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EDITORIAL COUNCILJohn P. Clelland John Patton Galbraith R. B. Kuiper

Edwin H. Rian Leslie W. Sloat

The True Christmas StarBy the REV. THEODORE S. WRAY

Pastor of the Fifth Reformed Presbyterian Church,Phlladelphia

Eight Months-$1.00

Th_as R. Blrc:hManaging Editor

APOLAR midnight had settled upon a far northernEskimo village. The land of the midnight sun

had become submerged in its perennial blackout asthe pall of darkness and gloom blanketed everything.Life and activity had all but ceased around the snow­covered, wind-swept, bear-skin tents and ice igloos.Within, amid smoking whale-oil lamps, the eskimoseagerly awaited the dawn of a new year. The chief ofthe village, according to custom, had now appointedone of the young men to ascend each noon to the topof a near-by ice-encrusted hill to search for the first ap­pearance of the sun. After many days had passed therecaine the long anticipated cry, "The Sun, the Sun,Behold the Sun!" Immediately all the village wouldappear in its best polar finery and cry in chorus, "Be­hold the Sun!"

A Martian darkness has settled upon the civilizedworld today. With war precipitated by Japan upon theUnited States, peace and security have been blackedout from most of the earth's surface. But even as thewar clouds envelop us there appears once more uponthe horizon a star-a star which outshines all otherstars and pierces all gloom and despair-a star whichpresages the One, and only One, who can bring peace.Once more we hear the good news, "Behold I bringyou good tidings of great joy, for unto you is born thisday in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the

. Lord". Here we have the glorious proclamation of a

fact-a fact which, like no other event in human his­tory, fills a darkened world with joy and causes it toadorn itself in its best festive garb.

Like the star which appeared to the wise men, sothis glorious proclamation of the angel irresistiblydraws us to the Babe of Bethlehem and, like thatheavenly five-pointed star, it announces five significantfacts concerning the advent of Jesus Christ.

The first point of this Christmas star is very personalin nature. "For unto you is born this day ... a Saviour".

When the birth of the Prince of Wales was an­nounced, throughout the. length and breadth of theBritish Empire there was much rejoicing. Here was the.long looked-for heir to the British throne; so on landand sea salutes were fired, flags unfurled, and bells rungdeclaring the joyful news.

In yonder hamlet of Bethlehem lies an heir to thethrone of earth and heaven. Upon His brow shall restthe crown of the universe. That infant hand shall holdthe sceptre before which all empires shall fall untilHe shall "have dominion from sea to sea and from theriver to the ends of the earth" . Yet no royal saluteechoes through the narrow streets. No flags are un­furled and no bells are rung. But a celestial salute didgreet Him. The angels of heaven, appearing in all theShekinah glory and splendor of heaven, did proclaimHis birth: "Behold, I bring you good tidings of greatjoy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born

THE PRE'SIVTERIAN GUARDIAN

this day in the city of David a Saviour,which is Christ the Lord".

To whom was this great announce­ment made? Not to Herod in thenearby magnificent palace and fortress;not to the High Priest and Phariseesin the, stately temple at Jerusalem;not even exclusively to the shepherdsas such; but "to all people". This firstannouncement of the birth of the·Babe of Bethlehem was made to theshepherds only so that they mightreecho it to all the world. Nor wasthis announcement made only for thepeople then living, for the use of thefuture tense, "shall be", indicates thatwhat had just occurred was for thebenefit of all future generations. Andnow notice how personal is the an­nouncement. The angel might havesaid, "I bring you good tidings ofgreat joy, which shall be to all people,

I for there is. born this day . . . aSaviour". But No! The messengerfrom heaven says, "I bring you goodtidings . . . for unto you is born thisday . . . a Saviour". The advent ofJesus Christ is not only of universalinterest; it is of personal, individualinterest.

This personal, individual signifi­cance of the coming of Christ shouldtake on special interest and meaningwhen so much of the world has beenplunged into war. Often we have mis­construed the meaning of the angelichymn, "On earth peace, good willtoward men", as referring to nationalpeace. As is generally known, themore accurate Revised Version render­ing, "Peace among men in whom heis well pleased",. puts the emphasiswhere it should be. Christ came, firstof all, to make peace, "to make peacethrough the blood of his cross", be­tween sinful humanity and a holyGod. He came in the second place,to give peace. "Peace I leave with you,my peace I give unto 'you". In thethird place, He will yet establishpeace. Social and national peace canonly come after the individual is atpeace with God and his fellow-man.Isaiah says, "Of the increase of hisgovernment and of peace there shallbe no end, upon the throne of David,and upon his kingdom to establish it,and to uphold it with justice andwith righteousness from hencefortheven for ever".

The second point of this Christmas

star is the simple but profound state­ment, "Is born". "For unto you isborn this day . . . a Saviour". Thereis nothing remarkable or unusual inthe statement itself, but when werealize who it was that was born andhow He was born, we may trulymarvel. This was the incarnate deitywho "was made fleshand dwelt amongus (and we beheld his glory, the gloryas of the only begotten of the Father)full of grace and truth". He becameflesh by means of the miracle of thevirgin birth. Paul was ever aware ofHis incarnation as we see in his intro­duction to his epistle to the Romans,"Concerning his Son Jesus Christ ourLord, which was made of the seed ofDavid according to the flesh; and de­clared to be the Son of God withpower, according to the spirit of holi­ness, by the resurrection from thedead".

As to all that passed in the seclu­sionof that stable the Cospel.narrativeis silent .. This only is told: that therethe virgin-mother "brought forth herfirst born son and, wrapped him inswaddling clothes and laid him in amanger". Beyond the announcementof the bare fact, Holy Scripture, withindescribable appropriateness and deli­cacy, draws a veil over that mostsacred mystery. "He took upon him­self the form of a servant, and wasmade in the likeness of man. . . ."

In a wonderful way, Charles W es­ley has caught in these immortal wordsthe true significance of what trans­pired:

"Christ, by highest heaven adored;Christ, the everlasting Lord!Late in time behold Him come,

TABLE Of CONTENTS

December 25, 1941

The True Christmas Star 161Theodore S. Wray

The Westminster Assembly and the Au-thority of Scripture 163

Theodore J. JansmaChastised But Content 164

Burton L GoddilJ'dThe Auburn Betrayal-Part IV 165

Murray Forst ThompsonEditorial 169Communicant Church Membership 170

George W. Marston. Orthodox Presbyterian Church News . .. 173

Offspring of the Virgin's womb:Veiled in flesh the God-man see;Hail th' Incarnate Deity,Pleased as man with men to dwell,Jesus our Immanuel".

The third point of this great Christ­mas announcement stresses the im­mediacy of His advent-s-t'this day".'"Unto you is born this day . . . aSaviour". Calatians 4:4 tells us,"When the fulness of the time wascome, God sent forth his Son, madeof a woman, made under the law, toredeem them that were under thelaw, that we might receive the adop­tion of sons". What does Paul meanby "the fulness of the time"? Why,that towards which all. the Old Testa­ment prophecy had looked, how JesusChrist would come through the de­scendants of Abraham, be born of thetribe of Judah, appear in the house­hold of David, and be born of avirgin in the city of Bethlehem.

. Christ stands at the crossroads ofall human history. All that ever wentbefore Him looked forward to thatfirst advent and all who follow havelooked back upon it as a harbinger ofa new era. His advent changed thedatum of the world's chronology. Hiscoming profoundly influenced thesubsequent course of history. His birth ­has. left its immortal imprint uponart, literature and religion. Why suchtremendous influence exerted by thisBabe of Bethlehem? Because He was"God manifestedin the flesh".

"The hopes and fears of all the yearsAre met in Thee to-night".

The fourth point of the star ofBethlehem definitely states the placeof His advent-"inthe city of David":The city of David, of course, wasnone other than Bethlehem, the an­cestral home of David. The angelicproclamation and the fact of Christ'sbirth immediately place a seal of ful­filment upon that remarkable proph­ecy found in Micah and made nearlyseven hundred years before: "Butthou, Bethlehem Ephratah, thoughthou be little among the thousandsof Judah, yet out of thee shall hecome forth unto me that is to beruler of Israel; whose goings forthhave been from of old, from ever­lasting".

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THE PRE 5 I YT ER I A N,G U A R D I A N

The Westminster Assembly and

The Authority of Scripture• Bythe REV. THEODORE J. JANSMA

Pastor of Calvary Ortllodox Presbyterian Church. Germantown. Philadelpilia

THE Westminster Assembly of Di­• vines recognized the absolute andfinal authority of the Bible. This is

,perfectly plain from the record of theirprocedure and debates, as well as fromthe work they produced. For them theScriptures of the Old and New Testa-

, ments were the absolute standard oftruth, upon which they based all theirdeclarations, and the very language ofwhich is largely used in their formu­lations. They were determined to de­clare no more and no less than theteaching of Scripture.

Each member of the Assembly,upon his first entrance, had to makea solemn protestation, "in the pres­ence of Almighty God,that in thisAssembly, whereof I am a member,I will not maintain anything in mat­ters of doctrine, but what I think, inmy conscience, to be truth; ..." Thatthis "truth" was the revealed Wordof God cannot be doubted, and oneversion of that protestation, althoughan incorrect one as to the precisewords, says, "the Word of God". Inthe Solemn League and Covenant ac­cepted by both the English and Scot­tish ecclesiastical and political assem­blies, they bound themselves, amongother things, to "the reformation ofreligion . . . according to the Wordof God". And one of the rules bywhich the Westminster divines con­ducted their task states' specifically,"What any man undertakes to proveas necessary, he shall make good outof Scripture".

It is no wonder then that theylavished such extreme care upon alltheir statements, over a period ofalmost six years, even though therewas much reason for speed. One ofthe Scottish commissioners wrote ,toa friend, "only their longsomenesseis wofull at this time, when theirchurch and Kingdome lyes under a,

, most lamentable anarchy and confu-/ sion. They see the hurt of their

length, but cannot get it helped; for.being to establish a new Plattformeof worship and discipline to their Na­tion for all time to come, they think

. J:hey cannot be answerable, if solidlie,

and at leisure, they doe not examineevery point thereof't.!

The Westminster Confession be­gins with the doctrine "Of the HolyScripture". Their high regard for theBible is stamped on all their work,but comes to light most clearly, asmight also be expected, in this open­ing chapter. One competent authoritysays, "If any chapter in the Confes­sion was more carefully framed thananother, it was this, 'Of the HolyScripture'. It formed tIle subject ofrepeated and earnest debate in theHouse of Commons, as well as in theAssembly".«

The authority of the Bible, accord­ing to the Westminster Assembly,rests upon the fact that it is the Wordof God; "The authority of the HolyScripture, for which it ought to bebelieved and obeyed,dependeth . . .wholly upon God, (who is truth it­self) the author thereof; and there­fore it is to be received, because it isthe Word of God" (Sec. IV). Noother writings are included' in thecanon of Scripture, but only those,and all those, which are "given byinspiration of Cod." The Apocryphawhich are regarded in some, churchesas having an authority superior tohuman writings, are absolutely ex­cluded by the Westminster divines,

1 Robert Baillie, "Letters and Journals",ed. Laing, V.' 2, p. -109. '

2 A. F. Mitchell, "Minutes of the Ses­sions of the Westminster Assembly ofDivines", ed. Mitchell and Struthers, Intr.p. xlix,

Youn9People~s Topics

THE artic1~ on this page wi~l beanaid in studying, the young people's

lessons published by the Committeeon Christian Education of TheOrtho­dox Presbyterian Church, which maybe secured from the Rev. Richard W.Gray, 7 Frankli~, Avenue, Montclair,N. J. The first eight chapters of theW estminsterCsnfession will be stud­ied duringTanu;uy and February.

and classed with other human writ­ings, simply because they are not ofdivine inspiration. Although the Con­fession clearly recognizes and assertsthat "the inward work of the HolySpirit" is indispensable to our "fullpersuasion and assurance of the. in­fallible truth and divine authoritythereof", yet the ground of that au­thority is the fact of the inspirationand authorship of God.

The Bible, as an authoritative book,is without any rival, since -it alonecontains all of God's saving revela­tion extant, and therefore it' is alsomost necessary for us. It pleased Godnot only; to reveal Himself, but alsoto commit that self-revelation "whollyunto writing". Without it we shouldhave no' saving revelation, "thoseformer ways of God's revealing Hiswill unto His people being nowceased" (Sec. I).

That absolute authority which is­sues from the fact of divine inspira­tion and authorship is ascribed to allthe books of the Bible, and hencethey are all of equal authority, thoughnot necessarily of equal importance.However, the Westminster divineswere careful to limit this immediateinspiration to the original documents,although they also held that in thetransmission of these documents theywere "kept pure in all ages" by God's"singular care and providence", sothat what we now have is authenticin the original languages, and there­fore not only trustworthy but alsoauthoritative.

The words "verbal" and "plenary",which are now commonly used in theformulations of the orthodox doctrineof inspiration, do not occur in theConfession, but the truth conveyed bythem is' certainly declared. All of theBible is' authoritative; and humanwritings are specifically contrastedwith, and excluded from, the canon.The Bible is now the only mode ofthe divine saving revelation; the Wordof God and' the Scripture are synony­mous. The Holy, Spirit, as the execu­tive of the God-head, is aloneacknowledged as, "speaking in the

.164 THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN

Chastised But Content

Scripture". In the chapter "Of Sav­ing Faith" it is also asserted that "aChristian believeth to be true what­soever is revealed in the Word, forthe authority of God Himself speak­ing therein".

How carefully the divines guardedthe sufficiency and unrivaled author­ity of the Bible is also evident fromtheir principle that all articles of faithand rules of life must come fromScripture, and none are to be madewhich are not in Scripture. "Thewhole counsel of God concerning allthings necessary for His own glory,man's salvation, faith, and life, iseither expressly set down in Scripture,or by good and necessary consequencemay be deduced from Scripture: untowhich nothing at any time is to beadded" (italics mine). This principleis also -clearly asserted in ChapterXXI, Sec. I, dealing with religiousworship; "But the acceptable way ofworshipping the true God is institutedby Himself, and so limited by His re­vealed will, that He may not be wor­shipped ... [in] any other way notprescribed in the Holy Scripture".- As it is authoritative in, all mattersof faith and practice, so it is authorita­tive for all men. Even the unlearnedare without excuse, even though theBible is a profound book and notequally plain in all its parts. "Thosethings which are necessary to beknown, believed, and observed, forsalvation, are so clearly propoundedand opened in some place of Scriptureor other, that not only the learned,but the unlearned, in a due use of theordinary means, may attain unto asufficient understanding of them".Translations are sanctioned expresslythat the Word of God may dwell"plentifully in all".

Because of its absolute and finalauthority, Scripture is also its own"infallible rule of interpretation", sothat we are bound to suspend judg­ment whenever we are unable to de­termine the one true and full senseof any scripture. We have no rightto supplement Scripture with humanspeculation, however plausible suchspeculations may appear, or with alle­gorical or "spiritual" interpretationswhich are not inherent in and de­manded by the Scripture itself. Allmust submit to the clear teaching ofthe Bible, and no authority is to betolerated along With the Bible. TheHoly Spirit speaking in the Bible isthe supreme judge in all matters of

religion and morals.Such was the solid foundation upon

which the Westminster divines built,and because of it their symbols areeminently Scriptural throughout, anduniversal in their appeal. Dr. Warfieldin his excellent work on the "West­minster Assembly and its Work" paysthem a great and well-deserved tributewhen he says, "There is certainly in

THE trek of a conquered peopleinto captivity is a pathetic sight.

Tradesmen unaccustomed to physicalexertion are herded along, weary andfootsore and faint. Old men who haveknown better days are cursed byguards as they stumble on the march.Little children cling to their mother'sskirts and cry. Families become sepa­rated-forever. •

Nor do the cruelties suffered or theheartaches endured end when thejourney comes to a close. The strangeland of adoption is seldom friendly.The newcomers are fortunate if theyescape slavery. They are no longera nation, no .longer free. They longfor the familiar scenes of the home­land. Their hearts are not at rest.

A portion of the populace of Jeru­salem found themselves in this sadstate in Babylon after the hostilearmies of Nebuchadnezzar had in­vaded the temple city, raided thesanctuary and made off with a selectportion of the people, including theking and queen.

In the providence of God, theprophet Jeremiah was left behind inJerusalem, but he did not forget thefaithful souls among the covenantpeople who had been exiled to Nebu­chadnezzar's capital city. He knewhow discouragement would be apt topress upon them, and so one day hesent to them by the hand of Elasahand Gemariah a letter of comfort andinstruction.

Chastisement UnderstoodJeremiah was concerned that the

exiles have a correct understandingof the catastrophe which had over­taken them. Were it due to blind fate,they might well despair. It was not.

the whole mass of confessional litera­ture no more nobly conceived or ablywrought-out statement of doctrinethan the chapter 'Of the Holy Scrip­ture', which the Westminster Divinesplaced at the head of their Confessionand laid at the foundation of theirsystem of doctrine"."

A Meditation on Jeremiah 29:1·14

By the REV. BURTON L. GODDARD

It was the work of their own covenantGod. For those who still clung to thecovenant which God had establishedlong years before with Israel, thepresent captivity wasnot of the natureof righteous vengeance. It was merelychastisement. As so beautifully ex­pressed in the twelfth chapter ofHebrews, chastisement comes only tosons. It is administered by a lovingFather and is intended to be correctiverather than punitive. It is given thatthe fruit of righteousness may appear.

It was quite necessary that thecaptive Jews look on the exile in itstrue light. It was to be a testing andpurifying period in their history. Thiswas not their end as a people, but asa nation they had sunk to a state ofignominious -sin and disregard forGod's law. Something had to be done,or, complete degradation would soonresult. The corrective measure wouldhave to be a severe one. So Jeremiahexplained that Israel's own God hadcaused His people "to be carried awayfrom Jerusalem unto Babylon".

It is not true that all suffering isthe direct result of sin. When ourLord healed the blind man spoken ofin John 9, He declared that the man'sblindness was neither due to his ownsin nor to that of his parents, "butthat the works of God should be mademanifest in him". However, we maygo so far as to say that the design ofall chastisement is to produce right­eousness. The child of God mayknow that chastisement is of God. Itis included in the "all things" that"work together for good to them thatlove God",- "that the man of Godmay be perfect, thoroughly furnishedunto all good works".

So often we err and go astray; we

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN1941

remain faithful" then there would be,a sure reward. The day would comewhen they would leave chastisementbehind and go out of captivity backto the land they loved. So Jeremiahpromised, and so God in His ap·pointed time brought it to pass.

For the Christian who acceptschastisement as from God and sub­mits humbly to the will and disci­pline of the heavenly Father, there isalso a reward. For all such, Jesus hasgone into heaven to prepare a place.Some day they too will leave allchastisement behind and enter intothat heavenly home. Will you beamong their number?

While you tarry here as a strangerin the valley of chastisement,seekGod with all your heart, content what­ever comes to pass, assured that God'sdiscipline is for your own good. Makesure of your salvation. And look for­ward with confident expectation tothat better land where chastisement isno more!

gregational), had divided the churchin 1837. As a consequence of the re­union of the "Old School" and "NewSchool"Assemblies in 1869-a mergerwhich the venerable Charles Hodgehad left a sick-bed to oppose-'-un­belief continued to poison the foun­tain-head of the church's teaching.The trials of Professor Charles A.Briggs 25 and Professor Henry Pre­served Smith,26 and the case of Dr.Arthur C. McGiffert 27 (to mentiononly a few of the heresy cases involv­ing ministers of the PresbyterianChurch in the U.S.A. in the last dec­ade 'of the nineteenth century) werenot without their ominous significance.And the fact that the General As­semblies of 1910, 1916, and 1923

had found it necessary to direct atten­tion to the "Five Points" indicated

24 For an account of the origins of"New School" theology, see A GeneticHistory of the New England Theology,by F. H. Foster.

25 See The Presbyterian Digest, for1930, Vol. II, pp. 305'3 16.

26loc. cit., pp. 316-323.27loc. cit., pp. 323-324.

·Part IV

WE COME now to the .subse­quent history of this infamous

document. What, if anything, wasdone about this heresy? And what be­came of the heretics? The answersto these questions form one of thesaddest chapters in the long historyof the Presbyterian Church in theU.S.A. The signers of the Affirmationhave never been convicted of heresy.Instead, they have become powerfulleaders of a once-great Christianchurch.

It goes without saying that theAuburn Affirmation failed in its pur­pose to "preserve" unity in the Pres­byterian Church in the U.S.A. In thefirst place there was no unity to bepreserved. The peace of the churchhad long been disturbed by heresy,which had first made its appearancemore than a century before and,whichhad been gaining power ever since.The "New ScJ;lOol" theology,24 whichhad come into the church after theadoption of the Plan of Union in1801 with the General Associationof the State of Connecticut (Con-

The Auburn BetrayalByRuling Elder MURRAY FORST THOMPSON

A Member of the Philadelphia Bar

captivity they were not to forget theGod who had wrought for them somany miracles of grace during thecheckered history of their nation. InBabylon as in Jerusalem they couldpray to their God. They could readand study the inspired writings, theLaw and the Prophets. They couldstill sing the songs of Zion. Thoughthe temple sacrifices would no longerburn on the brazen altar, they couldbring sacrifices of thanksgiving andobedience and purity of heart untothe Lord.

Had some of them wandered fromfellowship with God ere they left theirnative land? Jeremiah urged them toreestablish that lost communion. Theycould again find the God of mercyand taste of His goodness, but theymust seek Him -with all their heart.They must separate, themselves fromthe sins they had loved and practiced.They must worship Him with single.ness of heart and live unto His glory.

If they would respond thus and

need to be taught obedience. So oftenwe are proud; we need to learn to behumble. So often we depend uponself; we need to be schooled in de­pending upon God. Chastisement is

, the school in which we learn theselessons. The one who sends us to thisschool is God. The discouragedIsraelities in Babylon needed to knowthis, and we may profit by a likeknowledge. '

Chastisement Born~There are two possible responses

to chastisement: resignation and re­bellion. Open defiance of God's disci­plinary measures makes for bitternessof .soul and extreme unhappiness.Quiet submission to God's will bringspeace and blessing. There are manywho are strongly tempted to rebel,many who yield to that temptation.

Lest the Jewish captives do so andfind themselves fighting against God,Jeremiah in his letter counseled themto be content with their land ofadoption. They should build homesand plant gardens and settle down toas happy a domestic life as possible.They should pray for the peace andprosperity of the government whichnow sheltered them. Its peace wouldbe their peace.

Chastisement does not excludeblessing. It all depends on how weaccept it. It is very possible to enduremuch suffering of every kind and stillhave a heart which sings within usand blesses the name of Him who isthe author of chastisement. The"apostle to the Gentiles" felt the rodof affliction as few others have everdone, but his prayer was ever likethat of his Lord, "Thy will be done",and so he was able to say, "I havelearned, in whatsoever state I am,therewith to be content".

Can we make that statement ours?As Christians, we should!

Chastisement Left BehindThough chastisement, properly re­

ceived, brings blessing, it is yet truethat the scourged son experiences aconstant longing for a better state.He looks forward to the time whenchastisement will be a thing of thepast. He can praise God in his stateof affliction, but he awaits the timeof deliverance.

The exiles in Babylon were to livein the present; they were also to livein the future, to lay hold on hopeaccording to the wonderful promisesof their God. In the dark days of the

THE P RESIYTERIAN GUARD IAN

the growing influence of unbelief inthe church. 28 There is indeed grimirony in the publication of the Affir­mation in 1924 for the purpose ofpreserving a unity which had ceasedto exist, and to defend, among others,the person whose heretical preachinghad done so much to promote dis­unity in the church.

In ,the second place, the Affirma­tion merely added fuel to the flames.The religious press, previously muchengaged with Dr. Fosdick's sermons,began to discuss the Affirmation aswell. Agitation grew also in the church.Nineteen overtures, two memorials,and one paper dealing with doctrinalissues were sent up to the GeneralAssembly which met in Grand Rapidsin May of 1924.29 A slumberingchurch seemed to be waking up. Per­

.haps before it was too late somethingwould be done about the Auburnheretics. It is sad to record, however,that not one signer of the Affirmationwas brought to trial. More than one­tenth of the ministers of the churchhad issued a disaffirmation of doc­trines at the center of the Christianfaith, but not one of those ministerswas then formally charged withheresy, much less convicted of it.

That the orthodox failed in theirduty there can be no doubt. It istrue that they continued to preachthe truth of the Word of God; theyfaithfully and zealously exposed theerror of the Affirmation; they con­tended for the faith; but they did notbring the signers of the Affirmationbefore the courts of the church. In­deed many conservatives have ad­mitted their dereliction of duty. Thechurch was to suffer for this failureto exercise prompt discipline and thusto purge out "that leaven which

. might infect the whole lump" and tovindicate "the honor of. Christ, andthe holy profession of the Gospel." 30

No account of the Auburn Affinna­tion would be complete if it failed tomention two specific efforts whichconservatives made to deal with theAffirmation heresy. These attempts

28 See also. in this connection, ThePresbyterian Conflict, by the Rev. EdwinH. ,Rian, and Why The Orthodox Pres­byterian Church, a pamphlet, by the Rev.

. John Patton Galbraith.29 Minutes, General Assembly, 1924,

Vol. I, pp. 22-28.30 Confession of Faith, Chapter XXX,

entitled "Of Church Censures", SectionIII.

were made a decade apart and theoutcome in each case reflected theever-increasing influence of unbeliefin the church.

The first attempt was an overtureto the General Assembly of 1924,adopted April 21, 1924, by the Pres­bytery of Cincinnati. That overtureplaced the Affirmation in the handsof the assembly that it might be "welladvised of its contents and purposes"and that it might "exercise intelli­gently, under the guidance of theDivine Spirit, its 'powers of decidingin all .controversies respecting doc­trine; of reproving, warning, or hear­ing testimony against error in doc­trine, or immorality in practice, inany church, Presbytery or Synod';'and of suppressing schismatical con­tentions and disputation' (Form ofGovernment XII, Section V)." 31'The Cincinnati overture was referredto the assembly's Standing Commit­tee on Bills and Overtures, which was"extremely liberal" 32 and includedfour signers of the Affirmation. Thechairman of the committee, appointedby the moderator of the assembly, Dr.Clarence E. Macartney, was Dr. Mait­land Alexander, who was, of course, aconservative.s- The committee recom­mended to the assembly that "noaction be taken" on the overture andthe assembly adopted the recommen­dation. 34

In our opinion, under the Consti­tution of the church, an overture froma presbytery to the General Assemblywas not the proper method of dealingwith the Auburn heresy. Disciplinaryaction against the Affirmationists intheir respective presbyteries wouldhave been the correct procedure, andsuch action should have been insti­tuted. That was the course followed,for example, in the cases of ProfessorBriggs and Professor Smith. The Gen­eral Assembly of 1924 could nothave been expected to prejudge thematter by condemning the Affirma­tion and its signers in advance ofsuch disciplinary action, which mighthave subsequently reached the as­sembly on appeal. It is, nevertheless,

31 An Affirmation, a pamphlet by JohnVant Stephens, pp. 27, 28.

32 Letter, Dr. Maitland Alexander, inThe Presbyterian, January 23, 1936, p. 22.

33 The other members of the commit­tee were elected by the assembly.

34 Minutes, General Assembly, 1924,Vol. II, p. 202.

regrettable that neither the Commit­tee on Bills and Overtures' nor theGeneral Assembly nor any minorityof either body placed on the recordeven a reaffirmation of the preciousdoctrines set forth in the evangelicalpronouncement of the General As­sembly of '1923. The conservatives inthe General Assembly of 1924 mar­shaled all their strength to deal withthe Fosdick case which was again be­fore the assembly on a complaintagainst the failure of the Presbyteryof New York to carry out the.direc­tions of the General Assembly of192 3.35 .

The baleful influences of Modern­ism were making themselves felt moreand more. The conservatives in 1924mustered barely enough power toelect one of their number moderatorof the General Assembly (by a voteof 464 to 446) but so powerful wasthe grip of unbelief upon the churchthat the Affirmationists were per­mitted to flout her doctrine.

The second attempt to deal withthe heresy of the Affirmation occurredten years later, when for the first timean effort was made to discipline anysigner of that' notorious paper. OnOctober 12,1934, formal charges ofheresy were filed in the Presbytery ofPhiladelphia against eleven Affirms­tionists subject to the jurisdiction ofthat presbytery.36

Six charges.were filed. The first wasthat Affirmationists, in rejecting thedoctrine of the plenary inspiration andinerrancy of Holy Scriptures, ,had--"

35 The Permanent Judicial Commissionof the assembly, whose judgment on thecomplaint was confirmed by the assembly,held that the relationship which Dr.Fosdick sustained to the First Presby­terian Church of New York City was"wholly without precedent" and "ananomaly", but recommended that thePresbyteryof New York determine whetherit was Dr. Fosdick's "pleasure" to enterthe church and "thus be in a regularrelationship with the First PresbyterianChurch of New York as one of itspastors"! (Minutes, General Assembly,1924, Vol. I, pp. 195'l97)' For criticismsof this compromising action of the as­sembly, see The Presbyterian, June 5,1924 (pp. 13, 20), July 3, 1924 (p. 4)and October 23, 1924. (p, 6).

36 Christianity Today, November, 1934-p. 141.

37 "Do you believe the Scriptures of theOld and New Testaments to be the Wordof God, the only infallible rule of faithand practice?"

194t"'

THE P RES .~y T E RI A N

violated their first ordination VOW. 3T

The next four charges alleged thatthe accused had violated both theirfirst and second 38 ordination. vows indenying the necessity of belief in thevirgin birth of Christ, His death asa sacrifice to satisfy.divine justice andreconcile us to God, His bodily resur­rection, and His miracles. The sixthcharge involved the Affirmationists'denial of the necessity of belief in allfive doctrines as part of the system ofdoctrine of the, church.

In- February of 1932 those Affir-'mationists had been publicly askedto renounce their error or to leave thechurch.s'' For more than two yearsefforts had been made to settle thematter amicably. The Affirmationists,however, had refused to confer oreven to answer letters requesting aninterview. When the charges werefiled, the prosecutors issued a state­ment, in the course of which they said,

Judicial process in this' case may still beavoided. It may be avoided if the accusedwill resign their commissions as ministersof the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.and save the Church from the divisionwhich their own acts and presence makeotherwise inevitable. Doubtless they willhave much to say or imply about "peace",but intelligent people will not forget thatif these men really want peace, they, whothemselves are breaking the law of theChurch, can secure.it by eliminating them­selves, or else by recanting their heresy,and returning to the faith of Christen­dom. If they do really believe that theyand others holding their views are en­titled to a place in the PresbyterianChurch, under its laws, then we challengethem openly to defend this case on itsmerits, not attempting to barricade them­selves behind a smoke-screen of inappli­cable technicalities, or to becloud andconfuse the issues. If they are sincere intheir views they will not be afraid orashamed to defend them on theirmerits." 40

Here at last was an effort to bringthe Affirmationists to book. A decadehad elapsed since the publication ofthe Affirmation but it was still being

38 "Do you sincerely receive and adoptthe Confession of Faith and Catechismsof this church; 'as containing the systemof doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures?"

39 Sermon, The Heretical 'Auburn Affir­mation', rby the Rev. H. McAllisterGriffiths, in Christianity Today, February,1932, pp. 1-8.

40 Christiapity Today, November, 1934,p. 142.·

circulated. Its heretical teaching wasstill being given to Christ's little ones.What happened? Did the Affirma­tionists meet the doctrinal issue onits merits? Were they at last broughtto trial and convicted of heresy? Noneof those things happened.

In the first place the doctrinal issuewas not squarely faced by the accused.One Aflirmationist, for example, statedthat even if the Affirmation was"wrong", it had been signed so manyyears before that prosecution wasbarred by the law of the church. An­other said that the Affirmation hadbeen signed "a dozen years before"and that, "if there had been any evilin it, the reaction would have beenimmediate't.w These comments fore­shadowed the raising of the statuteof limitations contained in ChapterIII, Section ii, of the Book of Disci­pline, which provided that "prosecu­tion for an alleged offense shall com­mence within one year from the timeof its alleged commission, or fromthe date when it is reported to. thejudicatory which has jurisdiction

,thereof" (italics supplied).The prosecutors had two answers

to this technical defense: (a) heresy-particularly heresy which is stillbeing disseminated. when charges arefiled-does not cease to be a punish­able offense because it was first ex­pressed ten years before; and (b) theheretical teaching of those Aflirma­tionists who were under the jurisdic­tion of the Presbytery of Philadelphiahad never been officially brought tothe attention of the presbytery so thatthe period of limitation had neverbegun to run.

This question-not to mention thedoctrinal issue-was never decided byany court of the' church, for the pro­ceeding did not reach the stage of atrial. The action of the Presbytery ofPhiladelphia,accomplished by an il­legal vote (in which the accusedthemselves participated!), is one ofthe most tragic events in the historyof the Presbyterian Church in theU.S.A. The presbytery-the same pres­bytery which twelve years before hadbrought the Fosdick case before theGeneral Assembly--on November 5,1934, in violation of its own standingrules, refused even to allow the chargesto be referred to its Committee onJudicial Business and voted to return

41 Christianity Today, November, 1934,p. 142.·

them to the prosecutors.v The Mod­ernists had won another major battlein the war being waged in defense ofthe gospel. .

(To Be Concluded)

42 For the details of the actions of thepresbytery, see Christianity Today, Decem­ber, 1934, pp. 171 and 178.

DR. BROWN DEDICATES NEWCHAPEL AT UNCOLN, NEBR.

CLIMAXING eight months oflabor, the Rev. James B. Brown,

D.D., dedicated the Pioneer OrthodoxPresbyterian Chapel of Lincoln, Ne­braska, on Sunday afternoon, Nov.em­ber 16th. For sixteen years the chapelhad been abandoned and, apart fromits sturdy brick walls which were ingood condition, the building had beencompletely destroyed. Dr. Brown withthe help of some local residents com­pletely rebuilt the structure, havingsecured a deed to it and the churchyard on condition that the buildin~ beput in use. The Evangelical Churchhad used the building for some yearsbut, upon the cessation of their serv­ices, its title reverted to the family ofC. G. Finney, who deeded it to Dr.Brown for an Orthodox Presbyterianchurch. The building stands in a well­populated rural section on the out­skirts' of Lincoln, seven miles fromthe Faith Church of Lincoln, andthree miles from the nearest place ofworship.

About 150 people attended theservice of dedication, and every avail­able seat was occupied and some per­sons were standing. Those who hadpart were the Rev. RobertB. Brownof Omaha, the Rev. William Ban­croft, a former pastor of the church,and Dr. Brown. The sermon on theoccasion was preached by the Rev.Robert .S. Marsden. An offering forthe building fund was' taken, andmore than $150 Was received. An­other $100 only is needed to free thebuilding from debt; the whole workof restoration was done for only $600in cash, the labor and much of thematerials having been donated.

During the five evenings followingthe dedication, serviceswere conductedby Mr. Marsden. The attendance onFriday, the final evening, was ninety­seven, and every seat was occupiedwith not a person standing. Nearly

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN Decem~er 25

twenty acknowledged Christ as theirSaviour on the final evening. Prospectsare good for a fine Sunday school,which will be held at 9.30 each Sun­day morning, and followed by a briefmessage by Dr. Brown. The mainservice will be held in the evening.

LAIRD PROTESTS GUARDIANREPORT ABOUT HAMILTONS

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN hasreceived the following communi­

cation from the Rev. Harold S. Laird,D.D., President of the IndependentBoard for Presbyterian Foreign Mis­sions:

December 4, 1941The Presbyterian Guardian1505 Race StreetPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaDear Brethren:

Your November 25th issue of the PRES­BYTERIAN GUARDIAN contains a story en­titled "Hamiltons Forced Out By Inde­pendent Board." We feel that in theinterests of truth and Christian charity,this letter correcting the story should bepublished, and we request that you do so.

/ The Hamiltons were not forced out bythe Independent Board. When Mr.Hamilton returned from Korea, he wasgranted a year's furlough, this to expireDecember 6, 1941. Mr. Hamilton is stilla missionary under our Board, and con­tinues so until his furlough expires onDecember 6th. Your statement that hewas forced out is incorrect.

We are at a loss to know whom youhad in mind as a spokesman of the Board,for certainly no one knowing the feelingof the Board would have made the state­ment which you attribute to this "spokes­man." Mr. Hamilton's membership inthe Orthodox Presbyterian Church wasnot a source of embarrassment to theBoard. We have other missionaries underour Board who are members of theOrthodox Presbyterian Church, and theyare not an embarrassment to us.

Since in. Mr. Hamilton's opinion, aswell as our own, the international situa­tion forbade his return to the foreign fieldat this time, Mr. Hamilton asked that atthe expiration of his furlough, his rela­tionship with the Independent Boardcease, as he had plans for the securing ofa church in America.

Yours sincerely,HAROLD S. LAIRDPresident,Independent Board forPresbyterian Foreign Missions

While THE PRESBYTERIAN GUAR­DIAN is happy to comply with Dr:

Laird's request, it feels that his letterrequires further comment. In theGUARDIAN account to which he refersthere was a misstatement of fact, butat the time that the GUARDIAN wentto press even Mr. Hamilton was notaware that the statement was not atrue one. It was stated that the Hamil­tons severed their relationship withthe Independent Board effective Oc­tober 31St, the day of the board meet­ing. .Although the Hamiltons hadtendered their resignations to take ef­fect on that date, members of the ex­ecutive committee of the board pro­tested that it would be satisfactory fortheir salaries to continue until Decem­ber 6th, the date of the expiration oftheir furlough. Mr. Hamilton, how­ever, said that he felt that more libertyof action would be given both to theboard and to themselves if their con­nection ceased immediately. (It should

Orthodox PresbyterianForeign Missionaries

No WORD has been received fromthe missionaries of The Ortho­

dox Presbyterian Church in theOrient. As far as is known, the Rev.and Mrs. M. C. Frehn and theirdaughter, Helen, are still in Tokyo,and the Rev. Egbert W. Andrews isin Harbin.

It is not definitely known whetheror not the Rev. Bruce F. Hunt hasbeen released from prison, in spite ofseveral contradictory reports whichhave come to the office of the Com­mittee on Foreign Missions. The lastword was on December 5th, when theDepartment of State advised the Com­mittee that Mr. Hunt and Dr. andMrs. Roy Byram had been releasedfrom ptisotu.thsi: day, and that theywere on their way to Harbin. Thedepartment emphasized that this wordhad come through the Japanese em­bassy, not from the American consulat Harbin. Whether the prisoners ar­rived in Harbin and whether Mr.Hunt was able to join Mrs. Hunt andtheir five children there, is not known.

Prayer is requested on behalf ofthese faithful servants of the Lord,who may be in most trying circum­stances in Japanese custody.

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN willcontinue to print.all news of the mis­sionaries as soon as it is received.

be noted that, prior to the develop­ments of the meeting, Mr. Hamiltonhad intended to resign at the expira­tion of his furlough.) Mr. Hamiltonthen left the meeting, and it was notuntil later information came from anofficial of the board, after the GUARD­IAN had gone to press, that he learnedof the decision to continue his salaryuntil the expiration of the furloughon December 6th. .

It was also stated in THE PRESBY­TERIAN GUARDIAN that, according to aspokesman of the board, "his con­tinued membership in The OrthodoxPresbyterian Church has proved to bea source of 'constant embarrassment'to the Independent Board." No state­ment to this effect was made in thecourse of Mr. Hamilton's interviewwith the executivecommittee. The em­barrassment which was then declaredwas not to the board itself, but to theBible Presbyterian Church of Col­lingswood, N. J., and was voiced bythe Rev. Carl McIntire, pastor of thatchurch and vice-president of theboard, as his own opinion only. Mr.McIntire and Mr. Roland K. Armes,treasurer of the board, both took Mr.Hamilton to task for his continuedmembership in The Orthodox Pres­byterian Church, and Mr. McIntiresaid that Mr. Hamilton seemed un­grateful for all that the Collingswoodchurch had done in paying the Hamil­tons' salaries, for he had not evenwritten to Mr. McIntire his reasonsfor not withdrawing from The Ortho­dox Presbyterian Church. While noother members of the executive com­mittee took part in this discussion,none of them expressed disapproval ofMr. Mclntire's statements, and THEPRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN feels that itwas justified in concluding that the"embarrassment" extended to the en­tire board. An additional support ofthat contention is to be found in thefact that, prior to the board meeting,Dr. J. Cordon Holdcroft, general sec­retary of the board, wrote asking theHamiltons to attend the meeting,stating that the members wanted toconsult them about their continuedmembership in The Orthodox Pres­byterian Church and their views onthe millennium.

In the light of the foregoing facts,the reader may draw his own conclu­sion as to whether or not the GUAR­DIAN was correct in saying that theHamiltons were "forced out" by theIndependent Board.

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN

temptation to elevate Caesar aboveGod, to place the commands of thestate above the commands of Godand the interests of the state abovethose of the kingdom of God. Theday war was declared the erstwhileisolationalist Chicago Tribune cameout with the motto, "Our country,right or wrong", upon its masthead.This sentiment is a direct attack uponthe Word of God. It seeks to makeloyalty to the nation rather thanloyalty to God's law the standard ofmorality. We Christians are Americancitizens and we are loyal to our govern­ment. We love our land and we shallboth labor and die for her. But wenever forget that our citizenship is. inheaven and that our first loyalty isthere. In fact, a major reason for ourwillingness to suffer for America isthat she does not demand the thingswhich are God's alone.

Some Christians feel that war is initself sinful and will not aid in itsprosecution. Most of US, though. werecognize that war is due to man's sinand though we realize that wars alltoo seldom solve disputes, fully sup­port our country's stand. We believe'that human governments are ordainedof God to maintain order and restrainsin that the gospel may be preachedand free opportunity given to thepeople of God to live as God'sprophets, priests and kings. We arethankful that in the. democracies,despite all their sins, God's Word isnot bound and Christ's people arefree. We have been appalled at therise of modern dictatorships with theirelevation of the state above God, andwhen these states set out upon a pro­gram of conquest we saw that theirtriumph would mean the end of gos­pel preaching and the end of freedomto worship God. If totalitarianismconquers, the state instead of protect­ing the church will seek to destroyher. Therefore we believe it is ourGod-given right and duty to take uparms.

We Christian Americans go to warwith confession of our personal andnational sins, with no jingoistic boast­ings and no thirst for vengeance,praying that God in His providencewill bring a better world out of thisholocaust, that America in penitenceand faith may turn to the God whomshe has ignored and insulted, and thatGod's richest blessings may rest uponour fellow-Christians in enemy coun-tries. -J. P. C.

the world's sins which have broughtthis catastrophic judgment upon Ourgeneration. Again, let us not forgetthat our nation is not fighting forGod but for its own life. We are justi­fied in fighting for our national lifebut that does not constitute a "holywar". We are fighting for the estab­lishment of a world free fro~ thethreat of international banditry, fora world free from fear and free fromwant, but that does not mean we areall the righteous servants of God­witness friend Stalin.

Another peril that confronts theChristian in a time of war is the

January Book List

To members ot the Christian Book­ot-the-Month Club, the toIIowing

books are offered at special discountsduring January.

CRUDEN's COMPLETE CONCORD­ANCE. An indispensable tool tor theserious Bible student, and an absolutenecessity tor the Christian who wantsto study God's Word. Price to mem­bers, $1.60 (retail list price, $2; mem­bers save 20%).

THE CHRISTIAN ATTITUDE TOWARDWAR, by Loraine Boettner. An ex­ceedingly timely book, and one thatevery inteIIigent Christian in a nationat war'should read. Price to members,80c (retail list price, $1; memberssave 20%).

CALVIN AND CALVINISM, by B. B.Wartield. A coIIection ot articles onJohn Calvin arid on the Retormedtheology, by the briIIiant Princetontheolpgian. A classic ot Calvinisticliterature. Price to members, $2.40(retail list price, $3; members save20%).

PILGRIM'S PROGRESS, by John Bun­yan. A delighttuIIy compiled and iUus­trated edition ot the Christian classic,in a volume especiaIIy suited to chil­dren and young people, and popularlypriced. Price to members, 80c (retaillist price, $1; members save 20%).

MORE THAN CONQUERORS, byWiIIiam Hendriksen. Carried over bypopular demand trom the Decemberlist. Price to members, $1.20 (retaillist price, $1.50; members save 20%).

(PLEASE NOTE: "What Is Faith"by Machen, and "Morning and Eve­ning Meditations" by Spurgeon, arenow out ot print and cannot be se­cured.)

/ A.. T LAST, after months of uncer-tainty, official and complete

war has come to America. As thesewords are written a new spirit of unityand determination has swept over ourcountry as we gird ourselves for thehard and bloody tasks which lie ahead.The war will have a far-reaching effectupon our religious life as well as uponour economic and social life. Even ifwe would we cannot escape it. Yet weare Christians even before we areAmericans and in the excitement ofa national crisis we must not forgetor lay aside our Christian principles.

When a people go to war they areconvinced of the righteousness oftheir cause and of the wickedness oftheir enemy. This sense of the mor­ality of the war is emphasized, ofcourse, by the government and theagencies of propaganda, for withoutthis conviction the will to fight wouldbe lacking.. Consequently we havealready heard much of the heinous­ness-of the Axis powers, their tyrannyand use of brute force, Japan's ag­grandizement in .the Far East, hertreacherous attack on Hawaii. Ourenemies will be pictured as totallyblack and we shall be pictured ascompletely white. It is quite probablethat many preachers will say that weare fighting for the Lord against thehosts of antichrist. We shall be toldthat this is a "holy war", a battle forChristianity. But let us as Christiansremember that humility is a nationalas well. as a personal virtue. We be­lieve that our national security de­mands that. we go to war with Japan.We believe that it also demands thedefeat of Hitler and all his allies. Yetlet us not forget that the democraticcountries including the United Stateshave not been without sin. We toohave been guilty of imperialism andof selfish nationalism. Britain's andAmerica's record in the Far East isnot above reproach. Let us avoid that

. blind nationalism which can see nofault at home. Our sins are apart of

EDITORIAL

The Christian at War

THE P"R E5 I YTEI I AN G UA RD I A N

Communicant Church MembershipBy the REV. GEORGE W. MARSTON

Pastor of Kaox Ortllodox Presbyteria. Church, Philadelphia

Conclusion

Chapter IVChurch Membership

THE two kinds of members in aparticular church are: Non-com­

municant and communicant. Non­communicant church members arechildren of believers, received into thevisible church by infant baptism andthus subject to its discipline and over­sight, and entitled to many of itsprivileges and blessings, but not per­mitted to come to the Lord's table.Communicant church members arethose who have appeared before thesession and' have given evidence of asaving knowledge of the Lord JesusChrist, consistency of character andunderstanding of the Lord's supper,and have therefore been publicly re­ceived into the full privileges andresponsibilities of communicant churchmembership.

A. SOME REASONS FOR CHURCH

MEMBERSHIP.

1. Non-communicant membership.The children of believers should be­come non-communicant church mem­bers:

(a) because it is the will of God,who has ordained that they receivebaptism as the sacrament of recep­tion into Christ's church;

(b) in order to benefit from the'guidance and discipline of thechurch (Rom. 9:1' 5)·(See Chapter III or the further un­

folding,of this subject.)2. Communicant membership.

(a) A non-communicant mem­ber of the church should become acommunicant member:

(1) in order to accept publiclythe promises and assume the obli­gations of the covenant of gracesignified by baptism;

(2) in order to enter into thefull privileges and duties of com­municant church membership, i. e.,to come to the Lord's table, to haveone's children baptized, and to takean active part in the government ofthe church. These privileges arerestricted to, communicant churchmembers in good standing (I Cor.11;29)·

(b) An adult convert who wasnot in infancy received into thechurch by baptism should becomea communicant church member:

(1) because this is a Scripturalway of making a public professionof faith in Christ. The believer iscommanded to profess publicly hisfaith in Christ (Rom. 10:9, 10;Matt. 10:32, 33);

(2) Because every true churchand denomination is a God-ap­pointed organization for the benefitof the invisible church. Thereinmembers of the invisible churchhave fellowship and worship to­gether, thus practicing the com­munion of the saints. Thereby,members of the invisible churchare nourished upon the Word, pro­claim the gospel both at home andabroad, and care for the lambs ofthe flock (Eph. 4:11-13);

(3) Because believers are com­manded to partake of the sacra­ments. As the use of the sacramentsis restricted to communicant churchmembers in good standing, it isobviously the will of God for adultconverts from the world to becomecommunicant members of thechurch (I Cor. 11 :29)'B. THE REQUIREMENTS FOR CHURCH

MEMBERSHIP.

1. Non-communicant church mem­bership.

(a) A creditable profession offaith by the parents, parent, or an­other acting as a parent. The parentsshould be communicant membersof the particular church in whichthe child, by virtue of his baptism,becomes a non-communicant mem­ber. Unless the parents are subjectto its authority, the church hasno opportunity of fulfilling the 0!>1i­gations which it assumes in infantbaptism, i. e., to see that the childexercises the privileges and dutiesof non-communicant church mem­bership.

(b) A life of obedience on thepart of the parents, parent, or an­other acting as a parent. This meansthat the parents must be churchmembers in good and regular stand­ing. Church membership is an evi­dence that one has made a credit-

able profession of faith; good and ­regular standing in the church -isan evidence of obedience in a de­nomination which is faithful in theexercise of church discipline. Thosewho are not church members ingood and regular standing are noteligible for the sacraments, andtherefore cannot present their chil­dren for· baptism.2. Communicant church member­

ship.(a) The first requirement for

communicant church membershipis a creditable profession of faithand promise of obedience. Whenthe eunuch said to Philip, "Whatdoth hinder me to be baptized?"the latter replied, "If thou believestwith all thine heart, thou mayest"(Acts 8:36, 37). To believe withall 'the heart involves a creditableprofession of faith and promise ofobedience.

('1) A creditable profession offaith involves:

(a) A knowledge concerning thegospel. We need to know certainfacts concerning Him of whom thegospel speaks: who Jesus Christ is(Isa. 7:14; John 1:1, 14; I John5:20; Matt. 16:16; John 11:27;Matt. 27:54); why He came toearth (Matt. 1:21; Luke 2:9ff.;Matt. 20:28; Gal. 4:4,5); what Hedid to save His people (Isa. 53:6;Gal. 3:13; I Pet. 2:24; II Cor.5:21; I Cor. 15: 3). We also heedto know how this so great salvationis obtained, i. e., by the Holy Spiritworking in us saving faith (S.C. 31;Eph. 2:1, 8) and by our acceptingthe Lord Jesus Christ as personalSaviour (Acts 16:30, 31; John1 :12).

(b) Repentance. We must know _our need for the gospel. We areguilty of sins of omission and com­mission. We. have sinned inthought, word and deed. The wagesof sin is death, eternal separationfrom God (Rom. 3:10, 11, 12, 23;6:23). To repent is to be sorry forour sins; not merely because of thehavoc they have wrought in ourlives or, the lives of others, but be­cause they are grievous in God'ssight. To repent is to tum \fromour sin with hatred and loathing; totum to God confessing our sins,asking His forgiveness and receivingHis remedy (II Cor. 7:10; Mark1:15; Acts 2:38).

( C) A profession of faith in

THE P IE 5 I Y T·E RI A N G UA R DI A N 171

Christ as Saviour (Acts 8: 37, 38;Rom. 10:9, 10; Matt. 10:32, 33).

(2) .A promise of obedience(a) is a promise to obey Christ

and His laws (John 14:15; 15:14;Matt. 28:20); a life of obedienceis the test of a sincere profession offaith (Matt. 7:21; James 2:20);

(b) requires obedience to alllawful authority, whether it be thatof the state, the home or the church(Deut. 6:13; 10:20; Rom. 13:1-7;Ex. 20:12).

(b) Other requirements for com­municant church membership.

(1) An understanding of themeaning of the sacraments. (See

Chapter III.) -(2) Some knowledge of the

duties and privileges of communi­cant church membership in orderthat God may be glorified and thechurch and the individual mayprofit thereby. In the early churchit was customary to have catecheti­cal classes for converts before ad­mitting them to the church. Thisis also the practice on many missionfields today. There is need for suchinstruction in every church, notonly for adult converts from theworld, but also for the children ofthe covenant, before they are ad-

. mitted to communicant member-ship in the church. .

( 3) In the case of the adult con­vert from the world, adult baptismis also required. (See Chapter III.)C. THE PRIVILEGES OF COMMUNI-

, CANT MEMBERSHIP.

1.' To enjoy the peculiar advantageswhich the church offers for the wor­ship '. of Codin its customary serviceson the Lord's day. The salutation,the public prayers, psalms and hymns,the offering, the reading and preach­ing of the Word, and the benediction,are all means of worship. The churchalso offers such special opportunitiesfor service as ushering, teaching ofSunday school class, etc. We havebeen saved to serve. (Psalm 122:1;65:4; 84:4; Eph. 1:2; Acts 4:23-31;Psalm 92:1-3; Eph. 5:19; Matt. 5:23,24; Neh~ 8:8; II Cor. 13:14,)

2. To be taught what we are toknow concerning God, and whatduties God requires of us. We mustknow God's answer to these ques­tions, "What is truth?" and "Whatis good?" The Lord Jesus said, "Yeshall know the truth, and the truth

make you free". Truth is into godliness. It is the church's

task to instruct its members in thesematters (Matt. 7:21-27; John 8:p;Acts 8:30, 31).

3. To partake of the sacraments."A Sacrament is a holy ordinance in­stituted by Christ; wherein, by sensi­ble signs, Christ and the benefits ofthe new covenant are. represented,sealed, and applied to believers" (S.C.92). The sacraments are baptism andthe Lord's supper. It is the privilegeonly of communicant church mem­bers in good standing to partake ofthe Lord's supper and to have theirchildren baptized. By means of thesacraments God teaches us certaintruths and bestows upon' us certain'blessings. Unless one understands themeaning of the sacraments, and par­takes in a worthy manner, there is noblessing to be had. from partaking ofthem, but, rather, condemnation (ICor. 11:27, 29).

4. To enter into the missionarywork of the church both at home andabroad (See 3 under "Duties of Com­municant Church Members").

5. To enjoy the guidance of thechurch in spiritual matters, e.g., inproblems of Bible interpretation andChristian conduct (Matt. 2:1-6).

6. To obtain aid in time of want."And in those days, when the numberof disciples was multiplied, there arosea murmuring of the Grecians againstthe Hebrews, because their widowswere neglected in the daily ministra­tion. .Then the twelve called themultitude of the disciples unto themand said . . . Look ye out among youseven men of honest report, full ofthe Holy Ghost and wisdom, whomwe may appoint over this business"(Acts 6:1-3). (See also Rom. 15:1;Gal. 6:2; James 2:15, 16; I John3=17, 18.) .

7. To have a voice in the govern­ment of the church, i. e., election ofpastor, elders, deacons, and the busi­ness of 'the church. A church is likea democracy in that the officers of thechurch are elected by the people.They are Christ's representatives' inthat they enforce Christ's laws. Theyare the representatives of the peoplein that they are elected by the peoplefor this purpose (Acts 6:1-5) .

D. THE DUTIES OF COMMUNICANT

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP.

1. To keep the Christian Sabbath."The Sabbath is .to be sanctified bya holy resting all that day, even fromsuch worldly employments and recrea­tions as are lawful on other days; and

spending the whole time in the publicand private exercises of God's wor­ship, except so much as is to be takenup in the works of necessity andmercy" (S.C. 6o). (Lev. 23:3; Heb,10:25ff.; Isa. 58:13, 14; Matt. 12:11,12; Mark 2:27.) Keeping the Chris­tian Sabbath calls for church attend­ance, physical rest, performing works'of necessity and mercy, personal Biblestudy and prayer, reading good Chris­tian literature, training 'the covenantyouth, and other hallowed activities.

2. To come regularly to the Lord'stable and to present the children ofthe covenant for baptism as soon as isreasonably possible (I Cor. 11:24;Gen. 17:q.; Luke 2:21).

3. To take an active part in spread­ing the gospel and thus building upthe church. "They that were scatteredabroad went everywherepreaching theword". "Ye were ensamples to allthat believe in Macedonia and Achaia.For from you sounded out the Wordof the Lord not only in Macedoniaand Achaia, but also in every placeyour faith to Godward is spreadabroad; so that we need not to speakanything. For they themselves shewof us what manner of entering in wehad unto you, and how ye turned toGod from idols to serve the living andtrue God". "Then they that gladlyreceived his word were baptized, andthe same day there were' added untothem about three thousand souls....The Lord added to the church dailysuch as should be saved" (Acts 8:4;I Thess. 1:7-9; ActS2:41, 47)'

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172 THE PRE S BYT EItI A N G U A R D I A N December 25

of the particular church and the de­nomination, as long as they are inaccord with the Word of God. TheBible teaches us to give freely (II Cor.97)-; sacrificially (Mark 12:41-44;n Cor. 8:1-3, 7, 9); systematically(Mal. 3:8-10; II Cor. 8:12; 1 Cor.16:1-2).

5. To give obedience, in the Lord,to the officers of the church. A churchis like a monarchy, a country ruled bya king. It consists of a king and hissubjects. Christ is the King. We whoare members of the church are Hissubjects. He rules us by His Wordand Spirit. His laws are enforced andlaw-breakers are censured by the rulingand preaching elders, whom He hasappointed to do this work' in accord­ance with the provisions of His Word.This work of law enforcement we callchurch discipline.

The purpose of church disciplineis: to vindicate the honor of Christ,to maintain the purity of the churchin both doctrine and life, to reclaimthe sinner, and to warn others lestthey also sin.

The various kinds and degrees ofcensure for breaking God's law as setforth in Holy Scripture are: admoni­tion, rebuke, suspension, and excom­munication.

Some Scripture references on thissubject are: Matt. 18:15-18; 1 Cor.5:9-13; Gal. 6:1; 1 Tim. 5:20; Titus1:5-13;3:10; 1 Thess, 5:12-15; IIThess. 3:14-15; Heb. 13:7, 17.

Notice, please, that unless one ishindered by a work of necessity and/ormercy, failure to attend the Lord'stable or the regular services of thechurch makes one liable to churchdiscipline (I John 3:4; 1 Tim. 5:20;Titus 3:10).

6. To comfort and help our breth­ren, to the best of our ability, when

*According to the S.C. 98, "Prayer isan offering up of our desires unto God,for things agreeable to His will, in thename of Christ, with confession of o\irsins, and thankful acknowledgment of Hismercies". Notice please the five thingsconcerning prayer set forth in this state­ment:1. Prayer is the offering up of our desires

to God (Psalm 62:8). .2. We are to pray only for those things

which are according to the will ofGod (I John 5:14).

3. We are to pray in the name of Christ(John 16:23).

4. In praying we are to make confessionof sin (Dan. 9:4).

5. Prayer should include thanksgiving

they are in need. "Rejoice with themthat do rejoice, and weep with themthat weep"; "Bear ye one another'sburdens, and so fulfill the law ofChrist" (Rom. 12:15; Gal. 6:2). (Seealso Gal. 6:9, 10; James 2:15, 16;1 John 3:17-18.) .

7. To engage in daily Bible readingand prayer,* and in the case of headsof families, to establish and maintainthe family altar. "Man shall not liveby bread alone, but by every wordthat proceedeth out of the mouth ofGod" (Matt; 4:4)' (See also Matt.26:4 1 ; Deut. 6:6, 7.)

QuESTIONS

1. What are the two kinds of mem­bersin a particular church?

2. Why should the children of be­lievers become non-communicantmembers of the church?'

3. Why should non-communicantchurch members become com­municant members?

4· Why should adult converts fromthe world become communicants?

5. What are the requirements fornon-communicant church mem­bership on the part of the parents?

6. What are the requirements forcommunicant church membership,on the part of non-communicantmembers? On the part of adultconverts from the world?

7. What is involved in a creditableprofession of faith?

8. What is involved in: a promise ofobedience?

9. What are the other requirementsfor communicant church mem­bership?

10. What is required of the adult con­vert from the world, which is notnot required of the non-communi­cant member?

11. What are some of the privileges

(Phil. 4:6)."The whole word of God is of use to

direct us in prayer; but the special ruleof direction is that form of prayer whichChrist taught His disciples, commonlycalled .The Lord's Prayer" (S.C. 99 ) .Three things are evident fom this state­ment of our Shorter Catechism:1. We need to be directed in prayer

(Rom. 8:26).2. The Word of God is an infallible

rule to direct us in prayer as well asin other matters (I John 5:14).

3. The Lord's Prayer has been given usespecially for this purpose (Matt. 6:9).Herein we have fundamental principlesto be observed in prayer (see S.C. 100­

107).

of communicant church ~ember­

ship?12. What are SOme of the duties of

communicant church members?

The True Christmas Star(Concluded From Page 162)

The city of David only had a stablewith which to welcome that advent.But when we think of the Babe ofBethlehem as the Messiah fromheaven, the surroundings of outwardpoverty, so far from detracting, seemmost congruous to His divine char­acter. Earthly splendor would hereseem like tawdry tinsel, while theutmost simplicity appears like thatclothing of the lilies which surpassedall the glory of Solomon's court.

How wonderful it is that, in thedivine sovereignty of God, the census,ordered by Caesar Augustus, broughtJoseph and Mary on that eighty-milejourney from Nazareth in Galilee toBethlehem in Judea at just the timeMary was to give birth to her firstchild. A further remarkable thingabout this census is the fact that itwas not taken in the usual Romanway, by which each would have beenregistered in the town where he wasborn, but rather it was taken in theJewish manner, by which each wasenrolled according to tribe and family.Both Joseph and Mary' were of thehouse of David, and so had to go toBethlehem.

The last and most glorious pointon this Christmas star is the finaldeclaration - "a Saviour, which isChrist the Lord'.'. These words werecarefully chosen and divinely inspiredto give us a specific and clear pictureof just who this little Babe might be.

He is first of all a Saviour. Muchmore than a teacher; much more thana miracle worker; much more than anexample; much more than an emanci­pator and liberator. He came to save-to save man from the guilt of sinby His substitutionary death uponCalvary. He comes to save us fromthe power of sin through union withHimself in faith and love. He comesto save us from the fear of sin anddeath by His risen, resurrected life.

Of equal significance is the nexttitle employed, "Christ", that is, theAnointed One, the long looked-forMessiah of the Old Testament. Hewas anointed Prophet, the Revealerof God and the Fulfiller of prophecy.

THE PRE 5 BY T E RI AN G U A RD I A N·

Orthodox Presbyterian Church News

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Pittsgrove church. One hundred andforty-four chairs, a pulpit and com­munion table, primary chairs andtable, a completed primary room and

I kitchen, and more shrubbery on thegrounds have been an encouragementto the members as well as to the pas-

(4) The fourth point directs . ourattention to the place, "the city ofDavid". (5) The fifth point dazzlesus with its brilliance, "A Saviour,which is Christ the Lord".

The darkness of tyranny and en­slavement, dread and fear, shroudedthe world on the first Christmas morn,but the star of Bethlehem had broughtnew hope and joy. No wonder theshepherds immediately resolved, "Letus now go even unto Bethlehem andsee this thing which is come' to pass,which the Lord hath made knownunto us". Today once more therehovers over the world the threat oftyranny, when that most gloriousheritage Of Christianity, freedom­freedom of thought, of action, of re­ligion-is being challenged. But thestar of Bethlehem still shines, andshines even more brilliantly than everbefore. Its message brings new hopeand assurance. "Let us go even untoBethlehem".

Presbytery of New Jersey

CALVARY Church, Wildwood:Four communicant members were

welcomed into the church at the lastcommunion service and one covenantchild was baptized. Recently a socialevening was held as a reception tothe new members and a deacon...."Aim Cards" have been distributed toraise funds for a building, and loansare being solicited in order to con­struct a building this winter if pos­sible.... The pastor, the Rev. LeslieA. Dunn, will take his vacation duringJanuary.

Faith Church, Pittsgrove: Newequipment, renovations and redecora­tions to the church building havecaused enthusiasm to run high at the

ference lasted for one week, and in­cluded afternoon studies in Ephesiansand popular evening services assistedby a faithful young people's chorus.. . . The Ladies' Aid and Sundayschool have purchased a hundred newhymnals for the church.

The congregation at Lark, N. D.,has been saddened by the suddendeath of Mrs. Peter VandenBurg, afaithful member of the church. '. . .A young people's society has beenorganized at Leith and a children'sBible study hour begun at Carson.

f941

Presbytery of the Dakotas

IN NOVEMBER the Rev. JackZandstra was forced by ill health to

give up the work of the Logan Fon­tenelle and Goff Terrace Missions inOmaha, Nebraska, and since then thefields have been in charge of the Rev.Robert B. Brown, pastor of JenningsMemorial Church. Attendance duringNovember at Jennings Sunday schoolaveraged nearly eighty; at Logan Fon- .tenelle thirty-five; and at Goff Terracetwenty. Boxes of old clothing from theCalvary Church of Middletown, Pa.have helped to alleviate real sufferingamong Omaha's needy.... JenningsChurch will make the next to the lastpayment on its building on Januaryloth, after which only $262 will re­main to be paid.

An every-member canvass in the in­terests of the building fund is beingconducted by members of the Hamill,S. D., church, whose pastor is theRev. Melvin B. Nonhof. First reportsfrom the committee are encouraging.... Eighty persons were present at aNovember 23rd worship service.

At Volga, S. D., the Rev. CharlesL. Shook has concluded a successfulBible conference with a young peo­ple's rally, which was attended also bymembers of the Christian Reformedand Reformed churches. The con-

He was anointed Priest, as our inter­cessor before God's holy throne. Hewas anointed King, as one exercisingrule and authority over all.

Finally, we reach the great climaxin the concluding title, "Lord", theOne who has absolute authority anddominion. The One who is worthyof all homage and worship.

The glorious Christmas star hasappeared once more and draws us tothe Babe of Bethlehem. Each of its

. five points radiate in different direc­tions and emphasize various aspectsof Christ's birth:

(1) The first point is personal incharacter and focuses attention uponman, "Unto you", the object of God'smercy and recipient of His love-gift.(2) The second point turns ourthoughts to the wonders of the in­carnation and virgin birth. (3) Thethird point concerns the time, "thisday"', that upon which all the OldTestament prophecies were focused.

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tor, the Rev. Edward B. Cooper. Andeven with these, increased expenses,gifts to the church budget have set anew record.

Covenant, Church, Orange: An en­couraging increase in attendance at allthe services has been evident this fall.On Sunday evenings a home Biblestudy course is distributed and on thefollowing Sunday collected and cor­rected, and much interest has therebybeen aroused.... At the mid-weekprayer meeting the pastor, the Rev.Richard W. Gray, has been conduct­ing a study of the continuity of thecovenant, by means of several chartshe has prepared.

The Rev. Donald C. Graham, pas­tor of Emmanuel Church (Inde­pendent) of Morristown, reports thatthe Women's Missionary Society heldan open meeting on November 26th.Fifty people heard Mr. and Mrs.Richard B. Gaffin, Orthodox Presby­terian missionaries, and contributed anoffering to their work.

Presbytery of Philadelphia

GETHSEMANE Church" Phila­delphia: Thanksgiving service

was held at eight in the morning, and,an offering of canned goods, flour,sugar and other, foodstuffs was dis­tributed to the needy of the congre­gation.

Mediator Church,Philadelphia:Nearly fifty persons attended aThanksgiving service in the MediatorChapel. A union service for that partof the congregation meeting in theregular church hall was held at theFifth Reformed Presbyterian Church,with the Third Reformed PresbyterianChurch and Knox Orthodox Presby­terian Church cooperating.. '.. At arecent communion service five newcommunicant members were publiclyreceived into the membership of thechapel and one united with the churchcongregation.

Covenant Church, Pittsburgh: Dueto ~, new ruling that no religious ser­vicesmay be held in any of the hallsof the government housing projects,this congregation has been forced totransfer its mission to the churchbuilding. Average attendance for themission Sunday school during the firstthree weeks was fifty-eight. Since thechurch is only two miles away, it isprobable that the majority of thesecan be transported to. the new meet­ing-place.... The pastor, the Rev.Calvin K. Cummings, has started an

adult class in one of the homes dur­ing the latter part of November.

Faith Church, Quarryville: Twoweeks of special services conducted bythe Rev. William T. Strong of WestCollingswood, N. J., proved a bless­ing to the congregation and friends.. .. On November zoth a fellowshipThanksgiving dinner was held, withabout eighty persons present. Specialgifts amounting to mOfe than $51.5were received to reduce the churchmortgage.

Eastlake Church, Wilmington,Del.: At a congregationalmeeting heldNovember i qth, the Eastlake Churchformally changed its name to the East­lake Orthodox Presbyterian Church.The trustees were directed to proceedwith the purchase of the church build­ing and manse from the Presbytery ofNew Castle of the PresbyterianChurch in the U.S.A. for the sum of$75°0. These properties had been lostto that body as a result of litigationfollowing the withdrawal of the East­lake congregation from the Presbyte­rian Church in the U.S.A. in 1936.At .the same time, a four weeks' fi­nancial campaign was instituted, witha goal of $3000 in cash and pledgespayable.within one year. At the endof the second week the goal had beenpassed.

Redeemer Church, Philadelphia:About ninety people attended the in­stallation service of the Rev.. ThomasM. Cooper as pastor of RedeemerChurch, which was conducted Dy thepresbytery on November 30th. Thesermon was delivered by the Rev.Edwin H. Rian on "The Reforma­tion and Protestantism Today". Thecharge to the pastor was given by theRev. John H. Skilton, and the pastor'sbrother, the Rev. Edward B. Cooperof Pittsgrove, N. J., delivered thecharge to the congregation. The Rev.Theodore J. Jansma, moderator of thepresbytery, presided..

Calvary Church, Willow Grove:November, always a big missionarymonth at this church, broke all rec­ords when $300 was given for theCommittees. on Home and ForeignMissions alone. . . . A QuarryvilleConference banquet-rally will be heldon January 9th, with the Rev. Frank­lin S. Dyrness as the speaker, . . .Friends of the church have made itpossible to order a five-piece pulpitset. The congregation has decided alsoto purchase pewsatthis time.

Knox Church, Washington, D. C.:

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN 171

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"Why i Baptize My Infant" was thesermon topic of the pastor, the Rev.Henry D. Phillips, on the occasion Ofthe baptism of his son.... Toys arebeing made for the Trinity Chapel atNewport, Ky., and the children derivea great deal of fun from the work.

Grace Church, Middletown, Del.:Plans are being made for an every­member canvass in the hope of re­viving the interest of some carelessmembers.... The pastor, the Rev.Robert H. Graham, exchanged pul­pits with the Rev. Peter De Ruiter ofNottingham, Pa., on November 16th.

Faith.Church, Harrisville: The bookof the month for December isEphesians, in the weekly Bible studyhour. The Sunday school has madeplans for a. Christmas program, con­sisting of a series of tableaux depictingthe birth of Christ. A new PRESBY­TERIAN GUARDIAN Club is formingthis month. The Dorcas MissionaryGuild is making a quilt and gatheringother useful things for the Rev. andMrs. Clarence W. Duff in their mis­sion field in Colorado. The young

'people and the pastor, the Rev.Charles G. Schauffele, recently broad­cast a service from radio stationWISR in Butler.

New Hope Church, Branchton:The Women's Missionary Societyspent several days making "flannel-

. graph" pictures for the use of Mr.and Mrs. Duff. Bible club attendancein the McDermott and New Hoperural public schools has increased.

Kirkwood Church, Kirkwood: Thecongregation joined with the Faith

. Church of Quarryville in a unionThanksgiving service addressed by theRev. E. Lynne Wade, pastor of theKirkwood Church.... The fall Fel­lowship Supper and the Harvest Homeservice were combined this year. Fol­lowing a bountiful feast prepared bythe ladies of the church, offeringswere received for the building fundamounting to nearly $400. Dr. Cor­nelius Van Til of Westminster Semi­nary addressed the almost two hundred

.persons present. ... By fI special seriesof prayer meetings, the church is pre­paring for the annual fall evangelisticservices to be conducted this monthby the. Rev. Calvin K. Cummings ofPittsburgh.

Presbytery of California

COVENANT Church. Berkeley:·..The. young people of the churchwill distribute one thousand copies of

the Home Evangel from door to doorduring December.... On December6th the young people joined those ofthe San Francisco Church in aMachen League Rally.... A specialChristmas program of the Sundayschool will be held on December 23rd,at which time an offering will be re­ceived for the building fund,

First Church, Long Beach: Threenew communicant members have re­cently been received. Delegates fromfour churches attended a MachenLeague Rally held a short time ago,and the chapters in Southern Cali­fornia plan to hold a Bible Conferenceat Wrightswood from December 29thto 31St.

Westminster Church, Los Angeles:On the fifth anniversary of the church,the Rev. Dwight H. Poundstone wasguest speaker and soloist, and one com­municant member was received....Jerome Frehn, son of the Rev. andMJ;s. M. C. Frehn, Orthodox Presby­terian missionaries to Tokyo, has re­turned to the homeland and is attend­ingschool here. His brother, David, isstill in Hershey, Pa. ~... Mr. PaulHittson, a graduate of WestminsterSeminary, played the piano andpreached on November aznd.

Beverly Church, Los Angeles: Twocovenant children have been added tothe church membership. During thepast two months about $400 has beenreceived for the building fund. TheRev. Dwight H. Poundstone is pastorof Beverly Church.

Presbytery of New Yorkand New England .'

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'176 "'HE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN December 25. 1941

cussing "The Theory of Evolution vs.the Word of God". The League spon­sored a harvest festival as a time ofsocial fellowship for members andfriends. New families in the neighbor­hood are being reached through

. Schenectady's "Welcome Wagon Ser­vice". The pastor, the Rev. RaymondM. Meiners, is teaching the ShorterCatechism in a Sunday school class ofmen and boys.

Covenant Church, Rochester: Theannual fellowship dinner was com­bined with the congregational andcorporation meeting on November26th. Reports from all organizationswere heard and a steady progress in'all departments was noted. The com­municant membership shows an in­crease of eleven 'during the past year."The Good News Hour" is still on

the air, and the response has beenencouraging.

Second Parish Church, Portland:The Young People's Society is holdinga candle-light service as a part of theprogram on Sunday evening, Decem­ber 21st. . . . A Week of Prayer willbe held in January, with the Rev.Robert S. Marsden as guest speaker.

The presbytery met at Cornville,Maine, on Thursday, November 27th,to examine the group that had re­cently applied for admission as a par­ticular congregation of The OrthodoxPresbyterian Church. The examina­tion was eminently gratifying, andthe church was constituted at thattime. Stated supply is the Rev. Charles ,E. Stanton. A full report of the forma­tion of this newest congregation ofthe denomination will appear in an

early issue of THE PRESBYTERIANGUARDIAN.

Presbytery of WisconsinAT GRESHAM, evangelistic ser­

JIII\ vices were conducted in the Old,Stockbridge Church- during Novem­ber, with a total attendance of fourhundred for the ten nights. Elevenpersons publicly professed faith inChrist as their Saviour. At two of theservices, a blind Stockbridge boy, con­verted during the past year, played theaccordion and sang. Although he hadnot memorized many hymns, heartswere touched as he sang: "Amazinggrace ... Was blind, but now I see."On November 24th and 25th, theRev. Robert S. Marsden and the Rev.George Willis visited Gresham, andMr. Marsden preached both evenings.

THE SECOND COMINGis a subject of intense interest to every Christian believer.

Among those who hold without wavering to the infallible authority of Scrip­ture, there are different 'views as to the meaning of the Bible's teaching concern­ing matters connected with the return of our Lord. These variations are oftenclassified under the terms Premillennialism, Amillennialism, and Postmillennialism.

The Presbyterian Guardian is not committed to the defense and propagationof anyone of these varying views, but it does wish to give its readers as muchinformation on the subject as possible. To this end, and in response to a numberof requests from persons holding the premillennial position, it has arranged forthe publication of a series of articles in exposition of one of the least known ofthese types of view-Amillennialism.

This series of twelve articles will be written by Dr. Robert Strong, pastor ofCalvary Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Willow Grove, Pa., and will begin in thenext issue, running concurrently for the following six months, If your subscriptionis about to expire, be sure to renew it now. And why not send a gift subscriptionto your Christian friends? An eight-months' subscription will cover the entireseries, and costs only one dollar.

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN1505 RACE STREET PHILADELPHIA, PA.