The Marrow Controversy, 1718-1723

The 1718 republication of the Marrow of Modern Divinity ignited a furious debate within the Established Church of Scotland over the doctrines of grace, and particularly the relationship between law and gospel. However, since at least Thomas M’Crie’s 1831 Account of the Controversy, no writer has given the impression that his acquaintance with the literature of the Controversy itself is any better than secondhand. Consequently, current analyses seldom appeal to the primary sources necessary to sustain firm, evidence-based conclusions.

Two key questions thus emerge. First, in view of the Marrow Brethren’s continued protests to the contrary, were the ecclesiastical proceedings essentially fair, arrived at after due process, and representative of the mind of the Church as a whole? And second, was the General Assembly historically correct in condemning the Marrow as being incompatible with the Westminster Standards and Reformed Orthodoxy? Dr. Lachman’s Marrow Controversy provides a sufficiently thorough historical and theological analysis to produce a fair and conclusive answer to these questions.

Endorsements

“I’ve read and perused this volume many times throughout my life, and I still consider it to be the best scholarly work ever produced on the famous Marrow Controversy.”
—Dr. Joel R. Beeke, Chancellor, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary

“The late Dr David Lachman’s patient scholarship and theological acumen made—and still makes—The Marrow Controversy a landmark study. Here is the essential guide to the way issues that often haunt the church exploded in 18th century Scotland. Its long-hoped-for republication is good news indeed!”
—Sinclair B. Ferguson, Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary