Periodical January 2015 Vol. 23 w No. 1 From The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth Postage paid at Publication Number (USPS 010584) Grand Rapids, MI 540 Crescent St. NE Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503

Loving Shepherd of Thy sheep

Loving Shepherd of Thy sheep, Loving Shepherd, ever near, Keep Thy lamb, in safety keep; Teach Thy lamb Thy voice to hear, Nothing can Thy power withstand, Suffer not my steps to stray None can pluck me from Thy hand. From the straight and narrow way.

Loving Savior, Thou didst give Where Thou leadest I would go, Thine own life that we might live, Walking in Thy steps below, And the hands outstretched to bless Till before my Father’s throne Bear the cruel nails’ impress. I shall know as I am known. —Jn a e E. Leeson I would praise Thee every day, Gladly all Thy will obey, Like Thy blessed ones above Happy in Thy precious love.

A Periodical for Young and Old

the IN THIS ISSUE Banner Another Year for Worship! of Sovereign Grace Truth The Union of God and Man in Christ Of f icial Publication of the Heritage Reformed congregations Teaching Children Character A Periodical for Young and Old

January 2015 Vol. 23 w No. 1 Official Publication of the Heritage Reformed Congregations THE BANNER OF SOVEREIGN GRACE TRUTH

Publication Number (USPS 010584)

Official Publication of the Heritage Reformed denomination. Typeset at Grand Rapids, Michigan (Gardner Graphics); Contents printed at Grand Rapids, Michigan (Grandville Printing). J anuARY 2015 • Vol. 23, No. 1 Subscription price for ten issues per year: $25.00 in the United States. $30.00 in Canada, payable in U.S. funds. To foreign countries $35.00 (surface mail) or $65.00 (air mail), payable in U.S. funds. Rates listed are for one year subscriptions. MEDITATION | Dr. Brian DeVries Dr. Joel R. Beeke, Editor 2965 Leonard Street NE Another Year for Worship! ...... 3 Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525 (616) 977-0599; fax (616) 285-3246 EDITORIALS | Dr. Joel R. Beeke e-mail: [email protected] The Union of God and Man in Christ ...... 4 Dr. Robert D. Johnson, Assistant Editor Killing Remaining Sin ...... 5 Raybrook Estates II, 2105 Raybrook Dr. SE, #4029 Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546; (616) 464-3241 Old Testament BIBLE STUDY | Dr. Michael Barrett

Brenda Pols, Subscription Manager Christ: The Resolute Servant ...... 6 and Accounts Receivable 540 Crescent Street NE CHURCH HISTORY | Dr. Gwyn Davies Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503-3402 “The Lord’s Gift”: Thomas Charles (1755–1814) ...... 8 (616) 977-4304; fax (616) 285-3246 e-mail: [email protected] Family Guidance How to Teach Your Children Private Worship | Dr. Joel R. Beeke ...... 10 Copy for the Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth is due the 5th of the month prior to publication. All copy (including announce- Christian Modesty Defined | Rev. Jeff Pollard ...... 12 ments, obituaries, anniversary notices, and ads) should be sent Teaching Children Character | Philip Doddridge ...... 14 to the editor. All announcements submitted for publication should be typed, and are subject to editorial policy. Commu- Experiential Christianity | George Lawson nications relating to subscriptions should be addressed to the subscription manager. Change of address should be forwarded Faith in Christ (5) ...... 17 to the subscription manager one month in advance of moving date. Please provide both new and old address. Questions Answered for teens | James W. Beeke

PERIODICAL Postage is Paid at Grand Rapids, Michigan. Self-Idolatry ...... 18 Speech ...... 18 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to “The Banner of Sov­ereign Grace Truth,” 540 Crescent Street NE, Grand Church HIstory | Dr. Joel R. Beeke Rapids, Michigan 49503. The Life of William Perkins ...... 19 ADDITIONAL SOURCES The Works of William Perkins Finally Being Reprinted! ...... 21

For a list of printed Reformed literature (both new and used BOOK TALK | Dr. Joel R. Beeke ...... 22 books in English, and used books in Dutch), write: Refor- mation Heritage Books, 2965 Leonard Street NE, Grand MEDITATION FOR CHILDREN | Mary Beeke Rapids, Michigan 49525, or visit our on-line bookstore at Open Ears ...... 24 www.heritagebooks.org; 616-977-0889. BIBLE QUIZ FOR CHILDREN | Andrea Scholten ...... 25 For free sermons write: Inheritance Publishers, P.O. Box 1334, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49501. Story for children | Andrea Scholten ...... 26 For free sermons and radio messages of HRC ministers write: NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS ...... 27 The Gospel Trumpet, 540 Crescent Street NE, Grand Rap- ids, Michigan 49503. CHRISTIAN WORLD VIEW | John Goudzwaard ...... 28 For tract distribution write: Banner of Truth Tract Mission, CORNER FOR TEENS | Rev. Maarten Kuivenhoven/Rev. David VanBrugge 540 Crescent Street NE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503. For distribution of tapes (sermons, lectures, classes, etc.) Defending the Fatherhood of God (4): Gender Roles at Stake ...... 30 write: “The Tape Room,” 540 Crescent Street NE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503. Contemporary Issues | Timothy Pols A Message from a Police Officer ...... 31 For material related to theological training write: Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, 2965 Leonard Street NE, POEM | Jane E. Leeson Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525; 616-977-0599; www.puritan seminary.org; [email protected]. Loving Shepherd of Thy Sheep ...... 32

For HRC mission and evangelistic work, contact Glad Tid- ings, Jane Korevaar at [email protected].

In all publications, the Heritage Reformed denomination aims to remain true to inerrant Scripture and its Reformed How a Husband Should ove His Wife heritage as expounded in the Reformed doctrinal standards: L the Belgic Confession (1561), Heidelberg Catechism (1563), Jesus Christ’s love was real, for He died of it. The husband must write after this copy. Canons of Dordt (1618–1619), and the Westminster Stan- dards of the 1640s (the Westminster Confession of Faith, Not to love his wife in word and tongue only, but in deed and in truth, so that if his and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms). heart were opened, her name might be found written there. For additional information on HRC ministries, please visit —Rchardi Steele (1629–1692) our website at www.heritagereformed.com. An oTHER Year for Palm s 50:14–15 Worship! Meditation | Dr. Brian DeVries What a wonder of God’s goodness that we are entering another year! In the words of Psalter 420:5, “Let God be praised with reverence deep/He daily comes our lives to steep/In bounties freely given.” Does the call to praise the Lord resonate within your soul as you step into 2015? What does it mean to praise the Lord? How can we do it? Psalm 50 pictures the gathering of God’s people for worship. Phrases like God dwelling in Zion (v. 2), God gathering His saints together unto Him (v. 5), God speaking to His people (v. 7) and God receiving offerings and prayer (vv. 14–15) all set this in the context of worship. This psalm declares to us what true worship is, pointing us away from outward performance towards the heart of giving thanks and calling on the Lord. Too often we separate the familiar verse 15 (misery, deliverance, gratitude) from verse 14. But together they show the acceptable worship of the righteous. So what is acceptable worship? At the heart of true worship is thanks- giving for the saving grace of God. It calls for the believing, self-denying, holy service of the Lord Most High or, in the words of Romans 12:1, “presenting our bodies a living sacri- fice, holy, acceptable unto God.” This is all accompanied by prayer as God’s people journey through these troublesome days. So how do we resist mere formalism in worship and life this year and experience truly blessed worship? We must start by considering the God we are called to True worship involves the entire person; it does not leave worship. In verse 14, we read of “God” and “the most High,” behind the body and only concern the spirit. God refers in and, in verse 15, we read of God as deliverer (“I will deliver verse 10 to “…every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle thee…”) and the glorious One (“thou shalt glorify me”). One upon a thousand hills.” If He cares about beasts, He cares of the first things that happens when we come to know God about bodies. A person transformed by grace recognizes only is that we worship Him as God. We seek to banish earthly God can do certain things. He alone delivers and guides conceptions of Him and His worship. Sometimes we can get those He delivers. He does this by His Spirit using the Word. away with an empty formalism before people, but the living At the start of another year, Jesus Christ the Righteous God looks right through us to our heart. He knows how we must be at the center of our worship. He banished earthly think about and approach Him. conceptions of God but He also brought God close at hand Another important consideration is the time for wor- to expose hypocritical formalism and to model righteous ship. This is at the specified time of sacrifice (v. 14) and worship. The death of Christ the Righteous One paid for appointed days of religious service and fasting, but also at the separation sin caused while providing a spotless righ- all times when in trouble. Unfortunately, we often divide teousness to cover all His people. The intercession and reign Sunday and mid-week services from the rest of our lives. of Christ encourages us to “call upon Him” at all times This divide between the sacred and the secular often leads knowing that He hears and is all-powerful to deliver. to formalism because it was not meant to be. Righteousness May the Lord grant us a year of living, true, blessed and sin are the biblical realities that promote living, true, worship, for His glory! blessed worship. This impacts all of life. We also need the transforming grace of God to change us Dr. Brian DeVries is president of Mukhanyo Theological School in South from formalists to true worshippers. How does this happen? Africa and an ordained minister in the Heritage Reformed Congregations.

JA NUARY 2015 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth 3 The Union of God and Man in Christ Editorial | Dr. Joel R. Beeke

Con cerning the hypostatic union in which one Christ is closely united in one Person that they were not separated even both God and man, J. C. Ryle wrote: “We should settle it by His death. Therefore that which He, when dying com- firmly in our minds, that our Savior is perfect man as well mended into the hands of His Father, was a real human spirit, as perfect God, and perfect God as well as perfect man. If departing from His body. But in the meantime the divine we once lose sight of this great foundation truth, we may nature always remained united with the human, even when run into fearful heresies.” He lay in the grave. And the Godhead did not cease to be in In this precious union, the Son of God assumed our human Him, any more than it did when He was an infant, though nature to His divinity, though God remained God and man it did not so clearly manifest itself for a while” (Article 19). remained man in Him. Consequently, He did not become two Many Christians today have trouble applying this truth persons, but remained one divine Person—the Son of God, to themselves with profit. But the union of Christ’s natures Second Person in the holy Trinity. Christ took a human nature in one Person should be very sweet to a Christian’s soul since to Himself but never became a “human person.” Thus we must the hypostatic union accords with the believer’s mystical be careful when we speak of Jesus as the God-man that we union with Christ. A number of Puritans paralleled the underscore that He did not become two persons. hypostatic union with the mystical union of Christ and the Throughout church history, numerous errors have devel- believer. Thomas Watson noted that Christ’s assumption oped against this doctrine, such as those of the Gnostics, of a human nature corresponds to the “sacred union” of His Arians, Socinians, as well as the modern Jehovah’s Wit- person with the believer. He noted, however, that “if there nesses. The early Council of Chalcedon (AD 451) corrected is no more than this natural [hypostatic] union, it will give several heretical teachings regarding the essence of the rela- little comfort.” Thomas Cole, in his Discourse of Regen- tionship of the natures of Christ. They directed their confes- eration , also noted: “The Human Nature of Christ [in the sion against certain groups. Against Eutychians, the Council hypostatic union] is the foundation of all our Communion stated that Christ’s natures were without mixture and with- with God: our access to God is through the veil of his flesh.” out change. Against Nestorians, they stated that Christ’s Isaac Ambrose wrote, “It pleased God to assume and unite natures were without division and without separation. Christ our human nature to the deity,” and, likewise: “It pleased did not have two identities but a strict unity in one Person. God to unite the person of every believer to the Son of The Belgic Confession of Faith also stated the hypostatic God.” Edward Reynolds and John Bunyan wrote similarly. union clearly: “We believe that by this conception, the per- But Thomas Manton explained this in detail. He distin- son of the Son is inseparably united and connected with the guished a number of analogies between the hypostatical union human nature; so that these are not two Sons of God, nor two and the believer’s mystical union with Christ. Here are five: persons, but two natures united in one single person; yet, that each nature retains its own distinct properties” (Article 19). 1. “In the hypostatical union, our nature is united with Once Christ’s divinity assumed humanity, His two natures Christ’s nature; in the mystical union, our person are never separated. They were never separated during His with his person.” life or after his death, nor will they be separated in the future. 2. “In the hypostatical union, Christ matched into The Belgic Confession continues: “These two natures are so our family; in the mystical union, the soul is the

4 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth JANUARY 2015 bride…. Thus Christ first honored our nature, and was bestowed on the human nature, without which, as a then our persons; first he assumeth our nature, and mere creature, it would not be capable of this exaltation; so then espouseth our persons.” the mystical union is the ground of all that grace and glory 3. “In the hypostatical union, Christ was a person which we receive.” before he assumed the human nature; [and thus] the body is a passive instrument…in the mystical union, For further reading of the Puritans on this subject, see: on Christ’s part active, on ours passive.” Isaac Ambrose, Looking unto Jesus in Works, 215. Edwards Reynolds, Joy in the Land: Opened in a Sermon Preached 4. “The hypostatical union is indissoluble; it was never at Pauls, May 6 (London 1655), 9. laid aside, not in death…. So it is in the mystical John Bunyan, in Richard L. Greaves, John Bunyan: Miscellaneous union; Christ and we shall never be parted.” Works (Oxford, 1979), 8:84. 5. “By the hypostatical union, Christ is made our Thomas Cole, A Discourse of Regeneration, 1969, 137. brother, he contracted affinity with the human Thomas Manton, Vol. 11 of Works, 35ff. nature; by the mystical union he is made our head and husband, he weddeth our persons.” Dr. Joel R. Beeke is president and professor of Systematic Theology and Truly, for the Christian, as Manton concludes, “the hypo- Homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, and a pastor of the statical union is the ground of all that grace and glory that Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Killing Remaining Sin Dr. Joel R. Beeke

Every Christian finds himself living out two realities: what Savior. We must know our own hearts and weaknesses, and he is in Christ, and what he is at present, wherever he hap- avoid those situations that tend to promote the temptations pens to be in his earthly pilgrimage. The one reality is the that we are weakest in battling against. We must cast off all fact of his justification “by faith alone in Christ alone” from remnants of the life we left behind when we began to fol- the guilt of all sin and his personal union with Christ cruci- low Christ. We must put ourselves under the death-dealing fied, risen again, and received up into glory. power of the cross of Christ (Gal. 6:14) so that the Spirit of The other reality is the Christian’s degree of personal Christ may put to death what is earthly in us. sanctification. Unlike justification, sanctification is never The Spirit of Christ focuses us on Christ when teach- complete in this life. A substantial first step is the regen- ing us how to mortify sin. Mortification begins when we eration of the heart that marks the beginning of all true condemn our sins as transgressions of the law of God. We Christian life. But the way forward is rife with difficulties. confess these sins to be forgiven by God and cleansed by the We can go backward as well as forward in this way; and we blood of Christ. Then we forsake these sins for Christ’s sake. all pass through seasons of stagnation and declension. Paul tells us to fight against sin from a position of strength The Christian learns early on that sin still has a hold (Rom. 6; Eph. 6). Know what you are in Christ. In Christ on him and remains in him, even “besetting” him, dogging we have died unto sin. In Christ we have been raised again his steps and burdening him with guilt and shame. Paul to newness of life. In Christ crucified we have been set free describes this remaining sin as “another law in my members, from sin’s dominion and continue to die to sin, so that, as warring against the law of my mind” (Rom. 7:23). John Owen emphasizes, we experience the death of sin in How does the believer respond to this “law of sin”? We the death of Christ. Sin may assail but cannot master us, so must mortify (put to death) what Paul calls “the old man and long as we stand firm in Christ, calling upon His name. In his deeds,” and “the lusts of the flesh” (Rom. 8:13, 13:14; Christ we are assured of God’s help in striving against sin. Col. 3:15). This mortification is both a gift (of the Holy Though we may fall and lose various skirmishes against sin, Spirit) and a duty (ours). In our own strength we cannot because of our union and communion with Christ we have accomplish any lasting mortification, without the Spirit’s by faith the promise of ultimate victory and final deliver- grace. But by the powerful and enabling grace of the Holy ance, which, more than anything else, gives us hope and Spirit, we may and must hate sin, strangle it, and put a sword sustenance in the daily fight against sin. The only sin fatal through it. We must meditate often on the horrific con- to our cause is unbelief. Unbelief alone can rob us of God’s sequences of sinning against our beloved, triune God and grace and shut us out of His kingdom.

JA NUARY 2015 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth 5 Christ T he Resolute Servant a P salm 16 y

T he New Testament confirms the messianic significance of from the manger to Gethsemane did the Father answer that Psalm 16. On the day of Pentecost, Peter appealed to Psalm prayer as the Lord Jesus was delivered over and over again 16:8–11 as his proof text for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. from the plots of rulers, anger of crowds, and onslaughts In so doing, he made it clear that David was a prophet from the devil himself? The analogy of Scripture not only who knew full well that he was writing about Christ (Acts parallels this theme of divine preservation of the Messiah 2:25–31). Similarly, Paul appealed to Psalm 16:10 as proof of but also warrants our seeing Christ in this psalm as God’s Christ’s resurrection, making it clear that the statement had Servant. According to Isaiah, the Lord said to the Servant, no reference at all to David, whose dead body stayed buried “In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of and saw corruption (Acts 13:35–36). In the light of that salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and inspired authority and confirmation, there can be no doubt give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, that at least verses 8–11 have direct and unique reference to to cause to inherit the desolate heritages” (Isa. 49:8; see also Jesus Christ. The question is whether the first seven verses 42:6). That Christ regarded the Lord as His portion and the are also messianic or whether there is a jump from David to One who maintained His lot in life is also expressed in His his greater Son between verse 7 and 8. conscious sense of dependence on God (v. 5). This language I would suggest that the entirety of Psalm 16 refers to links Christ with the priesthood, whose only inheritance was Christ. I do not see anything in the psalm that requires a tran- the Lord (Deut. 18:2). What the Levites imperfectly typi- sition from David to Christ or that does not have legitimate fied, Christ fulfilled perfectly. Ironically, He who created messianic relevance. I am happy to admit that there are state- the world had no place even to lay His head while in the ments in the psalm that can in some circumstances apply to all world, but daily He knew the fellowship and communion believers; that should not surprise us in view of the fact that of His Father. Christ’s humanity was a real humanity and that He endured Most outstanding is Christ’s determination to do the will and experienced the stuff of life. It is always good for us to see of God. Although somewhat difficult to translate, the clos- our union with Christ and His identification with us. ing line of Psalm 16:2 is a synopsis testimony of Christ’s total Although the term “Servant” does not occur in the song, commitment to God. Let me offer this translation: “Thou the thing that impresses me most about the song as a whole art the Lord, my happiness is not in addition to Thee.” The is the absolute resolve and determination of Christ to fulfill sense is simply that Christ found His contentment in and His mission in submission to the Lord. Although it was directed His goodness to the Lord only. With unrelenting the prophet David who wrote down the words, this psalm resolve, Christ set Himself to accomplish the purpose for records for us the mind of Christ Himself: how He viewed which He came into the world. As the Ideal Prophet, daily His God, His people, and His mission. He received His instructions from the Lord: “I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct Christ and His God me in the night seasons” (Ps. 16:7). Compare this verse with The first lesson concerns Christ’s view of God. As the Mes- another of Isaiah’s Servant Songs (Isa. 50:4–5) for this same siah, He trusted the Lord, depending on Him and delight- focus. In both texts, God’s instruction to the Servant was ing in His will. The opening petition for preservation was followed with perfect and resolute obedience and with the a prayer that God might watch over Him, guarding and inflexible determination to keep the Lord’s presence and keeping Him as a shepherd would his sheep (v. 1). How often purpose foremost in His thoughts and life (v. 8).

6 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth JANUARY 2015 O ld Testament Bible Study Dr. Michael P. V. Barrett

Christ and His People certainly follow His obedient humiliation and atoning death. The second lesson concerns Christ’s view of His people. Two According to verse 9, He rejoiced and confidently rested in statements in particular stand out: verse 3 and verse 6. From that certain hope. Verses 10 and 11 fix on two essential ele- verse 3 we learn that what Christ did in fulfilling the will ments in Christ’s exaltation: the resurrection and the session of God (v. 2), He did with respect to or in reference to His at God’s right hand. Although this psalm does not explicitly people: “To the saints that are in the earth, and to the excel- refer to Messiah’s death, the simple fact that Christ expresses lent, in whom is all my delight.” The saints are the holy ones, His confidence in a sure resurrection presupposes His knowl- those who are set apart as the beneficiaries of the mediatorial edge of an antecedent death. The New Testament’s interpreta- work of Christ: those who are saved. The term “excellent” tion and use of this verse require it to be an explicit declaration further defines the saints as those who enjoy special rank and of the bodily resurrection of the Messiah from the grave. It privilege of position. The point is very simply that Christ’s has unique reference to Jesus. The Hebrew says exactly the people are special to Him. same thing and this is clear when we remember that the word From verse 6 we learn that Christ was confident that a “soul” designates the person, not just the immaterial spirit, people had been given to Him and that therefore His mission and that the word “hell” can refer to the grave (as it is so trans- would not be in vain: “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant lated in about half of its occurrences by the KJV). Christ knew places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.” Notwithstanding the that the Lord would not abandon Him in the grave nor allow frequent use of this verse in testimony meetings, expressing Him to experience any corruption (as dead bodies typically thanks to God for station in life, the messianic significance of do). The Hebrew terms and parallel structure of the lines (the this verse takes us right back to the eternal promise to Christ lines saying the same thing in a different way) make a clear, that He would see His seed (Isa. 53:10) and have His own direct declaration of the real, bodily resurrection of Christ. house, “whose house are we” (Heb. 3:6). The word “line” des- Verse 11 ends this prophetic prayer of Christ with His glo- ignates a rope or a cord and refers to an allotment that would rious presence at the right hand of God. We refer to this as the be marked off by the measuring cord. According to Deuter- Session of Christ. This is the place of the present mediatorial onomy 32:9, “the Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the work of Christ as He represents His people, having guaranteed lot of his inheritance.” Similarly, in Psalm 2, the Lord offered for them an entrance to where He is. The reference to the path the heathen and the uttermost part of the earth to Messiah as of life that the Lord showed Him from death to glory is the His inheritance and possession. That is precisely the idea in way that will be followed by all His believing people. As the this context. His saints and excellent ones are His inheritance Firstfruit of the resurrection, He is the surety of our resurrec- who will populate His glorious kingdom. Believers have a tion. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. part in verse 6 after all; they are the goodly heritage. That is Every believer will share in the earned pleasures and a blessing that far exceeds any temporal placement in this life. glory of Christ, the Savior. But sorrow awaits those who reject Christ for some other god. With sobering words, Christ and His Mission Christ declares that He will provide neither a sacrifice nor The third lesson concerns Christ’s view of His mission. This a prayer for those who reject Him (v. 4). This is not a happy brings us specifically to the portions used in the New Testa- note in this song, but it is one that must be sounded loudly. ment. Christ knew from before His incarnation the direc- Dr. Michael P. V. Barrett is Academic Dean and professor of Old Testament tion and the end of His mission. He knew that glory would at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

JA NUARY 2015 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth 7 “The Lord’s Gift”: Thomas Charles (1755–1814)

If I were ever to be cast away dered whether this was a sign that he should return to Eng- on a desert island with only one land. Charles, however, was committed to serving God in person from the whole history of Wales: “I feel myself much inclined to take Wales, as I did Christianity for company, I think I my wife, ‘for better, for worse, till death us do part.’” would choose Thomas Charles (although it would be a close England’s loss was undoubtedly Wales’s gain. In 1784, call between him and William Williams Pantycelyn). Why Charles gave up seeking curacies in the Church of England Thomas Charles? On the 200th anniversary of his death a and threw in his lot with the Calvinistic Methodists. For few weeks ago, perhaps a closer look at this remarkable man the next thirty years, he devoted himself to promoting the will provide an answer. cause of the gospel throughout North Wales. While Charles’s name is inextricably linked with Bala in North Wales, he was in fact a native of Carmarthenshire. Sunday Schools His birth in 1755 occurred twenty years after the conver- One of the most important challenges facing him was wide- sions of Howel Harris and Daniel Rowland, and it was spread spiritual ignorance in the north. Griffith Jones’s cir- through the latter’s preaching that he came to full assur- culating schools, which had taught people of all ages to ance of faith in Christ: “January 20, 1773, I went to hear read the Bible, had effectively come to an end after 1779. Mr Rowland preach at New Chapel [Llangeitho]. His text In 1785, therefore, Charles began to organize schools on a was Hebrews 4:15. A day much to be remembered by me similar pattern, but with no little success. Each school lasted as long as I live. I had such a view of Christ as our High for between six and nine months before moving to another Priest, of his love, compassion, power and all-sufficiency, area. However, this created new challenges: how to provide as filled my soul with astonishment—with joy unspeakable further spiritual instruction for those who could now read and full of glory.” the Welsh Bible, and more basic biblical literacy for those— both children and adults—who had been unable to attend. Sally Jones Beginning around 1787, Charles addressed these issues In 1775, Charles went to Jesus College, Oxford, and after by setting up Welsh-language Sunday schools. He was not graduating served as a curate in Somerset. In more than one the first to hold Sunday schools in Wales or England, but sense, however, his heart lay in Wales. While visiting Bala his organizational skills and energetic support turned them in 1778, he had fallen in love with Sally Jones, an attractive into a popular movement that became a very influential part and godly young woman. And there was a bonus: her parents of Welsh religious life. owned a shop that offered a means of financial support for Charles soon realized the importance of reading material any would-be suitor. for those attending the schools. To begin with, he prepared When he began to write to her from Somerset, she simple catechisms and a reading aid. In 1799, he and Thomas was naturally cautious, no doubt wondering about his real Jones of Denbigh began to publish Trysorfa Ysbrydol (“Spiri- motives. The ardor of his letters and the gradual thaw in her tual Treasury”), the first Christian magazine in Welsh. response make fascinating reading. Indeed, their relation- He also published the works of Walter Cradoc (1800), ship is one of the great love stories of Welsh history. thereby linking the Calvinistic Methodists with the Puri- Because of her responsibilities towards her parents, she tans, and a collection of hymns (1806) that included the first was unwilling to leave Bala. Charles therefore bade farewell printing of the remarkable poetic work of Ann Griffiths. to Somerset and came to North Wales. They were married Even more important was his magisterial Geiriadur in 1783 and lived above the shop. Their marriage was one Ysgrythyrol (“Scriptural Dictionary, 1801–1811”), which, of enduring love; they died in 1814, within three weeks of although dated in some respects, is still of immense value each other. today. The contents reflect Charles’s conviction that all life Apart from the shop, Charles had no visible means of and knowledge have their ultimate meaning in the Creator. support. His attempts to minister in various parishes were Articles, including how to catch a crocodile and the terminated because of his Methodism. John Newton won- health benefits of breast milk, honey, and mustard, are

8 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth JANUARY 2015 Church History | Dr. Gwyn Davies

often mini-sermons. The entire volume is characterized Charles was perhaps not the most powerful Welsh by a deep spirituality missing from many modern Bible preacher of his day, but his ministry was valued for its spiri- dictionaries. tual nourishment and warm sincerity. He himself knew the reality of revival at Bala in 1791, beginning, without any pre- Mary Jones vious indications, “towards the close of the evening service.” His 1807 catechism Yr Hyfforddwr—the full title echoed His frequent journeys across the North Wales hills in all Calvin’s Institutio Christianae Religionis—was reprinted weathers, with the aim of encouraging scattered groups of time and time again. Mari Lewis, a godly character in Methodists and preaching the gospel whenever opportunity a famous Welsh novel, declared that “the Bible is God’s offered itself, were nothing short of heroic. As a result of book, and I’m not afraid to say that the next book to it one of these journeys in 1800, he lost a thumb from frost- is Charles’s Hyfforddwr.” Its succinct presentation of the bite. Many feared for his life and one old Christian prayed essential truths of the gospel made it as important in the that God would grant him another fifteen years, “for my spiritual life of Wales as the Westminster Shorter Catechism brethren’s sake…and for my neighbours’ too.” In the event, in that of Scotland. Charles lived for just six weeks short of those fifteen years Most important of all, however, was a supply of cheap and was buried at Llanycil, just outside Bala. Welsh Bibles for those attending the schools and the wider “Charles,” declared Daniel Rowland, “is the Lord’s gift population. This need was vividly impressed on him by the to the north [North Wales].” “And to the south too,” added famous twenty-five-mile journey of the young Mary Jones, Thomas Jones of Denbigh, the greatest of Welsh theolo- from her cottage in Llanfihangel-y-Pennant to his home at gians. “Yes, and to the whole world.” Bala, to obtain a copy of the Scriptures. A companion for all reasons As a result, he laid the need for a supply of Welsh Bibles before the Religious Tract Society in London. “If Bibles for Perhaps you can see now why I should be delighted to have Wales, why not Bibles for the whole world?” asked Joseph him as a companion on my desert island. It would be fasci- Hughes of Battersea—and the eventual outcome was the nating and instructive to talk to him about his life, experi- formation of the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1804. ences, and ministry. Charles was himself responsible for an edition of the Given our circumstances, the comfort and encourage- Welsh Bible in 1807. He also helped to correct the proofs ment I would derive from his warm spirituality and equable of the 1810 edition and prepared yet another for publication temperament would be no less valuable. No doubt, I would in 1814, the year of his death. become increasingly aware of his failings and weaknesses, and he would gently point out mine. But I’m sure that he would Welsh Calvinistic Methodism also go out of his way to put up with me and raise my spirits. After Williams Pantycelyn’s death in 1791, it was Charles If I were lost in a jungle, I should choose somebody who to all intents and purposes was leader of the Welsh Cal- like Howel Harris: he would strain every sinew to find a vinistic Methodists. Despite initial reservations, he formed way out. But on the desert island, Harris’s restless energy them into a separate denomination in 1811 and guided the and autocratic tendencies would inevitably create tensions. new body with much wisdom until his death in 1814. By contrast, Charles’s all-round wisdom and winsomeness, Charles brought an element of stability to the Calvinis- godliness and graciousness, humility and humanity—as tic Methodists. Through his indefatigable efforts to teach demonstrated, for example, in Thomas Charles’ Spiritual biblical truth far and wide, he ensured that the Methodist Counsels (Banner of Truth)—would be an invaluable and unceasing source of encouragement in our adversity. emphasis on the experience of the heart was accompanied Indeed, if I were to see a ship on the horizon coming to by a thoroughgoing understanding of Scripture and its doc- rescue us, I might even be a little disappointed! trine. It was this powerful combination of vibrant experience and biblical theology that made Calvinistic Methodism such Dr. Gwyn Davies, now retired, was a lecturer in church history at the Wales a force in Welsh Christianity. Evangelical School of Theology. Reprinted from the Evangelical Times.

JA NUARY 2015 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth 9 How to Teach Your Children Private Worship F amily Guidance | Dr. Joel R. Beeke

JWhat is worship? An Eight-PointG Plan What kind of wor- By private worship, I refer to a personal habit of daily devo- ship does God tions, one-on-one with the Lord. Fathers, you bear primary find acceptable and responsibility in your home to teach your children to prac- pleasingI to Him? tice personal devotions. Mothers, you are called to support Acceptable worship and assist your husbands, or if they are absent or spiritually is prostrating our- unwilling, to lead your children yourself. selves before God So, how do you train your family in private worship? Let and declaring that me offer you an eight-point plan. He alone is worthy of all our love and Priority adoration. Accept- First, impress upon your children the priority of private able worship is worship. It is Christ’s command. Christ taught us in Mat- mediated by Christ. Christ is the temple, the priest, the thew 6:6, “When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and sacrifice, the altar—the “everything” in our worship. He when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is is the only way by which we can offer worship to the Holy in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward One. Acceptable worship is also controlled or regulated by thee openly.” In this text, Christ was not forbidding us the Holy Scriptures. Without the Bible, we try to worship to pray with others. Rather, He was warning us against what we do not know and offer up what does not please the hypocrisy of making a show of prayer in front of oth- Him. Finally, acceptable worship is offered in spirit and ers while we are prayerless in private. The word translated in truth. Sometimes on the Lord’s Day, even if our bodies “closet” refers to an inner room where your words cannot be are awake, our minds are asleep. In true worship our spirits publicly heard (Luke 12:3). Secret communion with God engage with God’s truth. must have priority over praying with others, or we reveal In this light, I would define worship as follows: To wor- that we pray merely to be heard by men. There can be no joy ship God is to bow down before His majestic glory, in obedience to in such hypocrisy. Matthew Henry said, “Counterfeit piety His Word and in the fullness of His Spirit, in and through Jesus can never bring in true pleasure. He that acts a part upon a Christ, calling upon His name and offering to Him the honor and stage…doth not experience it.”2 Experiential worship begins praise that are due to Him as Creator, Provider, and Redeemer. alone with God. John Owen rightly said that who and what God seeks true worshipers (John 4:23–24). God is not we are in private before God is who and what we truly are. looking merely for converts who make a profession of faith, By your own example, show what the priority of private but for those who will spend their lives worshiping Him in worship means; nothing should keep you from it. Let the spirit and truth. Paul said in Philippians 3:3 that one of the phone ring—it is far more important to be conversing with marks of the true people of God is that we “worship God in God than talking with people. Let your children know and the Spirit.” When God outlines His covenant will for His feel that God must come first at all times in worship. people in the Ten Commandments, He begins with worship. Peter declares that God’s purpose in redemption is “that ye Personal Relationship should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you Second, explain to your children that a personal relationship out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Pet. 2:9). is the heart of private worship. For that they must be born Therefore, the topic before us, how to teach your chil- again, must repent of their sinful nature and their actual dren to engage in worship, is both weighty and worthy of sins, and must believe in Christ Jesus alone for salvation. our careful attention and full obedience. I have already writ- God commands us to love Him with all our hearts (Deut. ten on how to teach family worship and worship in church,1 6:4), and private communication is the way of love. If I never so in this article I want to focus on private worship. Since talked to my wife except when others were with us, what worship is the most important thing we do in this world, I would she think of my love for her? No, I must reserve my can scarcely think of a more important topic to write about most personal communications for her alone when no one than how to teach our children private worship. else is near. So we must do with God, whom Jesus taught His disciples to relate to as “our Father in heaven” who

10 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth JANUARY 2015 knows us and loves us. Thomas Manton said that prayer is Teach them also how to read the Bible (see my How Should the conversation of “a loving soul with God,” and “acts of Teens Read the Bible?, published a few months ago). Encourage friendship and communion must not be rare and unfrequent, them to read good books and teach them how to apply the but constant and often.”3 “If we have a love to God, we can- truths in such books to their own souls. When they are young, not keep long out of God’s company, but will be with Him sit or lie beside them at night when they go bed, and talk to pouring out our hearts to Him.”4 them about everything—but especially about God, and their soul, and their daily devotions. Ask lovingly, “So, what book Privilege in the Bible are you reading now in your private worship?” Third, motivate your children with the privilege of private Or, “what good book are you reading now?” Share with them worship. Note Christ’s words, “thy Father which seeth in as well what you are reading in your own private devotions. secret.” What intimacy there is in those words! To be sure, Participate this God is the Almighty Maker of heaven and earth, and yet through Christ we may draw near to Him. William Fifth, participate with them in their private worship when Gouge said, “By prayer we enter into the court where God they are young. Help them start out small. Help them pick out sitteth in his majesty, and we present ourselves before him easier portions of Scripture to read. Read the Bible with them. speaking unto him as it were face to face.”5 Gouge says it is Show them how to turn their Bible reading into prayer—verse one thing for a man to wish the king would do him some by verse. Do it like this: “Son, tonight you read a story about good, and another “to have a free access to the King’s pres- a leper healed by Jesus. So pray like this, ‘Lord, I too am a ence” to pour out our hearts before Him.6 leper; my sin has infected me deeply. Please wash me clean.’” What a blessing it is that we can meet privately with Get down on your knees beside them. Teach them set God! When I was nine years old, my dad said to me, “Son, prayers at the very beginning, but then train them to pray do you know what great benefit a true believer has every freely. Ask them to repeat words, phrases, and then sentences day that an unconverted person doesn’t truly experience? He after you, then let them pray freely on their own, but coach has a place to go—an open throne of grace. And that open them along when they get stuck. By the time they are seven throne is worth more than all the world.” The older I grow, or eight, they should be able to pray entirely themselves. Help them to use the A-C-T-S formula in praying: adora- the more convinced I am that my dad was right. Press the tion, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. Help them privilege of private prayer upon your children. build a short prayer list for intercession. Help them to pick out Principles good Psalter and hymn selections to sing. Encourage them to do their private worship aloud—to pray, speak, and even Fourth, teach your children the principles of private wor- sing aloud. They will be able to concentrate so much better. ship. By principles, I mean the ABCs of how to do it. In Luke 11:1, Christ’s disciples approached Him and said, Pattern “Lord, teach us to pray.” And He did! Children (and adults) Sixth, live before your children a pattern of private worship. benefit from a simple explanation of what to do in private In Luke 11:1, it is no accident that the disciples asked the worship. Every parent should teach their children the Lord’s Lord Jesus for instruction in prayer “as he was praying in Prayer. The Lord’s Prayer is also a good outline, showing us a certain place.” Nor was this the first time they saw Him that in private worship we should: praying. Luke records five instances before this where Christ • Begin with meditation upon God’s Word, especially was praying, often in a solitary place (Luke 3:21; 5:16; 6:12; some promise about who God is and His grace to 9:18, 28). Fathers and mothers, let your family see the pray- sinners—“Our Father which art in heaven.” ing Christ in you. Let them see you fighting against formal- • Move from meditation to intercession that God would ity, lukewarmness, self-righteousness, and vain repetition in be glorified in your life and those around you by your prayers and devotions. Let them see you fighting the grace-worked submission—“Hallowed be thy name. evils of this digital age which all too often foster a loss of Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it concentration, a loss of meditation, a loss of reading ability, is in heaven.” a loss of memory, a loss of routine, a loss of purity, and a loss of privacy.7 Let them see you taking your guilt sincerely • Petition God to meet the physical and spiritual needs and directly and expectantly to God. You may also share of yourself, your family, and your church—“Give us on occasion from your personal devotions something that this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as strengthened your heart with grace. Nothing will shape your we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into tempta- children’s lives more than your own example. Andrew Mur- tion, but deliver us from evil.” ray said, “The secret of home rule is self-rule, first being • Close with giving God all the glory—“For thine is the ourselves what we want our children to be.”8 kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” (continued on page 16)

JA NUARY 2015 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth 11 Christian Modesty Defined Family Guidance | Rev. Jeff Pollard

In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, Jwith shamefacednessG and sobriety. —1 Timothy 2:9 What is modesty? Like the words love and faith, we often positions; for where debauchery reigns within, there will use the word modesty without grasping its biblical meaning. be no chastity; and where ambition reigns within, there Modern dictionaries offer definitions such as (1) Having or will be no modesty in the outward dress.”6 He concludes, showing a moderate estimationI of one’s own talents, abilities, “Undoubtedly the dress of a virtuous and godly woman and value; (2) Having or proceeding from a disinclination to must differ from that of a strumpet…. If piety must be call attention to oneself; retiring or diffident;1 (3) Reserve or testified by works, this profession ought also to be visible propriety in speech, dress, or behavior; (4) Free from showi- in chaste and becoming dress.”7 This applies not only to ness or ostentation;2 unpretentious; (5) Moderate or limited corporate worship, but to daily living also. Though it is in size, quantity, or range; not extreme: a modest price; a news- true that one may dress modestly from a sinful and pride- paper with a modest circulation.3 ful motive, one cannot knowingly dress lavishly or sensu- Noah Webster defines modesty as “that lowly temper ally from a good one. Thus, the purity and humility of a which accompanies a moderate estimate of one’s own worth regenerate heart internally must ultimately express itself by and importance.”4 He adds, “In females, modesty has the modest clothing externally. like character as in males; but the word is used also as syn- Several words shed light on a biblical view of modesty. In onymous with chastity, or purity of manners. In this sense, 1 Timothy 2:9, the Apostle Paul commands women to “adorn modesty results from purity of mind, or from the fear of themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and disgrace and ignominy fortified by education and principle. sobriety.” George Knight III says that the word translated Unaffected modesty is the sweetest charm of female excel- modest8 has “the general meaning of ‘respectable,’ ‘honor- lence, the richest gem in the diadem5 of their honor.” able,’ and when used in reference to women means elsewhere, According to these definitions then, modesty is a broad as here, ‘modest’.”9 He observes, “Adornment and dress is an concept not limited to sexual connotation. This state of area with which women are often concerned and in which mind or disposition expresses a humble estimate of one’s there are dangers of immodesty or indiscretion.”10 Therefore, self before God. Modesty, like humility, is the opposite of “Paul makes that the focal point of his warning and com- boldness or arrogance. It does not seek to draw attention to mands women ‘to adorn themselves’ in keeping with their itself or to show off in an unseemly way. Webster apparently Christian profession and life.” Hence, modesty is an element links chastity with modesty because chastity means “moral of Christian character, and our dress should make the same purity in thought and conduct.” Moral purity, like humil- “profession” that we do. Paul’s directive implies that this is an ity, will not exhibit especially dangerous sensuality any more matter for women. than ostentation. According to Underlying these Knight, shame- definitions is a cru- facedness11 denotes cial point: modesty “a state of mind or is not first an issue attitude necessary for of clothing. It is one to be concerned primarily an issue about modesty and of the heart. If the thus to dress mod- heart is right with estly.” It means “a God, it will govern moral feeling, rever- itself in purity cou- ence, awe, respect for pled with humil- the feeling or opin- ity and will express ion of others or for itself modestly. one’s own conscience Calvin observes, and so shame, self- “Yet we must always respect…sense of begin with the dis- honor.”12 William

12 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth JANUARY 2015 Hendriksen says it “indicates a sense of shame, a shrink- Their clothing will not say “sex!” or “pride!” or “money!”, ing from trespassing the boundaries of propriety.”13 This but “purity,” “humility,” and “moderation.” means that modesty knows the boundaries and desires to One more point: because the immediate context of stay within them—it does not desire to show off. Paul’s epistle to Timothy regards the Christian’s behav- Finally, sobriety14 has among its meanings “the general ior in church, some claim that Paul limits his discussion one of ‘good judgment, moderation, self-control,’ which to distractions in the church’s worship, not principles of when seen as ‘a feminine virtue’ is understood as ‘decency, dress at all times. Again, I believe this entirely misses Paul’s 15 chastity.’” Sobriety signifies “a command over bodily point. Christ’s church is “the pillar and ground of the truth” passions, a state of self-mastery in the area of the appe- (1 Tim. 3:15). Therefore, the principles we learn in the tite. The basic meaning of the word has different nuances worship of God for ordering our lives should ultimately and connotations and represents ‘that habitual inner self- guide our daily living in the presence of God. Can one government, with its constant rein on all the passions and honestly conclude that a woman should dress modestly in desires, which would hinder the temptation to [immodesty] the presence of men and God for corporate worship, only to from arising’…in effect, Paul is saying that when such atti- dress pridefully and sensuously outside of church meetings? tudes self-consciously control a woman’s mind, the result is Knight’s insight is keen here: “Therefore, Paul’s instruc- 16 evident in her modest apparel.” Kelly says of shamefaced- tions to women, like the preceding instructions to men, are ness and sobriety, “The former, used only here in the N.T., related to the context of the gathered Christian community connotes feminine reserve in matters of sex. The latter… but are not restricted to it…women are always to live in basically stands for perfect self-mastery in the physical accord with their profession of godliness, dressing mod- appetites…As applied to women it too had a definitely 21 17 estly and discreetly.” We have then a biblical directive for sexual nuance.” modest apparel that begins in the context of our corporate What then is Christian modesty? Since modesty pos- worship and that extends from there to our daily living. sesses a range of meanings, we will draw our definition from the biblical material: Christian modesty is the inner self-government, rooted in a proper understanding of one’s 1. retiring or diffident—reluctant to draw attention to oneself or shy. self before God, which outwardly displays itself in humility 2. ostentation—display intended to attract notice or admiration. 3. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 3rd Ed. and purity from a genuine love for Jesus Christ, rather than (Houghton Mifflin, 1992). in self-glorification or self-advertisement. 4. Noah Webster, Noah Webster’s First Edition of an American Dictionary of I have taken the time to unfold these words a bit because the English Language (Anaheim, Calif.: Foundation for American Christian some ministers believe Paul’s words apply only to luxuri- Education, 2006). 5. diadem—crown. ous, expensive, or gaudy clothing in the worship services 6. John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. XXI, “The First Epistle to of Christ’s church. Their point is that such clothing would Timothy” (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993), 66. “distract” in the worship services. However, they want to 7. Ibid. 8. κόσμιος stop there and go no further. I wholeheartedly agree that 9. George W. Knight III, Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, NIGTC this idea is included, but these men overlook or ignore the (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992), 134. sexual aspect that is clearly in Paul’s mind. Kelly writes, 10. Ibid. αίδώς “While his remarks conform broadly to the conventional 11. 12. Knight, Pastoral Epistles, 134. diatribe against female extravagance, what is probably fore- 13. William Hendriksen, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, NTC (Grand Rapids: most in his mind is the impropriety of women exploit- Baker, 1979), 106. σωϕροσύνη ing their physical charms on such occasions, and also the 14. 15. Knight, Pastoral Epistles, 134. emotional disturbance they are liable to cause their male 16. Ibid. 18 fellow-worshipers.” Knight explains that “the reason for 17. J. N. D. Kelly, The Pastoral Epistles (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, Paul’s prohibition of elaborate hair styles, ornate jewelry, 1960), 66. and extremely expensive clothing becomes clear when one 18. Kelly, Pastoral Epistles, 66. 19. courtesans—prostitutes, especially those whose clients are wealthy or reads in the contemporary literature of the inordinate time, upper class. expense, and effort that elaborately braided hair and jewels 20. Knight, Pastoral Epistles, 135. demanded, not just as ostentatious display, but also as the 21. Ibid., 131. mode of dress of courtesans19 and harlots…it is the excess and sensuality that Paul forbids.”20 Jeff Pollard is an elder of Mount Zion Bible Church in Pensacola, Florida. Excess and sensuality—both of these bear on modesty. Adapted from Christian Modesty and the Public Undressing of America, available Christian women must self-consciously control their hearts from Chapel Library. To receive future issues of the Free Grace Broadcaster at and passions, instead of arraying themselves elaborately, no charge in the USA and Canada, 1) 48 page booklets mailed quarterly: email your name and address to [email protected], or write Chapel Library, expensively, and/or sensuously. If they are modest, they 2603 W. Wright St., Pensacola, FL 32505; 2) eBooks sent quarterly via email: will not draw attention to themselves in the wrong way. subscribe at www.chapellibrary.org/broadcaster/fgb-subscriptions.

JA NUARY 2015 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth 13 Teaching Children Character HF amily Guidance | Philip Doddridge I very readily Jallow that no Gis, and that he is a rewarder human endeavors, either of of them that diligently seek ministers or of parents, can him” (Heb. 11:6). ever be effectual to bring one The proof of the being of soul to the saving knowledge God and some of those attri- of God in Christ without the butes of the divine nature in cooperating and transform- which we are most concerned ing influences of the blessed depends on such easy prin- Spirit. Yet you well know, and ciples that I cannot but think I hope you seriously consider, the weakest mind might enter that this does not in the least into it. A child will easily weaken our obligation to the apprehend that as every house most diligent use of proper is built by some man and there means. The great God has stated rules of operation in the can be no work without an author, so He that built all things world of grace as well as of nature. Though He is not limited is God. From this obvious idea of God as the Maker of all, to them, it is arrogant and may be destructive to expect that we may naturally represent Him as very great and very good, He should deviate from them in favor of us or ours. that they may be taught at once to reverence and love Him. We live not by bread alone, “but by every word that pro- It is of great importance that children early imbibe2 an ceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Were He awe of God and a humble veneration for His perfections and determined to continue your lives or the lives of your chil- glories. He ought, therefore, to be represented to them as the dren, He could no doubt feed or support you by miracles. great Lord of all. And, when we take occasion to mention Yet you think yourselves obligated to a prudent care for your to them other invisible agents, whether angels or devils, we daily bread. You justly conclude that, were you to neglect to should always represent them as entirely under the govern- administer it to your infant offspring, you would be charge- ment and control of God. able with their murder before God and man; nor could you There should be a peculiar caution that when we teach think of pleading it as any excuse that you referred them to these infant tongues to pronounce that great and terrible a miraculous divine care while you left them destitute of any name, the Lord our God, they may not learn to take it in human supplies. Such a plea would only add impiety to cru- vain, but may use it with a becoming solemnity, remembering elty and greatly aggravate the crime it attempted to palliate.1 that we and they are but dust and ashes before Him. When I As absurd would it be for us to flatter ourselves with a hope hear the little creatures speaking of “the great God, the blessed that our children should be taught of God, and regenerated God, the glorious God,” as I sometimes do, it gives me a sen- and sanctified by the influences of His grace, if we neglect sible pleasure. I consider it as a probable proof of great wisdom that prudent and religious care in their education which it is and piety in those who have the charge of their education. my business this day to describe and recommend. Yet, great care should be taken not to confine our dis- courses to these awful views lest the dread of God should 1. Children should undoubtedly be trained up in the way of so fall upon them that His excellencies should make them piety and devotion towards God. This, as you well know, is afraid to approach Him. We should describe Him as not only the sum and foundation of everything truly good. “The fear the greatest, but the best of beings. We should teach them to of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps. 111:10). The know Him by the most encouraging name of “The LORD, psalmist therefore invites children to him with the promise The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and of instructing them in it: “Come, ye children, hearken unto abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD” (Ps. 34:11). And, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin” (Ex. 34:6–7). it is certain, some right notions of the Supreme Being must We should represent Him as the universal, kind, indulgent3 be implanted in the minds of children before there can be parent, who loves His creatures and by all proper methods pro- a reasonable foundation for teaching them those doctrines vides for their happiness. And we should particularly represent that peculiarly relate to Christ under the character of the His goodness to them: with what more than paternal tender- Mediator. “For he that cometh to God must believe that he ness He watched round their cradles, with what compassion

14 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth JANUARY 2015 He heard their feeble cries before their infant thoughts could distress, whose almighty arm was stretched out for our res- form themselves into prayer. We should tell them that they live cue, whose eternal counsels of wisdom and love formed that every moment on God and that all our affection for them is important scheme to which we owe all our hopes. Our chil- no more than He puts into our hearts and that all our power dren should be early taught it and taught what that scheme to help them is no more than He lodges in our hands. was, as far as their understanding can receive it and ours can We should also solemnly remind them that in a very little explain it. We should often repeat to them that God is so holy, while their spirits are to return to this God. As He is now and yet so gracious that, rather than He would on the one always with them and knows everything they do, speak, or hand destroy man or on the other leave sin unpunished, He think, so He will bring every work into judgment and make made His own Son a sacrifice for it, appointing Him to be them forever happy or miserable, as they, on the whole, are humbled that we might be exalted, to die that we might live. found obedient or rebellious. Here the most lively and pathetic4 We should also represent to them—with holy wonder and descriptions that the Scriptures give us of heaven and hell joy—how readily the Lord Jesus Christ consented to procure should be laid before them and urged on their consideration. our deliverance in so expensive a way. How cheerfully He said, When such a foundation is laid in the belief of the being “Lo, I come to do thy will, O God” (Heb. 10:7, 9)! To enhance and providence of God and of a future state both of rewards the value of this amazing love, we should endeavor, according and punishments, children should be instructed in the duty to our weak capacities, to teach them who this compassion- they owe to God. They should be particularly taught to pray to ate Redeemer is, to represent something of His glories as the Him and to praise Him. It would be best of all if, from a deep eternal Son of God and the great Lord of angels and men. We sense of His perfections and their own necessities, they could should instruct them in His amazing condescension in laying be engaged to breathe out their souls before Him in words of aside these glories that He might become a little, weak, help- their own, were they ever so weak and broken. Yet you will less child, and afterwards an afflicted, sorrowful man. We readily allow that, until this can be expected, it may be very should lead them into the knowledge of those circumstances proper to teach them some forms of prayer and thanksgiving, of the history of Jesus that may have the greatest tendency to consisting of such plain Scriptures or other familiar expres- strike their minds and to impress them with an early sense of sions as may best suit their circumstances and understandings. gratitude and love to Him. We should tell them how poor He made Himself that He might enrich us, how diligently He 2. Children must be trained up in the way of faith in the went about doing good, how willingly He preached the gos- Lord Jesus Christ. You know, my friends, and I hope many pel to the lowest of the people. We should especially tell them of you know it to the daily joy of your souls, that Christ is how kind He was to little children and how He chided His “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). It is by Him disciples when they would have hindered them from being we have boldness and access with confidence to a God, who brought to Him. It is expressly said that Jesus was much dis- might otherwise appear as a “consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29). pleased and said, “Suffer little children to come unto me, and It is, therefore, of great importance to lead children quickly forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God” (Luke into the knowledge of Christ, which is no doubt a consid- 18:16)—a tender circumstance that perhaps was recorded, in erable part of the “nurture and admonition of the Lord,” part at least, for this very reason: that children in succeeding which the apostle recommends and was perhaps what he ages might be impressed and affected with it. principally intended by those words (Eph. 6:4). Through these scenes of His life, we should lead them We should, therefore, teach them quickly that the first on to His death. We should show how easily He could parents of the human race most ungratefully rebelled against have delivered Himself—of which He gave so sensible an God and subjected themselves and all their offspring to His evidence in striking down by one word those who came to wrath and curse (Gen. 1–3). The awful consequences of this apprehend Him (John 18:6)—and yet how patiently He should be opened at large, and we should labor to convince submitted to the most cruel injuries: to be scourged and them that they have made themselves liable to the divine spit upon, to be crowned with thorns, and to bear His cross. displeasure—that dreadful thing—by their own personal We should show them how this innocent, holy, and divine guilt. Thus, by the knowledge of the law, should we make Person was brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and, while way for the gospel—the joyful news of deliverance by Christ. they were piercing Him with nails, instead of loading them In unfolding this, great care ought to be taken that we with curses, He prayed for them, saying, “Father, forgive do not fill their minds with an aversion to one sacred person them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). And while we endeavor to attract their regards to another. The when their little hearts are awed and melted with so strange Father is not to be represented as severe and almost inexora- a story, we should tell them it was thus He groaned, bled, ble,5 hardly prevailed upon by the intercession of His compas- and died for sinners just like us, and often remind them of sionate Son to entertain thoughts of mercy and forgiveness. their own concern in what was then transacted. Far from that, we should speak of Him as the overflowing We should lead on their thoughts to the glorious views of fountain of goodness, whose eye pitied us in our helpless Christ’s resurrection and ascension and tell them with what

JA NUARY 2015 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth 15 adorable goodness He still remembers His people in the 1. palliate—partially excuse. midst of His exaltation, pleading the cause of sinful creatures, 2. imbibe—receive into the mind and retain. and employing His interest in the court of heaven to procure 3. The author does not mean sinful indulgence as is mentioned in other articles, but rather “ready to show favor.” life and glory for all that believe in Him and love Him. 4. lively and pathetic—vivid and moving. We should then go on to instruct them in those particu- 5. inexorable—unmoved by persuasion or pleading. lars of obedience by which the sincerity of our faith and our love is to be approved. At the same time, we must remind them of their own weakness and tell them how God helps Philip Doddridge (1702–1751): English Nonconformist minister; prolific author and hymn writer; born in London, England. This article is from The Godly Fam- us by sending His Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts to fur- ily, reprinted by Soli Deo Gloria, a division of Reformation Heritage Books: nish us for every good word and work, an important lesson www.heritagebooks.org. without attending to which our instruction will be vain and their hearing will likewise be vain!

(continued from page 11) Periodic Encouragements teaching them private worship. This is not a sprint, but a Seventh, support them with periodic encouragements in marathon—a marathon, however, for which the Holy Spirit private worship. Every once in a while, ask your children will surely strengthen and help both parent and child. how their private worship is going and if they have any So, remember that you do not do this work alone. In fact, challenges or frustrations they would like to talk about. Be you cannot do it alone. The Lord Jesus teaches us, “Abide in patient with your family and yet hold them accountable to me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, keep at it. Find ways to make it enjoyable. I had our chil- except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide dren save five percent of their allowance money for books in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth and periodically took them shopping for devotional books in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for on their level that, with the Spirit’s blessing, could promote without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:4–5). Lean upon godliness in their lives. Children grow little by little. Luke Jesus and His Spirit, dear parents. You will often fail. Hide 2:52 says that even “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, yourself in His blood and righteousness. You are weak. Find and in favour with God and man.” Don’t think that one strength in the Spirit of Christ. Every day look to Christ as talk is going to set them up for a lifetime of private worship. your wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Help them along one step at a time. Lead your family with enduring faith and eternal hope. Prayers You are not aiming merely at raising kids to be good church members; your ultimate goal is for your family to gather at Eighth, employ your prayers to seek God’s grace for your the throne of God in eternal, sin-free worship. Oh, what a children’s private worship. All worship is a spiritual endeavor day that will be! What joy will you have to look upon your and thus is possible only by the grace of the Holy Spirit glorified children, radiant with the likeness of Christ, as (Eph. 6:18). If parents should seek food for their children’s together you worship the Lamb that was slain! Keep this bodies, how much more should parents seek the graces of expectation before you and do not faint. As always, Chris- the Spirit for their children’s souls? William Gurnall said, 9 tian parents, “be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding “Prayer is the creature’s act, but the Spirit’s gift.” Therefore, in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your pray for your children, that God would give them “the spirit labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58). of grace and of supplications” to seek God in prayer (Zech. 12:1), and “the Spirit of adoption” by which they can cry out to the Father from their hearts (Rom. 8:15). 1. Joel R. Beeke, Family Worship and The Family at Church (Grand Rapids: Concluding Application Reformation Heritage Books, 2002, 2004). 2. Matthew Henry, The Pleasantness of a Religious Life, in The Complete Works How exceedingly precious are a father and mother who train of the Rev. Matthew Henry (1855; repr., Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979), 1:6. 3. Thomas Manton, “Sermon upon 1 Thessalonians V. 17,” in The Complete their family in private worship! Parents can give their chil- Works of Thomas Manton (London: James Nisbet & Co., 1874), 17:496. dren a lot of different things, ranging from basic nutrition 4. Manton, “Sermon upon 1 Thessalonians V. 17,” in Works, 17:504. to an advanced education. But surely few gifts a parent can 5. William Gouge, “The Epistle,” in A Gvide to Goe to God: Or, An Expla- nation of the Perfect Patterne of Prayer, The Lords Prayer (1626; facsimile repr., impart to a child can compare to a lasting habit of seeking Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2011), no pagination. God in private. 6. Gouge, A Gvide to Goe to God, 14. Every God-fearing parent wants to see their children 7. See Dr. David Murray’s sermon on “Private Worship.” flourish in private worship. To that end, the Holy Spirit and 8. Andrew Murray, The Children for Christ: Thoughts for Christian Parents on the Consecration of the Home Life (London: James Nisbet, 1887), 387. we as parents must co-labor—and persevere in co-laboring. 9. William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour, two volumes in one There are no short cuts in parenting, and that holds true for (1864; repr., Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1964), 2:486.

16 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth JANUARY 2015 These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus in Christ (5) is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye FaithExp eRIENTIAL Christianity | George Lawson might have life through his name. —Jhn o 20:31

Dr. George Lawson (1749–1820), who studied under John Brown of Haddington, became pastor of the Associate Synod church in Selkirk, Scotland in 1771. In 1787, he succeeded Brown as professor of theology in the Divinity Hall, which was then moved to Selkirk so that he could continue serving as pastor there. As a professor of theology he trained scores of men for the ministry for more than three decades and was loved by all the people of God. He became best known for his sermons and commentaries, particularly for his commentary on Proverbs and his books on Ruth, Joseph, Esther, and David. Less known is his scarce work, Helps to A Devout Life, being a Treatise on Religious Duties. This remarkable little book is a summary of how Christians ought to live. It is divided into a Trinitarian structure: the duties we owe to Christ, the duties we owe to the Father, and the duties we owe to the Holy Spirit. The entire book is full of practical, savory truth. As space allots, we hope to print this book in short articles in this periodical. The article below is the fifth part of the second chapter.

Teoundh Gr and Warrant of a Sinner’s Faith It is certainly a point of the highest importance to be assured of His Word all men are warranted to believe in Christ. If that we have sufficient ground and authority for believing on a house had stood firm from the beginning of the world, Christ. That we are fully justified in assenting to the great and if we were assured that it would remain immovable till truths revealed in Scripture, will be denied by no one who the consummation of all things, we would not hesitate to believes the Bible to be true. say that it had a good foundation. If all men, whatever be Those who make reason the rule of their faith rather than their tempers, capacities, characters, and circumstances, are the Word of God, will doubtless find means of explaining warranted to believe in Christ for salvation, it is evident that away all that is taught us in Scripture regarding the divine their warrant for doing so cannot consist in anything which and mediatorial glory of our blessed Redeemer. But those distinguishes one man from another; and therefore men of who accept the Bible as the revelation of the divine will, and exceptionally good dispositions must not imagine that their who study it with unbiased minds, must admit that these right to come to Christ depends on their moral virtues or doctrines relating to the person and offices of Christ are set amiable behavior. If it did, they would be more welcome to forth with sufficient clearness, and that the gospel is hid Christ and the enjoyment of His blessings than other men only from those whom the god of this world hath blinded. whose dispositions were the reverse of theirs. But that this Even in Old Testament times the Word of God was a is not the case appears abundantly plain from the Word of lamp to men’s path, and a light to their feet, but now life and God. “Go,” said Christ to His disciples, “and preach the immortality are enlightened by the gospel, and the “righ- gospel to every creature; he that believeth and is baptized teousness of God without the law is manifested,” even that shall be saved.” And “him that cometh unto me,” says our righteousness which was formerly “witnessed by the law and gracious Savior, “I will in no wise cast out.” the prophets.” Different interpretations have indeed been There are many who take it for granted that a deep given of some passages of Scripture, but it does not follow that sense of sin and misery is necessary for authorizing men to their meaning is uncertain. Let not the infirmities of men be believe in Jesus. It is admitted that no man will seek salva- charged against the Word of Christ. In the writings of Paul tion through Christ until deeply impressed with a sense of there are some things dark and “hard to be understood,” but his wretchedness through sin; but this feeling of need does he himself assures us that he uses great plainness of speech not constitute his warrant to come to Christ. A man will in setting forth those truths which are of eternal importance not avail himself of the physician’s skill until he feels that he to the souls of men (2 Cor. 4:2–6). It would be a most unjust is sick or suffering; but it is not his apprehension of disease reflection upon a book given as the rule of our faith to allege or danger that gives him a right to the physician’s care. A that it leaves us at a loss to know whether our Savior is really man will not think of soliciting a pardon from his prince God, or simply a created being; whether we are indebted to until he finds himself condemned; but the knowledge of his Him for our entire salvation, or only for a part of it; and what perilous condition by no means entitles him to pardon. In is the nature and design of those offices and relations which like manner, no man will truly believe in Jesus until he is as our Savior He sustains. But the “law of the Lord is perfect,” thoroughly convinced of his sin and misery; but it is not that and in its revelation of Christ it affords firm footing for our conviction that warrants him to look to Christ for salvation. faith. Our fathers hoped in Him and they were saved: and The ground of faith lies not within us, but without us, in the no one who places implicit confidence in Jesus shall be dis- gospel; not in the frames and feelings of our own hearts, but appointed. We are assured that whosoever believeth in Him in the finished work of Christ as set forth in the Word of shall not be confounded (Rom. 10:13; Isa. 28:16). truth. To all men without exception Wisdom calls, and her When the Bible says that whosoever believeth on Him voice is to the sons of men, saying, “come, eat of my bread shall not be ashamed, it is plain that according to the rule and drink of my wine which I have mingled” (Prov. 8:4; 9:5). JA NUARY 2015 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth 17 Questions Answered for teens | Je am s W. Beeke

Self-Idolatry I hear warnings against self-idolatry; how is that possible? Suggested Reading: Genesis 3:1–8

Anyone or anything that we put ahead of God as number our own god and determine right and wrong for ourselves. one in our heart, motives, thoughts, words, or actions is an We can be our own king and sovereign. “This is not wrong idol. If I put my desires, plans, or reputation ahead of God’s, to me.” “What’s right for you may not be right for me.” I am committing self-idolatry. These are the confessions and practice of a self-idolater. He When God created the world, He put Himself as sov- thinks that he has the right to determine his own standard ereign God in the center, the focal point and perfection of right and wrong. of all. If we try to remove God from His rightful place A Christian is different. He sees that God is King and and put ourselves on the throne, this is self-idolatry. Self- Sovereign and that he is a creature under God. What God idolatry places ourselves first and in the center: “How will proclaims in His Word to be right or wrong is so, regardless this impact me?” “Is this what I want?” “Is this good for of what he might think about it. The Christian wants to live me?” “What’s in it for me?” The self-idolater wants what he for God, serve Him, and promote His honor and glory. The wants, when, where, and how he wants it. And if things do self-idolater wants to live for self, serve selfish interests, and not go his way, he is upset. promote his own honor and glory. The one worships God; Self-idolatry believes and practices the lie that Satan the other serves himself. seduced our first parents with in Paradise: that we can be Are you a self-idolater who serves self and fights against God, or are you a Christian who serves God and fights against your self-centered, self-serving, and self-honoring nature and desires?

Speech How do we know when we are crossing a line into sinful conversation? Suggested Reading: James 3

Language is a precious gift that God has given us. Speech her purse. As the girl rounded a busy corner in the hallway, separates us from animals. If I offered you $1 million, would she tripped and everything she was carrying went flying. you give up your ability to speak, hear, and understand Laughter and whistling filled the air with joking com- language for the rest of your life? Language is valuable and ments like, “Way to go there, Graceful!” “Walk much?” The important because it: embarrassed and flustered girl bent down and tried to pick up all her stuff between the feet of those laughing at her. 1. Is a precious gift of God Observing this, Elaine rushed to her side and bent down 2. Reflects our thoughts and personhood to help her pick up her things. “Don’t worry about it, we’ve 3. Influences others all done this,” she commented. The relieved girl smiled a 4. Is a power for good or evil bit and sighed, “Yes, but not in front of everybody!” “Oh, 5. Makes us accountable to God tomorrow you’ll laugh about it,” Elaine responded. God gave us the gift of speech in order to use words in a Can you distinguish the speech that was careless and careful, polite, noble, pure, holy, and reverent way. We cross disrespectful from that which was careful, polite, and noble? a line from a positive use of words to a negative use when our Avoid all speech that mocks with God’s names, God’s words are careless, disrespectful, degrading, obscene, curses, attributes (e.g., “goodness gracious” or “holy smokes”), God’s or profane. dwelling place (e.g., “for heaven’s sake”), God’s punishments Imagine the following: Elaine observed a younger girl (e.g., “damn” or “hell”), or God’s amazing creation (e.g., at her high school carrying a load of books, supplies, and obscene or degrading references to human sexuality). What is your speech and use of language like? Are you praying and working to misuse the gift of speech less often, and to increase your positive use of words? Words can promote God’s honor and help others or the opposite. Which is your speech promoting?

James W. Beeke is a member in the Chiliwack, B.C. Heritage Reformed Congregation and an international educational consultant.

18 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth JANUARY 2015 William Perkins was born in 1558 to Thomas and Hannah Perkins in the village of Marston Jabbett, in Bulkington parish, Warwickshire. As a youth, he indulged in recklessness, profanity, and drunkenness. In 1577, he entered Christ’s College in Cambridge as a pensioner, suggesting that Church History socially he nearly qualified as gentry. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1581 and a master’s degree in 1584. While a student, Perkins experienced a powerful conversion that probably began when he overheard a woman in the street chide her naughty child by alluding to “drunken Perkins.” That incident so humiliated Perkins that he gave up his wicked ways and fled to Christ for salvation. He gave up the study of mathematics and his fascination with black magic and the occult, and took up theology. In time, he joined up with Laurence Chaderton (1536–1640), The Life who became his personal tutor and lifelong friend. Perkins and Chaderton met with Richard Greenham, Richard Rogers, and others in a spiritual T S brotherhood at Cambridge that espoused Calvinist and Puritan convictions. Cambridge was the leading Puritan center of the day. Perkins’s formal of training was Calvinism within a scholastic framework. The strict scholastic training at Cambridge was modified somewhat, however, by Peter Ramus’s William influence. Ramism had won the support of the Puritans, due to its practical- ity. Ramus, a converted Roman Catholic, had reformed the arts curriculum by applying it to daily life. He proposed a method to simplify all academic Perkins subjects, offering a single logic for both dialectic and rhetoric to make them understandable and memorable. Chaderton first introduced Ramus’s Art of D r. Joel R. Beeke Logick to Cambridge students, particularly to Gabriel Harvey, a lecturer who used Ramus’s methods for reforming the arts of grammar, rhetoric, and logic. Perkins was impressed with Harvey’s presentation and applied it to his manual on preaching titled The Art of Prophesying, or a treatise concerning the sacred and only true manner and method of preaching. Perkins’s training in Ramus’s method oriented him toward practical application rather than speculative theory, and gave him skills for becoming a popular preacher and theologian. From 1584 until his death, Perkins served as lecturer, or preacher, at Great St. Andrew’s Church, Cambridge, a most influential pulpit across the street from Christ’s College. He also served as a fellow at Christ’s College from 1584 to 1595. Fellows were required to preach, lecture, and tutor students, acting as guides to learning as well as guardians of finances, morals, and manners. On July 2, 1595, Perkins resigned his fellowship to marry a young widow. That motivated Samuel Ward, later Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity, to respond in his diary, “Good Lord, grant…there follow no ruin to the college.” Men such as Ward counted it a great blessing to sit under Perkins’s teaching and to witness his exemplary living. Perkins served the university in other capacities. He was dean of Christ’s College from 1590 to 1591. He catechized the students at Corpus Christi College on Thursday afternoons, lecturing on the Ten Commandments in a manner that deeply impressed the students. On Sunday afternoons, he worked as an adviser, counseling the spiritually distressed. Perkins had exceptional gifts for preaching and an uncanny ability to reach common people with plain preaching and theology. He pioneered Puritan casuistry—the art of dealing with “cases of conscience” by self- examination and scriptural diagnosis. Many people were convicted of sin and delivered from bondage under his preaching. The prisoners of the Cambridge jail were among the first to benefit from his powerful preach- ing. Perkins “would pronounce the word damn with such an emphasis as left a doleful Echo in his auditors’ ears a good while after,” wrote Thomas

JA NUARY 2015 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth 19 Fuller. “Many an Onesimus in bonds was converted to Roman Catholicism and Arminianism. Fuller said of Per- Christ” (Abel Redevivus, 2:145–46). kins, who was disabled in his right hand, “This Ehud, with Samuel Clarke offers a striking example of Perkins’s a lefthanded pen did stab the Romish cause.” By the time pastoral care. He says a condemned prisoner was climbing of his death, Perkins’s writings in England were outsell- the gallows, looking half-dead, when Perkins said to him, ing those of Calvin, Beza, and Bullinger combined. He “What man! What is the matter with thee? Art thou afraid “moulded the piety of a whole nation,” H. C. Porter said of death?” The prisoner confessed that he was less afraid of (Reformation and Reaction in Tudor Cambridge, p. 260). death than of what would follow it. “Sayest thou so,” said Perkins died from kidney stone complications in 1602, just Perkins. “Come down again man and thou shalt see what before the end of Queen Elizabeth’s reign. His wife of seven God’s grace will do to strengthen thee.” years was pregnant at the time; she was caring for three small When the prisoner came down, they knelt together, hand children as well as sorrowing over three children recently lost in hand, and Perkins offered “such an effectual prayer in to various diseases. Perkins’s closest friend, James Montagu, confession of sins…as made the poor prisoner burst out into later bishop of Winchester, preached the funeral sermon for abundance of tears.” Convinced the prisoner was brought Perkins from Joshua 1:2, “Moses my servant is dead.” Ward, “low enough, even to Hell gates,” Perkins showed him the deeply distressed, wrote on behalf of many: “God knows his gospel in prayer. Clarke writes that the prisoner’s eyes were death is likely to be an irrevocable loss and a great judgment to opened “to see how the black lines of all his sins were crossed, the university, seeing there is none to supply his place” (M. M. and cancelled with the red lines of his crucified Savior’s Knappen, ed., Two Elizabethan Puritan Diaries, p. 130). Per- precious blood; so graciously applying it to his wounded kins was buried in the churchyard of Great St. Andrews. His conscience, as made him break out into new showers of tears sizable library was purchased by William Bedell, one of Per- for joy of the inward consolation which he found.” The pris- kins’s students who became bishop of Kilmore and Ardagh. oner rose from his knees, went cheerfully up the ladder, Eleven editions of Perkins’s writings, containing nearly testified of salvation in Christ’s blood, and bore his death fifty treatises, were printed after his death. His major writ- with patience, “as if he actually saw himself delivered from ings include expositions of Galatians 1–5, Matthew 5–7, the Hell which he feared before, and heaven opened for the Hebrews 11, Jude, and Revelation 1–3, as well as treatises receiving of his soul, to the great rejoicing of the beholders” on predestination, the order of salvation, assurance of faith, (The Marrow of Ecclesiastical History, pp. 416–17). the Apostle’s Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the worship of God, Perkins’s sermons were of many “colours,” writes Fuller. the Christian life and vocation, ministry and preaching, They seemed to be “all Law and all gospel, all cordials and the errors of Roman Catholicism, and various cases of con- all corrosives, as the different necessities of people appre- science. His writings, popularized for lay readers, are Bible- hended.” He was able to reach many types of people in vari- based in accord with the principles of literal and contextual ous classes, being “systematic, scholarly, solid and simple at interpretation established by the Reformers. They are prac- the same time.” As Fuller says, “His church consisting of tically and experientially Calvinistic, continually focusing the university and town, the scholar could have no learneder, on motives, desires, and distresses in the heart and life of the townsmen [no] plainer, sermons.” Most importantly, he sinners, ever aiming at finding and following the path of lived his sermons: “As his preaching was a comment on his eternal life. For pietistic emphasis, Perkins usually uses a text, so his practice was a comment on his preaching,” Fuller Ramistic method that presents the definition of the subject concludes (Abel Redevivus, 2:148, 151). and its further partition, often by dichotomies, into progres- Perkins aimed to wed predestinarian preaching with prac- sively more heads or topics, applying each truth set forth. tical, experiential living. He refused to see the relationship Perkins’s influence continued through such theologians between God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility as antago- as William Ames (1576–1633), Richard Sibbes (1577–1635), nistic but treated them as “friends” who need no reconciliation. John Cotton (1585–1652), and John Preston (1587–1628). Like Chaderton, his mentor, Perkins worked to purify the Cotton considered Perkins’s ministry the “one good reason established church from within rather than joining Puritans why there came so many excellent preachers out of Cam- who advocated separation. Instead of addressing church pol- bridge in England, more than out of Oxford.” Thomas ity, he focused on addressing pastoral inadequacies, spiritual Goodwin (1600–1680) wrote that when he entered Cam- deficiencies, and soul-destroying ignorance in the church. bridge, six of his instructors who had sat under Perkins were In time, Perkins as rhetorician, expositor, theologian, still passing on his teaching. Ten years after Perkins’s death, and pastor became the principle architect of the Puritan Cambridge was still “filled with the discourse of the power movement. His vision of reform for the church, combined of Mr. William Perkins’ ministry,” Goodwin said. with his intellect, piety, writing, spiritual counseling, and The translation of Perkins’s writings prompted greater communication skills, enabled him to set the tone for the theological discussion between England and the Continent. seventeenth-century Puritan accent on Reformed, experien- J. van der Haar records 185 seventeenth-century printings tial truth and self-examination, and their polemic against in Dutch of Perkins’s individual or collected works, twice

20 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth JANUARY 2015 as many as any other Puritan (From Abbadie to Young: A Williams of Rhode Island. Richard Mather was converted Bibliography of English, mostly Puritan, Works, Translated i/o while reading Perkins, and Jonathan Edwards was fond of Dutch Language, 1:96–108). He and Ames, his most influen- reading Perkins more than a century later. Samuel Morison tial student on the continent, influenced Gisbertus Voetius remarked that “your typical Plymouth Colony library com- (1589–1676) and numerous Dutch Nadere Reformatie (Fur- prised a large and a small bible, Ainsworth’s translation of the ther Reformation) theologians. At least fifty editions of Per- Psalms, and the works of William Perkins, a favorite theolo- kins’s works were printed in Switzerland and in various parts gian” (The Intellectual Life of New England, 2nd ed., p. 134). of Germany. His writings were also translated into Spanish, “Anyone who reads the writings of early New England French, Italian, Gaelic, Welsh, Hungarian, and Czech. learns that Perkins was indeed a towering figure in their Nearly one hundred Cambridge men who grew up in Per- eyes,” wrote Perry Miller. Perkins and his followers were kins’s shadow led early migrations to New England, including “the most quoted, most respected, and most influential of William Brewster of Plymouth, Thomas Hooker of Con- contemporary authors in the writings and sermons of early necticut, John Winthrop of Massachusetts Bay, and Roger Massachusetts.”

The Works of William Perkins Finally Being Reprinted! Dr. Joel R. Beeke

William Perkins (1558–1602), often called “the father cases, removing unnecessary commas and changing colons of Puritanism,” was a master preacher and teacher of to periods when they indicate a full stop. However, the Reformed, experiential theology. He left an indelible mark original words are left intact. Any archaic terms and obscure upon the English Puritan movement, and his writings were references are explained in the editor’s footnotes. translated into Dutch, German, French, Hungarian, and The projected Works of William Perkins will include ten other European languages. Today he is best known for his volumes, including four volumes of biblical exposition, three writings on predestination, but he also wrote prolifically on volumes of doctrinal and polemical treatises, and three vol- many doctrinal and practical subjects, including extended umes of ethical and practical writings. We are hoping that expositions of Scripture. The 1631 edition of his English volumes will appear every six to nine months over the next Works filled over two thousand large pages of small print in five to six years. I am grateful that Dr. Derek W. H. Thomas three folio volumes. is joining me on all ten volumes as a general editor, God It is puzzling why Perkins’s full Works have not been in willing, and am also grateful for the able work of Stephen print since the early seventeenth century, especially given Yuille who served as editor of the first volume which is now the flood of Puritan works reprinted in the mid-nineteenth available. The first volume contains a masterful treatment of and late twentieth centuries. Ian Breward did much to pro- the Sermon on the Mount and an enlightening exposition of mote the study of Perkins, but Breward’s now rare, single- Christ being tempted by Satan in the wilderness. You will volume compilation of the Work of William Perkins (1970) definitely want to purchase this book (see the first “Book could only present samplings of Perkins’s writings. We are Talk” entry on the next page)! May God richly bless it to extremely pleased that this lacuna is being filled, as it has your mind and soul. been my dream for more than forty years to see the writings Modern scholars have called William Perkins “a tower- of this Reformed theologian made accessible again to the ing figure” who “molded the piety of a whole nation.” Later public, including laymen, pastors, and scholars. Puritans called him “learned and judicious,” and John Owen Can you imagine studying the Reformation without hav- included him in that class of theologians like Calvin whose ing access to John Calvin’s Institutes and commentaries? We writings were “breathing of a spirit of holiness.” His writings believe that the printing of Perkins’s Works in modern print greatly influenced British and American Reformed theology, will revolutionize and transform Puritan studies, and be a the Dutch Further Reformation, and European Pietism. great blessing to the church of Jesus Christ around the world. If it be asked what the center of Perkins’s theology was, Reformation Heritage Books is publishing Perkins’s then we hesitate to answer, for students of historical theol- Works in a newly typeset format with spelling and capital- ogy know that this is a perilous question to ask regarding ization conformed to modern American standards. The old any theologian. However, we may do well to end this short forms (“thou dost”) are changed to the modern equivalent article by repeating what Perkins said at the conclusion of (“you do”), except in Scripture quotations and in references his influential manual on preaching, “The sum of the sum: to deity. Punctuation has also been modernized in some preach one Christ by Christ to the praise of Christ.”

JA NUARY 2015 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth 21 Boko Talk The titles below are recently published or reprinted. The first price is retail, and the second is our discounted price. PB = paperback, HC = hard cover.

The Works of William Perkins, Volume 1 Stephen Yuille, editor; New Joel Beeke and Derek Thomas, general editors Reformation Heritage Books is excited to announce the publication of the inaugural volume of a RHB projected ten volume set of The Works of William Perkins, often called “the father of Puritanism.” Books Can you imagine studying the Reformation without having access to John Calvin’s Institutes and commentaries? We believe that the printing of Perkins’s Works in modern print will revolution- ize and transform Puritan studies, and be a great blessing to the church of Jesus Christ around the world. Though Perkins is best known today for his writings on predestination, he also wrote prolifically on many subjects. His Works filled over two thousand large pages of small print in three folio volumes, and were reprinted several times in the decades after his death. However, the complete Works have not been in print since the mid-seventeenth century. This modern typeset edition of the Works will include four volumes of Perkins’s expositions of Scripture, three volumes of his doctrinal and polemical treatises, and three volumes of his practical writings. The first volume contains a masterful treatment of the Sermon on the Mount and an enlightening exposi- tion of Christ being tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Scholars, ministers, and lay people will all profit greatly from reading this great Puritan writer. (HC, 832 pgs) $50.00 | $38.00

The Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible A Study Bible to Feed Your Soul… • Thoughts for personal and family devotions for every chapter • Three dozen articles on how to live the Christian life • Guidance on how to experience the truths of the Bible A Study Bible to Instruct Your Mind… • Thousands of study notes with integrated cross-references • Introductions to each section and every book of the Bible • Classic Bible text with explanations of difficult words • More than fifty articles on key Christian teachings • Concordance, color maps, daily reading plan, and more! A Study Bible to Discover Your Roots… • Overview of twenty centuries of church history • Ancient creeds, confessions, and catechisms with introductions “The King James Version is a wonderful translation of the Bible that ought to be familiar to Christians today, Hardcover: including those who regularly use some other version. For committed Scripture readers, the Reformation Heri- $40.00 | $30.00 tage KJV Study Bible provides a superb richness of information, not distracting us from the Word, but enabling Leather-like (Black, Tan, us to hear it more clearly. To open these pages is as if we can read our Bibles each day with a group of valuable or Charcoal): teachers sitting round us—a linguist, an exegete, a couple of theologians—biblical and systematic, a church $60.00 | $45.00 historian, a pastor, and, to help us in applying Scripture and worshiping God, some of our family and friends. Genuine Leather (Black): What a blessing! May our Lord be pleased to use this volume extensively—to the thankfulness of those who $80.00 | $60.00 have given themselves to preparing this new tool, to the enrichment of many who read His Word, and above Montana Cowhide (Black): all to His purposes and glory.” $180.00 | $140.00 —EDWARD DONNELLY, emeritus professor, Reformed Theological College, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Oerth Titles Peacemaking Women: Biblical Hope for Resolving Conflict Job: The Wisdom of the Cross Tara Klena Barthel and Judy Dabler Christopher Ash Friends let you down. A romance turns sour. Chil- In this thorough and accessible commentary, dren rebel. A church is divided. You feel like you Christopher Ash helps us glean encouragement don’t measure up. Is there really hope for living at from God’s Word by directing our attention to peace? Peacemaking Women offers a meaningful, the final explanation and ultimate resolution of lasting message to lead you out of conflict and into Job’s story: the life, death, and resurrection of a state of peace where you can live as a representa- Jesus Christ. tive of Christ to other women as well as to unbelievers. (Crossway, HC, 489 pgs) $37.99 | $28.50 (Baker, PB, 348 pgs) $16.99 | $13.00

22 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth JANUARY 2015 elJo R. Beeke

Grace Works! (And Ways We Think It Doesn’t) To the Ends of the Earth: Calvin’s Missional Douglas Bond Vision and Legacy When the church downplays the gospel, it breeds Michael A.G. Haykin and C. Jeffrey Robinson Sr. its own assassins: moralists who yawn at the From training pastors at his Genevan Academy notion of free grace in Christ alone and rebels who to sending missionaries to the jungles of Brazil, can’t get out of pharisaical churches fast enough. Calvin consistently sought to encourage and equip Sounding the alarm, Douglas Bond celebrates the Christians to take the good news of salvation to the amazing, effective power of grace while showing very ends of the earth. In this carefully researched us how to identify destructive “law-creep” in our book, Michael Haykin and Jeffrey Robinson clear churches and lives. away longstanding stereotypes related to the Reformed tradition and (P&R, PB, 302 pgs) $12.99 | $9.75 Calvin’s theological heirs, highlighting the Reformer’s neglected missional vision and legacy. (Crossway, PB, 134 pgs) $15.99 | $12.00 A Theology of the Family: Five Centuries of Biblical Wisdom for the Family Life Luther the Leader — Virgil Robinson Scott Brown and Jeff Pollard, editors Martin Luther stands out among men in history This book presents a perspective on the family as one who would not compromise his conscience. largely forgotten by the modern church. There are His unbending desire to live for Christ and truth fifty-six authors featured in this volume; authors brought him into conflict with the princes and such as John Bunyan, Jonathan Edwards, John leaders of the world. The stories of his consistent Gill, William Gouge, Matthew Henry, Martin witness will inspire your children to be faithful to Luther, A. W. Pink, J. C. Ryle, R. C. Sproul, God at any cost. Charles Spurgeon, and Thomas Watson. Each of them gives a (A.B. Publishing, PB, 96 pgs) $5.99 | $4.75 powerful testimony that the twenty-first-century church needs to be reminded of what she used to believe about family life. These Send orders for the above titles to: authors bring a measure of the correction and the balm necessary REFORMATION HERITAGE BOOKS to heal our amnesia and return us to biblical order. 2965 Leonard St. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525 This volume is a spiritual buffet for Christian family life, a deli- 616-977-0889 / Fax: 616-285-3246 cious smorgasbord of short selections largely drawn from treasured www.heritagebooks.org; e-mail: [email protected] Reformed writers. It dishes up biblical truth, loading the table with meaty explanation, sweet comfort, and well-spiced exhortation for Qty. Author/Title Price Total fathers, mothers, children, and young people. (NCFIC, HC, 700 pgs) $39.00 | $22.00

The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion Tim Challies Do you own your technology? Or does it own you? Sub-total We cannot run away from the digital world—mobile Mich. residents add 6% sales tax. Sales Tax phones and computers and the Internet are likely to Postage (US 12%, min. $3.99; be with us in one form or another for some time. Yet Canada: 20%, min. $7.50; Postage we often feel like slaves to our technology instead Overseas: 28%, min. $10.00) Total of using it to serve and honor God. Tim Challies explains how and why our society has become dependent on digital Name ______technology and what this all means for our lives—and our faith. Address ______(Zondervan, HC, 204 pgs) $19.99 | $15.00 ______

VISA/MC # ______1 & 2 Samuel: Rise of the Lord’s Anointed Exp. Date ______Se_ c_ u r_ i t_ y _C _ o _ d e ______Kay Gabrysch From the private sorrows of Hannah to the action- All orders must be accompanied with payment in U.S. funds. Canadian Cus- packed reign of King David, the narratives of tomers: Write U.S. Funds behind total amount of your check or pay by VISA or MasterCard. 1 and 2 Samuel make for a gripping read. But how do you best study these stories? What bearing do In Canada these books are available at comparable prices from: they have on Christ, the New Testament, or your life today? Kay Gabrysch answers these questions 230 Lynden Road, Unit 5A (behind Galaxy Car Wash) while helping you develop a lasting framework for Brantford, Ontario CANADA N3R 8A3, reading biblical narratives. Phone: 519.304.4709; Email: [email protected] (P&R, PB, 444 pgs) $14.99 | $11.25 www.reformedbookservices.ca

JA NUARY 2015 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth 23 Meditation Open Ears for children call upon me, but I will not answer” (Prov. 1:24, 28). If we are wise, we listen to God now. Mary Beeke Then there are others that we must not listen to: those God designed your who invite us to hurt other people, those who want us to ears to hear music, steal with them, those who enjoy evil, and those who mock words, and all the sounds others. God hates these actions because they are not loving. around you. The outer part of your This will lead us down the pathway to death and destruction. ear, the auricle, acts like a baseball glove to pull sound waves If you are wise, you will ask for good advice. Ask your in and send them into your ear canal. Your grandpa might mom how to save money. Ask your dad how to fix the cup his hand behind his ear to collect more sound waves; a faucet. Ask your grandpa how to build a stool. Ask your young child might plug his ears to block sounds he doesn’t grandma about getting along with difficult people. Ask want to hear. your neighbor about gardening. Ask your science teacher We are fearfully and wonderfully made. God made our about photography. Ask any godly person how to serve God. bodies so that we can take the sound waves, turn them into Gather knowledge and put it to good use in your life. It will nerve impulses, and interpret them in the brain into words serve you well. and ideas. Then we can mull things over and respond with We all make mistakes. It is part of life and part of our own words and actions. We talk about the heart and being a sinner. But don’t waste your mistakes. Listen to the mind as the places where we process the information them. Learn from them. If you left your bike out in the and decide what to do with it. So think of the pathway rain and it got rusty, change your behavior—get in the going into you: ears, brain, mind, heart. And then back out: habit of putting your bike in the garage. If you didn’t get words and actions. your assignment done in time, tell yourself to “work before Proverbs tells us that how we listen is so important play.” Be wise; learn from your mistakes, and your life will because it reveals what kind of a person we are. Very simply, be more enjoyable. the wise person listens, and the foolish person does not. So What if you don’t feel very wise? Or you sometimes what does that look like in your life and mine? Let’s start don’t even want to do wise things? The Bible has an answer at the beginning. for that, too. James 1:5 tells us that if we lack wisdom, we The foundation of a house is the most important part; can ask God for it. He promises to give it to us generously so is the foundation of your life. You need to build on the and without complaint. God was happy to give wisdom to Rock, Jesus Christ. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning Solomon when he chose wisdom over riches or anything of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction” else; God is willing to give you wisdom, too! (Prov. 1:7). Ask God for the fear of the Lord to fill you, and Are your ears open? Are your mind and heart willing to listen to His instruction. listen and learn? Are your hands willing to do good things? God has written you a letter with His instructions in Do your words honor and love God and your neighbor? Start it; it is the Bible. The Ten Commandments guide us for the new year with God’s wonderful wisdom. life. Jesus gave us the Royal Law in the New Testament, Mary Beeke is a homemaker, wife of the editor, and member of the Grand “Love God above all, and your neighbor as yourself.” If we Rapids Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation. are wise, we love to follow these laws. They are good and they are sweet! Your dad and mom were chosen to be your parents. They love you and they want what is best for you. Proverbs 1:8–9 tells you to hear your dad’s instruction and not forsake the law of your mom. You may not always want to do this, but God requires us to obey our parents. And He even promises to honor us and reward us with long life when we do. We show we are wise if we obey and when we obey. God is patient and full of kindness and mercy; “Turn ye at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you” (Prov. 1:23). But His patience runs out and then He is angry. “Because I have called, and you refused…. Then shall they

24 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth JANUARY 2015 Andrea Scholten 2015 is upon us! What will this brand new year bring? Perhaps with the start of a new year, you have decided (or resolved) to change a bad habit, or else you’ve made a goal that you will try to reach this year. Many people Bible make resolutions which are somewhat foolish and they quickly break them. Yet not all resolutions are bad! Jonathan Edwards wrote down many resolu- tions to keep his life focused on what was most pleasing to God. He knew that even as he wrote them down, he needed God’s help to keep them. As you find Quizfor children the missing words in these texts, think about how these verses might apply to your life in the coming year.

Let your light so before men (Matthew 5:16). Thou shalt the Lord thy God with all thy heart (Matthew 22:37).

Teach me thy , O LORD (Psalm 86:11).

Children, your parents in the Lord (Ephesians 6:1). Love your (Matthew 5:44). Create in me a heart, O God (Psalm 51:10). Those that seek me shall find me (Proverbs 8:17). Whatsoever a man , that shall he also reap (Galatians 6:7).

So teach us to our days (Psalm 90:12). In thing give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Let not love in word…but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18). Humble in the sight of the Lord (James 4:10). Thou shalt thy neighbor as thyself (Matthew 22:39). Search the (John 5:39). Confess your one to another (James 5:16). And be ye one to another (Ephesians 4:32). evermore (1 Thessalonians 5:16).

Sing unto the LORD a song (Psalm 149:1). I will no wicked thing before mine eyes (Psalm 101:3).

Answers to last month’s puzzle: Across: 17. circumcised Down: 15. Augustus 2. pondered 19. Emmanuel 1. Turtledoves 16. firstborn 6. espoused 21. Egypt 4. Jeremy 18. Bethlehem 7. Galilee 22. rejoiced 5. worship 19. exceeding 8. Jerusalem 23. Archelaus 9. Simeon 20. Nazareth 10. highest 26. swaddling 12. country 24. Herod 11. glory 27. governor 13. worship 25. Jesus 16. frankincense 28. manger 14. conceived

JA NUARY 2015 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth 25 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on forStory children a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine Andrea Scholten before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. –Matthew 5:14–16

When you think of a Christian shining like a “Sure, but just be careful,” Tom warned. bright light in the dark world, your mind might think of Anna stood solemnly and slowly guided the remote con- the heroes of faith in the Bible, or perhaps a great Reformer trol car onto the smooth sidewalk and then onto the drive- like Martin Luther. But what about children who lead way. Feeling braver, she steered it up the driveway, turned ordinary lives? Can a child who fears the Lord also shine a it around, and sped back down. The car moved faster and clear light? Most certainly! Whether among friends, family, faster. Anna’s eyes grew wide and her fingers seemed fro- the school community, or strangers, if your heart has been zen in place as the car sped to the end of the driveway and made new by the Holy Spirit’s power, you too are called to onto the road! CRUNCH! A blue minivan drove by, and a “let your light so shine before men.” crumpled mess of metal, wire, and rubber was left on the Slam! The house door shut loudly and big feet stomped road. Tom jumped up, his face red. He ran over to Anna in. A man whom we will call Peter Peevish was home. He and, with his hand clenched into a fist, punched her face. had just had a long, hard day at work, and he was in no He breathed heavily in and out and stamped his foot in fury. mood for his children’s loud chatter or his wife’s many ques- How dare she! How could she have been so foolish? His brand tions. In fact, Peter was never in the mood to listen to those new birthday present! around him. He was loud, selfish, rude, and mean, and But little Anna, instead of calling him names or hitting people avoided him whenever they could. His bad manners him back, let out a little cry of pain which she could not and character rubbed off on his family, and they too were help, and then walked over to her brother. She softly laid demanding and self-centered. “Please” and “thank-you” were her head on his arm, and looking sadly into his flushed face, non-existent words in the Peevish home, and life was lived said quietly, “Oh Tom, I didn’t think you would do that.” A from one argument to another. This evening was no excep- tear slipped down her cheek. tion. The meal suited no one’s taste, chores were bitterly In a moment, as if stung by a sharp arrow, Tom shrunk fought over, and unrest filled the home until at last everyone back and hung his head in shame at what he had done. Then was asleep. Another day had passed, and another day full of he threw his arms around his little sister’s neck and burst strife would follow. Would Peter’s life never change? into tears. “Forgive me, little Anna! I’ll never do such an The next day, Peter Peevish was in an especially foul awful thing again!” mood. As he walked toward his home after work, a scowl Peter Peevish, standing a little ways up the sidewalk, creased his forehead. A bad incident had happened at work, watched the whole scene in amazement. He did not know and the first person to cross him was going to pay. As he what to make of it. Never had he witnessed such mercy neared his home, he spotted a small girl ahead of him on and kindness. Never had his heart been so touched. It was the sidewalk, about five or six years old. A delighted squeal something quite new to him. He felt completely ashamed of erupted from her, and she jumped into the grass and back his own peevish, wicked temper. He saw how wrong it was onto the sidewalk to avoid a remote-control car. Nearby, to give in to such a temper. Right then and there, he prayed her older brother Tom was at the controls. He carefully for help to overcome it, and by the grace of God, he became guided his car over some smooth rocks, around a parked an entirely different man. God had used the shining light of car, through the bumpy grass, and back towards his younger Anna to bring Peter to see his need of a Savior. sister Anna. He was so busy concentrating, that he didn’t Has God changed your heart from a heart that loves notice Peter Peevish further up the sidewalk standing still, yourself to one that wants to serve Him? Then you are called watching Anna’s bouncing curls, shining blue eyes, and to “let your light so shine before men.” laughing smile. Andrea Scholten is a school teacher, a writer for children, and a member of “Tom,” Anna ran up to her older brother. “Can I give it the HNRC in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This article is adapted from The Best a try? Please?” Things, by Rev. Richard Newton. New York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1868.

26 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth JANUARY 2015 News & Announcements Obituary notices, church events, and marriage and anniversary notices will be printed free of charge and under no obligation of a gift received. Other announcements and/or requests will be approved by the editorial committee on an individual basis as received.

OBITUARY T eACHERS Needed VERHEY, Gertrude, aged 93, Grand Rapids, Michigan, passed away on Jordan Christian School (near St. Catharines, Ontario) is a small but Wednesday, November 19, 2014. She was preceded in death by her first hus- energetic JK–12 learning community nestled in the heart of Niagara band, Harvey Bos, her second husband, Robert Verhey, her son, Bobby Verhey, and her brother, Kenneth Honholt. Gertrude is survived by her children— wine country. As we seek to more fully serve in our community and Mary (Dave) Bazen, David (Linda) Verhey, and John Verhey; Sister-in-law, add International students to our school population, we are receiving Marian VerHage; Grandchildren—Carrie (Kevin) Knibbe, Aron (Kerri) applications for elementary and secondary teaching positions beginning Bazen, Heidi (Joel) Schipper, Nathan (Elizabeth) Bazen, Matt Bazen (and September 2015. The successful applicants will be energetic and moti- fiancée Katelynn Carnes), Rachel (Brett) Smith, Melissa (Andrew) Euker, vated team players who aim to inspire, are committed to a Reformed Brad (Lisa) Verhey, Daniel Verhey; 24 great-grandchildren. (Dr. J. R. Beeke, Psalm 119:174; Rev. Jay Stehouwer, John 14:6). worldview while preparing students to meet the demands of our rapidly changing society; you will be comfortably versatile with technology and 2015 YOUTH CAMP will bring skills that complement our present teaching team. If this sounds like you, we are interested in receiving your application, includ- We have again reserved Camp Michawana, located in Hastings, ing your resumé, a philosophy of education, and a statement of faith. Michigan, for Tuesday, July 7–Friday, July 10. Please reserve these All submissions will be carefully considered. Please send your applica- dates for a special time of fellowship, growth, and instruction in tion to the attention of Mr. Mark Fintelman at [email protected]. God’s Word. Registrations will be available in April. Teh 18th Annual Cambridge Rehoboth Christian School in Copetown, Ontario invites appli- cations for the positions of Full-time and Part-time Elementary Reformed Bible Conference Classroom Teacher for the 2015/2016 school year. We are a K–12 Pastor Carl Trueman as guest speaker parent-run school serving the needs of the families of four local Free March 20th and 21st, 2015 Reformed Churches and beyond. Located on a beautiful rural set- Theme: Reason for the Hope ting between Hamilton and Brantford, RCS has been blessed with a strongly supportive community and committed faculty, and since Friday, 8:00 p.m. • What is the Hope? our inception in 1978, has grown to an enrollment of nearly 400 Saturday, 10:00 a.m. • The reason for the Hope students. Qualified individuals with a vision for Christian education Saturday, 1:00 p.m. • Prepare to give a Reason for the Hope from a biblical, Reformed perspective are invited to send a cover Visit our website: http://cambridgerbc.ca letter, resumé, statement of faith, and philosophy of education to the attention of: Mr. Raymond Roth, Principal, 198 Inksetter Road P.O. Box 70, Copetown, ON L0R 1J0; t. 905.627.5977; e. principal @rehoboth.on.ca; w. www.rehoboth.on.ca.

Hi, I am Izabela. For as long as I can remember, my shoes have stood on BPOUND CO IES OF “BANNER OF SOVEREIGN GRACE TRUTH” the doormat of Casa Emanuel. This is my home. I have lived here since I was three years old. The story of my baby years Once again, we make available to our Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth read- is not a happy one. I ended up in the hospital when I was only one. My ership the possibility of purchasing bound copies of this periodical. Please mom had not fed me properly, I had anemia, and, overall, I was not in a healthy condition. My mom was expecting another baby and she place a check in the box corresponding to the option(s) in which you are just left me at the hospital withoutWidows notice. & interested and forward to the subscription manager by January 31, 2015. The hospital was able to Orphanstrace my mom and asked what she had q in mind for my future. She was not interested in getting to know me, Enclosed please find $30.00 for the binding of the 2014 issues of the Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth. My ten issues are enclosed. or in taking care of me. It still hurts when I think about that. And so I q was placed in a State Orphanage for a while. I lived with a foster family, Enclosed please find $50.00 ($30.00 for binding and $20.00 for a set of ten issues) but they quit after a year, and I came to Emanuel House. Here my for a bound copy of the ten 2014 issues of the Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth. good memories began. q I would like to pre-order a bound set of 2015 issues of the Banner of Sovereign Now, about eleven years later, I am very thankful for the opportunities I received by living in Casa Emanuel. I was able to Grace Truth. Please put my name on reserve, and I will forward you $50.00 upon grow up in a healthy way with good food, clean clothes, and a warm receiving the bound volume in early 2016, D.V. bed. I learned about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I go to school and q Please charge my VISA/MC: # the caregivers encourage me to do my best so I can learn a trade or specialize in a field, so I can look after myself when I am an adult. In Exp. Date Signature the summer, I go to a Christian family. They open their Orphanshouse for children like me so that I can get an idea of Name what it is like to live with a real family. I enjoy that. It is a very pleasant way to spend the summer. Street City Casa Emanuel in Romania State/Province/Country Zip/Postal Code To learn more, ask for the latest FREE Committed to Spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ Informative COAH Magazine. in Eastern Europe and Russia Mail to: THE BANNER OF SOVEREIGN GRACE TRUTH Phone: 888-844-2624 Website: coah.org Email: [email protected] 540 Crescent St. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 U.S.A.

JA NUARY 2015 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth 27 C hRISTIANITY in the World J oHN Goudzwaard

F oCUS on Christianity Goball Christianity—A Report on the size and distribution of the World’s Christian Population A comprehensive demographic study of more than 200 countries finds that there are 2.18 billion Christians (throughout this article, “Chris- tian” is used in the broadest possible sense) of all ages around the world, representing nearly a third of the estimated 2010 global population of 6.9 billion. Christians are also geographically widespread—so far-flung, in fact, that no single continent or region can indisputably claim to be the center of global Christianity.

A century ago, this was not the case. In 1910, about two-thirds of the world’s Christians lived in Europe, where the bulk of Christians had been for a millennium, according to historical estimates by the Center for the Study of Global Christianity. Today, only about a quarter of all Christians live in Europe (26%). A plurality—more than a third—now are in the Americas (37%). About one in every four Christians lives in sub-Saharan Africa (24%), and about one-in-eight is found in Asia and the Pacific (13%). The number of Christians around the world has nearly quadrupled in the last 100 years, from about 600 million in 1910 to more than 2 billion in 2010. But the world’s overall population also has risen rapidly, from an estimated 1.8 billion in 1910 to 6.9 billion in 2010. As a result, Christians make up about the same portion of the world’s population today (32%) as they did a century ago (35%). This apparent stability, however, masks a momentous shift. Although Europe and the Americas still are home to a majority of the world’s Christians (63%), that share is much lower than it was in 1910 (93%). And the proportion of Europeans and Americans who are Christian has dropped from 95% in 1910 to 76% in 2010 in Europe as a whole, and from 96% to 86% in the Americas as a whole. At the same time, Christianity has grown enormously in sub-Saharan Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, where there were relatively few Christians at the beginning of the 20th century. The share of the population that is Christian in sub-Saharan Africa climbed from 9% in 1910 to 63% in 2010, while in the Asia-Pacific region it rose from 3% to 7%. Christianity today—unlike a century ago—is truly a global faith. These are some of the key findings of Global Christianity: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Christian Population, a new study by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life. Christians are diverse theologically as well as geographically, the new study finds. About half are Catholic. Protestants, broadly defined, make up 37%. Orthodox Christians comprise 12% of Christians worldwide. Other Christians, such as Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, make up the remaining 1% of the global Christian population. Taken as a whole, however, Christians are by far the world’s largest religious group. Muslims, the second-largest group, make up a little less than a quarter of the world’s population, according to previous studies by the Pew Forum. Almost half (48%) of all Christians live in the 10 countries with the largest number of Christians. Three of the top 10 countries are in the Americas (the United States, Brazil and Mexico). Two are in Europe (Russia and Germany), two are in the Asia-Pacific region (the Philippines and China), and three are in sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ethiopia), reflecting Christianity’s global reach. Clearly, Christianity has spread far from its historical origins. For example: • Though Christianity began in the Middle East-North Africa, today that region has both the lowest concentration of Christians (about 4% of the region’s population) and the smallest number of Christians (about 13 million) of any major geographic region.

28 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth JANUARY 2015 • Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country, is home to more Christians than all 20 countries in the Middle East-North Africa region combined. • Nigeria now has more than twice as many Protestants (broadly defined to include Anglicans and independent churches) as Germany, the birthplace of the Protestant Reformation. • Brazil has more than twice as many Catholics as Italy. • Although Christians comprise just under a third of the world’s people, they form a majority of the population in 158 countries and ter- ritories, about two-thirds of all the countries and territories in the world. • About 90% of Christians live in countries where Christians are in the majority; only about 10% of Christians worldwide live as minorities. Another way of looking at the distribution of Christians around the world is by region. Numerically, at least, Europe no longer dominates global Christianity the way it did 100 years ago. Rather, the bulk of Christians are in:

The Americas Of the world’s five major geographic regions, the Americas have both the largest number and the highest proportion of Christians. More than a third of Christians worldwide (37%) live in the Americas, where nearly nine-in-ten people (86%) are Christian. The three countries with the largest Christian populations—the United States, Brazil, and Mexico—are in the Americas. Together, these three countries alone account for nearly one in every four Christians in the world (24%), about the same proportion as the whole of Europe (26%) and all of sub- Saharan Africa (24%). Although Christians make up a smaller portion of the 2010 population in the Americas (86%) than they did in 1910 (96%), the Americas account for a higher share of the world’s Christians (37%, up from 27% in 1910).

Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia-Pacific But sub-Saharan Africa and the Asia-Pacific region now have a com- bined population of about 800 million Christians, roughly the same as the Americas. And five of the top 10 countries with the largest Chris- tian populations are either in Africa (Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ethiopia) or Asia (Philippines and China). Moreover, the fastest growth in the number of Christians over the past century has been in sub-Saharan Africa (a roughly 60-fold increase, from fewer than 9 million in 1910 to more than 516 million in 2010) and in the Asia-Pacific region (a roughly 10-fold increase, from about 28 million in 1910 to more than 285 million in 2010). According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity, there are about 279 million Pentecostal Christians and 305 million charis- matic Christians worldwide. (Charismatic Christians belong to non- pentecostal denominations yet engage in spiritual practices associated with Pentecostalism, such as speaking in tongues and divine healing). In addition, more than 285 million Christians can be classified as evangelicals because they either belong to churches affiliated with regional or global evangelical associations, or because they identify as evangelicals. Since many Pentecostals and charismatics are also evan- gelicals, these categories are not mutually exclusive.

Condensed from Pew Research Centers Forum on Religion & Public Life—Global Christi- anity, December 2011.

JA NUARY 2015 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth 29 C oRNER for Teens: Defending the Fatherhood of God (4) Gender Roles at Stake

R ev. Maarten Kuivenhoven & Rev. David VanBrugge

In our last article, we considered what ture is destroying these roles as it focuses on a radical equal- was at stake in attacks on the Father- ity that destroys any uniqueness between genders at all. This hood of God. If we do not maintain this trend is emphasized in a New York Times article that focused biblical emphasis, so much knowledge and on gender equality in Sweden, where all references to gender comfort will be lost in how we are called to have been erased in some schools. think about God as Father. But there is more at stake on a How do we then answer the argument for equality and practical level—specifically regarding gender roles. inclusivity in light of God as our Father? The answer is Each of us has been created in the image of God. That found in Scripture, from creation in Genesis 2 and from means each one is a unique individual with talents, traits, biblical gender roles in Ephesians 5. But using biblical, mas- and temperaments that reflect something of the image of culine language for God is not a reaction to our culture; it God. That image is no longer perfect because of sin, but is God’s chosen self-revelation. The cultural argument is there are still remnants of it. The fact that we are created in always a dangerous one. Some would argue that the culture the image of God gives us a unique relationship with Him of Israel was patriarchal and that is why God reveals Himself as His creatures (Acts 17:28). He stamped His image upon as a Father. But just because today’s society is increasingly us and recreates that image in us using Christ as the One matriarchal and feminine does not mean we may choose to to whom sinners must be conformed. All too often we want address God as Mother or whatever suits our fancy. God has to recreate God in our image rather than seeking to reflect chosen to reveal Himself as Father. God’s image to the world. We pray that each of you would know God as your This image of God makes each one of us equal in the Father in Christ. He is the Father who saves, adopts, and sight of God as human beings. We all have intelligence, sanctifies His children. He is the best Father in the world, gifts, abilities, and, above everything else, an immortal soul. far surpassing any earthly father!

Each creature is equal before God, but we must be careful Rev. Maarten Kuivenhoven is a pastor of the Heritage Netherlands Reformed not to use equality to blur the distinction between what God Congregation of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a doctoral student at Calvin has also created different. Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Rev. David VanBrugge is a pastor of the Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Grand Rapids, Many of those who embrace the idea of God as a divine Michigan. Feel free to email either of them: [email protected]; mother approach the subject from the perspective of gender [email protected]. equality. But when we feel that our gender is misrepresented because we speak of God only as Father, we are putting God in our image. Both men and women have been cre- ated equally as human beings in God’s sight, yet our function as men and women is differ- ent. God has created each of us with distinct gender roles. When God created Adam, He created him to be a leader—not an abusive leader, but a kind, gentle, strong leader. When God created Eve, He created her to be a help meet for Adam, a helper who perfectly corresponded to Adam’s need for compan- ionship. When we read through Ephesians 5 and the roles of both men and women, we see a beautiful picture emerging of mutual submission to Christ first, and then living according to the gender roles that God has created as part of our makeup. Today’s cul-

30 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth JANUARY 2015 A Message from a P olice Officer

C oNTEMporary Issues | Timothy Pols

The recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, as well as the rip- ◆ Of the hundreds of thousands of good sheepdogs, there have ple effects felt throughout the United States, have caused the been a few bad sheepdogs who take advantage of the sheep. police’s relationship with minority communities to regress sev- The sheep hear more about these few bad sheepdogs in the eral decades. The progress that had been made in building this daily Sheep News than they do of the majority of the group. historically tenuous relationship has been negated by unfortu- This furthers the divide between the sheep and the sheepdogs. nate circumstances coupled with opportunists who used these (Note: Any sheepdog that would prey on the sheep is as bad as events to push their own agenda. Meanwhile, the media seems or worse than the wolves and deserves harsh punishment and to be doing anything they can to further the divide between prosecution. The true sheepdogs will see to that!) minority groups and the police. Now more than ever, law P rayer requests enforcement needs your prayers. Please consider some of the ◆ Pray for safety for the approximately 900,000 local, state, and challenges that are faced by police officers, the challenges that federal law enforcement officers serving in the United States. It are unique to Christians in this profession, and some prayer is a dangerous profession with an average of 150 officers losing requests relating to the police and the Criminal Justice System. their life each year over the last 10 years. That means one officer Police cadets are told from the time that they begin their every 58 hours (source: http://www.nleomf.org). training that being a police officer is not something that you do, ◆ Pray for emotional protection for officers as they often must face but is something that you are. In one sense this is true because grizzly and disturbing scenes. This, as well as the day-to-day of the dedication required for this career. In another sense stresses of the job, has translated to high rates of divorce, depres- Christians in law enforcement (or any career for that matter) sion, substance abuse, and suicide among officers. must remember that their identity is first and foremost tied to ◆ Pray for the families of police officers as they are also called Christ. This does not minimize the role that police officers upon to sacrifice in the form of time missed with the officer in play in their calling, but should strengthen the commitment to their family (weekends, holidays, birthdays, etc.). Additionally their duty to “defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the the emotional toll of what police officers face can impact their afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out family as well. of the hand of the wicked” (Ps. 82:3–4). ◆ Pray for Christians in this profession that they may maintain Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs their identity in Christ first of all and that they may serve well There is a well-known analogy relating to police officers. It as ambassadors for the kingdom of God. is often associated with retired U.S. Army Lt. Colonel David ◆ Pray that the gap (or perceived gap) between minorities and the Grossman, but its exact origin is not clear. In short, this analogy police may be bridged peacefully and that these groups can work compares the average law-abiding citizen to a sheep, the crimi- together to solve problems that plague our communities. nals and predators to wolves, and police officers to sheepdogs. ◆ Pray that, as our country seems to be departing from the prin- The duty of the sheepdog is to protect the sheep from the wolves. ciples of God’s Word, police officers will not be asked to com- Consider some of the challenges that are faced by sheepdogs: promise their beliefs as they carry out their civil duties. ◆ ◆ The wolves obviously do not like sheepdogs, because by defini- Adding a level to the sheepdog analogy, pray for all sheep, tion they are at odds and it is the sheepdog’s job to keep them sheepdogs, and even wolves that away from the sheep. “the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our ◆ Many sheep do not like sheepdogs (at least until the wolf shows Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the up), because they remind them of the wolf. Sheepdogs have sharp blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in fangs and sometimes show the capacity for violence. Sheepdogs every good work to do his will, working in you that which sometimes even have to nip at the sheep’s hind-quarters in order is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom to keep them in line (traffic tickets for example). be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Heb. 13:20–21). ◆ The wolves desire to feed on the flock at any cost, and it is Timothy Pols is a police officer who also serves as a deacon in the HNRC of dangerous for the sheepdog to keep them at bay. Grand Rapids, Michigan.

JA NUARY 2015 The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth 31 Periodical January 2015 Vol. 23 w No. 1 From The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth Postage paid at Publication Number (USPS 010584) Grand Rapids, MI 540 Crescent St. NE Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503

Loving Shepherd of Thy sheep

Loving Shepherd of Thy sheep, Loving Shepherd, ever near, Keep Thy lamb, in safety keep; Teach Thy lamb Thy voice to hear, Nothing can Thy power withstand, Suffer not my steps to stray None can pluck me from Thy hand. From the straight and narrow way.

Loving Savior, Thou didst give Where Thou leadest I would go, Thine own life that we might live, Walking in Thy steps below, And the hands outstretched to bless Till before my Father’s throne Bear the cruel nails’ impress. I shall know as I am known. —Jn a e E. Leeson I would praise Thee every day, Gladly all Thy will obey, Like Thy blessed ones above Happy in Thy precious love.

A Periodical for Young and Old

the IN THIS ISSUE Banner Another Year for Worship! of Sovereign Grace Truth The Union of God and Man in Christ Of f icial Publication of the Heritage Reformed congregations Teaching Children Character A Periodical for Young and Old

January 2015 Vol. 23 w No. 1 Official Publication of the Heritage Reformed Congregations