December 2012

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December 17: Joseph Henry

17 December, 2012 in December 2012 by davidtmyers | No comments

“The henry” —

Consider how he was described by his contemporaries and historians in general. He was a reserved quiet man, with great gentleness, courtesy of manner, reserved, and an  unselfish genius. We could add that he was a Christian. And we could add a Presbyterian.

Joseph Henry was the foremost scientist of the nineteenth century. Born on December 17, 1799 in Albany, New York, he came from a poor family background. He was able through generous friends to attend an academy, but essentially most of his education was self-taught. But what a personal education. Through reading of text books in the scientific field, he was able to make contributions in the fields of electricity, electromagnetism, meteorology, acoustics, as well as in several branches in physics. Soon, he knew more than his instructors did, and he wound up teaching their classes in the academy in New York.

Princeton University asked him to come there and teach, though he had no educational degrees to speak of, which would add to the lustre of the academic status of the school.  But his scientific mind and his accomplishments were a considerable substitute for that intellectual learning.

Consider that Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, states that he never would have made any progress on that invention were it not for Joseph Henry. A short section of the telegraph had been invented by Joseph Henry, really on a dare when some scientist said it was impossible. Samuel Morse received the credit for it, when he was able to commercialize the product, but Henry had done it first. Then the electric motor was invented by him, while others received the historical credit of it. He also invented what was called the standard electronic unit of indirective resistance, and his name was attached to it.  It is called “the henry.”

Joseph Henry went to meet his Lord on May 13, 1878, with  his funeral three days later at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, of Washington, D.C., where he had been a member.  On this solemn occasion, the President of the nation, Rutherford Hayes, was in attendance, as were the Vice President, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, members of the cabinet, with leading officials of every branch of the government, with representatives in science, literature, diplomacy, professional, and business life in America.

His pastor said at that time, “while human learning and science are pressing forward to do honor to him who was known and loved as a leader, I come, in the name of the Christian church, and in the name of my Savior, to place upon this casket a simple wreath, forming the words ‘JOSEPH HENRY, THE CHRISTIAN.'”

Words to live by: People can be recognized by the world, and that has its place. But better than that is to be recognized by the Savior of mankind, as a spiritual child, a brother in Christ, and an adoptee into God’s forever family. The former may be remembered by the world for a time. The latter is remembered for time and eternity. For which one will you, dear reader, be remembered?

Through the Scriptures:  2 Peter 1 – 3

Through the Standards:  The reason for the death of forgiven saints

WLC 85 — “Death, being the wages of sin, why are not the righteous delivered from death, seeing all their sins are forgiven in Christ?
A.  The righteous shall be delivered from death itself at the last day, and even in death are delivered from the sting and curse of it; so that, although they die, yet it is out of God’s love, to free them perfectly from sin and misery, and to make them capable of further communion with Christ in glory, which they then enter upon.”

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December 16: “Thy kingdom come”

16 December, 2012 in December 2012 by archivist | No comments

Kingdom Praying — Are You Praying it With Understanding? —

With few themes of the past to hold us in attention, we turn to the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer on this day December 16.  It reads, “In the second petition, which is, Thy kingdom come, we pray that Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed, and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it, and that the kingdom of glory may be hastened.” You can immediately see that there are three phases or forms of the kingdom of Christ mentioned for us in this answer.

First, we see Christ’s kingdom of authority seen in the fact that He reigns over all, including those elements of the dominion of Satan. Our prayer in this form is that the great enemies kingdom will be destroyed.

The second phase of this kingdom is the kingdom of grace, which is Christ’s dominion in the hearts of His people. We desire by this petition that this reign of grace be advanced.  It is advanced with the conversion of every elect individual as well as the progressive work of sanctification in every believer. This is where this petition has a missionary emphasis within it, as we pray at home and abroad for “ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it.”

Then the last phrase of this petition speaks of “the kingdom of glory,” being hastened.  This part of this petition deals with those who “look for the blessed hope and the  appearing of glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.” (NASB – Titus 2:13) We must not make a specific date, as some have done in recent history.  But, like John of old, we can pray, and must pray, that  with a “holy impatience,” as one divine put it, Christ will come quickly.  This is His reign of glory in eternity future.

Words to live by:  Every individual falls either under the kingdom of Christ’s grace and certain glory or in the kingdom of Satan.  You yourself, dear reader, are at this very day, in one kingdom or the other. There is not a third kingdom, such as the morally good kingdom, just as there is not a third place to go to once you die.  It is either heaven or hell. You are either a child of God or a child of Satan. If you do not know which kingdom you are in or if you are not assured which family you are presently a member of, seek out a Bible-believing pastor and discuss it with him today. It is that important, indeed, eternity and where you spend it is at stake.

Through the Scriptures:  1 Peter 3 – 5

Through the Standards:  Our deaths are ordained by God

WLC 84 — “Shall all  men die?
A.  Death being threatened as the wages of sin, it is appointed unto all men once to die; for that all have sinned.”

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December 15: L. Nelson Bell on the Social Gospel

15 December, 2012 in December 2012 by archivist | No comments

Understanding the Social Gospel — 

It was in the old Southern Presbyterian Journal of December 15, 1947 that its editor, the Rev L. Nelson Bell, answered a letter from a reader on this matter of the social gospel.  That reader had written a letter to the magazine which sought to chastise Christians for not engaging in the social gospel.  Dr. Bell answered this letter with clarity and insight.  Listen to his words:

“(The reader) is confusing the ‘social gospel’ (which is ‘another’ gospel) with the application of the social principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by Christians. . . . The “social gospel” is a gospel of good works. It is making social reform an end in itself . . . It denies sin as the underlying cause of social injustice. It completely ignores the redeeming work of Jesus Christ as the only ultimate solution of world needs.

“On the other hand, Christian participation in and the application of the social implications of the Gospel puts the redemption of the individual soul from sin through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as of first importance and all social efforts as but a means to that end.

“We are convinced that many evangelicals need to more properly evaluate the social implications of the Gospel and to act on them; and, we feel we should co-operate with all who put such work in its rightful relationship to the Gospel.

“. . . our concern and our opposition is directed towards those who no longer look on a man out of Christ as a lost sinner. It is against those who look on sin, not as sin but as a maladjustment which can be eliminated by individual and co-operative effort, through education, improved environment and social uplift.

“The Bible promises economic and social advantages, but they come only by the way of the Cross of Jesus Christ.”

The entire comment by the former Presbyterian missionary to China, Dr. Bell, can be read on the PCA History Center’s other blog, The Continuing Story, but for this writer, this article sets forth in unmistakable terms the difference between the social gospel and the application of the social principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Words to live by:  Let us by all means place an emphasis upon loving our neighbor on a horizontal plane, but first and foremost the question is, do you love God as a result of having trusted alone in God’s only Son, for your salvation. That is the primary question.  It is as we are born again, that we can show forth God’s love to others in their physical needs, not only to meet them, but also show them how they can be forgiven of their sins, and be given eternal life forever, all as a result of Jesus Christ’s substitutionary death on Calvary’s cross for us.

Through the Scriptures:  Philemon, 1 Peter 1 – 2

Through the Standards:  Proof texts of synods and councils

Proverbs 15:22
“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”  (NIV)

Acts 16:4, 5
“As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders for the people to obey.  So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.” (NIV)

1 Timothy 4:14
“Do not neglect (Timothy) your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.” (NIV)

 

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December 14: WSC Q. 101

14 December, 2012 in December 2012 by davidtmyers | No comments

Making God’s Name Holy —

Either it was too cold in December to do anything meaningful in Presbyterian history or December being the last month of the year was filled with advent activities — we are not sure — but there is more than one or two dates where we return to the Shorter Catechism once again.  And we begin on this day of December 14, by considering our Confessional Fathers  explanation of the familiar petitions of that which is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Question? Do you really understand Christian, what you are saying when you utter the Lord’s Prayer during your worship service or during a private moment?

Shorter Catechism answer 101 teaches us that “in the first petition, which is, Hallowed by thy name, we pray that God would enable us, and others, to glorify Him in all that whereby he makes himself known, and that he would dispose all  things to his own glory.”

After drawing near to God with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, indeed as the children of God to our heavenly Father, believing that He is able and ready to help us, we begin with this upward direction of adoration. Hallowed be Your name, we pray.

The word “hallowed” is the same root as “holy,” or “sanctify.”  Set your Name apart in our hearts, heavenly Father. Enable us to glorify You in creation, in providence, in redemption, in other words, in everything whereby You make Himself known. “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (KJV), the Psalmist commands in Psalm 96:8, 9. Remember, from that magnificence  very first catechism, this is our chief and main duty in life, to “glorify God.”

Then since He is in control of all things, and nothing occurs outside His powerful sovereignty, we pray that He will by His upholding, directing, and governing all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least,   dispose everything to His own glory.

Words to live by:  Make it a challenging spiritual exercise to cause  the Name of God to be  set apart in all that you do in life. Indeed, make it a challenging discovery  to find  how God has set apart His own name in His divine actions on this earth.  Either spiritual exercise will add to your spiritual growth, magnify the name of God in a world which doesn’t care to even acknowledge His existence, and cause opportunities for witness to your unsaved family and friends. Let us set the Lord always before us.  Hallowed be Thy Name.

Through the Scriptures:  Hebrews 11 – 13

Through the Standards:  The jurisdiction of church assemblies

WCF 31:4
“Synods and councils are to handle, or conclude nothing, but that which is ecclesiastical: and are not to intermeddle with civil affairs which concern the commonwealth, unless by way of humble petition in cases extraordinary; or, by way of advice, for satisfaction of conscience, if they be thereunto required by the civil magistrate.”

For further study: The above paragraph from the Westminster Confession of Faith is an excellent summary of that doctrine known as the spirituality of the Church. It teaches that the Church is not to be involved as a participant in political affairs. That is not to say that individual Christians shouldn’t be good citizens and participate in government, but the Church, as the Church, should never be aligned with a political faction. Such alignment invariably hinders and even damages our biblical work of proclaiming the Gospel of salvation in Christ alone. Nor does this doctrine teach that the Church cannot speak to the moral issues of the day. It should, and it must.

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December 13: Rev. Moses Hoge

13 December, 2012 in December 2012 by davidtmyers | No comments

A Family Heritage of Presbyterian Ministers —

Back on January 6 when we began this day in Presbyterian history, our focus was on a Presbyterian minister by the name of Moses Drury Hoge. Today, our focus is on a Presbyterian minister by the name of Moses Hoge. He was the grand father of that earlier Hoge.  And what was more remarkable is that there was a virtual family of Presbyterian ministers by the name of Hoge. How is it that one family can produce three sons, all of whom were Presbyterian ministers?

The easy answer is that the God of the Bible is sovereign and, as a result, He calls whom He will, not only to salvation, but also to service in His kingdom.  And so in this case, we simply have that God-ordained call to one family to produce sons who would in turn answer the call to gospel ministry.  And yet, there is more to it than that.  God ordinarily works through means, although he is not restricted to means.  And the means toward the God-glorifying end here was a family who was committed to gospel truths in the home, to say nothing of their Presbyterian church.

Moses Hoge, who was born on February 15, 1752 in Middletown Virginia, was a student in Culpeper County under an Associated Reformed Church minister. After a time, he entered the major conflict which was taking place in the colonies by joining the Continental Army to fight for freedom from England. Shortly after that enlistment, he left to enter Liberty Hall Academy (now Washington and Lee University) under the venerable William Graham, in 1778, graduating two years later from the Academy. In the same year, Moses Hoge became a candidate for the gospel ministry under care of the Presbytery of Hanover. Further preparation in theology took place under the tutelage  of James Waddel. Finally he was licensed in November of 1781 and ordained on December 13, 1782 at Brown’s Meeting House, in Augusta County, Virginia, near Hebron, Virginia.

Upon the resignation of Archibald Alexander, Moses Hoges was next appointed president of Hampden-Sydney College in 1807. In fact, so much was his God-given intellect appreciated that when the Synod of Virginia voted in 1812 to begin a seminary, Dr. Hoge was appointed to be its first professor. But the press of business was such that his health began to suffer. On a trip back to from the General Assembly, he died on July 5, 1820.

He and his wife Elizabeth had four sons, three of whom became pastors: the Rev. James Hoge, the Rev. John Blair Hoge, the Rev. Samuel Davies Hoge. [The fourth son, Dr. Thomas P. Hoge, became a physician]. The two sons of Rev. Samuel Davies Hoge also became ministers: the Rev. William Hoge and the Rev. Moses Drury Hoge, that latter of whom we wrote about on January 6. What a legacy! What a remarkable praise to God for His work among men!

To be sure, God’s sovereignty is such that He thrusts out laborers into His harvest field. But also true is that God uses godly parents to both teach and live Biblical principles and practices before their family. When that is done faithfully, then great expectations can be realized in their upbringing and eventual choice of life.

Words to live by:  This writer comes from a Christian home in which both sons were converted and called into the Presbyterian ministry, thus joining their father who was also a Presbyterian minister. God can wonderfully use the Christian home to call spiritual laborers into the fields white unto harvest. Concentrate on that, Christian reader. Make your home a solidly Christian home, with examples of true worship, solid education, and zealous service for Christ, taught and lived before your children. Then watch God work in the lives of your family.

For further study: The Hoge Family Papers are preserved at the Presbyterian Historical Center, in Philadelphia.

Through the Scriptures:  Hebrews 8 – 10

Through the Standards:  An affirmation and denial of church assemblies

WCF 31:3
“All synods or councils, since the Apostles’ times, whether general or particular, may err; and many have erred.  Therefore they are not to be made the rule of faith, or practice; but to be used as a help in both.”

The PCA Historical Center is grateful to have preserved a copy of Rev. Hoge’s sermons, Sermons Selected from the Manuscripts of the late Moses Hoge, D.D., which was published in Richmond, VA by N. Pollard Publisher, 1821. Conveniently, that work is also available on the Internet, here or here. (“you young kids don’t know how easy you have it. In my day. . . “)

The first page of the first sermon in the above mentioned book by Rev. Moses Hoge:

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