Why the popular, hard-line/hyper-cessationism doesn’t do justice to the Reformed tradition. 🧵
1
“Reformed tradition repeatedly stress the completeness and sufficiency of Scripture. They show an appreciation for discursive processes for deriving conclusions from Scripture. Yet we also find testimony to extraordinary works of the Spirit of a nondiscursive kind.” Poythress
2
John Owen: "To say God does not or may not send his angels to any of his saints, to communicate his mind to them as to some particulars of their duty according to his word or to foreshadow to them his own approaching work, seems to unwarrantably limit the Holy One of Israel."
3
John Calvin: “Still, I do not deny that the Lord has sometimes at a later period raised up apostles, or evangelists in their place, as has happened in our own day.” Commentary on 1 Cor. 12:28
4
William Bridge, Westminster divine: "But, you will say, may not God speak by extraordinary visions and revelations, in these days of ours? Yes, without all doubt he may: God is not to be limited, he may speak in what way he pleases." The Works of the Rev. Bridge, vol. 1
5
Richard Baxter: "It is possible that God may make new Revelations to particular persons about their duties, events, or matters of fact, in subordination to the Scripture, either by inspiration, vision, apparition or voice." Christian Directory
6
There is a revelation of some particular men, who have foretold things to come, even since the ceasing of the Canon, as John Huss, Wycliffe, Luther, have foretold things to come and they certainly fell out, and in our nation of Scotland, M. George Wishart And Knox.
Rutherford
7
“Mr. Flavel replied, That he expected much trouble because of his dream the night before, adding, that when he had such representations made to him in his sleep, they seldom or never failed. Accordingly they were overtaken by a dreadful tempest.” The Life of John Flavel
8
Luther: "I do, indeed, have dreams from time to time, which move me somewhat, but I think little of them & I have made a pact with my Lord that I want to believe Moses and the prophets." Commentary on Gen 37:10
“The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth”
9
Increase Mather did no less than three Times as the Year, 1678, was coming on, very Publickly Declare, That he was verily Perswaded, a very Mortal Disease would shortly break in, and the Slain of the Lord would be many. Some of his Friends were troubled at him for it. (Cont…)
10 (cont…)
“But when the Year 1678. was come on, we saw the Mortal Disease. The Small-Pox broke in.” frame-poythress.org/modern-spiritu…
11
George Gillespie: John Knox, John Welsh, and others were “holy prophets receiving extraordinary revelations from God, and foretelling strange & remarkable things, which did accordingly come to pass punctually.” Works, vol. 2
12
“Without a doubt, the Westminster Confession of Faith teaches cessationism, but it is a cessationism which requires considerable nuance and allows for supernatural surprises so long as they are working with and through the Word of God.” Kevin DeYoung
thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-de…
13
Milne: “The divines did not intend to deny that God could still speak through special providences that might involve dreams or the ministry of angels, for example, but such revelation was always to be considered ‘mediate’…
amazon.com/Westminster-Co…
14
Milne cont: “However, many of the authors of the WCF accepted that “prophecy” continued in their time, and a number of them apparently believed that disclosure of God’s will through dreams, visions, and angelic communication remained possible.”
amazon.com/Westminster-Co…
15
So what’s missing in contemporary treatments of cess.?
Immediate vs mediate revelation. For the divines, immediate has ceased; mediate is ongoing. Dreams, angelic visits & prophetic impulses/motions still have a role, but mediated through some intermediary, e.g. the Bible.
Conclusion
The Divines who gave us WCF 1.1 also wrote 5.3: “God, in his ordinary providence, maketh use of means, yet is free to work without, above, and against them, at his pleasure.”
Popular treatments of cessationism have swung to an extreme that the divines didn’t intend.
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