We grant that pastors and elders, whether they be considered distributively, or collectively in presbyteries and synods, being subjects and members of the commonwealth, ought to be subject and obedient in the Lord to the magistrate and to the law of the land; and, as in all other duties, so in civil subjection and obedience, they ought to be ensamples to the flock; and their trespasses against law are punishable as much, yea, more than the trespasses of other subjects.

George Gillespie, Aaron’s Rod Blossoming, 85.

The presbyterial government hath no such liberty or arbitrariness, as civil or military government hath, there being in all civil or temporal affairs a great deal of latitude left to those who manage the same, so that they command nor act nothing against the word of God. But presbyterial government is tied up to the rules of Scripture, in all such particulars as are properly spiritual and proper to the church, though, in other particulars, occasional circumstances of times, places, accommodations, and the like, the same light of nature and reason guideth both the church and state; yet in things properly spiritual and ecclesiastical, there is not near so much latitude left to the presbytery, as there is in civil affairs to the magistrate.

George Gillespie, Aaron’s Rod Blossoming, 84.

Presbyters and presbyteries are subject to the law of the land, and to the corrective power of the magistrate . . . In so far as the church is in the commonwealth, and a part of the commonwealth, not the commonwealth a part of the church . . . Ministers and elders are subjects and members of the commonwealth, and in that respect punishable by the magistrate if they transgress the law of the land. Yea, also as church officers they are to be kept with in the limits of their calling, and compelled (if need be) by the magistrate to do those duties which by the clear word of God and received principles of Christian religion, or by the received ecclesiastical constitutions of the church, they ought to do.

George Gillespie, Aaron’s Rod Blossoming, 82.

Presbyterial government is not despotical, but ministerial; it is not a dominion, but a service. . . . That power of government with which pastors and elders are invested, hath for the object of it, not the external man, but the inward man.

George Gillespie, Aaron’s Rod Blossoming; or, The Divine Ordinance of Church Government Vindicated, 81.

A detailed examination of the facts must furnish the basis upon which all debate must be conducted between conservative and destructive critics.

Geerhardus Vos, The Mosaic Origin of the Pentateuchal Codes, 11.

I have hope in God . . . that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. Therefore I do my best always to have a clear conscience toward God and all people.

Acts 24:15-16

Being a critical edition of the Greek New Testament, the Nestle-Aland provides an eclectic text reconstructed from the tradition by means of a combination of external and internal criteria. The internal criteria are based on the intrinsic coherence of the text, its grammatical structure and its stylistic, linguistic and theological features. These cannot be applied without giving full weight to exegetical insights and studies. The external criteria are related to the quality and reliability of the witnesses supporting a variant. They are derived from the text-historical place and the transcriptional character of single witnesses and groups of witnesses.

Introduction to Novum Testamentum Graece (NA28)

Other New Testament editions have a much fuller apparatus, but we believe that this edition’s chief significance, like that of Westcott and Hort, lies not in its apparatus but in the text itself. The limited apparatus is designed primarily to illustrate the decision-making process, which has focussed [sic] on Greek witnesses of the first millennium. We recognize, of course, that versional and patristic witnesses add significantly to our knowledge of the history of the transmission of the New Testament text. Nevertheless, we have not felt that at any point their witness was strong enough to change the decisions we made on the basis of the Greek manuscripts. We are also aware that our focus on early Greek manuscript testimony differs from recent trends shown in the editing of the Catholic Epistles in the Editio Critica Maior produced under the auspices of the Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung in Münster. We acknowledge that at times a late manuscript may contain a text that is logically prior to and ancestral to that in the earliest extant manuscripts. However, our aim has been to produce a text with a high degree of directly verified antiquity so that users of this edition will have the benefit of knowing that any reading printed in this text rests on early testimony. Throughout the text, the editors sought to consider the most ancient Greek testimony wherever feasible. This has included seeking ancient testimony for several different features of the text, including paragraphing, spelling, breathings, and accents.

Introduction to The Greek New Testament (Produced at Tyndale House Cambridge)

The focus of these sacred scriptures is, of course, on the person of Jesus Christ, presented on page after page as the unique Son of God. No other documents share such a close relationship to him, and this alone is enough reason to encourage all who have the capability and opportunity to devote themselves to the serious study of the New Testament in Greek.

Preface to The Greek New Testament (Produced at Tyndale House Cambridge)

Manuscripts typically preserve books of the New Testament in four groups: the Four Gospels; Acts and the Catholic Epistles; the Pauline Epistles traditionally including Hebrews; and the Apocalypse. Though few manuscripts contain all of these, the order with Acts and the Catholic Epistles preceding the Pauline corpus predominates and is therefore reflected in this edition.

Preface to The Greek New Testament (Produced at Tyndale House Cambridge)