Neptune ChurchA t the declaration of the moderator,

1"1. the Rev. Jay Adams, the Pres­bytery of New Jersey welcomed- GoodShepherd Orthodox PresbyterianChurch as its fifteenth constituentchurch on Sunday, March 13.

There were 148 present at this aft­ernoon service as the Rev. Le RoyOliver preached a message on "God'sRemembrance" taken from the text ofMalachi 3: 16, 17. Most of those whojammed this tiny (30' x 40') buildingwere friends from other congregationsin the Presbytery and from local evan­gelical churches.

Good Shepherd Church is located in(continued on page 45)

The Rev. Messrs. Keller and Oliver

Meditations on the Gospel of Luke

The Crucifixion

Luke 23 :26-43

Jesus had been delivered by Pilaternto the hands of the council and

the .m~b to be crucified. Death bycrucifixion was a Roman punishmentreserved for slaves and foreigners andthe vilest criminals. It was never in­flicted on a Roman citizen. Amongthe Jews crucifixion was not permittedunder Old Testament law, exceptafter the criminal had already died,but so great was their hatred of Jesusthat they disregarded their own rule.

According to Roman custom thecriminal was forced to carry the verycross upon which he was to be cruci­fied' adding to his humiliation andshame. The heavy cross was more thanthe physical strength of the sufferingChrist could bear, and a certain Simon,returning from the field, was com­pelled to share its burden.

As the procession moved along to­ward Calvary the women among thegrowing crowd that followed were ov­ercome with pity for Jesus, burstingforth with loud sobs and lamentations.Turning to them the Savior said,"Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not forme, but weep for yourselves and foryour children." This was no rebukebut rather an expression of his corn­passion for them. He was thinking ofthe calamities that lay ahead becauseof his rejection by "his own" peoplewho knew not the day of their peace.Their unbelief and impenitence wouldbring destruction of the city and theJewish temple at the hands of thevery nation whose rulers they werenow using to accomplish their evildesigns. Then there would be un­speakable terror prophetic of thatwhich will overtake the wicked on theJudgment Day.

At the place of crucifixion the sol­diers went ahead with their usualwork. There were three to be put todeath on that day-two robbers, andthe Son of God. As the cruel nailstore his flesh Jesus prayed, "Father,forgive them, for they know not what

EDWARD WYBENGA

they do." He was without feelings ofresentment or revenge. In praying forthose who murdered him in the ignor­ance of their unbelief, Jesus practicedwhat he had taught: "Love your ene­mies . . . and pray for them whichpersecute you" (Matt. 5:44 ) .

It was another Roman custom forsoldiers to divide among themselvesthe garments of one they crucified.Since the outer robe that Jesus worewas of one piece and without a seam,"they said therefore among themselves,Let us not rend it but cast lots for it,whose it shall be: that the scripturemight be fulfilled which saith, Theyparted my raiment among them, andfor my vesture they did cast lots"(John 19:24, quoting Psalm 22:18).

Death by crucifixion was a painfuland shameful death. It was also anaccursed death. Upon Jesus Christ fellthe curse of God's law, broken by thesin of man. Wrote Paul: "Christ hathredeemed us from the curse of thelaw, being made a curse for us: for itis written, Cursed is everyone thathangeth on a tree" (Gal. 3: 13) .

HumiliationMeanwhile Jesus was subjected to

further humiliation by the scorn ofthose who passed by, taunting himgleefully: "He saved others, let himsave himself, if he be Christ, thechosen of God." These words of in­tended mockery contained more truththan Jesus' enemies realized. Indeedhe could not save himself - if hewanted to save others. Had Jesus comedown from the cross there would havebeen no completed salvation for sin­ners.

Still another humiliation for theSavior was seen in the superscriptionplaced above his cross: "This is theKing of the Jews." Intended to showthe alleged crime for which he waskilled, again it revealed more truththan his deriders were able to see. ForGod's Messiah was, is, and ever shallbe King - not of the Jews only butof the Gentiles also. He is "the head

over all things to the church, whichis his body" (Eph. 1: 22) .

The crucifixion of Christ betweentwo thieves was also part of his humil­iation. Thus were fulfilled the wordsof the prophet Isaiah, "He was num­bered with the transgressors" (53: 12) .Yet this very circumstance was theoccasion for a bright ray of light amidthe otherwise awesome darkness atGolgotha. For one of the robbersturned to the dying Man on the cen­tral cross with the earnest plea, "Lord,remember me when thou comest intothy kingdom."

MercyHe asked only to be remembered.

This thief had already confessed thathe was justly condemned for his ownsinful deeds. Now he pled for mercyand forgiveness. He acknowledgedthat Christ was without guilt, Lordand King over a kingdom of his own.Believing in Jesus' willingness andpower to grant him a place in thatkingdom, in simple faith he cast him­selt upon his saving mercy.

No doubt about his conversion,though it came almost at the momentof his death. Yes, true conversion maytake place at the eleventh hour, but itis unusual. Let no one wait until theend of life, thinking that then he willturn for salvation to the Lord. Hisheart may be hardened in unbelief,and like the other thief he may dieblaming God, impenitent, withouthope. And who knows when his ap­pomted hour may come-when it WIllbe forever too late.

The Savior's promise then and nowis for those who trust in him: "VerilyI say unto thee, Today shalt thou bewith me in paradise." In his deathis the assurance of eternal life. Thecross of Calvary is at once the darkestand brightest event of history: thedarkened sun concealed the Forsakenand Suffering Servant until he "gaveup the ghost" in death. Yet its gloryis heard in his cry of triumph, 'It isfinished" and the brightest tidings ofsalvation for sinners are realized.

This was God's way by which theguilt of sin was atoned for, the pollu­tion of sin cleansed, the power of sinbroken. Divine justice against sinfulman could be fully satisfied, God'shonor maintained, and God's glorymagnified. God's Son redeemed hispeople. They were bought with theprice of his precious blood.

The Presbyterian Guardian is published monthly (except May-June and July-August) by the Presbyterian Guardian Publishing Corp., 7401 OldYork Rd., Phila. Pa. 19126, at the following rates, payable in advance in any part of the world, postage prepaid: $3.00 per year ($2.50 inClubs of ten or morel; $1.00 for four months; 25c per single copy. Second Class mail priVileges authorized at the Post Ofllce, Philadelphia, Pa.

34 The Presbyterian Guardian

A revzew article

The Coming World ChurchROBERT L. VINING

Bishop G. Bromley Oxnam, a formerpresident of the World Council

of Churches, said in his "episcopal ad­dress" in 1948, a document signed byall American Methodist bishops, "Firststeps toward union must be taken bythe Protestant communions." AfterProtestantism is reunited then effortshould be made toward union withEastern Orthodoxy. After this is con­summated there should then be unionwith the Roman Catholic Church sothat there may come at last one "HolyCatholic Church to which all Chris­tians may belong."!

When the late Bishop Oxnamvoiced this dream many Christianswere startled. His concept seemed tomany utterly fantastic and unrealistic.Yet the liberal leaders of the ecumen­ical movement are striving mightily toachieve this goal.

A few years ago the Blake-Pike pro­posal for church union of six lead­mg Protestant denominations waslaunched. Consultations are still con­tinuing.

But the liberals are not waiting untilmajor Protestant denominations areunited before seeking closer fellowshipwith the Roman Catholic Church. TheWorld Council of Churches invites theRoman Catholic Church to send ob­servers to its Conferences and theRoman Catholic Church invited Prot­estant Churches to send observers tothe Vatican Council II.

This year for the first time a com­mon leaflet was prepared for use dur­ing the Week of Prayer for ChristianUnity, January 18-25. Protestants,Roman Catholics, and Eastern Ortho­dox Christians on all continents wereurged to make use of this leaflet(Interchurch News, 1/66, p. 7).

Mrs. Stuart Sinclair, president ofUnited Church Women, writes in theDecember, 1965 issue of InterchurchNews, the organ of the NationalCouncil of Churches, "Leaders of ourchurches tell us that in the next tenyears there may be an understanding

! H. J. Otten, Baal or God, p. 213f.

March. 1966

and cooperation between the RomanCatholic Church and Protestantchurches as extensive and pervasive asthat which has taken place among thedenominations during the past ten. Inthis situation, the average person needssome suggestions and guide lines tohelp grasp the new opportunities.Living Room Dialogues is one suchhelpful plan" (p. 5).

The book, Living Room Dialogues,has been edited by the Rev. WilliamB. Greenspun, es.p., and the Rev.William A. Norgren, director of theFaith and Order Department of theDivision of Christian Unity of theNational Council of Churches.

Living Room DialoguesThe plan of Living Room Dia­

logues "calls for 12 to 15 people ­Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant ­men and women, married and single,of different races and different agegroups, to meet in one another'shomes once a month for Bible reading,prayer and discussion. The purpose isto help individual men and womenbecome personally concerned aboutChristian unity and to pray for the re­union of all Christians" (Living RoomDialogues, p. 7).

What is the basis on which suchconversations may be held betweenCatholics and Protestants? Once, ofcourse, Catholics regarded Protestantsas heretics. Now they speak of Protes­tants as "separated brethren." RobertMcAfee Brown asserts we are brethren"because we share a common baptism.As Catholic ecumenical thinkers havebeen pointing out with increasingvigor, this fact of our common bap­tism underlies the whole ecumenicalventure. By virtue of baptism, we areall, in some sense, united with Christ..." (Ibid., p. 34).

It is well known that Roman Cath­olics believe in baptismal regeneration,and history records zealous RomanCatholic missionaries baptizing heathenpeople in great numbers, believingthat thereby their souls would be saved.When Dr. Brown speaks of our all

being united with Christ, in somesense, by virtue of baptism, he appearstending toward the Roman Catholicerror. Ecumenical leaders seem to takeit for granted that any church callingitself a church is therefore a Christianchurch. Yet some churches definitelyfail to give the marks of a true church.

Liberals feel that there is urgencyin this matter of discussion seeking topromote unity. They say, "DividedChristianity presents the greatest singleobstacle to the spread of Christ's gos­pel in the world today" (p. 16). Foryears liberals have stigmatized denomi­nationalism "the scandal of Christian­ity." Evangelicals, on the contrary, re­gard the departure of men from faithin the infallible Word of God and thedenial of cardinal Christian doctrinesas the greatest source of weakness inthe Christian church to-day.

The seven dialogues in the book,Living Room Dialogues, are: "Con­cern, Prayer, Love," "Good Conversa­tion in Christ," "How Do We Wor­ship?" "Our Common Christian Heri­tage," "Renewal of God's People,""Our Common Christian Witness,"and "Why We Don't Break Bread To­gether."

Steps toward UnityThe compilers are hopeful that the

response to it will be so enthusiasticthat there will be a demand for a sec­ond book which will deal with otherproblems. Inasmuch as this book sayslittle or nothing about such mattersas papal infallibility, Marianism, pur­gatory, marriage and divorce, it is pos­sible that some of these topics will betreated in a second book, should de­mand warrant one.

Robert McAfee Brown, who wasone of the Protestant observers atVatican II, contributes as essay on"Nine Steps to Unity." Yet with allhis eagerness for union he grants that"when all the talking has been done

Mr. Vining is the pastor of BethanyOrthodox Presbyterian Church, Not­tingham, Pa.

85

(there) are still monumental differ­ences" (p. 41). Nevertheless, he andother liberals, both Catholic and Prot­estant, feel that there are certain areasin which Catholics and Protestantsmay cooperate, as in the civil rightsmovement (e.g. the March on Wash­ington), promotion of peace, the waron poverty and illiteracy, etc. (pp.39f., 54, 136).

Cyril Richardson in his essay on"Word and Sacrament in ProtestantWorship" believes that one of the re­sults of the Vatican Council will bethat "the Catholic services will becomemore like Protestant ones, just as,under the impetus of the current litur­gical revival, Protestant services are re­covering something of their Catholicpast and becoming more like Romanones (p. 67). Once more, it is said,"Nearly all Protestants today acknowl­edge (or are beginning to acknowl­edge) the central importance of theLord's Supper; that the integrity ofworship demands that we say 'scrip­ture, sermon and sacrament''' (p.236). Again in architecture thereseems to be a drawing closer togetherin appearance between Catholic andProtestant churches. A Catholic writerclaims that altars again look like tables(p. 237).

Living Room Dialogues states, "Wehave to agree that the greatest forcefor the uniting of all Christians isprayer" (p. 17). In the book thereare printed prayers and responses, butno suggestion that there be free prayer.Liberals are constantly quoting thewords of Christ in John 17: 11, "HolyFather, keep them in thy name, whichthou hast given me, that they may beone, even as we are one." The liberalsinterpret the words of Christ to meanthat all persons who bear the name ofChrist ought to be united in onechurch. But is every church a truechurch? The apostle Paul speaks of thechurch as "the pillar and ground ofthe truth" (I Tim. 3: 15). If churchesdepart from the truth, if they embracenumerous errors, do they warrant be­ing called Christian churches?

Synagogues of SatanDoes not the Scripture speak of

churches so degenerating as to becomesynagogues of Satan (Rev. 2:9)?Surely the Lord does not want truechurches of Christ to unite with syn­agogues of Satan. To imply then thatChrist wants all churches to unite, ir­respective of their faithfulness to the

36

Word of God or no, is to misinterpretthe prayer of Christ for unity. In thebook under review it is indeed recog­nized that no church is perfect, andthat there is constant need for reform­ing. Yet the basic position is main­tained that the Protestants, EasternOrthodox, and Roman Catholics shouldunite.

Living Room Dialogues states,"After fundamental commitment toChrist, reverence for and dependenceupon the Bible is what most unites usseparated Christians" (p. 123). But inthe book there is no reference to theBible as infallible or inerrant. Howcould there be when so many ecumen­ical leaders hold that the Bible con­tains errors? Reference is made to thedoctrine of the virgin birth which hasbeen much discussed in Protestantism,although it is affirmed that the ma­jority accept it. Concerning the resur­rection of Christ it is asserted thatevery one, with some minor excep­tion, believes it. The movement called"nee-orthodoxy" is alleged to be a"notable revival in Protestantism,which is really Reformation Protes­tantism" (p. 132). In opposition tothis book we maintain that the atti­tude toward the Bible is what sepa­rates Protestants. Evangelicals acceptit as the inerrant, infallible Word ofGod while liberals strenuously opposethis historic position of the Christianchurch.

Scripture and TraditionProtestants are jealous of the suffi­

ciency of the Scriptures while theRoman Catholic Church has insistedupon the importance of tradition alongwith the Scriptures. Now there aresome ecumenical leaders such asEugene Carson Blake, Stated Clerk ofthe United Presbyterian Church in theU.S.A., and newly elected GeneralSecretary of the World Council ofChurches, who are abandoning 'solascriptura' and finding value in tradi­tion.

What about the glorious doctrineof justification by faith? The term isnot mentioned in this book. On thesubject of sin we read, "We can lookback on a long history of theologicalcontroversy as to whether the sinneris completely helpless or not. Yet inspite of much discussion concerninghow much man can contribute to hisown salvation, there seems to be nodoubt that without the saving actionof Christ, man would not be re-

deemed" (p. 132). The Catholic maybelieve that the works of man con­tribute somewhat to man's salvationbut Protestants insist that man can donothing to save himself (Eph. 2:8f.).

Some Christians might feel thatwhile not at all in favor of Protestant­Catholic union still these dialogues af­ford opportunity to witness to theWord at God and to faith in Christ.Fr. Gustav Weigel, S.J., says, however,"The ecumenical movement is not anarena for the triumph of one Churchover another. It is a fraternal confron­tation of divided but brother Chris­tians. It is not the purpose of the ecu­menical dialogues to make conversions.It is an effort of Christian love to giveand receive witness to the gospel" (p.123). Yet one writer grants that as aresult of such conversations a Protes­tant might be converted to Catholic­ism, or vice versa, but speaks of thisas one of the risks of the ecumenicalactivity. But in spite of a tolerantspirit shown by ecumenical leaders inRomanism do not most Catholics de­sire that Protestants "return to the oneChurch under the one pontiff"?

Robert Brown says, "One of theFrench Protestant observers at the(Vatican) Council told me that thereare over two hundred joint Protestant­Catholic Bible study groups in Francetoday" (p. 38). The United Presby­terian Church has published a bookletentitled, "Conversations with RomanCatholics on the Nature of the Churchand on Ecumenisrn," as an aid to itsmembers in such dialogues (inter­church News, 1/66, p. 7).

This then is the trend which theliberal ecumenical leaders of our dayare vigorously promoting. More merg­ers among Protestant churchers are inprospect. Eastern Orthodox churchesare in the World Council. Finally theliberals will persuade Protestants thatthey should unite with the RomanCatholic Church. And so we come atlast to the one world church. As theapostasy deepens however, we lift oureyes heavenward, awaiting the comingof our Lord Jesus Christ.

TEACHERS NEEDEDby a large, expanding Christian schoolnear Washington, D.C. Kindergartenthrough high school- Excellent sal­aries - High scholastic standards.Write to: The Rev. Robert L. Thoburn,Director, The Fairfax ChristianSchool, 11121 Pope's Head Road, Fair­fax, Va. 22030, or call Mr. Thoburncollect 703-272-3040.

The Presbyterian Guardian

Collinsworth?s Lectures

III - Christ in the Old TestamentEdited by R. K. Churchill

I n the two preceding lectures wepresented a series of reflections,

which are almost entirely preliminaryto the great chain of thought to becontinued throughout this course. Inthe first we gave some of the provok­ing causes that impel us to these in­vestigations. We also offered somebrief explanations of the main pointsof difference between the Infant-bap­tists and the Anti-infant-baptists.These we reviewed in the last lecture,and it will be necessary to do so herebefore proceeding further with theseinvestigations.

I have said, and it is a matter ofrecord, that the Infant-baptist positiontouching the visible church of God,is, that it has remained in all ages,the same organic compact, or visiblechurch of God, since its organization,and that it will so continue to the endof the world. This is denied by theAnti-infant-baptists. They assume thatthe present church visible is not thechurch that existed before the comingof Chrsit or John the Baptist, as be­fore stated. All parties freely admit,however, that the old church or con­gregation was made up of adults andinfants. To this not a dissenting voicehas ever been heard.

If, then, the Infant-baptists succeedin showing the continuation of thisold church, the question of infantmembership is forever settled. Thereshould be no further controversy onthat point. I have said that this isdenied by the Anti-infant-baptists.They urge, that the old church ceasedto exist; its covenant ceased to exist;the will of God relative to its exist­ence was fulfilled and it passed out ofexistence about the time of John andChrist in the world, or the time ofthe Apostles.

No SubstanceNow our opposers hold that the

dealings of God with the old church,prior to the coming of Christ, wereall symbol, shadow and type; and Iwill now read you from Howell's

March. 1966

work entitled The Way of Salvation,pages 272-3. Here are his words:

What is the precise relation between theJewish church under the law, and theChristian church under the gospel? Canit be readily determined? Are they "thesame church under different dispensa­tions"? Their precise relations are, I an­swer, those between a shadow and itssubstance.

Now this quotation cannot be mis­understood: that there is just as muchdifference between the church of Godunder the Jewish dispensation, as it iscalled, and the church of God, inthe present age, as there is betweenthe shadow of that tree and the treeitself. The tree is substance, while theshadow is simply a reflection of thesubstance. But they tell us there wasno more reality in the church that ex­isted before the coming of Christ, nomore spiritual substance in it thanthere is of material substance in theshadow of a tree. What is this butunblushing infidelity?

Before I read further I desire toask the reader a question. What hasbecome of all the people that livedbefore the coming of Christ ? You tellus, Dr. Howell, there was nothing butshadow before the coming of Christ;that there was no spiritual regenera­tion for the church or any humanbeing that lived during these fourthousand years. What became of thosepeople? Are they all saved or lost?If saved, how were they saved? Werethey saved without a Christ, withouta substance? But I read further:The Christian is not a continuation ofthe Jewish Church; they are not thesame church under different dispensa­tions; but the Jewish church is a typeof the Christian church. The proof ofthis proposition occupies a large space inthe Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews. Thepeople, the sacrifices, the temple, thepriesthood in all the forms of Jewishworship, were typical; figures for thetime then present, and to continue tillthe reformation - the coming of Christ.They were the patterns of things in theHeavens. The 'Holy Places made withhands' were the figures of the true. Whatis true of all the parts, is unquestionablytrue of the whole; all the parts of the

Jewish church were figurative of thingsin the Gospel Church; therefore, theJewish Church as a whole was a figure,or type, of the Gospel Church. Abraham,the type of Messiah, was the head of theJewish Church; of the Christian ChurchChrist Himself is the head. The naturalseed of Abraham received circumcisionto entitle them to membership in theJewish Church; his spiritual seed - thosewho believe in Christ, upon a professionof which they are baptized - receive re­generation to entitle them to member­ship in the Gospel Church.

No Spiritual ChurchThen, according to this quotation

there was no regeneration for thewhole time prior to the coming ofChrist. They had no circumcision ofthe heart to introduce them into thespiritual church of Christ. Then, ac­cording to this there was no spiritualwork called regeneration prior to thecoming of Christ in the flesh, and ifthis be true all those who lived at thattime are lost beyond hope. What doyou call it? I have said it is infidelity!

The natural seed of Abraham, by rightof the covenant of circumcision, inheritedthe earthly Canaan; the spiritual seed -­by right of the covenant of grace, in­herit the Canaan that is above. Underthe law, sacrifices were literal, and of­fered only by priests; under the gospelsacrifices are spiritual.

According to Dr. Howell, therewere no spiritual sacrifices until Christcame, none at all. Before Christ camewe had all shadow and no substance;now we have all substance and notype. That is the exact difference be­tween the church and God's dealingwith it, then and now; and that is theteaching of a minister who claims tobelong to the only true visible churchof God in the world! What do youthink of it? Again I read from Dr.Howell, in his book on the covenant,page 130:

What, then, is the true teaching of thecovenants on this subject? It is mostplain and obvious. In the Jewish or typi­cal church, all was external and earthly.The church itself was national, and con­fined (?) in its membership to the He­brews. Literal descent from Abraham,with circumcision, conferred a full right

37

What has become of those who lived before the coming of Christ?to all its privileges. Its services weresymbols. Nor did its worship necessarilydemand any spiritual qualification.

Now, we see according to this itsworship did not necessarily demandany spiritual qualification! What be­came of all the people that lived be­fore the coming of John the Baptist?These are serious questions, and arenecessarily called out in the course ofthese thoughts. Of the Christianchurch he says further:

I ts worship (the Christian church) de­mands the homage of the heart; for Godis a spirit, and they that worship Him,must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

No Spiritual WorshipIf the above be true there was no

spiritual worship before the comingof Christ. But the same author con­tinues:

This is the true and only scriptural anal­ogy between the Jewish church and theChristian church. The covenants, there­fore, prove conclusively that repentancetowards God, and faith in our LordJesus Christ, are essential qualificationsfor membership in the Church of theRedeemer.

Well, what has become of all thepeople that lived in those days ofshadows? Where has the venerableIsaiah, the evangelical prophet, gone?Where is Abraham, the father? Whereis Enoch? Will you tell me? In thelast account I have of him God tookhim away soul and body, without theold man feeling a pain of death. Hehad no regeneration of heart, ifHowell is right. It was all shadow,symbol, and type; no spiritual workback there at all. I can not believe it.What became of Elijah? What is thelast account we have of him? He wastaken up to Heaven in a chariot offire. Yet, we are told all was shadow,all pattern! The ladies understandwhat is meant by a pattern. They cutpieces for a bed-quilt by a pattern,but they know the pattern is not thebed-quilt. And so, through the wholeeconomy of God from the days ofAdam to the coming of John, theyhad nothing but patterns.

But there is another book by theRev. Mr. Hillsman, a Baptist ministerof West Tennessee. Well, Mr. Hills­man, have you any correct informationtouching the covenants, and the char­acter of the church before the comingof Christ? "Yes, sir, I think I have; Ihave published a little book called TheTwo Covenants, and there you willfind my views." Page 16:

38

This covenant, and its promises, werealso typical of the new covenant orchurch, which grew out of another cov­enant which I will explain hereafter,and which is called the 'covenant ofgrace'. The promise to Abraham of anumerous posterity was a type of be­lievers who were to compose the Chris­tian church.

That is, there were no believersprevious to the coming of Christ, butall was type of believers, who wereto compose the Christian church.

Now I read from page 32. Aftermaking this remark about the char­acter of the two churches, one passingaway and the other continuing, hesays:

If so, then hasten a change, a changewhich annihilates all the laws of worshipof the Jewish church.

Unblushing InfidelityAnnihilates them all! Blots them

out of existence. There is no suchthing existing now as then existed,and no such thing existing then asnow exists. It is a complete annihila­tion of all the laws of worship thatantedated the coming of John theBaptist. What do you call it? It isnothing but unblushing infidelity. Therequirements of love, of a change ofheart, of circumcision of the heart­all are annihilated. We again quote:

There has been a change in all the lawsof the church which existed beforeChrist; notwithstanding, therefore, in­fants were formerly in the Jewishchurch, it must be shown that they wereto be received into the church of Christbefore, of course, they can belong to thechurch of Christ.

Mr. Hillsman has here wiped outeverything, church worship, laws andall - a complete annihilation of thewhole thing, and all this has beendone to get rid of infant member­ship. But further, on page 43, weread:

Baptists have always taught and main­tained that circumcision under the law,while it was a badge of national distinc­tion, was a type of regeneration, whichwas to distinguish the true Israel of God,the Church of the Redeemer.

The old circumcision was a type ofregeneration, which is peculiar to thechurch of the new dispensation. It wasnot known to the old church at all.This is precisely the same skepticismand infidelity seen in Dr. Howell'sbooks. And because we Infant-baptists

are not willing to have the spiritualityof the Old Testament wrenched out ofit, and believe in an old-time Biblechurch that started under a covenantof God, and plead for a continuationof that church with a living, savingChrist in it; and that God's work hasbeen a spiritual work-a regenerationof the heart and soul in all ages, andthat Enoch was translated while hespiritually walked with God, andElijah was taken to Heaven when hissoul was on fire with the Spirit ofGod; because we plead for all this,and for the perpetuation of that oldchurch of God, we and our childrenmust be excluded from the presentvisible church, by our Anti-infant­baptist brethren. Heaven forbid thatwe should tamely submit to any suchdecree of banishment, unless it shallbe shown by better evidence than wehave yet found, that it has been issuedfrom the Throne of the Eternal.

On page 44 Mr. Hillsman con­tinues:

The circumcision of Christ, then, is theputting off of the sins of the flesh. It isregeneration, the very thing typified bythe circumcision of Moses.

According to this author the regen­eration, then, of the present age, ofthe present church, is the antitype, thevery thing typified by the circumcisionof Moses, which is the putting off ofthe body of the sins of the flesh.

No New Birth Before ChristThat is spiritual circumcision. There

was none before the coming of Christ,and there was no such thing as theputting off of the body of sins untilChrist came in the flesh.

I now read from a book written byAlexander Campbell, which at first hewas pleased to call Christianity Re­stored; but in a few years he changedits name to The Christian System. Ithas been in the world for many years.In 1866, three years after his death,his people republished it without noteor comment, and, of course it reflectedtheir views. On page 261 he says:

But Jesus had a Kingdom in his eye andin his discourse, before he ever men­tioned being "born again" to Nicodemus;for unless there was a family, a state, ora kingdom to be born into, it is impos­sible for anyone to be born into it. Andif the Kingdom of Heaven only beganto be after Jesus entered into Heaven;

The Presbyterian Guardian

or if it was only approaching from theministry of John to the day of Pentecost,then it would have been preposterous in­deed - an incongruity of which no in­spired man was ever guilty - to callany change of heart or life a regenera­tion or a new birth.

Here you see that Mr. Campbelldenies any regeneration. That whilethere might have been somethingcalled a change of heart before thedays of John and Christ, yet, therewas no such thing as being born again,no such thing as regeneration. He saysit would be preposterous to say so­an incongruity that no inspired manwould be guilty of. Mr. Campbellcontinues:

I t is true that good men in all ages weremade such by facts, testimony, faith andfeeling, by a change of heart, by theSpirit of God; but the analogy or figureof being born, or of being regenerated,only began to be preached when theKingdom of Heaven began to bepreached and men began to press into It.

Here then it is taught that therewas no regeneration prior to the com­ing of John; and Mr. Campbell in hisbook on Baptism, pages 107-8 comesout plainer than that and says, thatwhile the people that lived beforethe coming of Christ had what wascalled a change of heart, yet theyhad no regeneration at all. There is adistinction here made between changeof heart and regeneration. I mightread further from Mr. Campbell, butthat will do. That is The ChristianSystem. It says there was no regenera­tion, no new birth for 4,000 years.

I will now read from a book ofsermons called The Living Pulpit ofthe Christian Church. These sermonsare by twenty-eight of the leadingpreachers of the Reform (Camp­bellite) Church. In that book Rev.Mr. Fanning has a sermon on theKingdom of God, and in his prelimi­nary statement, he says the generationsof earth for 4,000 years passed awaywithout hope. How well this works inwith those symbolical works and shad­ows! No substance - all types andshadows. All these were annihilatedand the generations of earth passedaway without hope. No Savior forthem! No spirituality for them! Gonewithout hope! Gone without God!Gone without Christ!

CHRIST IN THE OLD TESTAMENTAnd now, in opposition to all these,

I want to consult a better book. ThankGod! We have something more re­liable to go to. The work of identity

March. 1966

is now before us, and we want to pre­sent it in a light so strong that it willtend somewhat to the settlement ofthese vexed questions, and show theAnti-infant-baptists what we believeto be the Bible doctrine.

First, is the Christ that now existsas the Christian's Christ, the Christ ofthe Old Testament? Did He exist asChrist before He came in the flesh?This is the first question to be settled.If there was no Christ in the Abra­hamic church, it would have been ofno value. If the fallen race needed aChrist 4,000 years ago, and were with­out a Christ, then Fanning was rightwhen he said they passed away with­out hope. Now I do not believe oneword in this theory, that in the OldTestament all were shadows and types.

Now, we come to settle that ques­tion, and I trust you will try to divorceyou; minds from everything else. Ifyou do not, I shall be talkmg to nopurpose, and you will not see thesethings as I see them; if I talk of onetning, while you think of another, Ishall talk in vain; if your minds areon the alert for some argument tooffset what I have said, you will notbe instructed. You ought, in justice toyourself, to me and to the questionsinvolved, to lay aside everything thatis secondary. Now, try to do that; thequestion is: Did Christ exist as Christ,before He came in the flesh? I haveread from Anti-infant-baptist booksthat try to show that He did not. Iwill now read from the Bible to showHe did:

The Spiritual RockMoreover, brethren, I would not that yeshould be ignorant, how that all ourfathers were under the cloud, and allpassed through the sea; and were allbaptized unto Moses in the cloud andin the sea; and did all eat the samespiritual meat; and did all drink thesame spiritual drink: for they drank ofthat spiritual Rock that followed them;and that Rock was Christ (I Corinth.10: 1-4).

If Christ was not with them, Paulwrote falsely. He says they drank ofthat spiritual Rock that followed themand that Rock was Christ. It wasChrist, not a type of Christ. Some havegone out into the wilderness to therock Moses smote, out of which cameliteral water, and said this is the rockPaul meant; and that he meant to say,it was a type of Christ. How bewilder­ing it is. Unfortunately for them, Paulleft "type" out. In their own transla­tions they cannot find it. In Mr. Camp-

bell's, Mr. Anderson's, the Baptist re­vised translation, in none that wasever made can we find "type." Theyall say, "That Rock was Cbrist:" Now,did the Hebrews have Christ, as Christ,with them? Paul says they did. DidMoses? Paul says he did. It is true,or it is false. Let us settle the ques­tion as we go along.

Christ, then, was with Moses, whenhe led the children of Israel across theRed Sea. He was not there merely asa typical Christ, as a prospectiveChrist, but as Christ present with Hispeople; and all their spiritual supplieswere drawn from the Christ who waswith them. Mr. Howell says, all be­fore the coming of Christ in the fleshwas "type" and "shadow." Paul saysthey had Christ with them, and thisshould settle it forever with everyone.They had the two rocks there. Theywere thirsty and perishing for thewater of this life. They were outwardlyin the same condition that they wereinwardly, in relation to spiritual mat­ters. In that condition, God seeks tomake a lasting impression upon theirminds:Behold I will stand before thee thereupon the rock in Horeb (Exodus 17: 6).

How was that? There was thenatural rock to supply their naturalthirst, and there was the spiritual Rockstanding on the natural rock, to fur­nish spiritual water to quench thethirst of the soul. There is no dodgingthe question, and it is infidelity thattries to do it. Well, that is one step.

Now, let us see if we can find aChrist further back. Can we find Himanterior to this? Let us walk step bystep:By faith Moses, when he was come toyears, refused to be called the son ofPharaoh's daughter: choosing rather tosuffer afHiction with the people of God,than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for aseason; esteeming the reproach of Christgreat riches than the treasures in Egypt:for he had respect unto the recompenseof the reward (Heb. 11: 24-26).

With Moses in EgyptReproach of whom? Christ. Where?

In Egypt. When he was in the pres­ence or Pharaoh. When he had it inhis power to lay one h111d on thepyramid of the kingdom and theother on the throne, he refused all.Why? Because he had riches abovethat. He had Christ with him. Wherewas he? In the dark land of Egypt.Who was with him? The people of

(continued on page 46)

39

INTERIOR OF THE OOSTBURG CHURCHTHE SESSION OF BETHEL CHURCHBack row: Lloyd Theune, Howard Veldhorst, PastorDonald Stanton, Howard Le Mehieu.Front row: Adrian Buyze, Earl De Master, clerk,John Daane.

Glenn Russell Coie

A boating accident on Saturday,March 5 brought an end to the

earthly life of the Rev. Glenn R. Coie,pastor of Sharon Orthodox Presby­terian Church of Hialeah, Florida.With a group of young people he hadgone to Naples for an outing with agroup from Covenant PresbyterianChurch, whose pastor is the Rev.George Knight.

Starting out in good weathershortly after 11 o'clock in the DaySailor, the Rev. Messrs. Knight andCoie and four young people sailedthrough a pass into the gulf. In turn­ing about after a short sail up thebeach the mainsheet fouled in theauxiliary motor and the 17-foot boatcapsized before the line could becleared. The time was about 12: 15 andthey were perhaps three-quarters of amile offshore.

By that time the wind had pickedup and they were drifting southwardand away from where they might bespotted. Mr. Knight decided to swimto shore for help, and Mr. Coie, agood swimmer, and four girls, agesnine to seventeen, with life jackets,clung to the boat and were in goodspirits. Mr. Coie succumbed, however,while still clinging to the boat, some­what less than an hour after it hadcapsized. When the craft first turnedover he had assisted in rescuing theyoungest girl who was underneath. Itmay be that the extra exertion coupledwith the strain of clinging to the boatas the waves increased to perhaps tenfeet in the rising wind was too much

40

for his heart. In any event, he lostconsciousness and finally slipped fromthe boat. The cause of death was listedas "drowning by asphyxiation."

Meanwhile Mr. Knight had reachedKeewaydin Island and a Club near thepass where he met two Coast Guards­men, already summoned by others butconfused as to directions that had beengiven. He joined them in their boatto search for the Day Sailor, whichwas found about two miles south ofthe pass and a half mile from shoreapproximately two hours after it hadcapsized. The four girls were rescuedunharmed after their ordeal but Mr.Coie's body was not to be seen. It wasspotted a couple of hours later fromthe air near shore at the end of theisland, some six miles from the pass,with his right leg caught in the main­sheet of the vessel.

A memorial service was held inHialeah on the following Wednesday,led by the Rev. Robert Atwell of theGalloway Church, Miami and the Rev.LeRoy Oliver, general secretary of thedenominational Committee on HomeMissions. The Rev. Jack Peterson ofthat committee and ministers of thePresbytery of the South were also pres­ent. Interment was in Eugene, Ore­gon, with the graveside service incharge of the Rev. Glenn Black. Amemorial fund for the benefit of homemissions has been established.

Mr. Coie was born in St. Joseph,Missouri December 31, 1905. Hespent his early life in Oregon, graduat­ing from Albany College and teachingin that state for three years beforeentering Westminster Seminary. After

B ethel Church, Oostburg, Wiscon­sin, is host to the 33rd General

Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyte­rian Church. Professor John Murrayof Westminster Seminary has been in­vited to bring a message at a Com­munion service to be held on Mondayevening, April 25, under the auspicesof the Session.

Assembly business begins on Tues­day the 26th at 9 a.m. with the Rev.Robert Eckardt, Moderator of the32nd Assembly, preaching.

A conference for pastors and homemissionaries runs from Friday evening,April 22 through Monday afternoon.

his graduation in 1934 he marriedGladys McCornack, his faithful help­meet through the years. He led someseventy charter members out of thePresbyterian Church in the U.S.A. inthe fall of 1936 to form the West­minster Church in Bend, Oregon.From there he went in 1944 to thelittle flock (15 members) of KnoxChurch, Silver Spring, Md., where helabored for more than a decade andleft a thriving congregation. After ashorter pastorate in Long Beach hereturned to his first love as a homemissionary in Hialeah eight years ago.Mr. Coie was the Moderator of the31st General Assembly which met inSilver Spring in 1964.

Mr. Coie is survived by his widow,who will be moving to the Long Beacharea later this spring, where his onlyson, Robert, and his family live. Hisaged mother, whom the Coies hadbeen caring for, will be in a home inNew Jersey. A sister, Mrs. FranklinFaucette, resides in Elkins Park, Pa.and his brother, Bruce, is the pastorof Valley Church, Santee, Calif.

The Presbyterian Guardian

{

~ ~liJtiaIl-GUARDIAN

EDITORRobert E. Nicholas

All correspondence should be ad­dressed to The Presbyterian Guardian,7401 Old York Road, Phila., Pa. 19126

Mr. 'Home Missionary'

The Orthodox Presbyterian Churchhas had and will have many capa­

ble home missionaries, but seldomdoes one find a man who combinesso many outstanding qualifications asdid Glenn Coie. His example is achallenge to others to consider thechurch's need for dedicated steward­ship. Too few of us measure up any­where near to our God-given potentialof talent and energy.

Glenn Coie was a seemingly tirelesslaborer in the Lord's vineyard. Meticu­lous in his attention to detail, he neverlost sight of the goal. The two con­gregations which he served as a homemissionary-pastor from the time oftheir being but a small nucleus-Knoxof Silver Spring and Sharon of Hialeah-are living reminders of the fruit ofhis toil that the sovereign God waspleased to give.

His approach to people was warmand direct, and in personal work aswell as in preaching he made it clearthat the ministry of the gospel wasurgent business. He never asked othersto do what he was unwilling to dohimself. He spent much time in thetraining of leaders and in establishingresponsible organizations within hischurches. Yet with all his enthusiasmfor work he included much time fordaily meditation upon the Word andprayer. He had learned well this secretof a well-ordered and full life forChrist.

It was fitting that the Lord shouldhave called him home while on anouting with a group of young people.This writer's first contact with himwas many years ago in a youngpeople's conference in Oregon. Thelessons of that experience were unfor­gettable. Both in appearance and inheart his youthfulness to the very endbelied his sixty years. We can think

March. 1966

of no tribute better captures the gen­uineness of this man ot Christian loveand joy than the words of a childin his congregation who, when askedon the Sunday morning after his deathwhere Mr. Coie was, replied: "Whyhe's up in heaven shaking hands witheverybody he meets."

R.E.N.

Lutheran-Reformed TalksI n a concluding statement last month

following the fourth in a series ofconversations begun in 1962, repre­sentatives of various Presbyterian andLutheran bodies were "encouraged tobelieve that further contacts will leadto further agreement between thechurches. We regard none of theseremaining differences to be of suffi­cient consequence to prevent fellow­ship."

Named in news releases as amongthe participants-though not membersof the participating Lutheran Federa­tion or Alliance of Reformed and Pres­byterian Churches-were the MissouriSynod Lutheran, the Christian Re­formed, and the Orthodox Presby­terian Churches. It should be notedthat Dr. Van Til, of the latter body,did not take part in this meeting. liehad stated as early as 1964 in his re­port to the General Assembly that.there is not the faintest likelihoodthat I would be able to agree withany formulation of something ap­proaching a Lutheran-Reformed con­sensus that this group may finallypresent."

The February statement also said:"We have recognized in each other'steachings a common understanding ofthe gospel and have concluded thatthe issues which divided the twomajor branches of the Reformation canno longer be regarded as constitutingobstacles to mutual understanding andfellowship." We may do well to recallwhat opponents of Orthodox Presby­terian participation said in 1963 whenthe matter was first broached. Theyinsisted that "the modern ecumenicalmovement proceeds on the assumptionthat you meet as churches, but not inan ecclesiastical situation where anydiscipline can be applied. First youtalk about fellowship, then look at theactuality of the situation, and thenseek to build fellowship on the basisof this existing situation ..." (Pres­byterian Guardian,May 1963, p. 78).

Initially we were inclined to agreewith ,rthose who felt we should alwaysbe willing to talk. with anyone and

witness to our posrtron everywherewithout being too fearful of possiblemisrepresentation. We are satisfiedthat a faithful witness was made bythe representative of the OrthodoxPresbyterian Church, for Dr. Van Tilwas able to present his views in majorspeeches at the earlier meetings. It wasand is apparent, however} that thegreat majority of those who engagedin these conversations jake for granteda common agreement as to the gospel~nd see IW barriers to fellowship evenIn communion at the Lord's Table,according to their, consensus statement,With this inclusivist attitude as abasisfor hopes of further contact, the realissues that divide Protestantism areconveniently bypassed. Divergentviews on the authority"of Sc~ipture;the person of Christ, the content ofthe gospel-differences that cut acrossdenominational lines-are ignored.

It seems plain that further involve­ment within the structure of suchfaulty presuppositions would be bothfutile and traught "with increasinglikelihood of compromise to any con­sistent biblical witness on our part.The truth may be furthered by honestdebate but hardly by undefined dia­logue on these terms. Our efforts maybe more fruitful if directed towardconversations with those with whomwe share a like precious faith. Herewe have at least a sound and scrip­tural basis from which to seek to re­solve differences.

R.E.N.

EDITOR'S MAIL BOXDear Sir:

The wisdom that is from above isfirst pure, then peaceable ..." The

first requirement is to be right our­selves, for only then can we be ofreal help to others. If the OrthodoxPresbyterian founding fathers wereright in 1936, we have been right eversince. If we are right it follows thatthose of choice and decision other thanour own were and are wrong.

Without questioning the good in­tention and sincerity of anyone's ad­herence to the faith, can a true be­liever be truly faithful and yet alwayspro-positive and un-negative in faithand life? To be for the truth is to beagainst all that is against it. It is afeeble protest that decides in advancethat whatever comes no drastic .actionwill be taken. The dominant mood ofecumenism forbids all action of sepa­ration. "Whatever happens, we stayin" -many are saying.

The call to come out and be sep-

4/J-.

arate, however, is in the air-responseto which should be delayed no longer."Now is the time." When Christ says,"Come," that is the time to rise andfollow, regardless of any contrary con­sideration whatsoever. No cost of anykind should be allowed to interfere.As a friend of mine once said. "Bet­ter lose my church than lose myChrist."

What does the Lord require? "Seekye first the kingdom of God . . . Setyour affection on things above." Trustand obey, for "not every one thatsaith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enterinto the kingdom of heaven; but hethat doeth the will of my Father."What difference does it make whatothers say or do, or what we may becalled upon to suffer and endure?

"Blessed are they which are perse­cuted for righteousness' sake: for theirsis the kingdom of heaven. Blessedare ye, when men shall revile you, andpersecute you, and shall say all mannerof evil against you falsely, for mysake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad:for great is your reward in heaven."

Sincerely yours,JOHN C. RANKIN

Worcester, N. Y.

Dear Sir:

I am a student at Princeton Theolog­ical Seminary, a ministerial candi­

date under the Presbytery of the Ever­glades of the Presbyterian Church US.There were two features in the Jan­uary 1966 edition of the Guardianwhich particularly attracted my atten­tion.

First, as an orthodox Calvinist Iwas greatly interested in the editorial"Are We Ready?" The questionswhich were raised concerning themethod of approaching and influenc­ing other less orthodox Presbyterianswithout compromising our own Re­formed faith were of vital importanceto me as a seminarian. I agree thatthese questions cannot be easily an­swered; yet we must find answers ifwe are to continue to challenge theworld and even our weaker brotherswith our faith. These questions aremy own questions at Princeton Sem­inary. I thank you for raising them ina broader context than mine. Perhapsthe Orthodox Presbyterian Church isin a unique position to assist its equallyorthodox brethren in other commun­ions to find answers to these problemswhich affect the entire nature of the

42

proclamation of our Reformed andChristian faith. I am in hearty agree­ment with the attitudes expressed inthis feature.

Second, during my first semester ofthis academic year I worshipped withthe congregation of the Grace Churchin Trenton, New Jersey, and greatlyappreciated the ministry and friend­ship of Rev. Donald Parker. Withdeep appreciation for the ministries ofthe Presbyterian Guardian and of theOrthodox Presbyterian Church, I am,

Sincerely yours in Christ,ROBERT R. HANN

Princeton, N. J.

Are We Ready?Dear Sir:

Regarding your editorial "Are WeReady?" I certainly agree with

your statements on the reason for theexistence of the Orthodox PresbyterianChurch, and time has proven her valuein her witness in "contending for thefaith which was once delivered untothe saints." I have always had thegreatest admiration and Christian lovetor the ministers of our denomination.Indeed, they are the gift of JesusChrist to his church. Faithful pastorsthrough many years have taught us inthe pew how to discern the modern­ist, the libral, the cultist, etc. Person­ally, I am not able to thank themenough for what lowe to their min­istry and teaching.

in their teaching great emphasis hasbeen placed on the matter of corporateresponsibility-to the extent that it isof "keystone" importance in our ap­proach to other communions. And so,Mr. Editor, you will need much ofthat patience you write about as manyof us take a more penetrating look atwhat is required of us regarding theproposed Confession of 1967 of theUPUSA, and what is practically amandate adopted by our 1965 GeneralAssembly.

Certainly we need guidelines pro­perly thought out in our approach tothose who seek our help trom thatapostate church, a church that becauseof my indoctrination I call the modern"Church of Sardis." Not the least ofthe guidelines should be an examina­tion by Presbytery and provisional per­mission given to any candidate seekingthe pastorate of any of our vacantpulpits who comes out of that Churchof Sardis or, for that matter, out of

any communion with which we do nothold the required relationship. Fromexperience I am certain that such aprocedure would prevent strained feel­ings on the part of the local congro?­gation, the Presbytery, and the candi­date. In other words, the peace andharmony of the church is of utmostimportance.

You mention the "whole new gen­eration that is forced to face up to thisbattle for the faith." This is indeedhard for me to understand and it isat this point that I should pray forthat patience. It is most apparent thatyoung men seeking the ministry inthose churches are far above averagein intelligence and in most cases taketime and trouble to know all they canabout the denominational witness, itshistory, and the type of leadership inthe particular communion to whichthey intend to commit a liftime ofservice. So, in most cases, if not inall, they enter with eyes wide open.It would seem that the liberal ap­proach with its emphasis on the hu­manitarian approach has a great at­traction for them: i.e., the brotherhoodof man, peace marches, picket lines,political action, dialogue, etc.-which,to their way of thinking, is "the gos­pel relevant to our day."

Fools for ChristCertainly a look must have been

taken by this "new generation" at thewitness of the Orthodox PresbyterianChurch. It cannot be new to them.They did not see in our denominationany richly endowed churches in whichto minister; they could not find anysinecures or anything that might leadin that direction. What they did seewas "fools for Christ's sake," dedi­cated men "wasting" their time living,preaching, and teaching the old-fash­ioned gospel. Furthermore, as manyof these "fools" became older, theytalked not about retirement and pen­sions and the Golden Age, but ratherhave taken up more hard and chal­lenging work as if they were just start­ing out. Yes, they are a special breed,and so are the younger men enteringour ministry who are fully aware ofthe challenge for Christ's sake. Theyhave already been to the 1930's and,if you will, to the Reformation, butin particular to the Word, and theyknow that "woe is unto them if theypreach not the gospel!"

Certainly, I am not afraid of this"contamination" you mention in your

The Presbyterian Guardian

,

Highlights of a report to the 33rd General Assembly

Home Missions andChurch Extension

editorial. We are instructed to inviteothers to walk the streets of Zion andtell of the towers thereof, but also to"mark well her bulwarks." However,to defend the bulwarks, we need triedand true warriors, alert "watchmen"-worthy workmen rightly handlingthe Sword of the Spirit; and we needto heed the scriptural warning, "Layhands suddenly on no man."

I am not in disagreement with whatour denomination is attempting to doin offering help. The advertisementsare very good-far more to the point

The following home mission fieldsreceived support during part or all

of 1965:Bangor, Maine: Pilgrim Church, the

Rev. George Haney, Jr. (fifth year ofaid).

Chula Vista, Calif.: Bayview Church,the Rev. Robert Graham (fifth year ofaid).

Eugene, Oregon: Chapel, the Rev.Glenn Black (entire support).

Grand Junction, Colo.: Bethel Church,the Rev. John Verhage (fifth year, withPresbytery of Dakotas cooperating in fi­nancial aid) - building in process oferection.

Gresham-Zoar, Wise.: Old StockbridgeChurch and Menominee Chapel, the Rev.Henry Phillips.

Hacienda Heights, Calif.: Church, theRev. H. Wilson Albright (Committee co­operates with the Presbytery of SouthernCalifornia in support.)

Hamden, Conn.: Westminster Church,the Rev. William Moreau (Committeehas oversight at request of Presbyteryof New York and New England whichalso supplies financial aid).

Hamilton, Mass.: First Church, theRev. Wendell Rockey, Jr. - manse pur­chased.

Hatboro, Pa.: Trinity Church, theRev. Arthur Spooner (ninth year of aid)- new building occupied in November.

Hialeah, Fla. : Sharon Church, theRev. Glenn Coie (deceased, March, 1966).At the conclusion of eight years of aidthe congregation determined to becomeself-supporting as of January, 1966.

La Mirada, Calif.: Calvary Church,the Rev. Dwight Poundstone (resignedin October; licentiate Eugene Saltzennow stated supply). This congregationalso determined to become self-support­ing as of January, 1966, two years aheadof the time provided in the schedule ofaid.

March. 1966

that the crude "we - told - you - so- in ­1936" placards carried by pickets ofanother group, although the picketsare right in their conclusions. I be­lieve, however, that in our zeal to"enlarge the place of our tents,lengthen our cords, and strengthen ourstakes" great care must be taken by allconcerned, especially by our Presby­teries, when inviting anyone to be adefender of the walls of Zion withthem.

Cordially yours in Christ,WILFRED R. MOSES (Elder)Haddon Heights, N. J.

Lewiston, Maine: Trinity Church, theRev. Bernard Stonehouse (oversight bythe Committee at request of the Presby­tery which provides financial aid).

Marietta, Ohio: Faith Church, theRev. Stanford Sutton, who was ordainedand installed in October - future sitepaid for.

Miami, Fla.: Galloway Church, theRev. Robert Atwell (fifth year of aid).

Oklahoma City, Okla.: Knox Church,the Rev. Carl Ahlfeldt (eighth year) ­adjacent corner lot with house acquired.

Stratford, N. J.: Church, the Rev.Jack Peterson (ninth year).

Thornton, Colo.: Immanuel Church,the Rev. Donald Taws (seventh year).

Vienna, Va.: Grace Church, the Rev.Laurence Vail (second year).

Vineland, N. J.: Spanish EvangelicalChapel.

ActivitiesNo new fields were opened in 1965,

though full support of Marietta, Ohiowas begun in July. In 1966 the Com­mittee plans to open new work inWest Palm Beach, Florida and to ap­point missionaries to labor in southernCalifornia and in Maryland.

The Committee cooperated with theCommittee on Christian Education inthe preparation of a tract and an adrelated to the proposed Confession of1967. The Rev. Henry Coray wasasked to do some speaking on theWest Coast on that subject; and theGeneral Secretary, the Rev. LeRoy B.Oliver, visited ministers and membersof the UPUSA in various parts of thecountry. There is evidence that thereare many members of that denomina­tion who are troubled by the unsound

theology expressed in the Confessionof 1967, but it i$. not, yetdeat whatwill be the outcome of the debate.

During the summer the Rev. JackMiller edited certain materials forevangelism which are to be distributedin mimeographed form this year. TheDirectory of Churches seems to havemet a need in and outside the de­nomination.

Twelve seminarians were employedin self-supporting churches and homemission fields during the summer,eight of whom received either part orall of their salary from the Commit­tee. The program will continue in1966. The Committee cooperates withthe Department of Practical Theologyof Westminster Seminary in makingreports available to those who counselwith these students.

FinancesTotal general fund contributions in

1965 were just over $100,000, all but$4,000 of which came from OrthodoxPresbyterian sources. Regular giftsfrom OP churches increased by 12 per­cent. Bequests of nearly $6,000 werereceived. This Committee also admin­isters the contingent and church ex­tension funds, serves as fiscal agentfor the General Assembly and theoperation of the Administration Build­ing, and provides facilities for admin­istering a hospitalization plan estab­lished by the 32nd Assembly.

The contingent fund had $67,000in loans receivable, and cash on handas of December 31 was $10,000. Twoloans totaling $8,500 were made dur­ing 1965. From the church extensionfund $220,000 was outstanding inloans to churches, of which $44,500was lent during 1965. Present commit­ments of $35,000 will use up availablecash, and further new loans to churcheswill be possible only as additionalmoney is lent to the fund. As of De­cember 31 total loans to this fundwere $264,000, up $27,000 from theprevious year. It is to be noted thatchurches have maintained a consist­ently satisfactory repayment record.

The salary scale for home mission­aries now in effect runs from $340monthly in the first year of service to$448 in the tenth year, including ahousing allowance of $70 which isdeducted if a manse is provided. Utili­ties are paid in addition in propor­tionate shares by the church and Com­mittee, and the usual proportion ofsocial security and pension payments.

43

The Overly Prickly Church

I t was an Orthodox Presbyterianminister that I first heard refer

to his denomination as the "overlyprickly church." He was being a bitsarcastic, perhaps. But as in most sar­casm, there was enough of the truthto make the ..remark-well, prickly.

Certainly there are plenty of people-many outside, some inside the Orth­oduw Presbyterian Church-who wouldconsider this title as quite appropriate.We just do not seem to. get along toowell with anyone, even including our­selves.

What other thirty-year-old- churchhas had the squabbles we've had? Wewere poured from a crucible of bitter­ness and vindictiveness. It is certainlytrue that Machen and his friends weredisrupting the peace of the 'old church'-a church that wanted peace with un­belief. Those men refused to cooperatein the coercive efforts made to pre­vent their speaking God's truth. Nowonder they were thrown out!

So a new church was founded, theresult of expulsion and antagonism.Did the new denomination live peace­fully and happily ever after? Hardly!Scarcely a year had passed before wewere separated from that group of sin­cere and zealous Christians who be­came the Bible Presbyterian Church.And later on we succeeded in rubbingeach other so raw in the "Clark case"that we lost other valuable congrega­tions and ministers. Since then we'vestewed and simmered over the "Penielproblem," destroying one congregationin the process, losing a few more min­isters, and irritating many of our loyalmembers elsewhere.

Faults AdmittedNor do we seem to have too much

success in improving our relations withother church bodies. We talk for yearswith this committee or that, but noth­ing much seems to come of it. Thenwe take pen in hand to address our­selves to a sister church whose actionsdo not meet our approval. And wehave yet to find any organization ofgenerally evangelical churches withwhom we can cooperate.

Why? Are we really such an "ov­erly prickly church"? Who among us

44

JOHN J. MITCHELL

will deny that our tact and love havenot always been perfect? Who willinsist that we have fought every issuein the most God-honoring way? Andwho would be so bold as to say thatour approach to other Christians hasalways been as charitable and lovingas it ought?

No Orthodox Presbyterian would beso chauvinistic as to claim that allhonorableness, all humility, or evenall zeal for the truth is or has beenpossessed by us. Neither do we showthe fullest expression of love, hospi­tality, evangelistic zeal, or even simpleneighborliness to those outside ourbounds. Some of our "bad image" isdeserved; some of our reputation asthe "overly prickly church" we havebrought upon ourselves needlessly andsinfully.

But granted that the Orthodox Pres­byterian Church has been more pricklyat times than it ought to have been,and more irritated about certain mat­ters than it need to have been, andgranted that these failings ought to berepented of and corrected in us--Isthis all there is to our being an "ov­erly prickly church"?

No, it is not! Why do we have allthese ruckuses? They are painful toall, and no Christian really enjoysbeing at odds with anyone else. Butevery problem that we have had, fromour very beginning even until thisday, has stemmed from one basic con­cern. Whatever our faults and short­comings, the Orthodox PresbyterianChurch has sought to know God'struth as revealed in his infallibleWord, and has endeavored to applythat truth to every issue. Thorns andthistles we certainly have; but part ofour prickliness,. part of the sharpnessthat has been felt, has come from ourzeal to wield the two-edged sword.And so far as our prickly reputation isdue to this cause, we have no reasonto repent or to apologize!

The Cutting SwordSo what are we to do to improve

our image"? We should seek to bluntthe sharpness of 'our thorns, to turnthem into fruit-bearing grain-a mir­acle of horticulture possible only by

the working of the Spirit through thatWord which is his sword! But thesword itself also cuts; shall we put itback into its sheath? Never! This IS

what brought us into existence and itis still a reason for our continuingefforts. Let the Sword of the Spiritbe used, and God's glory made knownamong men!

There are men indeed who haveheard our witness for the truth, menwho have been impressed with ourzeal to obey God only-and men whohave also felt our overly prickly stance.For the thorns and thistles of ourharshness and lack of charity, we needto ask forgiveness and make suchamends as we can. But for the truthof God that has been proclaimed therecan be no apology.

How shall we treat those who lookat us with mixed feelings? Shall wesay to those who did not heed our wit­ness, "I told you so"? Shall we remindtodav's United Presbyterians that weforetold the apostasy of 1967? Shallwe smile condescendingly at our for­mer confederates who now agree thatthere should be eschatalogical libertyin the church?

No, these things are not for us todo. If the truth is seen more clearlynow than formerly, we must thankGod for it. If our witness had anypart in persuading others of thattruth, we must be grateful that Godhas used our efforts. And if there arethose who would now take a standwith us, then let them be welcomewith thanksgiving to God for the trueunity we can have in Jesus Christ.

Biblical PrinciplesBut are all those old questions re­

solved? Is it possible that Christianliberty is no longer a prickly issue?Is it true that all of us-e-or all Re­formed Presbyterians for that matter-are practicing abstainers? Even ifit were true, would that settle theproblem? There is still a principle­a biblical principle-involved. It is theprinciple of Christ's lordship aloneover the conscience of each believer.Are we agreed in principle? Then theprickles are gone, and there ought tobe full fellowship.

What about those in the 'oldchurch' who now see the dangers thatGod showed us a generation earlier?May the Lord give them strength tofight for the truth; may he even usethem to revive that church. But if thatbattle is lost, may the Lord lead those

The Presbyterian Guardian

Mr. Mitchell is a member of thePresbytery of Philadelphia and au/rrter for the Committee on ChristianEducation. His father was a charterminister in the denomination.

sheep to seek a pasture with us. Inwhat way shall we receive them? Mustwe ignore all the history from 1936u?til 1967? There was a biblical prin­ciple at stake back then. We insistedthat every Presbyterian had a corporateresponsibility for the actions of hischurch. If his church denied the truththen he shared the guilt. No on~should demand that a prospectivemember of the Orthodox PresbyterianChurch do public penance for everyerror of his former church! But surelyhe should be expected to know whatthose errors were, why the OrthodoxPresbyterian Church fought them, andwhere we stand in regard to them. Ifhe can freely and willingly, seek ourfellowship, knowing the facts andagreeing to stand with us, then thereought to be full fellowship extended.

By God's grace the Orthodox Pres­byterian Church has taken a stand forthe truth. It stands for the biblicaldoctrine of Christ's atonement, thebiblical doctrine of the Bible itself, thebiblical doctrine of Christian liberty, asystem of defending the faith basedon biblical principles, and an approachto sanctification taught in the Scrip­ture. It has a biblical zeal to pro­claim, defend, and apply the Word ofGod in doctrine and in life. Wherewe have erred, let the Sword of theSpirit be applied. Where we havestood for God's truth, let the truthstand forth as a banner to which menmay rally!

We may be an "overly pricklychurch." Where that is due to thornsin our midst, we must work to over­come them. But let us not play downthat cutting edge of the Sword.Rather, let us hold it aloft that menmay see it and glorify the God whogave his truth to sinful men for thesaving of their souls.

Neptune(from the cover)

the township of Neptune, New Jersey,a somewhat typical shore area residen­tial community, 60 miles south of NewYork City, It is appropriately namedafter a mythical god which is stillworshipped: "I really intended to

March. 1966

come to church, pastor, but somefriends dropped in unexpectedly, andwe simply had to take them to see theboardwalk." There are many otherdistracting idols. I do not know whothe god of bowling is, but I suspecthe has even more followers thanFather Neptune.

There have been a few heart-warm­ing conversions, and the more difficultto perceive spiritual growth of be­lievers has also been seen here. Butthis place of worship has not alwayswitnessed fruit of the spiritual va­riety. The building used to be a road­side peach market!

One may never know it now, butfive years ago there were bare raftersand in~ustrial fluorescent lamps wherethere IS now an accoustical ceilingwith delicate chandeliers. Where todaythere is a brick and windowed front­age, there used to be a series of slid­ing garage doors. Where there is nowa modest white steeple with stainlesssteel cross, there used to be a largered sign, reading "Green Grove Or­chard."

The beginning of this congregationgoes back to a living room on AshDrive where two Presbyterian fam­ilies met late in 1960. The H. C.Pipelings and B. R. Robinsons hadfound that there was no Presbyterianchurch in the whole township, andthere were no churches of any kindin the immediate area of their homes.With a little planning and a great dealof zeal the Neptune Christian SundaySchool held its first meeting in thePipeling home on December 4, 1960.

The children came, hesitantly atfirst; but within a few months therecreation room was crowded out. Theapparent success of this first effortprompted the group to begin holdingworship services. With the help oftwo senior students from WestminsterTheological Seminary, those servicesdid begin in March of the followingyear. As many others have discovered,while it is not difficult to invite peopleit is hard to persuade them to attendworship services held in a privatehome. This fact, coupled with coo-cooclock and telephone interruptions,made it plain that other accommoda­tions had to be found.

Grace Orthodox PresbyterianChurch, Westfield (the Robinsons'home church) helped in the search.Negotiations for the purchase of theSportsman's Club proved to be un­feasible, and this small group, by now

called Good Shepherd Chapel, seemedto be stymied. Then while travelingalong the highway with a real estateagent one spring day, Mr. Pipelingsaid, "See if we can rent that build­ing," pointing to a fruitstand. Therewas a loud burst of laughter, butGod reserved the last laugh for him­self!

Help of Grace ChurchNot only was the building available

for rent, but the owner, who had justsold the orchard to a developer, wasquite ready to sell it. With the helpof Grace Church, the property waspurchased, and dedicated to the wor­ship of God on May 28, 1961. Thebuilding's complete renovation tookplace that summer. Elder Bert Roeberproved to be of inestimable value ashe, along with some .local talent, pro­vided the much needed elbow grease.The man who constructed the fruit­stand originally was retained to do themasonry.

One of the beautiful new homes ofthe Green Grove Orchard Estates waspurchased as a manse for the Rev.Rollin P. Keller and his family. InMay 1964 the lot which joins thechapel and manse properties wasbought, making one large site. Now,largely because of the lack of spaceto handle the many children who at­tend Sunday school, the people arethinking in terms of modest buildingexpansion. Some classes are being heldin the manse.

Services include 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.worship, a Sunday school which meetsat 9:30, a mid-week house-to-houseBible study, and three active MachenLeague groups which meet during theweek. Two of the church's young menare finishing their first year of study atGordon College. Both feel definitelycalled to the ministry, one as a pastor,the other as a missionary.

Grace Church continues its finan­cial aid as the Good Shepherd con­gregation strives toward self-support,following a graduated schedule in re­duction of assistance from the motherchurch. Good Shepherd Church beginswith a charter membership of 40, only18 of whom are communicants. Pleasepray for the moving of God's Spiritin this community, and that leadershere will be granted humility andwisdom.

- ROLLIN P. KELLER

(Cover photos by Asbury Park Press)

45

He had the same Christ, the same gospel, the same covenant,the same rightousness by faith.

Collinsworth(from page 39)

God. Who else? Christ. And he lovedChrist so much, that he even esteemedthe reproach he bore for Him, morethan all the treasures of Egypt. Thereare not many of us who esteem Himso much as that. But few Christiansesteem the reproaches they bear forChrist greater riches than the "green­backs" and "gold" of this world. Butfew such as Moses now living thatare so taken up with Him who ap­peared to him in the bush, for it wasabsolutely Christ that appeared to himin the bush.

He constituted Moses the visiblemediator of the church to go down toEgypt to deliver his people out of theland of darkness. He told Moses whatto do if they would not believe him."What is that in thine hand?" "Arod." "Cast it down." He did so, andit was a serpent. Moses fled; but theSavior told him to take hold of it. Atthe bidding of Christ he seized it bythe tail, and it was turned into a rodagain. That convinced Moses. "Moses,put thy hand into thy bosom!" He didso, and when he took it out it wasleprous as snow. "Put thine hand intothy bosom again!" He put his handinto his bosom again, and when heplucked it out it was turned again ashis other flesh. There was in thosemiracles a convincing of Moses, thatthe divine Logos and head of thechurch was with him. Now, said He,work these signs.

Moses went down into Egypt andcast down his rod. The Egyptianmagicians had their rods convertedinto serpents, too: but the rod ofMoses swallowed up all their rods.There was demonstrated to Moses mEgypt so much of the Christ that ap­peared to him in the bush, that heesteemed even the reproach heapedupon him (consequent upon his takingthe part of Christ's people) greaterriches than all the treasures of Egypt.So He was there as a present realChrist, not as a prospective one, notas a shadow, or symbol, but absolutelyas Christ. We find him, then, withMoses in Egypt.

Now let us see if we can find Himanterior to that. What is the work be­fore us? It is to find Christ with Hispeople prior to His being with Mosesin Egypt.Brethren, I speak after the manner ofmen; though it be but a man's cove-

nant, yet if it be confirmed, no mandisannulleth or addeth thereto. Now toAbraham and his seed were the promisesmade. He saith not, And to seeds, as ofmany; but as of one, And to thy seed,which is Christ. And this I say, that thecovenant that was confirmed before ofGod in Christ, the law, which was fourhundred and thirty years after, cannotdisannul, that it should make the promiseof none effect (Galatians 3: 15-17).

Abraham's ChristWhat do we learn here? First, that

there was a covenant 430 years beforethe law of Moses, confirmed to Abra­ham. Second, that it was confirmed inChrist. Then Christ, as Christ, waswith Abraham 430 years before Hewas with Moses in Egypt. He wasAbraham's Christ, and he had thegospel preached unto him. Then haveyou any higher privileges than Abra­ham had? He had the Christ, youhave the Christ; you have the gospel,he had the gospel. Are you ahead ofhim? Was he not on a perfect levelwith you? He had the same Christ,the same gospel, the same covenant,the same righteousness by faith; and,hence, the propriety of his being "thefather of all them that believe."

Now with the thought that that oldchurch ceased to exist, and that Abra­ham had no family for 2,000 yearsafter he was buried we have this kindof a picture: that the father was deadand buried 2,000 years before hischildren were born. That our fatherlived in one church, in one age, underone covenant; and that we his chil­dren live in another age, out of thatcovenant, out of that church, under anew covenant, in a new church, neitherof which necessarily holds any connec­tion with the other. Can sensiblepeople believe that?

The covenant that makes Abrahamour father is the covenant that makesus his children. That covenant was inChrist; it was the gospel covenant; ithad the gospel in it; it embracedAbraham, and he had righteousness init by faith. This covenant constitutesus his family, his long drawn out line.First, the covenant was confirmed; sec­ond, it was 430 years before the law;third, it was in Christ. Then thecovenant was there, Christ was there,the gospel was there, and the churchwas organized under that covenant.Then, as the covenant was in Christ,

it was the church of Christ that wasorganized there; and He has neverforsaken it from that day to this, andHe never will. Now we have foundthat He existed as Christ in the daysof Abraham.

But now He comes to the Jews inthe flesh. Now he talks to the extendedfamily of the people He talked towhen He led them out of Egypt. Hehas been with them all the time as aspiritual Christ; but now He comesas a member of His own church, bornof the flesh of Abraham, in the Abra­hamic church under the Abrahamiccovenant, Christ now comes in theflesh as a member of His own church.Divinity and humanity are now unitedin one person in the church He loved;and He talks to that church:Your father Abraham rejoiced to see myday: and he saw it, and was glad (John8:56).

"Before Abraham Was""But," says one, "you are a little in

the brush there; you don't understandthe case at all. Abraham was a prophet,and seeing Christ's day, was glad andrejoiced." No; listen:Then said the Jews unto him, Thou arenot yet fifty years old, and hast thouseen Abraham? Jesus said unto them,Verily, verily, 1 say unto you, beforeAbraham was, 1 am (John 8:57-58).

He was before Abraham and Heconstituted Abraham the father of allhis organic family in all ages to come.Now we have found Christ beforeAbraham's time; can we go backfarther than that? A hundred yearswould be before, or one year wouldbe before; but how long before thetime of Abraham can we find Christ?Forasmuch as ye know that ye were notredeemed with corruptible things, assilver and gold, from your vain conversa­tion received by tradicion from yourfathers; but with the precious blood ofChrist, as of a lamb without blemish andwithout spot: who verily was foreor­dained before the foundation of theworld, but was manifest in these lasttimes for you (I Peter 1:18-20).

Here is Christ existing in a realand scriptural sense as the Jehovah,before the foundation of the world.All things were made by him; and with­out him was not anything made that wasmade (John 1: 3 ) .

Is that not enough? He was beforethe foundation of the world as Christ.He is the cornerstone of the founda­tion of the invisible and spiritual

46 The Presbyterian Guardian

church-the Redeemer. Since man felland needed help, He has been hishelper. Since man fell and needed aSavior He has been that Savior. Ifwhen man forfeited life, there hadbeen no one to extend life, he wouldhave been. without hope. But the planof salvation was completed; Christexisted; the Savior was there, andwhen man fell he was caught in theplan to save. Christ was foreordainedto save man as soon as he fell. He wasnot a prospective Christ, but was inthe Godhead before man was created.

"Before the World Was"And, now, I will read the language

of the Savior:T.hese words spake Jesus, and lifted uphIS eyes to heaven, and said, Father, thehour is come; glorify thy Son, that thySon also may glorify thee: as thou hastgiven him power over all flesh, that heshould give eternal life to as many asthou hast given him. And this is lifeeternal, that they might know thee, theonly true God, and Jesus Christ, whomthou hast sent. I have glorified thee onthe earth: I have finished the workwhich thou gavest me to do. And now,o Father, glorify thou me with thineown self with the glory which I had withthee before the world was (.John 17: 1-5).

Christ had glory with the Fatherbefore the world was-but how can Ispeak in sufficiently becoming termsof that Christ? He made a race. It fell.He loved it so much that he cameafter it. How rich was Heaven withits glory while He was there with theFather! How shall I talk about thatSavior who was enthroned in gloryand worshiped by angels before theworld began? As the poet has ex­pressed it:

How shall I my Savior set forthHow shall I his beauties declar~'

0, how shall I speak of his worth'Or what his chief dignities are?'

His angels can never expressNor saints, who sit nearest his throne

How rich are his treasures of grace' 'No, this is a secret unknown. '

0, the condescending love of thatever blessed Savior! While he couldhave remained upon His throne andthe whole race might have been lostto all eternity, and not an angel wouldhave mourned on account of it-Helaid aside his crown of glory andcame after us! He did not forget the$lory .. He did ~ot forget his posses­srons In the glorified land. But furtheralong in the same chapter, at the 24thverse:

Father, I will that they also whom thouhast given me be with me where I am'that they may behold my glory which

March. 1966

thou hast given me: for thou lovest mebefore the foundation of the world.

He prayed for that glorification be­fore going home to God, and whenhe went to his crown again, David,the sweet Psalmist of Israel, in visionsaw him in his pathless exit nearingthe citadel and says:Lift up your heads, 0 ye gates' and beyeo lift up ye everlasting doors;' and theKmg of glory shall come in. Who is thisK~ng of glory? The Lord strong andmighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Liftup your heads, 0 ye gates; even liftth~m up, ye everlastmg doors; and theKmg of glory shall come in. Who is thisKing of glory? The Lord of hosts, He isthe King of glory (Psa. 24:7-10).

Do you hear the songs? Do you seethe angels tune their harps and touchthe gentle chords, while mellow notesfloat through the celestial fields oflight, with hallelujahs to God andthe Lamb forever? The Savior has re­turned to Heaven; He wants us to bethere too.

R. E. S. ConferenceOpen to Laymen

The «;>nference on Christian thought. o~ life planned for Grand Rapids,

Michigan on July 26-28 is open to'l~ymen' as well as to pastors, mission­aries, and evangelists, it has beenstressed by Dr. Paul Schrotenboer,general secretary of the Reformed Ecu­menical Synod. Families are welcome,he noted, for this gathering on theKnollcrest campus of Calvin College.

Sponsored by North Americanchurches of the RES, this is an ecu­menical conference "for all who seekt~e Bible's answers to today's ques­tlons"-whatever their affiliation. Out­standing speakers from a half dozenPresbyterian and Reformed denomina­tions will challenge conferees at thethree-day sessions with the theme"Christ or Chaos."

On Wednesday afternoon a panelunder the chairmanship of S. BruceWIllson will "test our differences byGod's Word." Other panelists areJohannes Vos, Gordon Spykman, Je­rome De Jong, and Edmund Clowney.

Total registration for lectures, mealsand lodging is $24 and fees may bepro rated. Registration blanks are inthe hands of your pastor or may beobtained from the RES office, 729Upper Gage Avenue, Hamilton, On­tario, Canada.

New Enrollment PeriodFor Hospital Plan

I mmediate coverage for new partici­pants who enroll between April 1

and May 30 in the group hospital/medical plan established by the 32ndGeneral Assembly of the OrthodoxChurch has been announced by theCommittee on Hospitalization. By ar­rangement with Inter-County and BlueS~ield this additional enrollment pe­nod offers full and immediate cover­age (except for pregnancy) to allministers, elders, deacons, trustees, andother persons regularly employed bythe church and denominational agen­cies, including members of theirfamilies.

Contracts for those who enrolledlater than the initial period last fallwill be upgraded to provide the samebenefits now made available to newenrollees, it is stated. There are now135 individuals and families partici­p~ting in the group plan. Further de­tails may be obtained by writing tothe Committee on Hospitalization,7401 Old York Road, Philadelphia,Pa. 19126.

Trinity Christian CollegeNames De Jong President

D r. Alexander C. De Jong has been. a~p<:>inted first president of Trin­ity Christian College. He will assumethe duties of president at this seven­year-old college, located in PalosHeights 20 miles southwest of Chi­cago's Loop, about June 1, coming toTrinity from the pastorate of the Sec­ond Christian Reformed Church ofDenver, Colorado.

Following his graduation from Cal­vin Seminary in 1946, President DeJong earned his Th.M. from West­minster Theological Seminary in 1947.Under the guidance of Dr. G. C.Berkouwer, the Th.D. was awardedfrom the Free University of Amster­dam in 1954.

Dr. De Jong had previously servedon the Trinity Board of Trustees andis presently a member of the West­minster Seminary Board of Trustees.Trinity is a private independent col­lege offering Christian higher educa­tion .based on Reformed principles, ac­cording to Mr. Audley Lemmenes, di­rector of development.

47

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN7401 Old York Road

Philadelphia, Po. 19126

Second Class Postage Paidat Philadelphia, Po. Return Requested

Mr. Kenneth AuotinP.O. bOX 4376 C~mpuo St~tion

Atheno. Georgi~ 30€OlFeb 66 67

PASTOR AND MRS. GEORGE KNIGHTAmong those present at the first meeting of CovenantChurch were: Back row: Rev. R. O. Wolf, SarasotaReformed Presbyterian; Rev. Glenn Coie (deceased);Pastor George Knight; R. G. Avis; P. W. Edwards.Front row: T. R. Barker; Rev. E. C. Beaird of GospelBaptist Church; John Hamm, Director of Chorale;Rev. LeRoy Oliver, General Secretary of OrthodoxPresbyterian Home' Missions Committee.

New Church in Naples, Florida

On the first Sunday in Februarymorning and evening worship

services began in Naples, Floridaunder the leadership of the Rev.George W. Knight, III. Using thename "Covenant Presbyterian Church,"the group is committed to the doc­trines of historic Presbyterianism asset forth in the Westminster Confes­sion of Faith. "Our aim is to combineevangelism with solid biblical teachingin order to meet the needs of peopletoday," said the organizing pastor.

Services are being held in the manseon the seven-acre site until the firstunit of a building is erected. Naplesis on the west coast of Florida directlyacross the state from Ft. Lauderdale.Covenant Presbyterian Church is aboutfive miles north of the town in PineRidge subdivision facing the TamiamiTrail. A small lake adjoins the pro­perty, already a favorite swimmingspot for the five Knight children (al­though an alligator had to be ejectedone day).

The first official gathering of thegroup on January 31 took the form ofan open house and a concert by theCovenant College Chorale from Look­out Mountain, Tenn., under the direc­tion of John Hamm. It was the cul­mination of many months of prayer

48

and planning by a nucleus of threefamilies: Mr. and Mrs. P. W. Ed­wards, Mr. and Mrs. R. G. Avis, andMr. and Mrs. T. R. Barker. Presby­terian ecumenicity is evident in thatthese families are Reformed Presby­terian, Evangelical Synod and PastorKnight is an Orthodox Presbyterianminister. It has been announced thatCovenant Church seeks to serve andsupport the agencies of both denomi­nations. Visitors are attending themeetings and four Sunday schoolclasses have been started.

Mr. Knight has spent recent monthscompleting a thesis toward his doc­torate which he hopes to receive thissummer from the Free University ofAmsterdam. Prior to that he served aspastor of Emmanuel Church of WestCollingswood, N. J. In 1963 he led astudy tour to Palestine and remainedfor further study and teaching in theNear East School of Archaeology onthe Mount of Olives near Jerusalem.Mr. Knight was born in Florida butgrew up in Charlotte, N. C. He isa graduate of Westminster Theologi­cal Seminary in Philadelphia.

TEACHERS NEEDEDOostburg Christian School for the

1966-67 term: principal-teacher in de­partmentalized 6th - 7th - 8th grade,and teacher in intermediate grades.Write to Roland J. Dirkse, 725 ParkAvenue, Oostburg, Wisconsin 53070.

$30,000 BOND ISSUEBETHEL

Orthodox Presbyterian

CHURCH6% interest, payable annually,

in multiples of $100.The purpose of the bond issue is toprovide funds for further immediatedevelopment, especially for the con­struction of an educational unit.

•Direct inquiries to:

BETHEL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHBOND COMMITTEE

1551 N.W. 47th Avenue, LauderhillFort Lauderdale, Florida 33313

Phone: 581-9601

CHRISTIAN SCHOOL TEACHERNeeded for 5th-6th grade of the Pitts­burgh, Pa, Christian SchooL Mission­ary challenge - Good salary and liv­ing conditions.

Write:Calvin K. Cummings1608 Graham Blvd.

Pittsburgh, Pa. 15235

Philadelphia -Montgomery ChristianAcademy: foreign language and mathteachers for high school, and two ele­mentary teachers. Write William Viss,Box 93, Wyncote, Pa. 19095.

The Presbyterian Guardian