THE PIETY OF JOHN WITHERSPOON - Review

THE PIETY OF JOHN WITHERSPOON: Pew, Pulpit, and Public Forum

L. Gordon Tait, Geneva Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 2001, paperback, 256 pages

Without knowing anything about the author, L. Gordon Tait, I purchased his The Piety of John Witherspoon.

Tait really knows his subject, and through a plethora of quotes from Witherspoon I got to learn something about the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence. For that I thank L. Gordon Tait.

Witherspoon was brought over to America from his native Scotland to become Principal of, what was to become, the famous Princeton University. Through his lectures Witherspoon had a great influence on the American Revolution and the subsequent founding of the Republic. One of his students was James Madison, primary author of the Constitution. “Another of Witherspoon’s postgraduate students was James Madison, who studied Old Testament Hebrew with Witherspoon after graduating in 1771.” p. 120.

As the title boldly suggests, the book is about the piety of John Witherspoon. This may be summed up in the verse of Scripture, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself” Luke 10:27. Apparently Witherspoon’s application of these first and second commandments was down to earth. “If Witherspoon’s piety was theological – and evangelical – it was also practical.” p. 182.

“Another way Witherspoon made piety practical, for his people an for us today, is in his solid conviction that politics had to rest on the bedrock of virtue, and virtue, in turn, upon religion. Put simply, free and honorable government must be built on a solid moral base. Of course, others in the eighteenth century besides Witherspoon held this truth to be inviolable. No less a personage than George Washington affirmed the connection between politics of integrity and vital religion.” p. 185.

Witherspoon, as a Presbyterian, subscribed to the Westminster Confession of Faith  and the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms.

He was no extreme pietist or stay at home recluse. In America, “In 1774, John Adams sampled some of Witherspoon’s wine on his visit to Princeton.” p. 130. And previously in Scotland, “Collins reported that ‘[Witherspoon] had the reputation of being the best [ice] curler that Beith had ever seen,’ and even today the researcher can find manuscripts reporting two incidents revolving around Witherspoon’s curling activities on Lochwinnoch ice near Beith.” p. 131.

I found myself warming to John Witherspoon as Tait showed me the character of the man. This is a good book and worth taking time to read. However, I need to offer the following caveat. Be discerning. I found the author here and there to be jarring with some of his comments.

I’ll supply a couple of examples with my own comments on them:

1.      “I need to say a word about inclusive language. As much as possible I will avoid using “Father” and male pronouns with reference to God…” p. xvi.

“Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name…” is the way I learned to say the prayer Jesus taught us. How about you? Sure, I’m happy enough with the more modern translation of the New Testament Greek, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name” Matthew 6:9b. However, I’m not happy to use something other than “Father” (Gr. pater) because this is what Jesus taught us. The Bible, especially the New Testament, is choc full of verses in which God is referred to as “Father”. Therefore, I would much prefer to follow the Bible than try to “avoid using 'Father' and male pronouns with reference to God.” Yes, “God is Spirit” (John 4:24a) and therefore is neither male or female, but if God has chosen to reveal Himself to us and to have us be baptised “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”, then so be it!  

2.      “Witherspoon was following closely the teaching of the [Westminster] Confession [of Faith] on satisfaction, which reads in part, Christ ‘did make a proper, real and full satisfaction to his Father’s justice.’ Neither Witherspoon nor the Westminster Divines seemed to be aware that the satisfaction theory of the atonement is unbiblical, even though it has enjoyed a long history in the church. The word ‘satisfaction’ does not appear in the Bible, and nowhere does the Bible say that if certain conditions are met or a price is paid, only then will God love us. But Witherspoon was adamant that Christ’s death totally satisfied divine justice.” p. 60.

The short answer is that “Witherspoon was adamant that Christ’s death totally satisfied divine justice” because that is what the Bible plainly teaches! Therefore, the satisfaction theory of atonement is NOT unbiblical. L. Gordon Tait even mentions in a footnote the Isaiah 53:5-10 passage which Witherspoon uses as one small example of what the Westminster Larger Catechism means by the work of Son of God “to satisfy divine justice.”

Try, e.g., “And the LORD has punished him for the iniquity of us all” and “He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall his righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities”  Isaiah 53:6 & 11, King James Version. “The translation of the Bible that Witherspoon used and often quoted was the King James Version.” p. xvi.

Looks to me that God’s divine justice was satisfied (Heb. saba or sabea), especially when read in light of Romans 6:14, “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”

It is worth spending a few more moments on this important subject of satisfaction. Let us try to tease out a little bit more what is meant by, “He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied.” Edward J. Young explains it thus, “Because the servant has suffered such great anguish of soul, he shall have abundant satisfaction … we are probably to understand as the object all the fruits and rewards of his Messianic suffering. This sight will be satisfied … The servant sees the results of his ignominious death and is abundantly satisfied. The expiatory suffering has been successful. His people are redeemed and justified.” The Book of Isaiah, Volume 3, A Commentary, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1972, (Reprint September 1981), p. 356.

So, the Suffering Servant is satisfied by seeing that His people have been redeemed and justified in the sight of God. How have they been redeemed and justified? R. C. Sproul says it well as he expounds Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 11: Of Justification, section 3, where it says in that section, “Christ, by His obedience and death, did fully discharge the debt of all those that are thus justified, and did make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to His Father’s justice in their behalf. Says Sproul, “The whole point of justification by faith alone is that justification is by Christ alone – not Christ assisting me, not working in me, but Christ working for me in terms of his perfect active obedience. He actively satisfied every demand of the law of God, and he passively received the punishment for my sin on the cross.” Truths We Confess, A Layman’s Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith, Volume Two, Salvation and the Christian Life, P & R Publishing, 2007, p. 62.

And, one more for the road, Herman Bavinck offers some extra help for us to understand what satisfying divine justice means, where he says, “[Sin] occurs in Scriptures as a crime, an offense against righteousness, a violation of the divine majesty, which brings us under his judgment (Rom. 3:19). In this capacity it demands punishment, and there is no forgiveness without satisfaction (atonement); it can be completely overcome, as it concerns its guilt and pollution as well as its power and control, only in the way of justice.” Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 3, Sin and Salvation in Christ, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2006, p. 373.

And, “nowhere does the Bible say that if certain conditions are met or a price is paid, only then will God love us.” How about, “But God demonstrates His one love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8. As our substitute and to satisfy divine justice, Jesus paid the price while we were still sinners, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 6:23. (See also Westminster Larger Catechism 52.)

Like I have already said, a good book, but use discernment when reading The Piety of John Witherspoon.