Covenanter Witness Vol. 55 - Rparchives.org

saints."you"rest"earth"men"me"righteousness"whole"creature"voice"mastercommon. Martin Luther said once ofthe Lord's Prayer that it was the greatest martyr on earth because it was sofrequently used without thought andfeeling, without reverence and faith.This could truthfully be said also aboutthe "Amen" in prayer."Amen"is basically a Hebrew word,but we find it also in Greek, and Latin,and English, and either it or its equivalent, in many other languages. It hasa variety of meanings, or shades ofmeaning, in different settings. Dr.Whyte, in his Commentary on the Shorter Catechism makes this comment:"Amen is sometimes used in Scripturein an interjectional sense,as a finalword of devout acclamation (Ps. 72:19);sometimes in a confirmatory sense, reaffirming what has just been said(Deut. 27:15-26); sometimes in adverbial sense, asserting the truth of whatis to be immediately spoken (John 14:12) ; and sometimes in a substantive andappellative sense (Rev.3:14)."When we try to define the word"Amen,"there are manywords thatcan properly be used. It means "firm,""steadfast,""not easilyshaken," "true,"and "reliable." In certain cases it signifies assent, and isused in place of"Yes."Among the Jews it was usedto endorse and affirm anything certainor true. Christ used it over and overagain in the sense of "truly." Dr. Vos,in the B.B.F.&L. tells us, "In the GreekNew Testament the word occurs 150times, of which the King James Versiontranslates 50 by "Amen," and 100 by"verily."(Samples of this may be foundin John 16:23, Mark 10:15, John 3:3-5,etc.) Several of these have been usedin our Prayer Meetings the past yearunder the title "The Amens of Jesus."Patterson, among other things, hasthis to say about "Amen." "At the endof a creed it means "so it is," implyinga belief of the doctrines contained init, and at the end of a prayer it means"so let it be" or "so it shall be."And so we are taught in ourCatechisms (L. C. 196 and S. C. 107)that "in testimonyof our desire andassurance to be heard we say "Amen."Our desire is shown as we plead withGod to answer and fulfil our requests,so we say "Amen." Our assurance isshown when we rest upon God and trustHim, knowing that His is the Kingdom,the Power, and the Glory, and that "Heis able to do exceeding abundantlyabove all that we ask or think",so we say "Amen".andAccording to the Rev. Wm. VanPeursem in the "Family Altar" "Amenis the voice of faith. God's Amen ofconfirmation becomes the Amen of ouracceptance. God's truth should be metby our confidence, His faithfulness by our348faith. When we pray, we are- to believethat God hears us; and we express thisby saying Amen."Amen is also the answer of a goodconscience. Just as God's Amen meansthat He is true, so man's Amen is apledge of sincerity. Our Amen is a signthat our prayers are from the heart."Amen is also the renewal of ourdedication to God. As God gives Himselfto us, we give ourselves to God. God hasbound Himself to us by His Amen, andwe bind ourselves to Him byourAmen."At the end of our letters we place oursignatures. At the end of our prayerswe say Amen. Both are proper endingsin their respective places, but more thanthat, they are evidences of our sincerity,our desire, and our trust. Verily So letit beAmen.W. M. S. DepartmentMrs. Ross Latimer. Editor.Praver Hour. 1 :00 P.M. MondayOUR HOMEThe Board of Directors of Our Homereport sorrowfully to the church atlarge the passing of Mrs. Myrta MaeDodds, widow of Dr. J. Boggs Dodds,on October 18, 1955. Mrs. Dodds andher husband had served as missionariesto Syria for ten years, and sixty-fiveyears ago they were returned home beDodds'cause of Mrs. health. After herreturn she was instrumental in organizing the Women's Synodical MissionarySociety, and served as its first president. Mrs. Dodds entered the HomeJune 21, 1954 from her son's home, theReverend and Mrs. Walter Dodds, fromIthaca, New York.The services were held at the Homeon Thursday afternoon, October 20, withthe Reverend Kermit Edgar officiating.It was a beautiful service. Two sonsand Mrs. Walter Dodds came on in response to a message, but arrived justof HisPsalm 116:15.The Board also regrets to announcethe passing of one of our oldest members, both in age and in years spent inthe Home. Mrs. Agnes Snyder, (Mrs.Henry) passed away Saturday, October29, at 11 :55 A.M.,after some months ofdiscomfort. Mrs. Snyder was born the9th of August, 1863, and entered theHome the 28th of June, 1930. For fiftyyears Mrs. Snyder had been confinedto a wheel chair because of the amputation of both limbs above the knees,but through it all she was always happyand smiling. Mrs. Snyder is survived byone son Clyde, and three granddaughters and a sister from Butler, Pennsylvania. Services were held at the HomeMonday the 31st,conducted by the Reverend Kermit Edgar. The body wastaken to New Castle where serviceswere held on Wednesday, November 2at 2 o'clock, conducted by the ReverendHarold Harrington. "For me to live isChrist,and to die is gain. Phil. 1:21.Press CommitteeALPHABET VERSES ON THE"WORDS OF JESUS"(Compiled by the late Mrs. Ida Moore,of Olathe, Kansas.)JESUS SAIDABC"All power is given unto Me in heaven and in(Matt. 28:18)."Be of good cheer; it is I; be notafraid"(Matt. 14:27)."Come unto me, all ye that labourand are heavy laden,(Matt. 11:28).youand I will giveD "Daughter, be of good comfort; thyfaith hath made thee (Matt. 9:22).E "Every tree which bringeth notforth good fruit is hewn down, andFGHIJKLMNOPQcast into the fire" (Matt. 3:10)."Follow me, and I will make youfishers of(Matt. 4:19)."Go ye into all the world, and preachthe gospel to every16:15).(Mark"He that believeth on me hath everlasting life" (John 6:47)."I am the way, the truth, and thelife :no man cometh unto the Father, but by(John 14:6)."Judge not, that ye be not judged"(Matt. 7:1)."Knock, and it shall be opened unto(Matt. 7:7)."Lay not up for yourselves treasuresupon earth"(Matt. 6:19)."My sheep hear my10:27.)"No man can serve two(Matt. 6:24).(John"Other sheep I have which are notof this fold : them also I must bring"(John 10:16)."Pray ye therefore the Lord of theharvest, that he will send forth laharvest"bourers into his(Matt.9:38)."The queen of the south shall rise upin the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it" (Matt.12:42).R "Rejoice, because your names arewritten in heaven" (Luke 10:20).S "Seek ye first the kingdom of God,and his(Matt. 6:33).T"Therefore,all things whatsoever yeCOVENANTER WITNESS