The Westminster Assembly is celebrated for its doctrinal standards and debates on church polity. But how often is the assembly noted for its extraordinary intervention in the pulpit ministry of the Church of England? In God's Ambassadors , Chad Van Dixhoorn recounts the Puritan quest for a reformation in preachers and preaching and how the Westminster Assembly fit into that movement. He examines the assembly's reform efforts, tracing debates and exploring key documents about preaching in a way that both highlights disagreements within the assembly's ranks and showcases their collective plan for the church going forward.
Moreover, Van Dixhoorn reveals the rationale behind the assembly's writings and reforms, both in terms of biblical exegesis and practical theology. Unlike any other book, God's Ambassadors draws attention to the lengths to which the Westminster Assembly would go in promoting godly preachers and improved preaching.
Table of Contents: Part I: Blind Guides and Scandalous Ministers
The Call to Reform
The Road to Reform
"Democratick Annarchie" Part II: A Reforming Assembly
Purifying Pulpits: Assembly Examinations
The Pastor's Office: Assembly Debates
Ordaining Preachers: The Directory for Ordination
Directions for Preaching: The Directory for Public Worship Part III: In Theory
On Preachers: Godly, Trained, and Ordained
On Preaching: The Word of God as the Ordinary Means of Grace
On Preaching: Audible and Visible Words
On Preaching: Christ-Centered Sermons
On Preaching: Christ-Centered Exegesis
On Study and Style: "The Spirit's Working"
Appendix A: The Duties of a Minister
Appendix B: The Directory for Ordination
Appendix C: The Subdirectory for Preaching