Further—and this is my big takeaway—there is no need to distract us from the weightiness of the moment. We are meant to reckon with it. The producers wanted us to. There is a lesson here for us as Christians. Each week we . . . Continue reading →
Worship
Moses Hid His Face
Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, . . . Continue reading →
Each One Has A Psalm
What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a psalm (ψαλμὸν), an instructiion (διδαχὴν), a revelation (ἀποκάλυψιν), a foreign language (γλῶσσαν), or an interpretation (ἑρμηνείαν). Let all things be done for building up….. —1 Corinthians 14:26
What Do We Know About New Testament Worship?
What do we know they did in their Christian worship services in the Bible? We know they sang the Bible. We know that preached the Bible. We know they prayed the Bible. We know they read the Bible. We know they saw . . . Continue reading →
Not Creativity But Fidelity
The Rev. Mr. Leon Brown is pastor of Crown and Joy PCA in South Richmond, VA. It’s a short clip but it might take a moment to load. Here’s the complete sermon.
Does The RPW = Homogeneity?
In July, 2013 Trip Lee published a provocative essay, to which I was just pointed via Twitter. The original piece has been removed but a remnant remains at the Aquila Report. My intent here is not to engage the piece at length . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 80: God’s Holy Law (4)—The Second Commandment
All the commandments are challenging to us sinners. In the first commandment we saw that God will not share his glory with another. In the 2nd commandment we read and hear that we must worship the true God truly. We do not . . . Continue reading →
Circumstances And Indifferent Until We Say No
THAT OUR OPPOSITES DO URGE THE CEREMONIES AS THINGS NECESSARY. This I prove, 1. from their practice. 2. from their pleading. In their practice, who sees not, that they would tie the people of God to a necessity of submitting their necks . . . Continue reading →
Owen: We Are Endowed With Liberty By Christ And His Apostles
Thus far, then, is the liberty given by Christ unto his church preserved entire; and the request seems not immodest that is made for the continuance of it. When men cry to God for the liberty in his worship which was left . . . Continue reading →
There Is No Worship That Is Accidental
20. That is a most empty distinction which some people make to excuse their additions to worship: “Only corrupting and not conserving additions are forbidden.” For every addition as well as every subtraction is a departure from the observance and keeping of . . . Continue reading →
Calvin: Diligently To Inquire What Worship God Approves
We should learn also from this passage, not to be induced by the will of any man to embrace any kind of religion, but diligently to inquire what worship God approves, and so to use our judgment as not rashly to involve . . . Continue reading →
Prelacy And Its Train Extirpated
We cannot but admire the good hand of God in the great things done here already, particularly that the Covenant (the foundation of the whole work) is taken; Prelacy and the whole train thereof extirpated; the Service-book in many places forsaken; plain . . . Continue reading →
The Long Struggle To Reform Dutch Reformed Worship
As we saw several synods in the 16th century and the National Synod of Dordtrecht in 1619 decided that only Datheen’s psalms were allowed in worship. On this ground it has many times been asserted that Calvinists in the Netherlands did sing . . . Continue reading →
The Church Fathers Reject Instrumental Music In Public Worship
…there are many passing references to music scattered throughout the writings of the Fathers. Most of the passages deal with psalmody and vocal music, but a few are concerned with musical instruments. The authors of these passages were almost unanimous in rejecting . . . Continue reading →
Psalms, Hymns, Spiritual Songs, and Instruments In The Latin Bibles (2)
The Latin Bible was a major formative influence on the way the Reformed theologians interpreted Scripture. The King James Version/Authorized Version (1611) particularly reflects the influence of the Latin Bible but its influence reverberates in many English translations. It influenced their word . . . Continue reading →
What Did the Divines Mean By “Psalms”?
The question has been raised as to just what the divines might have meant by the noun “psalms” in the Westminster Confession of Faith (1648).1 WCF 21.5 says, 5. The reading of the Scriptures with godly fear, the sound preaching and conscionable . . . Continue reading →
The 1559 Geneva Bible On Musical Instruments
Praise ye him in the sound of the 1trumpet: praise ye him upon the viol and the harp. 1. Psalm 150:3 Exhorting the people only to rejoice in praising God, he maketh mention of those instruments which by God’s commandment were appointed . . . Continue reading →
Aquinas: The Use Of Instruments In Public Worship Is Judaizing
Obj. 4. Further, In the Old Law God was praised with musical instruments and human song, according to Ps. 32:2, 3: “Give praise to the Lord on the harp, sing to Him with the psaltery, the instrument of ten strings. Sing to . . . Continue reading →
Moral Courage In Defense Of That Vital Truth
Dr. Girardeau has defended the old usage of our church with a moral courage, loyalty to truth, clearness of reasoning and wealth of learning which should make every true Presbyterian proud of him, whether he adopts his conclusions or not. The framework . . . Continue reading →
Psalms, Hymns, Spiritual Songs, and Instruments In The Latin Bibles
We Reformed folk like to think that what we do now in public worship is what we have always done. This is especially easy to do when we are cut off from or unaware of the original sources and practices of our . . . Continue reading →