Witsius on Faith and Love

“The natural consequence of this assent, is the LOVE of the truth thus known and acknowledged. This is the third act of faith, and of this the Apostle speaks when he says; “They received not the love of the truth that they . . . Continue reading →

Witsius is Back!

Herman Witsius (1636–1708) was a faithful and godly Dutch Reformed pastor who also taught at Franeker, Utrecht, and Leiden. The traditional story about Witsius is that te sought to mediate between G. Voetius’ (1589–1676) concerns about piety and orthodoxy with the more . . . Continue reading →

Herman Witsius: The Practice of Christianity

1. What is the sole and perfect rule of our faith and conduct? It is the Word of God which is now contained in Holy Scripture, that is, in the canonical books of the Old and New Testament. This is the rule to which . . . Continue reading →

Herman Witsius on Preaching Law and Gospel

Herman Witsius (1636–1708) was a significant figure in the period of High Reformed Orthodoxy (c. 1640–1700). He attempted to build a bridge between the Cocceians and the Voetians, traditionally understood as two competing camps within Dutch Reformed orthodoxy. The debate between the . . . Continue reading →

Witsius On Merit

I.I.XV. In the covenant of works, man is considered as working, and the reward to be given as of debt; and therefore man’s glorying is not excluded, but he may glory as a faithful servant may do upon the right discharge of . . . Continue reading →

Heidelcast 48: Making Some Sense Of The Republication Debate Pt 1: History

Heidelcast

Parts of the confessional Reformed world in North America are in the midst of a controversy over whether it is biblical, confessional, and historically Reformed to teach that the Mosaic covenant was, in some sense, a republication of the covenant of works. . . . Continue reading →

Was Herman Witsius A Federal Visionist?

One of the distinctive errors of the self-described Federal Vision theology is the doctrine that, in baptism, all the benefits of the covenant of grace are conferred temporarily and conditionally.1 Thus, they claim, there is such a thing as a “covenantal” (temporary, . . . Continue reading →