[WITSIUS, HERMANN]. Hermanni Witsii, Exercitationes Sacrae in Symbolum Quod Apostolorum Dicitur, et in Orationem Dominicam. Basileae [Basel]: Apud Joh. Rudolphum [Johann Rudolph], MDCCXXXIX. [1739].
FIFTH EDITION. Two parts in one; leather-bound; hardcover; quarto (22 x 17.5 x 4 cm); pp. [16], 412, [4], 188, [3]. Latin text. Bound in contemporary vellum over stiff boards; initial and terminal blanks; title printed in red and black with woodcut printer's device; printed side-notes; rear indexes. Condition: GOOD. Collated complete. Binding tight and secure. Covers with moderate marking. A few leaves toned with rust spots. Y3-2A4 with small worm tract in the bottom margin avoiding text.
Notes: Hermann Witsius (1636-1708) was "Professor of Divinity in the Universities of Franeker, Utrecht, and Leyden. A brilliant and devout student, he was fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew by the age of 15, when he entered the University of Utrecht. He was ordained at 21 and served in several pastorates, filling both the pulpit and the academic chair over the course of his life" (Encyclopedia Britannica). In "Sacred dissertations on the Apostles' Creed," Witsius "seeks to expound the truth of Scripture and apply it to life in a way that simultaneously expresses the spirit of Scripture. The work begins with a series of introductory studies which discuss such questions as the title of the Creed (Witsius recognizes that "Apostles" should be taken to refer to the apostolicity of the doctrine, not of the authors), the role of fundamental articles, and the nature of saving faith. Thereafter follows his phrase-by-phrase exposition of the substance of the Creed" (see Sinclair B. Ferguson's Foreword of Hermann Witsius' "Sacred dissertations on the Apostles' Creed" (2010), by RHB). Witsius explores the significance and usage of the Lord's Prayer. He examines the definition and history of prayer throughout the Old Testament and then moves on to the practical and spiritual advantages of prayer, as well as motivations and physical aspects of prayer. Witsius finishes this volume with a thorough inspection of each line of the Lord's Prayer, providing a helpful analysis and commentary of this prayer of Christ.
