# The Solemn Covenant of Southwark, 1689



## Coram Deo (Sep 26, 2006)

As I dig deeper into my forefathers and our reformed baptist roots, I am shocked and grieved with how much we Reformed Baptist have lost through the centuries. We need to really get back to our London Standards:

London Confession of Faith of 1689
The Baptist Catachism of 1677
The Solemn Covenant of Southwark of 1689
The Directory of Public Worship

I just read through the Solemn Covenant for the first time and I so wholeheartedly agreed with it. Maybe we as churches need to call for another General Assembly since we have not had one for over 4 centuries.

Any thoughts?

Michael

[Edited on 9-26-2006 by thunaer]


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## JonathanHunt (Sep 26, 2006)

Sorry, were you hoping for a large reformed baptist response to that one? *tumbleweeds rolling past*

As a born-and-bred Southwark man (only moved away from London in 2002) I don't share your enthusiasm for 'getting back' to old documents. I do adhere to the 1689 confession - but I'd rather see an enthusiasm for getting back to the Scriptures!

On the other hand, there is a great baptist heritage of which the majority of baptists in the world today are wholly ignorant. Most have never even heard of the documents you name, nor of the contributors, such as Kiffin, Knollys and Keach.

Now, what could we use to remember them? I know, let's teach our children about the great KKK and all the work they...

Ah.

Woops

:bigsmile:


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## ReadBavinck (Sep 26, 2006)

> _Originally posted by JonathanHunt_
> I do adhere to the 1689 confession - but I'd rather see an enthusiasm for getting back to the Scriptures!



It seems strange to say that you adhere, that is, use the LC to confess what you believe the scriptures say, and then put your confession against the scripture you believe it confesses!


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## Coram Deo (Sep 26, 2006)

I believe the lost of those documents that was mentioned is a direct result of why baptist have sunk today to an all time low.. I understand what you means but getting back to the bible, but WHAT does the bible teach.. We need systematic theology and creeds to teach sound doctrine.

We have lost this century to Arminianism, Dispyism, Antinomianism, and non biblical worship practices. Most baptist do not even know that baptist are suppose to be Calvinistic, Convenantal, Moral law, and regulative worship. We need to get back to creeds and standards....

I also believe that covenants are a benefit to the churches. To be convenanted together and bound to Almightly God.

So lets bring on the London Standards...

Michael


> _Originally posted by JonathanHunt_
> Sorry, were you hoping for a large reformed baptist response to that one? *tumbleweeds rolling past*
> 
> As a born-and-bred Southwark man (only moved away from London in 2002) I don't share your enthusiasm for 'getting back' to old documents. I do adhere to the 1689 confession - but I'd rather see an enthusiasm for getting back to the Scriptures!
> ...


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## JonathanHunt (Sep 27, 2006)

> _Originally posted by CJ_Chelpka_
> 
> 
> > _Originally posted by JonathanHunt_
> ...



Not at all strange, I contend.

My general point is that if we saw enthusiasm for serious study of the word in the Christian church, it would be in a far better state of health.


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## JonathanHunt (Sep 27, 2006)

> _Originally posted by thunaer_
> Most baptist do not even know that baptist are suppose to be Calvinistic, Convenantal, Moral law, and regulative worship. We need to get back to creeds and standards....



Baptists are _ supposed_ to be all those things?

What about the General Baptists, brother? There have been diffferent streams within Baptist theology and practice from the very start. I'd particularly recommend the Tom Nettles book on baptist history which illustrates this.


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## Coram Deo (Sep 27, 2006)

> There have been diffferent streams within Baptist theology and practice from the very start.



I guess that depends on when you define start.. 

Like Charles Spurgeon I hold to an ancient history of the Calvinistic Baptist.. WAY before the REFORMATION. Down through the Centuries since the Apostles, waiting and hiding for the time to reveal themselves... Arminian Baptist and all of it's pit falls and errors began sometime in the Reformation and linked to a large part of Anabaptist movement of Europe...

I know not everyone believes this, but I do believe enough information remains to prove what I said plus such men and their writings like Charles Spurgeon, John Gill, Hanserd Knollys, plus such documents like the Waldensian Confession of 1120, and their book of truth and many Older documents down through the centuries.



> "We believe that the Baptists are the original Christians. We did not commence our existence at the reformation, we were reformers before Luther and Calvin were born; we never came from the Church of Rome, for we were never in it, but we have an unbroken line up to the apostles themselves. We have always existed from the days of Christ, and our principles, sometimes veiled and forgotten, like a river which may travel under ground for a little season, have always had honest and holy adherents. Persecuted alike by Romanists and Protestants of almost every sect, yet there has never existed a Government holding Baptist principles which persecuted others..." "”Charles H. Spurgeon



Anyway, that is my  

Michael
Confessionally: London Standards

[Edited on 9-27-2006 by thunaer]


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