A quote on covenant & election

[Poimen]

"Election and the Line of the Covenant - Not seldom it has been thought that election is of a sporadic nature so that one is elected from this family and another from that family, "one from a city and two from a generation" irrespective of family or city or generation. The fact, however, that the Lord has ever built up His Church from the seed of the Covenant teaches that as a rule predestination follows a definite course, proceeding along the line of the Covenant, so that as a rule those are elected who are participants in the Covenant. This is encouraging for the Covenant members, but, as we see from Scripture and experience that there are exceptions to this rule, it gives no ground for false assurances."

What do you think? (I'll give you the author's name and background later).

[Edited on 8-22-2005 by poimen]

 

[Peter]

Some one from the Nadere Reformation?

 

[alwaysreforming]

"...teaches that as a rule predestination follows a definite course..."

It would be hard to argue against that, seeing that God has predestined from before the foundations of the world.

I'm not sure what particular encouragement this should give us, other than training up our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord will be able to be done with much confidence that He will finish the work we started, for example.

It does seem a lofty thought to ponder...

 

[Poimen]

Originally posted by Peter
Some one from the Nadere Reformation?

Not even close (at least by the date, but you are right about the church background).

 

[Peter]

Must be someone from the Gereformation then?

 

[Poimen]

Originally posted by Peter
Must be someone from the Gereformation then?

? Do you mean the Afscheiding or the Doleantie?

It is from W. Heyns' "Manual of Reformed Doctrine" (1926).

 

[Peter]

Either? I meant the conservative reaction to liberalism in the dutch church in general. But that's the limit of my knowledge

Now what's his background?

 

[Poimen]

Originally posted by Peter
Either? I meant the conservative reaction to liberalism in the dutch church in general. But that's the limit of my knowledge

Definitely both then.

Now what's his background?

I think he was born in Holland since his systematic had to be translated into English. If so he was a member of the 'Gereformeerde Kerk in de Nederlands' and the Christian Reformed Church in North America.

Heyns was also a child of the Afscheiding who taught in Calvin College and Seminary before and after 1924 and had a great influence on subsequent thinking in the Christian Reformed Church.

http://www.prca.org/current/Free Offer/chapter9.htm

[Edited on 8-22-2005 by poimen]

[Edited on 8-22-2005 by poimen]