Reformed Christian Studies

By Rev. Robert McCurley - Posted at Sermon Audio :

By William Symington -  Posted at Grace Online Library : Samuel Rutherford was one of the most prominent of the Scottish commissioners. ( Wikipedia ) The Scottish Commissioners Although the Scottish commissioners cannot be said to have formed a party in the Westminster Assembly, this is perhaps the proper place to advert to their appointment, character, and peculiar position in that meeting. When the calling of an assembly of divines first suggested itself, the English Parliament had determined to ask the counsel and assistance of the Church of Scotland in regard to the new form of government that should be set up in room of that which had been abolished. So long a time, however, elapsed before any formal application was made to the General Assembly for an appointment to this effect, that the Scots began to suspect the sincerity of their English friends. At length, in August 1643, commissioners from England arrived with power to consult with both the Convention of Estates a

Source: CrichBaptist.org From  SAMUEL RUTHERFORD – More Than Just a Man of Letters  -  Posted at Crich Baptist Church : Rutherford’s letters show that he was a very thoughtful man. It has been observed that during this period of his life, tenderness was one of his most characteristic qualities. He was also powerful in his handling of practical subjects and denouncing the prevalent vices of the day. In his preaching he had a power to arrest and captivates the people’s attention. Rutherford spent a lot of time in his personal devotions with his God, he used to get up every morning at 3am for Bible reading, meditation and prayer. He had a special hallowed spot midway between the manse and the church among the trees, which was caIled Rutherford’s Walk, where he used to go for prolonged devout thought and prayer. After a while attendance at the Church grew. From many parishes, far remote to Anwoth and without a faithful ministry, multitudes flocked to hear Rutherford, hungeri

Posted at Purely Presbyterian : Samuel Rutherford, The Covenant of Life Opened , pp. 363-368. Christ, Even After Universal Judgment, Is a Mediatory Head, King, and Lord The Son (saith Camero ) shall leave off to reign, quod attinet ad regnandi actum , according to the act of reigning, but as touching the Kingdom itself, there shall be no end of the Kingdom. But it may appear as there was a time when it was said of Christ, Philippians 2:7, He emptied himself, and took on him the form of a servant. So there is a time opposite to that, Philippians 2:9, Therefore God hath highly exalted him: which is not fulfilled in his resurrection, ascension, and sitting only at the right hand of God, but when all power, friends, and unfriends, and the Man Christ shall be subject to the Lord, yea even the Son, not as God, for Christ-God is equal with the Father, not as man, for so in the days of his flesh as man, he ever was, and is, and shall be subject to God, but the Son shall be subject, a

Psalm 1 (KJV) 1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

"He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully." - Psalm 24:4 "Lord cut, Lord carve, Lord wound, Lord do anything that may perfect Thy Father's image in us and make us meet for glory." - RUTHERFORD Outward practical holiness is a very precious mark of grace. It is to be feared that many professors have perverted the doctrine of justification by faith in such a way as to treat good works with contempt; if so, they will receive everlasting contempt at the last great day. If our hands are not clean let us wash them in Jesus' precious blood, and so let us lift up pure hands unto God. But "clean hands" will not suffice unless they are connected with "a pure heart." True religion is heart work. - SPURGEON ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The Saint and the Prince" compiled and edited by Rev. Stanley Barnes. © 2015 - All Rights Reserved. Source: Free

Posted at Reformation Scotland: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” according to human opinion – but not when it comes to God. He is beauty itself. There is nothing in Him that is not truly beautiful. Indeed all beauty has an objective standard in the absolute beauty of God. It’s not an aspect of God’s being that we consider often, if at all. Yet David sought this as his greatest desire: nothing was more important to him (Psalm 27:4). But what do we mean by God’s beauty? And how do we become captivated by it? Samuel Rutherford was one man who was certainly entranced by the beauty of God. He often refers to the spiritual beauty he found in fellowship with Christ in his well-known letters. He gives a fuller definition of God’s beauty in another less familiar book called Christ Dying and Drawing Sinners to Himself. It is a brief example of some of his soaring thoughts about Christ and the glory of God’s being. He is speaking of what it in Christ that draws us to Him. One of them

By Rev. Samuel Rutherford - Posted at Fire and Ice: Puritan and Reformed Writings : 1. That hours of the day, less or more time, for the Word and prayer, be given to God; not sparing the twelfth hour, or mid-day, howbeit it should then be the shorter time. 2. In the midst of worldly employments, there should be some thoughts of sin, death, judgment, and eternity, with at least a word or two of ejaculatory prayer to God. 3. To beware of wandering of heart in private prayer. 4. Not to grudge if ye come from prayer without sense of joy. Downcasting, sense of guiltiness, and hunger, are often best for us. 5. That the Lord's Day, from morning to night, be spent always either in private or public worship. 6. That words be observed, wandering and idle thoughts be avoided, sudden anger and desire of revenge, even of such as persecute the truth, be guarded against; for we often mix our zeal with our wild-fire. 7. That known, discovered, and revealed sins, that are against the conscien

Posted at Christianity.com : "Duties are ours, and events are the Lord's." It wasn't easy in coming, but that was the conclusion reached by a discouraged preacher who felt abandoned by God and useless. And small wonder: He had been removed from his church, forbidden to preach anywhere in his land, and confined to the town of Aberdeen. Little did he expect at first that his exile would provide the occasion for him to write a volume of letters that nearly four hundred years later would still be acclaimed as masterpieces. In fact, one of the greatest wordsmiths ever, Charles Haddon Spurgeon said of his letters: "When we are dead and gone, let the world know that Spurgeon held Rutherford's letters to be the nearest thing to inspiration which can be found in all the writings of mere man." Spurgeon spoke of Scotsman Samuel Rutherford who was born in 1600. He would bless the world with spiritual literature that endures, a monumental legal classic, a

Posted at Reformation Scotland: We are more likely to think of prayer as bringing peace and comfort than something which could be violent. It has a strange ring to it. Yet Scripture describes fervent prayer as wrestling and striving. Perhaps it sounds strange because we have become used to weak and cold-hearted prayers. Samuel Rutherford wrote and preached a great deal about prayer. His letters alone contain almost 440 references to prayer. The following is one of them: “I think it easy to get anything from the King by prayer, and to use holy violence with Him”. Fervour in Prayer This holy violence arises from a fervent spirit expressing its desires to God. Rutherford helped to formulate that masterful definition of prayer in the Shorter Catechism: “Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to His will…” He emphasises that prayer is essentially vehement in character. “Lazy, cold and dead prayers are condemned. Many pray, and care not whether God he

Posted at Pilgrim's Progress revisited... Anwoth Old Kirk. Samuel Rutherford was the minister here from 1627 to 1638, Mick Garratt – own work, May 1997, Wikimedia Last Words A Poem inspired by the letters and last words of Samuel Rutherford, by Mrs. A. R. Cousin. Fire and Ice: Puritan and Reformed Writings But while the versification is that of Mrs. Cousin, the thoughts contained in it, and most of the peculiar expressions were uttered by Samuel Rutherford himself while he was lying on his death bed, and these telling and intense expressions of the dying saint, with a few others like them were wrought skilfully into the poem… STEM Publishing : Hymns : Spiritual Songsters : Mrs. Ann Ross Cousin, 1824-1906. The sands of time are sinking, The dawn of Heaven breaks, The summer morn I’ve sighed for, The fair sweet morn awakes: Dark, dark hath been the midnight, But dayspring is at hand, And glory—glory dwelleth In Immanuel’s land.  ~  Letters 79, 147, 323

Posted at 5 Minutes in Church History with Steven Nichols and Guy Richard: Link: http://5minutesinchurchhistory.com/how-samuel-rutherford-changed-my-life/

Posted at Purely Presbyterian : That this Author saith, God commanded those that transgressed his holy Law with an high hand, and presumptuously to be killed, lest they should live and profane his holy things; I defend not: But sure Erastus erreth,who will have all such to be killed by the Magistrate under the New Testament, because they were killed in the Old: Then are we to stone men that gathereth sticks on the Lord’s Day; the child that is stubborn to his Parents, the Virgins, daughters of Ministers that committeth fornication are to be put to death. Why, but then the whole judicial Law of God shall oblige us Christians as Carolosladius and others teach? ... Read more... 

Posted at Grace Online Library : Samuel Rutherford was one of the most prominent of the Scottish commissioners. ( Wikipedia ) The Scottish Commissioners Although the Scottish commissioners cannot be said to have formed a party in the Westminster Assembly, this is perhaps the proper place to advert to their appointment, character, and peculiar position in that meeting. When the calling of an assembly of divines first suggested itself, the English Parliament had determined to ask the counsel and assistance of the Church of Scotland in regard to the new form of government that should be set up in room of that which had been abolished. So long a time, however, elapsed before any formal application was made to the General Assembly for an appointment to this effect, that the Scots began to suspect the sincerity of their English friends. At length, in August 1643, commissioners from England arrived with power to consult with both the Convention of Estates and the General Assembly.