“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”
James 1:27
“…after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.”
Acts 26:5
“And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.”
Gal. 1:14
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Order of Contents
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Articles
1500’s
Zwingli, Ulrich – Commentary on True & False Religion eds. Jackson & Heller (1525; Labyrinth Press, 1981)
‘The Word ‘Religion’’ 56-58
‘Between whom Religion Subsists’ 58
‘Religion’ 87-98
‘The Christian Religion’ 98-118
Calvin, John – 2. ‘What Difference there is between True & False Religion’ in Instruction in Faith (1537) tr. Paul T. Fuhrman (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1949), p. 18
Bullinger, Henry – 5th Sermon, ‘Of Adoring or Worshipping, of Invocating or Calling upon, and of serving the only, living, true and everlasting God; also of true and false religion’ in The Decades ed. Thomas Harding (1549; Cambridge: Parker Society, 1850), vol. 3, 4th Decade, pp. 194-38
Beza, Theodore – ch. 3, 26. There can be no other new religion than this in A Brief & Pithy Sum of the Christian Faith made in Form of a Confession (London, 1562), ch. 3
Viret, Pierre – A Christian Instruction… (d. 1571; London: Veale, 1573), A Familiar Exposition of the Principal Points of the Catechism, 5th Dialogue, Of Faith in God
How that All Religion is without God, saving the Christian religion
Ursinus, Zachary – The Sum of Christian Religion: Delivered… in his Lectures upon the Catechism… tr. Henrie Parrie (Oxford, 1587)
The difference of this true doctrine from others
The difference of this true Doctrine from Philosophy
Certain notes or marks by which the Church is distinguished from others
3. From whence it appears this Religion alone to be true and divine: and all others to be forged
Virel, Matthew – The Sum of All Christian Religion, declared by a threefold method or order in A Learned & Excellent Treatise Containing All the Principal Grounds of Christian Religion (London, 1594), bk. 3
Virel (1561-1595)
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1600’s
Ames, William – ch. 4, ‘Religion’ in The Marrow of Theology tr. John D. Eusden (1623; Baker, 1997), bk. 2, pp. 236-40
Ames (1576-1633) was an English, puritan, congregationalist, minister, philosopher and controversialist. He spent much time in the Netherlands, and is noted for his involvement in the controversy between the reformed and the Arminians. Voet highly commended Ames’s Marrow for learning theology.
Hoornbeek, Johannes – ch. 2, section 1, ‘On the Division of Religion into Faith & Love’ in Practical Theology (1663/1666/1689/1698) tr. Charles Johnson
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1700’s
De Moor, Bernard – ch. 3, ‘On Religion’ in Continuous Commentary
Outline
1. Etymology of “Religion”
2. Synonymy of “Religion”
3. Homonymy of “Religion”
4. Definition of “Religion”
5. Acts of Religion
6. Knowledge as a Necessary Act of Religion
7. Is Universal Doubt Necessary for the Knowledge of God?
8. Is Clear & Distinct Perception Necessary for the Knowledge of God?
9. Definition of “Fundamental Articles”
10-11. Controversy with Rome over Fundamental Articles, pt. 1, 2
12. Criteria for Fundamental Articles
13. Reduction of Fundamental Articles to Heads
14-15. Controversy concerning the Number of Fundamental Articles, pt. 1, 2
16. Necessary, Genuine Sense of the Articles
17. Things Opposed to True Religion in General: Impiety and Superstition
17. Denial of the Principia–Infidelity
17. Denial of Fundamentals–Heresy, pt. 1, 2, 3
17. Schism
17. Error
17. Apostasy
18. General Marks Differentiating True & False Religion
19. Specific Marks Differentiating True & False Religion
20. Free Confession of True Religion
20. Prudent Confession of True Religion
20. Against Religious Syncretism, pt. 1, 2
21. Tolerance
Venema, Herman – 2. Of Religion in Translation of Hermann Venema’s inedited Institutes of Theology tr. Alexander W. Brown (d. 1787; Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1850), pp. 20-31
ToC: Defined, Object, Subjects, Substance, Acts, Source, Rule, End, Relation to Religion
Venema (1697-1787) was a professor at Franeker. Venema “maintained the fundamental line of confessional orthodoxy without drawing heavily on any of the newer philosophies… and maintained a fairly centrist Reformed position. Venema… evidence[s] the inroads of a rationalistic model…” – Richard Muller
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Books
1500’s
Zwingli, Ulrich – True & False Religion
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1900’s
Vos, Johannes G. – A Christian Introduction to Religions of the World (Baker, 1965) 80 pp. ToC
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Latin Article
1600’s
Wettstein, Gernler & Buxtorf – 1. Theology & Religion in General in A Syllabus of Controversies in Religion which come between the Orthodox Churches & whatever other Adversaries, for material for the regular disputations… customarily held in the theological school of the academy at Basil (Basil, 1662), pp. 3-4
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“If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.”
James 1:26
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