# Books (commentaries) on the WCF



## RickyReformed

A.A. Hodge - The Confession of Faith 
Robert Shaw - An Exposition of the Westminster Confession
Gordon Clark - What Do Presbyterians Believe?
G. I. Williamson - The Westminster Confession of Faith for study classes

I have Clark's and Williamson's in paperback; and Hodge's and Shaw's in electronic format. These are the only ones that I'm aware of. Are there any more?


----------



## C. Matthew McMahon

You have listed the best known.

There are some others that are in that genre:
A Guide: The Westminster Confession of Faith : Commentary, by John H. Gerstner, Douglas F. Kelly, Philip Rollinson 
The Minutes of the Session of the Westminster Assembnly, by Alexander Mitchell
Commentary on the Larger Catechism, by Thomas Boston
Commentary on the Shorter Catechism, by Thomas Ridgley
The Shorter Catechism Explained, by Thomas Vincent
A Harmony of Protestant Confessions, by Peter Hall
The Westminster Larger Catechism, By J.G. Vos 
The Westminster Confession into the 21st Century, By J. Ligon Duncan III


----------



## RickyReformed

Matt, 

I don't think I ever thanked you for providing this list.

Thanks!

Ricky


----------



## RamistThomist

How good is Warfield's volume on the Westminster Assembly (I think it is volume 6)? I know it is not an exhaustive work, but what say ye, gentlemen?


----------



## VirginiaHuguenot

Another commentary on the Westminster Confession (the first, in fact) was David Dickson's _Truth's Victory over Error_ (1684). It can be found online at: http://www.truecovenanter.com/dickson/truthsvictory.html


----------



## RamistThomist

Would Thomas Watson's _Body of Divinity_ count?


----------



## RickyReformed

Thanks (again!), Andrew; I wasn't aware of that one. I do have several of David Dickson's works on CD (SWRB), but they do not include "Truth's Victory Over Error."


Jacob, I'm not familiar with either of those two works you mentioned, but perhaps Matt or someone else might know?


----------



## fredtgreco

> _Originally posted by Finn McCool_
> Would Thomas Watson's _Body of Divinity_ count?



Yes. It is essentially his commentary on the Shorter Catechism


----------



## Irishcat922

I read it, "Body of Divinity" to my six month old Daughter. She loved it!


----------



## VirginiaHuguenot

_Theology of The Westminster Symbols A Commentary Historical, Doctrinal, Practical, on the Confession of Faith and Catechisms_ (1900) by Edward D. Morris

[Edited on 1-15-2006 by VirginiaHuguenot]


----------



## VirginiaHuguenot

_Faith of Our Fathers: A Commentary on the Westminster Confession of Faith_ by Wayne R. Spear


----------



## crhoades

> _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
> _Faith of Our Fathers: A Commentary on the Westminster Confession of Faith_ by Wayne R. Spear



I've really enjoyed his chapters on Chapter One - Holy Scripture and the WCF in the commemoration volume linking it to Whitaker's Disputations. Should be a good book.


----------



## beej6

Rowland Ward from Australia has a study guide for the WCF.
Joseph Pipa has a WCF study guide geared for the classroom.


----------



## Arch2k

Truths We Confess by R.C. Sproul.


----------



## VirginiaHuguenot

There are more commentaries on the Westminster Confession listed here at the Westminster Assembly Project. 

Alexander Whyte, in his _Exposition on the Shorter Catechism_ recommends particularly reading the introduction to John MacPherson's _Exposition of the Westminster Confession_ (1882) for insight into the historical context of the Westminster Assembly. MacPherson's _Exposition_ can be found online here.


----------



## Romans922

http://host517.ipowerweb.com/~westmins/


----------



## VirginiaHuguenot

Any opinions on James Philip's Exposition on the Westminster Confession?


----------



## MW

VirginiaHuguenot said:


> Alexander Whyte, in his _Exposition on the Shorter Catechism_ recommends particularly reading the introduction to John MacPherson's _Exposition of the Westminster Confession_ (1882) for insight into the historical context of the Westminster Assembly. MacPherson's _Exposition_ can be found online here.



The Whyte and Macpherson volumes were part of the Handbooks for Bible Class series, completed mostly by Free Church ministers and professors who were more sympathetic to the critical movement which was apace at the back end of the 19th century.


----------



## bookslover

armourbearer said:


> The Whyte and Macpherson volumes were part of the Handbooks for Bible Class series, completed mostly by Free Church ministers and professors who were more sympathetic to the critical movement which was apace at the back end of the 19th century.



I remember reading Whyte's commentary a couple of years ago and being impressed with the breadth and depth of his reading. I don't remember there being anything doctrinally suspect in it.

Full title: _A Commentary on the Shorter Catechism_ by Alexander Whyte (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1882).

An excerpt (from page 137):

_The honouring of our parents comes in the order of the commandments after the honouring and worship of God; but in the order of nature, and in our actual lives, the fifth commandment is the first fulfilled. A child's father is more than a father to him; his father is both his father and his god. A little child cannot rise above his father. It is impiety, to him, to think that there can be anywhere anyone greater or better than his own greatest and best of fathers. To every child, his father is the man of men. There is nothing he cannot do. There is no valour, no nobleness, no resources, no wisdom with which he is not clothed. The pious heart which will afterwards rise to everlasting adoration and love of its Father in heaven, for a long time knows Him not, and feels no need of Him. What child cares for more than just to have his father ever near him to love and worship? And, in all this, "earthly fathers learn their craft from God." For God, for a time, clothes every father among us with His own attributes, and prerogatives, and dues. The divine throne, the divine sceptre, the divine sword, are immediately made over to the house of every man into whose keeping and care a little child is committed. _

I think this paragraph is especially poignant in that Whyte grew up in a fatherless home.


----------



## MW

bookslover said:


> I remember reading Whyte's commentary a couple of years ago and being impressed with the breadth and depth of his reading. I don't remember there being anything doctrinally suspect in it.



Whyte kept himself fairly within orthodoxy; but Macpherson tried to rewrite reformed orthodoxy to a certain extent.


----------



## Beoga

I have J.A. Pipa Jr.'s study guide of the WCF. I haven't gone through it yet, but it looks pretty good. Not really a commentary though...


----------



## 3John2

Anyone have any comments on RC Sprouls new book on the Westminster?


----------



## VirginiaHuguenot

Beoga said:


> I have J.A. Pipa Jr.'s study guide of the WCF. I haven't gone through it yet, but it looks pretty good. Not really a commentary though...



Joey Pipa's study guide is primarily about the WCF (PCA version) but it also incorporates references to the Westminster and Heidelberg Catechisms, as well as the Belgic Confession and Canons of Dordt. It does not cover every section of the WCF (notably absent is discussion on the chapter concerning the civil magistrate or the Pope or synods and councils, etc.). It has some flaws and there are better works out there, but overall it is a pretty good basic study guide, in my opinion.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## VirginiaHuguenot

VirginiaHuguenot said:


> _Theology of The Westminster Symbols A Commentary Historical, Doctrinal, Practical, on the Confession of Faith and Catechisms_ (1900) by Edward D. Morris
> 
> [Edited on 1-15-2006 by VirginiaHuguenot]



Available online here.


----------



## BobVigneault

Even though Doug Kelly has actually worked on a commentary he says that the best one is "The Presbyterian Standards" by Francis R. Beattie.

If you go here you can find the Westminster Shorter Catechism Project with online commentaries including:

Francis R. Beattie's The Presbyterian Standards
Thomas Boston's Of Man's Chief End and Happiness
James Fisher's Catechism on the Catechism
John Flavel's Exposition of the Assembly's Shorter Catechism
Matthew Henry's A Scripture Catechism in the Method of the Assembly's
Thomas Vincent's The Shorter Catechism Explained from Scripture
Thomas Watson's Body of Divinity
John Whitecross' The Shorter Catechism Illustrated
Alexander Whyte's A Commentary on the Shorter Catechism


----------



## VirginiaHuguenot

VirginiaHuguenot said:


> Another commentary on the Westminster Confession (the first, in fact) was David Dickson's _Truth's Victory over Error_ (1684). It can be found online at: http://www.truecovenanter.com/dickson/truthsvictory.html



The 2007 Banner of Truth hardcover edition is really nice.


----------



## VirginiaHuguenot

crhoades said:


> _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
> _Faith of Our Fathers: A Commentary on the Westminster Confession of Faith_ by Wayne R. Spear
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've really enjoyed his chapters on Chapter One - Holy Scripture and the WCF in the commemoration volume linking it to Whitaker's Disputations. Should be a good book.
Click to expand...


Available for limited preview online here.


----------



## VirginiaHuguenot

VirginiaHuguenot said:


> There are more commentaries on the Westminster Confession listed here at the Westminster Assembly Project.



Updated link to the Westminster Assembly Project's list of commentaries on the Westminster Confession here.


----------

