CHURCH COVENANT

God having called us unto fellowship with HIS Dear SON, having convinced us in His Word of the necessity of church fellowship, we do solemnly confess, Jesus Christ to be our Lord; that we have been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost since we believed; we do now pledge ourselves to Him to walk in all His ways, taking the Scripture for our rule.

We pledge ourselves one to another to walk according to God’s commandments and ordinances, endeavoring:

                           1.) to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace;

                           3.) to give cheerfully as God has prospered us;

We pledge ourselves to be examples in our conduct:

                          6.) to be honest and merciful in our dealings with all men;

                          7.) to pay our bills:

                           9.) to be kind one to another.

                           10.) to do no adultery;

We promises not to conform ourselves to this world (age) with its lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

                          12.) We promise to avoid the dance.

                          13.) We promise not to wear shorts or other immodest apparel; and

                          14.) to the theater.

We pledge our love to each other:

                          15.) to watch over their conduct:

                          16.) to visit the sick, and

                          17.) to pray for one another.

We promise:

                         18.) to be courteous;

                         19.) to be ready to forgive as our Lord has forgiven us; and

                         20.) to seek reconciliation, speedily if we cause injury to anyone.

We promise:

                         21.) to labor that our children may have an early knowledge of Christ and of His salvation, by applying Scriptural teaching, and by administering Scriptural discipline that we may bring them as near to Heaven as we can.

We promise:

                         22.) never to willingly betray one another if the time should come that we are called upon to do so.

And, if in turn we move from this place, we promise to unite with a church that is sound both in creed and conduct.

This we promise confessing ourselves to be strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

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Signature

15, 1845 --Adoniram Judson arrives in Boston Harbor after 32 years in Burma.

16, 1812 --Henry Martyn dies.

17, 1685 --Louis XIV revokes

the Edict of Nantes

18, 1677 –Thomas Manton dies.

19, 1720 --John Woolman is born

20, 1738 --General James Oglethorpe interdicts slavery in Georgia.

21, 1656 --The Council of Massachusetts banishes Quakers "upon pain of death."

22, 1844 --William Miller prepares for the Lord’s return today.

23, 1776 --The Hanover Presbytery

petitions the Virginia Assembly for religious freedom.

24, 451 --The Council of Chalcedon completes its work on a creed.

30, 1799 --William Balch is appointed the first Navy chaplain in the United States

OH, THE DEEP, DEEP LOVE OF JESUS

Tune: "Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken"

1. Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus!

Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free;

Rolling as a mighty ocean

In its fullness over me.

Underneath me, all around me,

Is the current of His love;

Leading onward, leading homeward,

To my glorious rest above.

2. Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus!

Spread His praise from shore to shore;

How He loveth, ever loveth,

Changeth never, nevermore;

How He watches o’er His loved 0nes,

Died to call them all His own;

How for them He intercedeth,

Watcheth o’er them from the throne.

3. Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus!

Love of every Love the best:

‘Tis an ocean vast of blessing,

‘Tis a haven sweet of rest.

Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus!

‘Tis a heaven of Heavens to me;

And it lifts me up to glory,

For it lifts me up to Thee.

-Samuel Trevor Francis

THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE LAST TWELVE VERSES

OF THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK --III

demonstrated by the evidence of the ancient manuscripts

Scholz says that Codices Nos. 23,34,39,41 contain a note by Severus of Antioch that the "more accurate copies end at verse 8". Others have followed blindly. No 23 has no such note. NO 41 has a note to the opposite effect --that the more accurate copies contain the verses. NO’S 34 and 39 have no such note whatever. When Tichendorf, Tregelles and their successors and imitators tell us that 30 manuscripts contain a note casting doubt on Mark 16:9-20 they are repeating the mistakes of others. Most of the MSS referred to contain a note confirming the inclusion of the verses. The critics can furnish no evidence that the Gospel of Mark as it left the hands of its author was imperfect or unfinished.

Some modern scholars tell us that the characteristic features of Mark’s style and vocabulary are missing from this passage. They are all entirely wrong. It is presumptuous to attempt an appraisal of a writer’s style from twelve verses only, especially if the subject matter is unique and cannot be compared with earlier paragraphs on the same topic, e.g. The first five verses of Luke are unlike anything in the rest of his Gospel and the same may be said of the first verses of John. No critic is qualified to pass judgment on such slender evidence.

The critics imagine that the change from detailed description to loosely linked brief notices in Mark 16:9-20 indicates a change of authorship. Why? Surely a writer who could give a detailed description of a miracle could give a brief synopsis of the events following the Crucifixion, when there were many very different matters to be touched upon. Indeed it is possible to demonstrate great similarities of style between Mark 16:9-20 and Mark 1:9-20.

1.) Afford points us to 16:9 "prote sabbatou" for the first day of the week compared with "mias sabbaton in 16:2; but when we compare with Luke 6:1,2,5,6,7,9 we find 4 times "to sabbaton", 2-"ta sabbata", 2-"to sabbaton", 2-"he hemera tou sabbatou", l-"ta sabbata". Similar cases could be multiplied "ad lib."

It should also be noticed that "mias sabbaton" of Mark 16:2 occurs only once in each Gospel. It was a common expression in Palestine, but not so common in Rome and elsewhere. It is thought that Mark wrote his account at Rome and it seems likely that he was moved by the Spirit to use both expressions, the one elucidating the other.

2.) "Out of whom He cast seven devils". (16:9) It is pointed out that Mary Magdalene has been mentioned three times without this statement and that the writer probably took this from Luke 8:2 --but the order is different in Luke, and Luke was written after Mark. Compare with John 20:7 where John mentions himself without comment as "the disciple whom Jesus loved", and then in 20:20 adds "which also leaned on His breast at supper". No one suggests that John 20:20 is

spurious for this reason.

3.) "Poreuesthai" Occurs three times in 16:9-20 (vs. 10, 12, 15) ("went", "went", "go") but elsewhere in Mark. Therefore we are told this portion could not have been written by Mark. But Mark uses compounded forms of this verb 24 times compared with a total of 19 in Matthew, Luke and John put together. The use of the word in these three verses at the end of chapter 16 should be regarded as proof of their genuineness.

4.) "To every creature" (16:15). The critics say the Greek of this is Pauline --but Paul it only once in Romans 8:22. Why should not Mark have it only once in 16:15? The word used for "creature" is used by Mark in 10:6 and 13:19 and not by Matthew, Luke or John. Its presence here proves the genuineness of the passage.

5.) "The Lord" (16:19, 20). This is said to be foreign to Mark and therefore spurious. Mark calls Him "Jesus Christ" only once in Mark 1:1. The same is true of Matthew and John, but no one doubts the genuineness of these chapters because they contain a unique expression.

6.) "Was received up" (16:19). This Greek verb we are told occurs nowhere else in the Gospels. But Mark uses 74 verbs that are found nowhere else in the Gospels and this is one of them. In any case Mark is describing something not previously referred to and the word is appropriate to our Lord’s ascension.

7.) The absence of "eutheos" ("straightway", "immediately") and "palin" ("again"), both frequent in Mark, is quoted as proof of spuriousness of this portion. This argument is worthless, for "immediately" is found 12 times in chapter one, 6 times in chapter 5, 5 times in chapters 4 and 6 etc., but only once in chapters 3,8,10,15 and not once in chapters 12,13, and 16.

"Again" is seen 6 times in chapter 14, 5 times in chapter 10 etc., but only once in chapters 4,5 and not at all in chapters 1,6,9,13,16. Are we to reject all these chapters because they do not contain these little words? The critics do not suggest that we should, but they insist that we reject Mark 16:9-20 on such meaningless evidence.

8.) "Early" (16:9). Mark uses this Greek word 6 times, much more frequently than Matthew or John. Luke never uses it.

9.) "Preach the Gospel" (16:15). Mark and Matthew use the expression four times, Luke and John not at all. "Preach" ("kerussein") Mark has twice as often as Matthew and 3 times as often as Luke. "Gospel" ("evangelion") Mark has twice as often as Matthew.

10.) "Appeared" ("phanerousthai") (16:12, 14) used also by Mark in 4:22, but never by Matthew or Luke.

11.) "Hardness of heart" (16:14) never used by Luke or John, but Matthew only once, by Mark twice, including this verse.

12.) "Everywhere" ("pantachou") (16:20) never used by Matthew or John, once only by Luke, by Mark including this verse. He also uses a related word in 1:45.

13.) "They shall recover" ("kalos exousin") is characteristic of Mark.

14.) "Shall be damned" ("katakrino" not "krino"). The simple form is often used by other evangelists, 28 times, but never by Mark, who used the compound form of the verb oftener than all the others. Thus it is found in 16:16 and is characteristic of Mark.

Other instances could be given but these are sufficient to demonstrate that the style and vocabulary arguments against authenticity are destitute of foundation. The evidence proves the genuineness of the passage.

There is an essential parallelism between Mark 16:9-20 and Mark 1:9-20 --Our Lord’s manifestation to the world, victory over Satan, gifts of the Holy Ghost, preaching the Gospel, the Kingdom of God, the call to the ministry --an indication that the Holy Ghost was the author of the ending as well as the beginning of the Gospel, and that Mark was the writer of both. –To Be Continued. (Reprinted with permission from The Trinitarian Bible Society, 217 Kingston Road, London SW 19 3NN, England, through its Canadian branch at 26 Gracey Blvd., Weston, Ontario, M9R 1z9)

Tape One --The Origin of the Office

Tape Two --The Mature of the Office

Tape Three –The Requirements for the Office

Tape Four --The Duties of the Office