An Easter Meditation by the REV. BURTON L. GODDARD

The Everlasting Seal of Our Faith

had been forsaken by God. Messianic deceivers'h~risen before and would rise again. This Jesus quitefitted such a role. The centurion might cry out, "Truly,this was the Son of God", but history would not andcould not agree with him. All it could say was thataman named Jesus had been put to death..

He had left behind Him a high moral teaching. Hehad lived a noble life. He had had a large following,though His band of disciples had rapidly diminished \in number toward the last. The close circle of loyalfollowers had every one failed in the hour of crisis.There is no record that even one man or woman \n allthe world had any hope that he would see Jesus againalive or that His teaching would be perpetuated amongmen. He had founded no new religion. He had leftnochurch or organization behind Him. He had not atall performed the ~xJ?ected work of the Messiah. Heleft no gospel, no faith. His enemies had triumphedover Him. His passing left His disciples in darknessand dismal hopelessness. He had failed. The confidenceof His followers had been misplaced.

So it seemed. And so it must have remained, exceptfor one thing. That one thing was the most wonderfulevent ever recorded among men, the mightiest of mir­acles. It was the resurrection on the morning of thethird day. Little wonder that Bishop Westcott, thegreat English divine, is bold to declare that belief inthe resurrection is essential to Christian faith and that

EDITORIAL COUNCILJohn P. Clelland John Patton Galbraith R. B. Kuiper TlIOllI......... "f

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IN THE year 29 A.D. the state records of PontiusPilate; Roman procurator of [udsea, perhaps con­

tained some such notation as this: "A certain Jesuscalled the Nazarene was crucifiedwith other malefactorson the hill of Colgotha". All contemporary records ofthe crucifixion, with the exception of those found inthe Bible, have been lost, but you may be sure of onething-had the story of Jesus ended with the cross, his­tory would have contained no other information thanthat the carpenter's son was put to death at the requestof a hostile element among his fellow Jews.

He had claimed to be the Son of God. He hadostensibly performed,many wonderful miracles. He hadpronounced forgiveness of sins. He had upbraided menas their Lord, not as a mere fellow-man. He had de­clared that He would leave this world to sit down atthe right hand of the throne of the Father. He hadpromised to go and prepare a place for His people,that where He was they might be also. He had declaredthat, though men should kill Him, He would rise againfrom the dead on the third day.

Yet the hour of death had come,and gone. Passers-by,remembering His extravagant claims to be equal withGod, mocked Him by inviting Him to come downfrom the cross, if He were indeed the Son of God.Instead of vindicating 'His claims, He hung helplesslybetween heaven and earth, and cried out in agony of

. soul as the end came. His own lips testified that He

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-April 25

the truth of the words He had spokenin explanation of His death, for if Hewas indeed the Christ, then His wordswere the words of God. God is not aman that He should lie. The Son ofGod could not have uttered thatwhich was false. Thus the resurrectionprovided a double seal to Christianfaith. History might -have said thatJesus died, but the resurrectionchanged the record to read that Christ'died. Beyond that, it fulfilled and soconfirmed the- Scriptures which tellwhy He died. Christ died for our sins.Christ died to redeem His people.Only the resurrection could offer suchproof. Only the resurrection couldbring such assurance. It is the ever­lasting seal of our faith.

Easter 1943 dawns. The Christianawakens, only to face on every handthe grim realities of the most awfulof wars. He knows how famine, thatgreedy monster, is ruthlessly devouringwhole populations. He is concernedfor loved ones. Perhaps already thestar in his window has tragicallychanged to gold. The world is sodark! But into the darkness streamsa glorious light from on high. It isthe everlasting seal of our faith,"Christ is risen"! How this flood ofradiance alters the picture. Like Jobin all his anguish, the Christian findsa song of rejoicing in his heart-"Iknow that my Redeemer liveth".

Christian friends, he comforted bythat sure knowledge. Take new cour­age and hope. You have a faith moreprecious and sure than anything theworld can either offer or take away.War, hunger, bereavement-none ofthese can rob you of this pearl ofgreatest price. God has set His sealupon it. It is genuine. It cannot fail.That our blessed Lord burst thebonds of death is an eternal guar­antee for your faith. Rejoice and beexceeding glad. "Christ is risen"!

I dare not close. I have been sentby my God as an ambassador to thelost. It may be that in the providenceof God you who read these lines haveno song in your heart. Your heart isheavy. You fear much. You vainlyhope against hope, for you know notthe Saviour as youf Saviour. Time waswhen you found satisfaction in attir­ing yourself in "Easter" garb andwalking along the boardwalk of At-

The Methods of God 119Lawrence B. Gilmore

Editorial 121

The Rev. George W. Marston, FieldMissionary 123

Robert S. Marsden

A Second Front in Long Beach 124Henry W. Co ray

Orthodox Presbyterian Church News ... 126

TABLE OF CONTENTS

April 25, 1943

The Everlasting Seal of Our Faith 113Burton L. Goddard

Wheaton College Today 115Edwin H. Rian

The Sovereign God and theSubject Spirit (II) 117

Edward Heerema

It suggested no way of diverting thepenalty for present and future sins.

What, then, was the significance ofCalvary? Why did Christ allow Him­self to bedelivered over into the handsof sinful men to be crucified? Whileyet living, He had suggested the an­swer. Hear His words: "And I, if I belifted up, will draw all men unto me"."Except a grain of wheat fall into theground and die, it abideth alone: butif it die, it bringeth forth much fruit"."The Son of Man came not to beministered unto, but to minister, andto give his life a ransom for many".Hence the death on the cross wasdeclared to be a divinely-appointedmeans of reconciling God and man.The Lamb of God was plainly notsacrificed for any benefit accruing toHimself, but unto the end that sinnersbeloved of God might be saved fromtheir sins. The suffering Saviour tookthe sins upon Himself, that His peo­ple might go free. Paul had goodgrounds for telling the Ephesian eldersat Miletus that they had been pur­chased of God by Christ's dying intheir stead.

The prophetic words of Jesus, how­ever, would have remained unremem­bered and unauthenticated but for theresurrection. Had they recurred to themind at all they would have beenlightly dismissed, together with Hisclaims to deity. But no! Christ's risingfrom the dead not only verified HisMessianic claims, it also established

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN

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The Pre.byterian GUardian I. publl.hed .emi.monthly from September 10 July. inclu.lve. and monthiy In August '" T·he Pre.byterlan Gaardian Publishing Cor..r••tJon. 728 Schall' Building. 1505 Ra.. SIreet. Philadelphia. Pa•• at tile following rate s, payable In adVance. for eltller old or new llubllcrlbers In any part of tbe world.poetageIlrepa.ld: $2.00 per year; $1.00 for live montbs; live or more coplee...ltber ..to sevarate eddre .... or In a package to one addr .... $1.25 each per year; Introductory rate for new9IIbllcr1bers only. tbree months for 25c; lDe per llngIe ·oopy.Entered as ·.econd cia•• matter March 4, 1937. at tbePost OIIlce at Ph11adelphja. Pa., under the Act orMarch 3. 1879.

one cannot be a Christian unless heaccepts the fact as altogether true!Little wonder that the apostle Paulsaid, "If thou shalt confess with thymouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt be­lieve in thine heart that God hathraised him from the dead, thou shaltbe saved"! The resurrection is at oneand the same time the foundation andseal of Christian faith. It establishedthe truth to which history could nototherwise bear witness. History couldonly have said, "Jesus died". But be­cause of the resurrection, and onlyby virtue of this fact, have men beenable to say, "Christ died".

What a tremendous difference theresurrection makes! It seals once andforever the fact that Jesus was whatHe claimed to be. He was not a de­luded moralist. He was not an im­postor. He was not a mere enthusiast.He was not just a good man. He wasnot just a teacher. He was the Christof God. He was the Good Shepherdby whom His people could be saved.He was indeed able to forgive sins. Hecould heal the brokenhearted andbring deliverance to the captives. Peterhad been right when he had calledHim the Christ, the Son of the livingGod.

But that is not .all. The worldneeded to know more than that Christdied. It needed to know why He died.There must have been a reason whyGod's Son should suffer untold agonyupon the cross instead of comingdown from it as He was bidden. Hisown lips had declared that no mancould take His life from Him.The resurrection proved beyond theshadow of a doubt that that claimwas true, The Lord of glory need nothave been humbled and His bodybroken, except He, of His own voli­tion, willed it.

Apart from the resurrection therewould be no gospel, no tidings ofsalvation and provision for generalforgiveness of sin. The Nazarene hadimparted a glorious moral teaching,but no one except Himself couldlive in complete accordance with it.There was no hope of salvation in itor through .it. By following it, menmight live better lives in this world,but beyond the grave there was nohope whatsoever. It made no provi­sion for justification from past sins.

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ise and hope. Call upon this crucified,risen Saviour to help you in yourneed, to banish all fear from yourheart, and to save your soul. "If thoushalt confesswith thy mouth the LordJesus, and shalt believe in thine heart i

that God hath raised him from the'dead, thou shalt be saved".

restrict them to stating beliefs with­out expounding reasons for holdingsuch convictions is difficult to under­stand. Wheaton College employsteachers on the basis of belief in afew evangelical doctrines, it beingunderstood that these men andwomen from several denominationsoften differ on other doctrines. DoesWheaton College expect all of these

. teachers to refrain from stating rea­sons for their varying convictions,when those doctrines arise for discus­sion in the courses of study? If itdoes, we shall be compelled to recordour great surprise at such academicstandards and at such leveling of thepursuit of knowledge.

The 1943 catalogue of WheatonCollege states as part of Wheaton'sgeneral scholastic aims:

"To offer a liberal education inthe arts and the sciences--wherebydoors are opened for the studentinto the main fields of learning, inwhich he may view and taste forhimself the best that is known andthought in the world.

"To encourage the search fortruth, and beauty, and righteous­ness-and to foster an enduring de­light in these things.

"To encourage every student toestablish for himself a Christiansystem of values-values which willgive him the assurance and calm­ness of mind that come from study­ing both sides of a question, whichwill give him the power to detectsophistry, which will guide himthrough waves of 'popular enthusi­asm, and which will give him sta­bility when all about him is chang­ing and in apparent confusion".

If these aims mean anything theycertainly include full and free discus-

ness. Your heart yearns for somethingthat will reaIIy satisfy.

Oh unsaved friend, behold the suf­fering Christ dying upon the cross forsinners. He is your only hope. BeholdHim risen and triumphant. God hasset His seal to the truth of the gospelof forgiveness and pardon and prom-

note that the committee commendedDr. Clark's scholarly attainments andthe intellectual quality of his teach­ing. What is more-and this is ofprime importance - the committeestated, "We do not find that Dr.Olark's opinions differ materially fromthose which he frankly stated, andwhich were freely discussed, when hewas employed six years ago". SinceDr. Clark is no longer satisfactory tothe board, it is clear that WheatonCollege has now changed its attitude.

The committee also suggested:"1. That to the largest extent

possible he confine his. teaching tothe stated subjects, without advo­cating any theological beliefs whichare controversial among orthodoxChristians;

"2. That if asked his personalopinion as to the group of doctrinesin question, he be frank but statethe belief rather than expoundinghis reasons,-being equally hank inadmitting his susceptibility to errorand that his views in this respecthave not been those of mostChristian leaders;

• "3' That he add that he by nomeans endorses deductions homsuch doctrines which have beenmade on such questions as personalresponsibility for sin, the duty ofmissionary effort and evangeliza­tion, and the duty; of seeking theguidance of the Spirit as to prob­lems both of conduct and doc­trine."

These three recommendations, lateradopted by the Board of Trustees,concern the question of academic free­dom for a professor.

How any educational institutioncan have an estimate of academicfreedom for professors so low as to

. By the REY. EDWIN H. RIANPresident of the Board of Trustees of Westminster Theological Seminary

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN1943

Iantic City or down the streets of yourown quiet village. Perhaps you experi­enced a feeling of righteousness bygoing to church-for a change. Butthis year the accustomed Easter ob­servances have a hollow ring to themand you honestly see them as theyactually are-phantoms of nothing-

Wheaton College Today

'"See THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN,

March 25, 1943, page 86.

•THE resignation of Ruling Elder

Gordon H. Clark, Ph.D., as As­sociate Professor of Philosophy atWheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois,*raises serious questions with respectto that institution and its policies.Has Wheaton College changed? Areits academic standards lower? Hasthere been a shifting of doctrinal em­phasis? These and other queries enterone's mind as Dr. Clark's resignationis considered.

In 1936 Dr. Clark was invited byWheaton College to become VisitingProfessor of Philosophy. His theolog­ical beliefs were discussed thoroughlyand the authorities found them suchas not to disqualifyhim for a positionon the staff. After a year's scrutinyof Dr. Clark as a teacher, he waselected Associate Professor of Philos­ophy in 1937 and made a permanentmember of the faculty. Since thattime, as far as one can judge, he hasbeen a most successful pedagogue.

In June, 1942, a committee of theBoard of Trustees was appointed toinvestigate certain questions whichhad arisen regarding Dr. Clark's teach­ing. It appears that a member of thefaculty made accusations against himin a meeting of the AdministrationCommittee in the spring of 1942. Atthis same session, Dr. Clark immedi­ately denied and challenged thesefalse statements of his beliefs. In addi­tion some students and parents ofstudents complained to the Board ofTrustees about Dr. Clark's views. Sub­sequently the committee of the boardmet with him and discussed thematter.

Before making a statement aboutthe doctrines involved, it is well to

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THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN116

sion, and especially is this true of acourse like philosophy. How can stu­dents study both sides of a questionwithout hearing arguments for a cer­tain position? The rules established bythe Board of Trustees for the conductof Dr. Clark's classes make thosescholastic aims theoretical and amockery.

We come now to the doctrines con­cerned. The committee accuses Dr.Clark of holding the following beliefswhich are actually distortions of hiscreed:

"However, he holds certain views,originating with John Calvin orwith imitators of Calvin, which gobeyond what we could endorse. Hecarries the truth that God is theoriginal Being to the point wherehe frankly states that God is theoriginator even of evil; and he iden­tifies the sins which are committedwith God's plan, to the point, aswe understand him, of saying thatGod purposed that they should, becommitted. To his mind theseviews neither alleviate the guilt ofthe sinner nor the need and dutyof preaching righteousness and sal­vation. This situation may be betterunderstood if we quote a few par­ticular beliefs which he holds:

God decrees one man to be amurderer, or adulterer, or idiot.

God decrees some to heaven andsome to hell.

God is emotionless, unmoved..God's love is a manifestation of

His will only, not of His affec­tions (if any).

God never loved the non-elect".

These charges concern foreordina­tion, election, reprobation and thecharacter of God . We shall discussthe first three.

It is important to remember thatDr. Clark denied categorically in aletter to the president of the collegethat God is the author of evil, mean­ing, no doubt, sin as quoted from theConfession of Faith. Since the accusa­tions are inadequate particularizationsof his beliefs, Dr. Clark referred thepresident to the Westminster Confes­sion of Faith for adequate statementsof his convictions on the doctrines in-

. volved. Chapter III of the West­minster Confession of Faith expressesthese dogmas of foreordination, elec­tion and reprobation ,so well that we

, quote certain sections: .

"I. God from all eternity did, bythe most wise and holy counsel ofhis own will, freely and unchange­ably ordain whatsoever comes topass: yet so, as thereby neither isGod the author of sin, nor is vio­lence offered to the will of the crea­tures, nor is the liberty or contin­gency of second causes taken away,but rather established.

"II. Although God knows what­soever mayor can come to passupon all supposed conditions; yethath he not decreed any thing be­cause he foresaw it as future, or asthat which would come to passupon such conditions.

"III. By the decree of God, forthe manifestation of his glory, somemen and angels are predestinatedunto everlasting life, and othersforeordained to everlasting death.

"IV. These angels and men, thuspredestinated and foreordained, areparticularly and unchangeably de­signed; and. their number is so cer­tain and definite, that it cannot beeither increased or diminished....

"VII. The rest of mankind, Godwas pleased, according to the un­searchable counsel of his own will,whereby he extendeth or withhold­eth mercy as he pleaseth, for theglory of his sovereign power overhis creatures, to pass by, and to or­dain them to dishonour and wrathfor their sin; to the praise of hisglorious justice".From the action of the Board of

Trustees in laying down restrictionsupon Dr. Clark, we must concludethat Wheaton College is opposed tothese tenets of faith .and in so doingsets itself against practically every Re­formed and Presbyterian church bodyin the world, for all of the Calvinisticconfessions contain similar teachings.Certain students of Dr. Clark mayhave distorted these truths and hisdiscussions of them, but every profes­sor will testify to the prevalence ofthat practice. Surely no teacher can beheld responsible for the misrepresenta­tions of his views by students.

When such doctrines of the Wordof God expressed so accurately in thehistoric Reformed confessions arecalled into question and even calledharmful to the eternal interests of stu­dents, it is time for those of Calvin­istic persuasion to reexamine WheatonCollege. In other words, it is not somuch Dr. Clark who is under scrutinyas it is Wheaton College and its stand

April 25

for the truth. When the new presi­dent, Dr. V. R. Edman, was electedtwo years ago, we were warned thatWheaton College would have a dif­ferent emphasis. Dr. Clark's forcedresignation is evidence of the truth­fulness of that warning.

EVANGELICAL LEAGUE HOLDSINTERSEMINARY CONFERENCEAN Interseminary Conference of'" the League of Evangelical Stu­dents was held on Tuesday evening,April 13th, at Westminster Theo­logical Seminary. "The Practical Useof Church History in the Ministry"was the subject of an address byBishop Howard D. Higgins, Professorof Church History at the ReformedEpiscopal Seminary. Bishop Higgins'address was followed by an informaldiscussion.

At eight-thirty Dr. Cornelius VanTil, Professor of Apologetics at West­minster Seminary, addressed the groupon "The Practical Use of Apologeticsin the Ministry", and his talk likewisewas followed by a discussion.

This conference represents the be­ginning of an evangelical intersemi­nary program in the Philadelphia area.

NEW JERSEY MACHEN LEAGUEHOLDS RALLY AT VINELAND

SEVENT Y-THREE delegates fromWildwood, Bridgeton, Vineland

and Pittsgrove gathered on Fridayevening, March 26th, at the CovenantOrthodox Presbyterian Church ofVineland for a rally of the New JerseyMachen League. The largest delega­tion came from the Faith Church ofPittsgrove.

Supper at six o'clock was followedby pictures of the 1942 QuarryvilleBible Conference. After games andgroup recreation under the directionof the Rev. Clifford S. Smith ofBridgeton, the delegates adjourned tothe church auditorium. The meet­ing was in charge of Miss Clara VanCulin of the Faith Church of Pitts­grove, and the address of the evening,on "The Importance of the Church",was delivered by the Rev. Samuel J.,Allen of Philadelphia.

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The Sovereign God and the Subiect Spirit (II)

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dynamic that it cannot elude, even inthe darkest hour. Even when life'sheaviest storms crash upon the soul,even when the scorching winds ofadverse circumstance burn our life'sgarden into a bleak desert, still a songwill rise from the inmost heart:

"Have thine own way, Lord, havethine own way;

Thou art the potter, I am the clay.Mold me and make me, after thy

will,While I am waiting, yielded and

still" .

On the bed before me lies a patientwhom I have learned to love. She isblind. She is terribly crippled witharthritis. At times she has great pain.But never does a word of bitter com­plaint pass her lips. Never does shequestion the Lord's doings. We talkabout many things, We have oftentalked about a certain well-knownhoodlum in Germany and have ex­pressed ourselves about his ghastlyatrocities. She will always add; "ButGod will use even him for some goodpurpose". She is a true subject of thesovereign God. In her heart is :tcon­stant, silent prayer,' "Thy will bedone".

In dealing with another patient, thewhole approach was that of seekingto persuade the middle-aged man tosee his problem in the perspective oftrue faith in the providence of a holyand wise God. His wife had neverbeen well. That had always been aheavy burden on him. He could notaccept the unpleasant truth. In hisheart there had always rankled a rebel­lious feeling because of this problem.And his home training had definitelynot fostered a spirit of acquiescence inthe. will of the Almighty. He hadmade many trips to the hospital. Al­ways that problem lay at the bottomof the heap of troubles. He had talkeda good deal about suicide,' and hadshown some determination to carryout his threats. Since he professed tobe a Christian after a fashion, I madea constant attack on his problem withthe thrust that God had been just in

The Christian Faith and Mental Health: Part VI

By the REV. EDWARD HEEREMASpiritual Advisor at the Christian Sanatorium. Midland Park. N. J.

ment in the dynamic relationship be­tween a sovereign God and a subjectspirit, namely, that only a sovereignGod can validate the circumstances oflife, be those circumstances desirable,perplexing or devastating. In otherwords, a person who knows and adoresGod as truly God can believe in provi­dence. What do we mean by theprovidence of God? We mean God's"most holy, wise and powerful pre­serving and governing [of] all his crea­tures, and all their actions".1 We meanthat the death of the child mentionedabove, so fraught with painful things,was an act of an utterly wise and holyGod. We mean that every event thattakes place in the world, in our com­munity, or in our own lives is ordainedand directed by a God W):l0 is atonce impeccable in righteousness andtender in love..We mean that in thehighest court of appeal, that is, in thewisdom of God, every circumstance ofour lives is adjudged as holy, right,just, We mean what Joseph said whenhis brothers stood before him/brothersguilty of a perfidious crime thatbrought unspeakable sorrow to a lov­ing father: "Ye thought evil againstme, but God meant it unto good ...to save mech people alive".

That faith, the vital breath of a soulsubject to the sovereign God, is thevictory that overcomes the world. Itis the faith that had not been bornin the heart of the distracted mother.Ah, we sympathize with her. Weknow her loss. But she could notstand up under the blow. Why? Godhad said "Yes". She had said "No".Her soul had not been schooled inlife's greatest university to say "Yes"when God says "Yes" and to say"No" when God says "No". We donot mean to claim that the sufferingsendured by those schooled in thisfaith are borne without intense pain.Decidedly not. But a soul that hashad this conviction of God's righteousand sovereign providence burned intoits every fibre and strand carries a

1 Answer to question 11 of the West­minster Shorter Catechism.

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN1943

•"Thy Will Be Done"

THE neatly dressed woman sittingin the lawn swing is a new patient.

I go to talk to her. Her dress andbearing are those of a lady. Her talkis lucid and pleasant. Plainly there areno psychotic manifestations. If expe­rience had not taught me what toexpect in disarming cases like this, Iwould say to myself, "What is thisperfectly good woman doing in a hos­pital for the mentally and nervouslyill?" But there really is somethingwrong. She has done what almost allof the functionally disturbed havedone-she has retreated from life. Shehas been unable to face some starkreality. How has she retreated? Bydrinking; drinking, drinking. ,

What a pity! What is wrong? Lis­ten to her story. She was married toa lawyer. They were happy, but theywere not blessed with the childrenthey longed for. Finally, after eightyears of marriage, a child was born. Itwas a lovely child. No child ever re­ceived better medical and home atten­tion. At the age of three the little onedeveloped an incurable ailment, andthe child was carried to the grave. Themother could find no solace. Thelong-awaited child, the lovingly caredfor child, was no longer there. In des­peration she sought refuge in the for­getfulness that alcohol brings. Moreand more she retreated there, till shehad to be removed from the scene oftemptation and defeat. I asked her,"Do you want to overcome your drink­ing?" Her reply was a ready affirma­tive. "Do you think you know how toconquer it?" To that the only replywas a rather helpless shrug of theshoulders. TI1en a final question wasput to her as directly and clearly aspossible: "Have you ever been ableto come to the conclusion that Godwas perfectly just in taking away yourchild?" She hesitated a moment andreplied, "No, I haven't". "When youcome to that conclusion, honestly andsincerely", I continued, "I think youwill stop your drinking". "I think youare right", she said quietly.

This case illustrates the third de-

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN

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home? It is lacking because thenatural, biological, untransformed selfhas not bowed to the sovereign Godand so does not hear the voice ofthe Almighty say by the lips of HisSon: Thou shalt forgive "until seventytimes seven" times.

Love is one of the greatest values-love for God, love for others, lovefor self. What gives meaning and dy­namic to that value? Why shouldlove alone make life worthwhile? Shalllove be but the expression of ournatural wishing and willing self? Suchlove may soon turn to apathy andto hate. What can guarantee andunderwrite this value as a true, aneternal value? Certainly not our vacil­lating self. Only God can give tosuch a value the solidarity and validityit needs to be dynamic. Yes, onlyGod who "so loved the world that hegave" heaven's most priceless treasurefor us can write the meaning of love.(See I John 4:10.) Even more deeplyand certainly is this value engraved inthe fact that the gracious saving lovewhich God grants to His children isan eternal,unchanging,. electing love.All of that takes this great value outof the uncertain twilight of humanvanity and foible and places it inthe clear, steady light of eternal, di­vine appointment. Love is a valuebecause God has made it so. Love isa value that man ought to seek andadorn because wisdom that is eternaland faultless has so established it.And so labor is such a value, the dayof rest is such a value, respect forauthority is such a value, marriage issuch a value, the home is such )l

value, the child's education is such avalue, the national commonwealth issuch a value. Every precept of theLord establishes a value, and in thekeeping of these precepts is "greatreward". Values so regarded do notmerely invite our window-shoppinginterest. Underwritten and guaranteedby the sovereign God as they are,they command our devotion and thefull drive of our souls to realize andto adorn them. Yes, then .any properand legitimate interest of man be­comes a true value because He whois utterly wise and holy has decreedthat we can conduct all of life tothe glory of God-oureating anddrinking, our work and our play, ourlaughter and our tears. And only aGod who is truly sovereign can estab­lish and command that greatest value-the glory of the eternal God.

"I have nothing to live for" is thetragic refrain that rises vocally or in­articulately from the heart of theaverage mentally ill patient (function­ally ill), but especially from the psy­choneurotic individual. At these wordsthe normal person is nonplussed."Nothing to live for!" he echoes."How about your family? your job?How about the crying needs of thedowntrodden? How about the needsof the sick?" But one need not reciteany more challenges to the stagnantspirit. Such recitals are quite useless.There is no "satisfaction in availablevalues".

What makes anything worth livingfor? Why should I direct my energiesto the accomplishment of any good,or to the realization and adornment ofany value? Here lies one of the fatalflaws in much of modern thinkingand living. Modern man has not beentaught to see in values any compellingpower, any imperative that will callforth his best efforts to great achieve­ment or to noble sacrifice. Values tothe average person have the anemicquality of a hothouse plant. There isno dynamic in them. They are re­garded in much the same way thatone regards vitamin capsules-youmay take them or leave them, thoughthey are admittedly good for you.

Take a look at the picture of moralirresponsibility and retreat that marksso many divorces in our day. Whathappens in a divorce? One of life'sgreatest values is ground to dust. Imean the home, the family--a valueordained by God from the beginningof time. Yes, the parties to the divorceknow a good home is fine, and theyknow a broken home is most harm­ful to the children's future. But, theyjust can't make a go of it. Why isthere not a rigorous self-disciplinedirected toward the maintenance ofthe home? Why is it put on a "takeit or leave it" basis? It is because thevalue that we call home is not lookedupon as one of God's treasures.' Itis because those who destroy this greattreasure do not see this value asauthorized and underwritten by thesovereign God who entrusted thistreasure to Adam and Eve in thefirst place, the God who pronouncedthe fifth comandment and who lik­ened the marriage relationship to'the blessed union of Christ and HisChurch. Where is the constant spiritof forgiveness that is necessary to themaintenance and beautifying of a

sending him that grievous problemand that God, whose love and wisdomare faultless, had sent that probleminto his life for some good purpose.Therefore the thing for him to do wasto develop- an entirely different atti­tude toward the problem. First of all,he must yield to God's way. Then hemust stop his fuming and worryingabout it, leaving the problem with theGod who gave it. One day, after manytalks and prayers in that vein, 1*handed him a slip of paper with thewords of Philippians 4: 1 3 on it: "Ican do. all things through Christwhich strengtheneth me".

That seemed to drive the pointhome. In God's providence that textbecame a lifeline for this troubledspirit. He clung to it. Then he readand reread many other precious por­tions of Scripture. More talks aboutChrist as our mediator followed. Otherpersonal problems were discussed. Anew light came into his eye. A newinterest in his responsibilities brokeupon him. His friends said he washis old self. He went home and hasnot returned to the hospital. Inquiriessince his discharge indicate he has re­mained well. From his troubled hearthad gone forth a cry: "Lord, whyhast thou done this to me?" From hisrenewed heart rises a silent prayer,"Thy will be done".

God's TreasuresIn considering the fourth element

in this dynamic relationship betweenthe sovereign God and the subjectspirit, we think especially of the neu­rotic individual who is "tense, restlessand unable to find satisfaction inavailable values"," That brief descrip­tion aptly portrays the character ofthe psychoneurotic personality. Thereis no dynamic strong enough to gal­vanize his sagging spirit into greatactivity. The home with its needs andchallenge of devoted labor for dearones is not enough. Society's dispro­portions .and sins are not enough toquicken him into self-forgetting labor.There is no drive to self-improvement.Love, labor, ambition, family, culture-no value such as these can callforth his bottled-up drives. He prefersto retreat into an infantile, ingloriousinertia where the call to service can­not be heard and the soul stagnatesin its own listlessness.

2 Hamilton, An Introduction to Objec­-tive Psychopathology, 19%5, p. %0<).

118

A Meditation on Isaiah 28:23·29

By the REV. LAWRENCE B. GILMORE. Th.D.Stated Supply of the First Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN 119

calamity. Judah's safety lies not indiplomatic intrigue that puts trust inEgypt, but only in reliance on God.The scornful attitude of God's chosenpeople will lead only to heavier for­eign oppression. God has a decree ofdestruction already declared againstthe evil-doers. The parable that fol­lows this prophecy shows that Godhas appropriate methods of dealingwith His people, whether in mercyor in judgment, and so serves at thesame time to rebuke the mockers andcomfort the faithful.

The Parable of Sowingand Threshing

The importance of the parable isshown by the prophet's appeal for anattentive audience: "Give ye ear, andhear my voice; hearken, and hear myspeech".

The parable begins by pointing outthat the plowman does not plow everyday; he has other work to do in addi­tion to plowing. Nor does he work'every day at loosening and harrowingthe soil. When he has the groundproperly prepared, he plants the smallseeds, such as the fitches and cummin,by scattering them. He also puts thewheat in rows, the barley in a selectedplace, and the spelt in the border. Allthese things he does with regard totime and place. He works this waybecause God has so instructed him(Genesis 3:23).

The farmer's same judicious choiceof methods is seen in his threshing.

. The small and delicate seeds of the£itches and cummin are not threshedby the heavy threshing-sledge but,like all such plants that easily yieldtheir seeds, are beaten out with rods.The contrast between the stouter stafffor the fitches and the lighter rod forthe cummin is the more striking whenthe greater similarity of the two seeds

'is observed. Further, bread-grain,though threshed by the threshing­wagon and horses, is not so treatedto the extent of harmfully crushingit. This discrimination in threshingalso comes as teaching from God.

An Observatie»n by John CalvinBefore studying further the mean­

ing of the parable, we should note aside-comment by John Calvin: "Apassing observation on the twenty­sixth verse may be made, and indeedought to be made, that not only agri­culture, but likewise all the arts whichcontribute to the advantage of man-

Extra CopiesADDITIONAL copies of the

" special Christian Educa­tion number of The Presby­terian Guardian issued onApril 16th may be securedfree upon request to the Com-

o mittee on Christian Education.of The Orthodox PresbyterianChurch, 728 Schaff Building.Philadelphia.

maria. The first verse of chapter 28,beginning "Woe to the crown ofpride of the drunkards of Ephraim",indicates that this chapter must beassigned to a time previous to the cap­ture of Samaria by the Assyrians andthe fall of the northern kingdom,Israel, in 722 B.C.

Here Isaiah is asserting that Sa­maria's luxury and self-indulgence willbring her ruin. But Judah is given upto the same sins, and will not regardthe prophet's warning. God will there­fore teach the people by the hardway of foreign invasion and bitter

and he does not want to fail andretreat into listlessness. The God ofheaven and earth is the Captain ofhis soul and has given him marchingorders. He is in quest of God's treas­ures. His soul may not stand still.God has filled the world with pearlsof great price. His children must love,want to love, yes, will love to seekthose pearls and to possess them. Theheart that has learned to say, "Lessof self and more of Thee", cannotsoon reverse itself and say, "Less ofThee and more of self". His hearthas been tuned by God to the sover­eign command: "Ask . . . seek . . .knock". At the same time his soulrejoices in the assuring words of anunchangeable love: "Ye shall receive. . . he shall find . . . it shall beopened unto you".

(To Be Continued)

1943

The Historical SettingIn the time of Isaiah, the great

threatening military power was As­syria, an empire which finally over­ran Israel, and well-nigh engulfedJudah. Isaiah, in chapters 28 through33, gives prophecies pronouncing wealand woe concerning Judah and Sa-

IT IS very important for us in thislife to learn all we can of the ways

of God. The universe is dark and mys­terious to us, and the movements ofhistory and the events of individualexperience seem often cruel and irra­tional, that is, until we understandsomething of God's methods of deal­ing with men.

In the parable of the farmer's sow­ing and threshing, Isaiah, writing bydivine inspiration, does what JohnMilton, a writer not divinely inspired,seeks to do, as he prays at the begin­ning of Paradise Lost:

"What in me is dark,Illumine; what is low, raise and

support;That to the height of this great

argumentI may assert Eternal Providence,And justify the ways of God to

men."

The ·Methods of God

It is far from the writer's mind toclaim that a mentally ill patient willsuddenly address himself to a realiza­tion of some great value once he seesthe point here aimed at. The soulof man is not usually given to suchdrastic revolutions-from the utter in­ertia of the sick soul to. the nobleenergy of the healthy spirit. But myclaim is that it is immeasurablyharder for a soul into whose veryfabric has been woven a healthy andsolid knowledge of the sovereign Godthan it is for one not so conditionedto utter that feeble cry of the de­feated: "I have nothing to live for".His life is not geared to the idea: 0

What do I want to do. Rather, it is. geared to the dynamic thought:

"What wilt thou have me to do?"By the very laws that govern his spir­itual being, he filly not, he dare not,

THE PRE S B Y T ER I A N G U A R D IA N120

kind, are the gifts of God, and thatall that belongs to skilful inventionhas been imparted by him to theminds of men.... If we ought toform such an opinion about agricul­ture and mechanical arts, what shallwe think of the learned and exaltedsciences, .such as Medicine, Jurispru­dence, Astronomy, Geometry, Logic,and such like? Shall we not muchmore consider them to have proceededfrom God? Shall we not in them alsobehold and acknowledge his goodness,that his praise and glory may be cele­brated both in the smallest and in thegreatest affairs?"

The Meaning of the ParableThe meaning of the parable is

drawn from two processes of· agricul­ture, namely, the preparation of thesoil for the sowing of the crop, andthe threshing of the crop after it isharvested. The farmer does not plowall year. He plows only with referenceto seed-sowing and harvesting. Godteaches him so to do. God thereforemust have wisdom sufficient to ar­range His own processes of dealingwith human hearts by discipline andjudgment, processes something likethe work of the plow and the harrow.Hosea speaks in the same strain, butemphasizes man's need to yield toGod's working: "Judah shall plow,Jacob shall break his clods. Sow toyourselves in righteousness, reap ac­cording to kindness; break up yourfallow ground; for it is time to seekJehovah, till he come and reap right­eousness upon you" (10: 12) .

The explanation of the second partof the parable is much like that of thefirst. The farmer threshes out his cropswith instruments suited to the seedsin hand. Thus God adapts His chas­tenings and judgments to suit particu­lar situations. Evil-doers thereforemust not mock the Lord, else theywill bring on themselves more rigorouspunishments. The humble faithful,furthermore, must not despair as theymeet God's heavy chastisements. For,since it is God who gives the farmerwisdom to adapt means to ends,. HeHimself must be regarded as havingwisdom rightly to deal with sinhIlman in this world of moral trial.

New Testament TeachingThe church is God's husbandry, His

tilled land, as the Apostle Paul teachesus (I Cor. '3=9)' The Lord Jesus callsHis heavenly Father the husbandman

(John 15:1). God treats His peopleas the farmer does his field. God usesmeans for making His people fruitful.He employs not only the piowings andthreshings of His severity, but the rainand sunshine of His Holy Spirit'sgracious working. If those who arecalled by His Name prove fruitlessand apostate, it shows that they werenever born again, and were nevernumbered among the elect. "For theland which hath drunk the rain thatcometh oft upon it, and bringeth forthherbs meet for them for whose sake itis also tilled, receiveth blessing fromGod: but if it beareth thorns andthistles, it is rejected and nigh untoa curse; whose end is to be burned"(Heb. 6:7, 8). In this line of thoughtwe have a combination of Isaiah's

Book BargainsFor April and May

SUBSC R IB ERS to THE PRESBY­TERIAN GUARDIAN may purchase

any or all of the following five booksat special .savings during April andMay;

MORE THAN CONQUERORS, byW. Hendriksen. By popular requestwe again offer this excellent and Re­formed treatment of the book ofRevelation. Price to subscribers duringApril and May, $1.20 (list price,$1·5°)'

WOMEN OF THE NEW TESTAMENT,by Abraham Kuyper. The companionvolume of the book offered in thepreceding list. Price to subscribers dur­ing April and May, Boc (list price, $1).

CHRISTOLOGY Mm CRITICISM, byB. B. Warfield. A book that belongsin every theological library, and astandard work on this important sub­ject. Price to subscribers during Apriland May, $2.50 (list price, $3)'

FOR CHRIST ~D COUNTRY, byWalter A. Maier. The addresses of theNinth Lutheran Hour. Price to sub­scribers during April and May, $1.20(list price, $1.50).

JOHN G. PATON, by J. TheodoreMueller.: A biography of the fearlessand devoted missionary to the savagetribes of the South Sea Islands. Eachbook list hereafter will include one in­expensive missionary biography. Whynot start your collection today? Priceto subscribers during April and May,Boc (list price, $1).•

April 25

parables of the vineyard and of theplowing and threshing husbandman.

The Lessons for UsFrom all this, we should learn:(1) God has a plan and purpose

in all His activities. He is working fora harvest. He is calling an innumerablemultitude into redemption to thepraise of the glory of His grace. Hedirects His providence to this end.

(2) In carrying out His plan, Godworks by judiciously varied methods.As plowing leads to sowing, so Godfollows His judgments with mercy.As threshing requires various tools,God causes the fruits of His dealingsto come to complete harvest accord­ing to their kind and their strength.

(3) Since God is wiser than theingenious men whose ability is Hisgift, we may know that His methodswith man are ordained by His wis­dom. As Calvin points out, the far­mer's methods ofttimes look irrationalto the uninitiated, but closer knowl­edge shows their wisdom. So God'sways are higher than our ways. Theprophet accordingly utters the admir­ing confession of God's wisdom (verse29) that finds a more elaborate repe­tition in Romans 11: 33-36: "0 thedepths of the riches both of the wis­dom and the knowledge of God! howunsearchable are his judgments, andhis ways past tracing out! For whohath known the mind of the Lord? orwho hath been his counsellor? or whohath first given to him, and it shallbe recompensed unto him again? Forof him, and through him, and untohim, are all things".

(4) We must learn to trust Godto deal rightly with the faithful andwith the wicked. Isaiah's parable is agreat comfort as we' contemplateGod's mysterious ways. To quote Cal­vinagain: "We draw from it thedelightful consolation, that the Lordregulates his threshing in such a man­ner that he does not crush or bruisehis people. The wicked are indeedreduced by him to nothing and de­stroyed; but he chastises his own peo­ple, in order that, having' been sub­dued and cleansed, they may begathered into the barn".

Our meditation may appropriatelyclose with Cowper's lines:

"Blind unbelief is sure to errAnd scan His work in vain;

God is His own interpreterAnd He will make it plain".

121

Christianization by LawAny number of politicians, sociolo­

gists and economists are busily en­gaged in the framing of laws to regu­late the lives of men in the post-warera. At least a few of them are hopingthat tlieir proposals will help to estab­lish a Christian world order. Leadingchurchmen too have suggested laws tothat end. So have some of the ideal­ists in our New Deal government.

Now Christianity does not renderlaw superfluous. The contention, sooften made in our day, that Christi­anity and law are mutually exclusiveis false. In a Christian society, law,far from being superfluous, would stillbe necessary.

However, it may not be supposedthat good laws will usher in a goodworld order. A good world order pre­supposes good men. Law does indeedserve the negative purpose of holdingsin in check, but it is utterly unableto perform the positive function ofmaking men good. Those who wouldcreate a Christian world order by lawascribe to law a power which it doesnot in the least possess. Our late eight-

evil-doers is thoroughly Biblical, butthe use of the sword for the positivefurtherance of the cause of Christ isemphatically condemned by HolyScripture.

Then too, the possibility should notbe overlooked that in the wake of thewar may come a super-state and per­haps a super-church. Both have in­fluential advocates. If these super­organizations should not be Christian-and the rapid dechristianization ofsociety in recent decades, as well asthe prevalence of liberalism in almostevery church, renders it well-nigh un­thinkable that they would be Chris­tian-they would without doubt proveextremely detrimental to Christianity.It is more than likely that a pagansuper-state would crush the Christianchurch to earth and that a liberalsuper-church would make the goingextremely hard for non-cooperatingorthodox denominations.

Whatever the war's consequencesmay be, God has given His peopleonly one means for the spread ofChristianity, and that means is thegospel. To substitute the sword ofsteel for the sword of the Spirit is acolossal blunder. It is sure to defeat itsown purpose. And, however Christianthe end, to employ this means to thatend is antichristian.

WestminsterCommencement

THEFourteenth Annual Com­mencement Exercises of

Westminster Theological Semi­nary will be held on Wednes­day afternoon, May 12th, atthree o'clock on the seminarycampus at Willow Grove Ave­nue and Church Road nearsuburban Chestnut Hill, Phila­delphia.

Westminster Seminary is ex­tremely fortunate this year inhaving as its speaker at thecommencement exercises theRev. William Crowe, D.O.,Pastor of the First PresbyterianChurch of Talladega, Alabama,and a former moderator of theGeneral Assembly of the Pres­byterian Church in the U.S.Tall, thin, genially disposed,Dr. Crowe was formerly pastorof one of the largest SouthernPresbyterian churches in St.Louis and now, although sup­posedly retired, preaches inone of the old historic churchesof the South. The subject of hisWestminster address is tenta­tively announced as "WhenEvangelism Becomes Central".

The baccalaureate ser.vice isalso open to the public andeveryone is invited.· It willbe held Su~day afternoon,May 9th, at three-thirty, inthe library auditorium. Thepreacher will be the Rev. John

/H. Skilton, Assistant Professorof New Testament.

tian missions would likely find a wide­open door in the Far East and oneserious hindrance to the Christianiza­tion of society in Europe, and else­where as well, would be removed.However, at this point a supremelyimportant distinction. must needs bemade. The negative use of the swordby governments for the punishment of

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN1943

The Hope of aChristian World Order

IT IS generally assumed that thepresent world conflict is sure to re­

sult in great changes in the political,social and economic order, and thehope is rather widespread that thesechanges will be in the direction of aChristian world order. William Tem­ple, the present Archbishop of Can­terbury, for example, has expressedthat hope in his recent book, TheHope of a New World.

The question is pertinent whetherthe advocates of a Christian worldorder are employing the right meansto that end. An answer to that queryshould give some idea of the pros­pects for a Christian world order inthe near future.

EDITORIAL

Christianization by WarHistory tells of repeated attempts

. to Christianize society by means ofthe sword. To name but one instance,Charlemagne, who was crowned em­peror of the Holy Roman Empire onChristmas day of the year 800, is saidto have forced whole tribes at thepoint of the sword to receive Chris­tian baptism. One would think thatby this time that method would bethoroughly discredited. It so obviouslycontravenes the very genius of Chris­tianity, which is a religion, not ofcompulsion, but of persuasion.

Yet, strange to say, there are thosewho tell us that the present war isone of Christianity versus antichristi­anity, and that the reason why it isour solemn duty to aid with mightand main the cause of the UnitedNations is that in so doing we will bemaking a positive contribution to theestablishment of a Christian worldorder.

It is indeed true that GermanNazism and Japanese National Shinto­ism are violently .opposed to Christi­anity and that the war may well resultin their being thwarted or even over­thrown. If that should occur, Chris-

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN122

eenth amendment, however noble anexperiment it may have represented,could not tum drunkards into Naz-

, arites. The best law ever made by thewisest of human legislators never madea single man-to say nothing of anation-one whit better.

Christianization by law does notdiffer essentially from Christianizationby war; The advocates of either wouldChristianize men by force.

Instead of producing a Christian so­ciety, good laws are its products. Towrite the name of Jesus Christ as Kingof kings and Lord of lords into theconstitution of these United Stateswould, of course, not convert a singleAmerican to Christianity. The pro­ponents of this reform, no doubt, areaware of that. But if and when thecitizenry of this nation is thoroughlyChristianized, the basic law of theland might well be thus amended.

Let it be said again, God has givenHis peorle but one means for thespread 0 Christianity, and that meansis the gospel. To substitute law forthe gospel is to put the cart before thehorse. It spells utter futility.

ChrllHanlzatlon .y the Social GOlpelFor some scores of years the social

gospel has been proclaimed from lib­eral pulpits. It has combated socialevils and recommended social uplift.The regeneration of society is its cen­tral theme. The Federal Council ofthe Churches of Christ in Americahas labored to put this message intopractice. Dr. Hocking of Harvard andothers have applied it to missions.Preachers of the social gospel prom­ised us a Christian world order.

Was this promise kept? Did thesOCial gospel prove effective? Theworld is shouting out the answer. Nosooner had the social gospel recom­mended a cure for poverty when thegreat depression came along. Hardlyhad the preachers of the social gospelfinished denouncing all war as sin andvowing that they would never againlend support to any war whatever,when the present holocaust broke inaD its fury. For a while only subduedvoices issued from the liberal campand occasionally even an apologeticnote was heard. But let no one thinkthat the liberal preacher will admit

. that his message is exploded. Nowthat post-warplans are in the making,his former boldness is returning. Heconfesses to past mistakes but con­fidently affirms that he has learned

his lesson and this time knows pre­cisely how a Christian world ordermust be ushered in.

What ails the social gospel? Muchin every way. But its most serious de­fect is that it substitutes the regenera­tion of society by natural means forthe regeneration of the individual bythe supernatural power of the gospelof Christ. Only by the latter are Chris­tians made. And Christian men andwomen are the indispensable prerequi­site of a Christian world order.

Let it be said once more, God hasgiven His people just one means forthe spread of Christianity, and thatmeans is the gospel. Liberalism hassubstituted for the true gospel anothergospel which really is no gospel at all.Therefore its contribution to a Chris­tian world order cannot but be nil.Worse than that, pagan itself, it canproduce only a pagan world order.

Chrlstianization .y theSupernatnral GOlpel

A church can be Christian only ifits members are. A nation can beChristian only if its people are. Andthe world can be Christian only if itsinhabitants are. These are truisms. Itfollows that without a preponderanceof Christians a Christian world orderis out of the question.

But what is a Christian? On thatthere is a wide difference of opinion.Few words are wont to be used asloosely as the term Christian. And yetthe answer of the Bible to this ques­tion is perfectly clear.

He is a Christian, and only he, whobelieves in the Lord Jesus Christ. Andto believe in Christ is to despair ut­terly of saving oneself from sin anddeath, whether by works or by char­acter, and to abandon oneself forsalvation wholly to the Son of God,who, though' He knew no sin, yetbecame sin for His own and paid forthem the penalty of sin by dying intheir stead on the accursed cross.

. A sure concomitant of' faith inChrist is obedience to Him. Whatfruit is to the fruit-tree, that obedienceis to faith. It is impossible to receiveChrist as Saviour without at onceaccepting _Him as Lord. Not onlymust the believer keep Christ's com­mandments, in principle he does.

This faith and obedience, which areof the essence of Christianity, arewrought by the Holy Spirit. The HolySpirit makes Christians. And in doingthat He employs but one means. His

April 25

one and only means is the gospel, thegospel of salvation from sin and untoholiness, the gospel of full and freesalvation with its ethical implications.

Would we have a Christian worldorder? Then let us proclaim the gos­pel to a lost world. Our work will notbe in vain in the Lord. God the HolySpirit will apply His Word to thehearts of many. In consequence theywill believein Christ as Redeemer andSaviour and honor Him in their livesas Lord and King.

Noone makes a more direct con­tribution to the establishment of aChristian world order than thepreacher-no matter how obscure hemay be-who proclaims the gospel ofChrist in its Scriptural purity and full­ness. Christian educators of the risinggeneration also make an extremelyval­uable contribution to this end.

Do we disparage the efforts of thestatesman, the economist, the sociolo­gist? Yes and No. If their statesman­ship, their economics, their sociologybe pagan, they cannot contribute to aChristian world order. But there isChristian- statesmanship, Christianeconomics, Christian sociology. Theyare rooted in the gospel. Their ex­ponents are specialists in the socialimplications of the gospel. They cancontribute much. Today they are fewin number. May God raise up manymore. The world needs them.

The conclusion of the whole mat­ter lies at hand. The one hope of aChristian world order lies in the super­natural gospel. Scripture tells us thata perfect Christian world order willbe realized only on the new earth ofthe future. But any approximation inthis age to a Christian world order iswholly dependent on the proclama­tion of the gospel of Christ crucified,risen, and enthroned at the right handof God as Head over all things.

-R.B.K.

CHURCH GIFTS TO MISSIONSINCREASED IN PAST YEAR

THE Committee on Home Missionsand Church Extension and the

Committee on Foreign Missions, bothof the Orthodox Presbyterian Church,have announced that contributions tothe work of the committees have beengreater than in any previous year. Ofparticular note is the increase in con-

123

ceding year."The committees rejoice greatly in

this remarkable showing", said theRev. Robert S. Marsden, general secre­tary. "They give praise to the Lordfor supplying all the needs of bothcommittees during the year".

Statistics concerning the gifts ofeach church are being sent by theoffice of the committees to the pastors,treasurers and sessions.

Naturally Mr. Marston will not as­sume any authority over any churchesin which his services may be used, andhe will come only at the express in­vitation of the session.

Mr. Marston's qualifications forsuch a position are well known toeveryone acquainted with him. Witha background of Wheaton Collegeand Westminster Theological Semi­nary,followed by two successful pastor­ates-one in a sizeable country church

,and the other in building up a citychurch, Mr. Marston comes to theposition with the requisite experience.Mr. Marston organized the Kirk­wood Orthodox Presbyterian Churchat Kirkwood, Pa., and during hispastorate a fine building was erected,an excellent Sunday school was estab­lished and one of the strongest ofOrthodox Presbyterian churches wasbuilt up. He went from there to theKnox Church of Philadelphia, and inan active pastorate of just under threeyears the attendance at that churchmore than doubled and a buildingwas purchased which is well on theway to being cleared of debt. Duringthis time he has taken an active partin the affairs of the denomination andhas served on numerous importantcommittees; he has been a memberof the Committee on Foreign Mis­sions since its organization. He hasconducted a number of series of spe­cial meetings both in this countryand in Canada and has been activeas a personal worker who has been themeans of bringing numerous souls toChrist. He is the author of a numberof tracts and pamphlets, including "A·

it will be .only advice or a bit offriendly counsel of which the sessionwill feel the need; other times a moreor less extended series of special meet­ings in the nature of a Bible confer­ence or evangelistic effort will prove ofinvaluable assistance to the church.

The Rev. George W. Marnon

perience has proved that many times _when a church seems to be gettinginto a rut someone from the outside,knowing nothing of local prejudicesor conditions, can approach the prob­lem in a fresh way and give valuableassistance and suggestions. Sometimes

contribute regularly to the commit­tees so that the denominational aver­age might reach 15c a week per com­municant member. Eighteen churcheshave reached at least the 15C goal,based upon the communicant mem­bership reported as of April 1, 1942.Another large group of churches hasaveraged more than lOC, and almostevery church in the denomination hasincreased its contribution over the pre-

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN

tributions from churches and churchorganizations. The gain from thissource was six thousand dollars, andthe average for the communicantmembership was boosted from 8.ocfor the preceding year to 9.9c for theyear just ended.

There has been a gain of more thanfifty per cent. in contributions fromthe churches since the inauguration of .the campaign to have each member

1943

The Rev. George W. Marston, Field MissionaryBy the REY. ROBERT S. MARSDEN

• General Secretary of the Committee on Home Missions and Chureh Extensloaof The Orthodox Presbyterian Ch.reh

MEETI NG a need which has longbeen felt in The Orthodox

Presbyterian Church, the Committeeon Home Missions and Church Ex­tension has appointed the Rev.George W. Marston to become FieldMissionary for the period of one yearending April, 1944. Mr. Marston'sactivities will be of a twofold char­acter. He will investigate new fieldsin which there is good reason tobelieve that an Orthodox Presbyterianchurch may be organized, and he willbe available to assist establishedchurches. In the cases of some newfields which are suggested to the com­mittee, a very cursory investigationmay reveal that a particular field isnot the best place for the organizationof a church. In some other field, abrief investigation will reveal a stronglikelihood that that is the place wherethe organization of a church shouldbe attempted. In that event, Mr. Mar­ston will remain on the field for sometime, making a house-to-house canvassof likely neighborhoods and securinga place for the opening of meetings-probably in someone's home.Should further investigation indicatethe likelihood that a church can beestablished which will become self­sustaining within a reasonable time,the field will be recommended to thecommittee and an attempt will bemade to associate with Mr. Marstona man who can remain there perma-

_ nently, while Mr. Marston will planthen to move to another field.

Mr. Marston will also be availableto pastors and churches which feel theneed of assistance in their work. Ex-

jI

• J

April 25

available at $125 a month. We in­quired if the owners would sell. Theysaid Yes. And the price? $9,000 withperhaps a down payment of $1,500and the rest to be paid off in ten yearson an amortization plan. They saidthey would send us a formal proposi­tion the following week.

I called a congregational meeting to

in our church and community. I thankGod that we were privileged to havehim here" (The Rev. Dwight H.Poundstone) .

"Mr. Marston just finished a finecampaign in our church. I am surethat it has done much for the workhere-the results were solid and thenature of the work such that growth'and long-time progress will come ofit. This is just what we have beenneeding for many moons. I am gladthe committee has undertaken to em­ploy him in such work. No doubt thisis one of the greatest forward stepswe've taken as a church" (The Rev.Robert K. Churchill).

Arrangements for the services ofMr. Marston can be made throughthe Committee on Home Missionsand Church Extension. It may not bepossible for all requests to be granted,since consideration must be given togeographical location. It is suggestedthat sessions requesting Mr. Marston'sservices offer alternate dates in theorder of their preference.

O N JULY 3, 1942 , the spaciousoffice building located at 4120

Long Beach Boulevard, the main ar­tery running from Los Angeles toLong Beach, was vacated by its own­ers. Representatives of the First Or­thodox Presbyterian Church 'of LongBeach asked the owners about the pos­sibility of renting. The quarters were

A Second Front in Long BeachBy the REV. HENRY W. CORAY

Pastor of the First Orthodox Presbyterian Church andGrace Community Chapel. Long Beach. CalifornIa

meetings" (The Rev. Robert L. At-well). .

"We had sixteen meetings in allwith an average attendance of 46.7.There were many who could andwould have come regularly to themeetings but because of the demandsof war work were kept away. One ofthe most encouraging things about themeetings was the number of newpeople who came. to the services.Eighty persons who had never beento a service in the church attendedone or more meetings of the con­ference. There were three professionsof faith made during the meetings.Everyone who attended the meetingsseemed to enjoy them. I'm sure thatour own membership was built upin the faith. I personally was greatlybenefited by the helpful suggestionsthat George gave me, especially alongthe line of pastoral work. I'm surethat every young minister in ourchurch would be helped by watchinghim in action. I cannot speak toohighly of the ministry of Mr. Marston

_~D......--J.L..n.::::.LJ~L_L,.,.~.....~~.!1w,,?!~\jj,i\i;j;~?2·.P;~::·;:·:"

Grace Com~unity Chapel, Orthodox P:~~~b;~~;ian

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN124

Communicant Church MembershipCourse"-a tract which will be invalu­able to pastors in the important workof training applicants for communi-cant church membership. .

In January' Mr. Marston went tothe Presbytery of California at theinvitation of the presbytery and undertemporary appointment by the com­mittee. He has conducted six seriesof special meetings within that presby­tery and has investigated several locali­ties where churches may be formed.The reports of this activity have beentruly excellent. The pastors whom hehas aided have been most enthusiasticconcerning his work. The followingtestimonies were entirely unsolicited,and were not intended for publica­tion:

"Our two weeks of services withMr. Marston are over and I want towrite you a brief report to supplementwhatever he may write. Let me sayin beginning that I am greatly en­couraged by the apparent results andbelieve that, all things considered,this was the best series of services inwhich I ever participated. I am con­sequently very grateful to the commit"tee for making them possible.

"Before going any further I shouldlike to say that ten days of serviceswhich George held with us in Harris­ville in August of 1937 have mademy pastoral work much more effectiveever since and enabled me to preparemuch more adequately for the serieshere. For this reason, among others,

, I am greatly pleased that he has beenasked to do the work of a field mis­sionary for the next year. There isno question in my mind but that hisbeing in a given field for a period oftwo weeks will greatly augment anyof our men's ability to do the workof a pastor-not only ability but par­ticularly zeal.

", . . There were about fifty peopleat the meeting who had never beenin the church before and some ofthem attended several times. Therewere possibly a hundred people therewho had attended only a time or twobefore and there is reason to expectthat we'll really reach some of these.I have never known a group of Chris­tians to be so manifestly strengthenedin so short a time. In our MachenLeague (Senior) meeting this pastSunday evening [after Mr. Marstonhad left for Berkeley] almost everyonewho spoke illustrated his talk by some­thing that he had received from the

/

125

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side windows. The structure is sound­proof. Our lot runs back one hundredand fifty feet to another street at therear. In time a few improvementsshould be made, but for the presentboth foundation and superstructureare in remarkably good condition.

That we are engaged in real mis­sionary work becomes increasingly evi­dent. People who dabble in Modern­ism, Christian Science, Unitarianism,and other forms of unbelief dressedup in fig leaves, are reached regularly.The Sunday school is well attended bysons and daughters of cultists. TwoBible conferences in the mountainshave been twin springs of blessing andthe Machen League has been numeri­cally and spiritually fortified as a re­sult of these. The Sunday school hastrebled since September. A ten-pieceorchestra, which gives promise of de­veloping into a talented aggregation ofplayers, is under the direction ofRichard Dickinson, a Wheaton Col­lege graduate living in the community.With strong encouragement on theone hand, there are also pressing andpeculiar needs before us; there is stillmuch land to be possessed.

I cannot think of the local programwithout profound thanksgiving toGod for the consecration of some ofour people who have chosen to remainwith the faithful little band still meet­ing in our original and less commodi­ous First Church in the east city. Itis a conviction that the witness theremust continue, in spite of the stoicalindifference of that neighborhood,that keeps them in this labor of love.Our schedule calls for two churchservices on the Sabbath mornings, oneat 9.30 at the First Church, the otherat 11.00 at the chapel. Union servicesare held Sunday and Wednesday eve­nings. Thanks to/the spirit of sacrificeand devotion on the part of my littleflock, the program appears to be run­ning smoothly.

On February 7th our service ofdedication was held in the newchurch. Over a hundred were in at­tendance. There was special music bythe Junior Chapel Choir, robed andresplendent and directed by one ofour members. The Rev. George W.Marston delivered a stirring messageon "The Kingship of Christ". Thesolemn and beautiful dedicatory serv­ice found in our Form of Govern­ment melted and moved our heartsas with gratitude we consecrated toour great God the property which of

THE PRE 5 B Y T ER I A N G U AR D I A N

discuss the project. Two days later,however, the owners called up to re­port that meanwhile another churchhad corne into the picture, had raisedthe price to $10,000 and would givea down payment of half that amount.(Later we discovered that it was theFoursquare Church.) I confess thatmy heart sank. Nevertheless I re­quested more time for consideration.The owners said that, since we had ap­proached them first, we could havethe option, but that the price wasnow $10,000 with a $5,000 down'payment. We went to prayer andwork. Our total membership wasthirty-one, of whom five had movedaway. Of the remaining group overtwenty-five per cent. were non-wage­earning young people. There were nowealthy members. On Wednesday eve­ning, July Sth, we met in a businesssession and a straw pledge was taken.When all the figures were in, to ouramazement the total pledge, includinggifts and one loan, was $4,998. Onemember immediately added two dol­lars. We called the owners and said,"We'll take the building!"

The name selected for the newchurch was "Grace CommunityChapel, Orthodox Presbyterian", Thelocation is in many ways ideal. It isin the choice residential section ofthe city, about four miles from thebusiness district. The nearest Prot­estant church is over a mile away. Alsothe timing for establishing the workwas perfect. Soon after we began tohold services, gasoline was rationed.This has decreased the attendance atdowntown churches and thrown anumber of people our way.

The building proper is spacious andattractive. It was not originally de­signed by the architect for a house ofworship, but there was another Archi­tect who had other plans and in Hisprovidence it is so constructed with­out and within that we have had tomake virtually no alterations. A fine,large room in front, excellentlyadapted for public worship, serves asthe auditorium. Seven smaller rooms,three of them glass-enclosed, are beingused for Sunday school classrooms. Iunderstand that the building has vari­ously functioned as a restaurant, asaloon, an auction house, a furniturestore, a night club and an office build­ing. Thus far nothing has for anylength of time succeeded, so we arebuffeting tradition as well as error.Venetian blinds adorn the front and ,

1943

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN

Orthodox Presbyterian Church News

I1

f1j

April 25

Presbytery of Wisconsin

GRACE Church, Milwaukee: Aftersix months under the leadership

of its new pastor, the Rev. Richard B.Gaffin, Grace Church is happy to re­port that the work.is steadily growing.In addition to the regular Sunday andmidweek services, special serviceshavebeen held as a means of interestingthose who were not regular attendants.Special visitation by the pastor andothers has also produced tangible re­sults. The church profited much froma recent visit of the Rev. Floyd E.Hamilton, and is now anticipating thevisit of the Rev. Bruce F. Hunt fortwo days of special meetings.

First Church, Waterloo, Iowa: On

gregational meeting will be held inApril to act on the resignation of theRev. George W. Marston, pastor, whohas accepted the position of field mis­sionary under the Home MissionsCommittee of the denomination....The Rev. Jack Zandstra will continueas stated supply until the end of May.

Redeemer Church, Philadelphia:OnMarch 17th the Rev. Clarence W.Duff was the guest of the MissionarySociety, and told of his work inEthiopia. Mr. Duff showed numerousexamples of native costumes andcurios, and the members Of the so­ciety felt well acquainted with thefield to which Mr. Duff will soonreturn.

Knox Church, Washington, D. C.:A recent visit of the Rev. Robert S.Marsden brought a new stimulus tothe missionary zeal of the members.After his address, Mr. Marsden showedmotion pictures of the home missionsfields of the denominations. . . . TheRev. Henry D. Phillips, pastor ofKnox Church, has been preaching aseries of sermons based on the LargerCatechism, choosing his topics moreby subject matter than by individualquestions.

Calvary Church, Willow Grove: OnMarch 14th the congregation cele­brated the tenth anniversary of thepastorate of Dr. Robert Strong. TheRev. Robert S. Marsden was the guestpreacher and at the conclusion of theservice the clerk of session, Mr. WalterP, Smyth, gave a brief report of Dr.Strong's work in the past ten yearsand then, on behalf of the session,the board of trustees, the deacons, andthe members, presented him with awatch and chain as a token of theiraffection and appreciation.

Presbytery of Philadelphia

FAITH Church, HarrisviIle: In thechurch year just closed, $1°98,45

was given to the missions committees,marking the largest year of missionarygiving in the life of the church....The choir and the young people arepreparing "A Pageant of the Resur­rection" for Easter presentation. . . .The young women of the church andcommunity have formed a group whichmeets once a month for study, spirit­ual fellowship, and sociability. . . .The Junior Machen League has beguna course of "Doctrinal Bible Storiesfrom the Old Testament".

New Hope Church, Branchton:New rugs for the church have beenpurchased. . . . At a recent meeting,the Women's Missionary Society re­viewed the tracts of the Committeeon Christian Education.

Covenant Church, Pittsburgh: Des­pite the decimation of student ranksby the war, more than twenty studentsin the Pittsburgh area gathered to hearDr. Cornelius Van Til of WestminsterSeminary at a Regional Conference ofthe League of Evangelical Students,held at the Carnegie Union of theCarnegie Institute of Technology. Twostudents, studying under W esting­house scholarships, lingered until mid­night asking questions concerning asound Christian apologetic. Followingthe conference, Dr. Van Til was theguest preacher at the Sabbath servicesof Covenant Church.

Calvary Church, Middletown: TheRev. Clarence W. Duff gave mission­ary addresses at the morning and eve­ning services on March 21St. ... TheRev. Franklin S. Dyrness of Quarry­ville will be the guest speaker at theEaster sunrise service. Several neigh­boring congregations plan to attend.

Knox Church, Philadelphia: A con-

ports that Emmanuel IndependentChurch of Morristown has just corn­pleted an unusually successful weekof services with Dr. Robert Strong ofWillow Crove, Pa. Mrs. Strong was

, violin soloist at the meetings. Thechurch was well filled for every serviceand a total of two hundred and fiftypersons crowded the chapel for thetwo closing services. Several peopleprofessed conversion and dozens ofresidents of the community came tothe church for the first time.

126

Presbytery of New Jeney

CALVARY Church, Ringoes: April. was designated as a month of spe­cial evangelistic effort, and at eachmorning and evening service the pas­tor, the Rev. Broce Wideman, soundedthe evangelistic message. The mem­bers of the congregation cooperatedwith the program by their prayers andby the bringing of strangers to theservices. . . . The annual congrega­tional meeting and fellowship supperwas held on the evening of April 9th.. . . On March 17th a son, DavidBroce, was born to Mr. and Mrs.Wideman.

Covenant Church, East Orange: Aseries of evangelistic services, with theRev. Edward L. Kellogg of Middle­town, Pa., as guest preacher, were con­ducted from April r rth to rSth, As aspecial feature of the program, meet­ings for boys and girls were held ontwo afternoons, with songs, Bibleverses, flannelgraph pictures and anobject talk designed to bring the gos­pel message home to the children.

Covenant Church, Vineland: Ontwo Sunday evenings during the pastwinter, the church has held specialservices under the name of "Friend­ship Night", in which an effort wasmade .to reach newcomers and theunchurched in the community. Ineach instance, the auditorium wasfilled and the audience included abouttwenty-five visitors. A large numberof the visitors have continued to at­tend, and a few have received Christas their Saviour. Many are prospectivemembers of the church.

Faith Church, Pittsgrove: Dr. Cor­nelius Van Til of Westminster Semi­nary was the guest preacher on Marcharst, and his subject "Christian Train­ing in Our Day". Tracts on the needfor Christian schools were distributed.In the evening Dr. Van Til preachedon "Creation or Evolution".... Inthree months the congregation hascontributed $500 to reduce the $1000mortgage.

Immanuel Church, West CoIlings­wood: Mr. Charles H. Ellis, who wasgraduated from Westminster Seminaryin 1942, has accepted a call to bestated supply during the leave of ab­sence of the pastor, the Rev. WilliamT. Strong, who is. now a chaplain inthe United States Navy.

The Rev. Donald C. Graham re-

127

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visitors were brought to the meetings,and attendance on Sunday eveningwas double the usual number....Total benevolence giving for the yearjust ended was $1148'78, representingan increase of more than sixty percent. over last year.

During Mr. Hunt's New Englandtrip, he also spoke at Steuben, Maine,at the field served by the Rev. MartinJ. Bohn. Mr. Hunt was the guest ofhonor at the monthly missionary sup­per, after which he addressed a publicmeeting in the Henry D. Moore parishhouse.

REPORTS fROm RUSSIRn mission fiELDSof the Russian Missionary Society, Ine., cover several pages of our maga­zine, "The Friend of Russians," a copy of which will be sent free to anyaddress upon request. Subscription for a whole year is 50c. Up-to-datetestimonies to the power of God's Word in European lands, in Palestine.North and South America, and Australia appear regularly. The magazinecontains accurate, authentic and authoritative information concerirlngRussia and the Russian people. The Russian Missionary Society conductsthe oldest evangelical, social and orphanage ministry among the Russians.Numerically, the greatest white race in the world-220 million persons,among them 6 million Jewish people, over one-third of the Jews in theworld • • • this is our Field1 The ministry in several hundred preachilig

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Presbytery of California

COVENANT Church, Berkeley: Anevangelistic campaign under the

leadership of the Rev. George W;Marston was held during the latterpart of March. Preceded by unitedprayer for the presence and workingof the Holy Spirit, the services wereabundantly blessed and God's peoplewere refreshed. The pastor, the Rev.Robert K. Churchill, believes that thework has been of such a nature thatthe revival and blessing under Godwill continue. "A direction and im­petus for solid growth has beengiven", said Mr. Churchill, "and thewonder-working grace of God hasbeen remarkably manifest".

First Church, San Francisco: Similarblessing from two weeks of meetingswith Mr. Marston is reported by theFirst Church. Attendance averagedmore than fifty, there were five pro­fessions of faith, many strangers werereached, and the three weeks since theclose of the meetings give indication

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN

April 4th the congregation celebratedthe first anniversary of its new churchbuilding. Ten new communicant mem­bers and three baptized children havebeen added to the roll during the pastyear. Further progress is shown by thefact that on April rst the church be­came entirely self-supporting, and nowowns its' church building and manse,both free ofdebt. The Women's Mis­sionary Society numbers fifteen, andthe Sunday school enrollment isseventy.

Presbytery of New Yorkand New England

FRANKLIN Square Church, Frank­lin Square, N. Y.: At the annual

congregational meeting, the churchwas incorporated and voted to pur­chase property located at 38 FranklinAvenue, on a main artery connectingthe northern and southern shores ofLong Island, and one block fromHempstead Turnpike. The propertyincludes a brick and concrete buildingwith a full-length basement which willbe renovated in the immediate future.Included in the contract are also fourlots. The congregation and its friendshave responded generously to the ap­peals for subscriptions.... The Rev.Floyd E. Hamilton was the guestpreacher at both services on AprilrSth.

Calvary Church, Worcester, N. Y.:The congregation records with sorrowthe death of Mrs. Viola Waterman,a faithful friend and valued member,in the ninety-fourth year of her life.Mrs. Waterman's sterling characterand fruitful Christian life make herpassing a severe loss to CalvaryChurch.

Second Parish Church, Portland,Maine: A highly successful missionaryconference with the Rev. Bruce F.Hunt was held in the first week ofApril. During his brief stay, Mr. Huntspoke on twelve separate occasions:He preached in the church on twoweek-day evenings and at both serv­ices on Sunday. "He also addressed theSunday school and young people's so­ciety on Sunday. On another occasionhe addressed approximately two hun­dred young ladies in the chapel ofWestbrook Junior College and, on thesame day, spoke to a group, of aboutthirty evangelical ministers and theirwives. Among the other engagementsof Mr. Hunt was a radio address overstation WGAN. Through newspaper.and other advertising, a. number of

1943\,

\

;'"

1

)

JApril 25, 1943

Presbytery of the Dakotas

CALVARY Church, Volga, S. D.:. Reports at the annual congrega­

tion meeting showed that the pastyear ha-s been exceptionally fine. Con­tributiens showed an average increaseof nearly twenty-five per cent. abovethe previous year, and in the mission­ary.society and building fund the in­crease exceeded one hundred per cent.T1te building committee reported thatless than ten per cent. remains to bepaid on the property, and even thisamount is over-subscribed.

The Rev. C. A. Balcom, who istaking up new headquarters at 30013th Street, Bismarck, North Dakota,was preparing to move from his formerfield when a. blizzard paralyzed allNorth Dakota traffic. Faced with thenecessity of moving when the stormbroke or being isolated without heators.other necessary supplies, Mr. Bal­com took a nailer and drove betweenth~ two homes until everything wasmoved. The last load was brought inby a friend with a tractor, and aboutthe time the job was completed alltrails were blocked. "We have had fivedays of it so far", wrote Mr. Balcom,"and I understand the winds willabate this afternoon, with a cold spelltonight. There must be lots of suffer­ing and hardships, especially on thefarms". . . . Mr. Balcom feels that,with his new headquarters, his workwill be more effective and that hewill be able to reach many more per­sons than before.

Westminster Church, Hamill, S. D.:The church conducts a Sunday schooland preaching service in the LindgrenSchool, ten miles northeast of town,every other Sunday afternoon.

Faith Church, Lincoln, Nebr.: ThePioneer Orthodox Presbyterian Chapelhas been organized under the care ofFaith Church and now has thirteencommunicant members. The first com­munion service was held on April 4th.

Jennings Church, Omaha, Nebr.:Two elders and two trustees wereelected at the annual congregationalmeeting. Total receipts for the yearwere $2169. and the communicantmembership is sixty-four, with forty­six baptized children. Gifts to missionsduring the past year were $328.08....Logan Fontenelle Chapel receipts were$658.09 for the year, and $75.46 wascontributed to benevolences. At theSunday school services on the lastSunday of March, fifty-five personswere in attendance.

sionscommittees. The congregationvoted at this meeting to become self­

.supporting.Westminster Church, Los Angeles:

Three communicant members were re­ceived on the last Sunday of March,and the pastor, the Rev. Russell D.Piper, began a series of sermons oncommunicant church membership. Atotal of nine new communicant mem­bers have been received during thepast year-the largest number receivedin anyone year of Mr. Piper's pas­torate. . . . A room has been rentednext door to the church and is beingused as a separate beginner-primarydepartment of the Sunday school. Itis expected that this move will helpthe Sunday school to grow.... TheS.O.S. Club (a young people's organ­ization which is a branch of the Cali­fornia Machen League) has dividedinto two groups, one for junior highschool students and the other forthose of senior high school age. Theycontinue as one club, but separate forlesson study.

Beverly Church, Los Angeles: Sevennew communicant members were re­ceived during the month of March­four on confession of faith and threeon re-affirmation of faith.... Duringthe past year, more than one thousanddollars was received for the buildingfund, and a goal of two thousand dol­lars has been set for the coming year.. . : The church's service flag nowcontains twenty stars. . . . The pastor,the Rev. Dwight H. Poundstone, hasjust completed a pre-Easter series ofmessages on "The Person and Workof Jesus Christ"; At the evening serv­ices, he is preaching a series on theSermon on the Mount.

Westminster Church, Bend, Oregon:At the annual congregational meeting,following a fellowship dinner, reportsshowed that the total receipts for theyear were the largest in the history ofthe church, with a greater amountgiven to benevolences than ever be­fore. . . . During the past year, theinterior of the auditorium and base­ment has been redecorated, and akitchen constructed and adequatelyequipped. . . . Three communicantmembers were received last month,bringing the total communicant churchmembership to one hundred andthirty-nine, the largest since thechurch's organization.... A series ofevangelistic services was conducted dur­ing the first two weeks of this monthby the Rev. George W. Marston.

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN

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