Covenanter Witness Vol. 55 - Rparchives.org

many"ungodly."us."subject."old"salvation"than require an acknowledgment that the Lord JesusChrist is the eternal Son of God who became man,and so was, and continued to be, God and man in twodistinct natures and one person forever ?risk his life to save anotherand in so doing lose his own ? What does Christ Him2. "Ye proclaim the Lord's death." (1 Cor. 11:26). What is the meaning of the death of Christ?This is another controversial question on which thereare almost violent differences of opinion. Was it thedeath of a martyr who would die rather than denyhis faith? Was His death merely an example of selfsacrifice,as one mayabout this ? "Even as the Son of man cameto give His life a ransom for (Matt. 20:28). The apostle said, "Christ died for the"But God commendeth His own love toward us, inthat while we were yet sinners, Christ died forThis is what is known as the substitutionary atonement. But this doctrine is openly and blatantly deniedtoday. Harry Emerson Fosdick is quoted as havingsaid in reply to an inquiry, "Of course I don't believein that old fashioned doctrine of a substitutionaryatonement, and I don't know of any intelligent minister who does." Can the Church do less than ask of intending communicants an acknowledgment that thedeath of Christ was a substitutionary atonementfor the sins of many?self say3. "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drinkthe cup, ye proclaim the Lord's death TILL HECOME"(ICor. 11:26).The Second Coming of Christ is another controisversial question, not only between Modernists andFundamentalists, but also between Fundamentalistsand Conservatives. We as a Church have placed solittle emphasis on the Second Coming of Christ thatmanyof our brethren in other denominations appearto think that we do not believe in it, and some classify us with the Modernists because we appear to reject a literal second coming of our Lord. Perhaps thisdue in part to our reaction from the extreme positions of the Pre-millennialists. A correspondentwrites, "Many Covenanter writers of the last centuryseem to have had little or no interest in the SecondComing beyond a blanket opposition to Chiliasm.They seem to have had little or no positive doctrineof their own on the He tells of a ministerof another church who said, "There is just one matter which I could not expect you as a Covenanter tobelieve in, the Second Coming of Christ." Our Churchhas in its Standards positive teaching on the SecondComing, and the fact of the Second Coming is anintegral part of the Memorial Supper. What saith theScripture ?"This Jesus, who was received up from you intoheaven, shall so come in like manner as ye beheldhim going into heaven (Acts 1:11); "whom theheaven must receive until the times of restoration ofall things, whereof God spake by the mouth of hisprophets that have been of (Acts 3:21) ;holy"So Christ also, having been once offered to bear thesins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from(Heb.sin, to them that wait for him, unto12 :26) ; "Looking for the blessed hope and appearingof the glory of the great God and our Saviour JesusChrist"(Titus 2:13).The Second Coming implies all of the facts recorded in the Gospels concerning His resurrection,appearances, ascensions, and reigning as Mediatorand Lord, into whose hands all authority in heavenand in earth has been given. Can the Church do lessthan ask of intending communicants an acknowledgment that the Lord Jesus Christ is the risen, ascended, and reigning Lord who will surely come again tojudge the world in righteousness,and inaugurate thekingdom of glory?The one page limitation makes necessary thepostponement of further discussions until nextmonth.Heresy Set to MusicRev. William Goddard Shermanin "The Expositor" Used by permissionDr. Addison H. Leitch, president of Pittsburgh-Xenia Theological Seminary, is the author of a weekly column which ranks with the best. His delightfulwritings under the title, "Take it From Here," sparkle with a keen wit and a pungent insight. Writingrecently about 'Ye Olde Thyme Religion,' Dr. Leitchmakes reference to what is commonly called an oldfashionedhymn-sing. He writes,I wouldn't go across the street to attend it. The'old-fashioned'description is what leaves me cold,.I know what I am afraid of in that service and Iwon't take a chance. In the first place they willsing some very light weight stuff like 'In the Garden.'Don't tell me. But people will sing thosenumbers. People will sing in beer halls, too, whichdoesn't prove a thing. The point isn't whetherthey will sing, but whether the stuff is worthsinging, and whether, indeed, it has anything todo with the Christianity of Jesus Christ. Much ofit will be bad theology and some of it almost blasphemous.November 16, 1955The last sentence is our main concern here:Much of it will be bad theology and some of it almostblasphemous. How tragically true! Many of ourhymns are crammed full of outworn theological concepts which are little short of heresy. This can ibedangerous. While it is true that the majority ofchurch-goers sing the hymns week by week withscarce recognition of what is implied, it is also truethat many more will take the words of the hymns asinfallible truth. A misinformed laity will grow up ifour people take as factual and biblical all of the errancies set to music.For example, one of the greatly loved hymns ofthe Church is Faber's "There's a Wideness in God'sMercy."The fourth stanza-closes with the words:And our lives would all be sunshineIn the sweetness of our Lord.It's a lovely thought, but it simply is not true.It is alien to the teachings of Jesus Christ, for Henever promised His followers a life of ease. To seek327