A Dispute Against the English Popish Ceremonies

by George Gillespie

A new critical edition of George Gillespie’s seminal work, "A Dispute Against the English Popish Ceremonies". Written when “worship wars” involved real wars, the general principals presented by Gillespie have abiding pertinence and if properly applied could go a long way toward resolving the worship controversies of this day.

This extensively revised edition will mark the four hundredth anniversary of the birth of the author. The Dispute contains over a thousand citations from nearly two hundred authors and over three hundred works, which have all been carefully traced and confirmed for this new edition, greatly expanding the footnotes over those in the 1993 edition. With all these sources more clearly exposed for the modern reader, one may better appreciate why this 24 year old astounded his contemporaries on the eve of the Second Reformation, and why the Dispute merited a place for Gillespie at the Westminster Assembly of Divines, where he helped shape Presbyterian doctrine for centuries to come.

Genres: Theology

544 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1637

About the author

George Gillespie was a Scottish Presbyterian theologian. His A Dispute Against the English Popish Ceremonies Obtruded on the Church of Scotland (1637) reflected the fervour of the Presbyterians who rallied to the Covenant in the period leading up to the Bishops' Wars.

His father was John Gillespie, minister of Kirkcaldy. He studied at St. Andrews University, and is said to have graduated M.A. in 1629, though the date is probably that on which he entered the University. He became bursar of the Presbytery of Kirkcaldy, chaplain to John, Viscount Kenmure; to John, Earl of Cassilis, and tutor to his son, James, Lord Kennedy. He was ordained to Wemyss on 26th April 1638. He had calls to Aberdeen and St. Andrews. He was translated to Greyfriars, Edinburgh, in September 1642.

He was a member of the Westminster Assembly of Divines, 1643, and though the youngest member gave important assistance in the preparation of the Directory and Confession of Faith. He took final leave of Westminster on 10th July 1647, and presented the Confession of Faith to the General Assembly on 4th August, obtaining its ratification. He was elected to St. Giles, Edinburgh by the Town Council 22nd September 1647, and admitted shortly after that. He was elected Moderator of Assembly 12th July 1648.

Reviews

[Benjamin Glaser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This work is really spellbounding in its complexity, yet is not as hard to take on as one might think. It rewards careful reading and in many ways it reminded me of what boot camp was like. It was 13+ weeks of difficult challenges, which taken one-by-one do not seem that difficult, but when combined provide a full-bodied grind that a person is richly rewarded for, not only at that time, but continually throughout one's life. I will most assuredly be returning to this work in the future. One thing that really struck me in reading this book was the access to the myriads of early church, medieval, and "contemporary" scholarship that Gillespie used in writing this. It is hard to imagine a person in church history that is not cited or an argument that is not dealt with care and sufficiency.

A word also needs to be said about the work itself as a physical specimen. The labor that went into making such an attractive and accessible volume cannot be calculated. What Naphtali Press has done for the church will not be measured merely in those who purchase this work today, but in the effect this work will have decades, if not centuries, down the road. They have set a standard for Puritan works that it is hard to imagine can be topped.

[Alan Rennê · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um livro que já deveria ter sido disponibilizado em português. Sei bem que isso demandaria um esforço hercúleo por parte de alguma editora interessada. Não obstante, os protestantes brasileiros, especialmente os presbiterianos, muito se beneficiariam com a sua publicação.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the ultimate refutation of both Hookerism and of those who would retain holy days and superstitious rituals such as kneeling at communion. George Gillespie's arguments simply cannot be answered. And thus most who wish to retain these superstitions will continue to ignore his arguments.

Such popish ceremonies are not commanded by God, unlawfully abridge Christian liberty, foster a belief in a superstitious holiness in days, places, and gestures, and, even if they were indifferent in themselves, are now monuments of popish idolatry. For these reasons, they ought to be banished from the church's worship.

For the most part, Gillespie is careful to avoid what we might call hyper-regulativist arguments that try to apply the regulative principle to things that are merely circumstantial or accidental to gospel worship. One exception, however, is Gillespie's insistence on sitting to receive communion. While the most fitting posture for receiving the sacrament, it is not a dogma - and I think Gillespie goes too far on this one particular. That point, nevertheless, is only a very minor one. Gillespie's book stands as a monument to the need for consistent reformation in worship.

[Gabriel Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing work right from the start! Gillespie handily destroys the argumentation of innovations in God's worship, i.e ceremonies that are unwarranted from Scripture. Though this work was written almost 400 years ago, it has so many applications in our own culture.

[Connor Longaphie · Rating 1 out of 5]

the vast majority of this work is George complaining about how he doesn't like holidays and would prefer to go to work