Rich Barcellos is an old friend of mine. He’s a pastor of a Reformed Baptist church in California and a busy editor of academic Reformed Baptist publications. Reformed Baptist Academic Press is publishing Covenant Theology from Adam to Christ. It is largely a text written by Nehemiah Cox, one of the framers of the 1689 London Baptist Confession, that demonstrates that Particular Baptists in England at that time were Covenant Theologians. Rich has also included a section by John Owen on Hebrews 8:6-13. I found that curious since Owen was not a Baptist. It turns out that Cox began working on something along those lines but abandoned it because he agreed with and appreciated what Owen had written.
The book is on a special pre-publication sale for 50% off. I’ve already ordered mine.
Another book I am interested in getting is The Excellent Benjamin Keach. Keach likewise was an author of the 1689 confession and there is a Baptistic Catechism (inaccurately?) attributed to him. I have been interested in Keach for a while for a number of reasons. He introduced hymn singing in the church. At that time amongst the Puritans, singing was only psalms and there were no instruments. Keach believed so much in the necessity of congregational hymn singing that he wrote some hymns himself. Another thing I find curious about him is that he added some chapters to the 1689. This amended confession came to America and was adopted in Philadelphia. He added a chapter on singing which I think was a good idea and one on laying on of hands that I feel was inappropriate.
There is a story of Keach’s son Elias being converted under his own preaching!
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Keach is the man. Was the man. Whatever. His huge work on parables and the volume of hymns he wrote, coupled with his theological contributions to baptist identity make him one of the most important figures in our history. We gave our son his son’s name. His story is amazing and his usefulness in America planting churches is inspiring. Elias Keach Thorn is now just over 1 1/2.
You named your son after Keach’s son!!?? That is really cool. I thought I was the only person who’d ever heard of Keach. :) He got my attention when I saw that the church he pastored was in ‘Horse-Lay-Down’ according to the appendix to the 1689 confession. After that I investigated him more and found him to be a very interesting chap.
About 5 minutes after I posted that I ordered the book. Doh! Like I’m going to get to read it anytime soon. :-/
If my memory is working, Benjamin pastored the same church John Gill pastored for 50 years.