Counsel of Peace

Abraham Hellenbroek's catechism A Specimen of Divine Truths asks the question "What do you understand by the Counsel of Peace?" (Q. 22).

A. The eternal will of the Father to redeem the elect through Christ's suffering, and the will of the Son to offer Himself as the Surety for the elect.

In Nicholas Greendyk's exposition of the catechism, An Explanation of Rev. A. Hellenbroek's Catechism "A Specimen of Divine Truths," pp. 137-138, he first quotes from Herman Witsius' Economy of the Covenants to define this Counsel of Peace, or Covenant of Redemption as it is also called, the special covenant or transaction between Father and Son to effect the salvation of his people.

Herman Witsius, Economy of the Covenants, Vol. 1, pp. 165-166:

II. When I speak of the compact between the Father and the Son, I thereby understand the will of the Father, giving the Son to be the Head and Redeemer of the elect; and the will of the Son, presenting himself as a Sponsor or Surety for them; in all which the nature of a compact and agreement consists. The scriptures represent the Father, in the economy of our salvation, as demanding the obedience of the Son even unto death; and upon condition of that obedience, promising him in his turn that name which is above every name, even that he should be the head of the elect in glory: but the Son, as presenting himself to do the will of the Father, acquiescing in that promise, and in fine, requiring, by virtue of the compact, the kingdom and glory promised to him.

Then Greendyk goes on to quote Isaac Ambrose' intriguing exposition of Isaiah 49, which reveals in dialogue form this Counsel of Peace between Father and Son. I will quote a portion that extracted by Greendyk as well as a little more by Ambrose.

Isaac Ambrose, Looking Unto Jesus, pp. 54-55:

The covenant concerning man's salvation is the last and main particular I instanced in: I dare not be too curious to insist on the order of nature, and the rather, because I believe the covenant betwixt God and Christ from everlasting, is interwoven with the decree, foreknowledge, and election above. So the apostle tells us, "He hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world," Eph. 1:4. Mark that, in Christ. There was an eternal plot betwixt the Father and the Son; there was a bargain made (I speak it with reverence) betwixt God and Christ, there was a covenant betwixt the Lord and his Son Jesus Christ, for the salvation of the elect; and of this observe we especially in these following texts.

In Isaiah 49:1,2,3,4. The prophet seems to set it dialogue-ways; one expresseth it thus: First, Christ begins, and shows his commission, telling God how he had called him, and fitted him for the work of redemption, and he would know what reward he should have of him for so great an undertaking. "The Lord hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name, and he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft, in his quiver hath he hid me," Isa. 49:1,2. Upon this, God answers him, and tells him what reward he should have for so great an undertaking; only at first he offers low, viz: only the elect people of Israel. And he said unto me, "Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified: Or, Israel it is in whom I will be glorified by thee," Isa. 49:3. Christ who stood now a making his bargain with him, thought these too few, and not worth so great a labor and work, because few of the Jews would come in, but would refuse him, and therefore he says, he should labor in vain, if this were all his recompense, "Then said I, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain," Isa. 49:4. And yet withal he tells God, that seeing his heart was so much in saving sinners, he would do it howsoever for these few, comforting himself with this, that his work or his reward was with the Lord. Upon this God comes off more freely, and opens his heart more largely to him, as meaning more amply to content him for his pains in dying. "It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel," Isa. 49:6. That is not worth dying for, I value thy sufferings more than so, "I will also give thee for a light to the gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth." Methinks I imagine as if I heard God speak unto Christ from eternity, "See, here I have loved a remnant of mankind both of Jews and gentiles, with an everlasting love, I know they will sin and corrupt themselves, and so become enemies to me, and liable unto eternal death; now thou art a mighty person, able to do what I require of thee for them; if thou wilt take upon thee their nature and sins, and undertake to satisfy my justice and law, and make them a believing holy people, then I will pardon them, and adopt them in thee for my sons and daughters, and make them co-heirs with thee, of an incorruptible crown of life." And then Christ said, "Lo I come, to do thy will, O God," Heb. 10:7,9. Then Christ as it were, struck hands with God, to take upon him the nature and sin of man, and to do and suffer for him whatsoever God required of him. Certainly thus was the whole business of our salvation first transacted betwixt God the Father and Christ, before it was revealed to us. Hence we are said to be given unto Christ. "I have manifested thy name (saith Christ) unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me," John 17:6. This very giving implies, as if the Father in his eternity should have said to the Son, "These I take to be vessels of mercy, and these thou shalt bring unto me, for they will destroy themselves, but thou shalt save them out of their lost estate." And then the Son takes them at his Father's hand, and looking at his Father's will, "This is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing," John 6:39. He thereupon takes care of each, he would not for a world any of them should be lost, which his Father hath given him, they are more dear than so.
...
In Isaiah 42:1.6, this very covenant is expressly mentioned. Thus God speaks of Christ. "Behold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my soul delighteth: -- I will give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the gentiles," Isa. 53:11. Psalm 40:6. Yea, this covenant and agreement seems to be confirmed with an oath, in Heb. 7:28. And for this service Christ is required to "ask of God and he will give him the heathen for his inheritance," Psalm 2:8. Observe how the church of God is given to Christ, as a reward of that obedience which he showed in accepting of the office of a surety for us. This stipulation some make to be that counsel of peace spoken of by the prophet, "And the counsel of peace shall be betwixt them both," Zech. 6:13. (i.e.) between the Lord, "and the man whose name is the Branch," verse 12. And for this agreement it is that Christ is called the second Adam; for as with the first Adam God plighted a covenant concerning him and his posterity, so also he did indent with Christ and his seed concerning eternal life to be obtained by him.

The Continuators Continued (Part 4)

This is the conclusion (for now) of a series on the continuators of certain Puritan works.

Richard Stock's commentary on Malachi was published 15 years after his death and supplemented by Samuel Torshell (1605-1650).

Abraham Hellenbroek's Catechism

Abraham Hellenbroek's (1658-1731) catechism entitled A Specimen of Divine Truths was expanded after his death to include an introduction to students on how to profit from catechism class, a chapter on the counsel of peace, and a compendium of the principal doctrinal errors of those outside the Reformed Faith. The expanded edition is sometimes referred to the "big Hellenbroek." I am uncertain as to the identity of the editor(s) involved.

G.A. Henty's Last Novel

G.A. Henty died while in the midst of writing his last novel, By Conduct and Courage, which was completed by his son Captain C.G. Henty.

Sebastian Benefield's Commentary on Amos

Sebastian Benefield wrote a commentary on Amos 1-3, the last portion of which was published in 1629, before he died in 1630. Thomas Hall supplemented this with a commentary on Amos 4-9.

Martin Chemnitz's Commentary on the Harmony of the Gospels

Martin Chemnitz began a commentary on the harmony of the Gospels which was continued by Polycarp Leyser the Elder (1552-1610), and completed by Johann Gerhard.

The Huguenot Psalter

Metrical versions of 52 Psalms were completed by Clément Marot by the time of his death in 1544. The remaining versified Psalms in the Huguenot Psalter were completed by 1562 largely, if not exclusively, by Theodore Beza.

The Battle for Hearts and Minds

It is always helpful to clarify truth by distinguishing it from error, that is, to better define what truth is, it is useful to determine what it is not. "Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error" (1 John 4.6b). This has been done in credal statements, catechisms and other works by the Church since its earliest days. The genre of literature which specifically focuses on this apologetic task is known as heresiography. Early examples of this include Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies; Hippolytus of Rome, Refutation of All Heresies; and Tertullian, The Prescription Against Heretics.

Puritan heresiography too reflects an interest in upholding the truth and combating error. The 1640s, in particular, was a time of competing claims to truth, and while the Westminster Assembly succeeded in vindicating truth more eloquently than anyone, the battle for hearts and minds continued and many took up the challenge to refute error. Notable examples from the Puritan era include Thomas Edwards, whose Gangraena was published in three parts, the first and second of which was titled, The first and second part of Gangraena: or A catalogue and discovery of many of the errors, heresies, blasphemies and pernicious practices of the sectaries of this time, vented and acted in England these four last years (1646); Robert Baillie, A dissuasive from the errours of the time vvherein the tenets of the principall sects, especially of the independents, are drawn together in one map, for the most part in the words of their own authours, and their maine principles are examined by the touch-stone of the Holy Scriptures (1646); Ephraim Pagit (his father was a Puritan and he was a royalist sympathetic with Presbyterianism), Heresiography; or a description of the Hereticks and Sectaries of these latter times (1645); and Johannes Hoornbeek, Summa Controversiarum Religionis; Cum Infidelibus, Hæreticis, Schismaticis: Id Est, Gentilibus, Judæis, Muhammedanis; Papistis, Anabaptistis, Enthusiastis et Libertinis, Socinianis; Remonstrantibus, Lutheranis, Brouvnistis, Græcis (1653) [see here].

Catechisms also provided a launching pad for catalogues and refutations of particular errors such as David Dickson's Truth's Victory Over Error (this is the first sympathetic commentary on the Westminster Confession of Faith prepared from lectures given c. 1650 and first published in 1684; the first published commentary on the WCF was published in 1651 by an opponent of the Assembly, William Parker, although often misattributed to Henry Parker) which includes An alphabetical List of the proper and patronymic Names of the Authors of the old and late Heretics, confuted in the foregoing Treatise (a most useful reference, although among modern editions it is to be noted that the 2002 Presbyterian Armoury Publications edition includes page references, while the 2007 Banner of Truth edition does not); and a Compendium of the Principal Errors of Those that are Outside the Reformed Church was added to Abraham Hellenbroek's A Specimen of Divine Truths (one of the features constituting the expanded "big Hellenbroek" edition of his Catechism, although the Compendium was not authored by him).

In 1647, the London ministers of Sion College issued A Testimony to the Truth of Jesus Christ, and to Our Solemn League and Covenant, as Also Against the Errours, Heresies and Blasphemies of these times, and the Toleration of them. Wherein is inserted A Catalogue of divers of the said Errours &c. This Testimony was a powerful witness against the spiritual tumult of the 1640s, yet the 1650s required that this witness be expanded and clarified for the common man. Puritan Presbyterian William Lyford took up the challenge with a work that would be later be titled The Instructed Christian, or The Plain Man's Senses Exercised to Discern Both Good and Evil being a discovery of the errors, heresies, and blasphemies of these times (1655), and the toleration of them, as they are collected and testified against by the ministers of London, in their testimony to the truth of Jesus Christ. This book was reprinted by Soli Deo Publications, and I commend it to the reader as both a worthy exposition of the 1647 London Testimony, and a helpful guide to many of the errors of our own day as well.