Vol 35 Issue 20

August 20, 1959 Rev. M. Schipper, of Southwest Church, has declined the call from. Edgerton, and Rev. H. Hanko, of Hope Church, has declined the call from South Holland. Holland’s new trio is Revs. G, Lanting, G. VandenBerg, and B. Woudenberg. Edgerton has named the following trio: Revs. H. Hanko, J. Heys, and G. VandenBerg.

Esteemed Editor:  In the process of time, in the last year, much attention was given in The Standard Bearer in regard to Hagar and Ishmael.  The Rev. B. Woudenberg wrote on this subject under the theme: “A Cloud of Witnesses,” and Rev. R.C. Harbach wrote two articles under “Contributions”; and as I look at these two views, they differ as much as light and darkness, blessings and cursings, to be a covenant friend of Jehovah, or a friend of the Prince of darkness. 

“Convergence of Two Denominations.”  Rev. H.J. Kuiper writes on the above subject in the July- August, 1959 issue of Torch and Trumpet. The two denominations referred to are the Christian Reformed Church and the group that followed the Rev. H. De Wolf in the schism of 1953 when they left our churches. The Rev. Kuiper is very hopeful of a reunion of these two groups. 

This subject, to me, is most intriguing. True, it does not affect us quite as directly and forcefully as it did our forefathers four centuries ago. For them the question of the mass was all-important. They had been part of it. They had been raised in that doctrine and fed its heresies from infancy on. Then, by the grace of God, they had been delivered from its errors through the wonder of the Protestant Reformation. In fact, the mass was one of the main issues in the whole Reformation.

Having noticed what was the occasion for this article, and having given our attention to the general lines thereof, we may now give our attention to the details of its contents. 

CANON VI.  If any one denieth, either that sacramental confession was instituted, or is necessary to salvation, of divine right; or saith, that the manner of confessing secretly to a priest alone, which the Church hath ever observed from the beginning, and doth observe, is alien from the institution and command of Christ, and is a human invention: let him be anathema.

You will find our theme in the Scriptures.  However we have here a clear example of what you can do with the Scriptures when you take a passage out of its context. Skip over that which precedes these words and come to a full stop at the end of them; and you get a statement that means something entirely different from that which it does in the text. 

We now come to our study of Chapter 15 of the book of Romans. We would make a few remarks of an introductory nature at the outset. 

“And the man (Jacob) increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.” Gen. 30:43

The sovereignty that had been announced by the voices is here, in the first place, acknowledged. They not only come down from their thrones. They not only kneel down before the Almighty. But they bow down, fall down in the dust on their faces, thus expressing that they are overwhelmed by the revelation of the sovereignty of God. O, surely, they knew that He was sovereign. They were aware of His great power. They felt assured that He would overcome His enemies to the last.