Vol 22 Issue 22

In an article under the caption “Schilder Representative” the editor of The Banner forewarns the churches against the coming of the Rev. D. van Dijk of Groningen, officially appointed by the Synod of the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands, maintaining Art. 31, to inform the churches here about the schism in the old country. There are several errors in that little article. First of all, the brother that is appointed by the Netherland Synod for this purpose is not A. J. Dijk, but D. van Dijk of Groningen, according to my recollection. Secondly, the brother does not come here as...

One of the cheapest, most superficial, evilest, but nevertheless often very effective methods to brand a movement of a reformatory character in the church as false and of the evil one, is to concentrate all one’s attention upon the leader of such a movement, vituperate his character and personality, ascribe the movement wholly to the powerful influence of that personality, and present all other participants in the movement as blindly following that strange, that ambitious, that impossible man. This method has many advantages. It simplifies the case immensely. Instead of collecting and carefully evaluating the historical data, the doctrinal implications,...

Our baptism always has a special significance for us because of the fact that we and our children receive the sacrament in our infancy. Turning from a discussion of the significance of the sacrament to a discussion of the baptism of infants, the Form states: “and although our young children do not understand these things, we may not therefore exclude them from baptism. . . ” It is worthy of note, that the fathers did not say that children of believing parents may receive the sacrament of baptism, but that they must. They were, no doubt, well aware of the...

At first, 1 Corinthians 13:12, we read, “For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know even as I am known.” The apostle here compares the rights and privileges of God’s believing people in this present dispensation of the world, with their privileges and rights in the state of heavenly perfection and glory of the church on the new earth. And he discerns a remarkable difference. “Now they see through a glass darkly; then, face to face. A rendering that comes closer to the original text...

We now come to our final basic principle of Reformed Church polity, the binding power of classical and synodical decisions. To exhibit in a more marked manner the unity of the body of Christ, the neighboring congregations organize to form a classis (synod). According to article 8 of our Church Order, a classis is a meeting of neighboring churches that respectively delegate a minister and an elder to meet at a certain place and time. Thus, a classis is an assembly of congregations, more definitely of consistories. But, though an assembly of consistories, the classis, as has been shown, is...

On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit of the exalted Christ, was poured out into the Church, and through that Spirit Christ Himself, with all the fullness of spiritual blessings He had merited by His suffering, death and perfect obedience, returned to the Church, and the latter was translated from the old dispensation into the new. And this significant change implies, first, that the Church was led out of the dimness of the shadows into the clear light of the revelation of reality; secondly, that the Church was delivered from the bondage of the law into...

Our readers will, no doubt, be interested to know the decision reached by the General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in re the “Complaint” against the licensure and ordination of Dr. Gordon H. Clark by the Presbytery of Philadelphia, a case we discussed rather elaborately in our paper more than a year ago. A year ago, the Twelfth General Assembly appointed a committee to investigate the doctrinal implications of the “Complaint”. This committee had finished its work, and presented its report to the Thirteenth General Assembly that convened last May. A few weeks previous to the convocation of the...

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Heb. 4:12, 13 For. . . . For the word of God is quick, and powerful. . . . And this little word for here signifies that...