March - the Free Presbyterian church of Scotland

86The Free Presbyterian Magazineday when they shall be “openly acknowledged and acquitted” before anassembled universe.One or two comments remain to be offered on the new title given to thiswork. “Scottish Puritans” is an interesting choice. It is more accurate toidentify the Puritan movement as a distinctly English affair emerging in theElizabethan age. Puritan was originally a term of reproach identified withan old heresy, and such Scots as George Gillespie considered it reprehensibleto be labelled with this reproach for faithfulness to God’s truth. 3 Yet it is truethat the union of the crowns in 1603 and the Stuart tyranny of the seventeenthcentury brought to the fore in Scotland the issues which had concerned theearlier Puritans. The Scottish Church broke decisively with Episcopacy in1638 and those described in Select Biographies were distinctly Covenanters.Sadly there was no similar reaction in England, however sympathetic manyof the Puritans there were to the Covenanting movement.What was distinctive about the Scottish divines of the seventeenth century,and what cannot be said of all the English Puritans by any means, is thatthey were uncompromisingly Presbyterian. While there was agreementover the doctrines of Calvinism in opposition to Arminianism, there wasno agreement over the divine right of Presbytery. This fact, which hadimportant political implications, may be obscured by the new title. ScottishPresbyterians like John Livingstone had no time at all for Independency(see vol 1, p 290). A recent writer in analysing the definition of the termsPuritan and Puritanism settles on the following definition, “those CalvinisticProtestants in England (whether Episcopalian, Presbyterian or Independent)who desired further reformation of the Church of England in the areas ofliturgy, preaching and polity”. 4 As long as the distinctions are kept in mind,perhaps the term Scottish Puritans is worth preserving.Book ReviewsCommentary on the Psalms, by John Calvin, abridged by David C Searle,published by the Banner of Truth Trust, hardback, 659 pages, £18.00.Calvin’s fame as the prince of theologians rests firmly on his ability andwisdom as an interpreter of God’s Word. In his commentaries on the HolyScriptures we see that God-given skill put to a practical use. Indeed Calvin’scommentaries are still indispensable to serious students of the Bible almost500 years after their original publication.3 See Gillespie’s Dispute against the English Popish Ceremonies in his Works, vol 1, p 39.4 Michael G Brown, “Samuel Petto: A Portrait of a Puritan Pastor-Theologian”, in ScottishBulletin of Evangelical Theology”, vol 27:2, p 178n.