Aber 09 5

Joel Beeke's final message was aimed especially at young people and was on contagious and consistent integrity from Daniel 1. It was one of the best of the messages I thought. He spoke of Daniel's resolution (1:8) trial (1:14) and perseverance (1:21) making several good points regarding what integrity is, how to face temptation, the need not to be Babylonised and witness (you are the Bible they read).

He said that worldliness is the opposite of the Reformed idea of living in coram deo. It is turning your back on God and living without him. It is practical atheism. It is to put profit, pleasure and position first. Worldliness is interested in going forward rather than upward, in the outward rather than the inward.

What a privilege it has been to sit under this godly man's ministry this week. He has now left for Korea where he is speaking at a large ministers conference in Seoul.

In the evening Andrew Davies gave a fine evangelistic address from Romans 10 speaking of the voice of law, of faith (in conviction, confession and the comfort of justification and regeneration) and the Word itself, which urges us to go to Christ. He passed on that statement from J C Ryle that says of Daniel Rowland "He used also often to say, that a self-righteous legal spirit in man was like his shirt, a garment which he puts on first, and puts off last."

So very quickly, it seems, another conference is over for another year. It was good to have fellowship back here with our friends Keith and Janice Hoare and with Owen Milton and his wife Dilys. Lovely meeting so many but no chance to talk to most.