PILGRIM'S DIGRESS DAVl D ENGELSMA

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE AGATHA LUBBERS

FOR PROTESTANT REFORMED YOU'

L

VOLUME XX SEPTEMBER - 1960 NUMBER 7

Fttblisbcd monthl?:. except J u n r and A 1 1 s u e t CONTRIBWNG EDITORS: hy the Federation oi Protestant Reformcd Yonns R ~ ~ , ~~b~~~ garbacl, - . . - ~ ~ ~ ~ h vs. E~~~ Peuple's Societies. .-lgatha Ltrbbers - - . Critique

R e v . Herman Hoeliacma -.-Bible Outlines Dadd EngeIsma - - - Editnr-in-Chic! Rev. Richard Veldman

Frnm the Pastor's Study , - - - - : Mrs. U. H. \\'cstra News Editor Saucy Hcemetra . . - Finance %Iar~agcr a

STAFF: Marcia Sea-hot -- .. . . Clcrk 31aw P a s t o o r . - - - A s s t . Clerk

Roger Iizrbin Chairman

Mary Partoor Public ReIatiuna Staff Marian Kunz - - Edward Larig-crak -

Irn Jonker 5' udy Bouu-kamp Proof Rcadcrs

Lam Lubbers.- Bah Decker - 1 Photo and Art

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All rnotsriul far puhlicmion shou[d be addressed ta MR. DAVID ENGELSMA.

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PILGRIM'S DtGRESS .................................................... .... ............................................. ...........,. ..... Lhvid Engelsrno

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE ........................................................................................................... Agatha Lubbers

FAREWELL FROM CHRISTIAN LIVING ........................................................................................................ R a w . H. Honko

COVENANT YOUTH AND DRAMA (tl) ................................................................................................................ Prof. H. C. tioeksema

CONVENTION PlCTURES ............................................................................................................................... A LmER TO A "YOUTH-FOR-CHRIST" DIRECTOR ABOUT COUNSELING YOUTH .............................

R w . R. C. Harbach

NEWS. FROM, FOR, AND ABOUT OUR CHURCHES .................................................................. Mrs. C. H. Westro

LAYlNG DOWN Hi5 LIFE FOR THE SHEEP ........................................................................................ Rev. R Veidman

CONVENTION TIME - 1940 ............................................................................................. LO Woyne Lonning

JUVENILE DELINQUENCY ...................................... ........A ................................................................................ 17 Roger Harbin

DAVID ENGELSMA

.'I , I Itc ntcrti ~~rrtrlc trlr.rrcer sayiiy, I (11tr one rchose nettle is \7ulicrnt-for-trntI1. I arll 11 pilgrinr, o ~ t d ertir going to tire Clestial Cit!l."

- Jo1111 Bunyan, The Pilgri~tr's Progress

Btrt drere 1ccr.s nothing of tlrr: kirld: oilly tile Iot~g straight road, cer!~ trcrrn~t~., u11c1 011 tlre kc crcrgs r i . r i t~ t~ithitl 11 feu; pace.^ o i tlre rocd illto ice ertld ri~ist a t~d, Ijeyonc P t l~c~t , hlitck clr,~r<: on tlre right, stcunrl~s and jcrngle sitikii~g alnrost ot once into black clorrd.

- C. S. LC\\+, Tlre Pi&ritir's Hegrcss

She stared fi111111ly clo\vn tlle 1o11g narrow roitd. I'ilgrim wi~s dissatisfied. For as long as shc co~~lcl rcme111l)cr slte \lad Iwen traveling this sxrnr rcstrictcd and, frankly, she had become bored. Boreclolu mictle her feel oppressed, a ~ l J now rc-hel- lious thougltts raged \vithin her. A few

P h ~ ~ n d r t d yartls a\\.ny. in thy sultr?. S11nda)- afternoon air, Pil~rint c o ~ ~ l d Itear tlte rl~stie of her fello\\r bnvclers as they gathrrcd by t l ~ c rontlsidc~ for tilt Service. Once tnorc, the Ie;tder of tlic rUatl~estatos Group \\roulcl espl;~it~ to his \wary chzu-gcs the purposc of their life-long escursion. He \voltld c:spI:ti~i to the111 that they werc on thcir \\uy to the I:atllcr's Land. 1Ie \vorlld rci~d with tllrnt o~li. or h e 1eltc:rs which Filther had scnt to his marclting chiltlren so t l ~ i ~ t they \vor~ld not loscb sig11t of the road nor t11c goal ;it tlle roacl's end. Some- ho\v, rlo n1 ;I t t c r how difficult Lhe \tray \\.as: \vhethcr tlic. Sarro\\, Road led the tmvellcbrs up tlic laborious mollnt:tin\ of self-sacrifice or clo\\-n into the gloo~liy s\vitmp.\ of Ileatlt, no ~nnttcr how opprcs- sive thc \\,eather was, \vhether the I~ot- arid \\finds of pcrsecc~tion werc? hlo\ving or thc chilly hlastq of lo~lelir~css, these S(:r\icc.b never failed to revive- Tht* C:roup. Pilgrim knetv that tomorro\\-, t l ~ e little I)aud \\.it11 \vltich she hiiveled \\-otlld r e s 11 111 e tltcir journey with ;I sprccl tlli~t coulcl

e n l y I,c esplicinecl ;IS a g$ft of thc Father I l imsel f.

Pilgrinl hcsitatetl. Slre re;illy should at- tClld tlte Servicr, ljut sltc was sick of

Iring xvarned against Ie;l\.ing this nilrro\v littlc co\vpath. .\fter ~ l l , \\,hat I~i~ni i coultl cnllle to an c.ightec11 year old girl fro111 merely titking a plcasant littlc stroll in the bea~ttifui cot~ntry bordering the road. She hrmed and slil,ped into the forl)idclt.~~ fieltls.

'fhe soft. l ~ ~ s l t gr;\s ilnd the stntel,., le;l\py trees cal~sed Pilgrint to laugh to herself as she though of ho\v her ~,;lrt.~~ts ant1 the leader of The Group hat1 tolcl ller that illis country \\-as dangerous. Cc-1.- tainly, they \\we ignorant of the real nati~rc of the land Ixzside thrir I\'i~rro\v Roacl. S t~dde~~ly , \vithottt any \v;~rninq, the ground gitve \yay; ;lnd I'i1.gri111 fcll \\-it11 a thud into ~riiss-covered holc. T l ~ r Imttom nf tile llolc \\.as filled with pcbblcs \vhic.l~ bn~ised Pilgrim, I)ut that clitl not conrrrn hcr as ~nucll as the fact thi~t the snrf;tce of thc g r o ~ ~ n d \\.as I)eyontl her rctclch.

"lJ111ess I get help, 1'1n trapped I~ere," she rliun~lt~recl \vorriedly. "Hcre, Irt mc help ).011 out,'' said ;I strong, tkc~p voicc. Startled, Pilgrint looked up wit11 fear, for her parCtlts 11;ltl also told her of th(: frirlltfui inhabitants of this cot~ntr)-, \vllicIt was caUetl Tl~c- \\'orltl.

"l>o ~ O I I live here?" she asked. "So, yoit need not \vorry, I too am ;I

traveler.?' Renssurc<l by tlrcsc \vords, I' i l g r i 111

stretcl~ed out 11er 11;lnds and \\as cll~ickly pullc-cl 0111 of her cnrthcbm prison. flcr

BEACON LIGHTS

rescuer was a tall, manly young fellow, ' .I whose a-g mca were not lost u w n Pilpim. 'My m e is Pilgrim," she stammered.

'7 am a traveler in The A I a b t a t o s Group. We travel on that Narrow Road back here." As sbe pointed toward the road, she noticed with a twinge how far she had a b d y m d d from it.

Quickly, the stranger attracted lrer at- tention again. "My name is Fa'aL Tolerance. I rn

a m e m h of The Alathes Croup. W e am not hound by such rigid mles as you me, nor do we have1 such a e i g h t road. Anyone mn that the country here is beautiful. Of rwurse, we should not pwe- mte too deepIy irrto This World, but we travelers may enjoy some of i ts beauties. After dl, our Father owas This World, a d if we are careful to avoid those little p i t f a such ns you &led into, we ctln get along very weIL"

The h d s o m e shmger's genial manner and f o h t almost h ~ ~ s e d attitude ID-

ward her G m ~ p contrasted shnrpIy with &the harshness d Pilgrim's parents and Ieader when they talked about the other Groups. Pemaps, they were immt of these otbm Gmups iust as they were isnomtt of Tht WorM mere was that nasty fall, though, I wonder-

"Why don't you come a h g with me," broke in FAaIii No one in y m Group has asked you to marry him. The little dii- ference h e e n our G m g s is not enough to warrant our mminhg apart. For I dn Iove you."

Pilgrim soon agreed, and the two set out for Fals' Gmp. Slowly, the distance between them and the Narrow Road lwgtheaed The -e b e g a n ta change. It stin was beantihI, but the k t y troubled Pilgim. The terrain had b e quite rugged. The smooth little h h were now ruahiag torrents, and ths losh grass was d u and denser, The sun had lost R little of its former b&sm& and weird shdmvs flickered mnnd F& and mgrh.

At the sight of a huge building, Rlgtim stopped shprt. Apparently, some builder h d made a dreadful w a k e , far the mtire~sbucbe was sinking into rr swamp. The astonishing tbhg was that none af

tbc p w l e entering it seemed to notice b impending daom,

"Let's go on," said F&, But Pilgdm had caught sight of t h ~

imcription over the doorOOr It read, Weudes -

Group. And then all the harror of ber pre

carious situation swept aver Pilgrim. Many, many years ago the Pseudes Gmnp had been EaitI&J travellers of the Narrow Road. They too had marched their diffi- d t way with n w a a jaunt into the for- biden fields. One Jay t h ~ had left, fust tn struggle dong in the fields near the Marrow Road, losing members now ' and then in the grasgcoveted pitfalls, and finally, having &en up b v e h g dtogder, to set& in This World with Zhe inevitable result of total destruction.

"I mn not go on. I can mt leave the Narrow Road and the Alathestatos G;fOUp."

Fals wheeled a h t , and now visible cm his fa= was a trace of ignorance.

"Xf you love me, you will' nut .let a quibbling difIerersce separate us. Bdsida, you have eome to far now ta rebun" pilm realid. as she W e d back,

that they had indeed &me a long way, What had seemed to be a mere shIi- "3 had d m x long, steep far out of s&ht af the N-w Road But the mighty impact of years of training &&end her, a d h e recaued one pf Father's mmagBs to hi traveling cl-d&mg

"SO take a frmh grip on Me tind bra- your izedling limbs. Don't wruhder amy from the path but forge steadily onward, On b e dgbi path the limping foot movers s m & md does not -." "I must go back, please come with

me. W*" Now tbe trace of 2nwanw on Fals

face was joined by a monsbus -utrt of inmlerante as he raared, "I11 awer join your Grwp d narrow-minded btgo, never, nevq NEVER1 And with ev- shout, he raised his foot high anand stam&. it fmhsly into th8 ground so that, at last, he imbedded it soHdIy a 4 cwtd not have joined her even if he wanted

PiIgram gasued for a moment to tak- one last Id at wbat might have, bseq

ifha bin to t€m Narrow Road,

Tlie 'What's the difference?'' attitude is not a new phenomenon, but is one which is ages old. It is so old &at it has existed ulmost as long ns rhe now existant wru. That old dehder, Satan, came to Adam and Eye in P d o aid asked the very same question.

The 'What's the differen&" atlitude is one which is assumed in many areas of Ha and by many classes of people. Often a &tmistic philosophy of life is the basic reason for this dtber-or attitude towurd the things of this Iife. ('This either-or attitude is nothing more or less than Satan's lie,) People of God, pilgrim and shngers.

also are heard asking the questLon, "What\ Jle difference?"

the church are also liead asklng this very samu q~~sstinn. Sometimes die quwdon in- volves real intellectual ignorance but often the question is asked skeptically nnd m- volve~ n basic lethargy fownrd the truth. Oft@ times young m p L will flipprtntty and irresponsibly avoid taking a stand on same issue simply bwause it is thou& to be one of those indifkrent or incansetpen- tin1 things.

It is ce&ly true that we cannot asaer- tain stringent ~tipdafions cmceming every phase- and activity of life but there are

Does it make a lot of Wefence to you, young people, that yon are Protestant HE- formed Christians living in thc year 1960 A.D. or have you h e d so long in the hobstant Reformed Churches and have you been so sheltered that d e vigor and he h e of being Protestant Refmmed is meanindm to you? Do you take for panted the fact that you go to a Protatant Reformed Church and are privileged to hear 6 e W o d of Gad explained as it if; explained and taught nowhere else? Uoes your membership in a Protestant Refomed Church make you j d a b l y proud or are you just a little bit h e d to teIl others that you are Aotestaat Reformed?

I am not one of those who believe thaa u*e shmId loose of the bidodd pempeztive and forget abut the past. Mare than thty-five years ago the Protestant Reformed C h d e s came into eristence be- cause the leaders of om churches were cast out bemuse they refused to have tlie true oF the Bible and the d e s s i o n s mitigated. There were those in our churches that re- f@ to say &at haw God amxhes a favorable attitude of grace to di men, th* Iorc the promise of the gospel can be okred to all men. They further mnln- taincd over against those who taught: the opposite that God does not &ain $in in h? h e of the rgmbate and that d & t - mus, unregenerate man c m do no good, n& even civic d ~ e s s .

Do yon Idiemt that these things tire wnrtll ma inrug today?

Bectause you answer this qu&*m affirm- ably then it shwld be understood that t b m a i n m c e be not out of mere habit and custom. me m g t h of our ch& today lies in the strength and fervor of ow- youth, the church of tomorrow; thedore the sg it is tau@ and maintained by am churches is to be a living part of pur lives,

mxtaiu things which are axtomatic in &e Smiptmes, as they are interpreted by the Three Forms of Unity.

Bilsic to tho propositians and assertions that 1 shall mnke ia tllis arthle is a basic assumption that in h o s t every ara of H e it makes a great deal of Jifferenc3 how we Eve and why we do whht we dq. ThiF is just as true lor young people as i t is for s oI&r generations; tbe s m comm~d ce LO dl: -Fear 6 4 and keep his omn-

maadmmts: for this is h e whole duty of ma."

BEACON LIGHTS Th@

% due-s we me taught in catwhim are the rudder of our s h i p and should detennine the course of the ship in spite of all kinds of adverse mnds nnd C U T Z C ~ ~ S .

If as y m g pople, we are willing to maintain &at t l~e doctrines as they are trlnght in this (Protestant Reformed) Chris- tian Church me the trur! and perfect doe- trine of salvation and if these doctrines constitute the rudder of onr Lives then we will not be stranded on the sands of relativism.

Tlris mearu also that it makes a lot of d&e~~nce u b d e r we h o w these dochines anr l it's going to make a lot of diffemnce in our lives if we dink t h ~ t there is any Werence bemuse only then u- will work hard to learn thse basic dochines of salve tian.

Tllis a h implies that we will urc ever): avenue and every mesms to k m s more deeply g m d e d in the truth. It will make a loi of difference to us whether we Faith- fully attend mtmhkm, whether we ail- igently hqnent yomg people's society d g s whether we attmd Protestant Reformed C h ~ - a n Schools wherever pos- sible. or whether the truths as they , a ~ maintained b y the Protestant Reformed C h c h are impmiant in our lives and win h m m e manifest in the kind of job that we choose, the ldad friends with whom wk associate, the ldnd af life's partner wc chmsc, the kind of amusements we nttend.

Same d us who rend this article are W n g seriously of an occupation for life. W e are faced w i h decisions d choicrs. Some positions will be o u t d p lucrntive and very d g while others will not be narly M appealing or hcradve.

Oar Protestant Reformed Christian schools are f~ced with a w e r e teacher shortage d it makes a great ded of diifermce what kind of teachas staIf our schools. Our Pmtestant Reformed Christian ~ 0 0 1 is an extension of the Protestaat Reformed Hme. It mn be no better thm its teachers and thedore we need teachers who are &d- icated to the cause d Protestant Reformed Education. Positions-in our schools mny not be as o u t w a r d I y inviting but h e reward is mt from men but from Cud. Young people do not desert the cause of Pratestant Bdomed- Eduoation; tL0 future

of our schooIs depends upon yo- faidhl- nmr and devotion to t h ~ cause.

You, who are mntemplating m d g e does it mnke any dilference whom YOL 3 marry? Pau do not marry just to have a :/ husband or a wife? You want to so marry that you h t h love the same thing. I f both love the tnmh %nd both live acrording ta tho same rudder then that marriage will bc happy.

It makes a lot of Mercnce, don't you

CffRISW LIVING AND ITS WITOR SAY AU W O I R

Beloved Young People, It is with mixed emotions that I Wte

W letter to you, for this is a letter of &gnation as editor of your magazine. On the one hand, X ha& enjoyed writin for thc B u m Lights in the post and dd "7 not h k h a r d . b discontiming this work. s But cm the hand., I must do this, for the pxess of w d makes if e s s d I have been asked to write for the SkLndmd Bearer, and I can bardly refuse thk request. I asslrre yrw €bat had I mitten O& a short time for B e u r n L W I J d d not consider reigning and would not consider another request to write for a ~&IWI~

magazine. But since I bavs been on your staf f for se~m or eight years, it is no doubt gwd for you md for me to '%ave a change."

There are a few things I would like to say in parting however.

1 ) This r&gwtlon on m>, part ought not to be c o d by you ZE- if I have lost inter& in the aB%-s of the young people or in your magazine. Qllite the contrary iS the mse. I myself have d on the staff, h e now written for the Beacotm Lighds for some the, a d l assure you that your paper hi and wilI always have a warm p h In my heart Y& m e is splendid a d has nu imporant p& in the activity of our churbes and in the affairs of our yon% people. My

m

'w will continuc on your I ~ h n l f , md young peopIe. It ~nust givc direction fn the if I can ever bc of any assistance to you

any way, I win be more than w i h g to BID tPU 1 can. P 9) 1 would like to make my resibpation

find by the flnt of Octoher. This will give you opportunity to sentre another s h H writer to take my place.

p a b 6f righteollsnm. ft must never givc forth an uncertaifi smd, but the f m ~ m p d call to the haf3Ie must be loud and c h r . I t is never enough for yam paper simply to raise questions and excite discussion. ft is never enoght simply to point to d i e m s . Yaur c a b a is tmrader khan

3 ) At the dsk of seeming gresunlptuous, I would Iike to add a word of encourage- ment to you. God has pIaced in your bands tlic operation and publioation of this paper. That means that you have n position of lwd- among our young people. I would We to cncouragc you to makc use of this position of leadership though the means of the "Beacon Lights''. We live in timq' when leadership is sorely needed. The temptations that surmund the pw~lc of God me ~nnily and varied ;is weII as entieing and during. I moan not only the temptations of x sinful world, but also the temptntions of fahe M n e and s&I philcsophiw. Many are the problems wbich face espcchlly our yimth. Difficult are the nudons which d e to trouble the nrinds of ywng people. And yet, our covenant outh must be the chu~ch of tomorrow. They must remain faithful at all W. r" How important hen becomes mu paper, LI "Btmcon fight8" .gives faithfiul leadership, it must stand in be vanguard of d e

simply to mouse nu excl~ange of opinion YQI~ must point to the solutions and the mmvers. You must give leadership m that the decisions arrived at nre correct and in barmany with God's Word Yau must warn of evil, and emourage holiness. You must gjve to orxr young people a sense of purplrse and a secure hPrd on the fimw.

I da not m m ta preach to you; mcl I hope m y remarks are not constroed as weh. Nor even is tbae im~ljed in what I have saiJ a rebuke as if you1 lmve not done this in the past. But tfiis is your calling as you have carried it out by Gad's won- drous grace. Ncver lose sight of it , hIay the God of all grace richly and

a b u n d d y 1,less you. May He fill you with a dccp and abiding sense of your calling- May He Rive you fruit on your lab^ and satisfrtctiwn in your efforts. Map His nnine be glorifid also tbd& our young peopk d tbe efforts of our Beuwn L i M Staff

Covenant Youth and Drama PROF. )-I. C. HOEKSEMA

ThZs concludes Prof. Huekmna's hchre on &ma. 4.

And that brings me to m y second main propasition, namely: all drama is, as a .@am OF principle, wrong. - ' In order m lee this, we must have a

aefinitian of drama, first aF all, By dmma drama do not refer to the Iitt2m-y

composition as such I d e r tbe dramzl legtimate form of E k m q art. It is

very well pmible tn a p l q di+gtte as a dew of -t quatation in litsratwe. T h r e , is &g m n g with that as such.

It make no red difference whether yau write a story that Is interspend rvith the direct quotaem of the conversation of the ckacters in the story. m whether you write the entire story in the farm of a dialogue, which ir, n o h g else than direct quotation. Hence, with dnuna as e Iiterary composition we have no W m ~ l t y at a1I. We ran very weli write and read dramas.

But by drama as we discus it tonight wc mean the eaatlting, the perforn~ance, - mudy in a suiiable stage-sefting, -of such a dramatie composition, whether in prase or verse, ~or-ying the chmcter and life

hy means of dialogue and action. The term druma is Greek. It mews LteraUy "a thhg done." Our term ikuter is alsa fram the Greek. It m a n s "a seeing place." The later, Latin t a n audience mems " ' t h e who listen.' A d while today there Is a good deal of dialogue in a h a t i c prodmetion. originally the term emp- the actioa rather than the dialogue, or speaking, and the seeing nther than the hearing- And this is All the matn e Imt of a h a t i c production today: drama h acting oat. the h c t e r and life of nthers.

We mast distinguish in this connwtibn between impermadion, or acting, on the one hand, and, on the other h a d , imitation. Imitatim is legitimate. We are even en- joined in Scripture to be imiktors of God, or to f d o w the example of the apostles and of the saints in the past \Vllen you imitate, you remaia you~~ev. Your actions remain your uwn; your character remains your own. You merely chma a pattern to follow, whether for good m For evil And therefore, in imitation as such &ere is nothing wrong. But drama involveo impersonation. In

drama your person is merged as mu& a possible in the p m n and character oE another. Physically, you must look Iike that person, and put on a ~n& of mnke-up. Psychdogically, you must be merged into that o b x person's mentalib and wlll and emotions. Your soul must be merged into his. Spiritually tm you must become that other person as mudl ns possible. In your character and in your person, in yonr actions,-in d these you must IE d became as much as possible amber gwson. I t is a well-known fact that prbfasional actors even become typed. Aad sonie have been hmm to play a certain character- type, or even one specific b c t e r , all their life. Hence, in drama yaw prsm and character is submerged in that of another individual h d the more realis- W y , the more completely an nctor sue- d in elhimting his own person and character and mbstihiting the per~m, character, life, morals, speech, doe& of another individual, the more s u d is tae dmmtic p r o d n c h

A1 *-is for elmlwmnent of others, ant, the

ernotiona1 titillatios the W, of the audience. If tlia true person aad chtuacter of the actor s h e dmmgh and

i s gone too. The successful & m a m k ~ carry the audience away from the world af reality into a dram-w~rld.

This k the idea af the drama as su& The idea may be attained through v&mw mcnns and in -6 d e p e ~ . There is the skit. There is the rather s i m p l e didoye. There is &IZ amateur play, more or less elabomltely pmduwd by the hi& school or college senior dns or by the

I

schoa~ dramatics club. There is tho pro- fessional pduction of the stage and screen. Tberc is the opera, a mu& &amtitic praduction There is the T-V play. But they are all basidly the same in their concepk and purpose.

And every form of such drama i s wrong in its principh. In €he first place, mcb acting is in i&eE a Iio, and it purposes b muse tbe m h to live in s Be-world.

I

The actar vioktes his own Gnd-&en n~ture and chmtter and &IS, whi& he i s to use to live his own life 'and to per- form hh wm deeds. You may object t h a t f P this tab place with the knowledge d m both the ackor aad tbe audience. But tbis - does not justify the lie; in fa& ,it ma);es it, worse. The lie is d w n p m g . But to Ue koowingly is more won& And it is a patent fact in &ma that -the mare convincin$y you caa lie and make your audience forget who you r e , ~ y are. and- believe that yon are someone &, the better actor you are, And the audience I ptrticipafes in this lia For nut only dws the audiem support rtnd approve of the lje by ifs presmce. But ths bama pm- posas to make the audience U V ~ for a while in a difEetent worM In the secwd placeI all drama i s s b f d

ns far as its c m i s concerned. Either it portrays that which is sinful, or it presents h a t which is holy. There is ml

third mbi l i ty , no neutral g& W e somefhnes speak af an "innocent little skit." But the fact x e m h b t even that little skit porbays the sinf$ or the h& side of life. And to ph C b t which holy t bIaspbemoas. It h 8 l y i a and va playing 6 hdy m. &t, tn play thLlr which js sinful is SIX& W. It L a

rcprlitio~r of t1r;rl \vI;hiclr yo11 know to be sin, irnd that too, ;IS realistically its ~n~ssible. Tho i~ctor must put all liis hot11 iclto the repetition of tlritt sin. H e I I I I I S ~ use all his tlilents to pchrfonn that \vhich is dis- ple;~sing to the h.losl I Iigh. 'I'liink of it! .hcl ;ill this is for enterkiinmcnt too! T h r actor plays that which wils r c ~ 1 1 lifc, tl~iit \vhicIr \\,as a n~atter of the soul ant1 life of a man, for Inany or for famc. He portrirys tlle lifc! of I,u~h(ar, -of which that refonner hi~nself \\'oultl say that it was only princip:~lly holy and so fillctl with sin irnd inil~crfection tliiit it I ~ r i ~ r s nrt rcpe- tition, -portrays his soul's search for peace, his strogqlc of f;tith, l~is joy at finding justification through faith, his ;tppearance before the ;rulIiorities trith l~is "I ithrc 1 stand . . . Gocl hell> me." Hc porkiys all this, though hr is 1101 Lutlicr. Ant1 he does all this for thc tlrrill. tlie entrrtain- ment of the a~~dience. Or he pnrtrays Jud;~s Iscariol ant1 liis bc.trayal of the Cl~rist. Can you i~nagine a Christian cver wiinting to portray J ~ ~ d a s ? Or, :IS is so conrlnon in most of tc~day's tlrarr~it wit11 its erlrphasis

P on tlic sex-and-love: theme, Ire portrays all the 111oral filth of the guttcr, - tlic more realistically and nittrtralistically thr better, - all to thrill an i~udiencc. And t l ~ c audi- encr is am~~sccl, a~rrl pays for l~cing a m ~ ~ s e d , by the serio~~s, life-and-death incidents and aspccts of the rcu:~l lifc of :I sinner or a saint that is responsible before God for that life and chose actions!

\Vlletl yo11 thi11k into it, you \vonclcr ho\r a Christiar~ can even consider being cntcr- tainetl by tl~is sort of thing.

And now \re hirve not explored all the aspcets of tlriuma. Yo11 coultl invcsligate clra~n;~ historically. To11 \vonltl find that our tlmuia of todiry has its origin in Greek paganism. You \vor~ld find that in churcli history dmn~a does not havc very corn- ~~~encl;iltle forbears. Yorl wo~~lcl find that the sons of the Refonnation at their strongest alltl pi~rt*st spu~ned it ant1 even tried to ban it by govemmenk~l regulation. You could investig'ite drama psycl~ologically, and you would find tl~nt wen tvordly

Cl~sycho~ogists warn at least agaainst over- indulgence in Illis worltl of "un-rc,ility."

\ Sou could investigate drama 1noraUy and spirituully. Then you would find that lnost drarn:~ of today makes abuntlant use of

tlir scs t l~rmc ant1 pli~ys upon tlri~l wllicli is smutty and morally filthy, that much of it intends to thrill \\,it11 "l~lood-and- tln~nder," and that all of it purposes to titillate the lusts of the oltl man. Ho\v- ever, I hiitre not the tinle to ela1)omte on all this tonight.

I do wi~nt to iswe ;I \varning a\ to ollr pri~ctical walk. B e ~ i n wit11 the skit or dii~logue. and yo11 \\ill end with the full- fledgcd stt~ge production. You niu\t either close thr door conipletely and principally against all d ra~ni~ , or you \\.ill opc.~~ it ;111 thc way. Then >-ou \\ill enjoy ill1 the fn~i ts of Holl>~\,ood's com~pt protl~~ctions. Or you will irnitate those productions a\ profession;tlly ;IS pos\il>le. Son will end up by I>roduci~~g in the nalrle of John Calvin, - as the daily paper inforrned us recently I>y article and picture, - by pro- ducinz ;incl I~eing fitmor~s for opt.r;rtic ant1 dramatic prodi~ctions. -1 sha~nt to any scl~ool goes I,y C;~lvin's ~~arne!

r\nd fr;rnl;ly, if 1 \ \we going to give in ant1 to intlulgr in tlrinl~a, I \rctuld not "monkej-" \\it11 amateur productious. I \vollld go ill1 the way then, and enjoy the cup of Hnlly\vootl's lusts to the fr~ll. Experi- ence proves too that I \vould not hc alone. If you get a taste for drama, - i~ncl don't forget: tlritma is appealing to our old nah~re, - of yo11 get ;I taste for it in t l ~ e arni~teur production, you c;rnnot l)a~r the dratna of theater and movie and T-\'. The reason is that yon have iil,.~ndoncd the principle.

In c ~ n c l ~ ~ s i o n , therefore: I~old the line. Hold it for tlrc sake of principle. Hold it for the practical reason that oncct you givr in, yo11 cannot stop the trend. Holel it for the reason that as covenant youth yorl havc very little time ;my\v:iy for amrl\emmt, and certaitily none for illegi- timate anl~lsemcnl.

And the11 don't consider yourself deprived and impoverished beciiuse you cannot go along \\-it11 the cro\vd. If you consider it strict and ;In unfi~ir restraint that yo11 may not indulge in this form of entertainment, if y011 strain agi~insl this restriction, hat's only an expression of your lustful old flesh. Do\\ln t11;tt flesh! As covenant yoi~th yo11 have something far more precious than tlrc \vorld's :inlusements and cntertdnment- fon~rs. And you can and sho~~lcl fill yonr

BEACON LIGHTS

Iife witb that which is far murr wortlwllile, The time af preparation for -He i s far too brief to be wasted: and the strength Q€ your youth must not be dissipated by i d on the mmptions of the wdrld!

Stand fast, d m d o d Dare to take your *dl S t a d even agaainst the tide1 And then mun-yourself hppy thnt you may!

"So bng as rcs uw rime+ we am always at a g r d &tpuz fmm pmfecfim, and are in conHRuaI p r o m dowar& htj ths h d iudgm of us mmdilagf to whft.lt Jw hgun in w, &I$ RauJG' * I o m led us info the w of d g l i t m u ~ ~ ~ ~ , d a m us to be d g h t m u ~ As s a ~ n aa h begha €0 c k k d refom our 7qp1~&~, 1t.e at once calls US true arid uprighffM

CALVW C o ~ d ~ l ~ , Val 2 (p. 812) I8&h 28:2

I TRUfH VS. ERROR

a letter to a 'YOUTH-FOR-CHRIST DIREmOR about COUNSELING YOUTH

-1 . REV. R. C. HARBACH

Dear W.S.: After reading a copy of t h ~ rbuth-For-

Christ hi@etl I w d like to d i s m wikh you some problems mcl questions sent into the youth c o d r editor for advice, One problem was, "Many tima In dis- d m ~ 3 3 1 other Ch-ktkns, the question aZ atem1 security m e s up. Wodd you phase -lain it, a d give Toukh-far- chist 's o p k n of it? The advice d Youth Fur Christ fonows: "Satan delights in sidetxadxing Christians mi disputed irsues b t the Bible. While mnny f& s0Iidy behind YFC take one view on &is stibject, others take m t l y the opposite view. God h o r n most those w h buw themselves on the me big issue - winning men to Christ and leading &em into a life of vidory aver sia and grawth fn the k~\vIedge and d&&t of a wonderIul Lord As you study your B i b l ~ you will h d for -elf yuur own psitbn on tbis as welI as other disputed passages. But don't make h m issus. It takes A Ufbtime t~ invest o d in ihe c a d i d Lsues of the Word. Whatever his podian on the matter a€ eternal serudty, the man who js genuinely born again, whose heart and Iife are fully yielded to the L d who walks openly and W t l y before everyday ofhis life, is amanwho has gfeat attitud =mYr I .' - . .

That iy the article as it appears in the I

magazine. But I cannot b e that you approve of its import and content. IJowever, let me discuss and erduate this a r t i a wWi p u . We may differ in our W n g $ but rather dun hide wr ~e~ lest we b e offended at one another, let ~ts &cuss these differcam h a broGIy Gay, with a spirit of m e e k .

First, the iaquiter ask that the d- of eternal semdy be explained. ThiP i5 not done, not so much as an attempt being made to errplain it. Why not? k it the editorial p o b - of the m a p i n e &at it c m o t furnish doctrinal knowledge? that ib du.& is not to 'daclare . . .all he counsel of GOS' ( A C ~ e0:27)'? ~f an ywng Mever asked goy w h is tbs doctrine of eternal semwtty?'' wwld you refuse, or Iail to exactly comply with his requst? The request & for bet& but o stone was given. Again Arminius with- holds the dmh-he OF the p r e d o n of the saints. The statement that itatrm d & g h in s i h c l & g Christians on &- puted issues h a t the Bible" ha9 bad I

irnpII&bns. It i m p k that the &&she of the e b m d preservation of the &fa is only a "side*" and that t is of devil that we pkce any emphasis on 4 isma This means that for a ' ~ d a m m - t d i s t " to main- thnt &E e t b d ' m t y

'of t h ~ , e h t is a fun&ma@l do@ioe d :EigtiPture & be insAijrerl 4, the &kill

ckhbntion, howew* is &s pet mk- kc d, a m t every singk?

T b e ~ ~ d ~ s a l n k i s n o " s i d e - @,&* It is part of the one hwk of

w&& ru& all Sdwre. "W&mfs tnostthase who busy^

.%lves ap .he am big b e - binning m a to, Chw Thb is a Mitt$& d the paswetame of the s&&, d g it d

rninbk sigpificanb among Xha muen@ of the 'hith. The statement, further, in- that the ~hief end &man is to -* sahh fox GMsk, whereas Scti

:-cb- Wt' he dliieF end of man, o $"" j- f i ~ e 1 ~ k h g w Godl a d , S k i Q d S d ~ ,

@ef md of man is that be belong to &i iEciW Saviour J e w Chist. The one p t b e d Iife is for God's sake, qot fp man% fake;, for God's gbYi not fat m a d s welfare. The very d v ~ t i o n of souls is for the glory of God. The e k m d s w t v 4 the s+nb is for Gd's plarv,

mer+ for W sdety. But this ,ient h@iiesm that Gad b o r n mast that

m i j p r i ~ pf people who + the mk&ble- p e n of the e t s , but who s p k so much of " m g souls to W'' mch as. the "Pillar-ofairen move- &&, Pmbqxtek B o h h s ~ & , N&mr&epI V o I u n m af America, a@ This is +h f&e p&cipIe of Mod& that ]ifek &atest work 1s fur the advaticem& Bf mi&d God honors most ihe seeking # the m t go$ OF the greatest m-

ie&"dless of the 'mth of S d p ~ e I

Byt the MctW of the Chi@m -$; & such a shaky, tnttethg thing1 "He' &$

a &04 pri~&.k.p &a d o r m it lmml & day & 1- anktw

It is @d to be our great s@'h Me.*. '&light ~ a q d e r f d ladP It is % chief en+ of man to M y enjoy God. for,. evq, and b have the d y +art bat .we 'belong ta Ja And-Jesus is Wondkir- @--&zit is His nama And % i s L o 4 ?hat a m , h ~ u d e 4 menno Tleqxtt* He is the only Despot, a h l m t D m d absolue sovedgnty, But if He apni$ qr dw +t save Bis people ~o the end; bow is H e so wonderful! When yau pwjr yrours*, do You *ertbWofW** the high and miw Rnler of &e unlve~$ G' * mm? I h o w yw da. When you & in an airliner abve the d o 4 and & moua+dm, I@& your baby in yaw lap* a d p . H t up yonr bmrt-h pa* through the Lad Ja, do thou* f h d your mind as to w h d h He can m will keep yw sxfe and I h p w though@ 8 pww flood ymir stniU If you: &add hap- in fMak af a "CT& dp you commit yo@ sMJs nnta Him vjtb fear and d d f b t He may .not be able ta get yau b g h ta Ghy, -bz rhrrt gou may not make -it? No, thmgh$~,ef p* d your mind in J w why? RE 3a w, r d y L i d &a He saves yau, He alwayg ,saves m. He "doh deIfver- and % "will y& d d v d m (11: Co,,tl&& l:IQ). Ill0 1 4 of +w3 .of "Ule falling away d sain@' i9 nnt wond&uk he 3 boddele Hie & it M '

k the be-. Then speak of leading men "into a

We,d -ry bwer sin" iwitbit 'the eternal &%mat&n of s d t s i s like,@ a- @ w h & b& against the devil, sh P a d death itself by mads m puny pawitr. pSoder&m has d w a p had the gffrontery & CW &at vhis is d b . Bul the "to$ &4 to &, tiq :*bstr*oa, n i s -somethg bdy ~ m d y here today, 5md corbPhly m e tomomdw. It s u m q N*ictosr"' (PI depan* u p p man It !ms nothing to ds with the already wtccam-

<wed mtidorjr w 5n m 1 s ,@$st: ':%e iq: & d a r e em

condemaatiaq -to &-&at are' in Ch&t p JW.= @i? I I I ~ in Y W .- have q p r g gPi&ouQ awdm & &&&

*As yonsfudy yourB&b, y w WUW for ywrself y o u owrt position on &)-as' wd'as oih& dkmted -7 Tbis %

&a b Bible is mot tbe inenant i+EbIe Word Qf God which tea& h e w+Eadhaa m*ther+fnh, b&, Inlg- that dm BIble2--is i n s @ d only iv* it-may h~pwn ta q+ €0 m, It d&: 'fan S m i p m is given h@m- ti& of Gad" It also implies h t yorrr opinion xm tbis subjeet is g anoh's; that it b W y a matter of a e c i d i p g B n r ~ ~ * y b u ~ ~ ~ y e 4 q . o f w%t k d w me,$ in -& W m l Ii i i n p k that Scripwe , p u ~ the w jd yxfilr (and my) b - d s twpick & chwse 6 i tD b&me

what not to believe. Nothing is said ahc~ut the Eioly S@t leading into aU fhe truth them hat ~ ~ s k Him. It matters very IittIe what Scripture intends; what you may fincl far yoursel€ and adopt os your own position

be satisfacto~-, Bere the tn t th of the

~dake that tcnst an iwe. Carry out this principle, and when we find that some cleny the hfaliibiliky of Scripture, some fie d a d n c of regeneration, odiers deny the Lord's Supm, and tbe inajjoriiy Jispute the d w t h of election and reprobation,

9 preservation af h e saints is put aside in

I ,fl. favor of man's finding for himself whet he thinks he discovers in Scriphut. What WS Word teaches on the subject i s not important. I t is what you think it tenchm that matters1 But this great tn1t11 is either I& doctrine of the Word af Cod, or it is not. If it is, "your own position on this" mounts to ding unless it agrees with the *on of Holy Writ If it is ntrt, then it i s not for us to find a certain "pasition" or theory to hold r e d i n g it; bnt we must rather wholeheartedly d entirely respect it! b,Iodemism has ~Iwngs forwarded a " ' y~~ -ap in i~n - i s -a~~~~d -a~ - any" phhophy. It hns dways suggested a "do-it-you~selF' method 6f inberprktution of Scripture. But Scriphue is not af any private interpretution. It must be undcr- stwd m the light of the doctrine that the

Spirit has given to the b e Churcli: and in the Eght of the main current, thrust tuld teaching of all Scriphue.

It i s claimed that the -other disou~ed passaga" are not to be "mn& i?ismS" This not only imp& tllnt the Holy Spirit leads one believer to confess and love the mth of Ihe preservation of the saints, yet leads d e r believer to reject, misrepre- sent and agitate against this bkh; lmt a h implies that h i s p i n t is not only very debntabh, bnt quite non-esential. It im- plies that Lscause s m e denanlinations dis-

-pule, for example, the doebine oE eternd 1 * punishment, -that therefore we are not b

we have no issues left fm whieh to stand. What are w e to do? take all the disputed doctrines, sweep them in a p&+ and eject them out the back door! We would have no Bible I&! We would certainly have no ntonernent, no Christ ( ody "mother Jaw) and no h u e Jehovahl Do not make &is doctrine an iime? It is not even digdid or regludd as a docbiw. The Modemkt Ilas always so cIe\.crly denid Gd 's Word Make it no issue? But God's Word has afrmdg nlade it an issue. If dot, we have Iost otu Gos~el, .

I have much more ta say of this -oh- tion. But just a word about "the cardinal issltes. af the W d " Remove the disputed dcctrines, and what is left that may be caZled "the Word? What is cardinal? the Lutheran's justification by faith? the Pxw- bpedan's perseverance of the mints? the Reformed doctrine of PreJ&imtion? the baptist's baptism? May any of t&e be, regarded aq of -no issue?*' TmIt that .the Devil 4'side-trac~*' the mnin k of Scripture? And what of the h~idamental principIe of aII Scripture? whlch is: -the nbsolr~te sovereignty of Godl We need not make tltut an issue. God has ,&eady done so. What our calling is, i s to maintain the antithesis of God's huth over against the Devil's lie[ And it dam take a Melime to do that! The Chistian mmmt for a mmont deny his fnith. 1 have tried to make ym t h k Now I shill give you time to dink.

NEWS ~ r o m , f o r , a n d u b o u ~ o u r ~ h u r t h e ~ '

MRS. C. H. WESTRA

hlost of our congemtions have had the The Ladies' Auviliary 11eM a picnfc opportunity of hearing the Word p ~ n c h d at South Holland Park on July 37th. by some of our ministers other than their ~umsisted of picnic, supper with fhe pie, - I own paston. Even during their vacations coffee. and milk m e d ; and a sde of. :, mogt of our ministers 'fill in" far another baked gm&, hand-made items and other on vacation. &Y g o d -

mdh BEACON LIGHTS

s' '& - .

Thc Crantl I{i~pids ;lre:l I,ulleti~~s contain itn irl\,itntiorl to attrnd t l ~ c . celrbriition of

Per- 11. IIoeksc~na's 45th iinnivcrsary in he ministry at Do~~gl;rs-\\'alkcr Park on

August 31st. \ \ f ( s are cc-rtairrly thilnkful to our covcnant Cot1 for giving us such out- standins lead(.rsl~ip tllrorrgh tllcsr years.

Southe.lst congregation plans to c~ccupy its rlcw c1111rch 1111iltling (111 Srptr~nl)er 4th. Althor~glr crr.atcf111 tor the w b b t i ~ ~ ~ t e meet- ing place of r\tliums School G ~ I I I , \vllerc the) lla\rc mct for ne,~rl) threc yc~lrs, the people are surely looking forxv;~~tl to \\-or- shipping in their own c1111rch building.

Rev. Hobert llarbach \poke at the chapel \ m i c e of the Christian Hebt Ilc1111e in I,yncIet~ on July 31st. I lis topic was: "Hc Sh'd Save His I'c.ople" trtkcn frotn lIattl~e\v 1:".

O D 0 0

Future Conventioneers: A tlnrlghter I ~ o m to Xlr. ;i11c1 5lrs. C.

cKanlps of Sot1t11c:tst cl111rc11. A daughter born to 5lr. and Slrs. H.

J. Sjocrdsnla of So~lthcast. A so11 Lon1 to Mr. ;~ r~ t l Mrs. 1'. Vandc

\'cgte of Soutl~ci~st. .-\ daughter I ~ o m to \lr. ilnd Mrs. .Albert

\'an Drn Top of Lynden. .\ son born to l l r . alld Xlrs. Kenneth

\\'iersema of Hutlsonville. A daughter I)orn to 51r. and hlrs. \Vm.

Oonlkt,s of First Church.

Hopc School Circle has sponsored n couple Kom-as-U-R-Coffee parties this summer -one on July 14th and one on August I lth.

0 0 0 0

South Holland's Young People's Society invited Oak Lawn's your~g people to an outing on July 20111 at the Forest Prescn-e in Thorton.

0 0 0 0

(4. Those who confessed their faith at Hope

Church on July 17 were: llary Engelsma, Robert I 1uizing.1. Betty Kooicnga, Donaltl

Langerak, and Iluanr .\lensch. .\18~y thcse vo\vs never 1 x 6 taken lightly. \Ye vow to iwlk as children of the Light in the doctrine of thc Protestant Refonl~ed Ch11rchcs!

0 0 0 0

Calletl Home:

.\lrs. P. Dc. l'onr~g of First Churcl~ at the age of 76 years.

llrs. Kate \ri~n Ellrn of First Cllurcl~ . ~ t the age of 80 years.

\ l n . G . Knliseng;~ of First Churc11 i ~ t the a re of 72ycars.

On Jnly 31st the Young People's Socicty of South Hollilnd sponsored a Singspiration at South Holland. The pre-convention Singspiration \\?as held on .-\ugnst 1.4111 at First Churcll.

* D O 0

Thc Sr. Young People's Socicty of First Church condl~cted a paper clri\,e i ~ t Atlinns St. School on -August h a n d 3 to raise money for the Young People's Convention.

Bcn IIendricks (Southeast Church) \$,as injured in a \xrater skiing accident on August '70th. 1Ie snfferecl a broke11 leg and is convalescing at home.

Do yo11 ever stop to tvonder why God placed you where you are in life? Does it seem as if all things Reverse therllselvc:~ fro111 the. way you pl:tn? I-our tl;lily chores - 1-our l~eartacaches - Your gropings i~nd fears - Yonr sorro\vs :~nd tears - Do you \vondcr \vhy they've come to you? The \laster Builder smooths each rough-

cnt stone . h d rradies it througho~~t the years That it may sn~oothlj- fit; Ycn, none other could replace it. \1y life alone \rill n ~ e prcpare For Iny place in tl~' etenlal edifice - The church triumpllant, at the crystal sc;~. Then I shall know - The All-wise God \ill show - \\hy e.ic11 phase of my life \\-as n necessity.

- Xlrs. C. 1-1. \Vestra

BEACON LIGHTS Thirteen

FROM THE PASTOR'S STUDY

Laying Down His Life For The Sheep

REV. R. VELDMAN

Of H e does1 For many gloriws m n s . 1 sbn the good shepherd," so As speaks

mi, tbe e p mse, d d l m w rdy : s b e o p , d a m h a f o z i n e . " Hehaws, r e c o w tiad d m o w k d m Be& as H s

, , own; ~d t h y b, m e and ac-

I, knowledge Hrm rts ts o w . Jesus i s not a thief and d b e r . Thah

a frightful thiag: a thief on &e bosh ' muck in a aock of sheep. Su& a thief 6 mm~% d y with wit hhtibm. &I& domat h \ v tb sheep. and &ey don't +ow b h He nanes only ta st&, -ad to Idll, and to daimy. "r am come," says Jms, "that

. they might have Wq d that they might have it mom abmdiantly."

]swsismkahireIing&&er. dbireling is lit& lnztter than a hid and nlardspr. He w&g & for hind; Is not the s h & d of @e sheep; doesn't know and love tlw sheep as his u w q is not.mmemed about fbmn -en*, he will and f& &e s h e e p ~ long as thge i s no danger. the wolf, however3 be will

-take to hiti heels add leave the flock to

7 tho @ and PidIace of *e foa A hhhg wilI not give his life for th6 sb-. He &d that much nbbttt theln.

Jemrs k the G o d Shaphd. db* n o t w o r k ~ E l i m s e l f a t t h e t w p n s e o f &e sheep. He lows them: .horn thnm ns

; ~ E I t g o w n ; ~ t h a t t h e y ~ & U h a y e W . i n - - - a h h . He , add: *,, 1 h,

= l ~ m y & f o r & ~ , " -A hpx rases still He givm ~ b m

He stys: *As the E&er ]mbwoth.M~$ so b o w l theF*." ' I h w My.&eqf What is rn- bwwbr: I h i i w Mp Father!

I getutssn

"and 1 luy down my life far the &wpm JORN 10:151,

I h o w E I i s m i d , m * ~ ~ ~ I know how He !yes. the she@ ;and wants to save them for Hh Name's mke. And I b o w the Father wan$$ Me ig lay dawn My life for thwe sheep. ? & e d m

My F h e f lw, ge; h'gcme I -by dowa My life, tliat Z might & it w?

--+;-

Zfs the picture, oftIrsl re@& to in ScrWuxe, of a shephd and his f b k .

Visualize it1 The sheep are gazing in p3hm, WntWt d mrnenk the

shepherd is s&lted on .a. hoa, whem3 can lreere watch over his flak 'or7. sheep atr: on w-ay to the-+ dr b ~ k t~ the hrg; is leariing &pa and they follow &itMu&i

S U M Y m enemy wpm&s. 4 wild beast, +ps, a Iion or b y or d. Perfiaps -tfley are evil m&. The rstostdtbe*p, clr:fokill.andde%wk. The sheep, ddmeless and ~~, panic aha huddle together ia-I&& fear.

see, h v q = W h % t ttre srwphetd h. Were be a hiding, he woulil take ta his kids. NOW, howewq he t a b his iJoree heheen the flock rmd th omming foe. Ite mpels Ztae enemy to diuett b5: att$ck to him. F d d y he sghb 5 tlae h e x end; even though the odds against & are o v e t w h e ~ p ; wen though it &&& hhn his He. Seeing Ws, we say cd of shep , l i d : he lays down his Ha for -&we sheep,

l X q l B z a m e t s ~ g a i d o f a d d k r ; d m diap inb t t l e . H e ~ € z h j 8 l i f e f o r h t 9 #UnW, Hbw beautiful! EM& ib pichue is imperfect-and

quate, m. WY, tbat whd --m4 Bire, lay down & We. I& h -firpm- him, by hr#.

In the first place, mere man cannot Iay down his life. To lay down one's

means to give it, voluntarily, by an la of bne's own volition. Mere man an- not do that, HE may fight to the death; ~ i s k b i ~ life; pennit an enemy to take it by -force; do violence to himself. But, mere man cannot simply lay down his life.

Besides, that e&tldy shepherd has nn m& inhttons. No more than hr~t soI&er who dies in battle. He £i&t to live, nut die. To I& dying gasp be stmaks to save h I f a d his sheep. That is bccause the life of hiu sheep depends, not an kls death, but on his Me. Xf he dies, they die; if he lives, they live. ----

with Christ, tllceffure, all tbiy is much more wonderful. The G o d ShephaJ CAN lay &wn

His Iife in the fullest sense of the word. No man can take it from Him. Really, tbe enemy does not ldll Him. He G W E S His Me. He can do thb because He Himself is God in human M. "No mm tnkcth it fmm me, but I lay is down of

I have power to lay it down, nd I have power to take it again. Tbis

have I received of my Father." Verse 18.

When the CooJ ShepbmI &, there- fore, it is only h u s e He w i l l s it so. That is His sole purpose in coming down horn heaven. His whole beart is not b living Ws Me, but in dying.

The Mere-, thewhe, are- are. I me d y shephd cannot iny bwn his Me; the Good Shepherd c m t be d e $rived of it. Tha earthly shepherd does not want to die; the Good Shepherd d m not want to Eve. The former dies to h e ; the latter E m t~ die.

The m m , too, i s abuiuus, THE enemy of o f s people, wbo must

m m e us ws we m by nature, is not &e world, qot Satan. but God %If-- fhe cwsuming wrath of God. World and Satan, well as hell and ~~ are but -nts d that wrath.

T h a t w t a t h h a s i b c a u s e i n t h e ~ of sin, which must be blotted out shaU

at ~18th be no more. ' e?plThat guilt of ofin con be LbL-. out

only in the way of complete effiction. f i e full penalty of sin must be borne.

That penalty is death; etemd death amxrding to body md sod S M wa Jive, we must die. The wages ,of sfn death.-

That death the sheep c a d nwer dfe; that penalty they 4 n e w r bear. In the first placs, because it is etemnl, in- finite; and the shep are h+ They m l d never finish the job, and Iiva n g d . Secondly, because the pmishment, to have atoning value, tvouId have to be tome in Iove. Unwilling d e r h g can never reconcile with God.

What the sheep themselves could never +, however, Christ did fur h. He came down from haven into khe flesh and b i d of the sheep, assumed their gdt, laid down His life to blot out that @It, t d it again to apply unto His own all the riches of that atoning sacrifice.

That is the mystery of C h a p ! "I lay down my Iife for the sheep."

For the sjteepi That would he qufk hpwible. For

these sheep Jesus lays down His Ho. If Jesus lap down His life for a s h e r , that sianer is saved. His sins me go118 d be is d e d with Gcd. Had Jesus done this f a all men, all men would now be saved. There can be no con- W o n where there is no Fin.

Besides, to apply this to an men w d d be conhay to dl Shpture. Again md a* Jesus of tbem "whom b Father has given" Him. "This is &e Father's Hrin which hh sent m e (LMm c a d d y , for here- Jesus HhmeIf teh us what is G d s wiIl man's d- vation), that of all which he hath given me I should lase nothing, but should m e it up again at the last day." John 6:39.

And U y , fhis would k. mn- to this eatire chapter. Throu&mt JWW distingdish&sbehpeeathe*aridGm wbo do not &Iieve. C o n h g h e latter Efe says: ' Ye believe not, because ye are not of m y sheep." A

- . * likes to

bm tbis about and read: ye are not of my skp, because ye do not beIieve; you all muId be my s k p , if d y you wmdd believe. The gmt de&ion is yours, after d. Jw sap: "ye believe not, b- rrmse ye are not of myskep." The e* h f o r e , is the fruit, not the a e of

sys: %y sheep hear my voice, and r lmow them, and they falIpw mc: And I @ye mto thein eternal life; aod they s b d never +='

Who then are the sheep? They are those, whom the Father bas

gLwn Rim from all e-tedty- The elect] What other amwa can be given? Were they not sheep when the Gaod Shepherd came clown from heave12 Were tbey not sheep before they were bought or hema His Voice and - Im? &at plain &om what Ja says in vem 16: "And other sheep X Iiave (potice: I HAVE), whicb are m k of this fold: them also I MUST bring3 and hey SHALL Itear my vaic&"Iftfrenwearesheepb@orewcw bought d before we His mica and believe, what 0th answer can be given than fhis: tbe sheep are the dect S Godhsl leternity.

Ftdermtrre, the sheap are hose who

by almighty m e ; W ~ Q we M wia Christ by a true and living faith; dsn stljt in mh: '3 am m&ed wi t l _

Iiw in mi*

"3 *st, and I IivP+ yet aaf I, but Christ

For &me h e p dw G o d a e p h d lay% dwwn lifes Not becq.ae &&y Uve, btkt isl d e r t l d thy sbould live. .~ot'& t h y righteous, but in & that they should be. h i s t died, rrot for the living, but for the dead-dead slmeep; not far believers, b~ for ~ e v e r s - unbdkvhg sheep; not for the r i g h ~ n s * but &r the mg~dlTr-ungodly sheep. l& e m mseCBse for the sheep, and them- wly. T h sheep only .He hat1 in EI& mind

and heart £mm EietWhrn to C a l m and farever more. To them only Re appJii his wortderhit

redempfioa Now in principle. PreseafIy m heavenly petfedan. Afid a1 of grace, for W74 N~me's sake.

The 20th Annual P.R.Y.F. Convciltion OId courtships were ren?w~d and new ones was with &emom and evening +n. The lSgO cmvontion mw regisfmtio4.m Augusr I6 m Fht Chur&, in full swing. H e mdi dr&pte and visitur received Wednesday be$an with a b u s h meet- 15 bmguet and outing tickets, plus a h@t yebw badge aa~wnm the theme, Falthfd TODAM Thk was fouowed by the inspirational hiass Meeting, h3h1ring the s p c b by Rev &. Haekserna on h a sub-tbpic, "'FniW in the Tntth." He pointed out that God done is t d , and that to be f&hfd h the huth, one m t be -kdafd to God Only h n is he fai- in the m& This fdthfd~ess can d y d t when God bestdws His grace and causes His am to o m - Ohty by * means, can his people eon- tIaue tbeir stntggIe against the devU and

Polt,wing the Mass Meeting* &hmentc; were d and dates were ~trange[:I,

ing w k e propgFg1g w e e discussed and rndmtiom for aflIcers wac submittd Then the cars Zeft for Saugahek a d lundi at Mount Bddy. After a hte luncb, the dune wmtms provided ki& 4 each one was- Mt ta &cI his own wry to @e Ch%an Ilefomed Cad- Grwnds on Lake Michigan. Here =-& everyone swam, same even in full d~&, as Rep., Vanden Berg may well rega~% Be was +- ~ncermmnbdy, by Prof. B. C. Hae$.lema, waist-deeh in the water.

Tllis mtinued d the Ilne &r * of barbwe, wn-elon, 4 a d milk nick& (h+d hgwge), 1.

after which Rev. J. k Eejy &Ice pfl

in Walk." IJe strcwcd the w& ' - After ,a &:a pf m. picture fit Fir& Chrishb mnue molnbh throt1gh- am& everyone- went to Mayfield C W They should do only that which tian School for a splendid banquet h

Japanese setting. A sm& @up hum E&trt~n, however, b ~ ~ . u n e quite lost and ended up at an entirely d i € f w bappuet.

impbes a d wak which should carry and, although invitd to sky, they d e w us rnnw frmuankly into the bwsc of that the food at their own was heffer God, and to dihgence in H i 3 Wod. Ot~r and uvenhully fouii~d their way back, M a 1 d e p d e h c e must be upon ow God and aim aktrlc. The afterdinner speaker was Rw. G.

Tbe h a 1 day of the l9OO convention \*anden Berg wllo developed the n~b-title b~gnn with tire" t~aditional t)&nc&s break- "Faftlhil Unto Death", pointing out that fnst d was f o h e d with 11 parre1 dis- wr faithfulness cannot be a tempo- ar E U S S ~ OII the subject of haw the world part-time thing, but -must be even unio J. I s h o ~ hgliry tp the C h ~ l l today. Next death. A d not only must it be cnme the business mneskhg. All proposaly llntil d&, but &o unta death. Believers were 4 wifh ody one minor change. should be willing to clie for h i r tnlth,

I Instead of the mposed $8.00 a s s m e a t Tbey are constantly f a d 6 the ~IIPXLY,

it was raised to $10.00. Frm death, but their shm& lies in Gad and Re ~311 hold them fast. If Goa is for US,

new schnhship fund to help prospective no one can possibly b against as1 teachers and minkten. The third proposal - providd for mother season d stnd&g After the spew, Mr. R H. Btower from the Book uf RemIatim, Finally, the b w l b e a u t if u 1 pic- of nature. new Federation Board o & ~ s were chosen Then the new a f f i c e r s w e r e p rn E m e r n victs&w were, H a w Langed sented and it wwas anmuneed &at l a v e -

1 1s the President, MW Bedl Engelsmtr h d , Colorado, would be the seetxe af fie 1s Set*, Vice' T r w m r , Dnve Ondw- Plst convention in 19B1. The new wesideat

,ma, and Libmriaa, B o d e Bylsma. Re- c l d with pmyer, and after bidding + placing Rev. Mdder as one of thu ad&, & S a y o m , tbe 19130 menhion was was =A G. Iros. a memargr of the past

THE DILEMMA OF DELINQUENCY

I ROG HAR81Nf

I . in both large and small news- oamr:~ given to rwongdoers as they pi-

mp""r-, ayw the radio, in all sorts of the misbehavior of taday's youth in corn- - and In every medium which munitis thrdughout tbe U. S. m&a h e mwes shont about -juvenile Ci~rrenHy, no social problem arouses w

I delinquemy." These refore~lces sre frequent, much attention as that of juw& dqlin- . ndemnify, hlnd ~ceusfng as they ma!e quency and rn is i s e fn so memy in- e - h m e r ' ' synommous with such pmblrms, no one ~ W Q U & in rirgbf or

am& b r i ~ n h 1 ~ deliguent, d+, afpi~antevan pku&l~!. That deb- desmwtive, find many mors d m ~ g s b q % si tau-< fm concern & b. me p m w a - =CON HGWIS S M ~

& mm$lex d m-. In t~~mrd- lfloe with CDlmnoP w, dwas da &h9u-- Ye4 * y g d d i i m R s began ,tbir live5 fn dwns or uddez slum cbn& w;,. and ma-prohetion by pru- @.ahas midmted to €he l4t d de;h:gwm b, but maap & d p wha & e f e d t h not d e b -b. -=richm homer( @

W as %@&+m %@f W$wrhoarls $xis w$j as dae *wrong)' have &Ben w: + ~ b h . f!h&k Mntrei- qf e m ~ d dxevatipns wkich gives. the psychobgisk a. sacioI* parti* mcult). isr-k & % o % . I - - .

< - Haw: me.- as clarw, tachars, p a ~ e n h

& t b ~ e idittiduals who& w* 3s +aq to our valua a d mares? &re noimal a b m a l ; me dxey Iust plain hdi or wicked g w si& a W e d . The Wtx is and 'reawnable. Pm old ~ e t r i c ~ i r a n b e ~ e d ~ ~ ~ 4 . 1 6 is + tq ,the smn nf itr parts. @ as, W t ~w~'~dh(1b~ * i t t

d o l e d -+ M a a l i ~ $ttqy Is ,$@id $ the s ~ m of its Wr So ttyt ff g v ~ p i & r S ~ ~ d i s e m & i t a f f e c t s t h e

-&- Tbus if a *on @ ddbqumt I w h a ~ r , which k, f n ~ i d e & ~ , @t q n s i d e d qbmal, that I&avjgr a&& th mwh~h, wlnich m u t &en aJso be con- s&!d ~~

Bpt nap we have eshblisbed b &#is of tha deliqumt we ,@wr around ,$@

wm@ and &at tb &omman Iaw rdla: ~ ' t b e t w dP not m d e p psw,yw rn q die L z@&@&&.f