The Christian Sabbath in the Scottish and Continental Traditions

1. Lectures Listen to the lectures in order. Those marked supplementary are optional.

   • Christian Sabbath (Genesis 2:1-3) Rev. Thomas J. Buchanan Open source Doctrinal Brora Free Church of Scotland (Continuing)
   • Confession Chapter 21: Of Religious Worship, and the Sabbath Day Camden Bucey Open source Doctrinal Reformed Forum (OPC) The lectures read or assume the 1788 OPC/PCA text; the 1647 text gives the magistrate power to call synods (31.2) and the original Belgic 36 charges the magistrate to remove idolatry. The new school holds the 1647 and original texts. Keep the lectures for chapters where the text is unchanged (21, 25 in substance,...
   • The Westminster Standards (14-part audio series), lecture 12: Of the Law of God, Of Christian Liberty, Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day Sinclair B. Ferguson 14 MP3s; durations not shown Open source Doctrinal Free Church of Scotland (St Peter's, Dundee) / Reformed Theological Seminary The lectures read or assume the 1788 OPC/PCA text; the 1647 text gives the magistrate power to call synods (31.2) and the original Belgic 36 charges the magistrate to remove idolatry. The new school holds the 1647 and original texts. Keep the lectures for chapters where the text is unchanged (21, 25 in substance,...
   • The 4th Commandment: Emblem of Eternal Rest (Lord's Day 38; Exodus 20:8-11) Rev. Jordan Huff Open source Doctrinal United Reformed Church of Sunnyside, Washington (URCNA) Continental teaching stresses rest and worship with less detail on recreations than the Westminster Standards; the Synod of Dort's post-acta on the Sabbath tried to bridge the Voetian and Cocceian views. Present both; the course keeps the Westminster line as the Scottish standard and reads LD 38 and Dort beside it;...

2. Reading Read in the order given. Public-domain and free texts are linked; purchases are optional and never required.

   • Directions of the General Assembly concerning Secret and Private Worship General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 22 pages Open source Primary text 1648. Public domain
   • The Church Order of Dort (1619), Art. 67 (the Lord's Day and the festival days) Synod of Dort Open source Primary text 1619. Free online Art. 69 (text confirmed) admits beside the 150 Psalms the Ten Commandments, Lord's Prayer, Twelve Articles and the songs of Mary, Zacharias and Simeon; the Scottish line sings psalms only. Both are within the two confessional families. Keep both; teach exclusive psalmody as the Scottish position and Dort Art. 69 as...
   • The Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 38 (Q103) Ursinus and Olevianus Open source Primary text 1563. Free online
   • Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 38: Remembering the Sabbath C. Bijl 7 pages Open source Doctrinal 2001. Free online Continental teaching stresses rest and worship with less detail on recreations than the Westminster Standards; the Synod of Dort's post-acta on the Sabbath tried to bridge the Voetian and Cocceian views. Present both; the course keeps the Westminster line as the Scottish standard and reads LD 38 and Dort beside it;...
   • Annotations to the Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 38 Jan van Bruggen (trans. Albert H. Oosterhoff) 3 pages Open source Supplementary Free online Continental teaching stresses rest and worship with less detail on recreations than the Westminster Standards; the Synod of Dort's post-acta on the Sabbath tried to bridge the Voetian and Cocceian views. Present both; the course keeps the Westminster line as the Scottish standard and reads LD 38 and Dort beside it;...
   • The Christian's Reasonable Service, vol. 3, ch. 49 (The Fourth Commandment) Wilhelmus a Brakel (trans. Bartel Elshout) 598 pages (vol. 3 PDF) Open source Doctrinal 1700. Free online
   • A Collection of Confessions of Faith, Catechisms, Directories, Books of Discipline, etc. of Publick Authority in the Church of Scotland Church of Scotland Open source Primary text Public domain

   Total: 32 pages

3. Assignment Write a research paper of 30 pages on a topic drawn from the lectures and readings of this course. Argue from Scripture, the Westminster Standards (1647 text) and the Three Forms of Unity, cite the primary sources you read, and state the points on which the sources differ.

   Open the assignment

Every lecture and reading carries its role. "Under review" means the teacher's subscription to the Westminster Standards or the Three Forms of Unity is not yet established; "Read as comparison" means the material teaches the 1788 American text of WCF 20.4, 23 or 31 or of Larger Catechism Q.109, which the school reads beside the 1647 text. Nothing has been removed.