A poor, wasted, misrepresented remnant…

Ever hear of “An Informatory Vindication”?

I just picked it up January of this year, and I have been a Covenanter since 2001 – Shame on me. It was not until about a year ago that I learned it was a Subordinate Standard of my Church.

It is basically a reply to various accusations and slanderous reports against the “United Societies” which began to meet in 1681.

Scotland has known Reformation like no other Nation; 3 recorded Covenanted Reformations where the General Assembly extirpates Popery and Prelacy and practices that Church Government which is of Divine Right, Presbyterianism recognized nationally by Parliament, Scottish Theologians invited as guests to participate at the Westminster Assembly, the faithful Standards of the Westminster Assembly ratified and owned by the National General Assembly, and the Covenanted Reformation promoted and protected by the Crown and Parliament, and I could go on.

And though this nation reached this glorious height of attainment towards that mission of the Church – to become mature (Eph 4:11ff), perfect, settled, she also plummeted into great depths of radical rebellion towards God and His Law, against His Crown and Covenant. And as in the days of Pharaoh when he sought to wipeout the whole race of the Jews, so the pretended king of this land did seek to spill much blood of the faithful Martyrs, hoping he could rid his land and his conscience of the faithful contending of the Covenanters.

I did not simply pick up this work though, because I was looking for some reading material of the History of the Covenanters. I picked it up for another reason. This work was written by James Renwick, as he was commissioned to by the General Meeting. He was called upon to “Vindicate” them in their faith and practice against some gainsayers by “Informing” the larger community.

Can you imagine what you would do if your Church did not have any ministers? Today, many would just go to another denomination. They explain why they will not do that. But also one must remember the context of a National Established Church.

Though I grant that we are so very far from the circumstances those faithful Covenanters faced in their day in regards to persecution, I found it interesting that in another way, these Covenanters were in very similar circumstances that we find ourselves in today in the Church I am a member of – they were a collection of Societies with only one Minister.

As time permits, I would like to post about some of my thoughts on this work. And as time permits I would also invite your comments or questions about this work.

I would like to do this in an orderly way so that we don’t get ahead of ourselves in the work. By way of outline I would like to focus on one section at a time.

1. Introduction (pp.4-23)
2. The Declaration (pp.23-44)
3. Head I (pp.45-50)
4. Head II (pp.50-57)
5. Head III (pp.57-59)
6. Head IV (pp.59-94)
7. Head V (pp.94-103
8. Head VI (pp.103-107)
9. Head VII (pp.107-112)
10 Conclusion (pp.113-115)