Naphtali Press

Volume 5 Contains: James Gilfillan (1797-1874), Sketches of Sabbatic Controversies and Literature; David Hay Fleming (1849-1931), Story of the Scottish Covenant in Outline; Samuel Hudson (d. 1683), Doctrine of the Catholic Church Visible. Samuel Rutherfurd, Last and Heavenly Speeches of Viscount Kenmure. John Macpherson, The Doctrine of the Church in Scottish Theology. Fisher’s Catechism on the Fourth Commandment. David Dickson, Sermons Preached at a Communion in Irvine.

The Scottish Historian and Antiquary David Hay Fleming is most known for his larger writings such as his Mary Queen of Scots and The Reformation in Scotland, and for editing important historical manuscripts and histories such as Six Saints of the Covenant, Register of the Minister Elders and Deacons of the Christian Congregation of St. Andrews … 1559-1600, and Diary of Sir Archibald Johnston of Wariston, 1650–1654, II (1919). However, his shorter works exhibit the same precision and sifting of the facts for which he is known in his books.

This book continues the 17th Century Presbyterians Series and is a hard bound book of 432 pages. Of Durham’s various books, it has been noted that they “were constantly read for almost two centuries. Twenty-six printing-presses in eight towns of Scotland, England, and Holland were occupied with them; in each decade between his death and the beginning of the nineteenth century at least one of his books was printed.” This resulted in about seventy publications of Durham’s various works. His exposition of the Law of God was the book most often published, amounting to thirteen editions. Of this title C. H. Spurgeon notes: “Whatever Durham has written is very precious. He has the pen of a ready writer, and indites good matter.” C. H. Spurgeon, Commenting & Commentaries (London, 1876; rpt. Banner of Truth, 1969).Durham’s Practical Exposition of the Ten Commandments was last printed 200 years ago in 1802. It was prefaced by recommendations from two well known English Puritan commentators of his day, William Jenkyn and Dr. John Owen (who had also written a preface to Durham’s Song of Solomon). Owen notes what those already familiar with Durham’s ministry knew well. Durham was quite excellent at handling “case divinity” or cases of conscience, as it is noted in many of the subtitles of his works. Owen writes: “In particular instances, cases relating to daily practice are so distinctly proposed, stated and determined, as that the whole is a complete Christian directory in our walking before God in all duties of obedience. Let the pious reader single out any one duty or head of duties to make his trial upon, and, if I greatly mistake not, he will discern with what wisdom, and from what deep experience, his plain directions are managed, and do proceed.” The volume is rich in practical Puritan application of the Law of God. This new edition retains all the original prefacing material by Owen, Jenkyn, and John Carstares, the original editor of the manuscripts of many of Durham’s works. The text has been revised as far as possible without marring the author’s work, to reflect contemporary spelling, punctuation and usage. Numerous paragraph breaks were added as well to aid the reader, and numbering of points and divisions were changed or added in an attempt to clarify the outline and flow of Durham’s expositions. The work has been completely indexed with subject, author and scripture reference indices. Comments on the text, obscure words or phrases, and historical background, have been noted by way of editorial footnotes. Part of the 17TH Century Presbyterians series. 17th Century Presbyterians is a series of titles by authors who left an indelible mark upon the history and culture of their age. Heretofore these theological masterpieces have not been issued in new critical editions. Each book in this series is bound uniformly in a distinctive three piece binding, and printed on high quality acid free paper.

A Rare Puritan Commentary. James Durham was a Scottish Presbyterian minister, who served the ministry a brief ten or eleven years, yet left behind quite a legacy. His books were very popular in Scotland and new editions of his works were published as late as 1840. No new edition of any of his books was published until 1990 when Naphtali Press printed his Treatise Concerning Scandal. Spurgeon in his Commenting and Commentaries, highly recommended all of Durham’s commentaries and sermons. The Lectures on Job are perhaps one of the rarest and hardest to obtain of the many Puritan works of that time. Spurgeon in his day was unable to find a copy, but he said, “It is certain to be good, for Durham is always admirable.” Durham comments on every chapter and ends each lecture with a set of uses or applications, which are alone worth the price of the book. This format, as many have told Naphtali Press, makes the book very useful for family devotions. Part of the 17TH Century Presbyterians series. 17th Century Presbyterians is a series of titles by authors who left an indelible mark upon the history and culture of their age. Heretofore these theological masterpieces have not been issued in new critical editions. Each book in this series is bound uniformly in a distinctive three piece binding, with matching dust jacket, and printed on high quality acid free paper.

Considered by Dabney as one of His most Significant Books Some Chapter Headings: Positivism, Evolution Theory, Physiological Materialism, Spirituality Of The Mind, Evolution Theory Materialistic, And Therefore False, Validity Of À-Priori Notions, Origin Of À-Priori Notions, Refutation Of Sensualistic Ethics, Philosophy And The Supernatural, The Evolution Of Human Souls. Robert Lewis Dabney was perhaps the greatest of the 19th century Southern Presbyterian theologians. “He wrote ably on theology, politics, government, education, culture, and history.” Yet he considered two of his books on philosophy to be in his own opinion his most worthwhile contributions. Next to The Practical Philosophy, Dabney considered The Sensualistic Philosophy of the Nineteenth Century Considered (1875 and 1887) as his ablest work. He was, not unlike a number of very able eighteenth and nineteenth century theologians, a practitioner of Scottish Common Sense Realism. Yet, he has recently been described as an eclectic in his utilization of the Common Sense Philosophy. Certainly he was no slave to a philosophical system that was in his day in substantial flux. Still it is accurate for categorization to label him a Common Sense Realist. As a Scottish Realist he held tenaciously to “that class of truths known as primary cognitions, innate ideas, [and] first truths.” Dabney held these “first truths,” to be “faith assumptions,” to borrow from Dr. Douglas Kelly. As such, the “first truths” influenced and shaped human reasoning. Furthermore, Kelly likened Dabney to Cornelius Van Til in the way he consistently showed how non-theists “reasoned on the basis of unproven, faith assumptions.” In relation to the more famous Scottish names associated with Common Sense, Dabney followed Thomas Reid most closely. With his greatest energies Dabney plied his philosophical skills in reducing to absurdity the sensational philosophies of Berkeley, Condillac, Hobbes, Locke, James Mill, J.S. Mill, and Spencer. Evidence of his eclecticism and objectivity is seen in his many correctives offered to fellow Scottish Realist, Sir William Hamilton. Dabney’s criticisms of his fellow Realists and refinements to the philosophical system he utilized so fully make him an interesting and profitable study for contemporary philosophers and apologists. This would be particularly true of those apologists who share Dabney’s commitment to Reformed or Calvinistic theology. Dabney is proof that regardless of our nuanced differences in apologetics, we can learn much from the older theology and philosophy. In the end, it may be that the greatest value in reprinting Dabney’s “philosophic philippic” will be found in his evaluation of the evolution theory and its logical fallacies. From the preface by C. N. Willborn.