Select Works on the Westminster Assembly (32 vols.)

by John Macpherson; William Henry Roberts; Robert Shaw; Charles W. Shields

and

28 more

Publishers:

T&T Clark; Presbyterian Board of Publication; Blackie & Son

and

20 more

, 1724–1907

Overview

In 1643, a synod of British clergy and members of Parliament assembled at Westminster Abbey in order to restructure the Church of England. The Assembly met for 10 years, and though ultimately the restoration of the monarchy led to the repudiation of the Assembly’s work in England in 1660, the Westminster Confession and Standards have remained the standard in Reformed theology throughout the Western world since their appearance in the 1640s.

The Select Works on the Westminster Assembly (32 vols.) is an excellent resource for understanding the Westminster Assembly and the standards that emerged out of it. The collection features works from Reformed perspectives, as well as from those critical of the Assembly’s work. From biographies of influential theologians who partook in the Assembly to the minutes of the Assembly sessions, this collection will enable you to explore the foundations of modern Reformed theology with unprecedented depth and efficiency.

With Logos Bible Software, this valuable volume is enhanced with cutting-edge research tools. Scripture citations appear on mouseover in your preferred English translation. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Powerful topical searches help you find exactly what you’re looking for. Tablet and mobile apps let you take the discussion with you. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

• Important resource for understanding the Westminster Assembly and the Westminster Standards
• Insight into the definitive confessional expression of Reformed theology
• Various resources including biography, exposition, criticism, and history

Praise for the Westminster Standards

The Westminster Standards appeal to us not merely as, historically, the deposited faith of the best age of evangelical development, and not merely as, scientifically, the most thoroughly thought out and most carefully guarded statement ever penned of the elements of evangelical religion, but also as, vitally, filled with the exrpressed essence and breathing the finest fragrance of spiritual religion.

—Benjamin B. Warfield, Charles Hodge Chair, Princeton Theological Seminary

Product Details

• Title: Select Works on the Westminster Assembly
• Volumes: 32
• Pages: 10,116

The Westminster Confession of Faith: With Introduction and Notes

• Author: John Macpherson
• Publisher: T&T Clark
• Publication Date: 1881
• Pages: 200

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In this volume, John Macpherson introduces the Westminster Confession of Faith. He discusses the purpose of confessional literature and its history in the Scottish church, as well as the Westminster Confession specifically. Macpherson also provides extensive commentary on every section of the Confession.

John Macpherson (1847–1902) was educated at King’s College, Aberdeen, and at the University of Edinburgh. He served as a pastor at Findhorn, a fishing village in Morayshire. He was an author and notable translator of German Protestant works, including works by J. H. A. Ebrard, J. H. Kurtz, and Emil Schürer.

Minutes of the Sessions of the Westminster Assembly of Divines

• Editors: Alexander F. Mitchell and John Struthers
• Publisher: William Blackwood and Sons
• Publication Date: 1874
• Pages: 652

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

This volume, edited by Alexander F. Mitchell and John Struthers, provides the minutes to the sessions in which the Westminster Assembly discussed the composition of the Westminster Confession, and the catechisms, as well as directories for Church government. Mitchell provides an extensive introduction to the context of the Assembly. Complete with appendixes and an index, this resource presents a unique opportunity to study the composition of the definitive Reformed confession.

Alexander F. Mitchell (1822–1899) was professor emeritus of church history at St. Andrews University. Plagued with health issues, Mitchell often found rest working in the solitude of his small farm. Even on his death bed, he never stopped studying Scripture and sharing his insight with others.

A Preface to an Edition of the Westminster Confession

• Author: William Dunlop
• Publisher: The Church of Scotland
• Publication Date: 1724
• Pages: 198

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In this classic 1724 volume, William Dunlop analyzes the purpose and utility of confessions generally, and specifically defends the Westminster Confession of Faith. Dunlop also responds to the objections of his eighteenth-century contemporaries. Dunlop’s volume offers an opportunity to peer into controversies surrounding the Westminster Confession in the histories of the Anglican and Scottish churches.

William Dunlop was regius professor of divinity and ecclesiastical history at the University of Edinburgh.

The Creed of Presbyterians

• Author: Egbert Watson Smith
• Publisher: Baker & Taylor Co.
• Publication Date: 1902
• Pages: 227

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In this volume, Egbert Watson Smith defends the Westminster Confession of Faith, and in particular its Calvinistic portions and its role in the Presbyterian church in the early twentieth century. Smith writes to the Reformed/Presbyterian audience, hoping to provide them with easy handles to defend their beliefs against detractors. He divides his work into four sections: “The Creed Formulated,” “The Creed Tested,” “The Creed Illustrated,” and “The Creed Catholic.”

Egbert Watson Smith (1862–1944) was a Presbyterian minister and executive secretary of the Presbyterian Chuch in the U. S.’ executive committee of foreign missions. He graduated from Davidson College and Union Theological Seminary.

Theology of the Westminster Symbols

• Author: E. D. Morris
• Publisher: Champion Press
• Publication Date: 1900
• Pages: 888

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In this volume, E. D. Morris provides a commentary on the history, doctrine, and practice of the Westminster Confession of Faith and the catechisms. He writes in the preface that he, “aims to set forth in systematic form the substance of the theology embodied in the . . . confessional documents drafted and promulgated by the Westminster Assembly.” Morris also covers the subordinate standards, including the Sum of Saving Knowledge and worship directories.

E. D. Morris (1825–1943) was educated at Yale University and Auburn Seminary Review. He was appointed as professor of church history and of theology in Lane Theological Seminary, Cincinnati.

The Principles of the Westminster Standards Persecuting

• Author: William Marshall
• Publisher: William Oliphant and Co.
• Publication Date: 1873
• Pages: 309

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In this volume, William Marshall seeks to answer the question, “do the Westminster Standards teach persecuting principles in religion?” Marshall argues that Christians engaging in religious persecution act outside the bounds of the Bible, as well as the Westminster Standards. He bases his argument on the history of the Scottish Church, the text of the Westminster Standards, as well as the independent writings and actions of the Westminster Divines.

An Exposition of the Confession of Faith of the Westminster Assembly of Divines

• Author: Robert Shaw
• Publisher: Blackie & Son
• Publication Date: 1857
• Pages: 336

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In this volume, Robert Shaw provides an introduction and extensive notes on each chapter of the Westminster Confession. His notes focus on the necessity and utility of Confessional literature and Creeds, not as usurpers of the mantle of divine truth, but as an aid to the human mind in engaging and absorb the truth of the Bible.

Robert Shaw (1795–1863) was Scottish Presbyterian minister at Whitburn, and a Secession Church leader.

Exposition and Defense of the Westminster Assembly’s Confession of Faith

• Author: David McDill and Robert Annan
• Publisher: Moore, Wilstach, Keys & Co.
• Publication Date: 1855
• Pages: 300

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This volume contains the an exposition from Robert Annan defending the doctrine of the Westminster Confession. Originally published in 1787, it met with immediate praise from presbyterian churches and came to be popularly known as simply “The Overture.” Annan covers each chapter of the Confession. This edition includes an introduction and defense of confessoinal literature from David McDill.

Robert Annan was a Scottish Presbyterian minister who emigrated to America in the late eighteenth century.

The Westminster Confession of Faith Critically Compared with the Holy Scriptures and Found Wanting

• Author: James Stark
• Publisher: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, & Green
• Publication Date: 1863
• Pages: 384

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In this volume, James Stark examines how the Westminster Confession, a seventeenth-century document, might be in conflict with the Bible as interpreted with the advantage of ninteenth-century scholarship, technology, and science. He argues the Confession ought to be subject to revision, as being the work of men and not God it is subject to, “the opinions and prejudices of the person who drew it up.” This resource is an excellent window into the conflict between nineteenth-century scientific philosophy and biblical scholarship, as well as the development of the Presbyterian Church in America.

James Stark was an American Presbyterian minister in the nineteenth century.

The Documentary History of the Westminster Assembly

• Author: Charles Augustus Briggs
• Publisher: Anson D. F. Randolph & Company
• Publication Date: 1880
• Pages: 37

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In this volume, Charles Augustus Briggs provides a history of the Westminster Assembly. Briggs’ focus is on the composition, subsequent interpretation, and doctrinal/ecclesiological authority of the Assembly’s work. His goal is to help make the Assembly’s work useful for laypeople by clearing away questions about their interpretation and authority.

Charles Augustus Briggs (1841–1913) was an American theologian and Hebrew scholar. Born in New York City, he was educated at the University of Virginia, Union Theological Seminary, and studied further at the University of Berlin. He was pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Roselle, New Jersey, from 1869 to 1874, and professor of Hebrew and cognate languages in Union Theological Seminary from 1874 to 1891. From 1880 to 1890 he was an editor of the Presbyterian Review.

A Short History of the Westminster Assembly

• Author: W. Beveridge
• Publisher: T&T Clark
• Publication Date: 1904
• Pages: 200

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In this volume, William Beveridge provides brief history of the Westminster Assembly. He begins with the puritan background of the Confession’s composition and the makeup of the Westminstser Assmebly. Beveridge then covers the Assembly’s work, including the Confession and catechisms, as well as worship directories and ecclesiology. He finishes with a discussion of the Westminster Standards reception in Scotland and its legacy in Christendom.

The Westminster Assembly: Its History and Standards

• Author: Alexander F. Mitchell
• Publisher: Presbyterian Board of Publication
• Publication Date: 1897
• Pages: 582

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This volume contains Alexander Mitchell’s Baird Lectures for 1882. Mitchell addresses the history and work of the Westminstser Assembly. Mitchell focuses first on the development of English Puritanism and the Anglican Church up to the Westminster Assembly. He then covers particular works of the Westminster Assembly, including the Confession, discussions of ecclesiology, and the catechisms.

History of the Westminster Assembly of Divines

• Author: W. M. Hetherington
• Publisher: Anson D. F. Randolph & Company
• Publication Date: 1890
• Pages: 508

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This volume provides W. M. Hetherington’s classic volume on the history of the Westminstser Assembly. He begins with a discussion of English church history beginning with Henry VIII. He follows the development of Puritanism through to the calling of the Westminster Assembly and discusses the political composition and work of the Assembly, including the Independent and Erastian controversies. This edition includes facsimiles of several Westminster productions, including the Confession of Faith, the Catechisms, and worship directories.

W. M. Hetherington (1803–1865) was a Scottish minister, poet, and historian who was educated at the University of Edinburgh. In 1857, he was appointed the professor of apologetics and systematic theology at the Free Church College in Glasgow. He is also the author of History of the Church of Scotland

The History, Character, and Results of the Westminster Assembly of Divines

• Author: Thomas Smyth
• Publisher: Leavitt, Trow & Company
• Publication Date: 1844
• Pages: 152

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Written in commemoration of the two-hundredth anniversary of the Westminster Assembly, this volume from presbyterian minister Thomas Smyth discusses the background, composition, and work of the Westminster Assembly. Smyth also focuses especially on the fallout of the Assembly’s work in the Presbyterian Church.

Thomas Smyth (1808–1873) was an Irish clergyman who emigrated to America in 1830 and received his DD from Princeton in 1843.

A History of the Westminster Assembly of Divines

• Author: Presbyterian Board of Publication
• Publisher: Presbyterian Board of Publication
• Publication Date: 1841
• Pages: 436

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A History of the Westminster Assembly of Divines covers the character and work of the Westminster Assembly. The work focuses on the individual compositions of the Assembly. Additionally, this volume provides biographical sketches of the most important members of the Westminster Assembly.

Addresses at the Celebration of the Two Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Westminstser Assembly

• Editor: William Henry Roberts
• Publisher: Presbyterian Board of Publication
• Publication Date: 1898
• Pages: 362

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Edited by William Henry Roberts, this volume gathers various addresses delievered at the Presbyterian Church’s celebration of the Westminster Assembly’s 250th anniversary. It includes addresses from James Moffatt, Robert E. Speer, and the editor, William Henry Roberts. The addresses cover various topics on the history and legacy of the Westminster Assembly.

William Henry Roberts was a Presbyterian minister in the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.

Memorial Volume of the Westminster Assembly

• Author: Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A.
• Edition: 2nd or Revised and expanded
• Publisher: The Presbyterian Committee of Publication
• Publication Date: 1897
• Pages: 378

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Memorial Volume of the Westminster Assembly contains 11 addresses from a meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States in 1897. Containing addresses from Robert Lewis Dabney, Robert B. Price, and an introduction by Francis R. Beattie, this volume is an excellent resource for a variety of voices on the history and legacy of the Westminster Assembly.

Bicentenary of the Assembly of Divines at Westminster

• Author: William Symington
• Publisher: W. P. Kennedy
• Publication Date: 1843
• Pages: 154

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This volume assembles addresses delivered at the two-hundredth anniversary celebration of the Westminster Assembly at Edinburgh. It contains addresses from Thomas M’Crie, W. M. Hetherington, William Cunningham, and Robert Candlish. This volume is an excellent resource for studying the legacy of the Westminster Assembly.

The Confessions of the Church of Scotland: Their Evolution in History

• Author: C. G. M’Crie
• Publisher: Macniven and Wallace
• Publication Date: 1907
• Pages: 336

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In this volume, C. G. M’Crie covers the confessional history of the Church of Scotland, focusing on the work of the Westminster Assembly. He begins with an exposition of the history of symbols and the Westminster Confession of Faith. He then moves on to discuss the influence of various philosophies and theological movements on teaching the Westminster Standards, and the Standards’ impact on these movements and philosophies in turn.

C. G. M’Crie is also the author of The Public Worship of Presbyterian Scotland and The Church of Scotland: Her Divisions and Re-Unions.

The Westminster Confession of Faith and the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England: The Legal, Moral, and Religious Aspects of Subscription to Them

• Author: James Donaldson
• Publisher: Longmans, Green, & Co.
• Publication Date: 1905
• Pages: 188

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In this volume, James Donaldson discusses the legal, moral, and religious implications of the work of the Westminster Assembly and the Thirty-Nine Articles. Donaldson writes in light of recent legal decisions that required strict adherence to the intent of the governing bodies in writing the Confession and Thirty-Nine Articles. He begins with a brief exposition of the two creeds before examining the problem with legal enforcement of strict adherence to creeds.

James Donaldson (1831–1915) was educated at New College, London, and Berlin University. He served as a professor of humanities in the University of Aberdeen and then principal of the University of St. Andrews.

Liturgia Expurgata: The Prayer-Book as Amended by the Westminster Divines

• Author: Charles W. Shields
• Publisher: Anson D. F. Randolph & Company
• Publication Date: 1864
• Pages: 204

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In Liturgia Expurgata, Charles W. Shields addresses problems in the nineteenth-century Presbyterian Church in America regarding the Book of Common Prayer and liturgy. Shields argues that, “it is now impossible to construct a true liturgy outside of the Prayer-Book . . . and that the Prayer-Book, as amended by the Westminster Divines . . . [supplies] the need of Presbyterian forms of devotion . . . and at the same time [affords] a basis of closer union among the leading Churches of the Reformation.”

Charles W. Shields (1825–1904) was a Presbyterian minister and professor of philosophy and history at Princeton.

The Provincial Assembly of London

• Author: Charles Augustus Briggs
• Publisher: Anson D. F. Randolph & Company
• Publication Date: 1881
• Pages: 26

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This volume contains Charles Augustus Briggs’ article in the Presbyterian Review, “The Provincial Assembly of London: 1647–1660.” It focuses on the Westminster Assembly’s lesser-known, but still important work of restructuring the Church of England.

The Westminster Confession of Faith Examined on the Basis of the Other Protestant Confessions

• Author: Joseph Taylor Goodsir
• Publisher: Williams and Norgate
• Publication Date: 1868
• Pages: 656

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This volume contains Joseph Taylor Goodsir’s The Westminster Confession of Faith Examined. Goodsir critically compares the Westminster Confession in light of other Protestant confessional literature. He argues that chapter XI, “Justification,” in particular is unbiblical.

Joseph Taylor Goodsir (1815–1893) was a Scottish Presbyterian minister who resigned from the clergy arguing the Westminster Confession was not consistent with Scripture.

The Westminster Confession of Faith: A Contribution to the Study of Its Historical Relations and to the Defence of Its Teaching

• Author: Alexander F. Mitchell
• Publisher: H. Cameron
• Publication Date: 1867
• Pages: 71

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This classic volume from Alexander Mitchell defends the Wesminster Confession and discusses its historical legacy. This edition includes an introduction by Mitchell in which he replies to arguments assailing the Westminster Confession.

Select Memoirs of the Lives, Labours, and Sufferings of Those Pious and Learned English and Scottish Divines Who Greatly Distinguished Themselves in Promoting the Reformation from Popery

• Author: Thomas Smith
• Publisher: D. Mackenzie
• Publication Date: 1827
• Pages: 730

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In this classic volume, Thomas Smith provides brief biographical sketches of some of the most notable members of the Westminster Assembly. He also provides a brief history of the Christian church. This volume is an excellent resource for understanding the work and legacy of the Westminster Assembly.

Memoirs of the Lives and Writings of Those Eminent Divines Who Convened in the Famous Assembly at Westminster, vol. 1

• Author: James Reid
• Publisher: Stephen and Andrew Young
• Publication Date: 1811
• Pages: 376

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This classic two-volume work from James Reid provides biographical sketches of some of the most significant members of the Westminster Assembly. Reid also provides selections from the writings of these important figures. This work is an excellent resource for understanding the character and legacy of the Westminster Assembly.

James Reid was a Presbyterian minister in the early nineteenth century.

Memoirs of the Lives and Writings of Those Eminent Divines Who Convened in the Famous Assembly at Westminster, vol. 2

• Author: James Reid
• Publisher: Stephen and Andrew Young
• Publication Date: 1815
• Pages: 400

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This classic two-volume work from James Reid provides biographical sketches of some of the most significant members of the Westminster Assembly. Reid also provides selections from the writings of these important figures. This work is an excellent resource for understanding the character and legacy of the Westminster Assembly.

Predestination and Freewill and the Westminster Confession of Faith: With Explanation of Romans IX

• Author: John Forbes
• Publisher: T&T Clark
• Publication Date: 1878
• Pages: 135

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The Westminster Confession is the definitive Reformed confession and predestination is the issue that has defined many controversies surrounding Reformed theology. In this volume, John Forbes discusses the controversial doctrine of predestination, and its handling in the Confession. He also provides exegesis of Romans 9.

John Forbes was professor of Oriental languages at Aberdeen University.

The Absurdity and Perfidy of All Authoritative Toleration of Gross Heresy, Blasphemy Idolatry, Popery in Britain

• Author: John Brown
• Publisher: Stephen Young
• Publication Date: 1803
• Pages: 52

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In this volume, assembled from two letters to a friend, Scottish minister John Brown addresses the Westminster Confession’s treatment of religious toleration. He also defends the National Covenant and Solemn League covenants.

John Brown (1722–1787) was born at Carpow in the parish of Abernethy, in Pershire Scotland. Around the age of twelve, his parents died and Brown supported himself as a shepherd. After teaching himself Latin, Hebrew, and Greek, Brown would work as a schoolmaster, briefly as a volunteer soldier, and eventually would become a student of divinity in the Secession Church. He was ordained as a minister at Haddington, East Lothain, in 1751, where he remained for the rest of his life. While continuing his duties as a minister, Brown also took the position of professor of divinity and began to publish works to great acclaim. Brown had six children, four of whom became ministers, and one that became the provost of Haddington.

Overture on Revision: Answers of the Presbyteries

• Author: Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A.
• Publisher: Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A.
• Publication Date: 1890
• Pages: 148

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This volume, published by the Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A., contains the answers of the American presbyteries on proposed revision to the Westminster Confession. It serves as a window into the landscape of the American Presbyterian church in the late nineteenth century.

Action of the Presbyteries upon the Report of the Assembly's Committee on the Revision of the Confession of Faith

• Author: Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A.
• Publisher: Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A.
• Publication Date: 1892
• Pages: 270

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This volume, published by the Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A., documents the responses of American presbyteries to the Church’s revision of the Westminster Confession. It provides a valuable look into the landscape of the American Presbyterian church in the late nineteenth century.

How Shall We Revise the Westminster Confession of Faith?

• Editors: J. Llewelyn Evans, Erskine N. White, Marvin R. Vincent, Charles H. Parkhurst, Samuel M. Hamilton, Charles L. Thompson, and Charles Augustus Briggs
• Publisher: Charles Scribner’s Sons
• Publication Date: 1890
• Pages: 221

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This volume collects various essays on proposed revision to the Westminster Confession by the American Prebyterian church. It is a valuable view into the landscape of the American Presbyterian church in the late nineteenth century, providing a variety of views.

About the Westminster Assembly

The Westminster Assembly of Divines was a synod of British clergy, theologians, and members of Parliament during the lead-up to the British Civil War tasked with restructuring the Church of England. It began on July 1, 1643, with a sermon preached by William Twisse in the nave of Westminster Abbey. Most of the Assembly ceased attending meetings after the new regime required an oath of engagement to the commonwealth in 1649, though nominal meetings continued into the 1650s. The Assembly produced the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, liturgical manuals for the Churches of England and Scotland, and other subordinate standards. The Assembly worked in the Reformed tradition according to covenant theology, taking the Bible as the authoritative word of God. Though the Assembly’s work was repudiated during the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the Confession of Faith and other standards remained the definitive Reformed confessional literature throughout the English-speaking world.