Vol 35 Issue 18

The 1959 Synod is history. Rev. G. Vos, president of the last Synod, conducted the PreSynodical. Prayer Service, preaching on the phrase, “Go, sit down in the lowest room,” found in Luke 14:10. The Rev. exhorted the delegates: to the exercise of that Christian virtue, humility. Some of the decisions made are: Rev. G.M. Ophoff was granted his request to be made emeritus-professor; a call was issued to Rev. H.C.

In the Nov. 15 issue of The Standard Bearer we wrote on “Ishmael Blessed”; now we recommend that this be read with your open Bible at hand for ready reference. With all that has been written on the general subject, some of which goes back many years in TSB, we agree. But we do differ with the assertion that the allegory of Gal. 4.

*By mutual agreement this brief report of our Synod appears in this issue in place of Rev. M. Schipper’s usual “All Around Us.”

Champion of Geneva, by Peter de Rover. Translated from the Dutch by Wm. B. Eerdmans who is also the publisher. Price thirty-five cents per copy. In larger quantities twenty-five cents per copy.  This little book of only about thirty pages is, to my mind, a most excellent brief sketch of the life of John Calvin. All our young people and even our older children ought to read it. By this I do not mean that our older people should not read it, for they, too, will find it interesting. 

“In places where the consistory is to be constituted for the first time or anew, this shall not take place except with the advice of the classis.”  Decisions pertaining to this article. “The customary usage for the organization of a new congregation is as follows:  1. A letter of request is directed to the classis or mission committee, expressing the desire to organize a congregation in a certain named locality, and signed by the heads of families or by adult single persons who live in that locality. 

Article 11. The Scripture moreover testifies, that believers in this life have to struggle with various carnal doubts, and that under grievous temptations they are not always sensible of this full assurance of faith and certainty of persevering. But God, who is the Father of all consolation, does not suffer them to be tempted above that they are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that they may be able to bear it, I Cor.

CHAPTER IV  On Contrition 

Dear Graduates: 

In our former article we spoke of the matters of things which are “indifferent,” sometimes called theadiaphora! Eating or not eating of meat has as such no importance; it is not the matter which determinesthe true worship of God in His church. All that which is not out of faith is sin. Not eating as well as eating meat, keeping or not keeping of days, is sin if it is not out of faith. When it is not out of faith it simply is human institution and inventions. Such cannot be the rule of faith in the church! 

o be lived. And should this be the case then our entire life is one of spiritual livelihood and direction. Lose the day of rest and you lose everything! Or to go one step back, lose the preaching the proper preaching and you lose the day of rest.