John R. DeWitt's Jus Divinum

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VirginiaHuguenot

Puritanboard Librarian
Does anyone know where I can find a copy of John R. DeWitt's Jus Divinum: The Westminster Assembly and the Divine Right of Church Government (1969)?
 
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I've searched and searched but something tells me we haunt the same "getting places"...If you ever find a second one, let me know!
 
I'm surrounded by copies at local libraries (DTS, SMU) but I do not ever recall seeing a copy on a book list. I suggest putting a "want" at places like abebooks to get any hits when copies do come on the market (act fast when you get the message). Also you might put a search at eBay; also eBay now has a section for posting "wants" so that might be fruitful to pry a copy loose from somewhere. I think actually the De Witt is probably harder to come by than the Shaw mentioned in a separate thread. I think David Lachman (http://www.davidclachman.com/) has had copies of Shaw over the years; at least I got a set from him back in April, 1985.
 
It's a great book. Still looking for a second copy for Chris Rhoades. I see that many of Dr. DeWitt's sermons from the last few years are available here. Does anyone know if this particular recent lecture was taped? I wish I coulda been there.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2005 | 7 PM

Jus Divinum: The Westminster Assembly and Divine Right of Church Government (Does the Bible teach a form of church government?)

Rev. Dr. J. Richard DeWitt - Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina

Born in Zeeland, Michigan.

A son of the manse, he attended schools in New Era, Detroit, Grand Rapids (Baxter Christian School and Grand Rapids Christian High School), and Chicago (Chicago Christian High School).

He is a graduate of Hope College (B.A.) and Western Theological Seminary (B.D.), both in Holland, Michigan, and of the John Calvin Academy of the Theological University of the Reformed Churches in Kampen, the Netherlands (Th.D.). He also has an honorary degree (D.D.) from Rhodes College in Memphis Tennessee.

He has been minister of the Sixth Reformed Church of Paterson, New Jersey (1959-1964); assistant minister of Grove Chapel, Camberwell, London (1967-1969); minister of the Williamsburg Presbyterian Church of Kingstree, South Carolina (1970-1975); professor of church history and then of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi (1975-1982); senior minister of the Second Presbyterian Church of Memphis, Tennessee (1983-1993); senior minister of the Seventh Reformed Church of Grand Rapids, Michigan (1993-2000); and senior minister of the First Presbyterian Church of Columbia, South Carolina (2000-present).

He is a trustee of the Banner of Truth Trust and an associate editor of The Banner of Truth.

Publications:

Jus Divinum: The Westminster Assembly and the Divine Right of Church
Government

Amazing Love

“What Is the Reformed Faith?”

Translation: Herman N. Ridderbos, Paul: An Outline of His Theology

Mrs. de Witt is the former Jane Conyers Epps, of Kingstree, South Carolina. The de Witts have three children: Glenda Brown Shuler and Frank A. Brown, both of Kingstree; and Robert Gregory Epps de Witt, of Memphis.
 
I have known Dr. de Witt for about 10 years, and had the great privilege of serving under him for 2.

I wrote himabout a week ago asking him about this.

He said that only 500 were ever printed --a requirement for his ThD, I believe. He himself only has two copies. His only advice was to watch the used booksellers.

HIs sermons are available at FPC Columbia and many older ones (though the quality is not so good) at sermonaudio under the Mt. Olive tape library section.

Currently, he is retired, but doing some speaking and teaching at Erskine Seminary's Columbia extension.
 
His essay on The Form of Church Government in To Glorify and Enjoy God: A Commemoration of the 350th Anniversary of the Westminster Assembly (1994) ed. John L. Carson and David W. Hall is also very good.
 
Worth a $100?

For someone studying the history of the Westminster Assembly and church government issues, I think it is an important resource and considering its scarcity, I would say it's worth $100.

I got mine for less than half that price, but it took a great deal of searching. You never know when you might come across a better deal.

But I'm afraid to recommend spending so much on a book these days when Google keeps making the rare books available in digitized form (case in point: William Shaw's History of the English Church).
 
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