It is often said that there were four main organizations that were formative of the Presbyterian Church in America : 1. Concerned Presbyterians, a layman’s group led by ruling elders; 2. Presbyterian Churchmen United, an organization for pastors; 3. The Presbyterian Journal, a magazine begun in 1942; and 4. The Presbyterian Evangelistic Fellowship, a ministry focused on revival.
Following the organization of Concerned Presbyterians (good evidence that it was the ruling elders who were leading the movement for renewal in the Church!), an organization specifically for pastors was later formed under the title Presbyterian Churchmen United. Contact, the newsletter issued by this group, first appeared in May of 1970. Then, just prior to the formation of the Presbyterian Church in America (in December of 1973), the group accordingly published their closing issue in September, 1973.
Click the cover image below to view the contents and to access issues of Contact :
Our Sunday post comes from the July 1933 issue of Christianity Today. That would be the original publication, which ran from 1930 until 1949, not to be confused with the ongoing journal under the same name. We plan to bring a biography of the author, Rev. David Freeman. at another time. For now, we pray you are edified by today’s short message.
The Comfort of the Scriptures. A Devotional Meditation by the Rev. David Freeman, Th.M.
[excerpted from Christianity Today, 4.3 (July 1933): 6.]
“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” – II Corinthians 9:15
The heart of the Christian breaks forth into grateful praise for Christ. The whole being is stirred when He comes into view as the One sent by God. This is the joy of salvation.
It is because Christ is a gift that the heart overflows. He was not owed to us. God did not need to send Him into the world. The Father was not compelled to redeem mankind. When He did send His Son, there was given to us what we as sinners had no right to expect. All that was coming to us was condemnation. God in Christ showed mercy to us.
Who can estimate the greatness of God’s gift to us in Christ? What He not divine? Every divine attribute is ascribed to Him. And did He not, knowing that He came from God, and would go back to God, give Himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice? The Word of God teaches nothing if it does not teach this.
As sublime as He was, and what tongue can tell of His greatness!, He toiled night and day and finally submitted to the death of the cross for us. “Who can speak His matchless worth?” “Who can sound His glories forth?” We can only stand in wonder and awe, but describe we cannot. He is God’s unspeakable gift. Even in heaven the Redeemed will be able only to offer praise.
Every mercy which is ours now is so because of Christ. Do we ever think of attributing the mercies of every day, temporal as well as spiritual, to Christ? Do we think matters would be the same with us if Christ had not come as a gift? We are to remember, it is because of Him, God gives us freely of all things. He is the ground of every blessing; the gift of every gift.
Is “thanks” enough for Christ, God’s unspeakable gift? We often say the word. It is easy to repeat. It is so quickly forgotten.
How did the Apostle say it? How grateful was he? When he broke out into praise, he did nothing less than cast his soul upon the bosom of Christ. His whole being throbbed with gratitude. He was moved form the very depths. A song of praise was upon his lips. He accepted the unspeakable gift. A man does nothing less when from his heart he thanks God for Christ. This is the way to accept God’s gift and there is no other way.
“Dear Lord, while we adoring pay Our humble thanks to Thee, May every heart with rapture say, The Saviour died for me.”
Whether it is from the original Trinity hymnal on page 35, or the red Trinity Hymnal on page 38, both editions of this Presbyterian and Reformed hymnal have the majestic hymn “Immortal, Invisible, God only Wise.” The tune was taken from a traditional Welsh ballad, but it is the words, not the tune, which stand out to any worshiper who sings its biblical phrases.
“Immortal, Invisible, God only Wise,” is found in the benediction of Paul to young Timothy, when he says,” Now unto the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” —(1 Timothy 1:17, KJV).
Continuing on in the first verse, line three, the hymn writer refers to God as the Ancient of Days, in speaking of “Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty Victorious, Thy Great Name we praise.” This title of God comes from Daniel 7:9, where the Old Testament prophet says that he “beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit . . . .”
Then in the second line of the second verse, we sing “Thy justice like mountains high soaring above,” we think of Psalm 33:6 the Psalmist saying “Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; Thy judgments are a great deep.”
There are two other verses which the hymn author wrote, but which are left out of our Trinity Hymnal. They are: “To all life thou givest, to both great and small; In all life thou livest, the true life of all; We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree, And wither and perish; but naught changeth thee.” The second verse not included in the Trinity Hymnal reads “All laud we would render; O help us to see ‘Tis only the splendor of light hideth thee, And so let thy glory, almighty, impart, Through Christ in his story, thy Christ to the heart.”:
The author of this majestic hymn was Walter Chalmers Smith, born this day December 5, 1824 in Aberdeen, Scotland. He was educated in the elementary schools of that town and for his higher learning, graduated from New College, Edinburgh. Walter Smith was ordained in 1850 in the Free Church of Scotland and served four churches in that Presbyterian denomination. His longest pastorate was in Edinburgh. He was honored by his fellow elders when in 1893, he was elected Moderator of the General Assembly in the Jubilee year of the Free Church of Scotland.
It was interesting that it took several years before this hymn surfaced in print, being found for the first time in 1876 in his “Hymns of Christ and the Christian Life.”
Words to Live By: In the familiar acrostic of A.C.T.S, standing for that prayer outline of Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication, we could easily sing the stanzas of this majestic hymn and go a long way toward fulfilling the Adoration part of our prayers. It is that full of praise. So the next time you sing it in one of our Presbyterian congregations, sing the words with your heart and voice as you adore God’s person.
Preserved at the PCA Historical Center is a small group of tracts written by Rev. Francis Schaeffer. All of these tracts were published while he was the pastor of the First Bible Presbyterian Church of St. Louis, Missouri. That pastorate began in December of 1943 and ended late in 1948. Leaving that pulpit, he then moved his family to Switzerland to begin a ministry of church planting. Not many years later, and unforeseen by the Schaeffers, in God’s providence the ministry of L’Abri began.
Today we focus on one of these tracts, which were accessioned as part of the Papers of the Rev. Albert F. Moginot.
“The Holy Catholic Church”
Inside the front cover of this tract there is the note that this message was originally preached in St. Louis on 12 November 1944. At that time Dr. Schaeffer had been the pastor of the St. Louis church for just less than one year. St. Louis is a city with a particularly large population of Roman Catholics. In fact, the city is second only to New Orleans in the observation of Mardi Gras. So in that setting it would not be surprising to find many in a Protestant congregation who were troubled by some of the words in the Apostles’ Creed. It is a common concern and misunderstanding, one that the young pastor sought to address. Going beyond that, the tract is also a brief apologetic for a biblical faith, over against the errors of Roman Catholicism. Rev. Schaeffer begins his message with the following statement:
Of all the phrases of the Apostles’ Creed, the one which is most open to misunderstanding is: “I believe in the holy Catholic Church.” Many Protestants, feeling that in some way this portion of the Apostles’ Creed refers to the Roman Catholic Church, are ashamed to repeat it. Let us say, as we begin, that not only does “the holy Catholic Church” have no reference to Roman Catholicism, but it is the very antithesis of it.
Schaeffer then touches on the following points in examination of his topic: • The Church Is One. • Entrance into the Universal Church. • The Bible. • The Sacraments. • Baptism. • Confirmation. • Penance. • Mass. • The Church Is Holy. • Conclusion.
Rev. Schaeffer’s conclusion provides an excellent summary of his message:
We should repeat this portion of the Apostles’ Creed with heads held high and with the determination not to give up this name catholic, which is ours. We who are true believers are the holy Catholic Church. I am a Christian because I have put my faith in Jesus Christ and for no other reason. My friends, therefore, I am a member of the universal Church, the Church catholic. . . . Let me say again that I do not hate or dislike the individual Romanist. I hate no man because of his creed any more than because of his race. There is no place for these things in the Christian heart. I also realize that there may be Christians in the Roman Catholic Church; but if there are, they have been saved through faith in Christ in spite of the errors of their Romanism. Perhaps there are Roman Catholics here this morning, and perhaps there is someone here that the Roman hierarchy has sent to hear what we have to say because of the ad we had in the paper yesterday. If this is so, I am glad you are here, and it is my prayer that you will put your faith in Jesus instead of any church, and thus be saved. Do no misunderstand us, we are not urging you to believe in our church to be saved. No church can save you—ours or any other. You must believe in Jesus Christ who paid all the price for your sin on the cross. Then you will have everlasting life immediately and forever. Jesus Christ Himself said in John 3:18, “He that believeth on him (on Jesus) is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” For those of you who are Christians, it is my prayer for you that you go from this place with a realization that it is our task to lead the Romanist to Christ. If you leave with any other feeling, then our study this morning has been a failure. By the grace of God, realizing that no church saves, but that each individual soul must put his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, let us be determined that we will bear a good testimony to all who are lost.
A nice review in a newspaper of the time, covering an ordination in a Presbyterian church, not quite one hundred fifty years ago. Things haven’t changed much, though apparently on this occasion the Rev. Witherspoon brought both the charge to the pastor and the charge to the congregation. Today we would typically have one elder (usually a teaching elder) bring the charge to the pastor, and another elder (teaching or ruling) bring the charge to the congregation.
The Petersburg Index, Petersburg, Virginia, December 3, 1870
INSTALLATION OF REV RICHARD MCILWAINE
The installation of this talented young minister, (so well known in Petersburg) as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Lynchburg, took place on Thursday night and was witnessed by a large congregation. The Virginian says of the ceremony.
The sermon was preached by Rev. W. W. Houston, of Salem, on the text “One Faith;” It’s object being to show that amid all the differences of Christian sects there is a oneness of faith. This was illustrated by the fact that all Christians agree in that faith that has but one object, one fruit or result, and one issue. It was a very solemn appeal and was listened to with close attention.
After sermon Mr. Houston propounded the questions that are required by the Form of Government, which being answered in the affirmative, the relation was declared as regularly instituted.
After this, Rev. Dr. [Thomas Dwight] Witherspoon delivered a most solemn charge to the Pastor, urging him to appreciate his work-to preach Christ – to be faithful to all his charge, and to cultivate spirituality in all his efforts.
After this, the Dr. proceeded to charge the people, first to love their pastor, then to care for his spiritual welfare, then to pray for him, and uphold him in every possible way as co-laborers in the great work of the ministry. This charge was closed with an allusion to his visit here at the beginning of the war, when so many that received him so cordially, are now missed from the church on earth. His allusion to these things melted the church to tears.
The whole services were then closed with prayer and the singing of a hymn, when many of the church came forward and gave a cordial welcome to their new pastor.
Words to Live By: Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Hebrews 13:17, ESV)
