Newspaper Page Text
24 T]
A PRESBYTERIAN PRINCESS BAP,
" TIZED.
The baptism of Princess Juliana, of
Tiolland,. took place Saturday afternoon,
June; 5, at Willemskirk, The Hague,
Quean Wilhelmina and Prince
Henry proceeded to the church,
and were received by the Grand Master
of Ceremonies and a committee of high
dignitaries of the Netherland Reformed
Church. Her Royal Highness, the baby
Princess, came in an enormous State
coach, white with gilt panels?a very remarkable
vehicle, indeed?drawn by six
horses.
Though Saturday was chosen when the
pomp of military escorts and the entertaining
of a large number of guests were
more in place than on a Sunday, the ceremony
itself preserved a strictly religious
character. The Church of Holland
is Presbyterian; and the utmost care
was taken to preserve the old usages associated
with baptism since Reformation
days. The ceremony took place in the
"SVillem's Church, in one of the parks.
The officiating minister, Rev. Dr. Gerret
son, in his Geneva gown and bands, met
the Queen and the Prince at the church
door, and conducted them to the seats
in front of the pulpit, where all the family
relatives were already assembled.
The congregation sang a few verses of a
Pen 1 in in tho clow on/i efnfnlv n n?
- " ?v W?v .. UlAV* DIUtVIJ VliCfeUUttll
fashion almost universal in Holland, and
the Court Preacher, affer prayer, entered
on a siinpla, but impressive exposition
of the rite and of the duties of parents,
especially those in high station.
Some ten minutes sufficed for this address,
when the baby Princess was
brought in by the Chief Lady-in-Waiting
and the Chamberlain. At this point the
Formula of baptism was read by the minister.
The exact words were taken from
the Dutch Order of Service, and they set
forth a doctrine of baptism familiar to
all Presbyterians?a doctrine that lays
emphasis on the Covenants.
The congregational singing of the
Psalms must have surprised the Roman
Catholics who heard it for the first time.
Hearty and intense, it rolled in great
volumes of sound through the huge VVillem's
Church, and scarcely needed the
organ accompaniment.. A trained choir,
the "Excelsior," sang hymns at intervals;
but it was the congregational praise
that was most characteristic and expressive.
If the courtiers are to be credited,
Queen Wiihelmina was deeply interested
in all these details, and attached much
importance to them. With her the rite
will be no empty form, and we may be
sure she will make a reality of that religious
training which she now promises
so faithfully to give her child.
An interesting point about the ceremony
was the formal presentation by
the kirk session of a New Testament,
with Psalms, to the Prince on behalf of
his daughter.
Rev. Dr. Gerretson, the new Court
preacher, acquitted himself of his difficult
task with dignity and good taste.
The idea of the Queen's responsibility
? -
,r r
HE PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SOU!
seemed to be uppermost in his mind, but t
he laid great emphasis on the grace and 1
guidance promised to believing parents,
and he dwelt on the enormous influence t
which a Sovereign's family necessarily r
exeits over the whole nation. He is said c
to be a great favorite at Court. An en- (
thusiastic Evangelical, he has been a
nominated Court preacher at an early 1
age?he is not yet forty?owing to the f
fact that both the Queen and the Queen- e
oiuvuer nuia strongly Dy a Calvinism that r
is cultured and sympathetic. . t
The zeal with which her Majesty has '
entered into the preparation for all the
details, and her express retention of the B
historic formulary intact, prove very 1
clearly the line that the House of Orange 1
mean to pursue in the doctrinal training
of the young Princess.
s
Here is a brief outline of this formu- (
lary, v/hich is attached to the Heidelberg ^
Catechism in Dutch, and is in constant
use.
c
The doctrine of baptism embraces r
throo nrlnnJr?l/>o T ?- - ?*4 *
^..uv.iiico?x. x u<il iw wnn our j
children are conceived and torn in sin; (
this is signified by the dipping or sprink- j
ling the child ?/itl\ water whereby the
uncleanliness of our souls is set forth to .
us. II. Ba-ptlsm doth signify and seal c
the washing away of our sins through t
Jesus Christ. When we are baptised in
the name of the Father, God the Father
doth witness unto us that he hath entered *
into an everlasting covenant of grace j
with us. When we are baptised in the c
name of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ
doth seal unto us that He washeth in j
His blood from all our sins. When we E
are baptised in the name of the Holy j
Ghost the Holy Spirit doth assure us that r
He will dwell with us and sanctify us to j
be members of Christ. III. Forasmuch
as all covenants consist of two corresponding
parts, ve are admonished by
baptism of our obligation, to cleave to
the one God, trust Him and love Him, to
forsake the world, crucify the flesh, and 1
walk in newness of life. And if throueh 1
w I]
weakness we fall Into sin we must not c
despair of God's mercy, nor continue in
sin, but consider that baptism is a sign
and seal of our everlasting covenant 8
with God.
a
And although our children understand d
not these things, yet they may not be ex- t
eluded for that reason from baptism. e
For as they are without their knowledge
partakers of the condemnation through ^
Adam, so are they again received to '
mercy through Christ, as God speaks to c
A A V ~ * "
nuiaimui luc r uluci oi all tile laltUfUl, ^
and consequently to us and to our cbildren,
saying?"I will establish My cove- .
nant between Me and thee, and thy seed R
after thee in their generations, for an ^
everlasting covenant to be a God unto j
thee and thy seed after thee."
Since then baptism is put in the place u
of circumcision, infants are to be bap- v
tised as heirs of the kingdom of God,
and parents are admonished to instruct \
their childrerl in these things when they jj
are come to years of discretion. tl
The definitely Protestant character of a
*H. July 7, igog.
his "formula" is noteworthy, but no
ess so is what immediately follows.
The child is then given to the mother
o hold during the administration of the
ite. *The minister does not take the
hild, as is the custom in the Anglican
church. The ordinance is observed just
,S in Presbvtfirinn phtiwhoo ?
? ? iu OtVlIrtllU,
relan'd, and the Colonies, except for the 1
act that the child remains in the mothn-'s
arms. But father and mother alike
nake a declaration of faith, and promise
o train the child in the principles of the
aith.
The formulary stipulates that there
ihall he three questions put in the folowing
order to be answered by an audltle
"Yes."
1. Do you acknowledge that, although
tur children are born in sin, yet they
ire sanctified in Christ, and therefore as
nembers of His church ought to be bapised?
2. Do you acknowledge tlie doctrine
ontained in the Old and New Testauents
and the articles of the Christian
til iu wmcn is taught in Christian
liurches here to b? the ti*ue and perfect
loctrine of salvation?
3. Do you promise and intend to the
ittermost of your power to have your
hild when she comes to years of dlscreion
instructed and brought up in the
iforesaid doctrine?
Then in baptising, the minister of the
Vord of God shall say?"I baptize thee
n the name of the Father and of the
?on and of the Holy Ghost."
Of course, the Heidelberg Catechism
s the manual of doctrine referred to,
ind it" is to that symbol that the Dutch
'.oyal Family have on Saturday once
nore given their solemn adhesion.?
Jelfast Witness.
FOREIGN MISSION COMMITTEE'S
DOTS AND DASHES.
Three thousand six hundred and thiry-four
dollars and twenty-two cents of
he $10,000 needed for the Graybill Me
L.uuai buuuui nas Deen received. The
Junday school at Remedios, Cuba, sends
3, and the Caibarien (Cuba) Sunday
chool, $3.60 for the school. With such
xamples of liberality, $10,000 should be
in insignificant amount for our Sunlay
schools to contribute. Now is the
ime to save the boys of Mexico if we
ver expect to. Have you helped?
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ave $2,500 for a much-needed school,
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