These dissenting Christians had separated from the Church of England and were living in exile in Leyden, Amsterdam, and  Plymouth Plantation so they could practice their doctrine as congregational churches with each church bound by its covenant.   Introduction The church at Leyden was the mother church for the Pilgrim congregation in Plymouth Plantation in... Continue Reading

As sinners, we cannot satisfy God’s wrath or fully pay for our sins no matter what we do or how long we do it. Furthermore, even if we tried, we would keep on sinning while seeking to fully pay for our sins. An endless loop of sin and punishment would ensue. As a result, a... Continue Reading

Only those who have truly trusted in Jesus as their Savior and submitted to His lordship will experience God’s eternal blessing. Obedience brings blessing, not because it merits salvation but because it demonstrates the reality of our faith in the One who blesses His people.   Although it is rarely noted, the concept of blessing... Continue Reading

Wherever King Jesus is readily acknowledged, his reign in rule is more firmly felt and entrenched in our lives and in our world, and so mainly that will exist in the church. There we have his kingdom coming. What more important things could we pray about in our day?   We think about the petitions... Continue Reading

Calvin said there are two tests to determine the purity of a man’s aspirations. First, is the man already doing what the office requires?…Second, if he goes unnoticed in his service (let us say he does not get nominated this go-around), does he keep serving?    I have noticed an interesting difference between the description of... Continue Reading

I am not a prophet, but I suspect (and cannot know) that we will become or already are a non-literary society. And that a sub-group (pastors, classical school kids, educators, etc.) will continue to value the life of the mind.   I think we are seeing the end of reading as a societal activity. Most... Continue Reading

If you cannot feel it now, the Lord is still with you in the valley. He will still walk with you without fail all your days, and one day it may be that you look back on the worst of experiences, the most dreadful of times, the deepest of dark valleys, and you will be... Continue Reading

When our desire for knowledge and revelation ram against the unapproachable wisdom and knowledge of God, where do we turn? The surest answer in those moments is to turn to His Word, where mercifully, God has already spoken. He has revealed something of His good intent and loving providence, enough so that through His Word... Continue Reading

If what we ultimately seek is health or comfort or material happiness, then we have to admit that these idols are doing a decent job. From one perspective, it makes sense that we continue to rely on them. Our idols don’t make promises explicitly because they rarely speak. But we attribute promises to them—primarily that... Continue Reading

In capitalism, “the individual is important, and this is why it is consonant with the Christian world view, because you are important. Because you are created in God’s image.” In socialism, individual subordination will be justified by saying “this is for the good of the order … this is for the greater good, it’s very... Continue Reading