The Evangelical Presbyterian - May-June 2002

7/28/2019 The Evangelical Presbyterian - May-June 2002

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EvangelicalPresbyterian

May-June 200250p


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

Convenor of theEditorial Committee: Rev. Stephen Atkinson1 Lord Wardens Dr

Bangor, Co DownBT19 1YF(E-mail: [email protected])

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

Rep. of Ireland and Overseas 6.50

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

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

Mr. J. R. McCormick6 Eileen Gardens

Belfast, BT9 6FW

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

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

CONTENTSEditorial: Contagious Graces? 1Obituary 2EPC Pulpit: Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs G. Burke 3Preaching: The Man, the Method, the Message D. Thomas 7

YPA Missionary Project 2001 & 2002 11Books etc. 12

The Regions Beyond: Norman & Angela Reid E. Brown 15The Irish Evangelical Church - Why? W. J. Grier 19

Modernisms Pilgrims Progress 25

Front Cover

Mr John Grier (New Moderator of EPC)


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Contagious Graces?

I can imagine the theologians amongyou now running for their proof textsto show how wrong it is to suggestChristianity may be something like a

viral infection! However, you dontneed to. Mass evangelism byemotional hype and psychological

crowd persuasion is not what Imsuggesting here. My concern is oursaltiness and luminance.

When our Lord graced his followerswith such elevated titles as the lightof the world, and the salt of theearth, it was not that we mightremain as a light bulb in a box under

the stairs, or in a rock salt jar in thecabinet. Light, by its very nature,shines upon everything with which itcomes into contact, infecting the areas

with its brilliance and illumination.Salt, by its very nature, particularly

when rubbed in, has a purifying andpreserving influence upon all ittouches.

Our Christian graces and fruit of the

Spirit, are not contagious in the sensethat we can have a Midas touch uponevery unbeliever infecting them withnew birth, but they are contagious inthe sense that they often are used, inthe Lords providence, in the divinesaving activity as a savour of life.

When we are called upon to Let your

light shine, it is that they may seeyour good works and glorify yourFather in heaven (Matt. 5:16). When

we are called to do good to all,

It is sometimes said, Smile, and the world will smile with you.The suggestion is that something as simple as smiling might just becontagious. And if truth be told, in many instances it works. A positive

attitude coming from a beaming, inspirational character can enthuse awhole body of people. Businesses will spend thousands on motivatingmiddle management by such contagious means. Teachers that arepassionate about their subject can infectiously enthuse their pupils.

But does it work within the church? By that I mean, is our renewednature something that should rub off on someone else, in such a way asto be contagious? If a smile is contagious, what about joy, love, and

kindness?


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OBITUARYMr Jack Howie Stranmillis

In the early hours of Friday the 22nd of March 2002 Mr Jack Howie, a faithfulmember of the Stranmillis congregation, was called into the immediate presenceof his Saviour. After a lifetime of service in Berry St. Presbyterian Church MrHowie came to Stranmillis ten years ago and made a valuable contribution to thelife of the congregation. He was very diligent in his attendance at all the means ofgrace and was a quiet encourager and prayerful supporter of those actively

involved in the work of the church.

Over these past months he knew much discomfort and pain yet his faith andtrust in the Lord remained stedfast and clear. Following the death of his wifetwenty years ago he left the family home in Stirling Avenue and moved intoLowry Court where he faithfully organised a fortnightly service for the wholecomplex. We extend our sympathy to his sons, John and Raymond, and to hisdaughter-in-law Anne, and pray that they may know something of the Lordscomfort and help at this time of loss.

Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord ...they do rest from their labours andtheir works do follow them'(Revelation 14:13)

G. N. Burke

especially to those who are of thehousehold of faith (Gal. 6:10), it is forcontagious purposes, and the spiritual

beautifying of the corporate Bride ofChrist.

What would our churches be like ifthere was an epidemic of apologies?How different would our churches be ifthere was an upsurge in a highlyinfectious disease called Humility?

What would our worship be like if we

contagiously displayed the reality of thesecond fruit of the Spirit?

And what of liberality, generosity,transparent kindness, and sacrificialpractical care for bruised reeds? Or

dedication, commitment, dutifulservice, matched by a sanctified tongue,and a spiritually mature wisdom ever

ready to advise, but not demand? Haveyou not known these things to becontagious?

How we long for people to catch thevirus of Prayer Meeting attendance, orthe bug that makes us come twice toChurch on a Sunday. Of course, now Ijest, but many a true word...?

If a smile can be contagious, surely weshould be more encouraged to displaysome of these contagious graces, evenif I do jest on some of the othermatters, - or do I?


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So writes John Frame, formerlyprofessor of Apologetics andSystematic Theology at Westminster

Theological Seminary inCalifornia. These comments fromFrame, and indeed all that he has tosay in his bookContemporary WorshipMusic, are a challenge to us. His bookis a reminder to us that the currentdebate within evangelical circles onthe subject of worship, (sadly referred

to as 'Worship Wars'), is somethingwhich is also deeply affectingReformed Churches throughout the

world. The reformed world is notimmune from the current unrest thatis causing deep division among theLord's people. Whether you hold toexclusive psalmody or whether you'recommitted to a trendy form of

worship you can easily find respectedand able theologians who will support

EPC Pulpit- Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs -

by Gareth Burke

(Preached in Stranmillis EPC on 10th February 2002.)

TEXT: 'Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs withthankfulness in your hearts to God.' (Colossians 3:16)

God has certainly prescribed that we do certain things in worship: praise,

prayer, preaching, sacraments, and so on. But he has not prescribed that we dothese things in precisely the way that Presbyterians have done them throughouttheir history. God does not prescribe that hymns use four part chordal harmonyin stately rhythm. He does not prescribe organs instead of guitars. (Indeed, Ithink the instruments mentioned in the Psalm headings are more like guitars,trumpets, and drums than like organs.) He does not prescribe old music ratherthan new. He does not prescribe formal language rather than informal.


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your own particular position.

Sadly when the whole area of worshipis being discussed there is among many

people a wrong emphasis andoutlook. We must never lose sight ofthe fact that when we come together to

worship God our focus must not beupon ourselves but on the Lord ourGod. When worship is being discussedtoo much emphasis is placed on how

we feel and what we think and what

our preferences are. These are allsecondary issues. We come togetherwith the people of God to honour andadore our God and in coming untoHim, the great God of heaven, ourattitude is to be one of reverence andawe and godly fear. There will be timesin the worship of God when we feelquite unworthy. There will be times

when with the prophet we cry out 'Woeis me'. There will be times when we willleave the house of God feelingsomething of the sheerunmanageableness of God.

Our text speaks about the whole matterof worship. Paul directs our thoughtshere to this vital subject. At the end ofthe day what matters most in this wholedebate is not what John Frame or JohnMurray have to say about the matter;

what matters most is what theScriptures themselves have to say to uson this vital subject. Let us wrestle withour text looking to the Lord to come tous by His Spirit to give us insight into

His truth. How will we tackle thisverse? We shall ask three questions:What are we to sing?; How am I to

praise God?; and, How is all thisrelevant to us?

WHAT ARE WE TO SING?

The text tells us that we are to singpsalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Ourfriends who hold to the principle ofexclusive psalmody would maintain that

what we are looking at here is athreefold description of the Book ofPsalms. Now I have a huge respect forthis view and, to be honest, there aremoments when I wish I could fullyadhere to it. There have been times

when I have almost been convinced ofthe rightness of the position. Certainlythere are examples in Scripture of theseterms being used interchangeably as forexample when we are told in Matthew

26:30 that when they had sung ahymn, they went out to the Mount ofOlives. All are agreed that the hymn

which was sung would have been oneof the Hallel Psalms ( Psalms 115 -118).

Be that as it may I think it more likelythat Paul is here referring to three

different kinds of songs that can beused in the worship of God. Psalmsis probably a reference to the 150psalms that we have in the Old

Testament Psalter. Hymns probablyrefers to other songs of praise that wefind in the Scriptures - other inspiredmaterial of praise such as 1 Timothy

3:16, Colossians 1: 15 - 20 and Luke1:46ff. Spiritual Songs probablyrefers to other sacred songs suitable for

worship. They are described as being


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spiritual songs as opposed to secularsongs. They are songs that dwell onspiritual themes. It is here that the

difficulty arises. What sort of spiritualsongs should we sing in the worship ofGod? The choice is huge. In our ownchurches we use Trinity Hymnal.Christian Hymns, The PresbyterianHymnbook,Praise and Grace Hymns. Wesing spiritual songs penned by the

Arminian Charles Wesley and theCharismatic Graham Kendrick. We

love the hymns of Isaac Watts who weare reliably informed by hymnologiststook 'on board' Unitarian views at theclose of his life. Are we right to usethese spiritual songs? Should we useitems of praise penned by men and

women who do not share ourReformed doctrinal beliefs which, we

would contend, are firmly based on theWord of God?

The key question here is again relatedto the Scriptures. In determining what

we are to sing in the worship of Godwe must go back to the Bible. In tryingto decide what is an acceptable spiritualsong we need to lay down certain clear

Biblical criteria. Let me suggestsome principles that ought to mouldour thinking on this matter.

Whatever we sing has to beglorifying to God.

We come to worship in order toworship God, to honour and glorify

our Creator and ourRedeemer. Whatever we sing we arenot to sing it because it is nice or welike the tune or it does something for

me, but we are to sing songs that areglorifying unto the Lord.

Whatever we sing has to be

doctrinally correct.One particular song we sometimes sing,(and I happen to be very fond of it),says something like this in reference toGod -You are the apple of myeye. However, the Scriptures actuallyteach that it is the converse that is true.

We are the apple of God's eye(Deuteronomy 32:10.) We must becareful that what we sing is fully inharmony with the teaching of Scripture.

Whatever we sing we have to becareful that it is not overlysentimental and subjective.

There is a place within the worship of

God for a subjective element. In manyof the Psalms the Psalmist is speakingout of his own experience and how theLord dealt with him as anindividual. However we have to guardagainst an overly subjective elementcreeping in to our praise. MichaelHorton in his valuable bookIn the Face

of Godhas some pertinent commentson a nineteenth century romantic hymnor song. Listen to his critique of thepopular songI come to the garden alone.

Jesus, the lover, meets his paramouramong the dew soaked roses. Such anexperience none other has everknown. It is such a personal

relationship that it is as if no one hasenjoyed it besides the individual writingthis hymn. It is not a hymn of thepeople of God, but of the self and its


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lover.

What then are we to sing in theworship of God? Psalms, hymns andspiritual songs.

But, secondly, we must ask:

HOW AM I TO PRAISE GOD?Our text tells us that in our worship ofGod there is to be thankfulness. Weare to come before the Lord with

thankfulness in our hearts.Thankfulness, not just for what Godhas done for us, but for who Heis. Does our worship at times notcentre too much on ourselves and ourown experience of God? Ought therenot to be a greater emphasis on thegreatness of God and much

thankfulness being expressed unto theLord for all that He is in Himself?

Paul also exhorts the Colossians herethat they are to sing praise with allyour heart. Wholeheartedness isto characterise our worship ofGod. Sometimes wholehearted singingis understood to be when we throw

back our heads and gulder with all ourmight, similar to the way in whichIreland fans singIrelands CallatLansdowne Road. Now certainly inour praise of God there is to be volumeand all of that but wholeheartednessundoubtedly refers also to theimportance of our mind and heartbeing fully engaged in worship. We are

to sing intelligently, following thewords and, as such, singing withunderstanding.

Thirdly we must ask our final question:

HOW IS ALL OF THIS

RELEVANT TO US?Well, we are being naive if we thinkthat the EPC has not been affected bythe 'Worship Wars'. We must, asindividuals and as Sessions, go awayand reflect upon the worship of God

within our churches. Perhaps we needto ask ourselves some striking

questions. Are we placing enoughemphasis on the singing of thePsalms? Are the spiritual songs we areusing the best that are available to ustoday? Is the vocabulary of the Psalter

we use understandable? Are wepraising God thankfully and wholeheartedly?

In all of this we must be careful. Toengage in the worship of God is thegreatest activity in which mortal mancan engage. It is not surprising that thisarea of church life has become socontentious because the Evil one willdo all that he can to disrupt our

worship and to mar our praise of God.

Let us then be careful not only that weworship God aright but that we arecareful to preserve the peace of

Jerusalem. Nothing would be moredelightful to our Enemy than that thiscongregation, or any of ourcongregations, should have a hugedivision on the subject of worship. We

must not give him what he wants.


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IntroductionIn the oft-cited words of the puritan

Thomas Goodwin: God has only oneSon, and he made him to be apreacher! Goodwins point was toemphasise the nobility of a preacherscalling. In days when preaching isdevalued and, in some quarters,

despised, the reminder that our Lordwas a preacher is timely and reassuring.In these days we need all thereassurance about the value ofpreaching that we can get and this isprecisely what Geoff Thomas gives usin this book.

Geoff Thomas is a veteran preacher of

world renown. The fact that he hasspent almost 40 years ministering tothe same church in a small and remote

Welsh town (albeit of exquisite beauty)belies the fact that his name isinternationally known. My ownfriendship with him began in thespring of 1972 when, as a newlyconverted freshman at the localuniversity, I was introduced to hisbooming voice, his experimentalCalvinism, his love of the puritans, hispassionate preaching and moreparticularly, his friendship. I knew himthen as my minister and I thought ofhim almost entirely as a preacher.Preaching is what he excelled in,preaching is what he loved, andpreaching - his preaching in particular -is what we loved (and continue to

love) about him.

In these pages, Geoff Thomaselaborates on several issues. One

Preaching: The Man, the Method,

The Message.

A review article of a new book by Geoff Thomas publishedby Reformed Academic Press introduced to us here by,

Derek ThomasAssociate Professor of Systematic and Practical Theology, ReformedTheological Seminary Jackson, Mississippi & Minister of Teaching,

First Presbyterian Church, Jackson.


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concern has to do with preaching itself:what it is, why we do it, why we do it inthe way we do it. He is convinced that

preaching is monologicalrather thandialogical.

Preaching is monological andauthoritativeIn that sense, preaching reflects theprocess of divine revelation itself. It isdelivered as Gods final and

authoritative word to a dying world. Itis something that is done after thepattern of Jesus own proclamation,

whose ministry, so Mark tells us, beganwith authoritative, monologicalpreaching:After John was arrested, Jesus came toGalilee, proclaiming the good news ofGod, and saying, The time is fulfilled,

and the kingdom of God has comenear; repent, and believe in the goodnews (Mk. 1:14-15). The verb Markchooses, kerusso, describes the work ofa herald whose duty it was to makepublic proclamations. The fact that itoccurs over seventy times in the New

Testament attests to the centralcharacter of proclamation-preaching in

the purposes of God. Earlier in the firstchapter, Mark had made similar use ofthe word in reference to the ministry of

John the Baptist (1:4).

As with divine revelation, there is apolaraspect to preaching: there isproclamation andreception; but therecipient does not contribute to thegospel that is preached. He merelyreceives or rejects it. He cannot add toit or subtract from it without the

gravest consequences (cf. Rev. 22:18-19). Preachers preach this way by divineauthority. They handle Gods word in

Christ-like patterns. It is precisely tothis that Mark draws attention. They

were astounded at his teaching Theywere all amazed and they kept onasking one another, What is this? Anew teaching - with authority! Hecommands even the unclean spirits, andthey obey him (Mk. 1:22, 27). His

preaching was out of this world. Asthe late William Lane put it: There wasno category familiar to them whichexplained the sovereign authority with

which Jesus spoke and acted.

Interestingly, Paul uses this same word,kerusso in his charge to Timothy,Preach the Word (2 Tim. 4:2). And as

though underlining the inherentauthority of such a task, he contrasts it

with myth-makers to whom many willturn with itching ears in preference tothe truth (2 Tim. 4:3-4).

Geoff Thomas believes in preachingthat is authoritative. He stands in thetradition of two millennia of Bible

preachers who have believed thatpreaching ought to be a forthrightdeclaration of the truth of Godauthoritatively delivered.

Preaching proclaims the wholecounsel of God

Another concern of Geoff Thomas is

the contentof what is preached.Preachers are to proclaim the wholecounsel of God. Nothing is to be


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withheld. This, in part, has been part ofhis aim in 40 years of pulpit ministry in

Aberystwyth, Wales. From his very firstSunday service in the early sixties, hemade the decision to preach along thelines of the lectio continuamethod:preaching consecutively through booksof the Bible each Lords day in acongregation that had not been used toit. After 40 years, there are only ahandful of books through which he has

not yet preached. In covering thevarious genres: history books, travelnarratives, apocalyptic, Gospels,epistles, poems etc. he has delivered tohis congregation the Word of God inall its diversity and complexity.

He has expounded the message of Godfrom A to Z. Not content with

simplistic, formulaic expressions of thegospel, he has been forced to see the

wholeness of the biblical message. Hehas not been inhibited by thecomplexities of certain passages, or theintimidating nature of certain others.He believes in letting the text speak foritself, of letting the text shape the very

sermon itself. Those members whohave sat under his preaching thesemany years have been taught both Lawand Gospel, promise and threat,comfort and rebuke. The entire corpusof the field of systematic and biblicaltheology have been touched upon insome shape or other. Controversialissues have been handled: theonomy,tongues, prophecy, worship styles, therole of women, to name but a few.Faithful preaching will not flinch when

the fear of man rears its ugly head.

And this leads to another concern. The

process whereby God makes his truthknown is through human instruments.

Preaching is truth conveyedthrough human instruments.God made a choice among you thatthe Gentiles might hear from my lipsthe message of the gospel and believe

Peter told the Jerusalem council (Acts15:7).This, among other things, impliesthe uniqueness of each individualpreacher called by God. We are to beourselvesin the pulpit, and not the mimicof someone else, but, as we speak tothe truth of God, rightly dividing the

Word of God, it is God who speaksthrough us. We are not vehicles ofinspiration but witnesses to the truth.

We dont produce the Bible, we preachit. Geoff Thomas underlines the needfor what Robert Murray McCheynecalled our peoples greatest need.

And what is that? The preachers owntransparent holiness. Holy preachersmake preaching authoritative and

Christ-like. Preachers must stand apartand be known for their piety.

Few are as qualified to speak to thistheme of preaching as Geoff Thomas.I can still recall those sermons in 1972and 1973 on the Gospel of Matthew. Ican see him now, arms outstretched,pleading with his listeners to heed the

Word of Christ and bow to it. Hiseloquence, his passion, his Calvinism,his evangelicalismthese testified of a


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man in love with preaching, who believedin preaching. His style has changedlittle since then, though he has grown

and developed in ways that would bedifficult to identify without seeming toqualify the effect of those early years.Readers who access his website(www.users.aber.ac.uk/emk/ap/) canevidence for themselves the maturity ofhis insights, the depth of his pastoralskill, the deftness in his choice of

illustrations, the allegiance to form.Perhaps, above everything else, is Geoff

Thomas commitment to plainness ofspeech. It was J. C. Ryle, in his book,

Evangelical Leaders of the 18thCentury, whodrew attention to this characteristic styleof great preaching:

They preached simply. They rightlyconcluded that the very firstqualification to be aimed at in a Sermonis to be understood. They saw clearlythat thousands of able and well-composed sermons are utterly uselessbecause they are above the heads of the

hearers. They strove to come to thelevel of the hearers and to speak whatthe poor could understand. To attain

this they were not ashamed to crucify theirstyle and to sacrifice their reputation forlearningThey carried out the maximof Augustine: a wooden key is not sobeautiful as a golden one, but if it canopen the door when the golden onecannot it is far more useful. Theyrevived the style of sermons in which

Luther and Latimer had been soeminently successful. In short, they sawthe truth of what the great Germanreformer proclaimed when he said Noone can be a great preacher to thepeople who is not willing to preach in amanner which seems childish and vulgarto some. (p.24).

These are just some of the things that Irecall about a man whom I greatlyesteem and feel privileged in calling afriend. I wholeheartedly commend this

volume to you.

Prepare to be challenged.

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YPA Missionary Projects 2001 & 2002CWI Hebrew Childrens Bible - 2001

The project for the year ending December 2001 was to raise funds to help CWIand in particular HaGefen Publishing in the production of a modern dayHebrew Childrens Bible.

The general YPA was able to contribute 2150 to this CWI project.

In November 2001 Rev John Ross & Rev Alec Cowie came to share with theyoung people about the work among the Jews in both Israel and closer to homein Glasgow. They also outlined how the childrens Bible is assisting in this.

Mr Ernest Brown was able to present the cheque to CWI at the ForeignMissions board meeting in Edinburgh in March 2002.

Burnshill District Church Buildings - 2002The project for the calendar year 2002 is to assist with church building repairs inSouth Africa.

The YPA proposes to finance the provision of new ceilings and floors in twochurches in the Burnshill District of Ciskei, not far from King William's Town.

Joseph and Helen McCracken worked in this district for many years and the

McCracken Memorial Church is also in Burnshill.

The names of the two churches are Mkhubiso (Kub-eeso) and Kwamathole(Ama-toe-lay).Mr and Mrs Ernest Brown, from our Stranmillis congregation,

visited both churches during their recent trip to South Africa.It is estimated that the cost for the building work will be in the region of 800.

Paul Watson

YPA Chairman


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Books etc.

A Guide to PrayerIsaac Watts

Banner of Truth

186 pages 6.95

Reviewer: Stephen Atkinson

First published in 1715, this first

Banner of Truth edition brings to ourattention a wonderful Guidebook fora most important area of our Christianlives. While there are no shortage ofbooks on prayer this book, defined asa Guide, truly assists in cultivating abiblical, godly approach to private,family, and public prayer.

We are given a multitude of scripturalexamples, co-ordinated into aschematic presentation of the types ofprayer and the manner in which theyare rightly to be brought before God.Some of the errors he exposes may bemore evident in his day, yet generalprinciples abound, and indeed manyof the errors do still remain. This istherefore an important exposure ofsloppiness and malpractice in thechurch.

It is not only useful in givingparticular guidelines to be followed, its

very pages draw forth from the readerprayerful thanksgiving. As such itcould aid personal devotion, as well as

guide in the public exercise.

If the content of the book seems sofar removed from our experience, it is

not due to its age, but rather to thespiritual declension of the church;corporate and individual. It may be weneed a primer before this Guide.

I heartily commend it, at whateverlevel you find yourself, and may it beused to restore some maturity to theholy art of communion and

communication with God.

You Cant Fool GodPeter Jeffrey

Evangelical Press

128 pages 4.95

Reviewer: Billy Elliott

It may be possible to fool some ofthe people all of the time, and it mayeven be possible to fool all of thepeople some of the time but in thisbook Peter Jeffrey argues forcibly,coherently and convincingly fromScripture that you cannot fool God atany time. God sees all, knows all, and

God judges all.

In the space of just 123 pages, Jeffrey,in his usual clear, heart-warming,thought provoking and Biblicallyaccurate manner, reminds his readersthat it is a delusion to think thatanyone can escape the consequencesof their actions. Either sinners repent

of their sins or they must perisheternally.

Readers are introduced to a number


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of Old and New Testament characters,both believers and unbelievers, whosedelusions are a timely reminder that

you cannot dupe God. We are alsogiven, by way of conclusion, a veryclear presentation of the gospel in

which it is accurately stated that, Thegospel is the good news of what Godhas done for guilty sinners in andthrough the Lord Jesus Christ (p121)and a call goes out to loose andflabby believers to Stop playing

around with Christianity and submerge(themselves) in all that God has for(them) in Christ. (p124)

You Cant Fool Godcan be readquickly and with great profit bybelievers and non-believers alike andcertainly the author succeeds in hisstated purpose of reminding his readers

that although Everyone who hassome sort of awareness of God,

whether a keen believer or merely anominal Christian, is capable of tryingto fool God at some time or other intheir lives... this is an activity with noprospect of success. (p8)

The insightful and relevant questionsfor personal thought or groupdiscussion at the end of each of the 15chapters are to be welcomed becausethey help to re-enforce their content.

I have benefited from Jeffreys work inthe past and I certainly profited fromthis book and I can assure you that you

will do so too.I wholeheartedly recommend it.

The Problem of Pleasure

Dr John H Gerstner

Soli Deo Gloria

26 pages 1.70

Reviewer: Stephen Atkinson

First published in 1983 this is a timelyreprint (post September 11th)reminding us of the moral necessity ofpunishment. Instead of regularlyquestioning why bad things happen togood people, the reader is drawn tolook at things from the other wayaround. Why do good things happento bad people?

Why should such a rebel race knowanything of Gods goodness, exceptthat it lead them to repentance? Themoral problem that we should beconsidering is the problem of so much

being pleasureable in this fallen world.Subjects briefly touched on include sin,punishment, suffering, pain, mercy andjustice. We are told that we deserve tosuffer because, without exception, weare sinners. His comments are stark,and strangely uncommon.

The booklet ends evangelisticallyproposing th at Gods giving ofpleasure and with-holding deservedjudgment is a sign of his mercy. Hethen argues that mercy must not violatejustice, and so he explains gospel truthconcerning God as the Just and

Justifier.It is useful, brief, and perhaps even

notably novel in comment andconclusions.

Meet the Real Jesus


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John Blanchard

Evangelical Press

224 pages 7.95

Reviewer: David Bowers

John Blanchard in 9 chapters setsbefore us, in a very readable form,proofs for the existence of Jesus.

In the opening chapters he writesconvincingly concerning the reliabilityof the Bible as it presents Jesus to us.He proves the historicity of Jesus andopens up very clearly his true identityas presented in the N.T. He deals withthe O.T. expectation of the Messiahand traces the Messianic predictions asthey unfold in the life and ministry of

Jesus.

Chapter 4 deals with the birth of Jesusand is well worth reading for all whowould like to have a clearunderstanding of the true nature of hisbirth. He observes What is unique isnot how Jesus left his mothers womb,but how he entered it, and on that theBible is clear.

He titles his Chapter 6, on the death ofJesus, The man who died twice. Herehe writes of The double death of

Jesus; physicalthe separation of hisspirit from his body; and spiritualtheseparation of his spirit from God. Hecomments, His physical death alone

would have achieved little or nothing.

At best it would have been a partpayment, but by enduring the doubledeath penalty Jesus paid sins debt in

full.

Blanchards treatment of theResurrection of Jesus in Chapter 7 is

well handled and convincingly argued,he points out however that,Ultimately accepting that Jesus rosefrom the dead is a matter of faith, butit is not a leap in the dark. It is based

on an unshakeable mass of persuasiveevidence which he presents.

In Chapter 8, the question of the realJesus is answered. If you want to bearmed with the Biblical evidence of

who Jesus really is you must read thischapter. You will find that you cannotread this book without responding to

its last chapter where you are asked tocome to a verdict. Who is the real

Jesus? If you read this book and studyits contents you will have no difficultyin answering the crucial question.

This reviewer highly recommends thisbook both as an evangelistic tool to useand a book to educate us inevangelism. Personally I found myselfso caught up in the contents of thebook that I have no negative commentto offer. Indeed I would need to bedeliberately looking to find any.

We shall never understand anything of our Lords preaching and ministry unless we keepin mind what exactly and exclusively his errand was in the world.

Alexander Whyte


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Earliest ImpressionsI was born on 9 July 1946 on a smallfarm in County Tyrone. World War 2ended in 1945 but its aftermathdominated my childhood. Gas masks,green army motorcycles, old uniformsand other reminders were everywhere.

The farmers often wore old armyovercoats and in many of the homes

they doubled up as blankets. Many ofmy earliest recollections of conversationhad reference to the War. Farmerscomplained about the end of Warsubsidies and women sympathised withthe "War Widows". My first sweets werebought with ration coupons. As a child Ioften wondered about the War, about

the stories of battlefield scenes. Therewas much talk about the horrificsuffering and the "Blitz" in Belfast, from

which my mother had fled to Tyrone.

Death was often in my childhoodthoughts, and this had a spiritual impacton me. I still remember the Suez Crisis

when I was ten. I remember the family

at my grandparent's house, huddledaround the old wet battery wireless.

Their faces were so solemn and after thenews they talked about Churchill and the

terrible Nasser who was going to start

another war. I was very frightened bythat conversation. Later, I rememberhaving a great fear of Communism for

we were told it was taking over theworld at the rate of 50 miles a day!These are some of the childhoodmemories that impacted on my life.Later I came to grasp the great truth of

the sovereignty and over-rulingprovidence of God and I sometimeswonder if that conviction was born inthose childhood fears.

Home and Church BackgroundMy parents were committed Christiansand members of the EPC. My mother

was a member of Somerton Road in heryouth, and a close friend of Mrs HelenMcCracken. During the war she wasevacuated to County Tyrone where shemet and married my father. Our home

was centred round the Word of Godand family worship, and my parents,though poor financially, were richspiritually. They set a godly example to

my brother, two sisters and myself. Theybecame members of Clintyfallow churchand it was in this church that mychildhood and youth were centred. It

The Regions BeyondThe Regions BeyondNorman and Angela Reid

Missionaries in South Africa since 1998

Part 1


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was always small, never numberingmore than 30, and was chieflycomposed of two extended families.

There were many difficulties, of thekind common to most small ruralchurches, yet Clintyfallow producedmore missionaries and Christian

workers than some large churches.

The annual Clintyfallow Conference wason the first Saturday in May. The littlechurch was always packed, and a bus

came from Belfast bringing half thecongregation. As children we eagerly

watched for the bus, and although theConference was announced to begin at3.00 pm, it only began when the busarrived. Those were times of greatblessing to me as a child and teenager. Amissionary speaker was always a feature

and my early interest in missions beganhere.

Spiritual DevelopmentIt was in Clintyfallow that I wasbaptised as an infant and as I grew Ilearned to love the Word of God. I canscarcely remember a time when I wasnot sensitive to spiritual things.However it was not until my early teensthat I publicly made a commitment to

Jesus Christ. There were frequentevangelistic missions in our area in myyouth and it was at one of these that Ifirst put my faith in the Saviour. The

verse that was used of God in mysalvation was Isaiah 53:6 "All we like

sheep have gone astray, we have turnedevery one to his own way, and the Lordhath laid on Him the iniquities of usall." I remember a deep sense of

conviction of sin at that time and anoverwhelming sense of relief that mysins were indeed forgiven.

Angelas StoryI was born in the Midlands of Ireland inCo Westmeath. Our nearest town wasCastlepollard where there were manyplaces of interest including the castle.

There, Lord and Lady Longford, whobelonged to our church, entertained the

children one afternoon every year, inour biggest annual event. All childrenfrom the local Church of Ireland Schoolran races, but no matter who won or

who lost, everyone was invited into theentrance hall of the castle to choose a

very generous gift. Then the Castle stafftreated us to afternoon tea.

I was the second eldest of a family offour. Our Church of Ireland School was

very small with 14-18 pupils, and oneteacher. I started school at the age offour and was the only child to start thatyear. On my very first day I rememberthe teacher bringing me to the front andasking me to sing. This did not seem tobe a problem to me at that age, andafterwards she gave me a six-pennypiece. I became very attached to her and

was most upset when she left the schoolsome years later.

My parents became Christians while Iwas just a baby. They would often travelmany miles on Sunday evenings with the

family to attend a meeting. These werevery happy times for us all as it was agreat adventure to travel, to see newplaces, meet new friends and to be


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invited to supper by the Evangelists orlocal Christians.

When one of these missions was

coming to our area my father providedthe small plot of ground behind ourhouse for the missionaries to set uptheir portable hall and caravan. I wasabout six then and I don't rememberany of the preaching. But one nightafter I had gone to bed I had thisoverwhelming desire to have my sins

forgiven and to feel at peace with God.I called my mother and told her, and sheadvised me to speak to the evangelistsnext day. As I listened carefully to themI understood the way of salvation. I wasso happy that next day, even at thatyoung age, I went to school and told myfriends who were not sure at all what I

was talking about.

When I was ten my father moved to CoTyrone where he had found work afterbeing made redundant. I found thechange to a different country and abigger school very hard. The otherchildren were cruel about my

Westmeath accent, and because I couldnot cope with being different, I lost it

within a week. However as the yearspassed many good things happened in

Tyrone. It was during this time that Imet and married my husband. I wouldnever have chosen to be a Minister's

wife for I have never felt that my giftslay in this direction. But I have foundsupporting him and dealing one-to-one

with ladies in all our congregations veryrewarding and fulfilling.

Beginning to Preach(Norman resumes the story. Ed.)School days for me were not particularly

happy days, for being of a very practicalnature I was more interested in tractorsand machinery. Though I am loath toadmit it I was never a great lover ofbooks, but in my teens I delighted in myBible and loved to study it, evenattempting to prepare sermons. Thenone day my big break came! It was the

Tuesday prayer meeting and the manwho was to preach had fallen andbroken his leg. One of the ladiessuggested that I should take the meetingand everyone agreed. I preached on"The Feeding of the Five Thousand"and I recall that my efforts wereappreciated. I think I was sixteen orseventeen.

My father was a Deacon and once amonth it was his turn to preach, butafter my first attempt at the prayermeeting, he usually insisted that I takehis place. These events happened 40years ago and though it has been mylife's work, and I count it the greatestprivilege, I am still trying to preach, andyet rarely feeling satisfied with myefforts.

Call to the MinistryAcademic study never came easily to meand my performance at school was littlemore than average. Looking to thefuture, I had dreams of becoming a vet

since I loved farming and animals.However I hated chemistry and scienceso that dream was not going anywhere.


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My love for the Lord and his Word wascentral in my life, yet I was unsure

where it would lead. About this time

Rev. Joseph McCracken and his wifecame home from South Africa onfurlough. He was never one to mince

words. One day he was visiting with usand during conversation, he looked mestraight in the eye and said "Norman,

what are you going to do with yourlife?" No one had ever been as direct asthat with me, and he was waiting for ananswer! So to him I disclosed what Ithink I had not told anyone exceptperhaps my mother... that I wasthinking about the ministry. Hecommended me warmly and later, inhis forthright way he asked the elders

what they were going to do about this!He soon returned to Africa leaving the

elders in peace, but the admission hehad drawn from me remained with me.

As I continued to preach the elders andothers began to encourage me to takeseriously my desire to be in theministry.

College and OrdinationIn 1967 I was accepted as a student forthe ministry and sent to study in theFree Church College in Edinburgh. Ienjoyed the teaching of the professorsand the fellowship of the students.Some were to become permanentfriends. I completed the course and wasawarded the Diploma of the College in1970.That was indeed a memorable

year. I was married to my wife, Angela,in March and ordained in October. Iconsider these two events to be the two

most important events in my life apartfrom my conversion. Without Angela'ssupport my ministry would have been

impossible. She has devoted her lifecompletely to myself and to ourchildren.

In 1970 I began to pastor the twoBelfast churches of Finaghy andCrosscollyer Streetat the age of 24.

At my ordination, my uncle, Rev C.HGarland, gave the charge to the

minister and I have always rememberedhis charge to me. A minister is a manof God, a man of prayer, and a man ofthe Word. Those words have oftenkept me from getting sidetracked anddistracted from the great work to whichI have been called. My early failures

were many but the people were

gracious and I had the great benefit ofthe presence of Rev C E Hunter in theFinaghy congregation. How he musthave winced at some of my attempts topreach. Yet he was always gracious,encouraging, and full of enthusiasm forme in my work.

The seven years in Finaghy and

Crosscollyer Street were a time oflearning and growing for me and forAngela. They were happy and excitingyears during which three of ourchildren, Miriam, Jonathan and Rachel,

were born. The Lord blessed the workwith growth in those years. Little didwe know that a new sphere of servicelay ahead.

(to be continued)


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Remembering

Former Days

In this EPC anniversary year we wishto bring to mind the former days byreprinting some articles from the very

first issues of this magazine. The battle

for truth remains. This article was firstprinted in The Irish Evangelical inMay 1931.

THE ASSEMBLYS COLLEGEFor many years evidences of this drifttowards Modernism in the IrishPresbyterian Church had not beenlacking. In sermons, books, andpamphlets by the ministers of theChurch, and by the use of thoroughlyModernist text-books and tuition in the

Assemblys College, the propaganda

had been carried on. The writer of thisarticle, as one who was a student in theCollege, can bear testimony that theteaching given was anti-Christian. Inlectures given, our Lord was robbed ofHis true and essential deity. He waspictured as one who did not understandHimself. In Gethsemane and on

Calvary He did not know why He wassuffering. Anything more revolting inholy things than Prof. Daveys twolectures giving his rationalistic

interpretations of our Lords sufferings

in Gethsemane and on Calvary thiswriter has never listened to. May theday never come when we can hear suchstatements without anguish of spirit and

without protest! We may here point outthat the General Assembly laterpublished much of this revoltingteaching under its authority.

Three of the authors whose books wereused as text-books in 1925-26 in the

Assemblys College were Peake,Rashdall and Oman. Rev Mr Hunterhas quoted Bishop Weldon as saying ofRashdall in a public lecture, delivered inLondon, that he doubted if he believedin the deity of our Lord. Peake was the

author of the Commentary described byDr W Graham Scroggie as soddenwith infidelity. Oman in his Grace andPersonality(the text book used in Prof

The Irish Evangelical ChurchWhy?By Rev W J Grier BA

The greater part of the membership of the Irish Evangelical Church wereformerly members of the Irish Presbyterian Church. The reason for theirsecession was, in a word, the departure of the Presbyterian Church in Irelandfrom the teaching of the Word of God and of its own Standards.


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Haires class) says: all theinfallibilities began to crumble. Aninfallible Orthodoxy followed aninfallible Vicar of Christ, an infallibleScripture an infallible Orthodoxy, aninfallible Christ an infallibleScripture (page 6). For thescholarship examinations of October1925, among the prescribed books were

Wheeler Robinsons The Religious Ideas ofthe Old Testament, and E F Scotts The

Spirit in the New Testament. WheelerRobinsons representation of many ofthe Old Testament conceptions of Godas pagan and heathenish is, to say theleast of it, painful reading. E F Scott,

who was a professor in that notoriouslyModernist college, the Union

Theological Seminary of New York,

evidently sets little or no value on theGospel of John as a truthful record ofthe sayings of Christ.

THE FORMULA COMMITTEEThe drift in the Presbyterian Church inIreland was further evidenced by theappointment at the General Assemblyof 1925 of a committee to consider achange in the questions put atordination and in the formula ofsubscription to the WestminsterConfession.

Rev James Hunter MA, opposed theproposal but it was carried by amajority vote. Mr Hunter was a

member of the committee appointed,and that our readers may have an ideaof the attitude of most of the membersof this committee to the Word of God

and the great doctrines of the Faith, wequote at length from SOS No 2 to IrishPresbyterians, issued by Mr Hunter inMay 1926.

Two years ago a letter signed by aboutfifteen students of the AssemblysCollege was read before the CollegeCommittee, protesting against some ofthe questions asked at ordination. Theyobjected to the term Word of God

being applied to the Bible, and theywished to accept the Confession andCatechisms only in a general way. Adeputation was appointed to confer

with them, and one of the deputationencouraged them in their attitude andheld out a hope of a change in the law.

Accordingly, at last Assembly (June1925) a committee was appointed to

consider this very mattera change inthe questions put at ordination and inthe formula of subscription to theConfession of Faith.

The report of this Committee is nowready for the Assembly, and itsproceedings throw a flood of light onthe revolutionary notions of those whoare not attempting to alter our creed.

The convenor of the committee (thehead of the College, Professor Paul)presented a sheaf of suggestions, andthe first surprise was that the questionabout the Word of God was shunted tothird place. When asked why it shouldnot occupy the prominent place, it had

always held, his answer was thatexperience came before the Scriptures.This is the Modernist position. But the


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Mohammedan has experience also.Experience that does not originatefrom and is not conformed to the

Word of God is both sinking andshifting sand.

The next move was to drop the wordinfallible as applied to the Word ofGod. There is no external infallibility,he affirmed. This is the slogan of thenew teaching. But man is as his word

is, and God is as His Word. If God beinfallible so must His Word be. Makethe Word of God as short as you pleaseonly a line, nay only a word, like thegreat word It is finished from thecrossthat Word of God is infallible.

You must write god with a small gwhose word is not infallible. When itseemed difficult to score out infallible,

a pious phrase was adroitly insertedbefore it, thus, under the guidance ofthe Spirit infallible. This lowers theBible to the level of any other book.Professors lectures are infallible in thesame way. Professor Paul stronglyobjected to the expression Word ofGod as applied to the Holy Scriptures.

In the first chapter of the Confessionof Faith the expression is used fourtimes (besides the simple term the

word twice) Holy Scripture or theWord of God, to be receivedbecause it is the Word of God, itdoth abundantly evidence itself to bethe Word of God, that the Word of

God dwelling plentifully in all. And inHoly Scripture the expression occurs

with great frequency. The whole 119th

Psalm is indeed a glorification of theWord of GodThy word have I hidin my heart that I might not sin against

Thee. There is no mystery about thesource whence the students derivedtheir dislike of the name Word ofGod; it came from the atmosphere ofthe College. And we are too likely tocease hearing from our pulpits thesolemn Let us hear the Word of God,if something does not happen soon.

In the statement of the doctrine of theHoly Trinity, which it is proposed toput by way of question to ministers atordination, the word Trinity hadobjection taken to it, as also the wordperson of the distinctions in the

Trinity. There is nothing said of thepersonality of the Holy Spirit. Any old

fashioned Unitarian could subscribe tothe proposed questions without anydifficulty. Similarly, that Christ died forour sins is all that would be permittedabout the atonement. When it wasmoved that it do readdied apropitiatory sacrifice for our sins, noseconder could be found. What is the

use of a fusionless creed? Would it notbe nearly as safe to become Non-subscribing Presbyterians?

On account of the frequency withwhich the Virgin Birth of our Lord isbeing denied, some thought it wise topropose that a question should be putat ordination on this subject. It was

accordingly proposed that this questionbe put to ministers at their ordination.Five voted for introducing it, five


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against, and the chairman gave hiscasting vote against. Of the five forinserting the question, three were

elders and two ministers. Oneminister said to the elder whoproposed the addition, Is this a savingtruth? The proper answer is that tosuppose the Virgin Mary was astrumpet and Our Lord a bastard is adamning blasphemy. There is no usein mincing words over this one big

problemwhere we stand in relationto the Word of God. Any falsedoctrine may be introduced, and anysaving doctrine may be dropped if you

weaken the authority of HolyScripture. Chillingworths famoussaying still stands trueThe Bible, the

whole Bible, and nothing but the Bibleis the religion of Protestants.

On two occasions before theFormula Sub-Committee, ProfessorPaul quoted the Mosaic law, Thoushalt not suffer a witch to live, ashaving been for somebody or otherquite enough to discredit theinfallibility of the Bible. But, after all,did not the witch stand in the verysame relation to the Jewish State as SirRoger Casement during the war stoodto the British Government? They

were both put to death as traitors.Church and State were one and thesame in the land of Israel, and tointroduce what would overthrow theone was to be similarly the enemy of

the other. Our Lord said a warningwordIf ye believe not Moseswritings how shall ye believe Mywords?

S.O.S. Nos 1, 2, and 3.In May 1926, there were issued at

intervals S.O.S. Nos. 1, 2, and 3, toIrish Presbyterians and a meeting ofthose interested in maintaining the

Truth was summoned by Mr Hunter.So the Presbyterian Bible Standards League

was formed. The Belfast Presbyteryand the College Committee (of both of

which Mr Hunter was a member) wereirate at the issue of the S.O.S. A sub-

committee of the College Committeeheld an investigation (?) on May 24th,1926, seven students of the precedingyear being summoned as witnesses.One of the members of this sub-committee (an ex-Moderator) hadpronounced himself very stronglyfrom his own pulpit on Sabbath, May

23rd, 1926, on the matter with regardto which he was to sit as an impartialjudge the next day. Most of these

witnesses were kept a few minuteseach, while the examination of one oftheir number lasted about 50 minutes,the reason being that he made (to usethe words of the Moderator of theGeneral Assembly, who presided)very serious allegations againstProfessor Haire. Yet the report ofthis sub-committee as given at themeeting of committee on June 1st,1926, and the report of the committeeas published in the daily press,affirmed all the evidence to be infavour of the Professor.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF 1926The Assembly of 1926 passed fromthe question of the change of the


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Formula, but left a committee on thechange still in existence to continue itslabours, and took no real steps towards

remedying matters in AssemblysCollege.

HERESY CHARGES BEFORE

PRESBYTERYEarly in the winter of 1926-27, chargesagainst Professor J E Davey of

Assemblys College were tabled before

the Belfast Presbytery by Rev JamesHunter MA, and others. To sustainthe charges quotations were givenfrom two books written by ProfDavey, and from his lectures to hisstudents. Prof Davey was charged

with teaching what was contrary to (1)the doctrine of Imputation, (2) the

Divine Character of the Lord Jesus, (3)the infallible truth and divine authorityof Holy Scripture, (4) the doctrine ofthe Trinity, and (5) with teaching thatGod is the author of sin.

These charges were dealt with by thePresbytery at 14 sessions in Februaryand March, 1927. The stirring scenes

of the morning of the first session(Feb 15th, 1927) should have left nodoubt in the minds of the accusers asto the light in which they and theircharges were regarded by thePresbytery. Professor Davey wasacquitted on each of the charges by alarge majority, though before thePresbytery itself he made statementssufficient to convict him clearly in anycourt loyal to the Word of God. Atthe closing session (March 29, 1927),

the Presbytery resolved by a very largemajority to inhibit all under itsjurisdiction from every kind of public

reference to the case, until the appealshad been heard by the Assembly. Onemember of the dominant party wentso far as to insist that the mattershould not be mentioned even inpublic prayer.

In the spring and summer of 1927,Ulster PamphletsNos 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 and9 were issued by Rev Mr Hunter, No 1being the charges themselves, Nos 2,3, 4, 8 and 9 being defences of the

various doctrines against therepresentations of Prof Davey, and No5 the full-text ofReasons of Appeal to the

Assemblyagainst the decisions of theBelfast Presbytery.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF 1927The General Assembly of 1927, likethe Belfast Presbytery, met on thematter behind closed doors. Itdismissed the appeals, sustained thedecisions of the Presbytery (the votingon the first charge being 707 to 82),

and, like the Presbytery, heaped praiseupon Professor Davey and poured outits wrath on his accusers.

In the months that followed themeeting of the Assembly, there werenumbers who prayerfully consideredtheir relationship to a church whosecourts had so set themselves against

the Lord and His Word. Thedetermining question was, What saiththe Scriptures? Very clearly did they


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see that no other course remainedopen to them but separation from sucha church. Accordingly in the July and

August of 1927, Rev James Hunter,MA and others demitted their positionsin the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.

This was no easy step, as the one whowrites, with a copy of his resignationbefore him, can testify; but it was forthe Word of God and the testimony of

Jesus Christ.

A NEW CHURCHOn September 17th, 1927, a smallnumber of those interested met. OnOct. 15th, 1927, at a similar meeting it

was decided to unite together in thepurpose of forming a new organisationunder the name of the EvangelicalChurch. Articles of Faith were

adopted at a meeting on 12thNovember, 1927. At the same time,events of perhaps even greaterimportance than the foregoing hadbeen taking place. In October and

November, 1927, believers in somedistricts began to meet in homes intheir own district. Indeed most of our

congregations began as the church inso-and-sos house. At our first publicConference, held on March 31st, 1928,representatives from five branches ofthe Church spoke of the word in theirown districts.

Today we have nine places of witness,and the beginning and growth of the

work have been manifestly of the Lord,without human planning. In somedistricts we need buildings, but we areconfident that the Lord will lead andprovide. Above all, we long to seegreater spiritual success given us, andthe mighty working of God the HolyGhost. We remember all the way

which Jehovah our God has led us, andwe praise Him. May we serve andfollow Him with renewed zeal andconsecration in the coming days. ToHim be the glory. Amen.

Editorial note...It is perhaps difficult to imagine the hardships of those early days, not only to begin a newevangelical church, but to sustain such under intense slanderous attacks. It is hard to appreciatethe struggles of those 75 years to bring us to our present form and witness. We hope to producea fuller account of these matters, and a complete history of the denomination in the autumn tocelebrate Gods goodness over 75 years.

It is easy for some to continue to view our present smallness with a measure of derision anddisdain. However, we maintain the rightness of our forefathers actions, and we call upon thosesympathetic to the above stand for the truth to stand with us, and pray for us, as we continue tolabour uncompromised and unashamed of the gospel.


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The old road, he was told, was so longand hard, and a railroad had been builtfrom the City of Destruction to theCelestial City. He boarded the train. It

was filled with people whom he wassurprised to find there, men and

women who made no pretence of faithor practice, and who openly sneered atthe faith of their fathers. They weresetting out for the Celestial City as light-heartedly as if they were going on asummer excursion.

He was rather shocked to learn thatApollyon, the old enemy of the

faithful, was the engineer. But he wastold that Apollyon was really a goodfellow, and an excellent engineer. Heasked for Mr Greatheart, the formerguide of pilgrims. He was advised thatGreatheart had grown sopreposterously stiff and narrow thatthe management of the road had beencompelled to let him go.

The train crossed the Slough ofDespond on a bridge. A tunnel hadbeen cut through the Hill of Difficulty,

and the material excavated had beenutilised to fill up the Valley ofHumiliation They came to the Valleyof the Shadow. It was no longer thedreadful place of yore. Gas lights, setalong the track, illumined it. They

came to Vanity Fair. There the trainstopped that the passengers mightenjoy themselves. They went on again.

Now and then they would see thepilgrims toiling along the road. Theyliked to raise the windows and jeer atthem. They came at length to thebrink of the river. There in the slip

was a steam ferry boat. The passengersbecame a little uneasy as they lookedup the river, and still more so whenthey scanned the sinister faces of theboat crew. They moved out of the slip,and then to their horror they saw thatthe prow was turned, not towards theCelestial City, but towards the darknessand the abyss. Then there werescreams and consternation, andunavailing efforts to escape.

It was too late.

Modernisms Pilgrims Progress

reprinted from The Irish Evangelical - August 1929.

True Christianity is a very different thing from the mild religion of themodern. The latter has no sense of sin, or of the need of repentance andregeneration. It is not a revival of Christianity but a recrudescence ofPaganism, declared Dr Stuart Nye Hutchison, pastor of East LibertyPresbyterian Church, in a recent sermon, and he illustrated by recalling theirony of one of our great Christian literary men. In The Celestial Railroad,Hawthornes famous satire, he takes us again over that immortal way that was

travelled by Bunyans Christian.


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