Sampson's Essay on Qualifications For Faithful Interpreters of Scripture

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Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

An interesting gem to be found in a posthumously-published commentary on the Book of Hebrews by Francis S. Sampson (edited by Robert L. Dabney) is the introductory essay on the critical interpreter of the sacred Scriptures. Sampson served as a professor of Oriental literature and languages in the Union Theological Seminary, Virginia, and was a colleague and dear friend of Dabney, who was also his biographer.

Sampson highlights the importance of the faithful interpreter of Scripture in the context of the Satan’s war against Christ and His Church. He argues that one of greatest means by which the devil causes harm to the Church is through the efforts of unfaithful theological professors and preachers who undermine the foundations of the Church. By the mangling and perversion of God’s Word, such sabotage from within greatly aids his efforts, by suppressing and distorting the truth, to derail the advancement of Christ’s kingdom. But to the contrary, faithful interpreters of Scripture who handle God’s Word with wisdom are indispensable instruments in the work of the Church to advance the cause of the gospel in the world.

Here is a brief summary of the qualifications which Sampson gives for the faithful interpreter of Scripture:

  1. The first qualification which I shall mention is, that he have a thorough conviction that the Scriptures are indeed the Word of God: in other words, that he be a firm believers in the plenary inspiration of the Sacred Scriptures.

  2. The next essential qualification for the sacred Scriptures which I shall mention is, that he be truly enlightened and regenerated by the Spirit which gave them.

  3. The third qualification, which I mention as essential to the critical interpreter of the Scriptures, is a thorough knowledge of the original languages in which they are written, as well as a good knowledge, at least, of their cognates.

  4. But not only is a thorough knowledge of the original and cognate languages of the Scriptures necessary to the interpreter; he has need, in the fourth place, of a very extensive and often minute acquaintance with various collateral knowledge.

  5. The next requisite to the interpreter of the sacred Scriptures which I shall mention is, a thorough and comprehensive acquaintance with the Scriptures themselves.

  6. The last qualification of the interpreter of the sacred Scriptures which I shall mention, is, that he possess correct principles of interpretation, and have the skill and judgment to apply them.

In the last discussion, Sampson highlights the importance of the principle of “historico-grammatical system of interpretation.” He adds: “In this last qualification, we only allow what, in strict accordance with the true nature of language, is allowed to all writings, — that they be interpreted according to themselves and according to the nature of the subjects of which they treat.”

The full essay explores the the value of each of these criteria for sound interpretation of what the Scriptures teach. It is remarkable that, though each point is so fundamental and basic as to seemingly go without saying, yet, departures from each of these points are widespread in the Church today with consequent harmful effects.

Read the full essay at Sampson’s page or Dabney’s and consider the importance of faithful teachers of God’s Word. Such men who meet those qualifications are treasures worthy of the great honor to handle the Word of God rightly.

Samuel Blatchford: Heaven is an Eternal Sabbath

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When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise, than when we'd first begun. — John Newton, “Amazing Grace”

A sermon delivered by Samuel Blatchford (1767-1828) not long before his passing from this life to the next still speaks to a truth of great importance to our own generation almost two centuries later. Preached on November 27, 1825 and published the following year, the sermon was titled The Sanctification of the Sabbath. Among the points made in conclusion (p. 20), we find a powerful argument for adhering to the Fourth Commandment in the recognition that the Christian Sabbath is in fact a foretaste of heaven.

A very great part of the exercises of the Sabbath, duly sanctified on earth, bears a strong resemblance to the employments of the heavenly world. Heaven is an eternal Sabbath. There the spirits of just men made perfect approach with delight the seat of the infinite Jehovah. With adoring praise, they pour forth their lively gratitude. With exquisite pleasure, they contemplate the Author of all things, who governs and actuates the immensity of beings, which occupy the universe of life. The hallelujahs of praise break forth in uninterrupted harmony from every angel, and every redeemed sinner. And, my brethren, in the due sanctification of this holy day on earth; in a general consent to worship God; not to speak our own words, nor to think our own thoughts; to have our meditation of God; to croud [sic] about his altars; to esteem a day spent in the courts of the Lord’s house preferable to a thousand elsewhere: O! this is to congregate with the hosts of glory, and to constitute a heaven upon the earth. Hereby we shall know him who hath sanctified the Sabbath, and be maturing for those enjoyments, where there remaineth a rest, a Sabbatismos, for the people of God.

What a profound thought it is to recall that our exercises of worship on the Lord’s Day are but prelude to joining the heavenly choir itself, to glorify God in heaven even more perfectly forever than we aim to do on earth each week. When we exalt the name of God together from one Sabbath to the next, we begin to taste the delight that awaits us where we will praise Him unceasingly. Read Blatchford’s full sermon on The Sanctification of the Sabbath here, and consider the reward of keeping God’s day holy on earth, which is a but a taste of heaven.

J.W. Alexander on Thankful Review following the Lord's Supper

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Q. 175. What is the duty of Christians, after they have received the sacrament of the Lord’s supper?

A. The duty of Christians, after they have received the sacrament of the Lord’s supper, is seriously to consider how they have behaved themselves therein, and with what success; if they find quickening and comfort, to bless God for it, beg the continuance of it, watch against relapses, fulfill their vows, and encourage themselves to a frequent attendance on that ordinance: but if they find no present benefit, more exactly to review their preparation to, and carriage at, the sacrament; in both which, if they can approve themselves to God and their own consciences, they are to wait for the fruit of it in due time: but, if they see they have failed in either, they are to be humbled, and to attend upon it afterwards with more care and diligence. — Westminster Larger Catechism

A wonderful little handbook or manual for those seeking to rightly observe the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is Plain Words to a Young Communicant (1854) by James W. Alexander (republished in 2000 by Banner Truth under the title Remember Him).

In the space of 85 brief chapters (80 in the Banner of Truth edition), Alexander addresses preparation for the Table, whether doubters can approach the table, self-examination, retrospect following communion, and many various aspects of the Christian Walk, including meditation, prayer, Sabbath-keeping, church attendance, and other means of grace and sanctification. Under the heading “Questions Before the Communion,” he has borrowed from a work by Ashbel Green titled Questions and Counsel for Young Converts (1831) [attributed erroneously by Banner of Truth to William Henry Green]. These questions are helpful to young believers (and old) in ascertaining the state of the soul before God.

There is one chapter especially worth highlighting for those who have just recently partaken of the sacrament: Thankful Review.

Through the tender mercies of our God, the cases are numerous, in which the young communicant retires from the Table of the Lord, strengthened and encouraged. The cardinal truth of Christianity has been set before his thoughts and become incorporated with his faith. He has seen Jesus [John 12:21]. His views of the infinite freedom of salvation have been made more clear. The evidences of his acceptance with God have become brighter. He is more disposed than ever before, to yield himself as a sacrifice, soul, body, and spirit, which is his reasonable service [Rom. 12:1]. Where any part of this is true, you have new cause for gratitude. It is “the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit” (Isa. 48:17). Now is the time, to bless him for this grace, and to beg the continuance of it. Now is the time to set a watch against relapses, and to carry into effect the vows which you have made at the Lord’s Table. Henceforth, you will look for the recurrence of this sacrament with a lively expectation, founded on experience.

If you are preparing to partake of the Lord’s Supper or have just partaken, this devotional manual is a good aid to right observance. Read J.W. Alexander’s handbook for communicants in full here.

Alexander McLeod was born almost 250 years ago today

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"Ministers are living books, and books are dead ministers; and yet though dead, they speak. When you cannot hear the one, you may read the other." — Matthew Poole 

On June 12, 1774, in the Isle of Mull, Scotland, Alexander McLeod was born. He came to the United States as a young man in 1792, and would go on to become one of the leaders not only of his own denomination, the Reformed Presbyterian Church, but was well-respected as a leading voice among all branches of American Presbyterianism.

His pastoral ministry, where he served at Coldenham, New York and in New York City, lasted from 1801 until his death on February 17, 1833, which was mourned by many. He was instrumental in confirming the RPCNA’s early institutional opposition to slavery. McLeod also contributed to the founding of the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary, among many other endeavors on behalf of both the kingdom of God and the common good, which have had a lasting influence that endures today.

McLeod played a role in the founding of the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary beginning as early as 1807 (Robert M. Copeland, Spare No Exertions: 175 Years of the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary, pp. 19, 23). McLeod was additionally involved in the establishment of the American Colonization Society; with Samuel Miller he furthered the work of the New York Bible Society; with John Stanford he worked to establish the New York Society for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb; and with Philip Milledoler he helped to organize the American Society for Meliorating the Condition of the Jews. He was honored with the degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1809 at Middlebury College, Vermont. In 1812, he was unanimously elected to serve as Professor of Mathematics (replacing his first cousin, John Maclean, Sr., in that capacity) and as Vice-President of the College of New Jersey (Princeton), but he respectfully declined this invitation in order to serve his flock. In the midst of his regular preaching duties, he was also a prolific writer, publishing many works and contributing to many periodicals.

From his famous Ecclesiastical Catechism, he writes concerning the present disunity of the Church:

Seeing there are many distinct denominations of Christians, what is their duty toward one another?

To form one church of societies retaining their peculiar habits and prejudices, would only produce confusion, or substitute a base neutrality for Christian zeal It is the duty of every denomination to reform abuses, and endeavour, after conformity to the plan of church order appointed by Christ, that the Catholic Church may attain to the unity of the Spirit, and become visibly connected in the bond of peace.

In 2019, Log College Press republished one of McLeod’s major works, Messiah, Governor of the Nations of the Earth. Today, we remember that he was born almost 250 years ago and yet his voice still speaks to our generation.

Those that love God will love His Church: William S. Plumer on the courts of God

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To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.…For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness (Ps. 84:1-4, 10).

The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah. I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there. And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her. The LORD shall count, when he writeth up the people,  that  this man was born there. Selah. (Ps. 87:2-6).

These passages from the Psalms remind us that the Lord loves His Church — it is the dwelling place of His habitation and the focus of His blessing — and we ought to love and long for the Church too.

William Swan Plumer’s commentary on these Psalms gives helpful application on this point. Ps. 84:

The appointed worship of the true God has in all ages possessed great attractions for the regenerate….My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God, q. d., my whole nature is intensely wrought up to desire not only the privilege of worship, but actual communion with God. Without God all rites, though divinely appointed, profit not….The blessings connected with a regular and devout attendance at God’s house are so many and so great that the strongest terms may well be employed to describe them. Even the visitor of the sanctuary may be blessed, but those who dwell there are sure of great and numerous mercies….If we are not pleased with the solemn worship of God, it is because we lack the true spirit of devotion, and if we lack the spirit of devotion, we have no piety, vv. 1, 4….As true piety prevails, love for the worship of God increases….If our love to God and his house were as strong as it should be, as strong as it was in the bosom of the Psalmist, we should not find it necessary to spend so much time in seeking for evidences of a renewed state, and for marks of gracious affections, V. 10. Love is its own evidence. When it commands the soul, we cannot doubt its existence. When one desires God's word more than his necessary food, when he thinks it the highest privilege to be a worshipper of God, when he joyfully resigns his all to Jehovah, then his evidences are usually comfortable.

Plumer on Ps. 87:

God ought to be publicly worshipped. He is thereby honored. We should celebrate his works. Redemption is his chief work. As such worship is honorable, so it is pleasing to God….God's worship and presence dignify any place, thing or person pertaining to his service….To the end of the world they will be mentioned with respect by the best men of each succeeding generation….If we are truly pious, we will love all that God loves; and so we will love his church, v. 2….She is our mother. She is the spouse of Christ. She is the Lamb's wife. She is all glorious within. The glories of earthly kingdoms fade away before the glories of Zion, as the light of the stars is no longer visible when the sun rises.

Do you, Christian, like the Psalmist, long for the courts of God, that is, the Church? Do you know how much the Lord loves the gates of Zion, that is, the Church? If it is your heart’s desire to commune with God among His people, not merely in the outward observance of His ordinances of public worship, but with sincere inward devotion, that is evidence of a heart that loves what God Himself delights in. As the Christian Sabbath, or the Lord’s Day, approaches, may this heart be in each of us, and may we love the Lamb’s wife, the Spouse of Christ, as He indeed loves the Church.

Stuart Robinson on the 'Churchliness of Calvinism'

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Stuart Robinson is known for his position, characteristic of the Southern Presbyterian Church, that — as John Muether has written in reviewing The Church of God as an Essential Element of the Gospel — “‘divine right’ Presbyterianism sees the church as a spiritual institution with spiritual means to accomplish spiritual ends.” The place of the church in relation to the gospel is front and center in Robinson’s thinking as is shown also by an extract from an address which he gave to the First General Presbyterian Council at Edinburgh, Scotland in July 1877 titled The Churchliness of Calvinism: Presbytery Jure Divino Its Logical Outcome (1877).

The mission of Messiah to execute the covenant of eternity was not simply to be a teaching Prophet and an atoning Priest, but a ruling King as well. His work, beside making an atonement, was not, as a Socrates, merely to enunciate certain truths and found a school, but likewise, as the result of all and the reward of all, to be a Solon, founding a community, organising a government, and administering therein as a perpetual King. Hence, therefore, the Church of God, as organised and visible, is but the actual outworking of the purpose to redeem an organised body of sinners out of the fallen race. It is therefore an essential element of the gospel theology. The foundations of the structure are laid in the very depths of the scheme of redemption; and the development, in time, of that scheme to redeem not merely individual souls, but a body of sinners organised under the Mediator, as Head and King, must of necessity develop a Church, visible and organised, as a part of the revelation to man of the counsels of eternity.

See the rest of Robinson’s address here, along with many other works by him, including newly-added issues of the newspaper he edited in Louisville, Kentucky, the Free Christian Commonwealth. He is a Presbyterian worth getting to know, and this address is representative of his passionate conviction in the important place of the Church in relation to the redemptive purpose and work of Messiah.

A place called Zion: Archibald Alexander explains

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The word ‘Zion,’ although a place name that dates back millennia, is often seen in today’s culture, whether as the name of a college basketball star or as a place in The Matrix trilogy, and it has many other usages as well. But its meaning is anchored in its usage in the Word of God, and to better understand the word, it is helpful to refer to a Bible Dictionary, such as the one published by Archibald Alexander in 1829.

At 546 pages long, Alexander’s A Pocket Dictionary of the Holy Bible may not be named appropriately according to our way of thinking, but it is a valuable tool for the student of Scripture.

Turning to p. 545, we read the following (in slightly modernized English):

ZION, or Sion; (1.) A top or part of Mount Hermon, or an arrangement of hills near to it, Psal. 133.3. (2.) Cellarius, Lightfoot, and others, think the other famed Mount Zion was to the north of the ancient Jebus; Reland has offered a variety of arguments to prove that it was on the south of it. We think the south part of Jerusalem stood on Mount Zion, and that the king’s palace stood on the north side of it, and the temple on Mount Moriah, to the north-east of it, 2 Sam. 5.1 1 Kings 8.1. Psal. 68.2; but as Mount Moriah was but at the end of it, it was sometimes called Zion; and even the temple and its courts are so called, Psal. 65.1 84.7; and the worshippers at the temple, if not the whole inhabitants of Jerusalem, are called Zion, Psalm 97.8. In allusion hereto, the church, whether Jewish or Christian, or heaven, is called Zion: how graciously was she chosen of God for his residence! how firm is her foundation, and how delightful her prospect! how solemn and sweet the fellowship with and worship of God therein! Psal. 102.13. Isa. 2.3. Heb. 12.22. Rev. 14.1. Isa. 51.11.

Whether reading those portions of the New Testament that speak of Zion, or whether we are singing the “Songs of Zion” — that is, the Psalms — it is helpful to comprehend the source of the word ‘Zion’ as well as its usage in Scripture. And, as Alexander reminds us, how sweet that word is to we who inhabit the place where God dwells with his people today, meaning, the church.

While we are taking note of what this gifted theologian and scholar has to say about Zion, let us also remember that he was born on April 17, 1772 - 247 years ago. Happy birthday to Archibald Alexander!

T.V. Moore on the Corporate Life of the Church

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In the spring of 1868, in Baltimore, Maryland, the opening sermon was delivered before the General Assembly of the Southern Presbyterian Church (PCUS) by Moderator Thomas Verner Moore. We have recently added this sermon, titled The Corporate Life of the Church, to Log College Press. It is a noteworthy sermon which, although not well-known today, speaks volumes to the fragmented and individualized state of the church in 21st century America.

In this sermon, Moore sketches out an important concept that is too-little understood today: the new birth of the believer, by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, is only the beginning of the story. It is not only the life of the individual soul with which Christ in his saving work is concerned, but the life of his body, that is, the general assembly of believers, or the Church.

…as soon as this personal life begins, the individual Christian finds that there is another life into which he is introduced by the same act of regeneration. Christ is revealed in Scripture, not only as the Saviour of the collective Church, His body, of which individual Christians are members in particular. “For as the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ;” and this image is elaborated to great length by the Apostle in the 12th chapter of 1st Corinthians, as well as in other Epistles.

Moore shows us that the Scripture emphasize the corporate nature of the Christian community in a variety of ways: the church is described as a city, a kingdom, a building, a temple, and a body or a family with many members.

This great idea of corporate life is an essential element of New Testament Christianity. Men are not converted and saved merely as isolated units, but as members of Christ’s family, into which they are born by the new birth, and from which they cannot rightfully segregate themselves.

Moore acknowledges the danger of hierarchical corporate power which can lead to tyrannical abuse, but is focused here on addressing what we might today know as “lone wolf Christianity,” with its low regard for organized, connected religion.

It is true that this element of corporate power may be developed in a corrupt Church to a spiritual despotism, in which the individual life shall be smothered, but it may also be kept so much in abeyance as to lose its legitimate force and give an exaggerated development of the principle of individualism, tending to schism, contention, and paralysis of this power of corporate action. And it is probably true, that this is the real danger in much of our modern Protestantism, and the cause of much of our unsuccessful activity. “the eye saith to the hand, I have no need of thee, and the head to the feet, I have no need of you.” And the very evils which existed among the Corinthian Christians exist among us, and need to be corrected to restore our efficiency. If then we can revive this corporate life, without weakening the individual life, and bring it to bear on our daily work and warfare, as parts of the Sacramental host, citizens of the city that hath foundations, members of the household of faith, portions of the body of Christ, we shall remedy an undoubted defect in our modern piety, and give an added energy to every operation of our beloved Church.

As Moore continues, he examines how the early Church in most cases demonstrated this corporate vitality by the concern showed by disciples in striving to assist those with financial aids, those suffering under persecution, and doing such things, not only locally, but for the saints separated by great distances, wherever there was a need, and all motivated by the principle of love. It was this corporate vitality, in fact, that enabled the early Church to grow and flourish under difficult circumstances. The love of the saints for one another made them a sum that was strong than its individual parts.

And so Moore reminds us that the labor of Christianity is not merely assigned to church officers, but to all members of Christ’s body. And the love that characterized the early Church must also be reflected in our modern day.

Love, the life blood of this body corporate, must flow rich and warm, love to Jesus, love to souls, love to one another. This will give us in such a Church, one large, loving family, clinging to one another, caring for each other’s welfare, good name and general interests, just as members of the same household do; each seeking, not his own, but the things of another; in honour preferring one another; and so fulfilling the traditional words of the last, loving apostle, whose aged lips were wont to say, when he could utter no other exhortation, “Little children, love one another.”

Moore says that this principle of love, exemplified in our day, makes the work of the Church easy, its worship services and catechetical activities a delight, and causes the flame which attracts others to burn the brighter.

Having demonstrated the importance of recognizing the corporate life of the Church, Moore surveys the post-War landscape around him and reminds his hearers that just as when days were dark during the Killing Times for Scotland’s Covenanters, yet God did great things for them, so may we look for God to do a great work in the present day, most especially when we fix our eyes upon Christ, and when we love his Body, the Church. This sermon has great application to our day, and the reader is encouraged to download it for thoughtful consideration. We need this message from T.V. Moore today, just as it was needed in 1868.