How about if we accept, and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources. (I try to confirm the sources that I give, but may miss on occasion; please verify if possible.)

“How about if we accept that God has the power, the wisdom, and the grace to perfectly use imperfect humanity, and that every aspect of our faith is built on that?” -- Jon Gleason

“Christ went more willingly to the cross than we do to the throne of grace.” -- Thomas Watson

“We shouldn’t try to fit the Bible into a position, but take a position that the Bible teaches.” -- Kent Brandenburg

“If we are looking to fit [Bible] passages into a particular position, that’s a tell-tale indicator of how to come to a wrong one.” -- Kent Brandenburg

“The people who worry most about ‘bibliolatry’ are the people who worship the destructive critics of the Bible.” -- Peter Ruckman (I do not recommend Ruckman, but I think he got that right)

“Ekklesia is not always a ‘church,’ but that doesn’t mean that it is anything other than an assembly.” -- Kent Brandenburg (commenting on Acts 19:32,39,41)

“You can’t read Leviticus without being spattered with blood.” -- Blake Dover

“The obedience in water baptism brings a good conscience toward God, but the same water refused leaves one devoid of that good conscience.” -- W. A. Dillard

“There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us.” -- Richard Sibbes

“The Bible is ‘inerrant,’ without errors of any sort on any matters, not on anything it teaches (theology) nor on anything it touches (history, science) in the process of teaching.” -- John Tors

“As the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, so the denial of God is the height of foolishness.” -- R. C. Sproul

“It has been said that the Christian faith is personal but not private; our faith is political but it is not partisan…the Lordship of King Jesus should determine how we think about all areas of life.” -- Preston Sprinkle (Sprinkle goes in bad directions applying the principle, but I believe the principle itself is valid)

“Rejecting biblical infallibility outside the original autographs leaves such professing Christians in a very precarious situation indeed: hypocritically claiming divine authority from a book they vehemently insist is flawed.” -- Britt Williams

“Prisons and problems do not dictate whether or not you have joy in Christ.” -- Craig Duncan

“Without truth, everything becomes about who has power.” -- Kent Brandenburg

King James Idolaters?

A recent commenter in the Textus Receptus Academy Facebook group made a bold claim, writing that “Bruce D. Cummons [in The Foundation and Authority of the Word of God, p. 50, rlv] has inadvertently highlighted the idolatry of KJVO in defending it when he says ‘I believe the KJV is God’s Word in the English language.’ Using the capital letter ‘W’ is reserved as a reference to Jesus. By saying God’s Word as opposed to God’s word is the way of elevating scripture above Jesus.”

The charges of “King James Idolatry” get really old and tiresome, considering godly men and women have been using this Bible over 400 years – even more tiresome when built on silly arguments like this. This creates a legalistic and unrealistic standard that is not consistent with godly usage, that has differed at different times and by different Christian authors. Additionally, capitalization in the English language itself has not always followed a consistent standard.

Using the capital letter “W” in reference to God’s word in the Scriptures is not evidence of idolatry. It is evidence of various understandings of the proper usage of capitalization in the English language. If the capital “W” is the standard of accusing someone of idolatry, then John R. Rice was an idolater. John Rice is well-known for being opposed to the “King James Only” position. Yet throughout his work Our God-Breathed Book: the Bible (Sword of the Lord Publishers, 1969, pp. 22-23) Rice uses the capital letter “W” in reference to God’s word in the Bible.

I do not believe either John R. Rice or Bruce D. Cummons or others who respectfully capitalize Word in reference to the Bible are idolaters. (At the least, such a sketchy accusation does not prove they are!!) 

That said, I think there is a benefit of writers consistently using the small letter “w” when writing about the Bible as the word of God, and using the capital letter “W” when writing about Jesus as the Word of God. This makes our thoughts and typography clearer by distinguishing the two. I believe (though I could have missed some instances) that this will prove consistent with the typography used in the English Bible. Those who do not follow my advice will not be labeled idolaters for not doing so!

• Revelation 1:2 ...John: who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
• Revelation 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

Paul before the council

Acts 23:1-10 Paul before the council

Verse 1: “Men and brethren” – Paul places himself in an equality with the council. Contrast Peter’s address in Acts 4:8 “Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel.” Then Paul asserts his “good conscience before God.” Cf. 2 Timothy 1:3 “…God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience…” The Matthew Henry Commentary, on verse 1, points out that Paul appeared before the council (1) with a good courage; and (2) with a good conscience. 

Verse 2: This statement enrages Ananias, who “commanded them that stood by him to smite [Paul] on the mouth.” Ananias prescribed a punishment before hearing the matter and rendering a just sentence. Paul’s rebuke may have stopped the action, but brought on a debate in the council. Compare John 18:20-23, where an officer struck Jesus regarding his answer to the high priest. According to several undocumented sources, Jewish oral law of the rabbis stated, “He who strikes the cheek of an Israelite, strikes, as it were, the glory of God.”

Verse 3: Though Paul will later speak deferentially of the high priest (v. 5), he rightly charges that the law has been violated by the priest’s command. The law of Moses began with a presumption of the fair rendering of righteous judgment, according to the proof of guilt or innocence (Leviticus 19:15). Paul’s “God shall smite thee” recognizes that God applies ultimate just judgment (cf. Romans 12:19). Josephus describes Ananias as one who hoarded wealth and stole tithes intended for the ordinary priests (Cf. Josephus, Antiquities, Book XX.5.2).

Verse 4: “Revilest thou God’s high priest?” That is, by calling him a “whited wall.” A “whited wall” means one who is a misrepresentation, maintains a façade, is full of hypocrisy. The concept may also be seen in Matthew 23:27, the “whited sepulchres” appeared beautiful outward, but that did not change what was within – dead men’s bones.

Verse 5: Paul avers that he did not recognize that the speaker who rendered rash judgment was the high priest and affirmed the law in regard to speaking evil of rulers: “it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people” – compare Exodus 22:28. This may have two underlying reasons for Paul not knowing the outburst was made by the high priest. (1) Paul’s poor eyesight, and/or (2) Ananias not acting like a high priest; that is, “I didn’t realize this is the high priest, because he is not acting like one.” The latter may be more likely.

Verse 6: Paul’s perception and reaction. At this point, or perhaps earlier, Paul perceived that the council was theologically divided and that he could use that division in his favor. He points to his place in the Jewish spectrum: “I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee.” He points to his theology: “of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.” This was a calculated move, but not an insincere one. Paul’s primary focus in preaching the gospel was the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the hope of salvation through him (“we have testified of God that he raised up Christ”).

Verse 7: The cry of Paul exacerbated the division of the two sects. leading into a heated controversy and dissension.

Verse 8: The theological focus of the Sadducees held “that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit.” The Pharisees held all of these points the Sadducees denied. This is an explanation by Luke, of the significance of Paul’s cry in regard to the division between Pharisees and Sadducees (see also Matthew 22:23ff; Mark 12:18; Luke 20:27). There was a distinct theological divide over spiritual religion and the resurrection of the dead. 

Verse 9: The scribes of the Pharisees rendered in Paul’s favor, saying, “We find no evil in this man.” Bypassing the resurrection, they focus on spirits and angels – if they have spoken to him, “let us not fight against God.” In this last part they echo the words of Gamaliel in Acts 5:39, “but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.”

“let us not fight against God” Many modern English translations do not include this last phrase.[1] It (μη θεομαχωμεν/let us not fight against God) is in Codices Mutinensis (H), Angelicus (L), and Porphyrianus (P) – all 9th century Majority Texts family.

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[1] Critical text translations without the μη θεομαχωμεν context make ει δε πνευμα ελαλησεν αυτω η αγγελος (But whether a spirit or an angel spoke to him) into a question, “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”

Panin, Westcott, and Hort

In strange circumstances, Ivan Panin attempted to recreate, based on numerics, what he believed would be the original Greek text of the New Testament. He started with “...Westcott & Hort’s Greek edition (which the writer has used throughout)...” Not only was his “numerics” approach faulty, his allegiance to the Westcott & Hort was contradictory.

On one hand, Panin says the Westcott and Hort text “on the whole approaches the autographs nearer than any extant copy of the New Testament” and speaks of the “twenty-eight years’ faithful toil of these two lovers of Holy Writ.” (“Preface,” The New Testament from the Greek Text as Established by Bible Numerics, p. v.)

On the other hand, Panin says that the work of the revisers “has some grievous faults, since no one can handle the Book other than lamely who is not convinced to his very bones that the Bible is God-breathed, inspired in its every letter.” He points out that the revisers “as a body did not believe” in inspiration and that “two of its noblest members…go out of their way to speak in print against Verbal Inspiration.” (“Preface,” The New Testament from the Greek Text as Established by Bible Numerics, p. vi)

Ivan Panin’s whole mathematical approach is faulty, but he evidently believed his math could overcome the flaws he started with. He was wrong.

Also by Ivan Panin: The Writings of Ivan Panin, New Haven, CT: Wilson H. Lee Company, 1918.

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Note:

The method of settling the text by means of NUMERICS is expounded in the Introduction, which is to form the Second Part of this edition, as well as in numerous monographs by the writer printed elsewhere. The standard used for comparison was: for the Greek, the Revision by Westcott & Hort; and, for the English, the American Revised Version. In spite of the onslaught thereon by Dean Burgon, Westcott & Hort (with the exception of some spellings, and of all but two of their fifteen double-bracketed passages stamped by them as ‘Interpolations’) present a text which on the whole approaches the autographs nearer than any extant copy of the New Testament. So that, humanly speaking, but for the twenty-eight years’ faithful toil of these two lovers of Holy Writ, with their excellent clearing of the ground for him, the writer could have hardly furnished at last an indisputable New Testament text.

The New Testament from the Greek Text as established by Bible Numerics, Ivan Panin, Editor. Ontario: Bible Numerics, 1914 (1990 reprint)

Psalm 12:6-7 and Bible Preservation

Alexander Ewing, minister of the Square Chapel Congregational Church in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, used Psalm 12:6-7 as the basis for his discourse on “The Claims of the Bible to Be Received as a Divine Revelation,” which was printed in 1839.

“It is true, the scriptures have been assailed by the enemies of our faith, in every possible shape and form, and with all the subtlety and malignity of hell. But they have passed, through every fiery ordeal, uninjured, and have even gained additional brightness and strength, from the trial to which they have been subjected. The text affirms, ‘The words of the Lord are pure words; as silver tried in the furnace of earth, purified seven times.’ That is, as the precious metals, when cast into a crucible or fining pot, and subjected to the scorching flames, seven times, in succession, come forth with increasing brilliancy; so the words of the Lord, the more they have been tried, whether by friends or foes, the more their truth, their uncorruptness, and integrity have been manifested. While all the shafts of malice, have rebounded back upon those by whom they were discharged, the oracles of divine truth have remained impervious to their strokes. Nor shall infidels ever be permitted to succeed, in their desperate enterprise against the words of the Lord, for it is added, ‘Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.’ .... The care of divine providence, is remarkably displayed, in the preservation, and transmission of the sacred scriptures during so many ages, in all their integrity, and purity, to the present time. Indeed, when we consider, how the Bible has been assailed, and maligned, by its avowed enemies, and misrepresented by the infidelity and treachery of its professed friends, its preservation seems truly miraculous. But the Lord of all, who has never permitted the gates of hell to prevail against his church, has watched over with peculiar care, the sacred oracles, on which it rests ‘as the pillar and ground of the truth.’”

“Discourse III, The Claims of the Bible to Be Received as a Divine Revelation, Psalm XII. 6,7.” Discourses on Various Subjects, Designed to Illustrate the Excellency of Christianity, Alexander Ewing, London: Hamilton, Adams & Co., 1839, pp. 86-87, 94

Open my hand, Lord

Thee alone O Lord my soul desires; thou art eternal sweetness in my soul. If the perfume of thy oyntment be sufficient to all the world, what is the refection of thy Table? If we live by every word proceeding out of thy mouth, what felicity and joy is it to live upon thee the eternal Word, chewing thee by faith, and digesting thee by love, and entertaining thee in our hearts for ever? How shall not my bowels melt into thee the Sun of righteousness? How is it that I do not forget all deliciousness besides thee?

A single pleasure, poor and empty, wearying and unsatisfying, hath often made me to forget thee. Now that thou art truly and effectively present with me, how can any other pleasure in the world seem pleasant to me any more? I will forget all the world, I will quit all the world to live on thee, if thou pleasest, O dearest Saviour: but do thou open thy ark and repositories of sweetness, and fill my soul and all my desires, that there may be no room for any thing else.

Thou hast called unto me to open my hand and thou wouldst fill it: But I would not open it; I held the world fast, and kept my hand shut, and would not let it go. But do thou open it for me; not my hand only, but my mouth; not my mouth, but my heart also.

Jeremy Taylor (1613–1667), a Church of England cleric and author (It may be that Taylor means the partaking of Christ somewhat more literally than I do, but I am taking it figuratively. Many like to share the open hands part, but usually out of its context)

Bring me to your pastures

I believe that Spiritual Hymns Upon Solomon’s Song: or, Love in the Right Channel. Wherein that Divine Part of Scripture is Paraphras’d, and the dark Places expounded; and may be vocally Sung in the Ordinary Tunes of the Singing Psalms by John Reeve is currently the most likely candidate for the oldest known Baptist hymn book. It contains hymnic poetry based on the Old Testament Song of Solomon, and which the title clearly advertises for vocal singing. The first printing was in 1684, with a second edition or printing in 1693 (with scans available at Google Books and Baylor Digital Collections).

There is some confusion about the author, John Reeve. Some sources have confused him with a better-known John Reeve (1608–1658), who died 26 years before Spiritual Hymns Upon Solomon’s Song was first published! The best information on the author of Spiritual Hymns upon Solomon’s Song seems to be that he was the John Reeve who was a General Baptist minister at Bessel’s Green, Kent, England. There are also mentions that this particular John Reeve served as joint elder with William Jeffery at Sevenoaks (or Bradburn and Sevenoaks) in the 1650s, and also that he was imprisoned at the Restoration of the Monarchy in England. [Note that Bessel’s Green is now part of Sevenoaks, so these references may be to the same church, or to two churches which were near one another.] A possible lifespan for Reeve is that he was born circa 1619 and died around 1684. However, a second printing of the book in 1693 could suggest he was still living at that time. More work needs to be done on researching his life.

The following hymn, in common meter, is found on pages 18-19 of the hymn book, brought forth from the 7th verse of the first chapter of the Song of Solomon. It speaks of the churches as flocks, for whom the Lord supplies pastures and pastors, and the author as an inquirer into who and what and where that flock is.

CANT. I. 7.

Tell me (O thou whom my soul loveth) where thou feedest, where thou causest thy flocks to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?

HYMN 16.

1. O Thou Beloved of my Soul!
Thou hast a People free
From all these mixtures, cleansèd pure
O tell me where they be!

2. Thou hast thy Institutions,
And ordinances pure;
Thou hast thy Churches: Tell me when,
And where I may be sure.

3. Thou hast Enclosures rich and fat,
Peculiar to thy Sheep;
And dainty nour’shing pastures where
Thou dost them always keep.

4. Thou in Communion fold’st them up,
In Winter keep’st them dry;
Thou giv’st them shades from heat of Sun:
O tell me where they lye!

5. For why should I be led away
By Creatures, in pretence;
And starve my soul, misled by such
As come I know not whence?

6. O tell me then, and bring me where,
In this my greatest need,
Thy Pastures and thy Pastors are;
And I with them will feed.

In other words, caesura-plex

• caesura, noun. A break, especially a sense pause, usually near the middle of a verse.
• Chrislam, noun. A blending of Christian and Islamic principles and practices into a single unifying theological perspective.
• coeval, noun. One of the same age or period; a contemporary in age or active existence; equally old.
• collectivism, noun. A theory or political system based on the principle that all of the farms, factories, and other places of work in a country should be owned by (or for) all the people in that country.
• cozenage, noun. The practice of cozening (i.e., fraud, trickery).
• decoct, verb. To extract the flavor or essence of by boiling.
• dight, verb. To dress; adorn.
• doula, noun. A person, usually a woman, who is not medically trained but who gives help and support to a woman during pregnancy, as well as during and after the birth of her baby.
• eldritch, adjective. Eerie; weird; spooky.
• erstwhile, adverb. In the past, formerly; (adjective) former, previous.
• flood the zone, verb. To put forth a very large quantity of something (idiomatic expression from sports, to apply a large amount of pressure to a particular area of play).
• fustian, noun. A coarse sturdy cloth made of cotton and linen or flax; or, pretentious speech or writing; pompous language.
• hemistich, noun. The exact or approximate half of a stich, or poetic verse or line; an incomplete line, or a line of less than the usual length (cf. stich).
• hysteron proteron, noun. (Rhetoric) A figure of speech in which the conventional order of words, actions, or ideas are revesed; i.e., an inversion of the natural order (Latin, latter as former).
• incunabula, plural noun. (singular, incunabulum) Extant copies of books produced in the earliest stages (before 1501) of printing from movable type; the earliest stages or first traces of anything.
• indent, verb. To set in from the margin (cf. outdent).
• ineluctable, adjective. Incapable of being evaded or avoided; inescapable.
• irredentist, noun. Someone who calls for the seizure or recovery of territories or states currently subject to other countries.
• Jehovah, noun. A name of God in the Old Testament, a rendering of the ineffable name, JHVH, in the Hebrew Scriptures.
• Jehovic, adjective. Of or relating to Jehovah.
• ketovangelist, noun. An individual who promotes and educates about the ketogenic diet and lifestyle (a portmanteau of ketogenic + evangelist).
• leucistic, adjective. Affected by an abnormal condition of reduced pigmentation (i.e., leucism).
• outdent, verb. To set out from the margin (cf. indent).
• skulduggery, noun. Underhanded or unscrupulous behavior; trickery.
• steerage, noun. The inferior or lowest category of passenger accommodation in a ship.
• stich, noun. A verse or line of poetry.
• Texaplex, noun. A triangular region of Texas framed in by the cities of Austin, Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio, and Interstates 10, 35, and 45 (Texas + plex, from author David Winans; also known as the Texas Triangle).

Tyndale “firsts”

William Tyndale (ca. 1492-1536) was a pioneer of English Bible translation. Tyndale’s translation of the Bible into English accomplished several “firsts.” I gleaned the following “firsts” from various sources. I think most are reasonably well-established facts.

• The first English Bible translation directly from Hebrew and Greek texts
• The first English Bible translation printed in large quantities; first printed on the printing press
• The first English Bible translation to use Iehouah (Jehovah)
• The first English Bible translation to use passeouer (Passover)
• The first English Bible translation to use scapegoote (scapegoat)
• The first English “Reformation-era” Bible translation
• The first incomplete English Bible translation completed by Miles Coverdale
• The first English Bible translation translator who was executed by the Roman Catholic Church for heresy (this one might not be a first; hard to tell for certain)

[Note: John Wycliffe, who translated the Latin Bible into English (Middle English), died in 1384. 44 years later, in 1428, the Bishop of Lincoln, England (Wycliffe having been now condemned as an heretic by the Council of Constance in 1414), ordered that his remains be exhumed (or at least they got somebody’s) and burned. The ashes were thrown into the River Swift. The Lord knoweth them that are his (and where to find their remains).]

Three new books...

...by father and son, Peter Van Kleeck Sr. and Jr.

An Eschatological Grounding for a Standard Sacred Text: Exploring the Dynamic Interrelation of the Eternal Word, the Eternal State, and Eternal Life

• “This study is theological in nature, designed to provide an exegetically grounded, presuppositional template—through both direct teaching and theological inference—by which empirical evidence may be either validated or disqualified.” 

Canonicity: Why the Bible Has 66 Books (A Study Guide)

• “Designed as Sunday School curriculum for High School through all adult classes, seminars, and family devotions, the Study Guide builds a strong, historically proven, theological case for the collation of the canon of Scripture. The material presented lays the foundation for defense of the Christian Faith and the King James Bible.”

The 30 Best Arguments Against King James Version Onlyism

• “In short, 30 Arguments sets out to answer the best or most prevailing 30 or so arguments against the Textus Receptus and/or King James Version position. It is a short and approachable work that tries to get at the heart of our opponent’s objections while providing an answer suited to the objection.”

The Visible Church

While searching for something else in the Henderson Times newspaper, I ran across this announcement of an upcoming debate in 1899. It was to be held at Harrold, Wilbarger County, Texas, starting May 15, 1899. Baptist vs. Church of Christ (Alexander Campbell Restoration movement). The way the topic was worded seemed a little different than many of these debate propositions were worded.

“The church with which I, _____, stand identified, known by my brethren as the _____, possesses all the Bible characteristics to entitle it to be regarded the visible church or kingdom of Jesus Christ.”

The Baptist debater, William C. Benson (1857-1929), was born in Tennessee, and preached at least in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. At the time Benson was living in Wilbarger County. He was identified with the Landmark Missionary Baptists in Oklahoma in 1921. I have not further identified the Church of Christ debater, J. J. Humphrey. Perhaps he was brought in from elsewhere.

An editor of the Times added a cryptic note to the announcement in The Vernon Call, that according to the adherents in many denominations (“several thousand”) believe their church “is the visible church.” That was likely very true in 1899, but surprisingly not many today seem to think their own church represents the biblical visible church.

Henderson Weekly Times, Thursday, April 27, 1899, p. 2

1 Peter 5:13

When folks look for arguments against the King James Bible, one verse they use is 1 Peter 5:13. Several arguments may be thrown in, like the kitchen sink, including “following the Vulgate instead of the Greek,” and that the NKJV better translates the TR. Notice the difference in the AKJV and the NKJV, including church that is is in italics in the King James translation.

• AKJV: The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.
• NKJV: She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son.

The relevant Greek text is: ασπαζεται υμας η εν βαβυλωνι συνεκλεκτη και μαρκος ο υιος μου

Shown in a Greek-English Interlinear fashion:

Instead of “followed the Vulgate” perhaps the simpler explanation has been overlooked. The King James translators followed the English translation tradition that precedes them, as well as translation rule #1: “1. The Ordinary Bible read in the Church, commonly called the Bishop’s Bible, is to be followed, and as little altered as the Truth of the originals will permit.”

1 Peter 5:13 in the 1602 Bishops Bible

“Church” is in the Bishop’s Bible. Evidently the King James translators believed that what they had there agreed with the truth of the originals, if not the literal wording (i.e., “she” = “church”). The Geneva Bible has church; it is congregation in the Great Bible; Tyndale has “the congregacion that is gaddered tegedder at Babilon.” The prior English translation tradition was to substitute a noun for the pronoun.

Aside from what we might think is “best,” the more direct or closest source for the word church is keeping what was already in the Bishops Bible – in contrast to any suggestion that the reading had to come from the Old Latin, Syriac, Sinaiticus, or Beza’s Latin translation.

I am not sure when “church” was first put in italics, but it was in differentiated type (in roman where the base was blackletter) at least in the 1639/1640 Cambridge printing of Buck & Daniel (NT page has 1639; cover page has 1640).

This might be much ado about nothing were it not for the apparent joy that some people get from arguing for or against the King James Bible.

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Note: Theodore Beza explains it this way in his 1598 Greek New Testament:

“Vobiscum electa [Ecclesia] συνεκλεκτὴ Ecclesiae nomen omittit, ut in vocabulis communiusu tritis fieri saepe solet.”

“The word ‘chosen with you’ [συνεκλεκτὴ] omits the name ‘Church’, as is often the case in commonly used terms.”

Or, in other words, “church” would be commonly understood as who she is.

Halley’s Comet drops meteorite in Texas

On this day in 1910, a 500-pound meteorite fell to earth outside the northeast Texas community of Charleston during the passage of Halley’s Comet. Delta County’s most publicized event of the decade was not without precedent, however, as more than 230 meteorites have been catalogued in Texas.

Halley’s Comet drops meteorite in northeast Texas, Texas Day by Day

Hark, from the tomb

Isaac Watts wrote the following hymn and called it “A Funeral Thought.” It appears in his Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Hymn LXIII, Book II (London: J. Humphreys, 1707, page 137). For a little more about Watts, see “Happy Birthday, Isaac.” The hymn provides a solemn and serious look at death, which comes to all – and comes to all alike, regardless of place, pride, or position.

1. Hark! from the Tombs a doleful Sound,
Mine Ears, attend the Cry,
“Ye Living Men, come view the Ground,
Where you must shortly lie.”

2. “Princes, this Clay must be your Bed,
In spite of all your Tow’rs;
The Tall, the Wise, the Reverend head,
Must lie as low as ours.”

3. Great God, is this our certain Doom?
And are we still secure?
Still walking downwards to our Tomb,
And yet prepare no more?

4. Grant us the Powers of quickening Grace
To fit our Souls to fly,
Then when we drop this dying Flesh,
We’ll rise above the Sky.

In The Sacred Harp (No. 162 in all books), we sing Watts’s hymn to a tune called Plenary – which is an arrangement of the well-known Auld Lang Syne. The arrangement that appears in The Sacred Harp is by A. Clark (believed to be Alexander C. Clark). The song first appeared in 1839 in The American Harmony, by Andrew W. Johnson. The alto was written by Minnie Floyd for the 1902 W. M. Cooper Revision of The Sacred Harp.

Not much is known of A. Clark, but J. S. James (early Sacred Harp editor and biographer) believed that he was the same person A. C. Clark, the initials as they appeared with the tune Essay in The Sacred Harp (No. 157). He further thought that Clark was related to William Walker and B. F. White (presumably by marriage and/or to their spouses).

Fonts are the clothes, and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors may usually, but does not necessarily, constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources. (I try to confirm the sources that I give, but may miss on occasion; please verify if possible.)

“Fonts are the clothes with which we dress our words.” -- Keri-Lee Beasley

“If doctrine strengthens our minds, psalm-singing fortifies our souls.” -- From “Psalm Roar” website

“A Christian family ought to be as it were a little church, consecrated to Christ, and wholly influenced and governed by his rules.” -- Jonathan Edwards

“You use our vocabulary, but not our dictionary.” -- Unknown

“The doctrine of the Trinity is not the specialty of experts—it is the faith of all Christians. It is the fount from which all Christian truth flows.” -- Kyle Claunch

“A weak faith can lay hold of a strong Christ.” -- Thomas Watson

“God might bury his workers, but he does not bury his work.” (Joshua 1:1-2.) -- Heard

“Prayer rightly considered is not a device for employing the resources of omnipotence to fulfill our own desires, but a means by which our desires may be redirected according to the mind of God…” -- C. H. Dodd

“People used to blush when they were ashamed. Now they are ashamed if they blush.” -- Vance Havner

“God has not revealed his truth in a system; the Bible has no system as such.” -- Charles Simeon

“Compromise and accommodation is the language of the devil; it is his native tongue.” -- Dewayne Hoppert

“The Bible may hurt you with the truth, but it will never comfort you with a lie.” -- Unknown

“The goal of the 54 divines commissioned by King James was to produce the definitive English translation.” -- Gavin Ortlund

Bibliology 101

Bibliology is a branch of systematic theology that deals with the nature of the Bible itself.

I think my own theology of the Bible might quickly and briefly be summed up in the following brief set of words.

• Eternal. Psalm 119:89. Settled in heaven, forever.
• Inspired. 2 Timothy 3:16 given by inspiration. 2 Peter 1:21.
• Infallible, completely true and incapable of error or untruth. Psalm 12:6; Proverbs 30:5; John 17:17.
• Authoritative. Let God be true, but every man a liar. 1 Corinthians 14:37.
• Sufficient, for all things that pertain to life and godliness. 2 Timothy 3:17.
• Preserved. Psalm 33:11; 119:160; Isaiah 30:8; Matthew 24:35.

John Gill and his Exposition of the Whole Bible

John Gill was an English Particular Baptist pastor, theologian, and author. He was born November 23, 1697 in Kettering, Northamptonshire, to Edward and Elizabeth Gill. His father was a deacon in the local Baptist church. There in Kettering he attended grammar school. He also helped his father in the wool trade. He was a ready scholar, mastering the Latin classics and Greek by age 11 or 12. As a dissenter, he was excluded from the bigger and better higher learning institutions of England (such as Oxford & Cambridge). He continued on his own studies of everything from logic to Hebrew, becoming a well-known well-respected Hebraist.

After relating his experience to the Baptist Church at Kettering, John Gill was baptized in November 1716. In March of 1720, he was ordained and became the pastor of the Goat Yard Church (Southwark, London). He served that church for about 51 years. Gill would be followed by John Rippon, and after a series of moves of location, Charles Haddon Spurgeon would become the pastor.[i] John Gill died October 14, 1771 and was buried at the dissenter’s burial ground, Bunhill Fields. He married Elizabeth Negus in 1718, and she preceded him in death in 1764.

Gill was an outstanding Bible scholar and doctrinal polemicist. He wrote not only in quality, but in quantity, earning the nickname “Dr. Voluminous.” He was a decided and vocal proponent of the five points commonly called Calvinism, but he has been somewhat misrepresented as a “hyper-Calvinist.” In By His Grace and For His Glory, chapter 2, Tom Nettles successfully refutes that charge.[ii]

Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible was produced over a period of almost 20 years, 1746-1763. When I was young, I heard that John Gill is the only man who ever wrote a commentary on every verse of the Bible.[iii] I know there are other “whole Bible” commentaries. Matthew Henry’s work would seem to compete with Gill’s claim to fame – except that Henry died having only gotten through the book of Acts; his commentary was finished by others. Matthew Poole’s Annotations is somewhat the same, finished by others. Some “whole Bible” commentaries cover all the books of the Bible, but unlike Gill’s, do not have comments on every verse. Some commentary sets may cover every verse, while not done by one person. Just a few years ago, Chip Thornton wrote:

“Gill is the only man who ever lived (to my knowledge) who commented on every single verse in the Bible (by age 66) and wrote a systematic theology (by age 72). Given his training in logic, the order is noteworthy: exposition, first; systematic theology, second.”

Ian Hugh Clary describes Gill as “the first person to complete a verse-by-verse commentary on the whole of Scripture in English.” I wonder whether John Gill still holds the “record” of being the only man to produce a commentary on every verse of the Bible.

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[i] I have read that it was John Gill who recommended Morgan Edwards to the Baptist church in Philadelphia.
[ii] Gill believed, for example, “The ministry of the word is for the conversion of sinners; without which churches would not be increased nor supported, and must in course fail, and come to nothing; but the hand of the Lord being with his ministers, many in every age believe and turn to the Lord, and are added to the churches; by which means they are kept up and preserved: and hence it is necessary in the ministers of the word, to set forth the lost and miserable estate and condition of men by nature, the danger they are in, the necessity of regeneration and repentance, and of a better righteousness than their own, and of faith in Christ; which things are blessed for the turning of men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God.” (Nettles, p. 106)
[iii] I must give the caveat that, though one who regularly checks the comments of Gill, I have not personally looked up every verse in the Bible exposition by Gill, so it might be possible he skipped over some verses. I have not had such an experience of finding nothing on any verse I have checked.

The criterion of textual criticism versus textual translation

The criterion of textual criticism versus textual translation.

A curious cumbrous thought 
Came to my mind today:
Big Eva speaks one thing
And then shucks it away.
Translators must be Christians true,
For text critics – academic’ll do.

It is my impression that in the broad category of people who consider themselves evangelical, there exists the two contrasting and contradictory views about the places of faith and scholarship regarding text and translation.[i]

1. When it comes to textual criticism, many evangelicals are not concerned about who is doing the work of text criticism. They simply must be academically qualified.

2. When it comes to Bible translation, many evangelicals are concerned about who is doing the work of translation. They feel they should be professed Christians, and that they should hold the doctrines of inspiration & inerrancy.

Steelmanning the issue; not a strawman.

Statements about Textual criticism.[ii]

The quality of the work of textual criticism does not depend on the beliefs of the text critics, but on the credibility of their scholarship. Therefore, it does not matter what they believe, or even if they are Christians at all, as long as they are good well-trained scholars who consistently apply that scholarship.

“I would like to work as a text-critic as if God didn’t exist, so to speak.” Tommy Wasserman, comment on blog post “‘First-Century Mark’ SBL Panel”

“In practice New Testament textual critics today tend to be Christians themselves, but not always. It does not matter, for the quality of their work does not depend on their faith but on their adherence to academic standards.” Jan Krans, “Why the Textus Receptus Cannot Be Accepted”

“My job as a textual critic is not to ensure that readers have an inerrant edition of the Bible in their hands.” P. J. Williams, “Inerrancy and textual criticism”

“If you understand the process of textual criticism today, if you understand how scholars examine manuscripts and examine readings today and there can be unbelievers that do it...” James White, White vs. Levesque Debate (starts at 1:04:20)

These quotes illustrate a common view that the quality of text critical work in establishing the true text of the Bible does not depend on the faith or religion of the textual critics but on their training and adherence to academic standards.

Statements about Bible translation.

I perceive there is among those called evangelicals a discrepancy and/or contradiction in their approach to textual criticism versus their approach to Bible translation. Bible translations by and for evangelicals emphasize the concern that the translators of the text of the Bible need to be orthodox Christians. So, suddenly the evangelicals decide the quality of the work indeed DOES depend on the orthodox beliefs of the translators.

“In faithfulness to God and to our readers, it was deemed appropriate that all participating scholars sign a statement affirming their belief in the verbal and plenary inspiration of Scripture, and in the inerrancy of the original autographs.” “Preface to the New King James Version,” The Holy Bible: New King James Version, Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1982 p. v

“In working toward these goals, the translators were united in their commitment to the authority and infallibility of the Bible as God’s Word in written form.” “A Word About the NIV,” The Holy Bible: New International Version, Colorado Springs, CO: Biblica, p. A14[iii]

“The ESV publishing team has included more than a hundred people…Translation Oversight Committee…Translation Review…the Advisory Council…Crossway Board of Directors. This hundred-plus-member team, shares a common commitment to the truth of God’s Word and to historic Christian orthodoxy and is international in scope, including leaders in many denominations.” “Preface,” ESV Study Bible, Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011, p. 22

“The CSB is translated directly from the best available Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic source texts into English by biblical scholars who affirm the authority of Scripture as the inerrant Word of God and seek the highest level of accuracy in their translation.” Christian Standard Bible FAQs

Questioning the discrepancy; looking for answers.

Why does Average Joe Evangelical think that the scholarship of the translators and their adherence to academic standards are not sufficient to do the work of Bible translation? He thinks that way in the case of the scholarship of the text critics and their adherence to academic standards. Why, in their minds, cannot non-Christian scholars sufficiently make the same decisions about translation as orthodox Christian scholars? 

I personally believe that we need the trust of Christians who are skilled, orthodox, and honest, whether textual critics or translators of original language texts.[iv] (And more personally, I believe we already have text and translation we can trust.) However, I am trying to understand why the split thinking many evangelicals make in the two different tasks. Why is distinction of the necessity of orthodoxy made when it comes to translators? Why do they not call out for orthodox Christian text critics as well?

What’s going on?

If evangelical folks are willing to apply the mantra that the quality of the text critical work depends only on the quality of the training of the scholars, their academic credentials, and their working knowledge of the subject, why do these same evangelicals change horses when they get to the translation stream? Why wouldn’t the quality of the translators’ work also depend on the quality of the training of the scholars, their academic credentials, and their working knowledge of the subject?

I am unsure of this state of affairs. Perhaps one possibility is that most of them cannot read and do not directly use the products produced by the text critics – so that does not impact them directly (at least not in a way obvious to them). On the other hand, these evangelical Christians do read, use, and study the products produced by the translators, and can become quite disturbed when they find something that they believe is unorthodox.[v] 

Another matter involved in this may be how the different products are promoted. Evangelical-oriented Bible translations are deliberately marketed to their consumers framed in guarantees of the translation’s accuracy, reliability, and orthodoxy. Producers of original language texts (especially Greek texts) market their products in a different way, often much of the promotion addressing what great strides the scholars have made in the direction of recovering the “initial” text. A lot of that is probably foreign to the average evangelical Bible reader, even among the very educated.

That is two things that may come into play. What do you think? Why this discrepancy in how evangelicals look at scholarship regarding Bible translations versus original language texts?

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[i] I understand that all evangelicals do not present a mass single view on the subject, but I perceive that there is a general common feeling and approach on this subject of which write.

[ii] Textual criticism in the biblical context is the branch of textual scholarship that attempts to establish what is the original or best possible reading of the Bible. See also HERE, HERE, and HERE.

[iii] NIV constitution statement: “Only those shall be eligible for membership on the Committee who endorse the purpose for which the Committee exists, and who are willing to subscribe to the following affirmation of faith: ‘The Bible alone, and the Bible in its entirety, is the Word of God written, and is therefore inerrant in the autographs’; or to the statements on Scripture in the Westminster Confession, the Belgic Confession, the New Hampshire Confession, or the creedal basis of the National Association of Evangelicals; or to some other comparable statement.”

[iv] Here is what you get when translators are untethered from Christian orthodoxy: “The Scholars Version is free of ecclesiastical and religious control, unlike other major translations into English, including the King James Version and its descendants (Protestant), the Douay-Rheims Version and its progeny (Catholic), and the New International Version (Evangelical). Since SV is not bound by the dictates of church councils, its contents and organization vary from traditional bibles…The Scholars Version is authorized by scholars.” The Five Gospels: The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus. New Translation and Commentary by Robert W. Funk, Roy W. Hoover, and the Jesus Seminar, New York, NY: Polebridge Press/Scribner, 1993, p. xviii.

[v] One example of this was the great uproar that was created when the Revised Standard Version changed the word “virgin” in Isaiah 7:14 to “young woman.”

Mediate meetings with God

“... the preaching of the Word is by God’s appointment the prime means of grace to the church. The common objections to preaching nowadays are, first, that monologue is not the most efficient form of instruction and, second, that preachers’ ideas, no matter how sincerely held and firmly stated, cannot carry God’s authority. The first objection assumes that the purpose of preaching is to pass on information, as one would do in a lecture; the second assumes that there is no specific message from God for the preacher to deliver, so that all the preacher can ever do is relay his own best thoughts. I challenge both assumptions, the latter for reasons that this book has already made clear, and the former because the proper aim of preaching is to mediate meetings with God.”

J. I. Packer, Truth & Power: the Place of Scripture in the Christian Life, 1996, p. 158

Law and Grace Contrasted

The following hymn is Hymn 194 in The Cluster hymn book compiled by Jesse Mercer. It strikingly contrasts law and grace, and holds out the grace of God to the “poor sinner.” Where the law thunders with fire and smoke, death and despair, grace “speaks in accents mild” God’s “love to sinners now.” The hymn is not readily available in modern songbooks. It consists of five stanzas in Long Meter, Doubled (that is, eight lines of poetry instead of four). I suggest the old tune Duane Street will provide a good companion for it. Others likely will as well, but that tune immediately came to mind as I read the hymn.

CXCIV. (L. M.) Double.

Law and Grace contrasted.

1. In thunder once Jehovah spoke,
From Sinai’s top in fire and smoke; 
But now from Zion’s fair abode,
He shews himself a pard’ning God.
Hark! how he speaks in accents mild,
Speaks to the sinner as a child,
“Pardon and peace I freely give
Poor sinner look to me and live.”

2. The holy Moses quak’d with fear,
And camp-despair and death were there;
But here the God of gospel-grace,
Invites us now to see his face:
Vengeance no more be-clouds his brow,
He speaks in love to sinners now:
It is the voice of Jesus’ blood,
Calling poor wanderers home to God.

3. The thundering law, (with terrors full!)
Pronounc’d a curse on every soul;
But now from Zion’s milder throne,
The softest strain of love is known.
Hark, how from Calvary it sounds.
From the Redeemer’s bleeding wounds;
Rends temple, veil, and rocks and land,— 
Who can the force of love withstand!

4. What other arguments can move
The heart that slights a Saviour’s love?
 Yet till Almighty power constrain,
This matchless love is preach’d in vain. 
Dear Saviour, let that power be felt,
And cause each stony heart to melt;
Deeply impress upon our youth,
The light and force of gospel truth.

5. O let them in this hour begin, 
To live to thee, and die to sin,
To enter by the narrow way,
Which leads to everlasting day;
How will they else thy presence bear,
When as a judge thou shalt appear,
When slighted love to wrath will turn,
And the whole earth like Sinai burn.

The Cluster of Spiritual Songs, Divine Hymns, and Sacred Poems was first published around 1800 – though the oldest known existing copy was published in 1810. The compiler, Jesse Mercer (1769-1841), was the son of noted Separate Baptist minister Silas Mercer and Dorcas Green. Jesse Mercer was born December 16, 1769, in Halifax County, North Carolina. The Mercer family moved to Georgia in 1774, where Silas would later constitute several pioneer churches after his conversion to Baptist principles. In 1786 Jesse married Sabrina Chivers. He was converted and baptized in 1787, was ordained to the ministry in 1789 – all at the Phillips Mill Church organized by his father. After Sabrina’s death in 1826, he married the widow Nancy Mills Simmons in 1827. Jesse Mercer died September 06, 1841, and is buried at the Penfield Cemetery in Greene County, Georgia.

Jesse Mercer made his mark in the Baptist ministry. He also made enduring contributions to the welfare of his state as a delegate to the 1798 Georgia state constitutional convention. He became a leader in the Georgia Baptist Association, the state’s first Baptist association. He helped organize the Georgia Baptist Convention in 1822 and served as its president from that time until his death in 1841. Mercer purchased The Christian Index, a Washington, D.C.-based newspaper, in 1833. It still survives today as “the nation’s oldest continuously published religious newspaper.” He made gifts to the first two missionaries sent by the American Baptist Home Missionary Society to Texas – James Huckins and William M. Tryon. Mercer may be best remembered in modern times as the namesake of the Georgia Baptist Mercer University.

Online, see Jesse Mercer, The Cluster of Spiritual Songs, Divine Hymns and Sacred Poems; Being Chiefly a Collection. Third Edition, Revised, Philadelphia, PA: William W. Woodward, 1823, pp. 155-156.

George C. Coles wrote the tune Duane Street. He was born in England in 1792 and was converted at age 13 under the ministry of John Wesley. He emigrated to America in 1818, and married Belinda Willson two years later. Already a minister, he began to supply the pulpit and joined the New York Conference. Coles was also a musician and a singer. He died in 1858 and is buried at the Ivandell Cemetery in Somers, Westchester County, New York, along with his wife. The version of Duane Street in The Sacred Harp was arranged by J. T. White, nephew of the compiler B. F. White. The alto was added by Anna Cooper Blackshear.

The man whose heart...

The Puritans often wrote of love and marriage in the context of God’s love for his people. Here are a few notable quotes.

Henry Smith (ca.1560–ca.1600) English Puritan minister in London.

“To honour marriage more yet, or rather to teach the married how to honour one another, it is said that the wife was made of the husband’s rib, Gen. ii. 22; not of his head, for Paul calleth the husband the wife’s head, Ephes. v. 23; not of the foot, for he must not set her at his foot. The servant is appointed to serve, and the wife to help. If she must not match with the head, nor stoop at the foot, where shall he set her then? He must set her at his heart, and therefore she which should lie in his bosom was made in his bosom, and should be as close to him as his rib, of which she was fashioned.”

“Therefore one saith, that marriage doth signify merry-age, because a play-fellow is come to make our age merry…”

“A Preparation for Marriage,” in The Works of Henry Smith: including Sermons, Treatises, Prayers, and Poems.

“Marriage doth signify merry-age” is often credited Thomas Gataker. Since Smith said one saith, he may have gotten the quote from Gataker. On the other hand, both Smith and Gataker may have gotten the quote from a previous source.

Thomas Gataker (1574–1654) English minister and member of the Westminster Assembly, who annotated the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Lamentations.

“…there is no society more near, more entire, more needful, more kindly, more delightful, more comfortable, more constant, more continual, than the society of man and wife…”

A Good Wife God’s Gift and, A Wife Indeed.

Thomas Hooker (1586–1647) Congregational minister and leading founder of the Connecticut Colony.

“The man whose heart is endeared to the woman he loves, he dreams of her in the night, hath her in his eye and apprehension when he awakes, museth on her as he sits at the table, walks with her when he travels, and parlies with her in each place where he comes.”

The Application of Redemption.

“That the Husband tenders his spouse with an endeared affection above all mortal creatures: This appears by the expressions of his respect, that all he hath, is at her command, all he can do, is wholly improved for her content and comfort, she lies in his bosom, and his heart trusts in her, which forceth all to confess, that the stream of his affection, like a mighty current, runs with full tide and strength…”

A Comment upon Christ’s Last Prayer in the Seventeenth of John.

What’s on Archive and Google

On Archive.Org:

Alexander Campbell and His New Version by Cecil K. Thomas (St. Louis, MO: The Bethany Press, 1958)

This is an extended treatment of a Bible version created by Restoration movement leader Alexander Campbell. It is a generally favorable treatment that seems to find it more important than it was. It also has a bit of feel of promoting the Revised Standard Version. Thomas writes about “the striking way in which Alexander Campbell anticipated, by some one hundred twenty-five years, many of the most striking features of the Revised Standard Version” (p. 10). It appears a few years after the RSV. The “Introduction” was written by Luther A. Weigle, the chair of the RSV translation committee. He writes that “there is so large a degree of likeness between Campell’s translation and the Revised Standard Version of our own day” (p. 13).

Speaking of Alexander Campbell, Google Books has Volume 1, 1830, of his periodical The Millennial Harbinger (as well as some other volumes).

The Progress of Faith and Practice in the Book of Acts

The progress of faith and practice in the book of Acts

• Jerusalem - Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
• Jerusalem - Acts 2:47 praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
• Jerusalem - Acts 4:4 Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.
• Jerusalem - Acts 5:14 And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.
• Jerusalem - Acts 6:1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.
• Jerusalem - Acts 6:7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. 
• Samaria - Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
• Judæa, Galilee, and Samaria - Acts 9:31 Then had the churches rest throughout all Judæa and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.
• Joppa - Acts 9:42 And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.
• Antioch in Syria - Acts 11:21 And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.
• Antioch in Syria - Acts 11:24 For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.
• Cæsarea (or a general statement) - Acts 12:24 But the word of God grew and multiplied.
• Antioch in Pisidia - Acts 13:48-49 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.
• Iconium - Acts 14:1 And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.
• Derbe, Lystra, and other cities - Acts 16:5 And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.
• Thessalonica - Acts 17:4 And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
• Berea - Acts 17:11-12 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.
• Corinth - Acts 18:8 And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.
• Ephesus - Acts 19:20 So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.
• Jerusalem - Acts 21:20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:
• Rome - Acts 28:24 And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.

William Tyndale Quotes

Quotes extracted from the great English Bible translator and faithful martyr, William Tyndale.

“God is that only which he testifieth of himself; and to imagine any other thing of God than that, is damnable idolatry. Therefore saith the hundred and eighteenth psalm, ‘Happy are they which search the testimonies of the Lord;’ that is to say, that which God testifieth and witnesseth unto us.”

“God’s word should rule only; and not bishops’ decrees, or the pope’s pleasure.”

“First, the merits of the saints did not save themselves, but were saved by Christ’s merits only. Secondarily, God hath promised Christ’s merits unto all that repent; so that whosoever repenteth, is immediately heir of all Christ’s merits, and beloved of God as Christ is. How then came this foul monster to be lord over Christ’s merits, so that he hath power to sell that which God giveth freely?”

“O dreamers! yea, O devils, and O venomous scorpions, what poison have ye in your tails! O pestilent leaven, that so turneth the sweet bread of Christ’s doctrine into the bitterness of gall!”

“…nothing bringeth the wrath of God so soon and so sore on a man, as the idolatry of his own imagination.”

“If any question arose about the faith of the scripture, that let them judge by the manifest and open scriptures, not excluding the lay-men: for there are many found among the lay-men, which are as wise as the officers. Or else, when the officer dieth, how could we put another in his room? Wilt thou so teach twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty years, that no man shall have knowledge or judgment in God’s word save thou only? Is it not a shame that we Christians come so oft to church in vain, when he of fourscore years old knoweth no more than he that was born yesterday?”

“Christ commandeth to search the scriptures. John 5. Though that miracles bare record unto his doctrine, yet desired he no faith to be given either to his doctrine, or to his miracles, without record of the scripture.”

“John biddeth judge the spirits. Whereby shall we judge them, but by the scriptures? How shalt thou know whether the prophet be true or false, or whether he speak God’s word, or of his own head, if thou wilt not see the scriptures?”

“...as they came by the Holy Ghost, , so must they be expounded and understood by the Holy Ghost. The scripture is that wherewith God draweth us unto him, and not where with we should be led from him. The scriptures spring out of God, and flow unto Christ, and were given to lead us to Christ. Thou must therefore go along by the scripture as by a line, until thou come at Christ, which is the way’s end and resting-place.”

Extra, non-Tyndale quote:

“I am willing to believe all that God desires, but that the Pope should have authority to teach what is contrary to Scripture I never will believe.” Sir John Oldcastle, Lord Cobham; an English Christian martyr