Reformed Presbyterian Minutes of Synod 1997 - Rparchives.org

REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF NORTH AMERICA 71
they are written, so that the holy men who gave them to us, recognizin
own words, may pray with us, yes and even more that the Spirit, who spoke
by the saints, recognizing the self same words that He inspired, may join us in
them too.
And in the preface to the 1545 edition of his Psalter, Luther warned us about a
problem he foresaw:
For alreadyit looks asif everybody were beginning to compose Prayers, and
Paraphrases of the Psalter according to his own devotional feeling, and were
seeking thus to have his work famous and in general use in the Church and
amongst the Christian people; just asif the Psalter and the Lord's Prayer had
been some wretched trifle of a thing. If care be not taken the Psalter and the
Lord's Prayer will come to be despised as before [the ReformationJ. I admit
that some of these new compositions are good; butitis to be presumed that
the Psalter and Lord's Prayer are better, yea the best.
Respectfully Submitted
For the Committee,
Roy Blackwood
From Ireland From Australia From North America
Hugh Blair Lynsey Blakston Clark Copeland
John McGregor Alastair McEwen Norm Carson
Norris Wilson
Duncan Lowe
Dick Weir
Brian Coombs
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. That we request the Synods of Ireland, and North America and the Presbytery
of Australia to re-appoint the same men to this Committee.
Synod took a fifteen-minute break at 10:35 a.m.
Synod returned to business and sang Psalm 36B.
The preparation for elections was set for Thursday morning following
the reading of the minutes; the elections were set to be held following the
Thursday afternoon recess; the report of the Judicial Committee was set
for Thursday morning following the recess.
The order of the day, the report of the Committee to Revise the
Directory for Worship was taken up again. The introduction to the
Directory was adopted by more than a two-thirds vote. Chapter 3 was
discussed and returned to the Committee. Chapter 4 was discussed and
returned to committee. Chapter 5 was discussed and returned to the
committee.
Ed Blackwood directed Synod in the morning prayer time. Delegates
joined in small groups to thank God for His work in the history of the
church and to pray for proper order in the church and for the worship