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Volume 13 Number 13 ~"h ~ JuI.!..~~~.ol,!: 31'. ~tt~bam '-atbtn ~bitot 193(;·1937 Z::I il1!d1tiff One Year-$2.00 Published Twenty.three Times a Year Ten Cents a Copy EDITORIAL COUNCIL 1505 Race Street John P. Clelland John Patton Galbraith Edwin H. Rian Thomas R. Birch Phllaclelphia 2, Pa.' Leslie W. Sloat Ned B. Stonehouse Managing Editor The Banner of Westminster Seminary In Substance the Text of an Address Delivered at the Alumni Banquet Held on the Occasion of Westminster's Fifteenth Annual Commencement By the, REV. JOHN MURRAY Professor of Systematic: Theoloc)Y In Westminster TheoloC)lc:al Seminary N THE cover of the official magazine of the cessity of belief in the virgin birth of our Lord, His O church in which I was reared in Scotland, there substitutionary atonement, His bodily resurrection and was always quoted the text from Psalm 60, "Thou hast the supernatural character of His miracles for the given a' banner to them that fear, thee, that it may be ordination and good standing of ministers in the Pres­ displayed because of the truth". byterian Church in the U.S.A. This fact, together with We are meeting tonight on the occasion of the'fif­ the fact that not one of these signers had ever been teenth annual ,commencement of Westminster Theo­ disciplined for such avowal, shows the lamentable de­ logicalSeminary. It may well be said in connection with cline from the true faith in the denomination con­ Westminster Seminary, "Thou hast given a banner to cerned. them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because It was not merely in the Presbyterian Church in the of the truth". U.S.A. that such decline had been taking place. In the Westminster Seminary was founded in 1929. The year 1925 the United Presbyterian Church of North half decade in which that year falls was a critical one America completed its adoption of what is known as in the history of Presbyterian churches in the North the Confessional Statement. That Statement shows American continent and elsewhere. The Seminary came that the United Presbyterian Church had decisively into existence as a result of the crisis that overtook the departed from its historic creedal position, had adopted Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. in 1929, namely, the a position whereby the gateway was opened to doctrinal reorganization of Princeton Theological Seminary by laxity and that such laxity was officially protected by action of the general assembly of that yey:. That action the provision that forbearance in love' was to be exer­ was, however, but the registering of the tragic state of cised toward any brethren who might not be able fully affairs that existed in the Presbyterian Church in the to subscribe to the Standards of the church; U.S.A. In 1924this state of affairs was signalized by the In that same year, 1925, a great spiritual calamity signing of what is known as the Auburn Affirmation in occurred in the church history of Canada. It was in that which 1293 ministers of that denomination attached year that the union of the Methodist, Congregati0Ilal their signatures to a document that denied outright the and Presbyterian churches was consummated. By this doctrine of Biblical inerrancy and alsodenied the ne- union a large proportion of the Presbyterian Church in 198 THE ,p RES 8 Y T ER I A N G U AR DIAN July 10 Canada abandoned the historic Pres­ whole counsel of God when concrete since. In view of the widespread de­ byterian witness and entered into.a events had made it more than appar­ fection both of churches and theologi­ communion that had as its basis a ent that Reformed churches through­ cal schools throughout the world, confession acceptable to the over­ out the.world had laid in the dust young men looking towards the gospel j whelming majority of Methodists and that same banner, defaced, soiled and ministry and seeking the training that Congregationalists in that Dominion. tattered. When the enemy came in would fit them for servicein their own I At the outset I made reference to like a flood, God in His abundant denominations found in Westminster a detail that concerned Scotland. In mercy and sovereign providence raised Seminary the kind of institution that I 1929 there took place in that country up a standard against him. ' met this need. We must' recognise j the union of the Church of Scotland It is true, of course, that West­ what is a fact of God's providence, • 1 and the United Free Church of Scot­ minster Seminary came into existence that God raised Westminster Sem­ land. As things had come to be in upon the occasion and particularly for inary to train men for 'the great work these two churches by 1929, I do not the reason of widespread defection in and battle of the faith in a great va­ suppose that any great doctrinal issue the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., riety of denominations. was at stake in this union. But the and its more immediate purpose was For what does Westminster Sem­ union of 1929 showed' the extent to to provide training for the-future min­ inary stand? It stands for the whole which declension had taken place in isters of that denomination. But two counsel of God, for unswerving fidel­ both of these churches in the preced­ facts must not be forgotten. ity to that permanent and unchanging ing years. These two churches, com­ The first is that Princeton Semi­ deposit of truth embodied in the. prising the large majority of nominal nary, the downfall of which was the Scriptures of the Old and New Testa­ Presbyterians in Scotland, could in reason for the founding of Westmin­ ments and for the consistent applica­ 1929 unite on a basis that involved ster' had been' during its history a tion of that truth to the whole of life. for ministers no more stringent a con­ nursery for the training. of ministers It exists to maintain this truth, to set fession than to believe in one God­ of many denominations. Princeton forth the grounds of belief in it as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; to be­ opened its doors to students of vari­ Word of God, the only infallible rule lieve the Word of God, which is con­ ous churches and for this reason the .of faith and practice, to defend this tained in the Scriptures of the Old contribution that Princeton Seminary truth and to be the instrument of and New Testaments, to be the su­ . made to catholic Christianity was in­ blazing forth that truth to the whole preme rule of faith and life; and to calculable.Westminster Seminary was world. It stands, as Dr. John Duncan believe the fundamental doctrines of not to be any less hospitable. And the was wont to say in other connections, the Christian faith contained in the history of fifteen years has demon­ for the truth that is according to god­ Westminster Confession of Faith. strated both its appeal and its gen­ liness and for the godliness that is The fundamental doctrines of the erosity in this regard. according to truth. Christian faith remain undefined and The second fact is the general eccle­ We who are closely associated with what the import of subscription to the siasticalsituation at the time West­ Westminster Seminary have to con­ Confession means is not in the least minster opened its doors and ever fess that we have come far short of clarified by the opaque statement that our profession and aim. Indeed, when the united church "holds as its sub­ we think of our own sins and short­ ordinate standard the Westminster TABLE OF CONTENTS comings, we are amazed that God in Confession of Faith, recognising lib­ July 10. 1944 His displeasure has not wrenched this erty of opinion on such points of doc­ banner out of our hands and given it . trine as do not enter into the sub­ The Bilnner of Westminster Seminary.. , 197 to others more worthy than we. We stance of the Faith". This union John Murray marvel that God has not removed His brought into clear focus the abandon­ Flames Worth Fanning {Part I) !99 candlestick out of our midst. ment of the historic Reformed and Geoffrey Williams But surely the facts show that He even evangelical confession. Nine Books by Dr. Warfield 200 has not done so. In His abundant These are simply a few of the facts mercy He has borne with our sins and The Judge's Request 201 which evince that the founding of G:,eorge W. Marston faults..I don't think it is presumption Westminster Seminary in 1929 was to say, and to say it to God's praise, no mere coincidence. The Seminary Re-Thinking the Chaplaincy..... '" ... 202 that the banner has not' been folded Edw~rds came into being 'at a time when the E. Elliott up and laid in the dust. We have not very things for which it was estab­ Today in the Religious World 204 raised it aloft as we should have done, lished and· to which it stands com­ Thomas R. Birch we have not unfurled it as we should. mitted, the very things for which it Editorial 205 But it has not been lowered or furled. raised and unfurled a banner; were God has brought Westminster to The Family Pew 206 being repudiated by large sections of Mrs. Arthur Armour the kingdom for such a time as this. the Reformed churches in North May I plead that by our prayers, by America and in Europe.
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