Discovered this little gem in an old Reformed Hymnal
Father, Son, and Spirit One
By mercy, blood, and pow’r hath won
A ransomed bride saved for His Son
A finished work by Him was done
He did what he set out to do
Christ’s blood redeemed a church for you
Lost sinners under wrath they stood
Bought by his mercy, faith,and blood
What God has joined let no man tear
His church is strong beneath his care
He’s promised them they will be pure
He’s promised them they will endure
“He rose, even as he died. He rose a public person, and as a ‘second Adam,’ to give and infuse spiritual life into all his branches. He rose as our surety in our room. He rose in spite of those who crucified him, that labored to keep him down all they could. By the way, this shews that he will rise in his church, and in his children, in his religion, and in his cause. Let the world and all the devils in hell lay a stone upon Christ, upon his cause, and church, and children; they will rise again, even as his blessed body did, in spite of all the watchfulness of his enemies.”
-Richard Sibbes, Christ’s Exaltation Purchased by His Humiliation in Sibbe’s collected works, vol V pg 327
This one is strictly for the theology nerds out there. Click through for the full 30 pages.
John Owen, the 17th century English non-conformist, has been described as the “most significant theological intellect in England” during the seventeenth century.[1] This makes Owen, according to some theologians, the high water mark of the expression of Reformed Theology known as Reformed Orthodoxy, which Paul Tillich described as “the abutment against which the bridge of all later Protestant theology leans.”[2] And yet, as Trueman notes, Owen has hardly received the kind of treatment he arguably deserves, with the exception of that given to him in narrow, conservative evangelical circles.[3] There seems to be a bit of a resurgence of interest in Owen. This paper seeks to capitalize on that interest by bringing him into dialogue with a concept also enjoying a resurgence; namely the theological concept of participation. This paper will demonstrate how Owen initially held a more Scotistic approach to the atonement shaped by Scotus’ voluntarism. However, in 1652 Owen drastically changed his position adopting a Thomistic view that sought to more closely marry God’s actions with God’s essence. The transition from Scotistic voluntarism to a more Thomistic view of participation will be examined in depth, followed briefly by an application of this shift to the concept of participation. Read the rest of this entry »
Resurrection
6
Moist with one drop of Thy blood, my dry soul
Shall—though she now be in extreme degree
Too stony hard, and yet too fleshly—be
Freed by that drop, from being starved, hard or foul,
And life by this death abled shall control
Death, whom Thy death slew ; nor shall to me
Fear of first or last death bring misery,
If in thy life-book my name thou enroll.
Flesh in that long sleep is not putrified,
But made that there, of which, and for which it was ;
Nor can by other means be glorified.
May then sin’s sleep and death soon from me pass,
That waked from both, I again risen may
Salute the last and everlasting day.
ASCENSION.
7
Salute the last and everlasting day,
Joy at th’ uprising of this Sun, and Son,
Ye whose true tears, or tribulation
Have purely wash’d, or burnt your drossy clay.
Behold, the Highest, parting hence away,
Lightens the dark clouds, which He treads upon ;
Nor doth He by ascending show alone,
But first He, and He first enters the way.
O strong Ram, which hast batter’d heaven for me !
Mild Lamb, which with Thy Blood hast mark’d the path !
Bright Torch, which shinest, that I the way may see !
O, with Thy own Blood quench Thy own just wrath ;
And if Thy Holy Spirit my Muse did raise,
Deign at my hands this crown of prayer and praise.
CRUCIFYING.
5
By miracles exceeding power of man,
He faith in some, envy in some begat,
For, what weak spirits admire, ambitious hate :
In both affections many to Him ran.
But O ! the worst are most, they will and can,
Alas ! and do, unto th’ Immaculate,
Whose creature Fate is, now prescribe a fate,
Measuring self-life’s infinity to span,
Nay to an inch. Lo ! where condemned He
Bears His own cross, with pain, yet by and by
When it bears him, He must bear more and die.
Now Thou art lifted up, draw me to Thee,
And at Thy death giving such liberal dole,
Moist with one drop of Thy blood my dry soul.
TEMPLE.
4
With His kind mother, who partakes thy woe,
Joseph, turn back ; see where your child doth sit,
Blowing, yea blowing out those sparks of wit,
Which Himself on the doctors did bestow.
The Word but lately could not speak, and lo !
It suddenly speaks wonders ; whence comes it,
That all which was, and all which should be writ,
A shallow seeming child should deeply know ?
His Godhead was not soul to His manhood,
Nor had time mellow’d Him to this ripeness ;
But as for one which hath a long task, ’tis good,
With the sun to begin His business,
He in His age’s morning thus began,
By miracles exceeding power of man.
The third of Donne’s seven sonnets, which I am posting for Holy Week.
NATIVITY.
3
Immensity, cloister’d in thy dear womb,
Now leaves His well-beloved imprisonment.
There he hath made himself to his intent
Weak enough, now into our world to come.
But O ! for thee, for Him, hath th’ inn no room ?
Yet lay Him in this stall, and from th’ orient,
Stars, and wise men will travel to prevent
The effects of Herod’s jealous general doom.
See’st thou, my soul, with thy faith’s eye, how He
Which fills all place, yet none holds Him, doth lie ?
Was not His pity towards thee wondrous high,
That would have need to be pitied by thee ?
Kiss Him, and with Him into Egypt go,
With His kind mother, who partakes thy woe.
It can be clearly seen from the picture that St. Andrew's was designated by the planning commission as Public/ Institutional (color coded blue: see below)
Color coded guidelines for zoning. Blue is Public/Institutional
By the way, you can click here to read the entire comprehensive plan for yourself. Exciting stuff! But pertinent to the issue is that churches were designated Public/Institutional and are now being denied that designation. For what reason?
Dear Friends,
St. Andrew’s needs your help.
In 2009 the Town of Mt. Pleasant ratified a “Comprehensive Plan” that has since served as the blueprint for growth and development for our community. As a part of that plan, a new category of zoning was created. This category, known as Public Institutional (PI 1), identifies all those buildings that serve the public good as eligible for inclusion. This includes government buildings, schools, hospitals and churches, which were specifically identified by the Town of Mt. Pleasant as those entities eligible for rezoning. Not only were these entities eligible but the Town Planning Commission specifically recommended that such entities, including churches, pursue PI 1 status for the benefit of the wider community.
In a recent meeting with the Town planners they suggested that St. Andrew’s apply to change our zoning from Residential to Public Institutional (PI 1). Their rationale for this suggestion is that a zoning designation of PI 1 allows St. Andrew’s, and every other public institution, to work directly with Town officials as we explore solutions to the problems created by our limited and antiquated building space (i.e., we need to rebuild the Day School, children’s and youth areas, etc). Under our current zoning classification we have to apply for a zoning variance for each and every alteration we may wish to make. Recognizing the protracted, expensive and difficult process imposed on public institutions to make changes to their facilities due to being zoned as residential, the Town created the new PI 1 Zoning status and, as stated above, recommended that we apply. St. Andrew’s was happy to comply with the Town’s request. As a part of that process public input was sought. At our hearing last week with the Town Planning Commission we received a favorable vote by a 6-3 margin.
The next step was to appear before the Planning Committee of the Town Council, which we did yesterday. Though we enjoyed much local support from our kind neighbors, one family did attend to speak against our request. They cited a concern over growing traffic problems as well as the desire to have public input in future building projects that St. Andrew’s may undertake. As to the first concern, the matter of traffic is not an issue in a rezoning request. As to the second concern, not only out of neighborly courtesy but also as a legal requirement there will always be public input in any future building projects that St. Andrew’s may undertake. First, we must submit a traffic impact assessment and secondly we will have to appear before the Old Village Historic District Commission. Both of those steps require public input.
Considering the above, we were surprised and disappointed when the Town Council Planning Committee voted to deny our request 3 -1. After all, we did pursue the rezoning of our property at the Town’s suggestion. We fear that the precedent set by this decision will have a negative impact not just on St. Andrew’s, but on every church in Mount Pleasant. This concern is also shared by other local churches who sent representatives to speak on our behalf.
What can you do?
Our Town Council meets this coming Tuesday, April 10 at 6.00 p.m. Town Council has the final responsibility for deciding this matter. You can do at least four things to help us:
Thank you for your prayerful consideration and your action on our behalf. It is appreciated.
Yours in Christ,
Steve
Please note that there is one – and the same – phone number and email address for both the Mayor and all Town Council Members. The phone number is, 843.884.8517, and the email address is, councilclk@tompsc.com
Mayor
Billy Swails
Town Council Members
John Burn
Elton Carrier
Ken Glasson
Chris Nickels
Chris O’Neal
Linda Page
Craig Rhyne
Thomasena Stokes-Marshall
The second of Donne’s seven sonnets, which I am posting for Holy Week.
ANNUNCIATION.
2
Salvation to all that will is nigh ;
That All, which always is all everywhere,
Which cannot sin, and yet all sins must bear,
Which cannot die, yet cannot choose but die,
Lo ! faithful Virgin, yields Himself to lie
In prison, in thy womb ; and though He there
Can take no sin, nor thou give, yet He’ll wear,
Taken from thence, flesh, which death’s force may try.
Ere by the spheres time was created thou
Wast in His mind, who is thy Son, and Brother ;
Whom thou conceivest, conceived ; yea, thou art now
Thy Maker’s maker, and thy Father’s mother,
Thou hast light in dark, and shutt’st in little room
Immensity, cloister’d in thy dear womb.
There are seven sonnets from Donne’s La Carona. I will post one a day this week.
1.
Deign at my hands this crown of prayer and praise,
Weaved in my lone devout melancholy,
Thou which of good hast, yea, art treasury,
All changing unchanged Ancient of days.
But do not with a vile crown of frail bays
Reward my Muse’s white sincerity ;
But what Thy thorny crown gain’d, that give me,
A crown of glory, which doth flower always.
The ends crown our works, but Thou crown’st our ends,
For at our ends begins our endless rest.
The first last end, now zealously possess’d,
With a strong sober thirst my soul attends.
‘Tis time that heart and voice be lifted high ;
Salvation to all that will is nigh.
