This is just a brief quote that I have appreciated more and more in editing through Mastricht’s comments on Scripture in his praecognitiones of theology (I.i.62) and as I have had numerous opportunities to preach over the past several months. I thought I would pass it along (the italics are Mastricht’s):

“Therefore the second practice concerns everyone whose heart is to live for God; so that namely they may love and magnify his unique rule (Ps. 119:127, 2 Thess. 2:10). This consists in love for the divine word (a) in bowing our disposition to Scripture to such a degree that we receive Scripture as God speaking to us, as it were, with His own mouth, with such great submission of course to whatever has been commanded; with such great care and aversion to whatever has been forbidden; with such great delight and desire for whatever has been promised; and finally with such great fear and anxiety of whatever has been threatened; and, as it were, we have God speaking such great things in our presence (1 Thess. 2:13).”

I ran across this a while back and thought it would be good food for thought as a reminder to the broader Christian community to always “worry” over continuously improving their translations and versions of Scripture. As a supply preacher frequently invited to preach across the spectrum of Reformed denominations, I am often asked what the “best” version or translation of Scripture is. (Should we use the NIV, the KJV, the NASB, the ESV, the RSV, the TNIV, the NKJV, etc?) This is the sort of question after a service in a narthex over a cup of coffee that draws a crowd rather quickly. More often than not it is a well-intentioned question by believers seeking to mine the scriptures further after they have just heard a sermon using the breadth of both the Old and New Testament to focus upon a passage. I always want to handle these sorts of questions with care so that one’s confidence in the word of God is augmented while at the same time such confidence is not identified with a sectarian allegiance to a particular translation. And in these cases it is a joy and pleasure to be of assistance. 

In some cases, however, it seems that (more…)

The Dutch Reformed Translation Society, most recently known for the translation into English and publication  of Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics, has decided to move forward on the translation of Petrus van Mastricht’s Theoretico-Practica Theologia. This work was especially influential in the Dutch Netherlands (via the Latin versions as well as the Henricus Pontanus translation 1749-1753). In the British colonies in North America, Jonathan Edwards praised this particular piece above Turretin. Van Mastricht’s method is to consider a loci of theology via an exegetical treatment proceeding to a series of didactic formulations followed by a polemical treatment of objections that culminate ultimately in practical formulations for piety towards God and neighbor. The work is divided into 3 parts - Theology proper, Moral Theology, and Ascetic Theology (or Piety). The lionshare of the 1300 page work is part 1. On this past Wednesday the board of the DRTS met, and …  (more…)