Vol 22 Issue 15

Classis met at Fuller Ave. The meeting was begun with the singing of Psalter No. 220:1-4. Rev. G. Lubbers then tread I Peter 5 and led in prayer. The credentials revealed that 24 brethren had been delegated to this classis by the 12 churches. The credentials being read and received, classis is declared constituted. According to rotation Rev. M. Schipper presided and Rev. G. Lubbers served as clerk. Rev. Schipper speaks a few words of welcome to the delegates, and particularly to Rev. S. Cammenga who recently came to us from Classis West. Opportunity is given to those delegates who...

The Truly Modern School. It’s the Summerhill School in North Wales. This is the Constitution of the school: “Blasting the orthodox theory that children need discipline to make them learn to behave, Summerhill and Kingsmuir give students almost complete freedom. The boys and girls attend classes voluntarily, smoke and swear at will and sass the teacher without fear of retribution.” Here is an example: The teacher said, “Shut up, Stephen!” and Stephen retorted cheerfully, “Shut up, yourself, Peter!” And the principle on which such schools are based we find given a little later when we read, “Children are essentially good...

“In whom also ye, having heard. . . . in whom also having believed ye were sealed. . . . unto the redemption of the (final) possession, unto the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:13, 14 It is of the utmost importance for the proper understanding of this passage, that we keep the line of thought, as developed by the apostle in the foregoing verses, in mind. This line of thought cam be stated as follows: First of all, that the Triune God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in...

What is meant by the utmost of my power? (cont.) In our previous essay we began to consider that which is meant by the utmost of our power. The degree of power we have is determined by many things. We mentioned two elements that must be considered. The one is our natural aptitude for teaching and the other is our spiritual strength, including our knowledge of the Scriptures and the doctrine of the church where we have a name and a place. For us this means the doctrine of the Protestant Reformed Churches. Another element we would have you consider...

In our previous article we dwelt on the centuries- old contest between the papacy and the secular power for supremacy in England and here as it became flesh and blood in Henry II, the first king of the Plantagenets on the one hand and St. Thomas of Canterbury the underling of the pope, om the other. The theme of this article is this same struggle or contest as it was waged between Innocent III and all the secular powers of the papal patriarchate. It repeatedly has been pointed out in previous articles that, according to the prevailing opinion in those...

“And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli.” This Scripture statement bears on the status and occupation of Samuel prior to his calling to the prophetic office. He was assistant to the priests, definitely to the high priest, Eli. Ministering to the priests was the occupation of a common Levite. Samuel was a Levite. As already has been noticed in a previous article, the first Book of the Chronicles (1 Sam. 6:22-28) contains a genealogical line that descends from the second son of Levi to Samuel and his sons. The law placed the common Levites under the jurisdiction...

Chapter 3: The Coming Of The Lord (cont.) A second observation that must be made concerning the coming of the Lord is that it is the final wonder of grace. The confession that we believe in a literal, personal return of our Lord Jesus Christ must not tempt us to overlook the equally important truth that it is a wonder, and that, therefore, we dare not conceive of it and speak of it in terms derived from our present, earthly life and existence. There can be no doubt that this is frequently done. We are inclined to picture the return...

THE CHURCH POLITICAL ASPECT: The second factor that must be taken into consideration to explain the tendency of the major gatherings to become hierarchical powers is the utility principle. Things seem to run more smoothly, can be accomplished more efficiently, where there is centralized power. If a synod can simply decide on doctrinal matters, without consulting the churches, impose its decisions upon the churches, and demand unconditional submission or acquiescence, it seems that much trouble can often be avoided, and that the church-political machine runs much more evenly, and also faster. From the individual consistories to the classes, and from...