The Evangelical Presbyterian - January-February 2002

7/28/2019 The Evangelical Presbyterian - January-February 2002

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EvangelicalPresbyterian Jan-Feb 200250p


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Evangelical Presbyterianis published by the Presbytery of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

Convenor of theEditorial Committee: Rev. Stephen Atkinson1 Lord Wardens DrBangor, Co DownBT19 1YF(E-mail: [email protected])

Subscriptions:Annual subscription (six issues)Surface post: UK: 4.20

Rep. of Ireland and Overseas 6.50

Subscriptions enquiries to: Evangelical Book Shop15 College Square East,Belfast, BT1 6DD

Donations:If any of the Lords people wish to help in the work of the Church,please send donations to the Honorary General Treasurer

Mr. J. R. McCormick6 Eileen Gardens,

Belfast, BT9 6FW.

Gift Aid: Under the Gift Aid scheme the Church can benefit by Income Taxreturn on any donation from someone who pays tax.Contact the Honorary General Treasurer for further details.

Internet: Visit the EPC Home Page on www.epc.org.uk

CONTENTSEditorial 1Obituaries 2

The Tower to which the Righteous Run T. Trumper 3The Regions Beyond E. C. Brown 7Across the Pond 11Books etc. 13

Distinguishing Things which Differ W. J. Grier 17Happy Birthday Bookshop 24Making Progress with Pilgrim S. Atkinson 25

Front Cover

Westminster Abbey, London. (Photograph by S. Tracey)


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Editorial

Lest we forget.2002 is a year of remembrance forour denomination. We look back at75 years of Gods faithfulness and

remind ourselves of a small band ofserious concerned believers who tooktheir stand, faced much ridicule, andbegan a fresh work of building anevangelical denomination.

There are plans for services ofthanksgiving and celebrations;historical displays, and the printing ofhistorical documents to come later inthe year. We already have had the75th anniversary of the opening ofour Bookshop (see p.24). Thismagazine itself celebrates 75 years in2003, but we thought it appropriatein these pages even now to join thosecelebrations and thanksgiving in

conjunction with the denomination.

Included in the magazine is an articlereprinted from the very first issue ofThe Irish Evangelical, giving us aflavour of the early battles - which wemust admit remain with us, thoughperhaps in more subtle guise.

We live in a day, and even in an age,where things older than a few yearsare considered of little importance.

The rapid advancement of computer

technology, and the consequentobsolescence of any computer over afew years old gives forth the

impression that we are constantlymoving forward, and we must ignore,neglect, and even decry the past.

Unfortunately we can succumb tothis mentality in the church. TheScriptures however summon us againand again to Remember; theinstitution of the Passover meal,

Joshuas stones of remembrance, andthe constant command of God toremember him should have beenenough for the Israelites, but theprophets constantly complain of apeople forgetting their past, andGods past blessing.

It is important therefore that theEvangelical Presbyterian Churchremembers her past; and importanttoo that others who read thismagazine remember with her somereasons for her secession, how shecame into existence, and give thanksto God for his faithfulness to a small

band of insignificant believers, whowere but fools for Christ, of whomthe world was not worthy.


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OBITUARIESMrs Joyce Ferguson Knock

Joyce Ferguson passed into the immediate presence of her Lord on Monday 29thOctober 2001. As a faithful member of Christs church she served in thecongregation of Knock for over 35 years, working in the background, withuntrumpeted acts of hospitality and taxiing shut-ins to and from church. Faithfuland energetic she exhibited that all too rare quality of practical quiet godliness.

She epitomised the role of helpmeet to Eddie, to whom we convey our deepestsympathy, and assure him of our continued care and prayerful concern. As the

godly mother to John, and devoted grandmother to Jemma and Owen, she isirreplaceable. As a faithful member and prayer warrior she never failed to bepresent at her husbands side both on the Lords Day and Prayer Meeting.

One of the tasks that were simply left to her was the weekly beautifying of thechurch with flowers. Two days before she died she came across a problem. Theflorist she had used for years was closing down. Where would she get next

weeks flowers? Little did she know that she would not need to worry. Her work

on earth was done. Her homecall was to a greater service.Absent from the body, present with the Lord. (2 Cor. 5:8)

S. AtkinsonMr James Gray StranmillisOn the evening of Lord's Day 21st October Mr James Gray, a faithful memberof the Stranmillis congregation, passed into the immediate presence of the

Saviour in whom he had trusted many years ago. For several months Mr Grayhad been a patient in the Royal Victoria Hospital during which time he hadknown considerable pain and discomfort and whilst, as a congregation, we weresaddened by his passing we know that he is now experiencing the bliss of glory

where there is no more suffering and pain.

Mr Gray was of a kindly and gentle disposition and although the closing weeksof his life were not easy for him yet the things of Christ remained precious to

him throughout his trials. Our thoughts at this time are especially with hisdevoted wife, Florrie, and with his sons Benny and Jim. It is our prayer that theLord will give both comfort and help to those who mourn.

G. Burke


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One of the many things thatLloyd-Jones taught us was to counterdepression by garrisoning all weknow from Scripture. Yes, that means

a doctrinal response to what has beena diabolical tragedy. Far from starvingus of hope, doctrine is the veryfeeding tube that keeps it alive. As

John Calvin put it: The theologianstask is not to divert the ears withchatter, but to strengthen consciencesby teaching things true, sure and

profitable (Inst. I:xiv:4). Thus, we goto Scripture for the affirmation that

what we saw with our human eyescoalesces through spiritual eyes with

what we have read of God in HisWord. There we find numerous waysin which God is portrayed assovereign.

First, God is sovereign in preventingsuffering. While the potential forinnuendo against our Maker has beenmuted by the blatant wickedness ofthe act, the world that has looked ontraumatized is a humanity that is fallenand condemned. In all our analysing,

then, we resist the temptation to setGod in the dock. Rather, we call tomind, whether as Christians or not,the many days in which we have gone

without the oppressive pain that

The Tower to whichthe Righteous Run

- Suffering and the Sovereignty of God -

by Tim Trumper

No matter where in the sane world we live, the events of September 11,2001,will linger long in the memory. Outside of living in Washington orNew York City, Pennsylvanians could not get any closer to the darkatrocities of that sunny day. Here at Westminster Seminary we are just 90miles south of the Big Apple, 150 miles north of D.C. and in the samestate as the crash of the fourth hijacked plane. Suddenly our ready talk ofdivine sovereignty in ST113 (Doctrine of God) has been put to the most

public terrestrial, cable, digital, and satellite test the world over. Was God,as we surmise in our most devil-inspired moments, genuinely ruling thatmorning?


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suffering is. Prolonged have been theperiods that most have spent in healthand happiness. Truly, God makes his

sun rise on the evil and sends rain onthe unjust (Matt. 5:45)1. This is a factfor which he is to be praised and

worshipped.

But the divine prevention of suffering isalso a matter of intervention. Whetherby instrumental use of angels charged

with the protection of Gods people

(Ps. 91:10-11), by the perforation of thenatural sequence through miraculousexpressions of divine power and grace,or by the proliferation of ordinaryprovidences, eternity alone will tell howmuch suffering each of us has escapedbecause of the often unseen andunrecognised intervention of God.

Secondly, God is sovereign in ordainingsuffering.Within the range of macroevents (the rising and falling of nations)and micro events (my hair loss andyours) the no risk2 nature ofprovidence informs us that the detailsof 9/11, to use local slang, must be

within the orbit of divine ordination.Nothing is outwith Gods control, noteven the imploding of what were oncetwo of the worlds highest towers. Evenso, why the ordaining of thisexceptional glimpse of hell? (WCF 3:1)

While we await eternitys definitiveexplanation of this phase of the divineplan, it is not hard to envisage the long-

term benefits for the gospel of adismantling of the conspiracy of silencesurrounding death, the current westernsocietal taboo. Nonetheless, can Gods

integrity fully escape unscathed in theface of such carnage?

We understand that in the run-up to the

events of that fateful morning Godso released his gracious hand that theusual restraint against sin was takenaway, with the result that the depravedculprits flew towards sin in a mannercompletely natural to them.

Accordingly, while the ordaining ofthese atrocities lies in the realm of

Gods ultimateresponsibility (heremoved his hand), an appreciation ofthe battle in the unseen realm causes usto discriminate aproximateresponsibilityborne by the devil (he stirred theirhearts), and an immediateresponsibilitythat belongs to the hijackers (theypersonally committed the horrific acts).

This is what we mean when we say thatGods ordaining of the current war doesnot implicate him in its guilt. Heremains free from the heinous sins thathave wreaked the havoc, while stillremaining enthroned.

Thirdly, God is sovereign in sharing insuffering. To think of the foreordinationof suffering is to consider thetranscendence of God. Yet God wasnot aloof or remote from the crashingof the towers. Would a God whocommands us to weep with those who

weep (Rom. 12:15), not also suffer withthose who suffer? But even such amoderate view of divine passibility

requires careful formulation. Becauseomniscience is not surprised bysuffering, or omnipotence inwardlyovercome by it, God is neither


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emotionally disturbed from within norlacking composure without.Furthermore, he is not affected bodily.

He has no corpus. Nonetheless, whilenot irrational, the one who is infinite,eternal and unchangeable (ShorterCatechism 4) as well as superlativelyholy in every pro-action and reaction(Ps. 11:6-7) does not stand by inert toour pain. He has already gone towardsit at the cross, so defeating sufferingthrough the death of his Son. Thus, inthe midst of the present chaos wepreach a gospel of hope in which thepenitent may follow their Father bygrace, counting it all joy in the face of

various trials or calamities (peirasmoi).

Fourthly, God is sovereign in deployingsuffering. Nowhere is this more so than

in the lives of his people. For us,suffering is not only the curse of thefallen world it is also part of thesolution. First, it connects us to Christ.

Whereas Christ suffered for us, wesuffer in Christ.3 As such, the pain takeson meaning, not least because it helpsus to empathize for the slain Lamb of

God. Not only so. It serves as atestimony to him. Our sufferingsdisplay his (2 Cor. 4:8-12). Furthermore,our pain represents the discipline of theFather. Our heavenly Father, weremember, is also our holy Father.

Accordingly, his is the right to chastiseus (Heb. 12:5-12) and to beat us for our

faults (1 Pet. 2:20). Far better, however,to be chastised than ignored. The veryattention that is implied in disciplinecomforts us with the assurance that wereally are the Fathers children. We

therefore embrace the training he putsus through, because, fourthly, itprepares us to meet him. All in all, then,

the filial training we undergo is for oursakes, not Gods. He is not the divinevivisectionist at work in his cosmiclaboratory conducting trials merely forthe thrill of the experiment ( laC SLewis in Shadowlands). Rather, we aretested so that we may be found to thepraise, honor, and glory at therevelation of Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 1:7).

Thus, our light and momentaryaffliction works for us a far moreexceeding wait of glory.

Not so the unbeliever. Sufferingis deployed as a wake-up call (Dan. 4:28-37). Who can deny that the sound ofthe divine megaphone reverberated

throughout the world on 9/11? Despitethe shock value, the closure of theairports, the mass of funerals andcommunal grief, how many will havethe wisdom to seriously consider theirlatter end? (Deut. 32:29)

This leads us to one final aspect. God issovereign in terminating suffering.That said,for those outside the safety of Christthere is no termination. The earthlysuffering intended to bring them backto God is, according to C S Lewis,ratified and, we may add, intensified asthey lock themselves in hell. TheReformed, however, do not regard thisfinality so anthropocentrically.

Ultimately, it is God who, beingimpeccably just, will finally turn the lockand dispose of the key.4


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How contrasting are theprospects for each child of God! TheDay of Judgment awaits us, too, but forour greater consolation in adversity(WCF 33:3). Ripened by the sanctifyingof the trials of life, we await a painlesseternity. Once our eyes have closed forthe last time we shall await theredemption of our bodies (Rom. 8:22-23; Larger Catechism 86), when, withthe coming of Christ, we shall pass fromthe intermediate to the final state, the

ethereal heaven to paradise relocated toa regenerated earth: no more death,crying, sorrow, or pain. The formerthings will have passed away (Rev. 21:4).

What tears our ducts will let shall besolely for the venting of joy in Christ

our Saviour.

In the meantime, it is our hope in thenot yet that helps us to garrison

strength for the now. Thus we sing inresolute faith with John Ryland of old:

Plagues and deaths around me fly,Till he bids, I cannot die;Not a single shaft can hit,

Till the God of love sees fit.5

In summary: the towers are gone, but the

Tower remains. Let us find safety inHim (Prov. 18:10).

Rev. Tim J. R. Trumper is AssistantProfessor of Systematic Theology at

Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, and a minister of the Evangelical

Presbyterian Church in England and Wales.

This article is a shorter adaptation of a lecture entitled Suffering and the Sovereignty ofGod which is available for purchase from Westminster Media, 2960 Church Road,Glenside, PA 19038. U.S.A. Readers are recommended Professor Dan G McCartneys bookWhy Does It Have to Hurt? The Meaning of Christian Suffering. P & R Publishing: Philipsburg, NJ,1998.

1 References are drawn from the New King James Version.

2 Paul Helm, The Providence of God. Contours of Christian Theology. Leicester: Inter-VarsityPress, 1993, 39ff.

3 Thomas Watson: Christs sufferings were satisfactory [to make satisfaction for sin], oursare only castigatory [by way of chastisement] (All Things for Good. First published 1663 asADivine Cordial. Edinburgh and Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1986, 29).

4 Letters of the Rev. Samuel Rutherford. Edinburgh: Oliphant, Anderson, & Ferrier, 1881, 71.

5 Cited by A W Pink, The Sovereignty of God. First published, 1928. Revised 1961 andreprinted; Edinburgh and Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1986, 145.


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South Africa TodaySouth Africa is a beautiful country withtremendous potential, and very many

delightful people, but it is in the grip ofmoral degeneration, an Aids epidemic andcrime. This is well documented in the July2000 Report on the Moral RegenerationWorkshops I & II, held in February andMay 2000. The workshops described thenation as Sitting on a moral time-bomb;Unless we make a proactive move now,

there is little hope for future generations.Common manifestations of how themoral crisis manifest itself are listed asmurder, robbery and theft, rape, womenand child abuse, domestic violence, drugtrafficking, fraud and embezzlement ofpublic funds, and crooked businessdealings, corruption of police and other

civil services and lack of moral guidanceand role models in the teachingprofession. Many people live behind high

walls, electric fences, gates, razor wire,and grills across doors and windows.Armed response within 2 Minutes signsappear on many houses.

There are principles in this report that we

can gladly support, but there are ominoussigns. Participants criticized the religioussector for exchanging the Africanspirituality for a foreign one. The

Religious Sector Commission saw amongthe specific roles of the religious sector asresuscitating African spirituality, payingspecial attention to the forgotten African

values and disseminating these througheducation, the liturgy and the media and the lessening of guilt preaching.

It was reported at the meeting of TranskeiPresbytery we attended, that theGovernment was planning legislation tooutlaw religious identity in schools.

Teachers must teach world religions andmust be re-trained to do so. Only thoseteachers who are confirmed as non-committed regarding religious beliefs canteach it. Professional clergy would bedenied access to all schools during schoolhours.

The AmaXhosaThe AmaXhosa, or Xhosa speakingpeople, come mainly from the EasternCape Province and comprise 18% of thenations population. Their language,IsiXhosa, is a tone language characterizedby clicks. Ubuntu(humanity) is a firmlyestablished concept in their culture. It

finds expression in greetings, in concernwith clan names, and the tracing ofancestral lineage. Interest in ancestors andcontact with them is a powerful culturalforce. Some say that witchcraft is a

The Regions BeyondErnest and Shona Brown were part of a delegation to visit the South African

Church in November 2001. The following is their report.


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phobia among the AmaXhosa, but it isnot confined to them. Witchcraft isbelieved to be practiced through evilspirits or familiars that take the form ofsmall hairy beings, male or female, whoinhabit rivers, birds, snakes, baboons,and the spirits of the dead.

This is the South Africa and the culturein which the Xhosa church lives andseeks to witness.

The Free Church in Southern

AfricaThe Delegates had a four phase visit tothe FCSAfirst to Churches in the

Transkei Presbytery to the north andwest, then to Dumisani TheologicalInstitute in King Williams Town,followed by churches in the Southern

Presbytery comprising the Ciskei and thetwo cities to the west, Somerset Eastand Port Elizabeth, and finally to theCape Town township churches ofKyelitsha and Guguletu. Ciskei and

Transkei became two parts of theIndependent Homelands set up by theSouth African government for the

AmaXhosa in the apartheid eraTranskei in 1976 and Ciskei in 1981.Transkei is about half the size ofScotland and the much smaller Ciskei,about two-thirds the size of NorthernIreland. Since Homelands no longerexist as political entities their names areless in vogue than they once were,especially Ciskei, but their usage will beslow to fade.

The FCSA is a Presbyterian, reformedchurch with 62 congregations in the two

Presbyteries. Two-thirds of them arewithin the Southern Presbytery and onethird in Transkei. Churches are groupedinto local Districts, with four in the

Transkei Presbytery and eight in theSouthern. The church has in excess of2000 members, giving an average of 30-35 members per congregation. There area number of urban or townshiplocations, but a great deal of the churchexists in a village structure, withscattered congregations, often separated

by difficult terrain. Village roads are dirttracks with mud in wet weather andthick dust when it is dry; surfaces arerocky, bedded with sharp stones and inplaces full of ruts.

The church has an oral, not a readingtradition, but there are some signs of

change as young people become bettereducated. The people are generally poor.In addition to two District missionaries,11African Ministers serve the church,including one active-retired, one withouta charge and one Assistant. Elders domuch of the preaching and their names,along with Ministers and others, appearon Preaching Plans that cover a periodof six months. There are substantiallymore women than men in the churchand the Womens Christian Associationis generally quite well organised anddisciplined. There is a promising YoungPeoples organisation, again with a lotmore young women than young men.

The church is very partial to

Conventions, the main one being theWomens Easter Convention, but themen and the young people have theiroccasions too, making three or four in


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the annual calendar. The people love tosing and often their singing is upliftingand memorable.

Dumisani Theological InstituteThe Institute is in extremely good heart.The number of students has now risento 56 and the projections are for furtherincreases. Additional spacious premisesalmost opposite the existing mainbuilding have been secured and thisthird site in Leopold Street will make a

huge difference to the Institutesfacilities.

It was gratifying to find in the college apronounced spiritual, devotional ethosalong with an evident spirit of harmonybetween members of staff, and staff andstudents. It was also encouraging to see

the prayerful vision for expansion of thework and this vision being realised interms of premises, courses and teachingmaterials. The orderliness of the Collegepremises and functions also did it credit.

The Institute runs three LearningProgrammes: a one year Certificate inBiblical Studies (two years part-time); atwo year Diploma in Theological Studies(four years part-time); and a four yearBachelor of Theology. The Board andstaff are to be congratulated on theirsuccess in having their degree courserecognised by Potchefstroom Universityand their Diploma accepted as countingtowards the degree.

The MissionariesThere are five missionary couples on thefield. Two of these five are Districtmissionaries: Rev Ken Cameron and

Joan live in Umtata and serve the Tabaseand Umtata district of Transkei with itseight congregations; Ken is also InterimModerator of Embo with its nine

where Rev Ian Wylie and Maryannewere located until their retirement. Theother District couple are Rev DouglasCampbell and Julia who live in King

Williams Town and minister to thenearby Knox district of Ciskei in theSouthern Presbytery. Douglas and Juliahave adopted a little Xhosa girl, Ovaya,

who recently had her first birthday andwas baptised 2 December 2001. Boththese missionary couples are duefurlough in 2002.

The Dumisani missionaries are RevRonald Christie and Morag, Rev DavidMiller and Meg who have three boys,

Andrew, Ben and John, and RevNorman Reid and Angela. The menshare the teaching at the Institute,Ronald Christie taking mainly Old andNew Testaments, David Millerspecialising in Church History, andNorman Reid in Systematic Theology.

Julia Campbell teaches English on a part-time basis.

Mrs Helen McCracken, now 91, joinsNorman and Angela in sending hergreetings. Her mind is still as clear ascrystal and it is wonderful to hear herreflect on the early days from 1944onwards when she and her husband andbaby daughter arrived in South Africa.

We acknowledge her witness to the Lordin Fairholme through texts on her walland by conversation. She is still a greatreader and was delighted with theselection of books we delivered to her.


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Key Issues for PrayerThere is no better way of summarisingthe main memories of our visit than to

present them as matters for prayer:

Church Leadership: Pray that God will callmore Ministers and maintain a supply ofBiblically qualified elders. Pray for men

who are able, Godly and diligent, whosee themselves as servants of Christ andof the churchmen who love the Wordof God and apply it incisively in their

preaching.

Preaching: Most Ministers have six toeight congregations and they preach atthem one Lords Day at a time. Elders,available students and evangelists,preach on the other Sundays. Pray thatthrough personal Godliness, diligent

preparation, prayer and penetratingapplication on the part of thesepreachers, Gods Spirit will give the

Word increasing effect.

Transport for Ministers: Not all Ministershave transport and it is extremelydifficult to get round scatteredcongregations dependent on poorly

scheduled buses and taxis. Pray forresources to supply this need and great

wisdom in using them.

Church Properties: Many buildings need ofrepairs, not all of them major. Pray formotivation, planning, funds, and skills tomake and keep these things right.

Culture: The church lives and seeks towitness amidst powerful culturalpractices and standards. Pray that all theLords people will have increased grace

to conform only to the Word of God.

Outreach: The church has already takenthe Gospel to Townships as far away as

Cape Town. Pray for a revival of themissionary spirit.

Giving to the Lord: One common elementaffecting all these matters is the lack ofchurch funds. People are generally verypoor with a significant proportion ofthem unemployed and on low statepensions. However, we need to pray that

they will each see that proper churchfunding is vital and that they will accepttheir own responsibility for it by givingto the Lord to their utmost ability. Prayfor a realisation throughout the churchthat all our resources belong to theLord, that we are to do it withcheerfulness and liberality and that the

Lord loves such giving. Pray particularlythat like the Macedonian Christians they

will first give themselves to the Lord asthe only effective basis for stewardship.(2 Cor. 8:5)

Men and Women: Women and youngwomen outnumber their male

counterparts and often surpass them incommitment. Pray that men will increasein numbers and spiritual quality.

Thankfulness: Prayer is to be characterisedby thankfulness. So give thanks for theFCSA, for the lovely Christian men,

women and young people who aremembers of it. Pray that they will grow

in grace and knowledge by reading,prayer, meditation, and obedience to the

whole counsel of God. And may wepray the same for ourselves.


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The OPC Presbytery of New York andNew England met on 14th September,2001 to install Rev Stephen Tracey as

Pastor of Lakeview OPC, Rockport,Maine. This was a sad and a happyevent. It was sad following thescandalous and appalling terroristattacks on 11th September. Thesympathy of the Presbytery was turnedtowards the many bereaved andgrieving. America was still numb with

shocked disbelief. It was also a happyevent since it marked the end ofLakeviews vacancy.

Rev Gordon H. Cook Jr,(Merrymeeting Bay OPC) - pastoraladvisor to the congregation during their

vacancy - welcomed the largecongregation. Following the call to

worship the hymn, "Jesus Shall Reign,"was sung and Mr Cook led in prayer.Greetings were read from the

Presbytery of the EvangelicalPresbyterian Church.

Rev John R. Hilbelink (Second ParishOPC, Portland) - Moderator ofPresbytery - introduced the Presbyteryand constituted the meeting. Rev.Richard Gerber (Associate GeneralSecretary of the OPC Committee onHome Missions and Church Extension)preached from 1 Peter 5:1-11, linking

the work of the pastor in shepherdingthe flock to the demonstration ofGods care for his people.

Mr Hilbelink then read the "Instructionon the Nature and Warrant of theOffice of Minister, and the Duties ofPastor and Congregation" from theOPC Book of Common Order. The

Constitutional Questions to RevStephen Tracey were answered in theaffirmative.

Photo: S. TraceyAcross the pond

A report of the recentinstallation of Rev Stephen

Tracey,(former minister of Omagh EPC, and

editor of the Evangelical Presbyterian),to Lakeview Orthodox

Presbyterian Church, Rockport,Maine, USA.


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The congregation was then asked thefollowing constitutional questions:

1. Do you, the people of thiscongregation, continue to professyour readiness to receive Rev Stephen

Tracey, whom you have called to beyour minister?

2. Do you promise to receive theword of truth from his mouth withmeekness and love, and to submit tohim in the due exercise of discipline?

3. Do you promise to encourage himin his arduous labour and to assist hisendeavors for your instruction andspiritual edification?

4. And do you promise to continue tohim, while he is your pastor, that

worldly maintenance which you havepromised, and whatever else you maysee needful for the honor of religionand his comfort among you?

These questions were answered in theaffirmative by the raising of the righthand. Mr Tracey was declared duly

installed and given the right hand offellowship.

Rev. John Galbraith (retired - yetwonderfully active - OPC minister)who spends his summers in Maineand attends Lakeview, brought thecharge to the minister, exhorting Mr

Tracey to love the Lord thy God withall thy heart, soul, strength and might.Elder Paul MacDonald, (Pilgrim OPC,Bangor) had given regular supply tothe congregation during the vacancyand brought an apt charge to thecongregation.

The service was concluded by the

singing of "Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah,O My Soul Jehovah Praise". Thepronouncement of the benediction

was given by Mr Tracey.

A Christian is not merely a nice man, a good man, a man who likes to be amember of a Christian Church, a man who is vaguely interested in moral uplift

and idealism. Certain men are described today as outstanding Christians whoonly really believe in what is called "reverence for life"; but that is notaccording to the New Testament teaching.

A Christian is one who believes certain specific truths: and the essence of hisbelief centres on the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Christian, the saint,is "full of faith". In whom, in what? Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! He believesthat Jesus of Nazareth was the only begotten Son of God. He is full of faith inthe Incarnation, he believes that the Eternal " Word was made flesh and dwelt

among us", that the Eternal Son came in human nature into this world; hebelieves in the Virgin Birth, and that Jesus manifested that He was the Son ofGod by His miracles.

from God's Ultimate Purpose, by D M Lloyd Jones (Banner of Truth).


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Books etc.Heaven and HellE Donnelly

Banner of Truth

4.95 127pp

Reviewer: S. AtkinsonOnce in a while you come across a bookthat has a profound effect upon you.

This is such a one. After reading it youcannot again think casually about theeternal reward of either the wicked orthe righteous. A new evangelistic zealmust emerge; a new longing for glory

will come to exist.

You are immediately gripped by the

importance of the subject, being giventhe sobering statistic that every secondthree human beings enter hell orheaven. In a legitimate adaptation ofscripture he reminds us, ...when anunbeliever dies, he goes to be withSatan, which is far worse. As he passesfrom this earth, the devil whispersgloatingly, Today you will be with me inhell.(p.22).

Describing what hell will be like, withpowerful alliteration he hammers homethe awful nature of that place: absolutepoverty, agonising pain, an angrypresence, and an appalling prospect. Ican foresee preachers reaching for their

sermon notebooks. But this is notsimply preaching material. This is realpastoral stuff written by a man who

weeps over such words.

To perish means that you, as a being,

will become ever more degraded, morecontemptible, more lonely... Everythinggood in you will be taken away, andeverything bad in you let loose. All yourevil passions will burn, increasing andconsuming you until you become utterlyfoul. (p.36)

As he moves on to consider heaven herightly points out our neglect of thesubject, and further puts his finger onthe unconscious Platonism and anti-materialism in much of the church,

while firmly reminding us of theresurrection of the body.

His picture of heaven will warm the

heart of a weary believer strugglingthrough this winter experience, as aholiday brochure delights a stressedemployee on a cold winters evening.But for us it is free and forever!

Ecstasy will fill our souls as we learnmore and more of his being and his

ways... Thrilling avenues of service will

open up before us... Fascinating vistaswill unfold... (p.122-3)

How the author would wish us to rushout and get our ticket! The bookconcludes with an evangelistic summonsto the unconverted, and an encouragingsolace to the battle bruised believer.

This is a book most stronglyrecommended for reading, prayer, praiseand further contemplation.


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Conflict and TriumphThe argument of the book of Jobunfolded.

William Henry Green

Banner of Truth

177 pages. 3.95

Reviewer: Jeff Ballantine

First published in 1874 and authored bya lecturer who taught at Princeton fornearly 50 years, this volume is not anexegetical commentary on Job, rather itseeks to give a broad overview of thebook, focusing attention mainly on thechief protagonists, Job, Satan, the threefriends, Elihu and the Lord. The text

used is the New King James Version.

The book opens with a discussion ofJob's happy estate. In our firstencounter with the man from Uz wecome face to face with his simple faith,a religion entirely devoid of ritual, witha strong emphasis on personal piety

and family worship - and God blessedhim! Green proves convincingly that,while there are exceptions, godlinessand happiness generally go hand inhand, reminding us of the words of theapostle "godliness is profitable for allthings, having promise of the life thatnow is and of that which is to come".

The second chapter on Satan gives aprofound insight into the enemy of oursouls and his efforts to destroy God'speople. However, this is no pre-

occupation with evil for the sake of it,and this wise pastor of souls not only

leads us on to consider the glory ofChrist in His defeat of Satan, but alsodemonstrates that, in spite of all thedevil's machinations, he ends up doingthe work of God.

A further chapter deals with Job'saffliction. We are reminded that God's

servant knew nothing of Satan'smalicious design or the sovereignpurpose of God in bringing himthrough such horrendouscircumstances, yet he was sustained andprevented from railing against HisMaker. In all of this God's grace ismagnified because Job's spiritualprivileges were few in comparison toours. He did not have access to thesympathy of the incarnate Saviour, hehad no clear views of eternalblessedness, and knew little about thedoctrine of chastisement, yet hepersevered. The chapter ends with theprayer that "he whose grace supported

Job in all his dreadful trials hitherto

might grant like grace to us - graceaccording to our need".

The next two chapters trace Job'scontinuing conflict and interaction withhis three friends. These "physicians ofno value" are mercilessly exposed andtheir differing attempts at solving Job's

problem are helpfully distinguished.The writer demonstrates how theytorture Job for crimes he has notcommitted, make irrelevant


17/27page 15

applications to his case, become moreobdurate and incorrigible as timeprogresses and undertake to explain his

problem as if they had full knowledgeof his case. With friends like these, for

whom providence has no enigmas,who needs enemies?

Chapter seven, entitled Job'sTriumph, deals masterfully with thegreat utterance "I know that myRedeemer liveth" (Job 19:25-27). It is

sufficient to say that after readingGreen's comments I ended uppreaching on this text! The material isexcellent and a joy to read.

A further chapter is devoted to Job'srefutation of his three friends and thisis followed by another one on Elihu.

The latter is particularly helpful andclear in discriminating between thesentiments propounded by Elihu andthose which had previously beenadvanced by his three friends. Greenmaintains, for instance, that whereasEliphaz understood suffering to bepunitive, Elihu understood it to be

curative. As a result of Elihu's speechGreen concludes that "Job is purifiedand instructed; his piety is heightened,and his knowledge of divine things isincreased by this affliction. So that thedoctrine of Elihu, far from conflicting

with the rest of the book, finds itsample justification andsupport" (p.131).

The final chapter is on the LORDHimself. Green states that God doesnot give a definitive answer to Job's

queries and "has no intention ofplacing himself at the bar of hiscreatures and elevating them into

judges of his conduct" (p.138).However, the Lord's revelation ofhimself is designed "to bring him tothe deepest humiliation and contritionfor all his rash and impatient utterancesand all the improper reflections he hadcast upon God's dealings with him inhis providence" (p.140). In all of this

"Job's piety is elevated and his welfareand happiness are promoted" (p.141).In the words of the apostle James,"Indeed we count them blessed whoendure. You have heard of theperseverance of Job and seen the endintended by the Lord - that the Lord is

very compassionate andmerciful" (James 5:11).

The book concludes with two helpfulappendices on "The place of Job in thescheme of Holy Scripture" and "Thedoctrine of immortality in the Old

Testament". This is not a volumewhich will provide precise exegeticalinsight on the text of Job, but its great

strength lies in the author's ability toclarify the main themes in a mosthelpful manner. If you find the middlesection of Job confusing, this book willhelp you to distinguish the wood fromthe trees. Thoroughly reformed,

warmly pastoral and deeply devotional,this is a book I really enjoyed, and

since the price is so readily affordable Ican only recommend it highly.


18/27page 16

Making the most of yourdevotional life.Derek Thomas

Evangelical Press

224pp pbk, 7.95

Reviewer: Harold Gibson

This is a most helpful and useful bookwritten by the former minister of StranmillisEvangelical Presbyterian Church. It takes usthrough the Psalms of Ascent and as the

author points out taking a Psalm a day, theyprovide us with just over two weeks inwhich to get into shape. This is a bookwhich will help those of us whose dailydevotions may have become somewhatdisorganised.

We are encouraged to read each Psalmcarefully, pray about what weve read, makenotes on what we think God is teaching us

and prepare a journal to answer thequestions at the end of each chapter.

There are many helpful thoughts that willchallenge us. In chapter 1 entitled A godlyman in an ungodlyworld, we are remindedhow the Psalmist was away from Jerusalemand how he missed the joy of worshippingGod. The author tells us that this is a good

sign. People who dont miss spiritual thingswhen they are forcibly kept away for onereason or another are in bad shape. If wecan be absent from worship for no goodreason and not miss it, we are in a dangerouscondition, a hairs breadth away fromcatastrophe.

Chapter 14 deals with Psalm 133, the

testimony of a man who is rejoicing in theblessing God bestows upon His people, theblessing of unity. The challenges at the endof this chapter are most searching:Do I encourage true unity or disunity in

Gods church?

Write down four things that are troublingthe church you belong to, and pray about

each one specifically.

This is a good book with which to start theNew Year and one that will help us get ourdaily devotions reshaped and disciplined.

The Unresolved Controversy:unity with non-evangelicalsIain H. Murray

The Banner of Truth

32pp (booklet), 1.25

Reviewer: Jeff Ballantine

This important booklet seeks to unravel thereasons behind the present confusion inevangelicalism which has come about overthe last fifty years, a situation so serious that

many are no longer clear on what it meansto be a Christian.

It touches on such subjects as the decisionof John R.W Stott to ignore Dr MartynLloyd-Jones call in 1966 to "come out fromamong them". It traces the influence of theecumenical movement on Christendom,considers the ramifications of Billy Graham'sdecision to widen the base of his operationsto include liberals and has some insightfulcomments on the "evangelicalism" of thepresent Archbishop of Canterbury.

If anyone doubts the rightness of thedecision of our forefathers to separate fromerror seventy five years ago then this book is"required reading". For those who want tostudy the matter further, a more

comprehensive book "EvangelicalismDivided", by the same author, is alsoavailable from the same publishing house.

Highly recommended.


19/27page 17

Remembering

Former Days

In this anniversary year we wish tobring to mind the former days byreprinting some articles from the very

first issues of this magazine. The battle

for truth remains. This article wasprinted in the very first issue ofTheIrish Evangelical in June 1928.

These solemn warnings given by the

Lord Jesus come to us with renewedforce, because of the times in which welive. We hear of God and of Christ, ofthe Gospel, and of the Atonement frommany a pulpit, but then we hear muchelse from the lips of those who speak

which forces us to the conclusion thatthese words do not mean to them what

they mean to the true Christian.

The air must be cleared - hence theneed of controversy. The church wasfounded in controversy. We have onlyto read the Book of Acts and theEpistles to see that this is true.

When the apostles preached Jesus and

the Resurrection, the religious leaderssaid: Ye have filled Jerusalem withyour teaching and intend to bring thismans blood upon us. The Apostolic

preachers were described as men who

turned the world upside down, andmen who exceedingly trouble the city.

A great part of the New Testament wasborn in controversy, much of it being

written to set someone or other right.Paul was set for the defence of theGospel. He engaged in controversyand gave place, no, not for an hour;

that the truth of the Gospel mightcontinue with you.

In every hour of crisis, the truth hasbeen preserved, because of God-raised men who dared to stand alone.

Athanasius and Luther were accused ofbeing troublers in Israel, but then theLords messengers have ever been

troublers of sinful men.

In our day too there are many whodecry controversy. Now, if a burglar

Distinguishing things which differ.W J Grier BA

Take heed what ye hear. (Mark iv. 24)Take heed how ye hear. (Luke viii. 18)


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comes into my house or into thepremises where I work, I am forced totake a very personal interest in hisoperations. Is it true then that I ammore interested in my personalproperty, i.e., in material things, than inthings which are eternal, and upon

which depend my souls salvation? Godforbid!

When men who come in sheepsclothing, but inwardly are ravening

wolves, seek to destroy the things inwhich I believe, and to lead othersastray, I would be a contemptiblecoward if I kept silent. Yet many sit insilence and in attitude if not in word, bypenny in the plate or pew rent, seekpeace in their beloved church, wherepeace means victory for the enemies of

Christ.In commenting on the passage: Takeheed what ye hear; with what measureye mete it shall be measured unto you;and more shall be given untoyou (Mark iv.24), Morison says:There is a warning against hearing

what should not be heard. If we hear,

concerning others what we should nothear, others will in all likelihood hearconcerning us what we would not likethem to hear; there will be retribution -retribution with a surplus. We will bepaid back with interest.

Charles Hodge, who strange to say, is

quoted on both sides of the ocean justat present, by ecclesiastical politicians insupport of views he would haveregarded with the utmost abhorrence,

says; The exhortation in Mark iv.24,may be understood as including anexhortation to be careful as to what wehear. Salvation does not come fromhearing error. It is of the lastimportance, therefore, that we takeheed what we hear. Never go whereerror is taught. This is as foolish asgoing into places of dissipation anddebauchery, or profanity: or as foolishas going into pestiferous regions, unlessin either case on errands of mercy. If

from curiosity or amusement the resultwill be evil in the one case or theother.

If there is to be retribution when wehear things concerning others which weshould not hear, how much greatershall the retribution be for those who

hear Lords Day after Lords Daythings concerning the Person and Workof the Lord Jesus Christ which theyshould not hear.

Here we arrive at what is the root ofthe whole matter. Have Christianpeople of today any clear conception of

what is included in the phrase: The

Person and Work of the Lord JesusChrist? In other words, have they anyclear conception of what the Gospelreally is? It is to be feared that in verymany cases they have not. If they hadthings would not be as they are.

Before stating what the Gospel really is,

we would speak of what may be calledthe Pre-suppositions of the Gospel.The first of these is the Holiness ofGod.


21/27page 19

THE HOLINESS OF GOD.In the Old Testament times theinspired Prophets warned the people of

Israel that God had punished, andwould punish them severely for theirsins because He had sworn by HisHoliness, and when they refused toreturn, though warned by the justjudgements of the Holy One of Israel,the word of the Lord to them was:Therefore thus will I do unto thee O

Israel; and because I will do this untothee, prepare to meet thy God, OIsrael (Amos 4). The warning,Prepare to meet thy God derives itsforce from the fact that God is a HolyGod.

The New Testament, too, speaks ofGod as One who is a consuming fire.

Very different is the God preachedfrom the modern pulpit. He is an easygoing sort of character. His heaven willbe full, and His hell empty - if there ishell at all, for with the modern ministerthe topography of the unseen world is

very uncertain.

He prefers not to mention that dreadword - Hell - at all, as it is, he would tellyou, so bound up with the awfulhorrors of the old theology. He scoffsat what he calls the burning hell and theangry God of preachers of generationspast and of some still. He will find ithard to produce more awful words

about hell and future punishment thanthose which fell from the lips of theLord himself, and so in scoffing, he

scoffs at the One to whose spirit heprofesses to be so loyal.

I have heard a Professor of Systematic

Theology deride the preaching of onenow in glory who warned men to fleefrom the wrath to come, and I havelistened to the jeer of the student at thereading of the 20th chapter ofRevelation.

Those whom they deride - likeJonathan Edwards and MurrayMcCheyne - saw men and womentrembling on the brink of a losteternity, and with this vision beforethem they preached the Word, andcried to God for souls. JonathanEdwards preached on the subject ofSinners in the Hands of an AngryGod, and the influence was so great

on the congregation that strong menand women cried and screamed formercy, and even grabbed the seats forfear they would slide into hell that verymoment.

There is little such tone in the pulpittoday. The heaven of the modern

preacher would be full - but full of sin.

The natural man will, of course, find iteasier to trust in the God whommodern men set before him - but thenis he worth trusting in? It is onlythrough the work of the Holy Spirirtthat we come to faith in the God ofawful holiness of whom Scripture

speaks, but then when we are broughtto trust him, we can go through the

waters and through the fire.


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THE SEPARATENESS OF

SINFUL MANThe second presupposition of the

Gospel is the separateness of sinfulman from a Holy God. Today weoften hear the appeal made to thelatent forces within a man: Be a man,not a mutt or a molly coddle. Holdup your head, throw back yourshoulders, look the world straight inthe eye, and make your decision for

Christ.

This advice does not exactly tally withGods account of man, his fallen state,and inability to remedy that state.

It was the close of a service (not in aPresbyterian Church). The speaker hadexplained to the congregation how

much more advanced and enlighteneda conception of human nature we nowhad than that which was drawn bymany from these passages he wasreading - Isaiah 1 - From head to footno soundness - full of wounds, bruises,putrefying sores. He greeted the oldman at the door, I think, with

outstretched hand, and said, How areyou brother? There was no response,but, Where did you get that? Get

what? said the preacher. That - whatyou said this morning about the stateof man. Why, man, that was just mypicture - full of wounds, bruises,putrefying sores, and see here! yerenae brother o mine.

Human nature is not so bad after all,saith the modern pulpit. The heart isdeceitful above all things, and

desperately wicked, saith the Word ofGod.

Now in all the foregoing there is not a

word of Gospel. Let me repeat thatnothing is more amazing than theignorance among even those whom webelieve to be Christians of what theGospel really is. But there certainly isno Gospel or good-news in theawful holiness of God. It brings butthe cry, Woe is me for I am undone.

There is no Gospel in the separatenessof sinful man from a holy God, for it isnot good news to tell a man that he isin a pit and miry clay. A great manypeople think that if they have heardthat little word God and someScripture verses quoted they haveheard the Gospel. They forget that

there is no particular virture in the useof the word God, unless you knowwhat conception the individual inquestion has of God. The speaker mayeven have said nothing but what wasabsolutely true, and yet as a settingforth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it

was absolutely false. What is theGospel? It is not of works, for to himthat worketh not, but believeth onHim that justifieth the ungodly, hisfaith is reckoned as righteousness.

When we speak of faith, someone asks,do we not speak of something that wedo and is it not because we exercisefaith that we merit salvation? To this

we reply that the meritorious groundof our salvation is to be found in the

work of Christ on Calvary and in thatwork alone. We are saved not throughmerit of our own or anything that we


23/27page 21

do, but through the precious blood ofthe Lord Jesus. Faith is simply the handoutstretched to take the gift. There isno merit in stretching forth the hand.

The merit lies elsewhere - in the gift, orrather in the giver. The Gospel is not aGospel of faith plus works for the oxof mercy and the ass of merit cannotbe yoked together and the best that

we can do will only undo us. The manwho speaks of doing and believing inthe same mouthful has little inkling of

what the Gospel of Christ really is, forif it is by grace, it is no more of

works: otherwise grace is no moregrace.

It is not of ourselves.We are told to beChrist-like and all shall be well. Thereis no good-news in such advice to aworld of sinners lost and ruined bythe fall. It is simply no use biddingbirds with broken wings soar above theclouds. The only message for a sinneris that Jesus Christ came into the worldto save sinners - not to induce or helpor enable them to save themselves, forto prepare a way of salvation for them,but to finish the work.

If the Gospel message is that ChristJesus came into the world to savesinners then the questions Who

Jesus was and What he did are ofvast importance.

Now there are many who go roundtoday saying that Modernists do notbelieve in the deity of Christ. That maybe true, but we confess that we havethe feeling that it is scarcely wisesometimes to put it that way. Very few

Modernists would be sufficientlycandid to say so. Many of them arequite willing to affirm their belief in theDeity of Christ. This affirmation,

however, is of small value - though it isof some value as a means of satisfyingmany who are only too willing to havedust thrown in their eyes. Alongside oftheir affirmation of the Deity of Christ,

we place such things as their emphaticdenial: He was not a Deity stalkingthrough life omnipotent,

omniscient (Record of Trial p99) andtheir affirmation that the sufferingand agony in Gethsemane and onCalvary was simply the suffering andagony of a human being, save so far asGod is in all suffering. The Saviour of

whom they speak did not understandHimself or His mission to earth even in

the closing scenes of His life, and hisviews on many questions are notacceptable to the modern minds. Canone take such a Saviour to his heart inthat unqualified sense whichconstitutes the glory of religious trust?

Not long since, the teaching of theEpistles of Paul was the great rock of

offense to these men and they criedNot Paul but Jesus. Now they areforced to acknowledge (the morehonest of them, at least) that in theconsciousness and teaching of Jesusthere is a solid pre-formation oranticipation, as it were, of Paulinedoctrine. The question has now

become which Jesus? - the historicalJesus of the Scriptures or the popularfigure of the man of Galilee whoappeals to the modern mind.


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How then can a Modernist affirm, aswe have heard them do, that there arethree Persons in the Godhead: the

Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost:and these three are one God, the samein substance, equal in power andglory?

Observe first,that he bases his faith in these usefulconceptions in great part onexperience. For ourselves we prefer

the solid rock of the teaching of HolyWrit. In a dream of the night the devilaffirmed to Dr Henry Cooke, I havemore experience than you; I have seen

what you never saw; I have heard whatyou could never hear; I have been inheaven where you never were; and Inow affirm on indisputable authority -

the authority of my own personalknowledge - that Jesus Christ is notGod. And I affirm said Cooke, withsuch vehemence that he awoke fromhis sleep, I affirm on the infallibletestimony of Gods own Word that

when the devil speaketh a lie, whichthis is, he speaketh of his own; for he is

a liar and the father of it. The devil isnot quite so candid nowadays, but he isstill trying to get men away from the

Word of God, on to the sinkingsands of experience.

Observe second,that from the professors chair we havebeen told that the old distinctions

between the divine and human we nolonger hold, and that the human wasfrom the beginning capable ofexpressing the divine. So we need a

definition of terms. A licentiate notlong since was honest enough toacknowledge the funadamental

difference between us was a differenceabout God. Exactly - and could youhave a more fundamantal differencethan a difference about God?

But why be so anxious about thePerson or Deity of Christ? Why notstop all this argument and unite insimple love to Jesus and the service of

humanity? This sounds very nice, butsuppose, as Dr Machen puts it, I have asum of money to invest. A friend tellsme that the man with whom I intend toinvest the money is not all he claimedto be - is not perfectly trustworthy. Isay, Oh, well, there may be adifference of opinion as to this mans

character but lets have no unpleasantcontroversy; lets simply trust him Myfriend, if he were a wise man, wouldsoon see to it that I was under properguardianship and control.

I have what is infinitely more preciousthan the whole world - a never dyingsoul. As I am brought under convictionof sin, and see the awful holiness ofGod and my own undone state, howcan I ever be brought to say with all mysoul of One who is more or lesstrustworthy, and to Whose person I ammore or less indifferent: I know whomI have believed and am persuaded thatHe is able to keep that which I have

entrusted unto Him against that day?

Then again they tell us There is thefact of salvation, but many theories


25/27page 23

about it. We believe in the fact of theAtonement. Why quarrel about thetheories of the Atonement?

A bare fact is something that happened,and the bare fact of history is, that a

Jew was lifted up on a cross some 1900years ago. That bare fact will save no-one.

But praise the Lord, He has not left usthus in the dark, for He does not love

darkness rather than light. He has givenus not merely the fact, but theexplanation of the fact, for the Word ofGod teaches us that He died to satisfydivine justice and reconcile us to God.O how crude an idea this is, we areimmediately told. This is the picture ofan angry God waiting to be appeased or

placated by sacrifice. What a barbarousconception of God! Would that thosewho say this would read their Bibles alittle. There they would see that it wasGod in the Person of the Father whosent His only begotten Son, it was Godin the Person of the Son who gavehimself a sacrifice for sin, and it is Godin the Person of the Holy Spirit whoapplies the work of Christ. Is this abarbarous conception? Nay, it is infinitelove - costly love. He died to satisfydivine justice and reconcile us to God.

This is the Gospel, and the curse ofGod is upon every other.

The differences then being so

fundamental how can the believer abideunder such an unequal yoke with those

who are worshippers of another God,preach another Gospel, and haveanother seat of authority than the Word

of God?

We ask people to face plain facts - e.g. -that the General Assembly of the

Presbyterian Church in Ireland votedby an overwhelming majority in favourof such teaching, and that such doctrineis taught from many a pulpit today. Nopleas of orthodoxy or strokes of policy(such as the abandonment at present tochange the formula of subscription)should be allowed to blind the eyes of

the Lords people to the facts thatthose who are supposed to train youngmen for the ministry - and we testifythat which we have seen and know -deny the reliability of Gods Word, thatsome of these same men are convenorsof most of the Mission Boards of theChurch, and with them in the church

courts and in their attitude to therecord which God has given us in HisSon, are ranged in the great majority ofthe ministers of the Church. In view ofthese facts, what is the evident will ofGod? We refer those content to abideunder the unequal yoke in hope ofsome future landslide to such scriptures

as Haggai 2:11-14; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; 2 Jn.10-11; Rev. 18:4.

It has long been our conviction thathowever wise and useful it may be toremain in a church in the first stages ofher declension, after the church hasbecome corrupt there remains but onecourse in accord with the Word of God

- to come out of her.


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75YEARS YOUNGThe Bookshop marks its Birthday!

On 12th November 2001, The EvangelicalBookshop in Belfast marked its 75th birthday witha public lecture by Rev. Andrew Davies (London

Theological Seminary). His title was The Place ofPrayer in Revival. In a brief report Mr John Grier,manager since 1974, expressed thanks to God forHis goodness and grace through all the years.

The shops ministry arose out of a protest

movement against unbelieving attitudes to Christ and His Word in thePresbyterian Church. Rev W J Grier became manager in autumn 1926. Workingpart-time but with the support of dedicated staff members, he saw the stockrapidly extend from a few Bibles, tracts and pamphlets, to make the bookshop amajor source of scholarly works defending and advancing an orthodoxevangelical alternative to the liberalism then prevalent. This continues by meansof local and imported American books offered at discount prices both by shopsale and mail order.

The shop is now an incorporated charitable trust that seeks to circulate as manyBibles and Christ-honouring books and resources as possible. It seeks to serveChristians of all ages and in many denominations. It specialises in expositoryBible study materials for preachers and Bible Class leaders, and is also wellknown as a source of: Bible reading aids for groups and individuals

Go Teach curriculum Sunday School MaterialsCollege TextbooksBookstalls for local church camps and weekends

Bargain and second hand booksCD-Rom Christian computer softwarePuritan ReprintsBooks of Christian Praise.

The building at 15 College Square East was bought in 1946. In the seventies theshop did not escape The Troubles, and suffered greatly from a terrorist bombblast but was restored in 1975. Looking ahead, the Bookshop has put in placethe computer systems essential to serving the Christian public in the 21stcentury, and expanding its ministry. There are now plans to upgrade the 1810building to the standards that the public expect today.

Happy Birthday Bookshop! (Ed.)


27/27

making progress with pilgrim(- for pilgrims of all ages)

- THE GATE -John Bunyan presented us with a wonderful picture world of Christian

experience in The Pilgrims Progress. When the main character Pilgrim is

told to flee from the City of Destruction, he is directed towards the

Gate. On his way there he meets a Mr Worldly Wiseman who suggests

an easier way to get rid of his burden. Upon taking his advice Pilgrim

finds himself climbing a high hill, his burden getting heavier, and

himself getting frightened. Evangelist comes to his aid, reproves him andsets him again on the way to the Gate. He makes swift progress there and

sees the notice above it - Knock and it shall be opened unto you.

This he does, and when the door is opened, he is pulled in by a man

named Goodwill who tells him of arrows that the enemy would shoot

just before one would go through the Gate. Pilgrim, now renamed

Christian, is shown the straight and narrow path he now must travel

towards his goal.

Sometimes when people realise they are not good enough for heaven,

they try to make themselves better. It is good to know that youre a

sinner, but the wisdom of the world suggests that we can better ourselves

and God will be pleased. It is a high hill, and the burden and sense of

sin only gets worse. The Gospel, and Gods evangelical teaching would

direct us back to the path leading to the Gate, which is Jesus Christ.Only Jesus can deal with your sin, and take your burden away. You must

go to the Gate and ask Him to let you in - not because of anything you

have done, but because the Gospel invites you to knock, and the door

shall be opened.

Are you still standing on the outside of the door? There are dangerous

arrows sent from Satan to drive you away. Enter in and be saved - and

what a wonderful thing it is to be on the inside of that Gate. You have anew name, being called a Christian. But theres a narrow road you still

have to travel.

The Evangelical Presbyterian - January-February 2002

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Transcript of The Evangelical Presbyterian - January-February 2002