rulers. Murder and treason were part of the Roman church's official teachings. Charles IX was acting as a good Catholic, and he was highly praised by the pope for his murders.
A man is not honest who accepts all the Papal decisions in questions of morality, for they have often been distinctly immoral; or who approves the conduct of the Popes in engrossing power, for it was stained with perfidy and falsehood; or who is ready to alter his convictions at their command, for his conscience is guided by no principle."After studying the history of the popes, Acton wrote:
The papacy contrived murder and massacre on the largest and also on the most cruel and inhuman scale. They were not only wholesale assassins but they made the principle of assassination a law of the Christian Church and a condition of salvation. . . . [The Papacy], is the fiend skulking behind the Crucifix.Massachusetts Attorney General, The Sexual Abuse of Children in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, Thomas F. Reilly, Massachusetts Attorney General.
*Rushdoony, R.J. (1916-2001), This Independent Republic: Studies in the Nature and Meaning of American History. Available through Exodus Books.
"First published in 1964 and out of print for many years, this series of essays gives important insight into American history by one who could trace American development in terms of the Christian ideas which gave it direction.
"These essays will greatly alter your understanding of, and appreciation for, American history. Topics discussed include: The legal issues behind the War of Independence; Sovereignty as a theological tenet foreign to colonial political thought and the Constitution; The desire for land as a consequence of the belief in 'inheriting the land' as a future blessing, not an immediate economic asset; Federalism's localism as an inheritance of feudalism; The local control of property as a guarantee of liberty; Why federal elections were long considered of less importance than local politics; How early American ideas attributed to democratic thought were based on religious ideals of communion and community; and The absurdity of a mathematical concept of equality being applied to people. With index." -- Publisher
Shlapentokh, Vladimir, and Joshua Woods, Feudal America: Elements of the Middle Ages in Contemporary Society, ISBN: 0271037822 9780271037820.
"Do Americans live in a liberal capitalist society, where evenhanded competition rules the day, or a society in which big money, private security, and personal relations determine key social outcomes? Vladimir Shlapentokh and Joshua Woods argue that the answer to these questions cannot be found among the conventional models used to describe the nation. Offering a new analytical tool, the authors present a provocative explanation of the nature of contemporary society by comparing its essential characteristics to those of medieval European societies.
"Their feudal model emphasizes five elements: the weakness of the state and its inability to protect its territory, guarantee the security of its citizens, and enforce laws; conflicts and collusions between and within organizations that involve corruption and other forms of illegal or semilegal actions; the dominance of personal relations in political and economic life; the prevalence of an elitist ideology; and the use of private agents and organizations for the provision of safety and security. FEUDAL AMERICA urges readers to suspend their forward-thinking and futurist orientations, question linear notions of social and historical progression, and look for explanations of contemporary social problems in medieval European history." -- Publisher
Sweezy, Paul M., The Transition From Feudalism to Capitalism, ISBN: 0902308211 9780902308213 0902308513 9780902308510.
See also: The doctrine of man (human nature, total depravity), Covetousness, greed, and selfishness, The question of the one and the many, Carnality and flesh pleasing: lust, desires, ambition, Slavery, our systems of enslavement, economic enslavement, Theft, fraud, stealing: property rights and freedom, Taxation and war, Secret societies, ungodly alliances, voluntary associations, Oaths, ensnaring vows, promises, and covenants, bonds with the ungodly, Power, Glory in iniquity, the temptation of vainglory, Statism (hellenic thought), institutionalism, and corporatism, State sovereignty and corporate immunity: reform of corporations, The ten commandments: the moral law, Ethics, Medical ethics, Healthcare reform, Monopoly and anti-trust law enforcement, Casuistry, The commandments of christ, Cases of conscience, Will and recalcitrance, and so forth, and so on.
Mutation of Medieval Feudalism Into Modern Corporate Capitalism: The Rise of Neofeudalism in Corporate Governance
"Feudalism is still alive and well in today's modern corporate world, in spirit and intent -- Question: What is the most enduring and stable system of economic and social order the world has ever known? It's not capitalism, or socialism, or dictatorship: It's feudalism. . . .
"Though brilliant in its conception, feudalism was a biased hierarchy of authority, rights, power -- that extended from monarchs downward, creating an intricate network of obligatory situations that infringed on almost every basic human right . . . ."
http://bizshifts-trends.com/mutation-medieval-feudalism-modern-business-capitalism-rise-neofeudalism-corporate-governance/
Neo-feudalism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-feudalism
The "law of God" expresses the mind of the Creator, and is binding upon all rational creatures. It is God's unchanging moral standard for regulating the conduct of all men . . . The law was impressed on man's moral nature from the beginning, and though now fallen, he still shows the work of it written on his heart. This law has never been repealed, and, in the very nature of things, cannot be. For God to abrogate the moral law would be to plunge the whole universe into anarchy. Obedience to the law of God is man's first duty. . . . That is why in the first discourse of Christ recorded in the New Testament, he declared, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17), and then proceeded to expound and enforce the moral law. -- Arthur Pink (1886-1952), Life of FaithJohn Cotton, writing in 1629, 1630, he and his Puritan colleagues, issued a very interesting question, and the question which he said was this, 'if the people govern, who shall be governed?' Democracy produces anarchy, and anarchy produces Totalitarianism. It is a very simple triad formula, and it has never failed to work. And I would have you think throughout these hours of this political question, if the people govern, who shall be governed? -- C. Gregg Singer in his lecture Decline of American Culture #02: Decline (Political, Economic, Cultural), part 1
Begg, James (1808-1883), Anarchy in Worship or Recent Innovation Contrasted with the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church and the Vows of Her Office-Bearers (1875). Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #3, #4 and #24.
"The principles upheld in this book are extremely important today, for as the title page notes 'When nations are to perish in their sins, 'Tis in the Church the leprosy begins.' Begg lays his foundations in the second commandment and deals with all man-made innovations in the worship of God. The four types of innovators exposed are especially interesting, being: 1. the presumptuous and blasphemous innovator; 2. the popularity-hunting innovator; 3. the politic and scheming innovator; 4. the aesthetic innovator. Women preachers, drama, dance and numerous other modern inventions in public worship would all be rejected outright if these Biblical principles were faithfully followed. Herein we also see why those holding to the Scriptural law of worship and the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) must reject musical instruments in public worship as just another Popish and Judaizing innovation -- a resurrecting of the abrogated ceremonial law -- and thus a denial of the finished work of Christ. The discussion of vows taken by office holders to the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), as they relate to worship, is also extremely important and should be read not only by all elders who have bound themselves to uphold the WCF [1646], but also by all Christians who love the truth and want to maintain the church in purity." -- Publisher
*Brown, John (of Haddington, 1722-1787), The Absurdity and Perfidy of all Authoritative Toleration of Gross Heresy, Blasphemy, Idolatry, Popery, in Britain. In two letters to a friend in which the doctrine of the Westminster Confession of Faith [1646] relative to Toleration of a False Religion, and the power of the civil magistrate about sacred matters; and the nature, origin, ends and obligation of the National Covenant and Solemn League are candidly represented and defended, 1797. Alternate title: A COMPEND OF THE LETTERS OF THE REV. JOHN BROWN, LATE MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL IN HADDINGTON: ON AUTHORITATIVE TOLERATION OF GROSS HERESY, BLASPHEMY, IDOLATRY, POPERY IN BRITAIN, AND ON NATIONAL COVENANTING; IN WHICH THE DOCTRINE OF THE WESTMINSTER CONFESSION OF FAITH . . . AND OF THE NATIONAL COVENANT AND SOLEMN LEAGUE ARE CANDIDLY REPRESENTED AND DEFENDED, 1797, and "REFORMATION ATTAINMENTS VERSUS BACKSLIDING RELIGIOUS PROFESSORS," appears to be an excerpt. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #7, #25, #26.
The Absurdity and Perfidy of all Authoritative Toleration of Gross Heresy, Blasphemy, Idolatry, Popery, in Britain
http://archive.org/details/absurdityperfidy00brow
"Reformation Attainments Versus Backsliding Religious Professors (excerpt from THE ABSURDITY AND PERFIDY OF ALL AUTHORITATIVE TOLERATION . . .
"Here Brown deals with three major Reformation attainments (anti-tolerationism, establishmentarianism and the obligations of lawful covenants as they biblically bind posterity), that Satan has always been especially concerned to overthrow -- in every major demonic move to open the floodgates of lawlessness, anarchy and misrule. Fletcher, in the preface to the 1797 edition, relates this truth as it comes to bear on various religious professors, stating, 'Papists were enemies to our covenants because they were a standard lifted up against their system of abominable idolatries. Episcopalians were enemies to them, because they were a standard lifted up against their anti-scriptural church-officers and inventions of men in the worship of God. Some Presbyterians are enemies to them in our day through ignorance of their nature and ends; and others through fear of being too strictly bound to their duty.' (cited in Johnston, Treasury of the Scottish Covenant, p. 486)
"A History of Heresy
"It is also interesting to note the long list of backsliders and heretics that often oppose one or more of these points. 'The ancient Donatists, a sect of Arian separatists, who appeared about the beginning of the 4th century, seem to have been among the first who held out these opinions to the Christian world. Feeling the weight of the arm of power for their schismatical practices, by way of reprisal, they stripped the magistrate of all power in religion; -- maintaining that he had no more power about religious matters than any private person, and refusing him the right of suppressing the propagators of doctrines different from those professed by the Church, or the observers of a different form of worship. From them the German Anabaptists adopted the same views. Then the Socinians (i.e. an early form of Scripture-denying liberals -- RB), and remonstrant Arminians, whenever the magistrate ceased to patronize their cause. The English Independents during the time of the Long Parliament were the zealous supporters of the same opinions. In their rage for liberty of conscience, they formed the strongest opposition in the Westminster Assembly which the Presbyterians had to encounter. Through their influence that venerable body was much embarrassed (hindered -- RB), in their proceeding; and by their means (in collusion with that "Judas of the Covenant," Cromwell -- RB), certain passages of the Confession of Faith never obtained the ratification of the English Parliament. The English Dissenters of the present age are generally in the same views, especially the Socinians, the Arians, and the Quakers, who have most to dread from the Laws of the Land against their blasphemies. And who knows not that the high reputation of Mr. Locke as a Philosopher . . . has given these opinions such an air of respectability, that many youth in the Universities have been thereby inclined to embrace them?' (Preface, pp. vi-vii).
"The Covenantal Hammer Smashing the Idols of our day
"In our day the tree of toleration (and the anti-Scriptural principles which logically grow out of it), has spread its branches in ways that could have never been envisioned by those that took the first steps away from biblical and covenanted uniformity. What Brown is fighting against here is an error so foundational that when left unchecked it permeates all of society, cutting out the foundational roots that are necessary for all national Reformations. And if the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Ps. 11:3 [Psalm 11:3]). Furthermore, as the preface notes 'liberty of conscience and of opinion' are 'the great idols of the day.' Here Brown takes out his covenantal hammer and smashes these idols with an inconoclastic zeal worthy of our earlier Reformed forefathers. This book is especially useful in answering the persistent fear and questions that always arise when these old Reformed views are discussed: that is, the questions dealing with religious persecution. Brown spends much time in clearing the Westminster Divines of such false charges, while also setting these controversial Reformed teachings on a thoroughly biblical foundation.
"Westminster's View of the 'Everlasting' Solemn League and Covenant
"Interestingly, in the section defending the continuing obligation of the National and Solemn League and Covenant, we also note that the Westminster Assembly considered the Solemn League and Covenant an 'everlasting covenant.' Brown cites the following as proof, 'That the body of the English nation also swore the Solemn League and Covenant, is manifest. The Westminster Assembly and English Parliament, affirm, 'The honourable house of Parliament, the Assembly of Divines, the renowned city of London, and multitudes of other persons of all ranks and quality in this nation, and the whole body of Scotland, have all sworn it, rejoicing at the oath so graciously seconded from heaven. God will, doubtless, stand by all those, who with singleness of heart shall now enter into an everlasting covenant with the Lord.' (p. 161, emphasis added). The footnote tells us that the words Brown was quoting were taken from 'Exhortation to take the Covenant, February, 1644.'
"Our Modern Day Malignants
"Brown also includes a helpful section on a point some modern day malignants are once again attempting to use to overthrow the biblical attainments of the Covenanted Reformation. This section shows that 'the intrinsic obligation of promises, oaths, vows, and covenants which constitutes their very essence or essential form, is totally and manifestly distinct from the obligation of the law of God in many respects.' (p. 120)
"Brown's Dying Testimony to his Children
"Finally, we cite a portion of Brown's dying testimony to his children given in the introduction (p. xix). Such testimonies, from notable Christian leaders, often contain singularly pertinent charges to their hearers. (For another notable example of this see James Renwick's dying testimony, as he was about to be martyred for his adherence to the Solemn League and Covenant, when he recounts what was later to become most of the terms of communion in Covenanted Presbyterian churches. This testimony can be found in Thompson's A CLOUD OF WITNESSES FOR THE ROYAL PREROGATIVES OF JESUS CHRIST BEING THE LAST SPEECHES AND TESTIMONIES OF THOSE WHO HAVE SUFFERED FOR THE TRUTH IN SCOTLAND SINCE . . . 1680. Here are Brown's dying words to his children: 'Adhere constantly, cordially and honestly to the Covenanted Principles of the Church of Scotland, and to that Testimony which hath been lifted up for them. I fear a generation is rising up which will endeavour silently,' (O how prophetic!), 'to let slip these matters, as if they were ashamed to hold them fast, or even to speak of them' (as with many "reformed" publishers and preachers today, who dare not touch the topics Brown deals with in this book -- RB). 'May the Lord forbid that any of you should ever enter into this confederacy against Jesus Christ and his cause! This from a dying father and minister, and a witness for Christ' (Signed) 'John Brown'."
"Do you Have What it Takes?
"If you have the courage to compare the original Reformed faith with that which is often promoted under its name today (and in many ways the old Reformed faith bears little resemblance to the 'new light' Reformers and innovators of our day), then this is an ideal book to obtain and study." -- Reg Barrow
Following are three works related to THE ABSURDITY AND PERFIDY OF ALL AUTHORITATIVE TOLERATION OF GROSS HERESY, BLASPHEMY, IDOLATRY, POPERY, IN BRITAIN by John Brown of Wamphray.
1. Barrow, Reg, Calvin, Covenanting, Close Communion and the Coming Reformation, 1996, a book review of ALEXANDER AND RUFUS . . . by John Anderson, 1862. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"Shows how Calvin practiced covenanting and close communion and how the biblical view of these ordinances is intended to purify the individual, church and nation. Refutes the Popish, Independent and paedocommunion heresies -- as well as all views of open communion (so common in our day). Also argues that Arminians, anti-paedobaptists, anti-regulativists, and all those who openly violate the law of God (and are unrepentant), should be barred from the Lord's table -- as a corrective measure ordained of God for their recovery. Also demonstrates that those that would not swear to uphold the Geneva Confession (or 'human constitution,' as it was agreeable to the Word of God), of 1536 in Calvin's day were to be excommunicated and exiled from Geneva. This is Reformation History Notes number two." -- Reg Barrow
Calvin, Covenanting and Close Communion
http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualnls/CalvinCC.htm
2. Price, Greg L., Terms of Communion: Covenants and Covenanting, a series of 7 audio cassettes [audio file]. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive.
"Explains and defends the fourth term of communion, which is 'That public, social covenanting is an ordinance of God, obligatory on churches and nations under the New Testament; that the National Covenant and the Solemn League are an exemplification of this divine institution; and that these Deeds are of continued obligation upon the moral person; and in consistency with this, that the Renovation of these Covenants at Auchensaugh, Scotland, 1712 was agreeable to the word of God.' Includes the studies offered separately on the National Covenant (2 tapes), the Solemn League and Covenant (1 tape), the Auchensaugh Renovation (2 tapes), as well as two introductory lectures (only available in this set), on the biblical principles related to the ordinance of covenanting, the descending obligation of lawful covenants, objections against covenanting, etc. Roberts, in his REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CATECHISM, catches the spirit of this tape set in the following question and answer:
"Q. May we not indulge the hope, that, in the goodness of our covenant God, and by the promised outpouring of his Holy Spirit, 'the kingdoms of the world' at large, and the British empire in particular, will dedicate themselves to God in a covenant not to be forgotten -- animated by the example of our covenant fathers exhibited in these memorable deeds?
"A. Yes. We have the most cheering grounds for this blessed hope; for it is written, that the nations at large in the spirit of devoted loyalty, shall cry -- 'Come and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten': and it cannot be well doubted, that the death-cry of the martyred Guthrie has been heard on high, and shall be verified -- 'The covenants, the covenants, shall yet be Scotland's (and the world's -- RB), reviving.' (p. 151)
"A thoroughly amazing set of tapes -- among our best!" -- Publisher
3. Cunningham, John (1819-1893), The Ordinance of Covenanting, 1843. A Christian classic. Available on the Puritan Hard Drive. Available on Reformation Bookshelf CD #3, #27.
"This book is considered by many as the classic work on covenanting. 'The theology of Covenanting is here unfolded with a richness of scriptural research and a maturity of intellectual strength which would have made the grey eye of Peden glisten with delight. The treatise is a valuable addition to that solid theological literature of which the Reformed Presbyterian Church has produced repeated and enduring specimens, and stamps Mr. Cunningham as a distinguished disciple of the thoughtful and scriptural school of Mason and the Symingtons' (Presbyterian Review (1844), as cited by Johnston, Treasury of the Scottish Covenant).
"The author himself notes that 'prayer and the offering of praise are universally admitted to be duties of religion. The Scriptures announce a place among these for the exercise of solemn Covenanting . . . What the word of God unfolds concerning it, is addressed to the most resolute consideration of all, and is capable of engaging the most extensive and prolonged investigation. And yet, though none have found this subject, like all God's judgments, else than a great deep, still in meditating upon it, the ignorant have been brought to true knowledge, and the wise have increased in wisdom. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant. (Psalm 25:14). Mutual federal engagements, concerning things religious and civil, whether entered into merely by simple promise, or confirmed by the solemn oath, have been made from the highest antiquity to the present. The hostility to some such engagements, and also the proud disregard for their obligation, which have been evinced by some in all ages, demand a most careful examination into their nature and design . . . Furnished with the key of Scripture, approaching the subject, we are enabled to open the mysteries in which ignorance and prejudice had shut it up; and equipped with the armour of light shooting forth its heavenly radiance, in safety to ourselves we assail the darkness thrown around it, and behold the instant flight of the spirits of error which that darkness contains. Standing alone in beauteous attractions descended from heaven upon it, this service beckons us to approach it, and engages to connect extensive good with a proper attention to its claims. The observance, under various phases, is described in Scripture as an undisputed and indisputable reality.'
"In this book Cunningham exhaustively covers the subject of covenanting in over 400 pages. He deals with the manner, duty and nature of covenanting (including personal and social covenanting), the obligation covenanting confers, how covenanting is provided for in the everlasting covenant, how it is adapted to the moral constitution of man and how it is according to the purposes of God. Numerous Divine examples are cited from Scripture and covenanting is shown to be one of the great privileges of the Christian life.
"An interesting chapter covers 'Covenanting Enforced By the Grant of Covenant Signs and Seals;' which touches on circumcision, baptism, the Sabbath, the Priesthood, the new heart and the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Furthermore, this book demonstrates how God's approbation rested upon Covenanters in former ages, how covenanting is predicted in prophecy, how it is recommended by the practice of the New Testament Church and at what seasons it is appropriate. The appendices touch on the relationship of covenanting to immoral and unscriptural civil governments, the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland, the British constitution and the apostasy of the Revolution settlement.
"Additionally, Cunningham acknowledges that the true church is 'bound by the obligations of the Church of God is past times' and is still obligated to pay what it has vowed to the Lord in those magnificent attainments of the Second Reformation (the epitome of these attainments being embodied in the Solemn League and Covenant and the Westminster Standards).
"If you are interested in the ordinance of covenanting this is the most extensive treatment you will find in one book. It is a gold mine of Scriptural references and should be read at least once by everyone who calls upon the name of Christ." -- Publisher
"David Steele dedicated this work [NOTES ON THE APOCALYPSE -- compiler], to John Cunningham (1819-1893), author of THE ORDINANCE OF COVENANTING." -- Publisher
The Ordinance of Covenanting
http://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2015/6/29/ordinance-of-covenanting
*Elliott, Paul M., Christianity and Neo-liberalism: The Spiritual Crisis in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and Beyond, ISBN: 0940931680 9780940931688.
"Paul M. Elliott, a former Ruling Elder in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, carefully traces the origin of the spiritual crisis in the OPC and similar denominations to the pernicious teaching of Westminster Theological Seminary. That teaching is that God is unknowable, that Scripture is contradictory, and that salvation is by faith-plus-works. Elliott provides copious quotations from faculty members, from the Westminster Theological Journal, and from pastors in OPC congregations to document his analysis. This book is must reading for all Presbyterians.
"Elliott's book is a massive documentation of Liberalism at Westminster Seminary (Philadelphia) and in the OPC on the doctrines of Scripture, God, salvation, and hermeneutics. Officers of the OPC should not even begin to think, 'We are the children of Machen,' for if they were, they would do the deeds of Machen." -- The Trinity Foundation
" 'The Marks of Neo-liberalism' is taken from chapter 2 of . . . CHRISTIANITY AND NEO-LIBERALISM: THE SPIRITUAL CRISIS IN THE ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AND BEYOND.
"In this chapter Mr. Elliot lists the marks of Neo-liberalism -- they are the principles of the Liberalism that Machen opposed -- and shows how the OPC displays those marks, even while claiming that 'there's no one here but us Reformed folks.'
The Marks of Neo-liberalism, Paul M. Elliott
http://www.trinityfoundation.org/journal.php?id=219
"I would like to recommend Paul Elliot's new book, CHRISTIANITY AND NEO-LIBERALISM. This is a book that everyone who loves Jesus Christ, loves the truth, and loves the Gospel must read.
"It is a riveting and horrifying story. Elliot explains in great detail how the enemies of the faith have been able to surreptitiously supplant the true Gospel with a clever fraud and, more importantly, how they were able to succeed in the OPC. The track Elliot outlines in the OPC is mirrored in many respects in the PCA as well. Further, the politics involved and how these enemies of Christ have positioned themselves in places of power and influence over the years and their success in neutralizing their opposition is a lesson all of us need to learn, but I'm afraid few of us have. The incredible gullibility and complacency of countless churchmen recounted in this book is frightening. The comparison to Machen's CHRISTIANITY AND LIBERALISM is more than fitting. I would argue Elliot's book is considerably better on a number of counts. His account of the Kinnaird affair alone is worth the price of the book. Yet, there is so much I haven't even considered, like the "hermeneutic of trust" which has supplanted the Reformed hermeneutic yin many circles is an eye-opener. This is simply an amazing book." -- Sean Gerety
Contents:
Part One: Liberalism and Neo-liberalism: A Little Leaven; The Marks of Neo-liberalism.
Part Two: Historical Background: Those Who Ignore the Errors of History; Embracing the Principles of the Auburn Affirmation.
Part Three: The Growth of Neo-liberalism: The Shepherd Controversy: Entry of Another Gospel; Richard Gaffin's New Perspective on Paul; The Kinnaird Case and its Aftermath; The Hermeneutic of Trust: Prescription for Doctrinal Anarchy; How Did It Happen?
Part Four: How Shall We Respond?: The Biblical Imperative.
Appendices: The Auburn Affirmation; Kinnaird Memorandum; Proposed (Rejected) Overture to the 2004 OPC General Assembly; Scripture Index; Index.
Ellul, Jacques (1912-1994), Anarchy and Christianity, 1991, ISBN: 0802804950 9780802804952.
Kaplan, Robert, The Coming Anarchy: How Scarcity, Crime, Overpopulation, Tribalism, and Disease are Rapidly Destroying the Social Fabric of Our Planet, an article.
"In 1994, Robert Kaplan wrote an article Now, twenty years later, with a few minor tweaks, he's saying, "See I told you so!"
*Singer, C. Gregg (1910-1999), From Rationalism to Irrationality: The Decline of the Western Mind From the Renaissance to the Present, ISBN: 0875524281 9780875524283 and a reprint of the P&R Publishing edition of 1979 (Wipf and Stock, 2006), 479 pp.
"Now, frankly students, this course is presented from obviously the Reformed Theology. I hold unabashedly, unashamedly to the whole of Reformed Theology as we find it specifically in the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms.
"At the same time I hold to a position in regard to Apologetics generally known as Presuppositionalism, and particularly that view held by Cornelius Van Til.
"This book is an attempt to enlarge and to broaden the scope of Van Til's own Apologetical system, and also his Epistemology. By that I mean, and I worked this book with him, so anything that I say is not to be construed as a criticism of Cornelius Van Til. I might add he wrote me a letter. He is delighted with this book. But what I did was to take his principles, both of Apologetics and of Epistemology, and apply them to all realms of modern thought.
"Dr. Van Til, for good and sufficient reason, sought to limit to the main stream of what we might call pure Philosophy, that is from Saint Thomas, well even before them, back to the Greeks, but particularly in the more modern period, from Saint Thomas Aquinas, William of Ockham (Occam), down through Descartes, the Rationalists, the Empiricists, down to Kant and Hegel, and of course Modern Philosophy and Modern Theology. Very seldom has he gone into what we might call the arena of Political Philosophy, or the arena of Social Thought, or the arena of Psychology and Psychiatry, the realm of Educational Philosophy, and into Art, Music, and so on, to the Fine Arts.
"This book is an attempt to apply his system, and show what happens when the Western mind has forsaken his principles, or the principles which he has espoused, and turned into its own way. And thus the book called FROM RATIONALISM TO IRRATIONALITY. The thesis being that the Rationalism inherent in Saint Thomas and the post-Thomists, and more particularly, and more openly, in the Philosophy of the Renaissance, and Descartes, and Spinosa, and Leibniz has, as it's gained momentum in the modern world, brought Western Culture to its knees. We are living, as I would think, in the death throws of the Western Cultures, the Western Civilization." -- Dr. C. Gregg Singer, in the introductory address to his course in Apologetics soon after FROM RATIONALISM TO IRRATIONALITY came off the press in 1979
Apologetics: #01: Classical and Medieval Thought #1
Dr. C. Gregg Singer, Apologetics, 56 min.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=2250511453
"Locke endeavored to set forth a political philosophy which would anchor his democratic political thought on what he felt were the firm foundations of his empiricism. However, his insistence that nature has bestowed upon mankind certain basic and inalienable rights was an assumption quite contrary to his empiricism. His denial of conscience as an innate possession or quality makes it impossible for men to know that they possess the rights of life, liberty, and property. The very concept of a human right is moral in nature and has its basis of authority in the human conscience. It is thus impossible for men to know through the senses that they have these cherished human rights. Granted that it was far from Locke's intention to undermine or destroy the traditional English concept of personal rights, his empiricism removed from his political thought the necessary foundations on which a government could be built for the protection of these rights. His empiricism supported neither the idea that men have such rights nor that they are inalienable. (p. 61)
"Underlying the secular and naturalistic assumptions of the thought of the Enlightenment was a related and equally serious problem. In their political and economic thought the leaders of this era were passionately devoted to the pursuit of freedom, and yet they seemed to be completely unaware of this incompatibility between their quest for freedom on the one hand and their reliance upon natural law on the other. How can an impersonal and deterministic concept of law produce and sustain a meaningful concept of freedom? Blindly convinced that there was no problem involved in the contradiction, the leaders of the Enlightenment pushed boldly ahead in the quest for political and economic liberty. However, their failure to recognize the issues involved in this quest led not only to the disaster of the French Revolution but to the growth of the totalitarian political and economic philosophies which first appeared in Hegel and Marx during the nineteenth century and reached their culmination in the totalitarianism of the twentieth century." (p. 73) -- quoted at the blog, Imago Veritatis: Post-modern Reformed Paleo-orthodoxy
Singer used this as textbook for his course in Apologetics. Epistemology is a recurring theme throughout the textbook and the course. The series of 24 addresses on Apologetics is available free online. See: "Apologetics" under:
Works of C. Gregg Singer
http://www.lettermen2.com/bcrr3ch.html#cgsinger
See also: The sovereignty of god, The doctrine of man (human nature, total depravity), Justice, the theology of judgment, god's final judgment, the great white throne judgment, the day of the lord, Christ our example, The commandments of christ, The teaching of our lord jesus christ, Affliction, adversity, trials, suffering, chastisement, The mediatorial reign of christ: the crown rights of christ, Christ's kingdom, Duties of the christian, Spiritual adultery (spiritual whoredom/harlotry), Idolatry, syncretism, and so forth and so on.
TCRB5: 2551
While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same he is brought in bondage. (2 Peter 2:19)Calvinism is the most formidable enemy which socialism and communism face today because it opposes every one of their basic presuppositions and purposes. It is a generally recognized truism that most supporters of these movement are the avowed enemies of Calvinism and historic evangelical doctrine. Their theological rebellion has been the vestibule for their rejection of the Biblical postulates for economic activity. -- C. Gregg Singer, John Calvin: His Roots and Fruits, p. 48
All socialist and all communist governments in the past have failed because they do not take into account the sin nature of man, The Doctrine of Man (Human Nature, Total Depravity).
The names for the society whereby men can covet everything that is their neighbor's may vary: socialism, communism, a welfare economy, rugged individualism, fascism, and national socialism are a few of the names common to history. Their goal is the same: under a facade of morality, a system is created to seize what is properly our neighbor's. Not surprisingly, such a system shows a general decline in morality. Theft, murder, adultery, and false witness all increase, because man is a unity. If he can legalize and 'justify' seizing his neighbor's wealth or property, he will then legalize and justify taking his neighbor's wife. -- R.J. Rushdoony (1916-2001), The Institutes of Biblical Law, p. 649
Covetousness
The Bible is clearly against oppression of the poor by the rich. It is also very clear about the right to own land and property: You shall not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife . . . nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbour's (Exodus 20:17); While it (the land) remained, was it not your own? (Acts 5:4; Matthew. 20:15).
How to Destroy an Economy
Based on the Commandments Thou shall not steal and Thou shall not covet, we must reject any form of "nationalisation" and forced redistribution of wealth and land. It is an observable fact that wherever this Biblical Law has been violated, as in socialist countries, the result has been starvation, wastage, and death for millions. One only needs to compare the austere North Korea under socialism and atheism, with the productive and prosperous South Korea, where free enterprise and Christianity flourish. -- William Carey Bible InstituteModern society is hypnotized by socialism. It is prevented by socialism from seeing the mortal danger it is in. One of the greatest dangers of all is that you have lost all sense of danger. You cannot even see where it is coming from as it moves swiftly towards you. Socialism of any type leads to a total destruction of the human spirit -- to destroy a people, you must first sever their roots. -- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008)
The world has never before known a godlessness as organized, militarized, and tenaciously malevolent as that preached by Marxism. Within the philosophical system of Marx and Lenin, and at the heart of their psychology, Hatred of God is the principle driving force, more fundamental than all their political and economic pretensions. Militant atheism is not merely incidental, or marginal, to Communist policy; it is not a side effect, but the central pivot. To achieve its diabolical ends, Communism needs to control a population devoid of religious and national feeling, and this entails a destruction of faith and nationhood. Communists proclaim both of these objectives openly, and just as openly put them into practice." -- Alexander Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008)
Socialism is legalized theft.
Like it or not, we are becoming a communist country. That's what's happening. We are beyond socialism. -- Donald Trump, July 2021
Greedy Democracy and the Thief Called Socialism
"Ironically, Socialism and it's more extreme expressions in various forms of Communism have a natural connection to Democracy. Throughout history Socialism has been the result of the democratic process. With the exception of African and South American tribal wars there are few instances of Socialism from some Dictator's fiat decree. From the Bolshevik Revolution to Maoism, to Nazism (German National Socialism), Italian Fascism (Mussolini's Socialism), along with the rise of other Socialist governments throughout Western Europe and England, etc., all came into being through the Democratic process. In short, the proletariat (the people) in a fit of greed if not avarice vote themselves the coercive redistribution of other's wealth, all of which is wrapped in the pseudo-morality of slogans like 'Social Justice,' 'Economic Justice' and endless appeals to a perverted sense of egalitarian fairness.
"Democracy always degenerates into the tyranny of the majority and Socialism in any of its forms is that tyranny. Socialism leverages the greed of the human heart and institutionalizes avarice. Redistribution of another's wealth is the practical expression of this vice. Whenever one group democratically coerces wealth from another group, that transfer of wealth is the moral equivalent of theft. Margaret Thatcher famously said: 'The problem with Socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.' Mrs. Thatcher's quip identifies the key structural problem with Socialism but God speaks to its essential moral defect. To all men, in all cultures, across all time He commands: Thou shalt not steal." (Exodus 20:15) -- Thomas FortneyTheir throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
Their feet are swift to shed blood:
Destruction and misery are in their ways:
And the way of peace have they not known:
There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Romans 3:13-18)Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? (Psalm 94:16)
More than half a century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of older people [a peasant he heard as a boy -- compiler] offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened. . . . But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous Revolution that swallowed up some sixty million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened. . . . And if I were called upon to identify briefly the principal trait of the entire twentieth century, here too, I would be unable to find anything more precise and pithy than to repeat once again: Men have forgotten God. -- Alexander Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008), from Men Have Forgotten God, his speech upon receiving the Templeton Award, May 10, 1983
In too many churchmen we find the exemption of the state from the law, and from judgment in terms of the law. The roots of this position go back to pagan divinization of the state. (See: Rushdoony, Christianity and the State). Practically, where men exempt the state from the law of God, they make it an instrument of Satan.
The law is the law for everyone. If the citizen has no moral right to steal, neither does the state. If the citizen cannot expropriate his neighbor's property, neither can the state. Thou shalt not steal applies to corporations, governments, and men equally. It forbids socialism, communism, [fascism], inflation, bad checks, and every other form of theft. It forbids false advertising, and dishonest processing and adulteration of foods. It forbids featherbedding by workers' associations, and it forbids the cheating of workers. All men, their institutions, corporations, and forms of government, are equally under the law of God. The reduction of the Ten Commandments to the status of a moral code only [from that of a Biblical criminal code], is the destruction of the law.
If all authority is not under God, then, instead of a universe, we have a multiverse; instead of one Creator and Law-giver, we have many gods acting as creators and law-givers in their realms. If all authority comes from God, then all authority is plainly under God's law-word, and entirely subject to it. Thou shalt not steal cannot then be restricted to the individual man, but must be applied to every area of life. . . .
In the 20th century, educators have spoken of the university at times as a multiversity, having room for a variety of ideas and faiths. The teaching of witchcraft, astrology [Astrology is being considered as a college major in California state colleges. (September 2003)], and related concepts by some schools is related to this concept of the multiversity. High schools in a major city have introduced yoga and palmistry. If the world is a multiverse, then all things are permissible except a sovereign God and a universal law-order. Hence our polytheistic world is tolerant of almost every kind of belief except orthodox Christianity. A universal law-order and a sovereign God rule out the possibility of a polytheistic multiverse. But, because the sovereign and triune God of Scripture rules, there is no multiverse, but rather a universe and a unified law-order.
The law, Thou shalt not steal, applies therefore not only to the state but to the church as well. Where the church does not faithfully teach the whole counsel of God, His entire law-word, it is then plainly guilty of theft. It is robbing the people and the social order of its vital nerve; it is undercutting all authority when it limits the law on which all authority rests.
As Nymeyer has observed "What gold is to money, the law of God is to liberty." (Frederick Nymeyer, Progressive Calvinism [South Holland, IL: Libertarian Press, 1957], III, 209). Without the law of God, men, unions, corporations, and states feel free to be a law unto themselves, to play god. Failure to teach the law of God is thus to pave the way for tyranny.
James Madison said of God's law:We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government; upon the capacity of each of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God. -- James Madison, "The father of our Constitution"The above quote is from Rousas John Rushdoony, The Institutes of Biblical Law, pp. 539-541Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. (2 Chronicles 19:2b)
For none are more bold in arrogating everything to themselves, than those that have nothing. -- John Calvin commenting on 1 Corinthians 5:11
Take all the property in England by force this day, and divide it equally among the inhabitants. Give every man above twenty years old an equal portion. Let all take share and share alike, and begin the world over again. Do this, and see where you would be at the end of fifty years. You would just have come round to the point where you began: you would just find things as unequal as before. Some would have worked and some would have been idle: some would have been always careless and some always scheming; some would have sold and others would have bought; some would have wasted and others would have saved. And the end would be, that some would be rich and others poor. -- J.C. Ryle (1816-1900), Practical Religion, 1878, pp. 314-316.
One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It's very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project. -- Ronald Reagan
What will finally destroy us is not communism or fascism, but man acting like God. -- Malcolm Muggeridge (1903-1990)
The goal of socialism is communism. -- Vladimir Lenin
Democracy is indispensable to socialism. -- Vladimir Lenin
The press should be not only a collective propagandist and a collective agitator, but also a collective organizer of the masses. -- Vladimir Lenin
Sixty years ago, Venezuela was 4th on the world economic freedom index. Today, they are 179th and their citizens are dying of starvation. In only 10 years, Venezuela was destroyed by democratic socialism.
And we have our privately owned autocratic central bank to thank for the death of "free market capitalism" as there can be nothing more detrimental to sustaining a free market than having a privately owned unaccountable cartel monopolize our monetary system.
End the unconstitutional tyranny of the Federal Reserve and IRS over our money supply and hard earned income, put monetary creation back in the hands of a duly elected congress, and allow independent banks to compete in a free market, and the ideals proffered by socialism will soon be a distant forgotten memory as socialism cannot exist without an autocratic oligarchical monopoly controlling the money supply. -- A Comment on Social MediaThe choice in 2020 couldn't be more clear. You can choose Freedom and Prosperity or go down the dark road of Big Government Socialism and Failure. We can't let that happen to our country! -- Donald J. Trump
*Bowers, Curtis, Agenda 2: Masters of Deceit, DVD documenatry.
"This is an important documentary with an important message for all. If you're looking for a film that will tell the truth about the state of our country unashamedly, then you need to see AGENDA 2: MASTERS OF DECEIT. This film will wake you up and expose the truth about communism in our government. If this is a subject simply to blow off or make fun of, we are only allowing those in power to win and continue pushing their agenda. This is a critical film to watch and discuss. And more importantly, we must take action, fighting for what we believe in. If we watch this film and vow to help Curtis Bowers on his quest to help America again, we can turn our country back. AGENDA 2: MASTERS OF DECEIT is a must-see film for all American Christians." -- Publisher
https://www.fishflix.com/products/agenda-2-masters-of-deceit-dvd-christian-movies?variant=34362795473
*Bowers, Curtis, Agenda: Grinding America Down, DVD documentary (2010).
"When Idaho Legislator Curtis Bowers wrote a 'letter to the editor' about the drastic changes in America's culture, it became the feature story on the evening news, people protested at the Capitol, and for weeks the local newspapers were filled with responses. He realized then . . . he'd hit on something. Ask almost anyone and you'll hear, 'Communism is dead! The Berlin Wall came down.' Thought the word communism isn't used anymore, this film will show the ideas behind it are alive and well. Join Bowers for a fascinating look at the people and groups that have successfully targeted America's morality and freedom in their effort to grind America down. It's a well documented AGENDA." -- Publisher
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2360880/?ref_=ttpl_pl_tt
*Chambers, Claire, The SIECUS Circle: A Humanist Revolution, ISBN: 0882791192 9780882791197.
THE SIECUS CIRCLE: A HUMANIST REVOLUTION established a clear connection between the socialist agenda and sexual immorality of the general population.
"THE SIECUS CIRCLE said, in the 1960s, that the population control crowd targeted the RCC [Roman Catholic Church], the LCMS [Lutheran Church Missouri Synod], and the SBC [Southern Baptist Church], as they all had leaders in charge of major publishing operations who could easily be 'bought off.' I remember as a child, my father coming home one day from Rotary Club livid that the local LCMS pastor had spoken on the need for classroom sex talk (sex ed) in the local schools. It worked. . . . setting up the foundations for abortion." -- Reader's Comment
"This book was an eye opener, written years ago, and relevant and prophetic for today. I am glad I re-read it again. If you want to know where the culture is headed, read this . . ." -- Reader's Comment
*Chambers, Whittaker, Witness, ISBN: 0895267896 9780895267894.
This is the book that directed D. James Kennedy's attention to the problem of International Communism. It is the story of the governments cooperation with Communism.
"First published in 1952, WITNESS was at once a literary effort, a philosophical treatise, and a bestseller. Whittaker Chambers had just participated in America's trial of the century in which Chambers claimed that Alger Hiss, a full-standing member of the political establishment, was a spy for the Soviet Union. This poetic autobiography recounts the famous case, but also reveals much more. . . -- went on to help make political conservatism a national force." -- Editorial Review
"Whittaker Chambers has written one of the really significant American autobiographies . . . penetrating and terrible insights into America in the early twentieth century." -- Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
Coral Ridge Ministries, Economic Manifesto. A Call to America's Leaders: Reverse our Nation's Disastrous Economic Policies!
"You shall not steal (Exodus 20:15