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LATEST MAGAZINE ISSUE

WESTMINSTER MAGAZINE
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VOLUME
5
ISSUE
1

The Christian Citizen

Written

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Westminster Theological Seminary

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01
January

Westminster Theological Seminary: A prayer of praise and petition

By

Cornelius Van Til

ARTICLE

This prayer was made by Dr. Cornelius Van Til at the groundbreaking held on March 19, 1974 to mark the beginning of construction on Westminster's new classroom and chapel building. At that time, neither Dr. Van Til nor anyone else knew that the Trustees would name the building Van Til Hall.

Now less than a year later Van Til Hall is finished. A chapel service on January 20,1975 was its first use. Formal dedication, in connection with the annual Alumni Homecoming, will be held on February 13, 1975.

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O Lord our God, thou art very great. Thou coverest thyself with light as with a garment; thou stretchest out the heavens like a curtain; thou makest the clouds thy chariot; thou walkest upon the wings of the wind. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy riches.

We confess now that thy creatures have abused thy gifts to us. We have held the truth in unrighteousness, and thou hast given us over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient. We have changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator who is blessed forever.

But thou, our Father and our God, didst send thine only Son into the world, that whoever should believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life. And thou, O Son of God, our Savior, hast sought us in our blood. When there was neither form nor comeliness upon us, thou hast sought us; thou hast said unto us that we should live, and we do live and shall live forever in the presence of him who is the Prince of life, who has brought life and immortality to light.

And thou, O Spirit divine, dost take the things of Christ and give them unto us. Thou hast enabled us to be born of God, born from above. O thou triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit, we have broken the covenant which thou didst make with us. We deserve to be cast forth from thy presence into the place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. But thou dost blot out as with a thick cloud our transgressions, and as with a cloud our sins.

In Christ Jesus thou hast made us to be true prophets, true priests, and true kings. Thou hast given us a nail in the holy place. Thou hast given us a name and a place in the church which thou art gathering for thyself from every nation and kindred and tribe. Thou hast told us to go forth teaching all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe whatsoever thou didst command us. Thou hast promised to be with us always, even unto the end of the world.

And at this place, thou hast assigned to us the task to prepare those who should go out into the world of darkness and corruption and death, with the message of redemption, of light, of purity, and of life.

In thy name and in thy strength we have begun that work. Through the building about to be erected we would expand that work. We would prepare more men to be ministers of the gospel and teachers of the faith. Thy people, burdened with the fate of the lost, are making this expansion possible. Thou hast given unto the hearts of thy people a willingness to sacrifice. For this we all do praise thy name.

May the church of Jesus Christ—if thou our Savior dost tarry—profit greatly from this expansion program. Do thou direct those who direct the construction of this building. May there be no accident in the work.

And then, O Christ, thou King of the church, give all of us who have responsibilities in relation to the work of Westminster Theological Seminary, and those who will have responsibilities for it in days to come, at this time of expansion, to realize as never before that “the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, a God, thou wilt not despise.”

May the church of Jesus Christ, in days to come, look to this institution for able ministers of the new testament, who will rightly divide the word of truth.

May those who go forth from this place not be afraid of the wisdom of this world. For after that the world by its wisdom knew not God, it pleased God through the foolishness of preaching to save those that believe.

May those who go forth from this place lead thy people, the people of the new covenant church of God, in saying: “But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory.”

May the weapons of this warfare not be carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

Teach us all, if we live in the Spirit, also to walk in the Spirit. Forbid it, Lord, that we should glory in ought that we are doing now or ever; may we glory only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to us and we to the world.

Teach us all to be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and thanksgiving to make our requests known unto God. May the peace of God that passeth all understanding keep our minds through Christ.

May we all soon be able to say with thy servant Paul, "l know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. There is laid up for me and for all those who love his appearing a crown of righteousness which he the righteous Judge will give." May "that day," the day when we shall truly be thy people and thou wilt truly be our God, soon come.

As the apostles lifted up their eyes to heaven when thou didst ascend from their midst into the glory which thou hadst with the Father before the foundation of the world, so may thy church lift up its heart to thee, saying, "Come Lord Jesus, come quickly." And the whilst that we too, at this place, abide thy coming, may we not add to nor subtract from the Word which thou hast given us, but teach it in its purity to young men who shall in tum be able to teach others also.

In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Notes

Cornelius Van Til

Cornelius Van Til (1895-1987) served as Professor of Apologetics at Westminster Seminary until 1975. His work in presuppositional apologetics remains a hallmark of our institution.

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