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Power and AuthorIty
f and when powers are devolved to the
Stormont Assembly on |ay 8 a new
chapter In the troubled hIstory of Northern
reland wIll have begun.

However welcome or dIstasteful thIs new
arrangement may be, the ChrIstIan has a
duty to obey the powers that be for they
are ordaIned of Cod.

WhIlst many publIc fIgures behave In a way
that suggests they are a law unto
themselves, we are mIndful that there Is a
hIgher power to whIch rulers are subject.
PublIc servIce and cIvIc duty carry wIth
them an awesome responsIbIlIty and for
that reason we are commanded to pray for
those that have rule over us.

Cod Is the Dne who rules over the affaIrs
of thIs world. He Is the Dne who causes
kIngdoms to rIse and fall. He raIses leaders
up and removes others. We see thIs plaInly
In the pages of ScrIpture as we read
8IblIcal hIstory.

There are a consIderable number of
Assembly members who profess to be
ChrIstIans. There Is much legIslatIon that
wIll come before the Assembly that wIll be
antIChrIstIan In Its nature and wIll have a
negatIve Impact on our socIety If It was to
become law.

t Is ImperatIve that all elected ChrIstIans
be at the forefront of the battle to defend
8IblIcal prIncIples and to promote
rIghteousness In our land. There Is no room
for equIvocatIon on Issues lIke Sabbath
observance, abortIon or sexual orIentatIon.

Take Note, Cod honours those who honour
hIm.
Cutr PhuluQruh Cutr PhuluQruh Cutr PhuluQruh Cutr PhuluQruh
Trevor CIllIland, EPC |oderator
elect, wIth hIs wIfe Carol. See
artIcle on page 14.
HIs InstallatIon Is to take place on
|ay J (see page 18).
1h ltunQIItuI PrshylrIu 1h ltunQIItuI PrshylrIu 1h ltunQIItuI PrshylrIu 1h ltunQIItuI PrshylrIun nn n
Is publIshed bImonthly by the
Presbytery of the EvangelIcal
PresbyterIan Church.
PIease vIsIt: www.epc.org.uk
lInunt lInunt lInunt lInunt
Anyone wIshIng to help the
Church's work may send theIr gIft
to the FInance CommIttee, C/o:
|r |ervyn Langtry
11 Pond Park Avenue
LS8UFN 8T28 JJN
The church can benefIt from the
Cjt Ad scheme from taxpayers'
donatIons. Please ask for detaIls.
PuIIty PuIIty PuIIty PuIIty
The vIews expressed are those of
the EdItor and ContrIbutors whIch
are understood to reflect the
theologIcal posItIon of the
EvangelIcal PresbyterIan Church
Cuy DudIIn Cuy DudIIn Cuy DudIIn Cuy DudIIn
1st of month prIor to publIcatIon
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harold 0ibsoo
Paul wrItes to the ChrIstIans In Fome askIng that they gIve preference to one
another wIth honour. (Fom 12:10) The fIrst part of thIs verse speaks of
brotherly love and affectIon. Now Paul exhorts us to prefer one another In
honour. What does he mean: |any InterpretatIons are offered by dIfferent
commentators but most agree that thIs verse speaks of a humblemIndedness,
remIndIng us of Paul's words In PhIlIppIans 2:J, "In lowlIness of mInd let each
esteem others better than hImself". n Fom.12:J Paul says we are not to thInk
of ourselves more hIghly than we ought to.

Honour
We are to revere our fellow ChrIstIans wIth deep affectIon and love. "n love of
the brethren, be tenderly affectIonate one to another". (Fom.12:10) We are to
hold them In the hIghest honour. The unbelIever holds hImself as the number one
wIth others second and Cod most defInItely last. The 8Ible teaches us that the
ChrIstIan must reverse that order, Cod fIrst, others second and hImself last. ThIs
Is the heart of ChrIstIan conduct, In honour, preferrIng one another. The 8Ible
prohIbIts prIde and arrogance and havIng a boastful exalted opInIon of ourselves.

Pespect
We are to recognIse the grace of Cod In the lIves of other belIevers. Cod bestows
gIfts unto all hIs chIldren. We are all members of one body, but wIth dIfferent
gIfts. Yet, all necessary, so that the body functIons properly. We cannot all be
arms or heads! WIthIn the church of Jesus ChrIst all members are needed.

Every ChrIstIan has gIfts gIven by Cod and they are to be used for hIs glory.
The WestmInster ConfessIon speaks of ChrIstIans havIng "CommunIon In each
others gIfts and graces". Each member's spIrItual gIfts and graces are bestowed
to benefIt the whole body. Dur gIfts dIffer but all are necessary for the
upbuIldIng of the church of Jesus ChrIst. t Is temptIng sometImes to denIgrate
others' gIfts and exalt our own. ThIs must never be the case because "There
are dIfferent kInds of gIfts, but the same SpIrIt. There are dIfferent kInds of
servIce, but the same Lord. There are dIfferent kInds of workIng, but the same
Cod works all of them In all men". (1 Cor 12:46) "All members together form
one body and each member's contrIbutIon Is essentIal for a healthy church".
1


HumIIIty
All of thIs calls for a humble and contrIte spIrIt. Self assertIon and a 'dog eat dog'
mentalIty Is the order of the day In whIch we lIve. The 8Ible calls upon ChrIstIans
"to humble yourselves, therefore, under Cod's mIghty hand". (1 Pet 5:56) All
that we have and all that we achIeve In thIs lIfe Is only by Cod's grace. How can
we be anythIng but humble: n honour, let us gIve preference to one another.

1
Romcns, F.C. Sproul, p198, ChrIstIan Focus, 1994.
. -.... ...
- -- -
0r Jobo R 0illaspia
CeneraI DutIIne
A ntroductIon-The Facts of the Cospel, IssuIng In FellowshIp and Joy. (vv. 14)
The Nature of Cod, and the consequent FelatIon of |an to Cod. (vv. 5D)
Let us fIrst read the chapter through, notIng sIx Important words whIch are here
Introduced In the same order as In the ntroductIon to John's Cospel (John :114).

Let us consIder each of these words brIefly:
1 The 8egInnIng 2 The Word 3 LIfe
4 LIght 5 0arkness 6 Truth

1 The egInnIng
ThIs word remInds us of Cen :; but both here and In the Cospel the word
carrIes us back far beyond the tIme denoted In CenesIs, the tIme of the
creatIon, to the past eternIty whIch our mInds cannot grasp. n both the Cospel
and the EpIstle the eternal exIstence of the Lord Jesus ChrIst Is plaInly stated,
and HIs manIfestatIon In the flesh.

2 The Word
ThIs name of our Lord Jesus ChrIst Is approprIate, as He Is the means of communIcatIon
between Cod and man. 8ut It was approprIate also before man exIsted. When
we read In Cen , "and Cod saId", we are to understand that the creatIve acts
were carrIed out by the Word (John :J). n the EpIstle He Is called the Word of
LIfe, both because He has lIfe In HImself (John 5:26), and gIves lIfe (John 6:JJ).

3 LIfe
n verse 2, Jesus Is called "the lIfe" and "that eternal lIfe whIch was wIth the
Father and was manIfested unto us." WIth thIs we may compare HIs own words,
" am the way, and the truth, and the lIfe". (John 14:6)

4 LIght
t Is In John's wrItIngs that we have the three remarkable descrIptIons of Cod,
"Cod Is (a) SpIrIt" (John 4:24); "Cod Is lIght" ( John :5); and "Cod Is love"
( John 4:8 and 16). have put a bracket round the word "a" In the fIrst of
these, to IndIcate that there Is no correspondIng word In the Creek orIgInal.
There Is no IndefInIte artIcle In Creek, and In translatIng Into EnglIsh one
supplIes It or not as the sense seems to requIre. "Jesus Is the true lIght that
lIghteth every man that cometh Into the world". (John :9); or, as He hImself
put It more brIefly, " am the lIght of the world". (John 8:12).
0urIng 2007, our 80th annIversary year, we are reprIntIng artIcles by our foundIng fathers.
So far . JanFeb: The Pllcr o] Cloud cnd Fre, Fev W J CrIer, 1957
|arApr: Somebody hcth Touched Me, Fev James Hunter, |arch 1941

8etween September 19J1 and |ay 19J2 0r John F CIllespIe, |rs CrIer's father, and our Ceneral
Treasurer 19271961, wrote nIne StudIes In FIrst John. Here Is the openIng study (abrIdged).
SludIs In lh lIrsl lIslI uI )uhn" SludIs In lh lIrsl lIslI uI )uhn" SludIs In lh lIrsl lIslI uI )uhn" SludIs In lh lIrsl lIslI uI )uhn"
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- -- -
5 0arkness
"n HIm Is no darkness at all". Four of the sIx words we are consIderIng occur In
Cen , In the followIng order, the begInnIng, darkness, lIght, lIfe. We have seen
that the fIrst of these has not exactly the same meanIng there as In the Cospel
and the EpIstle. And neIther have the other three. n CenesIs they refer to
natural thIngs; In the wrItIngs of John to spIrItual thIngs. "And the lIght shIneth
In darkness; and the darkness comprehended It not". (John :5)

"And thIs Is the condemnatIon, that lIght Is come Into the world, and men
loved darkness rather than lIght because theIr deeds were evIl. For every one
that doeth evIl hateth the lIght, neIther cometh to the lIght, lest hIs deeds
should be reproved. 8ut he that doeth truth cometh to the lIght, that hIs deeds
may be made manIfest that they are wrought In Cod". (John J:1921).

6 Truth
Note that In the passage just quoted John does not contrast every one that doeth
evIl, wIth every one that doeth good; "for there Is none that doeth good, no not
one". (Ps 14:J); but wIth hIm that doeth truth. He that doeth truth Is the person
who Is honest before Cod, acknowledgIng hIs sIn, and therefore gladly receIvIng
the SavIour. Such a person comes to the lIght, and does not walk In darkness.

Some other Key Words
The words shew In verse 2, and declcre In verse J, represent the same word In
Creek. The word declcre In verse 5 Is a dIfferent word from the above. The two
words dIffer only In theIr prefIxes. That of the second word conveys the Idea of
repetItIon. We see from verse J that the object of thIs declaratIon Is "that ye
also may have fellowshIp wIth us." Fellowshp here means partnershIp. The
cognate word pcrtners occurs In Luke 5:10, where It Is stated that James and
John were partners wIth SImon. The exceedIng rIches of thIs partnershIp whIch
we have wIth the apostles comes from thIs, that It Is not merely a partnershIp
wIth them, but wIth the Father, and wIth HIs Son Jesus ChrIst. f our assocIatIon
wIth Cod's people be not completed by our beIng personally unIted to the
Father through HIs Son, there Is no profIt In It.

The last fIve verses of the chapter have each the word ] In the forefront.
The condItIons supposed are alternately bad and good, or rather blameworthy
and commendable. The two commendable condItIons are these:
"8ut If we walk In the lIght, as He Is In the lIght, we have fellowshIp one
wIth another, and the blood of Jesus ChrIst HIs Son cleanseth us from all sIn."
We have already seen that walkIng In the lIght results from doIng the truth.
Dnly thus can we have true ChrIstIan fellowshIp and cleansIng In the precIous
blood of Jesus ChrIst.
"f we confess our sIns, He Is faIthful and Just to forgIve us our sIns, and to
cleanse us from all unrIghteousness." "FaIthful and just" - He can be depended
upon to forgIve those who come In ChrIst's name, and In doIng so He Is only
doIng what Is just, for theIr debt has been paId. "SIns and . unrIghteousness"-
8oth actual transgressIons and the evIl nature are effectIvely dealt wIth.
. -.... ...
. .. .

4II lunds lu Ludl 4II lunds lu Ludl 4II lunds lu Ludl 4II lunds lu Ludl
Helen LouIsa |cCracken went to be wIth
the Lord, 2 |arch 2007, In KIng WIllIam's
Town South AfrIca where she began
mIssIonary servIce In 1944. She was In
her 97th year. Her husband, Fev Joseph
|cCracken, dIed In 1987.

EarIy LIfe and ConversIon
Helen Stewart, was
born In Armagh In
1910. Her father dIed
when she was 5 and
the famIly moved
from Armagh In 1926,
when she was 16, to
AntrIm Foad 8elfast.
Dne day her brother
came home wIth a
leaflet announcIng a
|IssIon to be held In
an ron Hall In nearby
Somerton Foad,
conducted by two PresbyterIan
|InIsters, one of whom was Fev W J
CrIer. 0urIng the mIssIon her convIctIon
of sIn deepened, but certaIn doubts
and fears kept her from venturIng her
all on the atonIng work of ChrIst. As
the meetIngs came to an end, It
seemed that the door of opportunIty
was closIng, but |r. CrIer handed her a
lIttle booklet entItled Hs 0nspeckcble
6]t by Fev WIllIam Fogers, 8elfast.

The followIng Sabbath she attended
an early mornIng 8Ible Class at the
Hall, and had the desIre to attend a
Church ServIce also, but not knowIng
where she would hear the Word of Cod
faIthfully preached, she determIned to
go Into her own bedroom and there
seek wIth her whole heart takIng wIth
her the booklet mentIoned. There the
way of salvatIon was made so plaIn that
she could not mIstake It. The words
"Now Is the accepted tIme, behold
now Is the day of salvatIon" arrested
her. "After all my strIvIngs thIs was the
day of salvatIon for me. was gIven
grace to cease strIvIng and to look
away by faIth to see Dne dyIng In my
stead. Peace and joy fIlled my heart."

hIssIonary CaII
Soon after, the rish Evangelical Church
was formed. Helen was a foundation
member in Somerton Road, and Joseph
McCracken in Crosscollyer Street. He
worked in the Book Shop, until 1931
when he left to study at the Free Church
College. He was ordained in Botanic
Avenue, 29 June 1935. Joseph and
Helen were married, 15 April 1941.

Joseph's interest in missions
increased and he did much to promote
them and raise funds for the work. After
hearing of the loss, by enemy action, of
Rev Gregor Macleod and his wife on
their way to South Africa in 1943, he felt
compelled to take their place. After a
war-time journey by sea they arrived in
South Africa in December 1944.

SettIIng In
They lIved fIrst In a small house about
14 mIles from KIng WIllIam's Town. "t
was rather a letdown to fInd ourselves
wIth no water except what came from
the Iron roof when It raIned, no gas,
electrIcIty, bath, sInk, cupboards, a
broken wood stove to cook on and the
toIlet away down a fIeld. A few days
later when saw what had come to
shed some tears, but never agaIn and
the fIve years spent there, despIte the
Mrs HIn MtCrutkn Mrs HIn MtCrutkn Mrs HIn MtCrutkn Mrs HIn MtCrutkn - -- - tlrun tlrun tlrun tlrun MIssIunury MIssIunury MIssIunury MIssIunury
-,.. .

dIffIcultIes of schoolIng for Anne, etc.,
were fruItful ones. We got to know more
about the people and theIr customs
than we would have lIvIng In town".

The hIssIon Work
The complete |cCracken story wIll
appear In another place, but It Is
approprIate that we here express our
gratItude for theIr labours In the Cospel
In the Church In South AfrIca. They
worked through schools In the early
years, they planted and buIlt churches
and mInIstered the Word throughout an
extensIve area, they dId much for the
Church's structure, they helped the
needy, they saw conversIons and
spIrItual growth. They saw the work
develop also In terms of numbers of
Churches and mIssIonary personnel.
|rs |cCracken took a leadIng role In
the Women's ChrIstIan AssocIatIon. And
retIrement In 1974 dId not brIng theIr
work to an end. They contInued as long
as health permItted. TheIr |emorIal
Church Is In Ceju, 8urnshIll 0IstrIct.

The Latter Years
|rs |cCracken moved from East London
In 1987 when her husband dIed and
settled agaIn In KIng WIllIam's Town,
In the KIngsholme complex. She
occupIed one of Its sheltered dwellIng
apartments at fIrst but took a
resIdentIal room In 1995. n 1997 she
suffered a dIsablIng leftsIded stroke.
She was never able to walk agaIn, and
many of her movements were curtaIled,
but her mInd and memory remaIned
crystal clear untIl her death. Her
contacts found her exceptIonally well
Informed about all aspects of the work.
She provIded many InsIghts Into the
early years of our Church hIstory. She
prayed for hours daIly and people
confIdently sent her prayer requests. We
shall all mIss that prayer! For years she
longed to be In the presence of the
SavIour, but patIently awaIted hIs tIme.

At her funeral servIce, 6 |arch 2007,
the congregatIon sang Psalm 2J, Psalm
121 In Xhosa and Amczny 6rcce. Fev
Norman FeId preached. We record our
sIncere thanks to the KIng mIssIonarIes
for theIr carIng vIsIts to |rs |cCracken,
and especIally to Norman and Angela
FeId who gave her devoted, personal
daIly care for nearly ten years. t was a
remarkable and prolonged mInIstry of
love! We extend our sympathy to them
on theIr loss, to |rs |cCracken's
daughter Anne, and to Anne's son and
daughter and theIr famIlIes.
The new Church in king WiIIium's Town mukes good progress
. -.... ...
, ,, ,
4II lunds lu Ludl 4II lunds lu Ludl 4II lunds lu Ludl 4II lunds lu Ludl
Famhat, our frIend and fellow labourer
In the Cospel, works among |uslIms In
the vast area of north ndIa. He Is from
a |uslIm background and hIs wIfe and
three chIldren are fully Involved wIth
hIm In the work. He runs a FellowshIp
In suItable premIses he has been able
to acquIre.

Lord's 0ay FeIIowshIp
1015, all from a |uslIm background,
attend the Sunday mornIng worshIp.
|uslIms are not accustomed to sIngIng
In theIr worshIp, so at thIs early stage
Famhat reads one or two Psalms that
relate to hIs sermon. Dne feature of
the servIce Is a tIme of thanksgIvIng at
whIch three or four of the members
thank the Lord for callIng them Into
faIth, for all hIs blessIngs and for
answered prayer. A tIme of testImony
follows In whIch they share together
the joy of theIr salvatIon along wIth
the dIffIcultIes and persecutIons they
face, but wIth whIch the Lord has
helped them. Next comes congregatIonal
prayer when they brIng to the Lord the
matters that have been shared In the
tIme of testImony and when they pray
for the church's programme for the
followIng week.

Famhat preaches through books of
the 8Ible In serIes and on selected
texts too. He also uses the thematIc
approach coverIng Issues such as
dIscIpleshIp. When vIsItors are present
they are made personally welcome and
Famhat addresses them for at least ten
mInutes on salvatIon by grace.

Although Famhat Is theologIcally
qualIfIed he Is stIll doIng a serIes of
Presbytery examInatIons and untIl hIs
ordInatIon he Is InvItIng |InIsters to
admInIster the Lord's Supper monthly.

The IbIe StudIes
There are normally three 8Ible studIes,
of the InteractIve type, durIng the
DtIumnl uI u urlh lndIu lIIunshI DtIumnl uI u urlh lndIu lIIunshI DtIumnl uI u urlh lndIu lIIunshI DtIumnl uI u urlh lndIu lIIunshI
An informuI meeting with Rumhut in eIfust
-,.. .

week whIch up to seven attend. Dn
Wednesday mornIngs they are currently
studyIng John's Cospel and on
Thursday afternoons an Dld Testament
subject. Dn Saturday mornIngs they
InvIte seekers. These studIes usually
conclude wIth a tIme of prayer.

The Seekers' Camps
Dnce a month, In place of the normal
Lord's 0ay servIce they hold a Seekers'
Camp. 4060 come because exIstIng
seekers brIng two each to the camp.
Some come from as far away as 700
kIlometres and such would stay for a
few days dIscIplIng. Dn these occasIons
the address Is specIfIcally evangelIstIc.

Dutreach
Dutreach extends by monthly mInIstry
journeys, 700 kIlometres In one
dIrectIon and J00 In another. A team
of 46 whIch Famhat leads, spends
three to ten days away at a tIme. They
work from a 'house of peace'-a house
where exIstIng belIevers are In
sympathy wIth theIr programme. These
frIends InvIte others to the house and
advIse the workers about potentIal
local contacts. The team preaches
evangelIstIcally as they go round and
hand out tracts wIth a PD 8ox stamp
for contact. Fahmat's wIfe Is a team
member whIch Is necessary for contact
wIth the women. They also hold health
educatIon camps to buIld relatIonshIps
and provIde opportunItIes.

The teams goes Into Khankhas,
where the SufI |uslIms lIve. They are
ascetIcs and lIve much lIke monks In
monastery sItuatIons. The team has
opportunIty to speak and teach and
fInds thIs work fruItful and encouragIng.

ChIIdren's Work
The FellowshIp also seeks to support
the ChrIstIan EnglIsh|edIum educatIon
of ten chIldren. They pay theIr fees,
5000 rupees per month (about f70-a
lot for the FellowshIp!) to go to
suItable schools. n addItIon, the
chIldren come to the FellowshIp Centre
every FrIday for an hour. The
programme Is called EnglIsh Language
Classes, and they do It by teachIng the
EnglIsh 8Ible. They gIve them some
food and supplement the programme
wIth a few games.

Famhat desIres to have a sImIlar
arrangement In one of the more
dIstant outreach centres. 8ut they
would need a fulltIme worker for thIs
to teach EnglIsh and to run a regular
evangelIstIc programme locally.
Another matter for prayer!

PersonaI StudIes
Famhat has completed four of hIs sIx
Presbytery wrItten examInatIons and
he Is on schedule to fInIsh by June
2007. These wIll be followed by a
serIes of oral, objectIve examInatIons
on set subjects, eg, Church HIstory,
ScrIpture, SystematIc Theology, Church
PolIty and ComparatIve FelIgIon. Then
there Is the TrIal Sermon on whIch he
wIll be orally examIned also. Dnly
when successful In thIs whole
programme wIll he be elIgIble for
ordInatIon. He has asked for prayer as
he tackles thIs rIgorous programme.

"For PIghteousness Sake"
Famhat Is a man who "bears In hIs body
the marks of the Lord Jesus". He has
been severely beaten, and hIs lIfe has
been threatened. |embers of the
FellowshIp have suffered too and
already there has been one martyr. HIs
great love for |uslIms motIvates hIm In
hIs work. Let us pray for hIm and for
sImIlar work throughout the world.
. -.... ...
r r r r
PrutIdnt PrutIdnt PrutIdnt PrutIdnt
0r R 0 0prool
The doctrIne of ProvIdence, one of the most Important ChrIstIan doctrInes, has for
many reasons become eclIpsed and obscured. n earlIer generatIons ChrIstIans
were aware of dIvIne provIdence ... ProvIdence became a name for Cod.

Some years ago, durIng a televIsIon specIal on the CIvIl War, one of the more
dramatIc moments was the readIng of letters wrItten by soldIers, on the eve of
battle, to theIr wIves, sweethearts, or parents, regardIng the uncertaInty ahead.
Those letters frequently referred to ProvIdence. The soldIer would wrIte; "|y
beloved wIfe, ProvIdence has brought me to thIs poInt In my lIfe, and know not
what ProvIdence has In store for me tomorrow. And If It should be accordIng to
ProvIdence that not survIve the morrow, wIll entrust the care of you and of
the chIldren to that same benevolent ProvIdence." Dver and over these letters
referred to ProvIdence. |any of these soldIers dIed In battle. There was such a
keen sense of Cod's provIdence that thIs word was a normal part of ChrIstIan
vocabulary. Ceneral Stonewall Jackson would say to hIs troops on the eve of
battle: "The battle Is ours. The outcome belongs to ProvIdence. t Is of Cod." A
town establIshed In the early days of AmerIca was even named ProvIdence. SInce
then, the concept of provIdence has dImInIshed In sIgnIfIcance because of our
culture's domInant worldvIew. t assumes that we lIve In a closed, mechanIstIc
unIverse, In whIch everythIng happens accordIng to the dIrect causalIty of
physIcal thIngs, by the fIxed laws of nature, whIch operate Independently of hIm,
functIonIng and operatIng on Its own power, obeyIng Its own buIltIn, Inherent laws.

From a ChrIstIan standpoInt, the laws of nature descrIbe the normal ways In
whIch Cod operates hIs unIverse. Natural law should not be conceIved as
functIonIng Independently of Cod. ThIs would work agaInst the Idea of our
beIng alert to Cod's hand In hIstory and our lIves. When Adam SmIth wrote hIs
monumental work The Weclth o] the Nctons, he trIed to dIscern the normal
laws governIng economIc affaIrs, such as the law of supply and demand. He saId
he was aImIng to detect, In the hIstory of economIc actIon and reactIon, "the
InvIsIble hand of Cod." SmIth concluded that the affaIrs of man and the world
are ultImately ordered and governed by Cod, whose rule Is InvIsIble. To saac
Newton, the task of scIence Is to thInk Cod's thoughts after hIm. n theIr
InvestIgatIon of the behavIoral patterns of natural thIngs, these earlIer
scIentIsts sought to understand the normal way In whIch Cod governs hIs world.

8ecause we lIve In a tIme when the dIvIne aspect Is Ignored or set asIde, we
have lost the sense of Cod's provIdence ... Through the study of provIdence, may
we all become more alert to that InvIsIble hand on our lIves. ThInk of the crItIcal
turnIng poInts, whIch often took place In ways we were unaware of at the tIme.
ThInk of decIsIons you have made that changed the course of your lIfe for ever.
AccordIng to ChrIstIan theology, there are no accIdents or chance meetIngs of
people: all of our footsteps are guIded by the Lord.
Extract from Truths We Con]ess, \ol. 1 PermIssIon: PEF PublIshIng, New Jersey
-,.. .
rr rr rr rr
l hut hn lhInkInQ uhuul...DId 4Q l hut hn lhInkInQ uhuul...DId 4Q l hut hn lhInkInQ uhuul...DId 4Q l hut hn lhInkInQ uhuul...DId 4Q
|y bones (as well as my famIly) IndIcate that 'senIor cItIzenshIp' status Is
approachIng. The wonderment arIses-what am to do about thIs phenomenon:
The government pays pensIon money for me to enjoy the prIvIlege and some
busInesses run courses to ease the perplexIty of sudden change. 8ut what
dIfference does It make for one who professes to own the Lord Jesus ChrIst:

remember some years ago, readIng an artIcle on old age, 'SenIor CItIzens -
8eware!' The actual poInts made are long gone, but the thrust of the artIcle stuck.
The artIcle was based on the old prophet from srael In 1 KIngs 1J, who dIsastrously
sIdetracked a young prophet from Judah. Jeroboam was KIng of srael at the
tIme-he who raIsed the golden calves to stop the people travellIng to Jerusalem
for the worshIp of Cod. He substItuted calves for Cod-sIn of the worst kInd!

Yet the old prophet durIng that perIod apparently saId and dId nothIng.
Lethargy was hIs fIrst problem-he remaIned sIlent as hIs country turned Its
back on Cod and used Idols In publIc worshIp. LIvIng a lIe was hIs second
problem-he professed to have a "word from the Lord" for the zealous young
prophet when what he saId was lIes. HIs experIence wIth Cod was not up to
date, It was a sham! The resultant thIrd problem was leadershIp of the worst
possIble kInd, In that he caused a younger colleague to go astray and lose hIs
lIfe. At the end the old man realIsed what he had done and lamented, but It
was too late. Lethargy, that says nothIng In the face of sIn! LIes, that mask the
lack of a daIly walk and word from Cod! LeadershIp, that offers no clear godly
example to the next generatIon! These must not only be resIsted, but posItIvely
counteracted-even and especIally, when It Is so temptIng to put the feet up
after years of plod and to 'holIday' my tIme away. SenIor CItIzens - 8eware!

was gIven the present of an 7F 8Ible commentary for my twentyfIrst
bIrthday by a fellow ChrIstIan traInIng to be a mIssIonary (and stIll In the
servIce of the Lord). nsIde he placed one verse of a poem whIch kept for
many years In my 8Ible. The verse Is stIll relevant for old age:
Let me burn out ]or Thee, decr Lord,
8urn cnd wecr out ]or Thee.
0on't let me rust, or my l]e be c ]clure, my 6od to Thee.
0se me cnd cll l hcve, decr Lord,
And yet me so close to Thee
Thct l ]eel the throb o] the yrect hecrt o] 6od,
0ntl l burn out ]or Thee.

FustIng or burnIng, whIch Is It to be: Even for senIor cItIzens retIrement Is
not an optIon. The role may change but the heart for Cod Is to remaIn fresh.
Now must read 1 KIngs 1J agaIn and let It sInk In, because can easIly
stagnate long before age 65.
0avid Waisoo. Ballgelara
The second n c seres on expermentcl Chrstcnty
. -.... ...
r. r. r. r.
C
h
i
I
d
r
e
n
'
s

P
u
g
-,.. .
r r r r
C
h
i
I
d
r
e
n
'
s

P
u
g
e

Why don't you reud this story for yourseIf? You'II find it in 1 kings 1:1-Z1-39
. -.... ...
r- r- r- r-
Churths ns Churths ns Churths ns Churths ns
Trevor CIllIland grew up on the Crosvenor Foad, west 8elfast. After traInIng In
|echanIcal EngIneerIng at 8elfast and LIsburn 'Techs', he joIned 'Shorts' as a
fItter workIng on guIded mIssIles and aIrcraft. He fItted the taIl assemblIes to
the last two 8rIstol 8rItannIas to be buIlt at Shorts, and had the confIdence to
book a flIght to Canada on one of them! He later became an aIrcraft Inspector.

He attended 0urham Street Church of reland. He was 'confIrmed' when he
was 14 and joIned the 88 and Its 8Ible Class. An advocate of healthy lIvIng, he
played badmInton, dId a bIt of amateur boxIng, and dId not drInk or smoke, so
that many assumed he was a ChrIstIan. He had a remarkable conversIon. When
he was 18, a cover advertIsement on a magazIne of hIs mother's, caught hIs
eye-a 8IblIcal artIcle by Fev 0avId Sheppard, who played In 22 test matches for
England, 1950196J. Trevor read the artIcle, and wrote for more InformatIon.
Sheppard lInked hIm up wIth SU Notes and Trevor began to use them every day.

Trevor and Carol were marrIed on 16 September 1964. SettIng up theIr own
home was fulfIllIng, but they realIsed that somethIng vItal was stIll mIssIng In
theIr lIves. FeadIng the SU Notes and prayIng one evenIng, a month or so after
they were marrIed, they both came under convIctIon of sIn and the need for an
unequIvocal commItment to ChrIst. So they became ChrIstIans together. A work
colleague Introduced Trevor to CalvInIsm and AmIllennIalIsm, and also to a
lunchtIme 8Ible Study In Shorts whIch Trevor attended for ten years.

Dne day, In the EvangelIcal 8ook Shop, Trevor pIcked up a copy of the
recently Issued EPC 40
th
AnnIversary booklet (1967). Dn readIng It he decIded
"thIs Is the Church for me". The |anager, |r S C Shanks, dIrected hIm to the
new work In Seymour HIll, 0unmurry, whIch began In 1965, and the CIllIland
famIly soon became members. When the outreach dIscontInued In 1972 they
transferred to FInaghy where Trevor was already Sunday School SuperIntendent.
He led the FInaghy YPA for Its fIrst ten durIng the 1970s. He became a 0eacon
In November 1971 and an Elder and Clerk of SessIon In |ay 1974. n September
1989 Trevor and Carol transferred to Crosscollyer Street where Trevor had been
an Assessor Elder sInce June 198J. He was Installed to the EldershIp In November
1995 whIch carrIed over Into the Crosscollyer
StreetSomerton Foad joInt charge In January
1996. Clerk of SessIon followed In June 1999.

Trevor and Carol have four marrIed
daughters, Karen, a nurse lIvIng In
|elbourne, AustralIa, Futh, a Careers nformatIon Consultant In EdInburgh
UnIversIty, LIsa, a dental nurse In 8elfast, and Jane, a PolIce DffIcer wIth the
London |et. They have ten chIldren between them, nIne gIrls and one boy.
Throughout her workIng lIfe Carol was a 0eputy |anager In a 0ay Care FacIlIty.
1h n Mudrulur 1h n Mudrulur 1h n Mudrulur 1h n Mudrulur~ ~~ ~1rtur LIIIIIund 1rtur LIIIIIund 1rtur LIIIIIund 1rtur LIIIIIund
-,.. .
r- r- r- r-
lPC Pruyr DIury lPC Pruyr DIury lPC Pruyr DIury lPC Pruyr DIury~ ~~ ~Muy Muy Muy Muy
Tues 1 South AfrIca
Pray for the evangelIstIc wItness of the Free Church In Southern AfrIca
Wed 2 CrumlIn
Pray for leaflet outreach to a nearby vIllage
Thur J Presbytery
Pray for the Annual |eetIng of Presbytery tonIght
FrI 4 ndIa
Femember the North ndIa FellowshIp-see pages 89
Sat 5 Lord's 0ay
Pray for Cod's blessIng on our servIces tomorrow
Sun 6 0ublIn
Pray for the congregatIon as It assesses the new vacancy sItuatIon
|on 7 FamIly 0ay
Pray for the 'FamIly 0ay' outIng to Tannaghmore
Tues 8 Dur Land
Pray for our land at thIs tIme of polItIcal change
Wed 9 FIchhIll
Pray for |others and Toddlers Croup, now In Its 20th year
Thur 10 |oderator
Pray for the new |oderator of Presbytery on hIs InterChurch vIsIts
FrI 11 FInaghy
Pray for sustaIned Interest In Sunday School work
Sat 12 StranmIllIs
Pray for |en's Conference at Newcastle today wIth Fev 0avId |eredIth
Sun 13 Knock
Pray for the afternoon servIce In Sydenham Court today
|on 14 Camps
Pray for our Camp leaders as they make plans for summer camps
Tues 15 Croomsport
Pray for the forthcomIng |IssIon, 1820 |ay-see page 18
Wed 16 8allyclare
Pray for those plannIng the HolIday 8Ible Club
Thur 17 8ook Shop
Pray for the |anager and staff of EvangelIcal 8ook Shop
FrI 18 Peru
Femember ColegIo san Andres In LIma as It copes wIth dIffIcultIes
Sat 19 LIsburn Foad
Femember the newly started |others and Toddlers group each Tuesday
Sun 20 EPCEW
Pray for the developIng relatIonshIp between ourselves and EPCEW
|on 21 ChrIstIan nst
Pray for the forthcomIng HIgh Court FevIew planned for 4 June
Tues 22 ColombIa
Femember |anuel and Patty Feao, and 0avId and Dlwen Ford
Wed 2J Somerton Fd
Pray for the encouragement of our small band of leaders
Thur 24 Dmagh
Pray for Fev Andrew Lucas In hIs new mInIstry, that Cod would bless
FrI 25 Crosscollyer
Pray for help as we seek to carry out necessary work to the buIldIng
Sat 26 YPA
Pray for our young people who plan to serve Cod overseas thIs summer
Sun 27 Dur WItness
Pray for the preachIng of the Cospel In our churches today
|on 28 ACTS
Pray for the Carlands and the growth of ACTS throughout AfrIca
Tues 29 P Johnston
Pray for Pamela Johnston In her busy schedule of meetIngs
Wed J0 Dur Students
Pray for Fobert Johnston and John Coates In theIr placements
Thur J1 CongregatIons
Pray that we wIll all seek summer opportunItIes to spread the Cospel
. -.... ...
r. r. r. r.
lPC Pruyr DIury lPC Pruyr DIury lPC Pruyr DIury lPC Pruyr DIury~ ~~ ~)un )un )un )un
FrI 1 Camps
Pray for fInal plannIng and for spIrItual blessIng on all who wIll attend
Sat 2 Presbytery
Pray for the meetIng to be held on |onday nIght
Sun 3 ndIa
Pray that the recent encouragement In vIllage work wIll contInue
|on 4 |InIsters
Pray for theIr health and strength In the work of the mInIstry
Thu 5 The Word
Pray that Cod wIll make us all more dIlIgent students of hIs Word
Wed 6 Sunday Schools
Pray for the fInal classes before the summer break
Thur 7 Knock
Pray for contInued growth In the JunIor YPA
FrI 8 FInaghy
Pray for our specIal evenIng servIces In June, that Cod would bless
Sat 9 Peru
Pray for the TheologIcal SemInary In LIma as It consIders restructurIng
Sun 10 FIchhIll
Pray for the power and presence of the Holy SpIrIt In our worshIp
|on 11 |IssIon AfrIca
Pray for NIgerIa and the work of |IssIon AfrIca
Thu 12 Croomsport
Pray for contInued blessIng In our youth work. CIve thanks for good numbers
Wed 1J CrumlIn
Pray for John Coates as he shares In the work wIth us
Thur 14 LIsburn Foad
Pray for the mIssIonary support and Interest In the congregatIon
FrI 15 EPCEW
Pray for the church In 8lackburn and for Fev Norman Creen
Sat 16 StranmIllIs
Pray for our Sunday School outIng today
Sun 17 Dmagh
Pray for our annual outreach at Dmagh Show on 7 July
|on 18 South AfrIca
Pray for addItIonal teachIng and admInIstratIve resources for 0umIsanI
Thu 19 ConversIons
Pray for conversIons In our churches and at our camps thIs summer
Wed 20 F Johnston
Pray for Fobert Johnston as he shares In the work of Crosscollyer/Somerton
Thur 21 |EFF
Pray for the contInued outreach to the Arab world
FrI 22 Somerton Fd
Pray for contInued good attendance at Sunday School over the summer
Sat 2J Camps
Pray for those who wIll lead at camp and present the 8Ible storIes
Sun 24 0ublIn
Pray for the church famIlIes that each wIll know the Lord's presence
|on 25 8allyclare
Pray for the evangelIstIc leaflet drop In the town and dIstrIct
Thu 26 World FelIgIons
Femember work among 8uddhIsts, HIndus and |uslIms worldwIde
Wed 27 Students
Pray for all who were contacted and gIven Cospel booklets durIng the year
Thur 28 Presbytery
Pray for the |oderator and for the work of Presbytery
FrI 29 HolIdays
Pray that we would be kept close to Cod over the summer holIdays
Sat J0 E|F
Pray for the church In |adrId and the work In SpaIn
-,.. .
r r r r

Churths ns Churths ns Churths ns Churths ns
1h ltunQIItuI PrshylrIun Crussnurd
The EdItor wIII award a ook Token for the fIrst correct entry
Across
1 Dne who renders servIce (6)
4 Settled the |ount Carmel contest (4)
8 Not the commendable alternatIve (11)
Welsh not spoken here (10)
10 Acronym, AfrIca (4)
11 0Ifferent kInds of workIng, but .. (4, J)
12 SometImes descrIbed as words (J)
13 Awful comIng from a Prophet (4)
15 FrenzIed actIvIty (7)
17 We turn from It In repentance (J)
1 Dverseer, 8Ishop, Leader (5)
20 |ostly refers to the Father In NT (J)
21 EcclesIastIcal Court functIon (5,2,7)
2 Less usual for seekers (5)
3 EmergIng theology movement (J, 8)
4 The only Dne of Three (5, 4)
5 Works from 'house of peace' (6)
6 Thomas Jonathan (7)
7 Dften begIns as a 8Ill (11)
8 ExpressIon of famIly devotIon (9, 4)
12 0escrIptIve of repentance (7)
14 Was party to a covenant (5)
16 FIrst to learn of Covenant of Crace
17 For work, not sport! (6)
18 |Iddle East nItIalIsm
W G G U D A N C E
N D A O E O S
D R O M A G H U A
O L M D R R T
W E W E S E A
B O N D O F P E A C E N
A R T R H
A K N G A H A B
J E R S E Y S B E
A Y G A
M P R E M N A G U R
E L J A H R N T
S O E F N A G H Y
N H M A R
N T H Y S
n 1P4 Suulh 4IrItu Pru[tl

The YPA had untaken to raIse funds to roof
the new church In KIng WIllIam's Town-
'PaIse the Poof'
SInce substantIal funds have come In for thIs
project from other sources, and the work Is
now well advanced, the YPA have kIndly
adopted a new project.
ThIs Is to purchase a new
PrInter for 0umIsanI
The exIstIng prInter Is rented and the
monthly outlay Is quIte hIgh.
Watch out for detaIIs from the YPA.
har-Apr 2007 SoIutIons
We are encouraged by the
consIderable Interest In
The EP Crossword
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13
14
15 16 17
18
19 20
21

0
o
w
n
. -.... ...
r, r, r, r,
Churths ns Churths ns Churths ns Churths ns
lnsluIIulIun uI kt 4ndrn lutus In DmuQ lnsluIIulIun uI kt 4ndrn lutus In DmuQ lnsluIIulIun uI kt 4ndrn lutus In DmuQ lnsluIIulIun uI kt 4ndrn lutus In DmuQh hh h
Dn the afternoon of Saturday 24 |arch a good sIzed congregatIon gathered In
the Dmagh church buIldIng to wItness the InstallatIon of the Fev Andrew Lucas
as mInIster of the congregatIon. |r Ken |c0onald, |oderator, presIded and
followIng the openIng devotIons conducted by Fev 8Illy EllIott the act of
InstallatIon took place. |r. Hugh Crawford, Dmagh Clerk of SessIon, gave an
InformatIve narratIve after whIch Fev Stephen Foger, Clerk of Presbytery, put
the prescrIbed questIons. Fev Jeff 8allantIne offered the InstallatIon prayer and
the customary rIght hand of fellowshIp
was offered to |r Lucas. The Fev
Careth 8urke delIvered the charge to
the mInIster and congregatIon based
on Paul's words In CalatIans 4:12-20.
FollowIng the closIng praIse |r Lucas
pronounced the 8enedIctIon.

After the servIce everyone enjoyed
a splendId tea whIch was provIded by
the ladIes of Dmagh. As the tea drew
to a close a number of speeches were
made by the outgoIng nterIm |oderator and |r Crawford. The Dmagh frIends
then demonstrated theIr generosIty and kIndness In a very practIcal way as gIfts
were presented to the new |InIster, to hIs mother, to the |oderator, and to
varIous other mInIsters who had had some Involvement In the congregatIon over
these past years.

At the conclusIon of thIs tIme together the members and frIends of Dmagh
made a presentatIon to |r Crawford. ThIs was most fIttIng In the lIght of the
sterlIng servIce whIch |r Crawford has gIven durIng a vacancy of nearly sIx
years. We pray that the Lord's rIchest blessIng wIll rest upon |r Lucas and the
congregatIon as they move Into a new perIod of |InIstry.
Lruumsurl lPC Lruumsurl lPC Lruumsurl lPC Lruumsurl lPC

SerIes of SpecIaI meetIngs
1820 |ay 2007

Pev Cwyn WIIIIams
Pastor of Welsh speakIng 8aptIst Church
In CardIff Is to speak from Fomans J4
on the themes of
JustIfIcatIon, PedemptIon,
PeconcIIIatIon, PropItIatIon

FrIday and Saturday at 8.00 pm
Lord's 0ay, 11:J0 am and 7.00 pm.
4nnuuI PrsnlulIun uI 4nnuuI PrsnlulIun uI 4nnuuI PrsnlulIun uI 4nnuuI PrsnlulIun uI
Prshylry kurls Prshylry kurls Prshylry kurls Prshylry kurls

InstaIIatIon of hr J T
CIIIIIand as hoderator
Somerton Poad EPC
Thursday 3 hay 2007
8.00 pm

Everyone WeIcome
-,.. .
r r r r
For those who accept the unIty of the 8Ible, there are basIcally two ways of
readIng Its storylIne. Dne can read It as a collectIon of books reflectIng the
dIfferent workIngs of Cod In Isolated and relatIvely unrelated epochs of world
hIstory. That Is basIc dspensctonclsm, a vIew that sees the progress of the
8Ible as demonstratIng Cod's workIng over successIve eras.

Dr one can read It as a unIt, tellIng the same story of salvatIon, at dIfferent
tImes certaInly, but wIth these epochal moments successIvely buIldIng on one
another untIl the fulfIlment comes wIth the advent and IncarnatIon of Jesus
ChrIst. ThIs Is basIc ]ederclsm, a vIew that sees the storylIne of the 8Ible
wrItten In terms of the one plan of salvatIon, worked out In spacetIme hIstory
as the unfoldIng of a covenant of grace under dIfferent admInIstratIons.

have always been a federalIst In my readIng of the 8Ible. That's the
theology on whIch was reared, and It's what learned many wInters ago In
Shorter CatechIsm drIll. |y theologIcal studIes and reflectIon confIrmed my
vIew that ScrIpture Is governed by covenants, not dIspensatIons, and that Cod's
covenant of grace was revealed by successIve hIstorIcal covenants made by Cod
wIth Adam, Noah, Abraham, |oses, 0avId, and, ultImately, Jesus ChrIst.

also accepted the vIew that the transItIon to the fInal form and
admInIstratIon of the covenant of grace, ratIfIed by the death of Jesus ChrIst
(what Hebrews calls 'the blood of the everlastIng covenant'), meant that there
were contInuItIes and dIscontInuItIes wIth the older forms of that covenant.

JeremIah prophesIed, for example, that there would be a 'new covenant',
and that, as a result, some older embellIshments, such as sacrIfIces and
ceremonIes, would now be superfluous. have always belIeved and taught that
the moral and spIrItual kernel of the covenant has contInued Into Its newer
admInIstratIon, whIle Its outward ceremonIes, lIke the scaffoldIng of a
completed buIldIng, are now no longer necessary.

Fecently, however, a renuancIng of thIs approach has appeared, whIch trIes
to sIt somewhere between a dIspensatIonal and a covenantal readIng of
ScrIpture. At the rIsk of oversImplIfIcatIon, the emergIng New Covenant
Theology (NCT) movement wants to say that the New Covenant Is a brcnd new
covenant arrangement, wIth mInImal connectIon wIth what went before.

Dne of the best resources for understandIng NCT Is the n0epth StudIes
websIte (www.Ids.org), from where you can download Steve Lehrer's 8ook,
New Covencnt Theoloyy: Questons Answered. n dIscussIng Cod's selfdIsclosure
Whul Is n Cutnunl 1huIuQy? Whul Is n Cutnunl 1huIuQy? Whul Is n Cutnunl 1huIuQy? Whul Is n Cutnunl 1huIuQy?
Rav 0r laio 0 0ampball
aIn 0 Campbell Is |InIster of 8ack Free Church of Scotland, sle of LewIs
. -.... ...
. . . .
to srael Lehrer states that Cod's purpose In placIng srael under a (worksbased
and old) covenant was 'to teach us, not to save them' (p62). The best we can
fInd In the Dld Testament Is a revelatIon of sIn that shows us our need of ChrIst.

Dne consequence of thIs, accordIng to NCT, Is that only the laws of ChrIst
and the apostles are applIcable to us today. However, even thIs Is qualIfIed by
Lehrer In a footnote where he says that 'not every command gIven by ChrIst Is
applIcable today', sInce 'he was under the Dld Covenant whIle talkIng a lot
about the New Covenant era' (p112, n.J0). So In spIte of wantIng to prIorItIse
the teachIng of Jesus as lawgIver over |oses, NCT needs to fIlter out even the
teachIngs of Jesus whIch belong to the obsolete covenant.

t seems to me that NCT wants to IdentIfy 'old covenant' In JeremIah J1 and
Hebrews 8 wIth pretty much everythIng In the Dld Testament, and 'new
covenant' wIth almost everythIng In the New Testament. 8ut thIs Is doIng more
than sImply stressIng dIscontInuIty over contInuIty: It Is arguIng that lIttle In the
Dld Covenant Is relevant to us now.

n doIng so, however, NCT has created Its own brand of dIspensatIonalIsm,
by takIng the best of federalIsm and marryIng It to a compartmentalIsed vIew
of ScrIpture. n spIte of theIr protestatIons, New Covenant theologIans lIke
Steve Lehrer and Ceoff 7olker cannot avoId the ImplIcatIon that much of the
Dld Testament has been rendered superfluous by theIr approach.

Dh well, maybe some people just have way too much tIme on theIr hands.
stIll want to InsIst that am a 'new covenant
theologIan' In the tradItIon of maInstream Feformed,
federalIst theology. stIll belIeve that am a whole
8Ible ChrIstIan, and that we can appeal to the moral
and spIrItual elements of the Dld Testament as beIng
of a pIece wIth the perfected salvatIon worked out In
ChrIst.

That means, among other thIngs, that the ten commandments were
dIstInctIve wIthIn the corpus of Dld Testament law, and stIll have moral
authorIty, that the dIscontInuItIes across the Testaments are the result of
ChrIst havIng offered the fInal sacrIfIce and redefIned Cod's kIngdom for us,
that the contInuItIes are equally Important, and that the same gospel of
redeemIng grace Is found everywhere on the pages of the ScrIptures.

Just because people borrow an orthodoxsoundIng name for themselves
doesn't mean they have a monopoly on truth.

Heljul resources jor crtquny NCT:
FIchard 8arcellos, ln 0e]ence o] the 0eccloyue: A Crtque o] New Covencnt Theoloyy
(WInepress PublIshIng, 2001)
Fesources lIsted by Joseph Cleason at http://www.bIblelIghthouse.com/covenants/nct.htm
Scott Clark's theses on covenant theology at http://www.wscal.edu/clark/covtheses.php
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lhuIuQIun' In lh
lrudIlIun uI muInslrum
kIurmd, IdruIIsl
lhuIuQy.
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luIlh und lII luIlh und lII luIlh und lII luIlh und lII~ ~~ ~knlunt unlu knlunt unlu knlunt unlu knlunt unlu lII lII lII lII
A seres o] one pcye summcres o] the JJ Chcpters o] the Westmnster Con]esson,
wth comment where spcce permts. Plecse recd the Con]esson Chcpter tsel]!
SectIon 1 Pepentance Is a Crace
Fepentance Is a savIng grace whIch every |InIster of the Cospel must preach,
along wIth Its twIn doctrIne of faIth In ChrIst.

SectIon 2 Pepentance Is TurnIng from SIn unto Cod
8y thIs grace of Fepentance, sInners seeIng the abhorrence of theIr sIns and the
danger In whIch they place them In the hands of a holy Cod, turn from them all
wIth grIef and hatred of them. Aware of Cod's mercy In ChrIst to the penItent
they turn from theIr sIn to Cod wIth full commItment to a new way of lIfe In hIm.

SectIon 3 Pepentance Is IndIspensabIe to Pardon
Cod does not grant pardon for repentance, but there can be no pardon wIthout It.

SectIon 4 Pepentance deaIs wIth Every SIn
The smallest sIn merIts damnatIon, but the greatest sIn cannot brIng It on
anyone who truly repents.

SectIon 5 Pepentance Is SpecIfIc
Noone should be content wIth a mere general repentance, but should strIve to
repent specIfIcally of specIfIc sIns.

SectIon 6 Pepentance Is an IntegraI Part of ConfessIon
All must confess all theIr sIns prIvately to Cod, and on turnIng from them wIth
prayer for pardon, are guaranteed hIs mercy. Any who sIn agaInst a fellow
belIever or the Church must, wIth sorrow and repentance, make prIvate or
publIc confessIon to those wronged who are then to be reconcIled In love.

We have noted that Chapters 1017 cover the Drder of SalvatIon (ordo scluts),
dealIng fIrst wIth the dIvIne actIvItIes of Effectual CallIng, JustIfIcatIon, AdoptIon
and SanctIfIcatIon, and then wIth the human responses of FaIth and Fepentance,
Cood Works and Perseverance. FaIth and Fepentance together are conversIon.

ThIs Chapter of WCF addresses the errors In the Foman CatholIc doctrInes of
ConfessIon and Penance In whIch satIsfactIon Is performed by the penItent to
gaIn favour wIth Cod. n Feformed theology, In addItIon, all sIn must be
confessed to Cod and not merely to man. Chapter 15 also refutes the ArmInIan
vIew that repentance precedes regeneratIon and Is InItIated by the sInner. We
must guard agaInst corruptIng these doctrInes of FaIth and Fepentance by
IncorporatIng the slIghtest element of human merIt at any poInt. FaIth and
repentance are both the gIft of Cod through regeneratIon.

We should also note the full tItle of the Chapter-Fepentance unto L]e.
WC WC WC WCl ll l 15
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heet the PurItans
JoeI eeke and PandaII Pederson, FeformatIon HerItage 8ooks, 942 pp, f1.5
Who were the PurItans: HappIly, wIth a resurgence of Interest In
the ChrIstIan lIterature of the seventeenth century, not all
ChrIstIans today respond blankly to such a questIon, or reply wIth
one of the carIcature portraIts of the PurItans that are often
bandIed about.
The PurItans were men of precIse mInds and burnIng hearts.
They were devoted to followIng ScrIpture fully and to adornIng
the doctrIne of theIr Cod and SavIour In all thIngs. TheIr lIves are
to be studIed by all who love bIblIcal holIness, and theIr wrItIngs
are to be pondered by all who have ChrIst's Interests at heart.
WIth Meet the Purtcns In your hand you can have no better IntroductIon to
these men. The authors have gIven us thumbnaIl bIographIcal sketches of the
lIves of 146 of them. As expected, most are EnglIsh and AmerIcan, but eleven
ScottIsh and twelve 0utch dIvInes are Included In the appendIces. A CuIde to
|odern FeprInts of the works of all these worthIes Is provIded, and also
IllustratIve portraIts of many of them.
Dther appendIces Include: CollectIons of PurItan WrItIngs; Secondary
Sources on the PurItans; an artIcle on "The Creat TradItIon": A FInal Word on
PurItanIsm and Dur Need Today; a Clossary of Terms and Events Used In thIs
CuIde; a 8IblIography of Secondary Sources on the PurItans; and an Author and
TItle ndex. What a mIne of InformatIon! And at a reasonable prIce for a volume
thIs sIze!
Meet the Purtcns Is an Invaluable work, carefully, lovIngly, and judIcIously
produced. t wIll Introduce a new generatIon of ChrIstIans to these spIrItual
gIants of the seventeenth century In a way that can only stImulate a desIre to
become better acquaInted wIth them. That can only be good for the church of
the twentyfIrst century. Aodow A noo|so, Aodow A noo|so, Aodow A noo|so, Aodow A noo|so,


CS LewIs: CIarIty and ConfusIon. A baIanced IntroductIon to hIs wrItIngs.
Andrew WheeIer, 0ay Dne PublIcatIons, Paperback, 160 pp, f6.00 f4.50
Why should the thoughts of CS LewIs be so Important: CertaInly
LewIs, the author of The Chroncles o] Ncrnc, The Screwtcpe
Letters and The Problem o] Pcn, Is one of the best known
ChrIstIan wrIters and apologIsts of the twentIeth century, but the
extent of hIs Influence may not be apprecIated. F. Kent Hughes, In
hIs book The 0scplnes o] c 6odly Mcn, gIves a personal readIng
survey of ChrIstIan leaders and, after the 8Ible, the most
frequently cIted book Is LewIs' Mere Chrstcnty-ahead even of
CalvIn's lnsttutes o] the Chrstcn Relyon. However those
approachIng LewIs' wrItIngs for the fIrst tIme may be surprIsed to fInd that hIs
vIews are sometImes far from typIcal conservatIve orthodoxy.
PrIce
0Iscounts
avaIIabIe from
Evanyelcal
ook Sho
eIfast
-,.. .
. . . .
n thIs slIm volume Andrew Wheeler attempts to Introduce LewIs and consIder
hIs works. He begIns wIth a brIef bIography: From hIs chIldhood In 8elfast, through
hIs studIes at Dxford, and on to hIs appoIntment as Professor of |edIeval and
FenaIssance LIterature at CambrIdge In 1954. At the same tIme he follows
LewIs' spIrItual journey from atheIsm to hIs conversIon In 19J1 at the age of JJ.
Wheeler wrItes from a conservatIve evangelIcal perspectIve, and In the maIn
sectIon of the book dIscuses LewIs' vIew of theology concernIng sIn, the person
of ChrIst, and knowIng Cod. A separate sectIon hIghlIghts some of LewIs' more
controversIal vIews concernIng the nature of the 8Ible, the mechanIsm of
salvatIon and creatIon.
Two InterestIng appendIces are a chronologIcal lIst of LewIs' wrItIngs, and a
selectIon of quotes from LewIs on a range of topIcs. ||cHoo| T|mb|o ||cHoo| T|mb|o ||cHoo| T|mb|o ||cHoo| T|mb|o


The PeformatIon
T M Lindsay, 8anner of Truth, Paperback, 288 pp, f7.75 f6.20
ThIs Is a reprInt of a classIc work on the Protestant FeformatIon
fIrst publIshed In 1882. SubtItled "A Handbook", Spurgeon
descrIbes It as "a condense, scholarly account of the relIgIous
upheaval of the 16th century." Where 0'AubIgne would be too
bulky, thIs volume wIll be acceptable, and the condensatIon Is
not a mutIlatIon. The chapter on the prIncIples of the FeformatIon,
and the chronologIcal summary at the end, are very valuable
features".
As well as beIng scholarly, the author Is also enthusIastIc, and
the reader wIll be both Informed and enthralled by the momentous events of
those years. Whatever your knowledge of the FeformatIon, you would benefIt
from thIs excellent book, and maybe even encouraged to further, more
detaIled readIng. no||oco THompsoo no||oco THompsoo no||oco THompsoo no||oco THompsoo


The CompIete Cathered CoId
John Blanchard, EvangelIcal Press, Hardback, 703 pp, L2+.95 f18.25
ThIs Is a real treasure trove. |any wIll be famIlIar wIth
8lanchard's prevIous volumes, 6cthered 6old, More 6cthered
6old and S]ted Slver. As the author tells us In the IntroductIon
"Ever sInce became a ChrIstIan have had a trawlIng eye and an
InsatIable appetIte to hoard pIthy statements that summarIzed
Important truths or expressed valuable InsIghts In memorable
ways."
ThIs volume has some 16,000 quotatIons, lIsted alphabetIcally
and coverIng some 600 subjects. t wIll prove an Invaluable help to
preachers and others engaged In ChrIstIan work that need a pIthy quote to drIve
home the message! ThIs Is a wIde range of quotatIons, maInly from ChrIstIan
authors IncludIng the Feformers and PurItans as well as contemporary ones. Even
8ernhard Langer, the golfer, Is quoted under Actvsm: "What Is the use of
travellIng at a fast speed when you are goIng In the wrong dIrectIon:" THo Ed|to THo Ed|to THo Ed|to THo Ed|to
TraveI wIth WIIIIam WIIberforce KevIn eImonte only f7.50
To celebrate the 200
th
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The Cross Peter Jeffery f5.25
n 100 pages and 16 short chapters veteran pastor/evangelIst Peter Jeffery
carefully lays out Cod's plan for the salvatIon of HIs people.

PuttIng AmazIng ack Into Crace hIchaeI Horton f6.5
FeprInt of a classIc

hemorIse ThIs hason PutIedge f5.80
ThIs ScrIpture memorIsatIon guIde provIdes verse cards from N7, NLT, NKJ7 or
A7 approprIate for the new belIever, growIng dIscIple or leader to learn.

SIngIng and hakIng husIc PauI S Jones f4.5
0r Jones Is organIst/dIrector of musIc at the hIstorIc Tenth PresbyterIan Church
In PhIladelphIa. He Is 8IblIcally aware, theologIcally astute and musIcally
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heet the PurItans JoeI P eeke H/8 f1.5
PandaII J Pederson
"EverythIng you ever wanted to know about the PurItans and PurItanIsm."
(0r 0 W H Thomas)

ExposItory CommentarIes at cheaper prIces
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