Among the rivers of information that constantly flood your life it is frequently difficult to choose. You scramble to keep up with current events, you try to stay in touch with your friends, you definitely need time to relax, and, if you have any time left, maybe you’ll try to expand the borders of your erudition.

So why should you read Scottish Presbyterian works from the 16th and 17th centuries? I mean, really.

Well, let’s see. Why should you read the Federalist Papers? That seems fairly straightforward. If you are an American citizen, or if you are interested in the ideas that produced the founding documents of this Republic, you turn to the seminal works of the period.

Similarly, if you are a Presbyterian, the 16th and 17th century Scottish Presbyterian works are foundational to the confessional tradition of which you are a part. Even if you are not a Presbyterian, those works can open up to you the founding ideals of one of the major Christian traditions.

Additionally, there is much in the writings of these authors that has contemporary relevance. For example: we live in a time when formal Christian worship is in a state of flux. So did the magisterial Presbyterians. They initiated a major liturgical reform in their time, one whose effects continue to the present day. So what was their solution? Was it Biblical? Was it practical?

Another example: a great emphasis of these Presbyterians was the Kingship of Jesus Christ over all of life – especially the state. They struggled for two centuries in the unwavering conviction that Jesus reigns from the right hand of his Father, and that all human persons and institutions owe him obedience. So what happens when a Presbyterian pastor tells the king of Scotland to his face, “Sirrah, ye are God’s silly vassal”?

You see, I have been reading the history and theology of the magisterial Presbyterians for awhile now, and I can tell you one thing for certain: those men understood many things which contemporary Christians do not.

I invite you to look for forthcoming reprints from Sensus Divinitatis Publishing. Because there is more in heaven and on earth than is dreamt of in contemporary theology.