Vol 23 Issue 06

“Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun in no sooner risen, with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man, fade away in his ways.” James 1:9-11 The reader will recall that in the preceding context of these words which we now consider, James had exhorted the church of the living God to...

* Paper read before the Conference of Ministers of the Reformed Church in the U. S., and of the Protestant Reformed Churches, October 1946. The doctrine of the Church is for the student of Holy Writ a fascinating subject. This is true, on the one hand, because of the many current erroneous views of this subject. Whereas Holy Writ emphasizes the unity of this Body of Christ, in history she continually reveals herself as torn by dissension and strife. An outstanding example of this throughout the Old Dispensation was Ephraim’s jealousy of Judah which finally culminated in the division of the...

Final Session. . . . The Rev. R. Veldman led us in devotionals on Thursday afternoon, the final session of the Conference. He also introduced the speaker, the Rev. L. Doezema, pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church in Bellflower, California. The final aspect of the development of the general theme: “The Church” had been assigned to Rev. Doezema. His topic was “The Reformation of the Church”. Resume of Lecture. . . . “Our topic forms a fitting close to our discussions since reformation of the Church has always been considered important. That we so consider it, is evident from the...

As was said, in 1305 Clement V, being a Frenchman, was elected pope, and chose Avignon, a city surrounded on all sides by France, as his place of residence. Here, as was stated, the popes remained for seventy years. As this period so closely corresponds in its duration with the span of years of Judah’s exile, it is known in history as the Babylonian captivity of the Papacy. It included the successive reigns of seven popes, all of whom were Frenchmen: Clement V, 1305-1314; John XXII, 1316-1334; Benedict XII, 1334-1342; Clement VI; 1342-1352; Innocent VI, 1352-1362; Urban V;, 1362-1370; Gregory...

Though the people’s asking for a king was deeply sinful, the kingship as such was not a sinful institution. It was needed to shed a new light on the promise. David, the warrior-king, to whom the Lord swore truth, and Solomon in his glory typified Christ. But the people did not ask for a king because of their desire to serve the cause of the Gospel; their purpose was to rid themselves of Jehovah, whom in their hearts they had rejected, that He should not rule over them. And the Lord gave them their way; He did set a king...

3. The Gathering of the Church (continued) A comparison of the two passages speaks for itself. While the passages from Hosea speaks of the nation of Israel, to which the Lord said Lo Ammi, not my people, and Lo Ruchama, no object of mercy; but which shall be restored, so that the Lord will be merciful to them, and they shall be called the children of the living God; the passage from the Romans quotes this passage in proof of the fact that the Lord fulfilled this promise of the restoration of Israel in the calling of the New Testament...

Merely to state that the natural man does not use remnants left to him after the fall and his natural light aright, leaves room for the possibility that he might use them aright, if he would. The Canons, however, exclude even this possibility. The natural man is so corrupt that he cannot, that he is incapable of using this natural light aright, even in things natural and civil. There is no good left in his nature. He is, indeed, totally depraved. It is plain, therefore, that the formulation as found in the Canons is to be preferred, and that the...

We sent the following communication to De Reformatie: Prof. Dr. K. Schilder, (DUTCH REMOVED) To those readers that have difficulty to read Dutch, let me explain, briefly, the occasion and contents of the above communication. A Rev. L. Doekes, writing on the covenant question in favor of the view generally held by the “Liberated Churches” in the Netherlands, made the remark that I, as well as my opponents in this country, cast a smoke screen over the covenant promises of God. In the above communication, I kindly invite the brother to refrain from making such general statements, to point out...