| the Armed CONVENTICLE: T H E T R U E C H U R C H |
| COVENANTING: It is Biblical for nations to submit to God and publicly covenant with King Jesus: Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD, the king, and the people, that they should be the LORD's people... 2 Kings 11:17 Joshua made a covenant with the Gibeonites (Joshua 9). Hundreds of years later, after military leadership was replaced by judges and then kings, Saul broke the covenant and murdered the Gibeonites: Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, "It is because of Saul and his blood-thirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites. 2 Samuel 21:1 Neither the passage of time nor the change of political systems can set aside the obligations of a lawful national covenant. It is the testimony of the True Church that the Scottish National Covenant & the Solemn League & Covenant are binding on England, Scotland, Ireland & all nations that have rebeled against them. |
 |
| THE MARKS OF THE TRUE CHURCH There are really only two logical positions on the nature of the Church. The "High Church" (Papists, Greeks, etc.) tell us that we cannot even understand the Bible without the True Church to explain it. Traditions are thus needed; it is the Church, we are told, that compiled the Bible. The trouble with this view is that no immutable Church exists. In spite of their arrogant pretentions, Romanists, "Orthodox", Copts etc. all have changed their doctrine & practice significantly throughout history. In addition, the seeker has no objective method to choose between these conflicting traditions. The moment the Scriptures are invoked to support one high communion over another, it must be admitted that the Bible defines the Church after all. This, of course, is the original "Protestant" contention: "These... searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." Acts 17:11 If unconverted Jews were allowed to judge the Apostle Paul's teaching by Scripture, who will take this right of judgement from ordinary believers who must judge mere pastors? Between the puritan protestants and the high churches you find the bulk of professing Christendom: irrational pseudo-protestants or "evangelicals". These brag about their Bible-believing status, yet rush to whore themselves with the holidays, human litergies, organs, icons and ministerial hierarchies of the high church. The choice is clear: God's Word or mans' - the bible or tradition. Yet all churches today persist in their unfounded mixtures of the two. It is, then, the Bible that can define for us the True Church, and not vice versa. The best summary of the Bible's teachings was prepared by the Westminster Assembly in the 1640s. These godly men produced a Confession of Faith, Larger & Shorter Catechisms, Directory for Publick Worship, Form of Presbyterial Church Government, etc. - all quite clearly founded on the Holy Bible. We will gladly join with any Church that faithfully adheres to these sound documents. The faithful presbyterians have also left us a Short Directory for Religious Societies. This tells us how to hold meetings for prayer, study and worship - even if we do not have a faithful church to attend. We will send out copies of the Short Directory for the nominal cost of 4.00 U.S. |
| I N V I S I B I L I T Y OF THE TRUE C H U R C H : Contrary to popular misconception, the true "Church" is neither a building nor an institution; there are worse things than being in the cave with Elijah! Our controversy turns on these hinges: first, they [the papists] contend that the form of the church is always appearent and observable. Secondly, they set this form in the see of the Roman Church and its hierarchy. We, on the contrary, affirm that the church can exist without any visible appearence... - John Calvin He cannot be said to break the unity of the church and incur the crime of schism who without the consent of a society withdraws from the doctrine and worship received in that society. True union does not consist in errors and false worship, however common and by long use received; - Francis Turretin ...the perpituity of the Church does not involve the continued existence of any visible organized body professing the true religion, and furnished with regular pastors. ...the Church might exist, and at times has existed in scattered believers. - Charles Hodge Elijah: ...I have been very vealous for the LORD God of hosts, because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life. God: Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal... 1 Kings 19:14,18 |
|