MISSION TIDINGS

GIFTS RECEIVED FOR MISSIONS IN AUGUST 1981

CLASSIS MIDWEST SOURCE AMOUNT

Friend in Michigan Gift 150.00

Friend in Ada Gift 50.00

Friend in Lynwood Gift 200.00

Friend in Lynwood Gift 100.00

St. Catharines Pentecost Col. 3035.50

Friend in Kalamazoo Gift 15.00

CLASSIS WEST

Friend in Sioux Center Miscellaneous 10.00

CLASSIS FAR WEST

Lynden Pentecost Col. 460.05

Edmonton Gift 1000.00

Fort Macleod Pentecost Col. 573.00

TOTAL: $5,593.55

Dear Friends,

Herewith we want to take the opportunity to acknowledge everyone for their generous gifts in behalf of the Mission. May the Lord bless you and your gifts.

On the 19th of August there was a farewell for Mike and Carol Meeuwse in the church of Kalamazoo. Rev. Vergunst led the service speaking from Judges 6:14, “Go in this my might.”

I spoke a few words in behalf of the Mission Board, in connection with the years of Mike’s preparation for this work.

Rev. H. Hofman, an uncle of Mike and Carol, spoke a few closing words in the Dutch language.

On the 20th of September there will be a farewell service in Artesia, California, to be led by Rev. A. Verhoef, due to that fact that Mike has been in California for the last three years, and Artesia is Carol’s home town.

May the Lord go with them and be their protector and their guide, and into their unknown future.

The Psalmist in Psalm 106:4 says, “Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that Thou bearest unto Thy people; O visit me with Thy salvation.” And the 5th verse: “That I might see the good of Thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Thy nation, that I may glory in Thine inheritance.”

A precious prayer, in the first place, personal, “Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that Thou bearest to Thy people, O visit me with Thy salvation; that I might see the good of Thy chosen.”

Therein we have three personal supplications. How important, my friends, that we may first be concerned about our own soul. Twice the psalmist mentions “Me,” and once “I.”

Then the psalmist goes on; when he may experience something of that personal knowledge, he has a desire not to go with the world. Rather, we read further, “that I may rejoice in the gladness of Thy nation.” Thereof we may write, oh blessed nation that is the true Zion, made blessed through the eternal love of Jehovah. And lastly the psalmist says, “that I may glory in Thine inheritance.”

Oh therein the psalmist has a desire with all that truly reborn people from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south, to magnify the Lord together and to cry out, “Not unto us , but to Thy name give the glory, now and forever.”

May the Lord give that we all, young and old, be exercised about those important things.

American General Mission Fund

Netherlands Reformed Congregations

of United States and Canada

John Spaans, Treasurer Telephone: 616/364-8379

2376 Shadow Lane, N.E.

Grand Rapids, Michigan 49505

PRIVATE JUDGEMENT

“Prove all things! hold fast that which is good. “ I Thess. 5:21

There were three great doctrines or principles which won the battle of the Protestant Reformation. These three were: (1) the sufficiency and supremacy of Holy Scripture, (2) the right of private judgment, and (3) justification by faith only, without the deeds of the law.

These three principles were the keys of the whole controversy between the Reformers and the Church of Rome. If we keep firm hold of them when we argue with a Roman Catholic, our position is unassailable: no weapon that the Church of Rome can forge against us will prosper. If we give up any one of them, our cause is lost.

Let us carefully remember this. The Roman controversy is upon us once more. We must put on the old armour, if we would not have our faith overthrown. The sufficiency of Holy Scripture,—the right of private judgment,—justification by faith only,—these are the three great principles to which we must always cling. Let us grasp them firmly, and never let them go.

One of the three great principles to which I have referred appears to me to stand forth in the verse of Scripture which the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of St. Paul, says to us, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” In these words we have two great truths.

I. The right, duty, and necessity of private judgment: “Prove all things.”

II. The duty and necessity of keeping firm hold upon truth: Hold fast that which is good.”

When I say the right of private judgment, I mean that every individual Christian has a right to judge for himself by the Word of God, whether that which is put before him as religious truth is God’s truth, or is not.

When I say the duty of private judgment, I mean that God requires every Christian man to use the right of which I have just spoken; —t? compare man’s words and man’s writings with God’s revelation, and to make sure that he is not deluded and taken in by false teaching.

And when I say the necessity of private judgment, I mean that it is absolutely needful for every Christian who would not be deceived, to exercise the right, and discharge the duty to which I have referred; seeing that experience shows that the neglect of private judgment has always been the cause of immense evils in the Church of Christ.

Now the Apostle Paul urges all these three points upon our notice when he uses those remarkable words, “Prove all things.” I ask particular attention to that expression.

He does not say, “Whatsoever apostles—whatsoever evangelists, pastors, and teachers,—whatsoever your bishops,—whatsoever your ministers tell you is truth, that you are to believe.” No! he says, “PROVE ALL THINGS.” He does not say, “Whatsoever the universal Church pronounces true, that you are to hold.” No! he says, “Prove all things.”

The principle laid down is this: “Prove all things by the Word of God;—Measure all by the measure of the Bible.—Compare all with the standard of the Bible.—Test all in the crucible of the Bible. That which can abide the fire of the Bible, receive, hold, believe, and obey. That which cannot abide the fire of the Bible, reject, refuse, repudiate, and cast away.”

This is private judgment. This is the right we are bound to exercise. We are not to believe things in religion merely because they are said by Popes or Cardinals,—by Bishops or Priests,—by Presbyters or Deacons,—by Churches, Councils, or Synods,— by Fathers, Puritans, or even Reformers. We are not to argue, “such and such things must be true, because these men say so. “ We are to prove all things by the Word o f God.

Some men I know, refuse to to believe this doctrine of private judgment; but I assert confidently that it is continually taught in the Word of God, and this, again, is the principle laid down by our Lord Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the Mount. The Head of the Church says there;—”Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruit” (Matt. 7:15). How is it possible that men shall know these false prophets, except they exercise their private judgment as to what their fruits are?

This is the practice we find commended in the Bereans, in the Acts of the Apostles. They did not take the apostle Paul’s word for granted, when he came to preach to them. We are told, that they “searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so,” and “therefore,” it is said, “many of them believed” (Acts 17:11, 12). What was this again but private judgment?

This also is the spirit of the advice given in I Cor. 10:15,—”I speak as unto wise men: judge ye what I say”: and in John 4:1, — “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God,” and in 2 John 10,—”If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house.” These passages to my mind seem to say to every individual Christian, “Prove all things.”

Suppose that, in fear of private judgment, we resolve to believe whatever the Church believes. Where is our security against error? The Church is not infallible. There was a time when almost the whole of Christendom embraced the Arian heresy, and did not acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ to be equal with the Father in all things. There was a time, before the Reformation, when the darkness over the face of Europe was a darkness that might be felt.— The General Councils of the Church are not infallible. Our Twenty-first Article says, “They may err, and sometimes have erred, even in things pertaining unto God. Wherefore things ordained by them as necessary to salvation, have neither strength nor authority, unless it may be declared that they be taken out of Holy Scripture.”

Suppose that we resolve to believe whatever our minsiter believes. Once more I ask,—Where is our security against error? Ministers are not infallible, any more than Churches. All of them have not the Spirit of God. The very best of them are only men. Call them Bishops, Priests, Deacons, or whatever names you please, they are all earthen vessels. “Beware of looking upon them as infallible,—beware of thinking of any man (whoever that man may be) that he cannot err.” Let us never make ministers Popes. Let us follow them so far as they follow Christ, but not a hair’s breadth further.

I have said that it is impossible to overrate the evils that may arise from neglecting to exercise private judgment. I will go further, and say that it is impossible to overrate the blessings which private judgment has conferred both on the world and on the Church.

I ask my readers, then, to remember that the greatest discoveries in science and in philosophy, beyond all controversy, have arisen from the use of private judgment. To this we owe the discovery of Galileo, that the earth went round the sun, and not the sun round the earth.—To this we owe Columbus’s discovery of the continent of America.—To this we owe Harvey’s discovery of the circulation of the blood.—To this we owe Jenner’s discovery of vaccination.—To this we owe the printing press, the steam engine, the power-loom, the electric telegraph, railways, and gas. For all these discoveries we are indebted to men who “dared to think for themselves.” They were not content with the beaten path of those who had gone before. They made experiments for themselves. They brought old-established theories to the proof, and found that they were worthless. They proclaimed new systems, and invited men to examine them, and test their truth. They bore storms of obloquy and ridicule unmoved. And they prospered and succeeded in what they did. And we who live in the present century are reaping the fruit of their use of private judgment.

And as it has been in science, so also it has been in the history of the Christian religion. The martyrs who stood alone in their day, and shed that blood which has been the seed of Christ’s Gospel throughour the world,—the Reformers, who, one after another, rose up in their might to enter the lists with the Church of Rome,—all did what they did, suffered what they suffered, proclaimed what they proclaimed, simply because they exercised their private judgment about what was Christ’s truth.—Private judgment made the Vallenses, the Albigenses, and the Lollards, count not their lives dear to them, rather than believe the doctrines of the Church of Rome.—Private judgment made Wycliff e search the Bible in our own land, denounce the Romish friars, and all their impostures, translate the Scriptures into the vulgar tongue, and become “the morning star” of the Reformation.—Private judgment made Luther examine Tetzel’s evil system of indulgences by the light of the Word.—Private judgment led him on, step by step, from one thing to another, guided by the same light, till at length the gulf between him and Rome was a gulf that could not be passed, and the Pope’s power in Germany was broken.—Private judgment made our English Reformers examine for themselves, and inquire for themselves, as to the true nature of that corrupt system under which they had been born and brought up.—Private judgment made them cast off the evils of Popery, and circulate the Bible among the laity.—Private judgment made them draw from the Bible our Articles, compile our Prayer-book, and constitute the Church of England as it is. They broke the fetters of tradition, and dared to think for themselves. They refused to take for granted Rome’s pretensions and assertions. They examined them all by the Bible, and because they would not abide the examination, they broke with Rome altogether. All the blessings of Protestantism, all that we are enjoying at this very day, we owe to the right exercise of private judgment. Surely if we do not honour private judgment, we are thankless and ungrateful indeed!

Let us not be moved by the common argument, that the right of private judgment is liable to be abused.

Private judgment has been abused! What good gift of God has not been abused? What high principle can be named that has not been employed for the very worst of purposes? Because opium is used improperly by some, is it not to be used as a medicine on any occasion at all? Because money may be used improperly, is all money to be cast into the sea? You cannot have good in this world without evil. You cannot have private judgment without some abusing it, and turning it to bad account.

But private judgment, people say, has done more harm than good! What harm has private judgment done, in matter of religion, to be compared to the harm that has been done by the neglect of it? Some are fond of telling us that among Protestants who allow private judgment, there are divisions, and that in the Church of Rome, where private judgment is forbidden, there are no divisions. I might easily show such objectors that Romish unity is far more seeming than real.

But grant for a moment that private judgment has led to divisions, and brought about varieties. I say that these divisions and varieties are but a drop of water when compared with the torrents of evils that have arisen from the Church of Rome’s practice of disallowing private judgment altogether. Give me Protestant divisions, certainly, rather than Popish unity, with the fruit that it brings forth. Give me Protestant variations, rather than Romish ignorance, superstition, darkness, and idolatry. Give me the Protestant diversities of England and Scotland, with all their disadvantages, rather than the dead level, both intellectual and spiritual of the Italian peninsula.

In any case let us not be moved by the specious argument, that it is humility to disallow private judgment, and to have no opinion of our own, that it is the part of a true Christian not to think for himself!

Such humility is a false humility, a humility that does not deserve that blessed name. Call it rather laziness, idleness, and sloth. It gives a man a mere vicarious religion, a religion by which he places his conscience and all his spiritual concerns under the care of others. He need no longer think for himself! Let us beware of supposing that this deserves the name of humility. It is refusing to exercise the gift that God has given us. Blessed be God, our forefathers did not act upon such principles! Had they done so, we should never have had the Reformation. From such humility may God ever deliver us!

As long as we live, let us resolve that we will read for ourselves, think for ourselves, judge of the Bible for ourselves, in the great matters of our souls. Let us dare to have an opinion of our own. Let us never be ashamed of saying, “I think that this is right, because I find it in the Bible-” and “I think that this is wrong, because I do not find it in the Bible.” “Let us prove all things,” and prove them by the Word of God.

Let us think of the solemn account which every one of us, individually, will have to give in that day before the judgment seat of Christ. We shall be judged individually, each by himself.

II. And now let me speak of the duty and necessity of keeping firm hold upon God’s truth.

The words of the Apostle on this subject are pithy and forcible. “Hold fast,” he says, “that which is good.” It is as if he said to us, “When you have found the truth for yourself, and when you are satisfied that it is Christ’s truth, keep it in your heart, never let it go.”

St. Paul speaks as one who knew what the hearts of all Christians are. He knew that our grasp of the Gospel, at our best, is very cold,—that our love soon waxes feeble,—that our faith soon wavers.

He speaks as one who foresaw that Satan and all his agents would labour hard to cast down Christ’s truth, and he cries, “Hold fast that which is good.”

The advice is always needed.—The best visible church of Christ is not free from a liability to degenerate. It is made up of fallible men. There is always in it a tendency to leave its first love. We see the leaven of evil creeping into many a church, even in the apostle’s time.

Many churches of Christ since then have fallen away for the want of remembering this principle. Their ministers and members forgot that Satan is always labouring to bring in false doctrine, and that no church is ever safe that does not bear in mind the apostle’s injunction: “Hold fast that which is good.”

If ever there was a time in the world when churches were put upon their trial, whether they would hold fast the truth or not, that time is the present time. Popery, that old enemy of our nation, is coming in upon us in this day like a flood. We are assaulted by open enemies without, and betrayed continually by false friends within. The number of Roman Catholic churches, and chapels, and schools, and conventual and monastic establishments, is continually increasing around us. Month after month brings tidings of some new defection from the ranks of the Church of England to the ranks of the Church of Rome. Surely now or never, we ought all of us to awake, and “Hold fast that which is good.”

Rome never changes. It is her boast that she is always the same.

And the question is now, whether we are going to abide quietly, sit still, and fold our hands, and do nothing to resist the assault. It is a time which will soon prove whether we know the value of our privileges. It is a time which will soon prove whether we intend to allow our candlestick to be removed, or to repent, and do our first works, lest any man should take our crown. If we love the open Bible,—if we love the preaching of the Gospel,—if we love the privilege of reading that Bible, and the opportunity of hearing that Gospel, if we love religious liberty,—we must make up our minds to “hold fast,” lest by and by we lose all.

CONTENDING FOR THE TRUTH-? DUTY

We must all work. Every living soul has a sphere of influence. Every living soul can throw some weight into the scale of the Gospel. Let him see to it that he casts it in.

If we would “hold fast” that which is good, we must never countenance any doctrine which is not the pure doctrine of Christ’s Gospel. There is a hatred which is downright charity, that is, the hatred of erroneous doctrine. There is an intolerance which is downright praiseworthy, — that is, the intolerance of false teaching in the pulpit. Who would ever think of tolerating a little poison given to him day by day? If men come among us who do not preach “all the counsel of God,” who do not preach of Christ, and sin, and holiness, of ruin, and redemption, and regeneration, we ought to cease to hear them.

If we would hold fast the truth, we must be ready to unite with all who hold the truth, and love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. We must be ready to lay aside all minor questions as things of subordinate importance. Establishment or no Establishment, Liturgy or no Liturgy, Bishops or Presbyters,—all these points of difference, however important they may be in their place,—all ought to be regarded as subordinate questions. I ask no man to give up his private opinions about them.

Some may say, “This is very troublesome.” Some may say, “Why not sit still and be quiet? What need is there for all this trouble?” What good thing was ever got, or ever kept, without trouble? And Christ’s truth is seldom made a nation’s property, and kept a nation’s property, without pains, without struggles, and without trouble.

Let the man who talks of “trouble” tell us where we should be at this day, if our forefathers had not taken some trouble? Where would be the Gospel, if martyrs had not given their bodies to be burned? They counted not their lives dear for the Gospel’s sake. They laboured and travailed, and we have entered into their labours. One thing is very sure, that nothing but Christ’s Gospel will ever do us good. Nothing else will ever bring down God’s blessing upon our land.

PROVE ALL THINGS

I have set forth in plain language two things. One is the right, the duty, and necessity of private judgment. The other is the duty and necessity of keeping firm hold upon truth.—It only remains to apply these things to the individual consciences of my readers.

(1) For one thing, if it be our duty to “prove all things,” let me beseech and exhort all churchmen to arm themselves with a thorough knowledge of the written Word of God. Let us read our Bibles regularly, and become familiar with their contents. Let us prove all religious teaching, when it is brought before us, by the Bible. A little knowledge of the Bible will not suffice. A man must know his Bible well, if he is to prove religion by it; and he must read it regularly, if he would know it well. There is no royal road to a knowledge of the Bible. There must be patient, daily, systematic reading of the Book, or the Book will not be known.

(2) For another thing, if it be right to “prove all things,” let us take special care to try every Roman Catholic doctrine, by whomsoever put forward, by the written Word of God. Let us believe nothing, however speciously advanced, except it can be proved to us out of the Scripture. The Bible alone is infallible. That alone is light. That alone is God’s measure of truth and falsehood. “Let God be true, and every man a liar.”

(3) Last of all, if it be right to “hold fast that which is good,” let us make sure that we have each laid hold personally upon Christ’s truth for ourselves. Let us see to it that we each flee for refuge, and lay hold upon the hope set before us in His glorious Gospel. Let us do this, and then all things are ours. The Church may fail. The State may go to ruin. The foundations of all establishments may be shaken. The enemies of truth may for a season prevail. But we shall have in this world peace, and in the world which is to come, life everlasting; for we shall have Christ, and having Him, we have all.

J.C. Ryle

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q. We at times have problems in the congregationfamily and marital problems, etc. Frequently the consistory (who is turned to) is uncertain or uncomfortable in handling them. Admonition is at times not helpful. Counselors in agencies are not acquainted or are unreceptive to our beliefs. Does Holland have members and ministers trained in this? Where does one turn?

A. We know that in these complicated situations ministers or other office-bearers very often do not know how to handle these difficulties. However, it remains the first calling of pastors to offer help and guidance. I think all who have pastoral duties should try to gather some knowledge about how they can help the best, but sometimes the situations are so complicated and are such problems that more professional help and counsel is needed.

In Holland the Synod appointed a committee for family-care and for help to the elderly. In this committee there are also individuals who, because of their education, are qualified to give counseling. There is also a full-time employee who, as a family counselor, can help in those circumstances where there are many problems. Whether something similar should be done here also, I cannot judge, but there are special difficulties because of the geographical locations of our congregations. It is perhaps possible that a counselor could be found of our belief, who would be able to advise ministers and elders in these matters and to whom the families could turn when such needs arise. Is it possibly a question for the Synod of 1982?

Q. In Exodus 22:16-17 we read, “And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowery of virgins.” Please explain why, and also why it is different today.

A. Israel had many God-given laws, some concerning religious institutions, which we call ceremonial laws; others concerning civil life, which are the civil laws. The law which is mentioned in these texts belong to the civil laws. These laws are just for Israel as a nation; they had a very special order of life. We know that these laws cannot be implemented in a society or nation as ours; these laws have been abrogated. However, in these laws is a moral lesson, and that lesson or instruction is not abrogated. What lessons do we find here?

1. Matrimony is an holy institution of the Lord. It is only in the married state that God permists man and woman to meet each other as husband and wife. In these times nearly all chastity is forsaken. But in this law we read that when a man entices a girl, he ought to accept her as his wife and ought to marry her. That is, in the first place, the commandment of God.

2. There can sometimes be circumstances which make a marriage impossible. Here we read of one—for some reason, the father resists the marriage. He refuses to give his daughter to that man. However, the man still has a responsibility towards the girl; this he must accept and pay her dowery. Dowery, of course, was a thing of those times. But for our times, the man that forgot himself must show that he repents of his doings.

3. We are all exhorted to a decent life. The Lord has said, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” He commands us to live according to His law, and wants us to keep body and soul pure and holy.

Q. Could you give a text against mixed marriages from the New Testament?

A. Indeed we can. Read II Corinthians 6:14, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” Perhaps you will say, “Yes, but here we read about unbelievers.” That is true. But we know from our experience as a pastor how many difficulties there are in marraiges with persons from other churches. We must be very careful, and consider whether there is a basis of mutual understanding in the Holy Scriptures. This is so very important, especially in regard to the bringing up of children. Therefore we must always take this text in consideration when we think about an “unequal marriage”.

Q. Are inter-racial marriages of two persons from the same church O.K.?

A. There are many aspects which must be considered when we plan to marry. Can we both walk in the same way as far as religion is concerned? Do we match each other? Is there a serious affection which can become a deep-rooted love? Can we together in love and unity meet certain difficulties which could lay ahead of us? Such difficulties can grow out of a marriage with a person of another race. But we may never say that God’s Word forbids such a marriage. The church does not either, and may not do so. However, as we are to ask in regard to any marriage whether it is the will of the Lord, we should especially ask for God’s light when we plan to marry a person of another race. But the church cannot and may not try to avoid such marriages only for racial reasons.

(Note: The above questions were received at Youth Conferences, but were not answered because of lack of time. It is hoped that you will find them instructive. The Lord willing, we will try to continue with a Question and Answer in future issues.

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