The Sum of Saving Knowledge (Scottish Heritage Book 6)

by David Dickson

This document had been bound with the Westminster documents since its first publication but was neither a product of the Westminster Assembly[2] nor of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. It

‘Our Scotch forefathers turned for spiritual nourishment especially to The Sum of Saving Knowledge and The Practical Use thereof,

There is a subjective aspect to saving knowledge as well as the objective. The Sum of Saving Knowledge is very helpful in that it begins with the objective knowledge required and moves on to the subjective.

The Assembly viewed this with such concern that they ordained that any minister found negligent by his presbytery in this matter would be first admonished, the second time rebuked sharply and ‘if after such rebuke they do not yet amend, they shall be suspended’.

But by virtue of the foresaid bargain, made before the world began, he is in all ages, since the fall of Adam, still upon the work of applying actually the purchased benefits unto the elect; and that he doth by way of entertaining[36] a covenant of free grace and reconciliation with them, through faith in himself; by which covenant, he makes over to every believer a right and interest to himself, and to all his blessings.

By kirk-government, he will have them hedged in, and helped forward unto the keeping of the covenant.

THE chief general use of Christian doctrine is, to convince a man[37] of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment, John 16:8, partly by the law or covenant of works, that he may be humbled and become penitent; and partly by the gospel or covenant of grace, that he may become an unfeigned believer in Jesus Christ, and be strengthened in his faith upon solid grounds and warrants, and give evidence of the truth of his faith by good fruits, and so be saved.

He must understand, that upon righteousness received by faith, judgment shall follow, on the one hand, to the destroying of the works of the devil in the believer, and to the perfecting of the work of sanctification in him, with power:

Now, there cannot be a greater inducement to break a sinner’s hard heart, than God’s making a request to him for friendship;

‘Therefore I may be as sure to have righteousness and eternal life given to me, for the obedience of Christ imputed to me, as it is sure that Christ was condemned and put to death for the sins of the redeemed imputed to him.’

as if it did loose or slacken the obligation of believers to obey the commands, and to be subject to the authority of the law; and that this error is indeed a destroying of the law and of the prophets, which he will in no case ever endure in any of his disciples, it is so contrary to the end[67] of his coming,

the end of the gospel and covenant of grace is to procure men’s obedience unto the moral law: