Confessional Presbyterian Journal

The Confessional Presbyterian Journal is an annual, peer-reviewed publication dedicated to Presbyterian doctrine and practice, produced by Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Each volume features scholarly articles, biblical studies, and critical reviews grounded in the Westminster Confession of Faith.

Et Mortuus Adhuc Per Eam Loquitur: Thomas M‘Crie’s Last Sermon

Thomas M’Crie ⬩ 2021

Thomas M’Crie’s last sermon (matthew-3) depicts Christ winnowing his church—separating true believers from hypocrites by the Word and final judgment to purify the faithful.

A Sermon on Mark 16:14–20 At the General Assembly, Louisville, Ky, May 15, 1879

Thomas E. Peck ⬩ 2020

Peck’s 1879 sermon on Mark 16:14–20 presents the Great Commission as conquest by preaching. Miracles are shown as both credentials of divine commission and real instances of redemption.

The Westminster Assembly and Jus Divinum Regiminis Ecclesiastici

Chris Coldwell ⬩ 2020

Examines JDRE and English Presbyterian influence at the Westminster Assembly, defending jure divino church government and resisting Parliament’s Erastian control.

Reviews and Responses

2020

Reviews a 3‑volume History of Scottish Theology—covering Celtic origins, Reformed orthodoxy, Enlightenment responses, and modern Barthian trends—and a textbook surveying post‑Enlightenment contemporary theology.

Volume 16

2020

Archbishop Ussher’s Reading List

Harrison Perkins ⬩ 2020

Modernized transcription of Archbishop James Ussher’s reading list for ministers, emphasizing linguistic skill, broad ecumenical reading, and archival methods to trace his sources.

Archbishop Ussher and Old Testament Chronology

Benjamin Shaw ⬩ 2020

Survey of Archbishop Ussher’s Old Testament chronology, his assumptions and specific dates, and a comparison with modern chronologies on the exodus, genealogies, and key events.

The Role of “The Great Commission” in the Apostolic Churches

Stewart E. Lauer ⬩ 2020

Examines the articular phrase “the commandment” in 1 Tim 6:14 and 2 Pet 2:21/3:2, arguing the definite article signals a well‑known moral teaching or body of Christian ethical instruction.

Archbishop James Ussher (1581–1656): His Life and Work, the Scholarship about Him, and His Significance for Confessional Presbyterians

Harrison Perkins ⬩ 2020

A concise survey of Archbishop James Ussher (1581–1656): his life, role in producing the Irish Articles, covenant-of-works theology, anti‑Catholic polemics, and relevance for confessional Presbyterians.

“The Mysteries of Christ”: James Ussher Among the Puritans, 1626

Richard Snoddy ⬩ 2020

Study of six unpublished 1626 sermons by James Ussher (Hebrews 9:14) linking his preaching to Puritan circles, Essex patrons like the Earl of Warwick, and political-religious networks.

David Dickson’s Sermons on Jeremiah’s Lamentations (1628)

Matthew Vogan ⬩ 2020

David Dickson: A Provisional Bibliography

Matthew Vogan ⬩ 2020

The Westminster Assembly and 17th Century English Radicalism: Resolutions and Reformations

Clif Daniell ⬩ 2020

Examines how the 1643 Westminster Assembly confronted 17th-century English radicalism—Ranters, antinomians, and Anabaptist influences—and defended law, discipline, and doctrinal unity.

In Pursuit of an Owenian Pastoral Theology: An Examination of John Owen’s Ordination Sermons

Angelo O. Valle ⬩ 2020

Examines John Owen’s pastoral theology via his three surviving ordination sermons and validates their scribe Sir John Hartopp. Situates Owen within Puritan and Protestant-Scholastic contexts.

Account of the Controversy Respecting: The Marrow of Modern Divinity

Thomas M’Crie ⬩ 2020

Overview of the Marrow Controversy: 17th–18th-century Scottish dispute over law, gospel, grace, and assurance. Presents Thomas M’Crie’s annotated historical account and transcription.

The Pilgrims, Seventeenth-Century English Emigrants: Celebrating the Quadricentennial of the Voyage of the Mayflower

Frank J. Smith ⬩ 2020

Overview of the Pilgrims (Brownists/Separatists): their Calvinist, covenantal convictions, separatist ecclesiology, simple Word-centered worship, and use of the Ainsworth psalter.

The Soul of the Church: The Church’s Spiritual Mission

C.N. Willborn ⬩ 2020

Argues the church’s mission is spiritual—focused on worship and discipleship—not socio-political activism. Defends the classic ’spirituality of the church’ using Augustine, WCF, and Reformed voices.

Neighborhood and Brotherhood: From Elements of Truth, volume 2 (1915)

Robert Alexander Webb ⬩ 2020

Webb distinguishes “neighborhood” (proximity) from “brotherhood” (blood, law, grace), critiques social-gospel reductions, and upholds biblical love of neighbor and Christian fraternity.

Psallo: Psalm 82:1–8

Todd L. Ruddell ⬩ 2020

Exposition of Psalm 82 on civil rulers: though ’gods’ in office, they are accountable to the Just Lord. Urges just judgment, warns of divine judgment, and points to Christ the Judge.

Opuscula Selecta: Canons of the Apostles as Copied from the Ancient and Catholic Books, Magdeburg Centuries, vol. 1, II.

David C. Noe ⬩ 2020

Translation and introduction of the Canons of the Apostles (from the Magdeburg Centuries), outlining apostolic rules for church government, offices, teaching, and discipline.

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