Vol 37 Issue 01

Rev. H. Hanko, of Hope Church, received the call from Grand Haven; Rev. G. Lubbers was also on that trio, the third member being Rev. G. VanBaren, and not Rev. R.C. Harbach, as reported last time. From a trio which included Rev. R.C. Harbach and Rev. M. Schipper, Randolph’s congregation called Rev. A. Mulder, of Kalamazoo. Rev. C. Hanko, of First Church, declined the call extended him from the Dakota churches, Isabel and Forbes.

Missionary Notes  At the time of this writing (September 9) the undersigned and his wife are once more in an apartment in Pella, Iowa, situated at 1218 North Main. We arrived here on Saturday, September 3, after a very hot trip, made the more wearying due to the pre-Labor Day traffic on the highways. Now the hot weather of late summer has given way for the cooler air of early fall, and, we believe, that beautiful autumn days will come according to the word of God to Noah. 

Roman Catholic Influence In Government 

In our last installment, we learned that Article 51 of the Church Order deals with the subject of missions as regulated by a synodical mission order. More particularly, therefore, with denominational mission work although not altogether excluding the endeavors of the individual churches.

As we have seen from the example cited last time, the adherents of mediate regeneration appeal to this article of our Canons for support. We said this is not correct. For the Canons themselves do not give any such indication in, the article. Actually, what the adherents of mediate regeneration do is to appeal to the passage from I Peter 1:23, quoted by the Canons, in order to support their view.

We concluded our preceding article on this subject with the observation that we must always be on our guard against the danger of False Mysticism. Mysticism was particularly effective and grew into prominence at the time of the Reformation on French and Germane soil, and, especially on German soil. This Mysticism flourished, we repeat, particularly on German soil and sought by means of asceticism, meditation and contemplation a fellowship and communion with God which could be experienced without the Holy Scriptures.

Jesus’ words to the fault-finding Pharisees are classic: “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s,” Luke 20:25. 

In our former article we noticed that John, in addressing his readers as “children” and “little children” in the verses 12 and 14, has reference to the entire congregation, young and old, and not simply the very young in the congregation. We based this observation and interpretation on the current usage of the term “children” in the entire epistle of John, where it very clearly refers to the entire new-born church of God in distinction from the world which lies in darkness and in the power of the Evil One.

“And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave . . . that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan . . . And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.” Genesis 49:29, 30, 33

The book with its seven seals is given Him, in order that He might have all power in heaven and on earth. Seal after seal has been broken. Trumpet after trumpet has been blown. Vial after vial has been poured out. All history has been controlled by Him from year to year and from stage to stage, till the last vial is poured out and the last scene is to take place on the stage of history, the scene that will prepare the earth for the descent of the New Jerusalem. It is finished.