The Banner of Truth is a British organization that has been engaged in the publication of a magazine, The Banner of Truth, and has republished the writings of the Puritans. For these ventures, high praise is deserved by this fine organization. It is most important to revive the Calvinism of the Puritans, and to make their writings available again to the English speaking world.
The Banner of Truth organization has also held annual pastor‘s conferences in Great Britain:These conferences have been a great blessing to the pastors there through the ministry of such persons as Dr. Martyn Lloyd–Jones, Rev. lain Murray, Dr. James Packer, Rev. W. J. Grier, and others. In the last couple of years, the Banner of Truth has brought these conferences to the United States as well. During the week of October 28–31, 1980, the Pastor’s Conference was held in Indianapolis, Indiana under the theme of “The Godly Pastor and his Work.” The object of this conference is stated in the brochure sent to the registrants:
To strengthen ministers and missionaries who believe that the powerful preaching of evangelical and Calvinistic Christianity is the need of our age. While attention to Scripture is of first concern, an important part of the conference will be to encourage discussion and fellowship.
The Marrow Controversy
The high point of the conference was the four lectures by Dr. Sinclair Ferguson, pastor of St. George’s Trone Presbyterian Church in Glasgow, Scotland. He spoke on the pastoral lessons from the Marrow Controversy. The Marrow Controversy took place in the early part of the 18th century. The term “Marrow” comes from the title of a little book written in 1646 by a man named Edward Fisher of Oxford. He called his book The Marrow of Modern Divinity. In this little book the author treats the important subject of the relationship of law and grace.
The controversy arose in connection with a so-called Auchterarder Creed which was framed by the Auchterarder Presbytery in Scotland. This creed stated, “It is not sound and orthodox to teach that we must forsake sin in order to our coming to Christ, and instating us in covenant with God.” The point of this creed was that the sinner is dead in sin and trespasses, and thus completely and totally dependent upon the grace of God in coming to Jesus Christ. To say, then, that a person must first forsake sin before he can come to Christ is to say that he must keep the law in order to be saved.
The ministers during that early 18th century who held to this Creed, followed the emphasis found in the little book Th e Marrow of Modern Divinity. Thus their nickname, the “Marrow men.” The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, however, condemned t he creed and t he book which was so basic to a correct, Scriptural understanding of the relationship of law and grace.
Of course this issue did not originate with the Marrow controversy. It was already a point of discussion in the writings of the apostle Paul. When Paul presents the great doctrines of grace in Romans 3–5, there were those who said that it was a dangerous doctrine because it will lead to lawlessness. And Paul faces that charge head on in Romans 6 when he says, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid!” The Heidelberg Catechism also faced similar charges of the danger of the doctrines of grace. In question 64, Lord’s Day 24 the question is asked, “But does not this doctrine make men careless and profane?” That question arises from those who said that if you emphasize grace alone as the ground of salvation, you will surely lead to profane and lawless lives.
The speaker then showed how pastors today are faced with the same issues that were faced by the Marrow men, by the apostle Paul, and of course by the Heidelberger. He spoke of the dangers of legalism on the one hand as an attempt to destroy the relationship between law and grace by teaching that one really is saved or at least continues in a relationship of grace by keeping the law. On the other hand, he spoke of the danger of anti-nomianism, the position that the Christian has no obligation to keep the law at all anymore. In both lectures on these subjects, he laid out the nature, the causes, and the cure of legalism and of anti-nomianism. And, he emphasized, the cure for a faulty understanding of the relationship of law and grace is the gospel of the free grace of God.
Other Emphases
Dr. John R. De Witt, professor at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Miss., spoke on the subject of faith and assurance, especially as the pastor faces the problems of lack of assurance of faith. The question he attempted to answer was “Is assurance of faith part of the essence of faith?” Turning to the teachings of Calvin, the Westminster divines, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the writings of the Puritans, Dr. De Witt explained that there is a difference of emphasis among the many Reformed sources on this question. But essentially all teach that the assurance of faith is indeed of the essence of faith. At the same time, not every one reaches assurance equally soon after coming to faith in Christ. The pastor must therefore deal kindly and carefully with those members of his congregation who struggle with the problem of assurance.
Rev. Cornelius Pronk, pastor of the Free Reformed Church of Grand Rapids, spoke on the art of meditation, encouraging the pastors to continue to engage in communion and meditation with God through His Word. He laid out various ways in which this meditation on the Word can be improved.
Rev. Walter Chantry, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Carlisle, Penn., suggested various ways in which relationships between pastor and elders in the local church can be utilized and improved. Apparently many of the pastors at the conference who came from non-Presbyterian churches were unaccustomed to working with elders in their churches. What was therefore quite common to those of us from the Reformed and Christian Reformed Churches, was new and fresh to the other brothers.
When one attends conferences such as this, he is struck with the spiritual atmosphere that is evident. The Bible is the basis for every lecture. True biblical piety is stressed. It is indeed refreshing to be part of such a conference where one discovers again that Calvinism is not limited to the Christian Reformed Church, but is found in many different denominations, and other parts of the world. I would strongly encourage all of our ministers to look for the announcements of the Banner of Truth Conference, and to make—a point of attending the next one. You and your congregation will be greatly blessed by it.
Henry Vanden Heuvel is pastor of the Bethe l Christian Reformed Church, Zeeland, Michigan.