Covenanter Witness Vol. 53 - Rparchives.org

Don't Wait For The Next TimeAnticipating the national gathering of ourchurch at Grinnell, July 14-21, for the Synod, theWomen's Synodical, CYPU, Junior Hi and children'sgroups, those who have been there previously relishthe thought of meeting our friends from all over.Florida greets Washington, Ontario greets Californiaand all of the areas within limits.With missionaries home from Cyprus, fromSyria and from Japan, this is going to be a missionary-minded assembly. And in the mind of everyone,doubtless, the leading thought will be that of covenant-renewal. Surely, no one who has the opportunity, at all, to attend will lightly pass it by.These national gatherings, since they began inWinona Lake in 1926, have been of incalculable valueto the maintenance of the spiritual life of the church.Distance has been overcome to establish and to maintain the ties of acquaintance, friendship and devotion.Memory recalls the pictures of assemblies heldin 1926, 1930, 1934 and the memorable assembly in1938, when the Lord' Supper was observed in theAuditorium, memoralizing the 300th anniversaryof the Covenant of 1638 and the martyrdom of Patrick Hamilton.The question comes to the mind of the writer,how long may it be again, after this year, beforewe may have another national convention ? The normal recurrence was planned, at first, to have beenonce every four years. But war intervened after 1938preventing our comingtogether again until 1947.That year we met for the first time in Grinnell,Iowa. It was a glad resumption. Many who hadserved in World War II were present and gave ustheir testimony. Serious minded dedication to Christcharacterized our youth. We can never forget DarbyHall. Those were days of fervent petition for God'sblessings upon those who went to Washington for theintroduction into Congress of the Christian Amendment. Thanksgiving went up to the Throne of Gracefor the granting of the petitions while they werebeing offered.Who will ever forget the response to the appealof the Foreign Mission Board for the Sabbath Dayofferings to purchase the JEEP for the workers inJapan. The offering plates spilled over with greenbacks.Three years later we re-assembled in the samespirit for a packed program. Memorable features,such as Christ in the Psalms, the Historical Pageant,the Temperance Orations, the tape recordings fromCyprus and Syria are more than can be recounted.They were a lasting contribution.Now, this year, with the dark clouds of wardarkening the skies and with the rattling of thesabers, it just could be that another interruption bywar might prevent our assembling again after 1954for a good while. So let us make the most of this one.If the indication of the spirit of consecration inour youth in the summer camps of last year meanswith God's blessing, suchanything, we may expect,a surge of readiness to follow the Lord Jesus Christin our young people, as never before animated our6national assemblies. May the Lord grant that this betrue.So mend your old dress, press your old suit, andpolish your old shoes, pack up and come along. Seey'all at Grinnell.Alvin W. Smith"What the Covenant SigningWill Mean to Me"As far back as I can remember, the idea ofcovenanting was a prominent subject. Early in lifeI heard the thrilling tales of our Scottish forebearslaboring, and sacrificing, and evendying in defenseof the Scriptural Ideals embodied in the Covenants.Our fifth Term of Communion always was givena prominent part in Communion Preparation. TheCovenant of 1871 has had no small part in influencing my ministry since 1926.Now, as the prospect of renewing the Covenantin 1954 draws nearer and nearer, I have been asking myself just what it will mean to me. Whatfollows is only a partial answer.(1) It will mean the fulfillment of a long cherisheddream. The Covenant Renewal Times in the Biblewere thrilling both in experience and results, andwere limited in their blessings only by the failureof man to keep what he had pledged. The same hasbeen true of Covenant Taking Times in Scotland and America. And even as my father longedfor Covenant Renewal in his generation, so have Icherished the dream for mine. Now it is about tobe a reality.(2) It will mean an opportunity to publiclypledge anew my loyalty to Christ and the Covenanter Church. Not that this is a matter for greatparade and display. It is not. But it is a matterof humble testimony that we take our stand withHim, and under His leadership as the Head of ourChurch, we will follow where He leads as "the Way,Life."the Truth, and the(3) It will mean to me a visible evidence thatour Church is in reality "The Covenanter Church."That has been an honored name since ReformationDays, even though some would use it in ridicule.The years 1581, 1638, 1643 and, in America 1871,are outstanding as mountaintop experiences inCovenant Signing.But 83 years have passed without renewal,and although the "old home base" still standscure as a perpetual document, it's binding obligationsare less and less keenly felt as the years roll by.The renewal of the Covenant of 1954 brings us backonce more to reality.(4) It will mean to me a renewed hope andassurance for the future of our church. And that,I trust, is not mere wishful thinking. Covenantingis a two-sided arrangement. God stands on one sideman on the other. God never breaks His promise,and when man keeps his part of the agreementthere are blessed results. That is true over and overagain in the Bible records. It has been demonstratedlikewise again and again in the covenants referred to and others that might be recalled. TheseTHE COVENANTER WITNESS