Nehemiah Coxe: A Vindication of the Truth

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A Vindication of the Truth is no ordinary book on Christian Doctrine. This carefully edited republication is a supreme example of the theological precision and application shared among the early confessors of the Baptist Confession of Faith. It touches on many issues in theology, from the importance of the two natures of Jesus Christ to how we ought to read the text of Holy Scripture. Originally written by Nehemiah Coxe and endorsed by leading confessional Baptist ministers, this book is an exemplary specimen of the practise of confessional Baptist associational life. Calling upon and supporting young Coxe to engage with the several “heresies and gross errors”, the churches publicly refuted and declared their orthodox Christology in the face of theological confusion brought about by Thomas Collier.

This book informs us of the battles our fathers fought in the past and will prepare us for those we must fight in the future.

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About the Book

Dr James Renihan and his team of colleagues have done a remarkable job providing this significant work, paying careful attention to the original. They have crafted a modern edition that includes meticulous transcription of the original, notes for Hebrew words and expressions and translation of Greek terms and Latin words and phrases.

Author

Nehemiah Coxe (1650-1689), son of the first-generation Particular Baptist pastor Benjamin Coxe, is an important figure in the second generation of baptized congregationalist ministers. Recognized as a “gifted brother” by John Bunyan’s Bedford congregation in 1671, he was called to and ordained pastor (along with William Collins) of London’s Petty France church in September 1675. It has been surmised that these two men edited the document known popularly as the 1689 Confession when it was first published in 1677.

Concerning God; The distinct Subsistencies (sic) in the Divine Nature: And more especially, the Person of the Son

Of Election

Of the Extent of Christ’s Death

Concerning the Moral Power of Man, or Free-will, where also of Original Sin

Wherein some things relating to the principles already asserted, are farther cleared and vindicated: And also the Saints perseverance proved, and Tho. C’s exceptions removed

Of Justification

Of the Day of Judgement, and the Everlasting punishment of the wicked

'In the mid 1670s the English Particular Baptists faced a major crisis. One of their most popular and successful evangelists Thomas Collier challenged the historic orthodox doctrines of the person and work of Christ. It was to counteract Collier’s heterodox influence that Nehemiah Coxe, a London pastor, wrote Vindiciæ Veritatis or Vindications of the Truth. It was a delicate situation as Coxe was a young pastor challenging a man who was well-known and heretofore deeply respected. The Latin title and the frequent appeal to Greek and Latin authors, - all helpfully translated in this edition - would suggest that Coxe was reaching out to an erudite readership beyond his denomination and perhaps beyond England... Nehemiah Coxe’s work is however not just a fascinating insight into a historical crisis, it is an able defence of teachings that are always the subject of Satanic attack and as such remains highly relevant.'

'In the theological battles of the seventeenth century, a young but gifted Baptist divine named Nehemiah Coxe penned a defense of the doctrines of God, the Trinity, election, particular redemption, original sin, perseverance, justification, and eternal punishment. Coxe’s book illustrates the doctrinal commitments, not only of those subscribing to the Second London Baptist Confession, but also of Reformed churches in general, as Coxe’s citations of William Ames, John Owen, and Gisbertus Voetius demonstrate. May God be pleased to use this work again to strengthen those who raise the banner of Christian orthodoxy.'

'This book is a powerful reminder that serious churches may need to deal with serious errors – even among their leaders. But it also reminds us of the resources for the defence of orthodoxy with which we have been provided in the history of the church. Sensitively edited and carefully presented, this new edition of Coxe’s Vindiciæ Veritatis shows how seriously the earliest Particular Baptists contended for the faith once delivered to the saints.'

Ironically, heresies have often been profitable to the cause of truth throughout the history of the church. Thomas Collier's doctrinal errors were an opportunity for the Particular Baptists, through the pen of the brilliant and young pastor Nehemiah Coxe, to publicly affirm their orthodoxy with greater clarity and to demonstrate their commitment to the historic teaching of the church. The republication of Vindiciæ Veritatis will benefit Reformed Baptists today in at least two ways. First, by providing a theological context directly associated with the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith. Holders of that confession will be able to appreciate the meticulous articulation of key doctrines that they confess. Second, the initial controversy that gave rise to this book shows us how the congregational ecclesiology, to which the Particular Baptists were committed, would have to deal with the emergence of heresy in a particular church with which other congregations hold communion...

Many years ago, James M. Renihan sent me a copy of Nehemiah Coxe’s Vindiciæ Veritatis. I was fascinated with it then as I am now. It displays orthodox polemics, wide reading, deep thinking, careful distinctions, and tight argumentation. It addresses important issues concerning Christian orthodoxy, many of which are debated in our own day. I find Coxe’s method of addressing issues fascinating and very instructive. This is not an easy read. It demands careful attention by the reader. I commend it highly as a good example of a seventeenth-century theologian seeking to vindicate the truth against heresies and gross errors.

'The re-publication of Vindiciæ Veritatis is a significant event. It is more important than the various seventeenth century works on believer’s baptism because it defends and asserts the fundamentals of the Christian faith. We are indebted to the editorial skills of Dr Jim Renihan and his team for this edition. Nehemiah Coxe deserves to be better known and perhaps he would be had he lived to participate in the National Assembly in 1689. In dealing with the ‘manifold errors’ of Thomas Collier, Coxe shows his own understanding of historic biblical Christianity and the orthodox credentials of our Particular Baptist forefathers expressed in the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith. Coxe called his readers to steadfastness in the faith. That very quality is needed in the twenty-first century and this volume will aid readers to that end.'

'When William Screven’s church in Kittery Maine was recognized in 1682 by the Baptist church In Boston as competent in numbers and faith to be set aside as an independent Baptist congregation, they commended their faith in terms of their agreement with the Second London Confession. When William Screven retired around 1712 from his post as pastor of First Baptist Church in Charleston, SC, [they had moved from Kittery in 1696 to Charleston] he recommended earnestly that they “take care that the person be orthodox in the faith and of blameless life, and does own the confession put forth by our brethren in London in 1689.” ... These events highlight both the timing and the content of Nehemiah Coxe’s clear polemical engagement with Collier under the witness of historic Christian orthodoxy and confessional Reformed doctrine. Enjoy the tightly argued and clearly expressed text of Coxe and embrace the calling to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints.'