Vol 35 Issue 17

The Deficit Drive Committee of Adams St. School joyfully announced that their goal had been reached and topped by 15%. This drive was conducted by mail, the Lord impressing the need of that kingdom cause upon the hearts of the people so that they might use the privilege of fulfilling their covenant promise, “to help or cause them to be instructed therein to the utmost of your power.”  Redlands has called the Rev. H. Veldman from a trio which also included the Revs. H. Hanko and J. Heys. 

This is the title of a little pamphlet concerning which I wrote in the last issue of The Standard Bearer, excerpts of which I compared with the latest stand taken on the matter of common grace by those who left us in 1953. This time I would like to quote as much of the pamphlet as our space will allow: Our purpose is three-fold. First, that those in the Christian Reformed Church responsible for seeking reunion with those who left us may know exactly what they believed and confessed when they were still with us.

The main principle of Article 37 of the Church Order we have discussed in our last article. This.concerned the question whether or not the deacons are part of the consistory. The Church Order definitely favors the view that the consistory is composed only of ministers and elders. To this the deacons may be added by special regulation and then only when the consistory is small in number. Others, however, include all the officebearers of the church in the consistory and then make distinction in the labors to be performed according to the nature of the special offices.

The first element in this personal assurance of perseverance is presented in Article 10 as follows: “This assurance . . . springs from faith in God’s promises, which he has most abundantly revealed in his Word for our comfort.” We may immediately notice three aspects of this proposition. In the first place, our assurance has its source in the promises of God. This is the key to all assurance.

We will now continue our quotation on CONFIRMATION as recorded in the New Schaff-Herzog Religious Encyclopedia as follows :

The things most essential for life are free.  Two things that we need above all for our earthly, physical life do not cost us one cent.  Yea, three things there are which we need not buy and yet need continually as indispensable for our earthly existence. 

In the twenty-seventh chapter of the Book of Acts we read the narrative of the voyage, which, in the providence of God, Paul took as occasioned by his appeal to Caesar when he was indicted before Festus (Acts 25:10f.). But before Paul had made his defense before that governor he had received by promise the Divine assurance that he would be safely brought to Rome (Acts 23:11).

It is well to bear in mind that the real problem-child in these Chapters under consideration is the weak brother or sister. If there were not this weak brother there would be no problem which calls for a solution of loving understanding. 

“And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.  And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s brother, and that he was Rebekah’s son: and she ran and told her father.  And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob, his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house.”  Gen. 29:11-13

We receive the definite information that also at the time of the end, with the second coming of the Lord for the deliverance of His people, there shall be living saints who shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. But it does mean, in the first place, that it shall be a time of general and terrible persecution for the faithful people of God. The acts and testimony of the witnesses have roused the anger of the Antichrist. Their testimony is now finished. Antichrist comes to silence it. And he succeeds. I imagine that...