                                   T H E S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

wereld zeker niet meer antwoorden met het eeuwig-~ schelijke  inttitie -met eenige zekerheid een antwoord
vaste : "Er is geschreven !" Want juist dat geschre- zal kunnen geven op deze vragen en dat we in den
vene is dan menschelijk en onderhevig  aan de kritiek weg, waarin Dr. U. ons wil voeren, geen Schrift  over-
van menschelijke  intui'tie.                                houden. Zelfs wil ik gaarne aannemen, dat Dr. U. het
   Laat Dr. U. zeIf  maar eens eerlijk de proef op de zelf niet zoo  bedoelt.  De ernst, die hij  overal  in zijn
som stellen  en zien of zijn rekening uitkomt: door men- boek openbaart, noopt  mij om dit te schrijven. Tech is
schelijke intui'tie  kunnen wij in een menschelijke, ge- het mij onmogelijk, om mij het einde van den weg,
brekkige Schrift Gods Woord zuiver hooren en in ons waarop Dr. U. zijn voet heeft gezet, anders voor te stel-
opnemen. Laat hem een antwoord geven op deze zeer Ien. Het is de weg van het breidelooze subjectivisme.
concreete  vragen. Behoort het verhaal van de schep-` En het einde van dien weg is ongeloof.
ping tot de menschelijke vorm of tot den Goddelijken           Ook behoeven we ons  niet  te beperken tot een ver-
inhoud ; ik bedoel,  het verhaal zooals het ens in Genesis onderstellen van mogelijkheden, tot een stellen van de
1 en 2 geboden wordt en in dien vorm? Is er ooit een proef op de som van Dr. U., om te  weten, waar het
Paradijs geweest, met werkelijke boomen,  een werke-        heengaat in den weg, door hem ons gewezen. In Maart
Iijke slang, die werkelijk sprak tot een  werkehj  ke van dit jaar heeft Emil  Brmmer,  professor  aan de  uni-
vrouw, die werkelijk de moeder aller levenden is ge- versiteit te Zurich, die behoort tot de school van Karl
weest; of is dit  alles inkleeding  in voorstellingsvormen, Barth, en die soortgelijke beschouwing van de  Heilige
die destijds leefden in de  harten  van nog onontwikkel-    S&rift en Gods Woord ons biedt als die van Dr. U.,
de menschen  ? Is er  een werkelijke zondvloed geweest onderscheidene lezingen gehouden, op verzoek van de
en heeft God werkelijk met  Noach gesproken, hem tot "University of London" in King's College en op andere
in bijzonderheden onderwijzende aangaande het  bou- plaatsen in  Groat  Brittanje. Deze lezingen zijn uitge-
wen van de ark ; en is toen werkelijk heel het mensche-     geven in boekvorm onder den titel "The Word and the
lijk geslacht op acht zielen  na vergaan in den vloed? World." En daarin schrijft hij over de  HeiIige Schrift
Is Abraham werkelijk door God geroepen uit Ur der. onder meer het volgende:
Chaldeen  en heeft God  werkelijk op ganseh bijzondere         "Now, after the earthquake is over, we stand be-
wijze met hem gesproken van Zijn Verbond? Is de fore the ruined city, and gather what is left. Recon-
openbaring van Jehova  aan  Mazes  in den brandenden struction seems excluded. We cannot go back. The
en niet verterenden braambosch werkelijkheid, of  be- Biblical world-view, cosmological and historical, has
hoort dit verhaal als zoodanig tot den menschelijken gone for good. We know that the world was not created
vorm en de historische inkleeding? Heeft God werke-         a few thousand years ago, but that we have to reckon
Iijk door tien machtige wonderwerken, op de wijze, with billions of years, and even so do not reach the
waarop ze ons  worden geteekend in Exodus, Zijn volk end. We know that the history of our earth, although
uit Egypte verlost, of  moeten we ook die  -wonderen        counting its millions of years, is one of recent events
rekenen tot de'  gebrekkige  en Ieugenachtige  mensche-     in world-history. It is well-grounded hypothesis that
lijke voorstelling,  waaruit we door onze geestelijke in- a more or less continuous pedigree traces the origins
tui'tie zelf den Goddelijken inhoud moeten distilleeren ? of humanity far back into the animal sphere  ; we know..
Is de brandende en rookende Horeb werkelijkheid of that there never was a paradise on earth with Adam
slechts menschelijke verbeeldingsvorm geweest ? Heeft and Eve and the serpent; we know that most of the
het water uit de steenrots gevloeid, die volgde, en was Old Testament pre-history is mythology, not history,
die steenrots werkelijk Christus? Heeft God werkeiijk and that there is no unbroken chain of witnesses from
op die wonderlijke wijze, die ons in het boek Jozua Adam and Noah to Christ. But more, the picture of the
wordt beschreven,  aan Israel het land Kanaan gegeven, New Testament history too has undergone profound
of behoort het verhaal daarvan ook tot de mensche-          changes ; we have come to see the important difference
lijke inkleeding? Hoe moeten  we ons de verhalen aan- between the Synoptic, the Pauline and the Johannine
gaande Simson voorstellen,  ' aangaande Gideon ? aan- tradition. We have learnt that from the standpoint of
gaande Elia en Elisa ? aangaande Jona in den visch ? history, the Fourth Gospel, as compared with the
En eindelijk, hoe te denken  over de wondere ontvange-      Synoptics,  is much inferior, and even the Synoptic
nis en geboorte van onzen  Heere Jezus Christus? Is tradition is very unreliable. In a word, everything
er werkelijk een maagd zwanger geworden door de seems to be destroyed by science. How shall we be
overschaduwing van de kracht des Allerhoogsten,  of able to speak of Bible authority, of the Bible as God's
behoort dit alles tot het gebrekkige van de mensche-        Word, after our critical reason has torn it to pieces in
lij ke voorstelling ?                                       such fashion and made it like the rest of history?"
    Versta mij  niet verkeerd. Het is verre van mij, om        En, nadat Brunner op deze wijze de Schrift aan
te zeggen, dat op al deze vragen en vele dergehjke Dr. flarden heeft gescheurd, zoodat er van haar  betrouw-
U. zou antwoorden, dat de verhaIen  der Schrift aan- baarheid  schier  niets is overgebleven; en nadat hij,
gaande deze heilsfeiten moeten worden-.beschouwd  als even daarna  tech heeft geschreven: "Either Christian
behoorende tot den vorm, die menschelijk en gebrekkig faith is BiblicaI faith or it is nothing," gaat hij voort
is. Het eenigste, dat ik wil beweren, is, dat geen men- en  tracht hij  tech Gods Woord in dezen verwoesten


 440                                  THE  S T A N D A R D   BE-ARE&?
-__..--                                                 ._---  ..-
                                           .IC                                     1:  -.
Bijbel nog te redden, op dezelfde  wijze,.als  waarop  oak
Dr. U. het voorstelt:                                                                Our'Church Order
    *`What then  has been destroyed? We answer: noth-
ing of importance. Nothing except what  had to be                                              Art.  2. The offices are of four kinds: of
                                                                                             the Ministers of the Word, of the Profes-
destroyed for the sake of faith, namely, the divine                                          sors of  Theo!ogy,  of the Elders and of the
authority of what was really human. Nothing except                                           Deacons.
(to use once more Luther's picture) the false idea that
the crib, in which Christ is laid, is Christ Himself and                 This article speaks of four distinct offices: that of
therefore has a claim to the same authority for faith. the ministers of the Word; of the Professors of The-
This identification of human witness and divine revela- ology, of the Elders and of the Deacons. Scripture,
tion is destroyed for good . . . .                                   such is the Reformed conviction, speaks of but three.
    "If we hold fast to this truth that the Word of God Article 18 of the Confession sets out: "We believe that
is given to us only in human, questionable form, it is the ministers of God's Word, and the elders and dea-
a matter of course, that Biblical criticism and Biblc- cons, ought to be chosen . . . . "
faith or Bible authority, not only are reconcilable, but                 Is the Church Order in error on this point? Some
necessarily go together."                                            maintain it is. So Joh. Jansen: "Zooals dit artikel nog
    In die  richting voert  ens de voorstelling van Dr. U. steeds luidt is het dan ook in lijnrechten strijd met art.
onverbiddelijk. Hij kan er nimmer  aan ontkomen. En SO der Geloofsbelijdenis . . T . "
dit is nog met het einde van dezen weg. Want ook                         Others are of the opinion that the article in ques-
Brunner  zal binnen  niet al te langen tijd moeten  erva-            tion if properly explained turns out to be sound enough
ren, dat hij hier niet kan blijven staan, dat zijn stand-            and need not therefore be changed. So Prof. Heyns:
punt onhoudbaar is. Hij zal ten slotte moeten  erken-                "Al houden wij ens dus overtuigd, dat er slechts van
nen, dat de menschelijke leugen geen drager kan zijn drie&lei  kerkelijk ambt kan gesproken worden,  in over-
van de Goddelijke waarheid, dat de duisternis geen ge- eenstemming met het  drieerlei  ambt van Christus, is er
tuigenis kan afleggen aangaande het  Iicht. En dit zal tech geen noodzaak om het &erderZei  Diem&n te ver-
hem dwingen in de eene of in de andere richting, terug anderen in drieerlei  ambten . . . . " What is supposed
naar  de waarheid van een betrouwbare  Schrift, of to remove this need is the fact that the Church Order
voort naar den afgrond van het volslagen ongeloof.                   uses the term ofice in a general sense and thus not
               -.                                                    exclusively as the signification of the church offices
                                                       H. H.    I    (the office of minister of the word, of elder and of
                                                                     deacon). So it is that the Church Order speaks of the
                                                                     office of president (of the church assemblies ; classis
                                                                     and synod, art. 85) as well as it speaks of the office
                                                                     of elder.
                     BEKENDMAKING                                       This reasoning raises questions it cannot answer,
   De FieId Day van de Protestantsche Gereformeer-                   namely, why article 2 enumerates but four offices and
de Kerken zal  wordcn gehouden  op den  4den  Juli in why exactly these four.
Franklin Park te Grand Rapids, Mich.                                    Let us now lay hold on the meaning of this article.
   Het program zal des morgens om 10 uur aanvan-                     It can be shown that it has, can have, but one meaning.
                                                                     The dispute turns upon the office of the professors of
g e n .                                                              theology. The question here is what this name signi-
   Ververschingen en koffie zullen verkrijgbaar zijn in fies, a church or a school office. If the latter, the
de cantine.  Breng uw eigcn kopjes mede.          *                  question arises whether the view that circulates
   Voor ,een goed  program is zorg gedragen. En we through this article is that there are four distinct
hopen  dat  velen van ons  volk met hunne vrienden van church offices, that is, whether the office of doctor is a
hier en elders zullen komen in Franklin Park, opdat distinct church office co-ordinate with the office of
                                                                     minister of the gospel, the office of elder and the office
we een aangename en gezellige en leerrijke dag metel- of deacon.
kander mogen doorbrengen.                                               What does professor of theology. signify? And the
   De opbrengst is bestemd  voor The Standard Bearer. answer : a church  oflice.                         Such is the witness that
                                                                     comes to us first of all from the article itself. The
                                                                     Latin text literally translated reads : Offices are four :
                                                                     of the ministers of the word, of the doctors, teachers,
                                                                     professors of theology, of the elders, of the deacons.
               DE WARE SCHATTING                                     The clause:  O&es  chre four must signify a class of
                                                                     offices of the same kind. This class cannot include all
   Hoe hooger de mensch in de genade gestegen is, the offices mentioned in the church Order or all the
des  te lager zal hij staan in zijne eigene schatting.               offices in the church for the article enumerates but


                                     T H E   ..STANDARD   B E A R E R                                                     441
_ ._ -....   - -  
                  ..-.    __... -       .._ ^--... - _-..-    -     -                                    "-_-..-  .._
four. It is certain that its framers had before their              struction of the &hole church.       It may sometimes
mind a class of four offices. This class must have a happen, that the same person is both a pastor and a
name common to each member of the class. This name teacher, but the duties to be performed are entirely
cannot he  scliool  of@e for the reason that the office of different."
minister of the gospel, of older and of deacon cannot                    Consider, further, the following excerpt from Cal-
be anything else but church olilces.                               vin's Irwtitutie  : "Hierop  volgen de herders en leeraars,
   To give therefore to this class the name of schoaZ              die de kerk nimmer ontberen kan ; tusschen welke,
o.fice  would be to exclude from the class the first three         naar mijn inzien, dit onderscheid is, dat de leeraars de
offices enumerated. So then, whereas the first three oefening der tucht, de bediening der Sacramenten, als-
cannot be anything else but church offices and whereas ook het doen  van vermaningen en opwekkingen niet is
the article classifies the  ofice of professor with church aanbevolen, maar allen de uitlegging der S&rift, opdat
offices, it follows that the  o#kc of professor  of theology de rechte en gezonde leer onder de geloovigen mocht
is according to the conception of the framers of article behouden worden. Maar het ambt der herders behelst
two a church ofice,  and that the only name that be- in zich al deze zaken."
comes the class is the name church ofice. So then, the                   The first matter to be settled is: does the name
only meaning the introductory clause, "the offices are teacher as Calvin used it signify an office identical to
four (in number) can possibly have is: the church the office of our professors of theology? It is evident
offices are four in number.                                        that it does. For according to Calvin the task of the
    To maintain then that the word oficcs~in  the afore- teacher is to educate the pastors and the whole church.
said clause means  ofices  in general and that it should This we of today too hold to be the task of. the pro-
therefore be made to read, "The o#i~es  &n general  are fessors in theology.
four in number is to place it at variance with itself                    The next question to be faced is whether according
for the reason that the offices in general are more than to Calvin the office of professor of theology is a church
four. As was said, the only permissible view is that               office. Again it is evident that such is his view. For
the framers of this article meant to enumerate a num- he at least partly agrees with Chrysostom and August-
ber of offices belonging to the same class, and this class ine that pastors and teachers belong to the same class.
was thought of by our church- fathers as having a Now the offices he delineates upon are those mentioned
name, and the only name that will do here is the name in Eph. 2:4, so that the class of offices he had before
Church  ofice.                                     gy&?            ,his mind is the class of church offices. Whereas in this
    In article 2 of the Church Order the office of pro- class he placed the office of professor of theology, it
fessors of theology is ranked with the other three follows that he took this office to be a church office.
church  offices so that according to the view coming to This view of Calvin is sound. It is the view that found
the surface in this article the aforesaid office is a its way into the Church Order.
church office even in the narrow sense.
    The witness coming to us from- the article as such                   Let us now face the question whether the view that
agrees with external testimony. The framers of our comes to the surface in article 2 is that the church
Church Order were disciples of Calvin and Calvin offices are four in number. Whereas the framers of
taught that the office of doctors (teachers) is a church this article thought of the office of professors of the-
office. This is evident from his commentary on Eph. ology as being a church office, the. view that there are
4:l.l:                                                             four distinct church offices is the only view that can be
           "Pastors and teachers are supposed by some to
denote one office, because  t.he apostle does not, as in the gotten out of the aforesaid article.
other parts of the verse, say, and some, pastors; and                    Today the accepted view. among Reformed theo-
some teachers; . . . . I partly agree with. them logians is that the number of church offices is not four
(Chrysostom and Augustine), that Paul speaks in- but three: that of the n&ister of the Gospel, of the
discriminately of pastors and teachers as belonging to elder, and of the deacon. This variation between the
one and the same class, and that the name teacher does, accepted view and the view that comes to the surface
to some extent, apply to all pastors. But this does not in article 2 finds its explanation in the fact that as is
appear to me a sufhcient reason why two offices, which evident from his commentary on Eph.  49 Calvin and
I find to differ from each other, should be confounded. with him his early disciples regarded in distinction
Teaching is, no doubt, the duty of the pastors ; but to            from present day Reformed theologians the office of
maintain sound doctrine requires a talent for inter- the ministers of the gospel and that of the professors
preting Scripture, and a man may be a teacher who is of theology as being two disparate offices. He based
not qualified to preach.                                           his view on Eph. 4 :2 : "And he gave some . . .' pastors
    "Pastors, in my opinion, are those who have the and teachers." Attend once more to his commentary
charge of a particular flock ; though I have no objection on this Scripture: "Pastors. and teachers are supposed
to their receiving the name of teachers, `if it be under-          by some to denote one  of&e,  because the apostle does
stood that there is a distinct class of teachers, who not, as in other parts of the verse, say, some pastors
preside both in the education of pastors and in the  in- and some teachers . . . . But this does not appear to


442                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D  B~E_ARER  ,.
_--- ..-- _.......---_..  ---_"-^-  -... __II~ -..-                          .I                                -._---
me a  sticient reason why two offices, which I find 4:li, our  profe&ors"  of theology) ;  (b) the ordinary
differ from each other, should be confounded.`*     3         teachers, the pastors of- Eph. 4:11, to whom he also
   According to Calvin the pastors were the ordinary gave the name of op&ners, ouderlingeq  and dicnaa.rs;
ministers of the word vested with  an office distinct         (c) the ruIers  proper, the kuberneeseis of I Car. 12:
from that of teacher. The teacher, so this Reformer 28, to whom he gave the name of elder; (d) the dea-
taught, denotes a class of persons whose sole duty is to cons, the helps of Rom. 12:7.'
expound the Scriptures and to vindicate sound doctrine           As was said, this view of the common (church)
against heresies and error. As to the specific task of offices was taken up by the Church Order and finds ex-
the ministers of the gospel, it consists not so much in pression in the second article.
expounding Scripture as in preaching the gospel and              What to think of the above conception? The view
in admonishing. Calvin, it is plain, taught two classes that the church has, must have, besides ministers of the
of teachers each vested with an office distinct from that word, its teachers, men devoted to the task of training
of the other. In addition to these, he discovered in the others for the ministry of the Word, the view further
New Testament two more distinct offices, that of the that the office these teachers bear is a church office,
elders and that of the deacons. The rulers of I Cor.          reposes on solid ground. The teachers of Eph. 4 :I1
12:28,  so he held, were a class of persons vested with were in all likelihood teachers, shepherds of the flock.
an office differing from that of both the ministers of And in II Tim. 2 Timothy is admonished by the apostle
the word, the pastors, and of the teachers. This is to commit the things that he has heard from him to
evident enough from the  foIlowing  excerpt taken from faithful men,  who shall be able to teach others t-&o.
his Institutie,  book 3, p. 64: "Dat ik voorts hen die ge-    Meyers commentary  on this scripture reads:  "Paul
meenten besturen, zonder onderscheid den naam  gege- gathered around him pupils to whom he gave instruc-
ven heb van opzieners, ouderlingen, herders en die- tions in regard to their office; they, too, are to do the
naars (mark, that in this list the name leeraar  is not same; those chosen by them the same in their turn, etc.
found), dit heb ik gedaan overeenkomstig de gewoonte that in the church there may abide the stock of
der Schriftuur, die deze woorden van dezelfde perso-          apostolic men who will see to the propagation of pure
nen gebruikt . . . . Nu hebben wij hier op te merken, doctrine." It cannot be denied that Timothy is here
dat wij tot hiertoe alleen die verrichtingen vermeld enjoined to train men for the ministry of the Word.
hebben, die in de bediening des Woords gelegen zijn:          The exegesis of Meyers even goes a step farther. It
Paulus maakt in het vierde hoofdstuk van zijnen brief maintains J&at the others are not the congregation, the
aan de EfeziGrs, dat wij aangehaald hebben, ook van. hearers of-the gospel, but faithful men, teachers,
geen anderen gewag. Maar in zijnen brief aan de Ro- trained by Timothy to give instructions in turn to
meinen (12 5') en in zijnen eersten aan die van Corin- others in regard to the office of the ministry of the
the (12 :28)  maakt hij nog van andere melding, t. w., word.          This is the only meaning that the text  wilI
van krachten, de gave der gezondmakingen, de  uitleg-         yield. The adverb also means here in turn, rrWho  shall
ging; de regeering en de verzorging der armen.  Van be able to teach others in turn," so that the word  others
deze  ambtsverrichtiqgen  ga  ik. voorbij, welke alleen cannot be made to apply to the congregation without
voor eenen tijd  waren,  dewijl het de moeite niet  waar-     doing violence to the text.
dig is bij dezelve stil te staan. Doch  er zijn twee amb-        So, then, the apostolic church had its shepherds, its
ten die voortdurend stand houden, t. w., de regeering ministers of the word, and its teachers, its faithful
en de verzorging der armen. De regeerders zijn, naar men who compared with our professors of theology.
mijne gedachten, geweest de ouderlingen, uit het volk And the duties belonging also to this latter office are
verkoren, om met de opzizncrs  ,opzicht  uit te oefenen the duties of the church as institute. He vested with
over den wandel der leda en om de tucht te bedienen. the office of teacher (professor of theology) is, must
Want gij kunt andcrs niet verklaren hetgeen hij zegt will to be, the organ of the church through whom the
(Rom. 12 93) : Die regeert, die doe zulks met zorgvul-        institute engages in the scientific cultivation of the-
digheid. Zoo heeft  dan iedere gemeente van den aan- ology. This office, let me again  afErm, is ecclesi-
vang af haren raad gehad, te zamen gesteld uit god- astical. The first New Testament trainer of the mes-
zalige, achtbare en heilige  mannen, bij welke de  ma&t sengers of peace, was Jesus Christ Himself. After His
om  .van  de misdrijven kennis te nemen berustte, van ascension, He continued to train men for the gospel
welke wij hierna zullen spreken . . . . "                     ministry first through the agency of the apostles and
   This reasoning is plain. Calvin placed the office of their helpers, thereupon through the agency of the
ruler, that is, the office of the kuberneeseis of I Cor.      faithful men of II Tim. 2.
12 :28, in a class by itself. It was an office he thought        Christ, the apostles, Timothy, the  faithful  omen
of as being distinct from the office of pastor, the were office bearers through whom the church as insti-
ordinary  teacher, from the office of the special teacher, tute functioned. "If it is not thti business of the church
and, of course, from the office of deacon. Calvin, then, as institute to train men for the gospel ministry and to
held to a  class, of four common (church) offices : cultivate  the science of theofogy,  words have no mean-
(a) the office c  -1 special teachers (the teachers of Eph. ing.


                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   .BEARER                                                     443
         -    -       __---  .._.  _I__~   ..--_  -.              -.____-  -......-._-         "... .-._ - .._____..."
   So, then, Calvin's view that  the,church  must have those belonging to, the other. The two offices are one
its preachers and teachers, his view that the office of and the same.
teacher (doctors of theology) is a church office is           This office together with that of elder and that of
sound. It is the only view that Scripture will yield. the deacon comprise a class of three  ofiices. Contrary
However, Calvin's view that the office of preacher and to Calvin's view, the number of common offices are
that of doctor are two disparate offices is erroneous. three not four. The question arises whether this can
With few exceptions, Reformed theologians have main- be clearly proven from Scripture. It cannot if by proof
tained that Scripture does not authorize this view. The is meant the citation of a scripture that asserts: The
concensus of opinion among the aforesaid school of common offices are three in number. There is no such
theologians has been that the office of minister of the text. Yet it is certain that there can be but three
gospel and that of professors of theology is one and offices. Consider that there are  ofllces because Christ
the same, that the latter is an offspring of the former by His Spirit and His Word in conjunction with His
and that the duties belonging to the latter are all in- organs (the office bearers) perpetuates in His church
cluded in the former. The doctor, they said, is solely His very own office. And He, in the words of the Cate-
a servant of the Word, called to a special task. Both chism, is ordained of God the Father, and anointed
give instruction in the same doctrine, the one in the with the Holy Ghost to be our chief Prophet and
pulpit, the other in the school.    Therefore the Re- Teacher . . . . our only High Priest and our Eternal
formed Protestantism has always insisted that he, ap- King.. Hence we need look for only three common
pointed doctor in theology, be one vested with the office offices in Holy Writ. This is the prepossession with
of minister of the Word. An appointment of this kind which we approach the various New Testament Scrip-
does not involve the minister of the Word in the loss tures in which the names of these offices appear; These
of his honor and name.                                     scriptures make mention not of three but of divers
   That the two aforesaid offices are one is also the kinds of offices: (a) helps, I Cor. 12% ; (b) rulers, I
view coming to the surface in the Forms of Ordination Cor. 12  28 ; (c) pastors, Eph. 4  :11; (d) teachers, Eph.
and despite the assertion of article two, even in our 4  :11; (e) presiders (proistamenoi) , I Thess. 5  :12  ;
Church Order. Art. 16 of the Church Order has it that      (f) leaders, Heb.  133;  (g) supervisors, Acts 20:
the office of the*minister is among other things to con- 17 ; (h) elders, Phil. 1 :l. In all, eight different names.
tinue in the ministry of the Word. And the Form of Whereas there are but three distinct offices in the
Ordination of the ministers of God's Word defines his church it follows that the eight names signify not
task thus: "That they faithfully explain to their flock, eight but three distinct groups of office bearers and
the word of the Lord, revealed by the writings of the that some of these groups, bear more than one name.
prophets and the apostles; and apply the same as well It is evident from the surroundings of the text in
in general as in particular, to the edification of the which the name helps  appears, that this name signified
hearers ; instructing, admonishing, comforting and re- the deacons. The difference between the office they
proving, according to every ones need ; preaching re- bear and that with which the other office bearers are
pentance toward God,  and- reconciliation through him vested is so great that it (the office of deacon). must be
in Jesus Christ; and refuting with the Holy Scrip- placed in a class by itself. Of the elders it is to be ob-
tures, all schisms and heresies which are repugnant to served, that, in the language of the Form, the world,
the pure doctrine. All this is clearly signified to us in elder or eldest . . . . is applied to two sorts of per-
Holy Writ, for the apostle Paul saith, " . . . That a sons who minister in the church of Jesus Christ,; for
minister must hold fast the faithful Word of God, that the apostle saith: "the elders that rule well shall be
he may be able by sound doctrine, both to exhort and counted worthy of doubIe  honor, especially they who
convince the gainsayers."                                  labor in the word and doctrine. It is evident that
   The aforesaid tasks are both according to our there were two sorts of elders in the apostolic church,
Church Order and the Form of the Installation of Pro- the ministers of the Word and pastors and they who
fessors of Theology the very tasks belonging to the had the oversight over the church." Here the minister
office of professors. I quote: "The office of the Pro- of the word and the pastor is one and the same person-
fessor of theology is to expound the Holy Scripture and age and thus the office of minister and pastor  one
to vindicate sound doctrine against heresies and office. This, very plainly, is a commentary on Eph.
errors," Art. 18 of the Church Order. And the Form: $:ll. So, then, according to-the view of the writer of
"In behalf of our church the Curators charge thee, this Form, the pastor and teacher of Eph. 4 was one
esteemed brother, with the task of instructing and and the same person and the office he bore one and the
establishing in the knowledge of God's Word, the stu- same office. This without a doubt is the correct view.
dents who hope once to become minister in the church. The office of pastor and teacher then is another distinct
Expound to them the mysteries of the faith: caution office. The names remaining are: rulers, presiders,
them in regard to the errors and heresies of the old, leaders, supervisors or bishops, and elders. These five
but especially of the new day . . . . " It is clear that names must signify a single group of office bearers,
the duties belonging to the one office are identical to namely, the ruling elders.


444                                                    %'$I&B'i'ANDAkb   BIZARER
                 _".. m     .^.^         .--_lll___.^.--                                --                                 -".-^...".-
                                                         Y
       The office o-f pastor and teacher  is,held to be an off-.
spring of the office of ruling elder "so that originally                         `t Klokje  zuidt  Nbg. Waar Is
there were but two common offices in the apostolic                                              De Klepel?
church. The minister of the gospel, therefore, is at
once-a ruling elder. If the pastor and teacher of  Eph.                       Zoo nu en dan lazen  we in den laatsten tijd in de
4 :11 is one and the same person bearing a single office, Nederlandsche  bladen  iets over de internationale  ver-
Calvin's view that the office of minister and that of gadering van Calvinisten, die onder leiding van de
doctor are two distinct offices is without a ground.                       Sovereign Grace Union onlangs gehouden werd in
   As to article 2 of the Church Order, as the vehicle Londen, l3ngeland.
of the view that the office of professor of theology is a                     Ook verschillende vooraanstaande mannen  ondcr de
church office, it is sound ; but as the vehicle of the view Gereformeerden in Nederland  waren uitgenoodigd  om
that the common offices are four in number, it is in mede te werken tot het welslagen dier vergadering.
error. As was said, some think to exonerate the article                       Men was het er echter  in Nederland niet over eens
by averring that the term office in the introductory of het we1 geraden zou zijn om aan die uitnoodiging
clause is the signification not of church offices but of gehoor te geven. Aan den eenen kant juichte men de
offices in general. However, whereas the article postu- poging van de S. G. U. toe en vond men die conferentie
lates four offices, three of which are undeniably eccle- een kostelijke zaak. Dr. Grosheide betreurde het, dat
siastical, it follows that to so aver is equal to main- de eerste internationaIe  vergadering van Calvinisten in
taining that the view coming to' the surface in this Londen, niet in Nederland, werd gehouden. Dat had
article is that the office of doctor is non-ecclesiastical. best anders gekund,  meende hij. Hij is dan ook op die
The thing to do is to freely concede that in the afore- vergadering te Londen tegenwoordig geweest en heeft
said respect the article is in error. The question arises er gesproken, als we goed  zijn ingelicht. En hetzelfde
how the article could be improved upon. By placing in kan worden  gezegd van Dr. Hepp. Maar  aan de andere
the room of the word doctor (the original Latin text                       zijde betwijfelde men zeer of de weg, dien de S. G. U.
has doctor) the term professors of theology? This is insloeg  nu we1 de rechte  was om te komen tot een kern-
not necessary as I will show. Besides, even with this gezonde internationale vereeniging en samenwerking
change the article would still be in error.                        Others van Calvinisten. Zelfs werd dit met kracht bestreden,
recommend erasing the name and make the article dit laatste vooral door Dr. Van Lonkhuyzen en Ds. K.
read: the offices are three in number. But this would Schilder. Laatstgenoemde liet zoo nu en dan eens van
not do at al1 as only from this article does it plainly zich hooren in DC Reformatie  over deie zaak en waar-
appear that the office of professor of theology is the schuwde tegen de poging van de S. G. U. om op deze
offshoot, so to say, of the  Common  office of pastor and wijze te komen tot een Internationalen Bond van Calvi-
teacher. The article should be made to read thus: The &ten. Hij meende, dat de zaak weinig meer  beteeken-
offices are of three kinds: (1) of the ministers of the de dan een poging om uitbreiding te geven  aan de
Word and `of the doctors ; (2) of the elders ; (3) and S. G. U. en tevens, dat ze op deze wijze nooit in zuivere
of the deacons.  -                                            G. M. 0.     banen  zou  kunnen   worden  geleid. En zoo  nu en dan
                                              _- ~-                                                                         ~----~~~   -
                                                                           kwam mijn naam ook reeds om den hoek gluren, mede
                           CHURCH NEWS                                     om als bewijs te dienen, dat de zaak niet deugde. Dr.
                                                                           Van Lonkhuyzen  maakte op deze wijze reeds gebruik
                                     TriiS                                 van mijn naam. Ik was immers ook lid van de S. G. U. !
       Creston,  Grand Rapids, Mich: Cand. P. De Boer, `k Ben zelfs vice-president ! Zou dat niet genoeg moe-
Cand. M. Gritters, Cand. H. Kuiper.                                        ten zijn, om de Gereformeerde leiders in NederIand  ten
 Kalamazoo, Mich.: Cand. H. Kuiper, Cand. H. Veld-                         minste op hun hoede te doen  zijn tegen zulk eene be-
man, Rev. W. Verhil.                                                       weging? En zoo deed ook Ds. Schilder.
       Holland, Mich. : Cand. J. Vander Breggen, Cand. Ii.                    Het echt-kleinc  van zulk een argument springt in
Veldman, Rev. G. Vos.                                                      het oog.
       Oak Lawn, 111. : Cand. P. De Boer, Cand. M.* Grit-                     Maar  nu werd het nogal erger. Mijn  na,am stond
ters, Rev. W. Ver.hil.                                                     ook nog op het program van die internationale  verga-
       Pella, Iowa: Cand. P. De Boer, Cand. J. Vander dering van de S. G. U. ! Ik had het waarlijk niet kun-
Breggen, Cand. H. Veldman.                                                 nen helpen! Want ik wist er. niets van, dat men ook
       South Holland, Ill.: Rev. A. Cammenga, Cand. P. mij die eer had aangedaan. We1 had men mij meer-
De Boer, Cand. J. Vander Breggen.                                          malen  verzocht om op de jaarvergadering van de S. G.
                                    Extended                               U., die telkens in de maand Mei in Londen wordt gehou-
 Creston,  Grand Rapids,  Mich.:  Cand. P. De Boer. den, mijzelven te vertegenwoordigen, in  persoon  of
   Holland,  Mich.: Cand. H. Veldman.                                      schriftelijk,  maa? drukke bezigheden in eigen kring
   Kalamazoo, Mich., Rev. W. Verb.%                                        maakten dat  schier   onmogelijk.    Doch dat er iets van
   Oak Lawn, Ill.: Rev. W. Verhil.                                         mij verwacht werd voor heti  program van de interna-
       South Holland, Ill.: Cand. P. De Boer.                              tionale vergadering, was .meer dan ik wist. Het ver-


450                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                           -      -      ..----.-  -"-.*..--..                                                - _....--  _I_.-^^_-_
                                                                        Classis  with respect. to the questions Classis  demanded
  A Catechism On the History of  the:                                   the Consistory should ask of its pastor.
          Protestant Reformed' Churches                                    d.. That, therefore, the Consistory was guilty of
                                                                        insubordination with respect to the proper ecclesi-
                                X I I I                                 astical authorities.
                                                                           e. That by this act the Consistory, for the time
                DEPOSITION AND  SUSPENSION                              being, broke the connection with the Christian Re-
                    (Continued from p. 261)                             formed Church.
                                                                           f. That, for the time being until final determina-
       17. When was the final session of Classis Grand tion in the matter by Synod, the Consistory be denied
Rapids East held for the consideration of the case of all rights and privileges connected with the ecclesi-
Rev. H. Hoeksema ?                                                      astical connection of a Consistory in the Christian Re-
       On Dec. 12, 1924. In this session the pastor of the formed Church.
Eastern Ave. Christian Reformed Church was sus-                            21. What was done with respect to this report ?
pended from office, and his Consistory was deposed, or,                    First, a motion was made to adopt the advice re-
according to the phraseology of the Classis,  declared garding the suspension from office of Rev. H. Hoek-
to have broken all connection with the Christian Re- sema. Before the vote was taken  Classis  decided to
formed Churches and to have forfeited all rights and have a special prayer. The pastor of the Eastern Ave.
privileges belonging to such a consistory.                              Church kindly requested to be excused from the meet-
       18. How were the proceedings?                                    ing during this special prayer and left.
       The committee of advice in this matter first offered                22. Did the pastor have sufficient reasons for this
its report to Classis.                                                  action ?
       19? What advice did the committee have to offer?                     He offers the following :
       With respect to Rev. H. Hoeksema it advised the                     a. At the beginning of every session Classis  calls
Classis to declare, in substance, the following:                        upon God's Name for guidance and a blessing upon all
       a. That he, Rev. H. Hoeksema, in his answer to its transactions. This had taken place also at the be-
Classis on Thursday morning, Dec. 11, had evaded the ginning of that particular morning session. There
issue.                                                                  surely must be very special reasons for a Classis  to
       b. That in the afternoon-session of  Classis on the repeat this prayer. It can only be done when very
same day, he had refused to answer to the Classical special difficulties arise so that the  Classis  knows not
questions with an unequivocal yes or no.                                which way to turn.
       c. That he had definitely declared that he would                     b. It was, however, very evident that there were
not submit himself to the  Synodical  decisions in Te the no such special reasons. It was much rather a fore-
"Three Points."                                                         gone conclusion that the result of the vote that was
       d. That he had refused to promise that he would presently to be taken would be the suspension of Rev.
not openly teach, in preaching or writing, anything H. Hoeksema.  "  --~
repugnant to the "Three Points."                                            c. In that case the prayer of the Classis, it were to
       e. That, therefore, he was guilty of insubordina- be subjectively true before God, would necessarily have
tion with respect to the proper ecclesiastical author- to be, that the vote might show that the Rev. H. Hoek-
ities.                                                                  sema was suspended from office. In such a prayer the
       f. That, therefore, by his own act, he is for the pastor could not participate. It was the firm conviction
time being, suspended from his office.                                  of the pastor that the desire of the  Classis  was  cIearly
       g. That, for the time being and until  final de- contrary to the will of the Lord. And a prayer con-
termination in the case be made by Synod, he be denied trary to God's will is an ungodly prayer.
all the rights and privileges connected with the office                    d. Classis  had refused to discuss the case of Rev.
of a minister in the Christian Reformed Church.                         H. Hoeksema openly on the floor of the meeting. In-
       20. What was the advice of the committee with stead it had worked behind the screen through a com-
respect to the Consistory of the Eastern Ave. Christian mittee and with the advice of the Theological Faculty.
Reformed Church ?                                                       Only the conclusions of the committee, the result of
       In substance as follows: That the Classis  declare: deliberations in which the accused pastor had no part
       a. That the Consistory of the Eastern Ave. Chris- at all, were brought before the Classis.                      The pastor
tian Reformed Church had refused to carry out the felt that no seemingly pious prayer could take the
decision of Classis  with respect to the censure of three place of a proper procedure, nor make good a wrong
members of the Eastern Ave. Christian Reformed p r o c e d u r e .
Church.                                                                    e. The pastor was fully persuaded that the Classis
       b. That it had refused to maintain the decrees of understood full well, that  <they  could not suspend the
the Synod of 1924.                                                :I    pastor from office on the basis of any departure from
       c. That it had refused to follow up the decisions of the Scriptures or the Confessions.  Classis  had even


                                      T H E   S.TANDARD   B E A R E R                                                       451
- -... - .._                            -."-_- .._- -_l_l_                            _.._. -._- ---. ^l.lll_l_ -.... "-
refused to examine the pastor in the light of these and lucid that only the congregation through their Con;
according to their criterion. In other words, the pastor &story  can have the  .proper  authority to suspend a
was convinced that the Classis  knew that they could minister. Classis trampled this power of the Church
not properly and justly suspend the pastor from office. and this call of God under foot and assumed an author-
And, hence, the prayer of the  Classis  was repulsive to ity which it did in no wise possess. It is hierarchy to
the pastor, because he considered it an act of con- raise the authority of men above that of God Himself
summate hypocricy.                                              and to deny the autonomy of the local Church.
   f. Hence, the prayer of the pastor would be quite               28. Have you more proof?
in conflict with that of the Classis. Had the pastor led           Yes, in Art. 5 of the Church Order:
in that particular prayer, he would have asked the                 "The lawful calling of those who have not been
Lord, that He still might frustrate the plans of the previously in office, consists:
Classis and prevent the consummation of their unjust               "First, in the election by the Consistory and the-
and evil intentions.      There was, therefore, but one Deacons, after preceding prayers, with due obeserv-
course open to the pastor: to excuse himself from ante of the regulations established by the consistory
participation in that prayer and leave the gathering. for this purpose, and of the ecclesiastical ordinance,
And today, after six years have elapsed since that that only those can for the first time be called to the
meeting, he is more convinced than ever that it was Ministry of the Word who have been declared eligible
the only course for him to follow.                              by the church, according to the rule in this matter; and
   23. What was the outcome of the ballot that was furthermore with the. advice of the Classis  or of the
thereupon cast ?                                                counsellor  appointed for this purpose by the Classis ;
   Exactly as might be expected. The pastor of East-               "Secondly, in the  examination  both of doctrine and
ern Ave. was suspended by an almost unanimous vote. life, which shall be conducted by the  Classis,  to which
There was but one dissenting vote cast.                         the call must be submitted for approval, and which
   24. What was the next action of  Classis?                    shall take place in the presence of three Delegates' of
   Classis also accepted the advice of the committee to Synod from the nearest Classes  ;
declare that the Consistory of Eastern Ave, was guilty             "Thirdly, in the approbation by the members of the
of insubordination in respect to the proper ecclesi- calling church, when, the name of the minister having
astical authorities and, therefore, had broken the con- been announced for two successive Sundays, no lawful
nection with the Christian Reformed Church and for- objection arises ; which approbation, however, is not
feited all rights and privileges connected with such con- required in case the election takes place with the co-
nection of a Consistory in the Christian Reformed operation of the congregation by choosing out of a
Church.                                                         nomination previously made ;
   25. How must be judged of the action of .Classis                "Finally, in the public ordination in the presence of
with respect to the pastor and Consistory of the East- the congregation which shall take place with ap-
ern Ave. Christian Reformed Church from a Church-               propriate stipulations and interrogations, admonitions
political viewpoint  ?                                          and prayers and  impositionofhands  by the officiating
   That it is an act of Classical Hierarchy.                    minister (and by other ministers who. are present)
   26. Why is this your judgment?                               agreeably to the Form for that purpose."
   First of all, as far as the relation of Classis to the          It is very evident from this article, that it is the
pastor of Eastern Ave. is concerned, Classis had no congregation through its Consistory that calls a min-
right to call itself the "proper ecclesiastical author- ister. The Classis  merely advises and approves, ac-
ities." No Classis  can claim  authority  over any pastor cording to the bond of fellowship with the other
of a local congregation.                                        churches and the whole denomination into which the
    27. Can you prove this contention ?                         local congregation voluntarily entered. But there is
    Yes ; this is evident first of all from the Form of no mention in this article of any authority of the
Ordination of the Ministers  of the Word of God. Ac- Classis  in calling or appointing a minister in a local
cording to that form, at the occasion of his ordination congregation; neither of any such Classical authority
as pastor of the Eastern Ave. Christian Reformed over that minister after he was duly called and or-
Church, the Rev. H. Hoeksema had answered afhrm- dained. When, therefore, the Classis  declared that the
atively to the question: "whether thou feelest  in thy minister had become insubordinate to the proper eccle-
heart that thou art lawfully called of God's Church, siastical authorities, while he lived and labored in per-
and therefore of God Himself, to this, holy ministry?" fect harmony with his Consistory and Congregation, it
This refers to the call of the local congregation; the assumed an authority which it could not possess. And
Classis had no part in this call whatsoever. And of this is hierarchy.
this call by the local congregation it is  aflirmed  that it        29. Have you still more proof?
is equal to being called by  *God. It is evident, then,             Yes, in Art. 19 of the Church Order. It reads as
that God's call remains for theminister as long as the follows :
call of the congregation remains. And it is equally                 "When ministers of the Divine Word, Elders or


452                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   BE..ARER
           -       -                                              -"_" ..^ "-~"- .._-     -___-. -.-_--.
Deacons, have committed any public, gross sin, which do in such cases is that it may declare the recalcitrant
is a disgrace to the Church, or worthy of punishment consistory to be outside of the denomination in which
by the authorities, the Elders and Deacons shall imme-        it had a place.
diateIy by preceding sentence of the Consistory there-            34.  But does not the minister promises in the
of and of the nearest Church be suspended or expelled Formula of Subscription that he will always cheerfully
from their office, but the Ministers shall only be sus- submit to an examination in regard to the matter of
pended. Whether these shall be entirely deposed from doctrine and to the judgment of Consistory,  Classis or
office, shall be subject to the judgment of the Classis,      Synod under penalty, in case of refusal, of being ipso
with the advice of the Delegates of Synod mentioned facto, by that very fad of his refusal,`suspended from
in Article 11."                                               office ?
   It is evident from this article that suspension of a           He does; but notice in the case of Rev. Boeksema,
Minister of the Word is a matter that belongs and pro- that :
ceeds from the local Consistory and not from the                  a. The Formula speaks of the judgment of the
Classis.  That final deposition cannot take place with- Consistory,  Classis  or Synod, which is surely to be
out the advice of ,the Classis,  does not imply that the understood `in that very order.           But  Classis  Grand
Classis  takes the initiative, for suspension must always     Rapids East opposed the judgment of the Consistory
precede deposition from office. That this judgment of of Eastern Ave. on the one hand, and of the Synod of
the Classis  is required is due to the peculiar position of 1924 on the other.
the minister with relation to the entire denomination             b. That the Formula of Subscription  pIainly  and
and is not based on any authority of the Classis  over definitely mentions the Three Forms of Unity as the
the minister. The  Classis,  therefore, by suspending basis on which such judgment shall be expressed and
the minister without the action of the Consistory, yea, such examination shall take place. But  Classis  Grand
contrary to its wishes, ignored the authority of that Rapids East substituted the Three Points for the Three
latter body. And this is hierarchy.                           Forms of Unity, and positively refused to examine the
   30. But was not the case of Rev. Hoeksema an pastor of Eastern Ave. on the basis of Scripture and
abnormal one, seeing that the Classis  judged he should the Confessions.
be suspended while the Consistory wanted to maintain              c. That, according to the very declaration of
him ?                                                         Synod in 1924, the pastor of Eastern Ave. was not
   The only proper answer is that even ih such a case guilty of a breach of his promise made by signing the
of conflict the Classis  must respect the authority of the Formula of Subscription. For, in that Formula the
Consistory and such a minister that is maintained by pastor had promised that he would not teach anything
the Consistory can never be suspended or deposed by contrary to the doctrine expressed in the Confessions.
the Classis.                                                  And Synod had declared, that the pastor was certainly
   31. But must not the Classis  take the place of the and undeniably Reformed in the fundamental truths as
Consistory in case the latter body refuses to suspend
                                              _--             they are formulated in the Confessions.
the minister ?                                                    It is evident; therefore, that the Formula of Sub-
   The  Classis  never can have the right and authority scription could not be applied to this case.
to take the place of the local Consistory or to infringe          35. How is to be judged of the Classical decision
upon its power.                                               concerning the Consistory of Eastern `Ave. ?
   32. What, then, should Classis  Grand Rapids East               It is a mixture  ,of Collegialism and Reformed
have done in this matter?                                     Church Polity.
   It should, first of all, have respected the appeal of          36. What do you mean by Collegialism ?
the Consistory to the Synod and not have proceeded                That view of Church Polity which attributes power
with suspension of the minister. The Consistory of and authority to a broader gathering over a local  Con-
Eastern Ave. had appealed to Synod repeatedly, but sistory and Congregation.
the  Classis  simply ignored it all and took the reins in         3'7. And what is the Reformed conception on this
its own hands. It not only trampled under foot the point ?
rights and powers of the Consistory, but also denied              That the local Church is autonomous and the only
the appeal to the broadest gathering of the churches. proper body that has authority at all is the Consistory.
   33. But, suppose that Synod had agreed with Classis and Synod are not bodies in which there is
Classis  in the matter, and that it advised that the vested a higher authority than that of the Consistory,
pastor of Eastern Ave. was guilty and should be de- but they are broader gatherings with delegated,
posed from office ; suppose, furthermore, that the Con- advisory power only.
sistory of Eastern Ave. even then had refused to sus-             33. In what respect, then, is the decision of Classis
pend its pastor, .should  not the Classis, then, have car- Grand  Rapids East regarding the Consistory of the
ried out the decisions of Synod and deposed the min- Eastern Ave. Christian Reformed Church  Collegial-
ister regardless of the attitude of the Consistory?           istic ?
   Not  at  roll;  a& a broader gathering is authorized to         In that it declares that said Consistory was guilty


                                                THti  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                  453
         .._.-"--...... "..-..                                             -     -         - - ..--........ -..-..___ - -    ..".
         of insubordination with respect to, the proper ecclesi-
         astical authorities, because it had refused to maintain          '  Stemmen   Uit  Het Verre  Westen
         the decrees of the Synod, because it had refused to               Het is eenmaal eerder geschied, dat we van uit het
         carry out the decision of Classis with respect to a case Westen Yluisterstemmen"  opstuurden naar onze Stand-
         of censure in the local congregation, and because it had ard Bearer. En indien mij geheugen mij niet bedriegt
         refused to place its pastor before the questions  Classis      (en dat gebeurt nog al eens) dan heb ik zelfs meer dan
         had decided it should ask of him. There are no proper eens die  stemmen opgezonden naar het Oosten. Dat
         authorities over the Consistory, except that of Christ was ten tijde van ons verblijf en onzen  arbeid temidden
         Himself. Hence, it could never become insubordinate van de broeders en zusters te Sioux Center en omstre-
         to them. When it refused to carry out the decisions of ken. En, ja, toen  dachten en spraken we aangaande bet
         Classis it merely declared that it was unwilling to "Jeruzalem" der kerken als het Oosten en  wisten ons
         follow up the  Classis'  &rice.  Not to follow up the ver verwijderd van haar, daar in Sioux en Lyon Coun-
         advice of anyone that has no authority over you is not ties, daar in het "verre" Westen  ! En zoo geschiedde
         insubordination. In this part of its decision, there- het, enkele malen  dat we ons zetten om eenige gcrijpte
         fore, Classis  acted upon Collegialistic principles.           overdenkingen in den vorm van meditatie op te zenden
                   39. And in what respect is the decision in har- aan vrienden, kennissen, broeders en zusters te Grand
         mony with Reformed Church Polity?                              Rapids en omstreken.
                  Inthis respect, that, instead of deciding that the       Doch nu?
         Consistory was deposed from office, it declared that it           Wanneer  ik terugdenk aan den naam, dien we Iowa
_,..     was separated from the Christian Reformed Church gaven; als we ons weer voorstellen hoe we Iowa het
         and that denominational ties had been severed. This verre  Westen noemden, dan kan ik ?zu een glimlach niet
         does not imply, of course, that materially the decision onderdrukken. Want terwijl ik dit schrijf, zit ik hoog
         of Classis  was just and based upon sufficient ground or en droog in California, ver, zeer ver ten Westen van
         reason. But from a formal Church-political point of Grand Rapids en omstreken. .En men noemt Iowa hier
         view this decision was, in this respect, correct.              het Oosten. En geen wonder. Redlands, California,
                  40. How is it to be explained that  Classis could ligt zoo ongeveer een honderd mijlen van den Grooten
         so confuse Reformed and Collegialistic principles of Oceaan  (Pacific Ocean), vlak bij de uiterste westkust
         Church Polity  ?                                               van ons land. Men heeft mij gezegd, dat  Redlands  zoo
                  Partly from the fact that for years the Christian ongeveer drie duizend mijlen van Grand Rapids, Mich.,
         Reformed Churches have been permeated with  Colle-             verwijderd is. We1 `t kan best waar zijn, want in den
         gialistic principles of Church-government. So deeply trein dacht ik, dat er geen eind aan komen zou. Wat `n
         have these false principles struck root, that a large trip! Ik heb al heel wat gereisd van mijn leven, doch
         number of Christian Reformed people, perhaps, the ik heb nooit te voren zooveel gezien gedurende eene
         majority of them, cannot even conceive of the correct reis.
         principle, that no broader gathering has authority over           Xk denk, dat de meeste van-.de Standard Bearer
         a  Consistor.y,.  Even as, with regard to doctrine, a cer- lezers  bij dezen tijd we1 weten, waarom ik hier ben in-
         tain form of Arminianism was long accepted as Re- plaats van in mijn gemeente te Hudsonville, Mich. De
         formed in the same Churches, so in respect of prin- Classis  had, namelijk, besloten om den Hudsonville
         ciples of Church Polity Collegialism was rampant. It kerkeraad te verzoeken zijn leeraar voor zes opeenvol-
         was but natural, therefore, that, in as far as CIassis         gende Zondagen af te staan aan de pas georganiseerde
   .'    expressed itself spontaneously, it became Collegialistic gemeente te Redlands, California. Dit verzoek werd
         and spoke of insubordination of the Consistory to toegestaan, en . . . . hier zit ik nu,  midden  in het
         proper ecclesiastical authorities, for Collegialism was in sinaasappelenland.
         its very blood. And partly this confusion is to be ex-            `t Was een lange reis. Drie dagen en drie nachten
         plained from the fact, that  Classis  was advised by and achtereen  stoomden we het Westen  in.
         somewhat influenced by Dr. J. Van Lonkhuyzen, who                 En wat een panorama ! Wat eeh algezicht en  ver-
         for years had carried on a stubborn battle for the gezicht van steeds wisselende tafereelen ! `En wat een
         better and Reformed view, that no Classis  can lord it scherpe tegenstellingen ! Men vergenoegt zich in de
         over a Consistory and depose it. Under his influence aanschouwing van lachende weiden met duizenden stuks
         Classis  spoke of declaring the Consistory outside of the grazend vee, doch men zag ook de huilende wildernis,
         denomination. However, not quite understanding the onafzienbare  zandvlakten, ontzaggelijke rotsgevaarten
         principles which Dr. Van Lonkhuyzen defended, and, en rivierbeddingen  die in de wazige verten geleken  op
         therefore, not understanding the reason why it should afgronden. Soms werden wij in vervoering gebracht
         not be authorized to depose a Consistory; or, in other bij den aanblik van vergezichten: duizende schakeerin-
         words, still imagining that a Classis  has authority over gen van groenend  loover  en allerlei kleurenpracht. Doch
         a Consistory, it declared at the same time that the Con- het gebeurde ook, dat de keel  als toegeschroefd werd
         s&tory was guilty of insubordination to that authority door het fijne woestijnzand, dat overal doordrong.  of
         of the Classis.                                   H.  33.      dat het zweet ons van het voorhoofd gutste vanwege de


                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                            455
 lll__--  -......-....  - .._-                    ~ --..- -- -_........ ".-----..              ---.-.--.._-___.
                           Explanation  ^                               .The thought I meant to convey by the statement,
                                                                   "If this were true, God would be a monstrous being,"
     In The Standard Bearer of June 1, 1932, I placed is this: God is perfectly wise, just, good, and the over-
an article under the caption,  "Esau   f and Common flowing fountain of all good. In a word, He is the
Grace," in which I censured Rev. J. K. Van Baalen's                adorable God. Denying Self therefore He would be
delineations upon Esau's manner of conduct toward a monstrous being. Likewise should He hate a holy
Jacob upon the latter's return from  Haran. The Rev- man and curse, condemn and damn the innocent. For
erend wrote : "Nor has this (common grace) anything the good man is His workmanship, exhibiting the
to do with the question of supralapsarianism as the glories of His adorable self. For Him to actually hate
opponents of this valuable doctrine of the Reformed such a one would be equal to Him hating His perfect
churches would have you believe. You know the dif- self. Let no one however challenge His sovereign right
ference: the infralapsarianist teaches that God has to do with His creatures, even with the innocent, as He
passed by certain sinners as sinners, while the supra pleases. Consider that He is God. However, He can-
teaches that God passed  him up with His saving not exercise His right in a manner that would obscure
grace apart from all consideration of his sins . . . . " His justice. Doing so, He would again deny Self and
    My comment reads: "Strange to say the reverend thus show Himself up as evil God. This He cannot do,
does not even understand the doctrines of infralap-               but is ever being compelled by inner necessity, by the
sarianism and supralapsarianism. It is not the view great love for His own adorable being to exercise His
of the supralapsarian that God passed by sinners apart prerogatives in a manner that will dispIay His glories.
from all consideration of his sins. In the  thought-              Therefore the decree of reprobation can be realized
structure of the supralapsarianist sin enters in not as only through sin and reprobation calls for a sufhcient
the sovereign cause, to be sure, but certainly as the reason and this reason is sin.
ground, the good-enough reason, of the rejection of the                 Whose standard of justice, of right and wrong, do
reprobate. The difference between the two schools of I apply to God when I say that He cannot condemn the
thought is this: according to the supralapsarianist sin innocent? And the answer : His very own. He Him-
is absolutely necessary to the scheme of things. that self saith by the mouth of Moses: "The Lord is long-
God in His adorable sovereignty has sketched out for suffering and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and
Himself, so to say, that sin therefore has to come, is            transgression, and  by no means clearing the guilty,
willed by God and has Him as its sovereign cause or visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
necessity. This the infralapsarianist denies."                    unto the third and fourth generation" (Num. 14  :18).
    The reverend once more: "You can therefore be a God is destroyed (in the consciousness of the creature)
strong supralapsarian, if you so desire, that is, you when actions are ascribed to Him that involve Him in a
can believe that God hated Esau apart from all con- denial of self, whether that self be His infinite might
siderations of his sinfulness, and yet believe that an and the absolute highness that springs from this might,
attitude of favor may have been extended to him.. . . "           or whether that self be His matchless purity and
    My comment: "If this were true, God would be n justice.
monstrous being. The truth of the matter is, the Esau                   God hates sin and loves light because He loves His
God eternally hates, is at once sinful depraved Esau." glorious self. And He must love self because He is
    Let me now single out the statements of the Rev- holy God. And they are born, not of blood, nor of the
erend to which 1 wish to return : (a) The supra teaches will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God,
that God passes him up with His saving grace apart                love Him because they, too, are holy. As sin calls to
from all considerations to his sins ; (b) You can believe sin, so holiness calls to holiness.
that God hated Esau apart from all considerations to                   "What shall we then say," asks the apostle, "Shall
his sinfulness."                                                  we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid.
    Reconsidering the reasoning of the reverend, it How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer
occurred to me that what he had before his eye was therein? Know ye not, that as many of us that are
reprobation as an eternal decree or decision and not baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His
reprobation as an actuality, a historical phenomenon. death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism
Only the latter and not the former reposes on sin as              into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the
a sufficient ground. That the reverend's exposition, dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should
that particular section of it now under consideration, walk in newness of life." The souls of the just do
turns upon the decree of reprobation is evident from hunger and thirst for righteousness ; and they shall be
his reference to the reasoning of the apostle Paul in filled. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so
Romans 9. So, then, the criticism I brough to bear on do the pure of heart pant after God. Their souls thirst
the specified statements is misplaced.  I "These state- for God, for the living God. "When," they say, "shall
ments set forth the truth if equal to the statement:              I come and appear before Him?" These shall be re-
"God  decides to reject, to hate; Esau apart from all             ceived to glory and satisfied by His likeness forever
considerations to sin."                                           more.


                                                                           ,.
                           _.:,     `.
                                          :         i'
                                               i
 456                                                      .,a    T    H    E       STANDARD'BEARER
 "  ^.._^  .^.-.-..ll_..l._ ll_lll_-l -lll_ _ ..-.._ ~.^ ____-___-.._ _I- ~~....-~~~~-..."..."-"  .__,.__"  _.........-..-... ^ -..... ."--    -..------  _....... I_____
      Let us se& now how Ref. theologians both  Supra of bemiddelen`ivetent  Dan kw,amen zij soms tot  hardc
 and Infra, have reasoned about reprobation and sin. uitspraken, die het  Pelagiaansch-gezinde  hart van den
      One of the former incumbents .of the chair of Sys- mensch  hinderen  kunnen. Zoo zeide Augustinus eens,
 tematic Theology at Calvin Seminary of-the Chr. Re- dat God ook dan niet kon beschuldigd  worden,   als Hij
 formed Church is Dr. G. Vos, at pr&ent  a member of sommigen onschuldig had  willen  verdoemen:
 the faculty of Princeton Seminary of the Presbyterian                                       "Maar desniettemin, al kan  .een oogenblik zoo  ge-
 Church. Let me quote now from his dogmatics: "De sproken  worden  tegenover iemand, die meent God van
 vraag is niet of bij het besluit der verkiezing en de ver- onrecht te mogen aanklagen, bijna alle Gereformeerden
 werping de zonde als factor in aanmerking komt. Op met Calvijn aan het hoofd, hebben tech ten slotte  zulk
 dit punt heerscht veel misverstand. Men hoort vaak een dominium absolutum (absolute dominion) beslist
 beweren alsof die de verkiezing boven den val stellen en met verontwaardiging verworpen." Dogmatick,
 leeren zouden: God heeft de menschen voor de eeuwige Vol. II, p. 413, 414.
p gelukzaligheid en de _ eeuwige smart bestemd alleen                                        "Zij wachte  zich  tech dezen wil (Gods) van alle
 maar omdat Hij het z& Wilde en zonder dat daarbij                                      natuur te` ontdoen en in puur willekeur te laten op-
 met hunm5 zonde rekening gehouden werd. Maur dat gaan." Vol. II, p. 238.
 is ccn consequentie  die` in het Supralapsarisme niet in-                                   Again: "Voorts hielden  allen  staande, dat de zonde,
 ligt  en  err door  xi& voorstanders  nooit  in  bedoeld  is. schoon  `niet praeter, tech we1 terdege was contra Dei
  (Italics mine, G. M. 0.) Met even goed  recht zou men voluntatem (contrary to God's wil, G. M. 0.).  We1 Bon
 uit het Supralapsarisme tal van consequenties kunnen zij &et de oorzaak de causa efficiens  en impulsiva (de
 aflelden waarvoor ieder moest terugdeinzen, wijl zij de teweegbrengende en inwerkende oorzaak, G. M. O.),
 grondslagen van Gods deugden schijnen  aan te  tasten.                                 van het besluit der verwerping zijn, want zij zelve
 Wij zullen hier Perkins laten spreken, die  zeIf het volgde, immers in den tijd  ophet eeuwig besluit en zou,
 Supralapsariime   toeg?daan  was. Hij zegt : `Men  be- indien xij de orozaak zelve ware, alle menschen hebben
 &huldigt  ons dat wij Ieeren, dat God de menschen ver- moeten  doen  verwerpen. Maar z:j was tech cause suf-
 ordineerd heeft tot het  helsche vuur, en geschapen ter ficiens (voldoende  oorzaak,  the  go&l enough season,
 verddemenis  . . . . Zoo antwoord ik ten eerste, dat G. M. 0.)) en van de eeuwige straf bepaald de causa
 de verwerping zooveel belangt de eerste daad, d. i.,  zoo- meritoria (verdienende oorzaak) . Immers er is onder-
 veel aangaat het  vernemen  om  het schepsel te verlaten scheid tusschen het  besIuit  der verwerping en de  ver-
 eri de  rechtvaardigheid  daarin te bewijzen, volstrekt  of werping zelve. Het eerste heeft zijn laatste en diepste
  absoluut is, dat leeren en gelooven wij . . . De zonde oorzaak alleen in Gods wil; maar de verwerping zelve
  zelfs komt na de verlating en rechtvaardige toelating houdt met de zonde rekening." Vol. II, p. 414.
  Gods . . . . Doch de vcrwerping zooveel belangt de                                          Prof. F. M. Ten Hoor in his Comperzclium  asserts
  tweed6  daad, dat is het voornemen  om te verdoemen ti that even the negative deed "van  het laten liggen of
  wict  absoluut of onbepaald, maar heeft haar aanzien om niet te ferkiezen"  has sin as its sufficient cause.
  op de zonde. Want niemand vergaat er dan door zijn By deed he means not the execution of a decree, but
ei&n  schuld en  niemand  wordt-er zonder opzicht-  ge- the decree as such. This is evident from the surround-
  ordinecrd-ter helle of ten verderve d& om zijne zon-                                   ings of his statement. Let me quote : "De. verwerping :
  de.' " vos, Dqgmatics,  p. 230.                                                        zij is het eeuwig besluit Gods, waarin Hij bepaald
        Dr. Vos, then, distinguishes between two elements heeft . . . . Hierin (na>mely,  in this'decree, G. IW. 0.)
  in the decree of reprobation: (1) het voornemen om worden  twee zaken onderscheiden: a. de pructcritio,
  het schepsel te verlaten ; (2) het voornemen om te ver- d. i. de negatieve daad van het laten liggen . . . . De
  doemen. The latter is made with consideration to sin. zonde is niet causa efficiens  . . . . maar we1 causa suf-
    Dr. Vos continues: "Op  dezeIfde   wijze  redeneert ficiens  ;- b. de praedamnatio, d. i., het besluit om hen om
  Calvin III :23 door eensdeels op den volstrekten wil hunne zonden te straffen met het eeuwig verderf."
  Gods te wi.jzen in de toelating van de zonde, ?n$er-                                        The sentence, "De zonde is causa sufficiens"  (suffi-
  deels er nadruk op te leggen dat geen schepsel door cient reason) must according to its position in the sen-
  God ten, verderve bestemd wordt dan vodfzoover  het tence, be linked up, with the "negatieve daad van het
  zondig-is  en in aanmerking van  zijne zonde.                                          laten liggen."
        Now  Bavinck   : "Hoezeer  echter  de verwerping                                      It is to be noticed that only one of the three writers
  eenerzijds .met volle recht tot de praedestinatie gere- quoted, Dr. G. Vos, expresses  himseIf  in such  a
  kend mag worden:  tech is zij niet in denzelfden zin en way that the reader knows what he means. Bavinck
  op dezelfde wijze inhoud van Gods besluit als de ver- equivocates. T.his is certain, that with the exception
  kiezing. De voorstanders van gemina praedestinatio of Prof. Ten  Hoor perhaps they fear to  af&m  un-
  hebben dit ook ten allen tijde erkend als het ging om de equivocally that the d&ree  of reprobation reposes upon
  souvereiniteit Gods, om de stellige en ondubbelzinnige ,sin as its sufficient ground. Yet none of the writers
  getuigenis van zijn woord, om de niet weg te cijferen quoted iS consistent, it*.seems  to me. I will continue
  feiten der historie, dan waren zij even onverbiddelijk                                 this discussion in  ;$;following  article.
  als de apostel Paulus en wilden zij van geen toegeven                                                                                                 C: M. 0.


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Vol. VIII, No. 20                                                             JULY 15,1932                                         Subscription Price, $2.50


                                                                                             from home to inquire after the well-being of his breth-
                                                                                             ren. And never had he seen anything of him again
                                                                                            but the blood-soaked garment the brethren had brought
                                                                                             to their father as a silent witness that a wild beast had
                                                                                            devoured  himi that Joseph had without doubt been rent
        Two Viewpoints Of the Same                                                          in pieces. The sad departure of the  f&t son of his
                                     Reality                                                beloved Rachel had left him comfortless, and when his
                                                                                            other children approached him with their vain consola-
                              AU these  things are against me.                              tions, he had plainted: I will go down into the grave
                                                                   Gen.  42:36b.            unto my son mourning! Time had never completely
                              If God be for us, who can be against us ?                     healed that heart-wound . . . .
                                                                    Rom.  8:31b.                  Yet, now it was cruelly torn open anew!
                                                                                                  Famine had ravaged the promised land in which
   All these things are against me  ?                                                       Jacob still dwelled as a sojourner and stranger; The
   What a depth of misery opens up before us at this corn had been consumed. And they, Jacob and his
heartrending outcry !                                                                       family, had also heard the news that was rumored
   Yawning darknesses of despair appear ready to abroad that there was corn in Egypt. Long had Jacob
swallow us op, ivhen  we utter this passionate plaint of hesitated to send his sons to that far country but the
helplessness!                      ~~~                                                      hunger pressed and he  finally let them go. "Look  noo-
   Things are against us ! They conspire to destroy longer upon one another, for there is corn in Egypt; go
us! They have united their forces to extinguish the and buy from thence, that we may live and not die  !"
very light of our life, to take the last drop of sweetness Thus had he spoken. Yet, Benjamin, Rachel's second
out of our already bitter cup, to leave us in dark de- son, the only one that could somewhat reconcile him to
spair!. And we are alone, helpless, defenseless, with- Joseph's death, he had kept at home, "lest  perad-
out power to ward off the last threatening blow! Alone, venture misschief might befall him."  ,4nd the brethren
for, note the personal element in the outcry: all these had gone and when, much later than might reasonably
things are against me! . . . .                                                               be expected, they returned to their anxious father, one
   Outburst of lone grief, of dark despair!                                                  was missing and the rest told a sad story of the strange
   Yet, how often, also in the life of God's children in treatment they had experienced in Egypt and of the
the world, do circumstances fully appear to justify harsh words the ruler of that country had spoken to
such plaintive exclamations !                                                                them. They explained why their one brother was miss-
   They appeared to justify the old patriarch whose ing and mentioned to their father the condition upon
words' are quoted in the text.                                                               which he might be' fetched home again: they had to
   Had not the days of his life been few and evil?                                           return and take Benjamin with them! . . . .
   Did it not seem, at the moment when this passion-                                              What wonder, then, that the old patriarch breaks
ate outburst of grief was pressed from his heart, as if out in sad complaints and wails: All these things are
lately all things conspired to deprive him of children ? against me! . . . .
And stood he not helpless and defenseless over against                                            Joseph is not! The old wound is cruelly torn open
these things ?                                                                               and again he beholds his blood-stained coat of many
   Years ago it was, indeed, but still fresh in his colours. Simeon is not! Disappeared in a way similar
memory, that he had sent his most beloved child away to that of Joseph's removal from the family. And Ben-
                                                                                                        .


=45x                                              T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
."...^ .-. ..- _ ----_-. ................^----..-..--..-  -........-- .--....- ._ -____                    "............... --. ..__..- ....-  - -   _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _   -.......-
jamin must now go? Benjamin, upon whom all his let them have their full weight of misery, then to take
father's love had been concentrated since the death of a look also at the things that do not seem against us? . .
Joseph ? . . . .                                                                           For, the anxiety of unbelief, however apparently
        Did not things seem against him ? Did they not justified by circumstances, is apt to concentrate all our
appear to conspire to tear his children from his heart, attention upon the things that seem evil, make us un-
cruelly, mysteriously, one by'one?  . . . .                                       mindful of many things that are still cause for rejoic-
        And did he not stand helpless, defenseless over ing, and tempt us to become guilty of gross exaggera-
against these things  ?                                                           tion of the things that seem against us . . . .
        Oh, he might emphatically declare now, that he                                     We count the evils ten times, a hundred times, the
would never permit Benjamin to leave home! Did he blessings but once !
not know at the same time, that things would compel                                        The sorrows and miseries crowd in upon our soul,
him to let him go with the brethren? Was it not the the darkness envelops our heart, the thought of ail our
proposed condition for Simeon's release? Would not misfortunes (for such we are prone to call them in that
the hunger in the land force him to send the brethren state of mind, even though we know that the very word
to Egypt once more? And had not that strange ruler is coined by the ungodly!) solely occupy our mind, till
of the land where corn could be had sworn that he                                 we see nothing but evils about us and the darkness of
would not see their faces again, unless they brought despair ahead. And we become unmindful of the good
Benjamin with them? . . . .                                                       things of God, of the thousands of reasons to rejoice,
        All these things are against me !                                         of the abundance of blessings, of reasons to be com-
        How apparently justifiable seems the outburst of forted and to rejoice which He still lavishes upon us !
grief !                                                                                    Such was surely the case with Jacob, when he cried
        And how equally justifiable appears a similar vocife- out: All these things are against me!
ration in the life of God's children !                                                     What things?
        Men, cruel men, devils, times, circumstances, the                                  As Jacob beholds them now, at, this moment of
very place where they live, their name and position, - faltering faith and deep despair, they are to be enum-
all things often seem against them ! They have a family erated as follows: "Me have ye bereaved of children ;
and they cannot support it. They look for work and it Joseph is not; Simeon is not; and ye will take Ben-
is in vain. Or, they have an honourable position, but jamin away."
men conspire to thrust them out. They have a few                                           But how greatly exaggerated is the evil of ti~csc
pennies but they are consumed. They have a home but things in these words of the complaining patriarch ?
they cannot keep it and must deliver it up. And they How dark the picture is drawn of his present circum-
see no outcome ! . . . .                                                          stances! How utterly forgetful he appears to be of all
        And they consider these things. They reason with the goodness of the Lord over him. How he must ignore
them. They-look at them from every side. They count hundreds of. blessings to make these statements !
their possessions, their opportunities, their prospects.                                   For, notice the sweeping statement: me ye have be-
They figure---and turn things over and over in their reaved of children ! But did not the Lord give him,.far
mind, till they grow weary with thinking and sleep more than He ever gave to Abraham or Isaac his
will not close their eyes at night . . ., .                                       fathers, to  see. the realization of His covenant in twelve
        But no matter how they care and worry and medi- sons and one daughter? And while he spake of being
tate on these things, dark despair yawns on every bereaved of children, was he not surrounded by, eleven
side . . . .                                                                      of `them? Was the statement, then, not marked by
        All these things are against me! . . . .                                  gross exaggeration; did he not exceed far beyond the
        Yet, brethren, this loud wail of despair, if heard bounds of truth in making it, and was he not oblivious
from the lips of the children of God, is.but the ex- of God's goodness over him? Besides, was it, from
pression  of a viewpoint, a wrong viewpoint, the  riew- Jacob's viewpoint and as far as he knew, not an in-
point of unbelief! . . . .                                                        justice to the brethren, when he accused them of being
        For, listen ! However dark the way may appear, is guilty in' the matter? True, they actually were guilty
this not true, unchangeably true, true forever `and of Joseph's disappearance, but of this the old father
ever:`God is for us!? . . . .                                                     was not cognizant; as far as he knew a wild beast had
        *4nd if God be for us, who can be against us ?                            devoured him. And in the matter of Simeon's absence
                                 -           -                                    they surely were innocent. Then, again, Jacob's view-
                                                                                  point of unbelief causes him to mention the ease of
        All these things are against me !                                         Joseph in one breath with that of Simeon and Benja-
        What things ? . . . .                                                     min: Joseph is not and Simeon is not and ye will take
        Would it not be well, worried brethren, weary with Benjamin away ! But also this was not a statement of
thinking and planning and contriving and calculating, reality. For, Simeon was not dead but in Egypt and
careworn because of your anxiety about all the things the brethren had plainly e&xplained that he would be
i-hat  are  against you, to enumerate them, one by one, to released and return home with them, if only  they.might


                                    T H E   S T A N D A ' R D   B E A R E R                                                       459
-_-_____  ~.-.-._.~-"...--                                                                          ___- - ...l,......l.. - ^..._ ..-. ".-
take Benjamin to that strange ruler in.proof  that they          Reality is, that things are nothing !
were honest men. Neither was it true, that the breth-            The truth is, that above all things stands ,the living
ren would take Benjamin away in the sense implied in God, and that men and devils and powers and princi-
the statement of the grieving father.                        palities, and heights and  depths,`and  life and death, and
   How greatly unjust and guilty of exaggeration, how things present and things to come, are in His Almighty
unmindful of all the blessings Jehovah had bestowed hand and can do nothing against His will, always must
on him is the patriarch as he thus wails and bemoans accomplish what He wills them to do.
his condition !                                                  Fact is, that this almighty God is for His people!
   And yet, is not the experience of Jacob a common He is for them from eternity and His lovingkindness
one ?                                                        over them moved Him to arrange all His divine counsel
   Is it not always characteristic of unbelief, of a in such a way that all things must work together for
faltering faith, that we enhance the evil things till we good to them that love God ! He is for them in time,
see nothing but them and are unmindful, forgetful and and He governs all things according to His counsel so
unthankful with respect to the blessings the Lord that they may be conducive to the eternal salvation of
showers down upon us? Is it not true, when the Lord the elect! He manifested that He is for them in un-
takes away from us one that is dear to our heart, that fathomable love, for He gave His only begotten Son
often we are apt to concentrate all our mind and heart into the depth of shame and reproach and of the suffer-
upon the deceased and forget the living loved ones ? ing of death and hell, that they might live! What shall
Do we not often extend our cares and worries far be- we, then, say to these things  ? What shall we say, if
yond the present day, so that, when we are thrusted          things seem to conspire, if men rave against us, if the
out of our position, when times of abundance are-passed powers of darkness unite to destroy us, if very death
and a period of scarcity, of want, of lack of labor and and hell rise up against us ? What shall we say to
money arrives, we become' forgetful of the fact, that them? Shall we be afraid and complain that all these
the Lord cares for His people every day, that each day things are actually against us ? Nay, but we shall say,
we receive our daily bread ? . . . .                         that God is for us, and if God be for us nothing can be
   0 we of little faith!                                     against us! . . . .
   Is God dead ?                                                 We shall say: He that spared noth His own Son but
   Or did He turn against His people?                        delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him
   And-if He is the ever living God, and if He be un- also freely give us all things  ?
changeably for us, why concentrate all our attention             We are more than conquerors through Him that
with careworn hearts and minds upon the things  t&at loved us !
are, nay, that seem evil and become forgetful of all His         And nothing can separate us from His love!
benefits ? . . . .                                               For, He is God !
   Why not search for all the- tokens of His loving-             He is the Almighty against whom no living or dead
kindness, which are always more than we can count? things  &an prevail, whose will they must surely accom-
    If God be for us who can be against us?                  plish. He is the.Alwise,  who never makes errors, whose                          :,
                                                             counsel is perfect, who will surely realize the purpose
                                                             unto which He made and governs all things. He is
                                                             unchangeably faithful, whose lovingkindness is from
    All these things are against me !                        everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him,
    How untrue, how directly against reality was this who will never fail nor forsake us, who is for us for-
statement of the patriarch !                                 e v e r ! . . , .
    And that it was so untrue, and that he, neverthe-            If He be for us, all things must be for us !
less uttered it, was due to the fact, that at this moment        They were not against Jacob, but for him, though
he lost sight of his God!                                    he could not see this. Had he had control of things he
    This is evident  dready from the fact, that he would have made an end to the famine in Canaan, kept
speaks of  things being against him.                         the brethren home, left Simeon in Egypt for fear that
    In the darkness of unbelief we can see things and Benjamin might be taken away, and all things would
nothing but things, and forget that the Most High have been against him.
holds the reins and that He controls and rules with              Now Joseph was living, Simeon was living, Ben-
absolute sovereignty over all things.. These  tXn#s          jamin must go, and all must serve the purpose to unite
appear to have power against us, they seem to plot and them again and save a great people alive !                         .
conspire, they appear to be implacable and merciless,            NO different  it is with us, though the way be con-
they co-operate for our destruction. And we feel help- trary to our plans.
less and defenseless over against these  things. And in          Only climb through enveloping darkness to the
this darkness of unbelief it is not surprising that fear heights of faith.
of them takes hold of our hearts and that we cry out             And say: God is for us  1 All is well !
with the patriarch : all these things are against me  1                                                                 Hi H.


462                                            T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
_~._ ..__ ___I." .-..........  """ . .._. -                                         _lll-         ..-- "-"
lijden,  dat heilige  mannen  `spmlccn door den Geest  ge- nether to depend on men nor angelis." Ook deze taal
dreven, maar dat hetzelfde ook zou  gelden van het  ge- is niet te verklaren, als we de ingevingsgedachte niet
schreven Woord, van de Schrift als zoodanig, daarvan bij de opstellers veronderstellen, nog veel minder als
zou de Confessie niet weten. Maar ook hier mag in de we veronderstellen, dat ze met opzet haar onuitgedrukt
eerste plaats weer worden  opgemerkt, dat de Neder-               lieten.
landsche Geloofsbelijdenis van een onderscheid tus-                   Jets later vinden we de ingevingsgedachte ook weer
sehen  Gods Woord en de Schrift, zooals Dr. U. die wil,           ietterlijk  uitgedrukt. In de Irish Articles of Religion,
niets weet. Gods Woord is de Schrift en de S&rift is 11615, wordt er van de Heilige Schrift onder meer be-
Gods Woord. Wie de Confessie leest, zal moeten toe- leden :
stemmen, dat zij die termen door elkaar gebruikt. In                  "The ground of our `religion and the rule of faith
Art, III wordt van dat  WooTd  Gods, d. i., van de and all saving truth is the Word of God, contained in
Schrift;beleden,  dat het tot stand kwam, doordat  God the holy Scripture.
eerst Zijn Woord door heilige  mannen, door den Geest                 "By the name of holy Scripture we uizderstand  all
gedreven, heeft geopenbaard, en daarna, door een  bij- the canonical books of the Old and New Testament,
zondere zorg over ons, zijne apostelen en profeten viz. (volgt een lijst der boeken) .
heeft bevolen om Zijn geopenbaard Woord te boek te                    "All which we  ackndwledge  to  be  given  by the  in-
stellen, terwijl Hij met eigen vinger de tafelen der wet syiration  of God, and in that regard to be of most cer-
heeft geschreven. En daarom noemen wij  zulke  ge-                tain credit and highest authority."
schriften heilige en goddelijke Schriften. Dr. Ubbink                 `En, om hiermede dit getuigenis uit dien tijd te  be-
doet dus zeker de Belijdenis geweld  am,  als hij                 sluiten, de bekende Westminster Confessie spreekt  zich
schrijft : "Het heeft dus al den schijn, dat onze con- over de Heilige  S&rift uit als volgt :
fessie met  er  op te wijzen, dat God met Zijn vinger de              "Although the light of nature and the works of
Wet geschreven heeft, heeft  willen zeggen, dat we hier creation and providence, do so far manifest the good-
alleen van een Goddelijke Schriftuur zouden kunnen ness, wisdom and power of God as to leave men inex-
spreken." Immers worden,  om de redenen in het arti- cusable;  yet they are not sufficient to give that knowl-
kel genoemd, hier cc& boeken des Bijbels "heilige on edge of God, and of his will, which is necessary unto
Goddelijke  Schrifturen" genoemd. Maar ook leidt heel salvation ; therefore, it pleased the Lord at sundry
de voorstelling van dit artikel  tot een geheel andere            times, and in diverse  mar,ners,  to reveal himself, and
conelusie, dan die, welke door Dr. U. wordt getrokken,            to declare that his will unto his Church; and after-
Heel de bedoeling van het artikel is juist niet, om te be-        wards, for the better preserving and propagating of
weren, dat alleen de Wet Goddelijke Schrift zou mogen the truth, and for the more sure establishment of the
worden  genoemd, omdat God haar met  Zijn eigen vin- Church against the corruption of the flesh, and the
ger heeft geschreven, maar juist, dat het even  hetzelf-          malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same
de is of God Zijne apostelen en profeten beval Zijn wholly unto writing; which  make+ the holy Scripture
Woord  te schrijven, dan we1 met eigen vinger Zijn Wet to be most necessary; those former ways of God's re-
schreef. Daarom immers noemen wij al de boeken des vealing his will unto his people being now ceased."
Ouden en des Nieuwen Testaments Goddelijke  Schrif-                   -"Under the name of holy Scripture, or the Word of
turen. Daarom kan er immers oak niets tegen deze God written, are now c%%ained  all the Books of the
boeken  worden  gezegd (auquels il `n'y a rien & $pli- Old and New Testament, which are these (hier volgen
quer), art. IV. Maar verder wordt dan tech ook van de namen der boeken) .
al deze boeken beleden, dat de Heilige Geest in onze                  "All which are given by inspiration of God,  to be
harten getuigt, dat a.j van God zijn cn d&t xc daarvan            the rule of faith and life."
het bewijs in xz'c1z~c1v~"n  hcbben,  (qu'ils sont de Dieu, et        Wat de hervormers zelf betreft, het mag worden
aussi  qu'ils sont  approuvf%  tels par  eux-memes).  In toegegeven, dat Luther soms den indruk liet, dat hij de
het licht van dit alles is het we1 duidelijk, dat, ofschoon Heilige Schrift beschouwde als een gewoon mensche-
de Belijdenis niet lefterlijk spreekt van een ingegeven lijk boek. Hij aarzelde soms zelf niet over sommige
S&rift, de ingevingsgedachte niet werd losgelaten, schrijvers des Bijbels en hunne boeken een afkeurend
maar scherp gehandhaafd bleef.                                    oordeel te vellen. Bekend is zijn oordeel over den brief
       Ook Art. XIX van de Scotch Confession  of F&F&,            van Jakobus, de  epistola  straminea,  den brief van
1560, aarzelt niet om van Goddelijke Schrifturen te stroo. Ook sprak hij zich uit over Mo?es  en de profe-
spreken.        Daar wordt beleden: "As we beleeve and ten als volgt : "Mozes en de profeten predikten, doeh
confesse  the Scriptztres  of God sufficient to instruct and in hen hooren wij niet God Zelf; want Mozes ontving
make the man of God  perfite (Latijnsch : ex Scriptz~ris          de wet van de engelen en was dus van  lageren  rang."
divinis Dei  cognitionem-  abunde hominibus tradi) . En de school van Barth mag ens er gaarne aan herin-
Daarom  wordt er dan ook in dit artikel beleden, dat              neren, dat Luther de S&rift vergeleek bij de kribbe,
het gezag der Heilige Schriften van God is en niet waarin het kindeke Jezus lag. Maar Luther, dit mag
afhangt van menschen of engelen: "we  affirm  and                 niet  worden  vergeten, woog niet altijd zijn woorden en
avow the authoritie of the same to be of God, and                 sprak niet altijd met gepaste voorzichtigheid. Daarom


                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                        463

 sprak hij zichzelven dan  uok niet  zeldlen tegen. Dit is waren  d o o r   mannen  als  Seba&ian   Franck,   &spar
' ook het geval ten opzichte van zijne beschouwing over Schwenkfield,   Theobald  Thamer en Labadic. Bij hen
 de Heilige Schrift. Zou men uit sommige zijner  ge-          tech vindt men altijd weer bet onderscheid tusschen
 zegden den indruk ontvangen, dat hij niet geloofde aan den Bijbel en bet Woord Gods. Thamer beschuldigde
 eene door God ingegeven S&rift, aan den anderen kant Luther, dat hij de letter der Schrift vergoddelijkte. En
 last hij zich ook weer uit op een wijze, die allen  twijfel de Labadisten legden er nadruk op, dat de Schrift  we1
 wegneemt, dat de Schrift voor hem het Woord Gods, de waarheid bevatte, maar zelve niet de waarheid is.
 was. Zoo noemt hij den Heiligen Gee& "den  allerdui-         De Goddelijke waarheid  is oneindig, zoo spraken zij,
 delijksten en allereenvoudigsten schrijver, die er ge- en kan niet door de letter  worden   uitgedrukt  of  be-
 vonden kan worden  in hemel  en op aarde."' Ook noemt perkt. We moeten eene leer niet aannemen, omdat zij
 hij de Heilige Schrift "God Zelf." En hij zegt,  dat de in de Schrift gevonden wordt, maar omdat zij van God
 Heilige Bijbel het hoogste en beste loo&k van God is. komt. Op deze subjectivistische lijn ligt ook de voor-
 Zoodat men met Luther aan te halen. tech eenigszins stelling, die Dr. U. ons biedt  in zijn boek.
  voorzichtig dient te zijn, wil Men  hem niet verkeerd          Als we dan ook de vraag bespreken, hoe de Heilige
 voorstellen. En hetzelfde mag ook worden  gezegd van Schrift van zichzelve spreekt, hebben we zeker  het vol-
 Zwingli.                                                     ste recht, om haar zoo te stellen, als we in het begin
     Maar bij Calvijn is dit anders. Bij hem vindt men van dit artikel deden: heeft de Kerk aller eeuwen zich
 deze tegenspraak niet. Hij houdt de Schrift voor het op  ,een dwaalspoor bewogen of berust haar geloof in
 onfeilbare Woord van God, door Hem ingegeven. Op een door God ingegevene, onfeilbare, Goddelijke  Schrif-
 grond van deze waarheid bouwt hij heel het systeem tuur op de Heilige S&rift zelve?
 der leer. Immers legt hij er nadruk op dat "wij moe-            Beantwoorden we deze vraag een volgende  keer, .
 ten vasthouden . . . . dat de geloofwaardigheid der D. V.
 leer niet eerder wordt bevestigd, dan wanneer wij  on-                                                      H. H.
 twijfelbaar overtuigd  Zijn, dat God haar Auteur is
  (auctorum ejus esse Deum)  ,"  In&it.  I, c. 7, 4. En
 verder : "Dit behoort dus vast te blijven, dat zij, die
 door den Heiligen Geest inwendig zijn onderwezen,  vol-           The Christian School Movement
 komen in de Schrift berusten, en dat zij' op zichzelve
 geloofwaardig is, en niet aan betoogingen en bewijs-                         Why a Failure?
 voeringen mag onderworpen worden  ; en dat ze even-
  wel de geloofwaardigheid, die ze bij ons verkrijgt, door                              IX
 het getuigenis  van den Geest bekomt. Want ofschoon             The- first part of the fifth of the "Specific Prin-
 zij  zich, door hare majesteit, vanzelf eerbied verwerft, ciples" (see number of May 15) which pretends to
  nocht'ans  doet zij ons eerst dan ernstig aan, als zij ,aan state the  .objective  of the Christian School, is bad
  onze harten  verzegeld is door den Geest. Als wij dan enough.         The school must equip the pupil for his
  door Zijnen invloed verlicht  zijn, zoo gelooven wij, niet supreme task, to realize himself as the image-bearer of
  door ons  eigen  &rdeel  of dat van anderen,  dc& de `cod! For, in the  liffht of all that precedes in these
  Schrift  iumr  oorsprong   heeft  mm  God (a  Deo esse principles, this can only mean that the Christian
  Scripturam)  , maar boven het menschelijk  oordeel stel- School must enable the pupil to do civil good!
  len we zekerder dan zeker (niet anders dan of wij daar         In the light of such statements one can understand
  de Godheid van God Zelf aanschouwden)) dat zij door the language often heard from would-be leaders of the
  den dienst van menschen, uit den mond z!ccn God self Ctiistian School Movement, whenever they are called
  tof 012s is afgevlocid  (ab ipsissimo Dei ore ad nos flu- upon to make a speech in public, either at graduation-
  xisse)  ." Instit. I, 7, 5.                                 exercises or at other public occasions connected with
      In het licht van al deze getuigenissen zeggen we the Christian School, and which is chiefly characterized
  zeker niet  te veel, als we beweren, dat de voorstelling by its lack of all specifically Reformed, or even Chris-
  van Dr. U., die onderscheid  wil  maken  tusschen de tian sound.
  S&rift en Gods Woord, in den zin, dat de eerste  men-          But the statement: that the school must seek to
  schelijk en  alleen  het laatste Goddelijk is, die de Schrift equip the pupil for his supreme task, namely to realize
  wil gekenmerkt zien door al het gebrekkige van het himself as the image-bearer of God, certainly cannot
  menschelijke, van de historische lijn der beschouwing rest on the basis of the text that is given as reference
  van de Kerk aller eeuwen afwijkt en dat hij zich ook in this connection, II Tim. 3 : I7 : "That the man of God
  niet op de Reformatie kan beroepen voor zijne voor- may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good
  stelling,  allerminst  we1 op  Calvijn. Veeleer moet de works." For, this text knows nothing of the image of
  beschouwing, die Dr. U. ons biedt van de Heilige God in all men, of which the "Specific principles"
  Schrift, terug worden  gevonden, zij het ook in eenigs- speak. it speaks of the man of God, the regenerated
  zins anderen vorm, in de meer of minder mystieke  en and sanctified Christian. Neither does this text know
  subjectivistische richtingen, die vertegenwoordigd anything of the supreme task of this man of God as


464                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
-_--                    -
consisting in this that he realize himself as God's           From what principle, you ask?
image-bearer. It merely holds before him as the pur-          The authors of this "specific principle" are ready
pose whereunto God has called him, that he must be         with their answer: we must realize the Kingdom of
perfect .in the midst of the world, without blame and God in all spheres of life !
rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse genera-         Now, this "reconstituting of the sin-perverted
tion. And for this end the man of God must have world," this realization of the Kingdom of God in the
Scripture, the inspired Word of God, as a constant         world must mean either of two things: that it is the
guide and light in the darkness, for it is profitable for objective of the Christian School to convert all, or the
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in great majority of ungodly men into citizens of the
righteousness.                                             Kingdom of God; or that it aims at realizing the King-
   And the second part of this fifth "specific" prin- dom of God and reconstituting a sin-perverted world
ciple is equally bad and corrupt: "by seeking in that      by way of social reform. In the first instance this
same dependence upon God to re-constitute the sin- "specific principle" is most thoroughly Pelagian. If
perverted world by realizing God's Kingdom in all the authors had in mind the second possibility, which is
spheres. and phases of life."                              far more probable (if, at least, they had anything
   Unless the language of this statement is incorrect, definite in mind at all), they here proclaim nothing but
it expresses that this is the objective of the Christian the modern gospel of social Christianity.
School. I suppose, however, that the authors did not          And in both cases they are shooting at the moon.
exactly express their "meaning. No doubt, they in-         For, neither in the one way, nor in the other, can man,
tended to declare that the school must seek to equip can a group of men, can the Christian School or, for
. the pupil for this task of reconstituting a sin-per- t.hat matter, the whole Christian Church, reconstitute
verted world by realizing God's Kingdom in all spheres the sin-perverted world or realize the Kingdom of God
of life.                                                   on earth !
       But this makes very little difference.                 Nor does Scripture ever speak such language. It
       The point is that the authors of the principles, in does, indeed, admonish the children of God, that they
holding this ideal before us, as the objective of the shall be without rebuke and blameless in the midst of
Christian School, are shooting at the moon and the the world, that they shall walk worthy of the vocation
moon phtcidly smiles back, quite undisturbed by the wherewith they are called, that they shall'walk as chil-
ridiculous attempt. The fact is, too, that, nevertheless, dren of light in darkness, that they shall be witnesses
they make  an impression by this flighty language, the of God and His Christ and His covenant in the world,
proud Pelagianism of which is somewhat covered up that for this they shall be willing to suffer with Christ
by the deceiving "in humble dependence upon God"; and consider it grace that they may believe in Him and
that they make many people believe, that it is, indeed, suffer with Him. But nowhere does it assign to the
quite possible effectively to shoot at the moon; that it people of God the task of reconstituting a sin-perverted
is altogether within the domain of human power to world and of realizing the Kingdom of God on earth!
Ye-constitute a sin-perverted world and to realize the        That is God's work, not ours.
Kingdom of God in all spheres and phases  ofxife. The         That is not, that cannot be, and that may no`"longer
language of this fifth principle one may hear fre- be presented as if it could possibly be, the objective of
quently in our day. And, finally, the fact is too, that    the Christian School.
such lofty and flighty language about high ideals makes       A school that is inculcating these principles is
`the very devil laugh, for he realizes quite well, how simply instilling the principles of modernism into the
harmless a pastime it is for the Christian School thus hearts and minds of its pupils. And this is all the
to direct its missiles at the moon.                        more dangerous because it is done in the name of
       Let us take this language seriously for a moment    Christianity, if not of Calvinism.
and anaiyse it.                                               Instead of this fifth declaration I offer the follow-
    What is the "sin-perverted world"?                     ing:
       In its connection the phrase here must mean the        It is the objective of the Christian School to furnish
world of ungodly men, as they live out their life of sin the pupil with an education which in all its branches
in every sphere, and pervert all things. The world as,     is rooted in the principle of the fear of God as the be-
living from the principle of sin, it corrupts every phase ginning of  ,wisdom;  and thus to co-labor, in its own
of life, the family, the state, society, business, industry, proper domain, alongside of and in distinction  from
science and art. Such is the "sin-perverted world."        the home and the church, to equip the pupil with that
       To re-constitute cannot mean anything else than to knowledge and wisdom which is necessary in order
set up again, to put on a new basis, to establish on a     that he may be able to walk in the midst of the world
new and better foundation. It signifies, therefore, so worthy  of  the vocation wherewith God calls His people,
to reform the whole ungodly world, that it no more         and that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly
lives from the principle of sin, but from a new prin-      furnished unto all good works.
ciple, in all spheres and domains of life.                                                                H. H;


                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                               465
-.-  ^----                         _II____  ____-                  -..--~_ -                -  _.._                      - - - -
                                                                      to number and among this  numb& were found few
    The Church With the Open Door                                     men if any with more than ordinary ability. This
    T                                                                 church could not boast of its great thinkers, brilliant
         HOUGHTS  FROM  CHRIST'S  MESSAGE To  THE                     minds, skilful  debaters, men mighty in word and in
                CHURCH IN  PHILADELPHIA                               deed, for it had none. There were few if  any wise
                     And to the angel of the church in Phila-         men after the flesh, few mighty, few nobles `in this
                   delphia write: These things saith he that is       Christian community. It had little strength, was but
                   holy, he that is true, he that  bath the key       a small flock, yet a flock exceptionally pure, an ideal
                   of David, he that openeth,  and no man shut-       community. It had not left its first love like the church
                   t&h;  and shutteth, and no man openetb;            of Ephesus. It had not them that held the doctrine of
                     I  know thy works; behold, I have set be-
                   fore thee an open door, and no man can             Balaam nor them that held the doctrine of the Nico-
                   shut it: for thou hast a little strength, md       laitanes. It suffered not as did the church of Thya-
                   hast kept my word, and hast not denied my          tira such women as Jezebel which called herself a
                   name.                                              prophetess to teach and to seduce Christ's servants to
                     Behold, I will make them of the syna-            commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed unto
                   gogue of Satan, which say they are Jews,           idols. It, this church, had not a name that it lived and
                   and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make
                   them to come and worship before thy feet,          was dead. It was not a church neither cold nor hot.
                   and to know that I have loved thee.                It said not, as said the church in iadicea, I am rich and
                     Because thou hast kept the word of my            increased in goods, and have need of nothing, while
                   patience, I also will keep thee from the           ignorant of the fact that it was wretched, and miser-
                   hour of te,mptation,  which shall come upon        able, and poor and blind and naked. Such boasting
                   all the world, to try them that dwell hpon         was not heard, such heresies were not found in this
                   the earth.
                     Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast           circle. It was a church with an unblemished career, a
                   which thou  ha&,  that no man  t,ake thy           church full of spiritual vigor, that worked exclusively
                   crown.                                             the works of the Lord.
                     Him that overcometh will  I make a pillar           And these works are mentioned: "Thou," said
                   in the temple of my God, and he shall go
                   no more out: and I will write upon him the         Christ to the angel of this flock, "Thou hast kept my
                   name of my God, and the name of the city           word, and hast not denied my name." This was also
                   of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which           said to four of the other churches. Five of the seven
                   cometh  down out of heaven from my God:            churches then received a word of commendation. How-
                   and I will write upon him my new name.             ever, as compared with the favorable word that was
                                                 Rev.  3:`7-12.       given to the four faulty churches, the favorable word
   The church in Philadelphia was one of the s&en                     the Lord spake to the church in Philadelphia is brief:
churches in Asia to whom John was bidden to send the "Thou hast kept my word and hast  not' denied my
revelation which he on the island of Patmos has re-                   name." To the church that has lost its first love the
ceived from Jesus Christ. In all likelihood there Jv3re Lord said: "I know thy works and thy  labour,  and
more than seven churches. Seven being the number thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them whlrCh
of completeness signifies the one church of God in its are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are
entirety. These seven churches are to be conceived of apostles, and are  -not, and hast found them liars : and
as seven types whose replicas appeared and reappeared hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake
and will continue to reappear through the centuries hast laboured, and hast not fainted." What a worthy
until the return of Christ. There will always. be                     list of good works!` Does it represent an activity
churches we may believe like the church in Phila- greater than the activity of which the church in Phila-
delphia, good and pure ; and like the church in Sardis delphia was capable? This cannot be. The work of
in which evil predominates; and like the church in keeping Christ's word involves any Christian brother-
Ephesus in which the good and the bad are  mixed,                     hood in all .the other works enumerated. That Christ
churches therefore in the need of censure and praise. was brief in commending the church in Philadelphia
   To each of these- seven churches, John in the name finds its explanation in the fact that this church was
of Christ, sends a message addressed directly to the not in the need of censure. As to these other churches,
angels or pastors of the respective flocks. The written He dwelt upon their good m-orks  somewhat at length iri
record of the message to the church of Philadelphia order to encourage them and to show that His criticism
contains not a single clause of rebuke or censure, which sprang from love.
indicates not, of course, perfection but a remarkable                    But as was said the church of little strength was
purity, a rare holy devotion to calling. Yet this church not in the need of criticism. It had been exclusively
had but little strength. This cannot mean `that its engaged in keeping His  Word, had guarded this word,
power to bear and to endure, its ability to stand in the kept it in the state in which it originally was, had not
evil day, was negligable ; the notice must be made to forsaken nor corrupted it. This ,church  had not denied
apply to the size of this brotherhood. It was small as His name. To keep His word and to not deny His


466                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

name is one and the same. For this name is not merely trine, the number that joined themselves to it may
the signification but at once the revelation of Christ,     have been few. It was a church with a cross for it
of His person and works. And the Word sets forth followed Christ and this cross may have been heavy.
the same Saviour. In it as in a glass we see, be it         Having kept His word, these beIievers  may have lost
darkly, His face and in His face the glories of God, so all or nearly all: worldly possessions, name, honor,
that to keep the word is to hold Him the head and to        social position. They were considered a menace. Men
deny His name is to forsake the word.                       reviled them, said all manner of evil against them
       The phraseology, "Thou hast kept my word and         falsely. Though they bore and had patience, it need
hast not. denied my name," befits the circumstance be- not be supposed that they were without their moments
setting this church of little strength ; for in the city of of despondency. And in these moments the thought
Philadelphia was also found them of the synagogue of might have risen in their souls whether the Lord was
Satan who said they were Jews, that is, the true chil- taking cognizance of their labour  and their patience.
dren of God, and that (such is the implication of this      The Lord therefore provides this flock with a reassur-
notice) they belonging to the church of little strength ing word: "And to the angel of the church in Phila-
were children of Satan. They said this not merely to delphia write ; these things saith He that is holy, He
themselves and to one another, but to all who would that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that
hear. They shouted it in the  bars of the members be- openeth and no man shutteth; and shutteth and no man
longing to the church of little strength. How trying openeth ; I know thy works : behold, I have set before
this state of affairs for these believers. How it hurt thee an open door, and no man can shut it *. . . . "
them to hear themselves called children of darkness!           This message issued from Christ. Before uttering
And this hurt sprang from an ordinate self-esteem,          His promises, He introduce5 Himself to this little flock.
who will deny it, but especially from their love for God What He says of Himself must have a special bearing
and for the name they were confessing. They knew upon the state of things in this church, upon its good
that what had drawn to their persons the odium of work, its exceptional purity, upon the circumstance be-
these wicked Jews was the light of Heaven that shown setting it. This church had need of hearing Christ
from them, the truth they loved and had witnessed for, speak of Himself in the way He did. Had He merely
the name they were confessing, the tidings of salvation said : "I know thy works: behold I have set before
they were showing. For this church was at once the thee an open door," this church would have felt ill at
army of God warring the warfare of Jehovah in the ease. The faithful pastor of this house would be sure
city of Philadelphia. These believers went forth armed to have asked, `Who is he that keeps the door of this
with the truth, and were therefore called children of house of God, one who opens to saint and sinner, friend
darkness by those of Satan's synagogue. How strange ! and foe alike?'
Yet not so strange if it be considered that the same lot       The church in Philadelphia was a house of God
fell to the very Son of God. Of Him, too, wicked men with a door; and this door was the word of truth. The
who said they were Jews but were not but did lie, of pastor of this house had been charged to keep, to guard
Him, too, wicked men said that He was in league with this door. The charge has been
                                                                                     .~-~-       kept. The truth had
hell because He preached a heavenly kingdom and went not been forsaken; the name of Christ had not been
through the land doing good. Insisting that He was          denied. The door was still in its place shutting out the
the vilest of malefactors, though they knew better, vile, the lovers of unrighteousness and affording en-
they laid hands on Him, when His hour had come, and trance  onIy to the true lovers of the house of God. The
afExed  Him to an ignominious cross. Such is the way children of darkness within and without were for
of the world with those who reflect the pure light of battering down this door and announcing to all men
Heaven. Such was the way of the children of darkness that in Philadelphia could be found a church with an
with this church of little strength. And these believers open door, that is, with no door at all, that all who
grieved and their grief sprang from their love for God. would might enter. The pastor of this church, how-
       Whether the hatred in this city had broken out into ever, had stood firm. He had frustrated every attempt
open persecution in some form or other is not speci- on the part of the wicked men to destroy the church's
fically stated. It may be safely assumed that it had,       door. Christ's Word had been kept. The truth had
that therefore those of; Satan's synagogue were in one been maintained. The pastor and his followers had not
way or another bending every effort to frighten the been mislead by  sued lying yet pious sounding
church of little strength into placing its light under a phrases, No creed but Christ. Many are mislead by
bushel, into keeping silence respecting the truth, into this saying. These should know that it is one of
forsaking or corrupting the word, into denying the Satan's favorite inventions. It sounds so genuinely
name. of Christ. But this brotherhood would not be true to unthinking pious people ; yet it is a phrase that
silenced. It kept His word .and did not deny His name.      sets forth vilest nonsense.       For consider that your
        Though this church in its keeping His word creed is Christ &? you confess X+m, so that to say, NO
showed a remarkable constancy, it for all this was in creed but Christ, is to say, Not my Christ but my
the need of a word of consolation. Being pure in doc-       Christ. A creedless church is a church without a door.


                                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   .                                                                 467
                _...-. ____I  ._.. - _._...._.-.......-..-.                                ,_- ..______.................  4 ...-^------.  ^ -.-.........-.    --.--- .__-. ".-
And a church without a dobr ceases to be a house of that belongeth to Him the true David. It was laid
God and becomes a den of thieves. Some may say, `we upon His shoulders in token of the fact that the gov-
want truth but no creed.' Consider that  your  creed is ernment of the church was committed into His hand.
revealed truth  ccs it  clwells  ,in your  heart.                       And the And He is faithful in all His house as a son over 13s
creed of a church is revealed truth of God  as it dwells                         own house ; "whose house are we, if we hold fast the
,i'ni the bosom of that church. Let-every faithful com- confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the
munity of believers be on its guard against those who end."
write upon their banners the aforesaid lying saying.                                 How safe this house with Christ set over it. For
They are Satan's agents bent on removing the door of unto Him was given all pbwer  in heaven and on earth,
God's house. If it is broadminded to take down the                                so that the might of every creature is His might.
door of the church, let us be narrow-minded and be in Hence, when He openeth, no man shutteth, and when
the good company of this pastor of the church in Philn-                           He shutteth, no man openeth. With Him over the
delphia.                                                                          house of God, this house is safe.
   The. enemies of the truth advance several reasons                                 The language here is typical. The true David is
why a church should have no door. Consider, they say, Christ. The true house is His church. The key is the.
that he shut out seldom if ever returns and is thus lost government of this house, the right, power, on the'one
to the church for good. Lower therefore the bars and hand to loose, to forgive sin, to reclaim from death and
keep them down. This reasoning roots in Arminian to save to the uttermost, and on the other hand to bind,
heresy that defines the will of man as sovereignly free,                          to hold sin, to prepare for destruction. The  doe: of
and the elective grace of God as non-existent. if it is the church, of the kingdom of God, is the truth, yea
the will of Christ that His church have a closed door,                            Christ himself. For He is our righteousness and sancti-
who is man to say that the bars should be lowered that fication. In Him dwelleth the fulness. As eternally in-
even the haters of God may enter the sacred precincts cluded in Him are we justified and delivered, from all
of His holy temple. But more dangerous by far than sin. For the sake of His name are we blessed. And
those who openly avow their hatred for the closed door the elect of God know themselves as those to whom the
policy, are those who under the pretence  of building kingdom has been opened when by faith they are justi-
and repairing the door of God's house break it down. fied and have Feace with God. Then have they bold-
    These are the wolves in sheep clothes in the church ness to enter into the holiest by His blood,- by a living
more to be feared then they of the synagogue of Satan. way, which He hath consecrated for them, through the
Without a doubt this pastor of the church in Phila- veil, that is to say His flesh. And th&y draw near with
delphia had encountered Some of these wolves in his a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having their
church, persons which said they were apostles but were hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and their
found to be liars in league with the enemy without. bodies washed with pure water. Their hearts condemn
What  suRering  this element may have occasioned this them not and they have.boldness toward God. Verily,
pastor. But he and his flock had stood firm. The door only the pure of heart, they who know themselves as
~3~ this church was still in its place a formidable having been cleansed from their sin.in His blood, may
barrier to those who would enter for the sole purpose and do have courage to enter the holiest to appear be-
of spoiling the heritage of God.                                                  fore J3is face. And they enter through the door; and
    Therefore the message of the apostle John to this the door is the rent veil, that is, His broken flesh.
pastor, "These things saith He that is holy, He that is                              Christ then is at once the door and the One who
true . . . . I know thy works: behold, I have set be- opens and shuts. He bestows the divine pardon He
fore thee an open door . . . . " must have fell upon merited, reclaims from death, genders in a man sorrow
his ears as sweet music. It was the God-appointed door- for sin, the power to forsake iniquity and to turn to
keeper of this church speaking. He is holy, undefiled, the living God, the faith to appropriate His  righteous-/
separate from sinners. Being holy, the open door He ness, the will to enter into the presence of God by His
sets before this church is a door opened to the holy blood. He constitutes Himself the open door for the
only, to the pure of heart, to the real lovers of God,                            elect sinner first by breaking His body for them and
but a door at once permanently closed to the vile, the thereupon by opening their eyes to their need for the
base. And He is true, real, genuine, the actual, the de- cleansing power of His blood, so that they behold Him
pendable and truthworthy one whose meat and drink as the only and glorious gateway to a heavenly throne
ever is to do the will of the Father. The very Christ of grace through which they will to enter into the
is He, the Saviour who for the sake of His Father and Father's house.
for the sake of His people who He loved unto death                                    On the other hand, Christ hath the right and might
closes His house to dogs, and sorcerers, and whore-                               to shut the door of  the kingdom to them not included in
mongers, and murderers, an idolaters, and whoever Him, not given Him by the Father. These He excludes
loveth and maketh a lie. For He is holy, He is true.                              by holding their sins, by hardening their hearts and
    He also hath the right to set before His church an thus by constituting Himself for them the closed door,
 open door. For He hath the key of David, the key the rock of  offence, the savor of death unto death.


                             .
463                                    T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                                  .___. --_" ..__ -..                  --"..- ..-.  -._l--l  . .._....-.. ^-^-_---_--~-.
These cannot will to enter through Him; they hate and members of this church, and to know that He has loved
crucify  Him anew. They are the vile excluded %rom           th&n. What is meant is not that these converted Jews,
the kingdom. But let not the saved vain-gloriously for such they are, will pay this flock a divine homage,
boast in themselves. For by nature they, too, are with-      but that, having been brought to repentance, they in
out  stren&,h,  dead in sin, enemies of the truth  2nd       love will place themselves at the complete disposal of
thus as condemnable and ill-deserving as the others. this hated and persecuted Christian commonwealth.
Let them therefore glory in God.                                Still other words of encouragement are given to
   So then the church, the kingdom has a closed and          this church. Having ,kept His word of patience, He
an open door. Heaven is not, was not meant to be,            will keep them from the hour of temptation, which
accessible to all men. For this kingdom has a door,          shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell
opened and shut not by man but by a Christ  Who              upon the earth.  This  temptation, though they with
openeth and shutteth in agreement with the sovereign the rest will fall in it, will not harm them, will not
counsel of God almighty. Let the pastor of the church separate them from the love of their Saviour. They
in Philadelphia therefore rejoice. It is Christ who will be kept by the power of God through faith. They
hath set before Him an open door. And this door will will be in heaviness through manifold temptations that
remain open - to the broken of heart, to the weary the trial of their faith might be found unto praise and
and heavy laden who yearn to come to rest in the city        honor and  glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
of God, and to rest in God, to those who hunger and             He their faithful Redeemer will keep them. He
thirst for righteousness.  ,The hunger of these hunger- has kept them in the past. Rightly considered it was
ing ones, this church by the word of patience must           He who in and through them kept His word, and con-
appease, their thirst it must quench, their broken fessed His name. "I will keep thee . . . .  " A  ilori-
hearts Christ by His word kept by this flock will bind,      ous promise the Lord carries into the hearts of those
their wounds He will graciously heal, their souls He who keep His word. Bearing fruit, this flock made
will satisfy by His likeness.                                sure its calling and election. They confessed His name,
   There is to be  sure a connection between. this prom- and He caused to resound through the chamber of their
ised growth and the faithfulness of this flock of little     souls the blessed word, "I will keep thee." `Have no
strength. It kept His word, the word of truth - the          fear, thou art mine. Thy warfare is mine, likewise
door of the church. Christ declares that He  bath set thy patience, thy  labour. As my instruments, thou
this door, the truth, and thus Himself who is the truth dost- fight the good fight. The victory therefore is
before them as a `door opened to those who love the &rely thine.
eternal city. How utterly fooIish  for a church to batter       Yet of this holy strife, the believer is the willing
down its door, to lower the bars, to deny the truth, and responsible subject. "Behold," Christ therefore
to disown its creed in the interest of growth. The said to this little flock, "Behold, I come quickly: hold
church without a door cannot grow in the true sense, that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy
for it has no door for Christ to open to His elect He crown." The man who is bent on taking their crown
is engaged  .& -saving. This church may grow, but is not the-saint competing with them for a place in
those coming in are Jews from the synagogue of Satan. IIis kingdom, but the wicked man bent on working
   Christ then is not unmindful of the fidelity of this their ruin by frightening them into releasing their
church of little strength. He knows their works. And hold on the truth, into denying His name. Disallowing
this knowing of His is the creative cause of these the truth, they lose the crown of life. However, He
works. The church is His creation. He builds His will keep them; they therefore will not.                          And
house. He therefore delights, takes a deep and abiding let them comfort themselves with the thought that He
interest in the works, in the constancy of His flock, for cometh quickly, that His heart yearns for them, that
it is His. He knows its works.. It has kept His word,        He therefore hastens the day  upon  which He can take
has not denied His name. Let this flock therefore take them to His bosom in the kingdom of eternal light.
courage. It must not anxiously ask, `Does He know,              And him that overcometh He will make a pillar in
will He add to our number?' The church who keeps the temple of His God, and this one shall no more go
His word,  bath  an open door. It is the only church out. He will write upon him the name of his God, and
that can and may have an open door. It is the only           the name of the city of his God, which is new Jerusa-
church that actually bath  an open door. Christ  bath        lem, which  cometh down out of heaven from his God:
said it. And He is true. This church must not fret and He will write upon him His new name.
because no more enter in through this door. Let it say,         The two pillars that stood in the temple of Solomon
Thy will be done. Let it rejoice in the possession of were the symbols of the repose and eternal firmness
this evidence of the love of Christ, the evidence, of the saints made perfect and glorified and coming to
namely, of the open door.                                    rest in the sanctuary in heaven. Upon this earth they
   And as to them of the synagogue of Satan, which are pilgrims and strangers, spiritual wairiors of the
say they are Jews and are not but do lie, Christ will        Most High God. Overcoming they enter the rest that
make them to come and worship before the feet of the remaineth for His people.


                                                              T H E   STA.NDARD   B E A R E R                                               469
               -- -..........-_....,...  II__ .__,.. "-" _                    ___-"  .._"             ..._" ..-. - .-_ll__l"
        And He will make them pillars of strength in His they walk with God and know themselves as hidden in
   temple to appear on the new earth and now in the the Almighty; on the morrow it may be that they wafk
   building. Thus it shall appear what they even now alone. The fame of their love burns not always even
   despite their :failings  essentially are, namely, rock of bright.                         Their hope is  not always lively. They stand
   strength in the Lord. They are this, for they overcome not always in their faith. Their light is sometimes
   the devil and His whole dominion. And their victory under a bushel, and the body of this death unduly con-
   is their faith.                                                            spicuous. And their failings are a going out of the
        The announcement, These things saith He that is ternpIe. Then it doth not appear what they essentially
   holy, He that is true, has still another significance. Not are, and their manifestation belies them. However,
   followed by words of rebuke it may be taken as a glass when Christ who is their life shall appear, they shall
   in which can be seen the spiritual beauty of the church appear with Him in glory. Essence and form shall
   of little strength. This brotherhood, too, as its Christ then agree. They will then be bearing the image of the
   is holy, separated from sinner and devoted to God, Lord from heaven and be spotlessly clean. And their*
   true, genuine, faithful, keeping trust. It was a church, glory will be God's name and reflect His glory, for
   capable of saying from the heart, we have been bought they are His children. Their glory will be the name of
   with a price, let us therefore glorify God in our mem- the new Jerusalem and reflect its glory for they are its                                 o
   bers, and' in our spirits, which are God's. Let us be                      citizens. Their glory will be the name of Christ and
   holy, for He our God is holy.                                              thus reflect His glory for they are His brethren. The
       And they will never go out any more for the per- glory of God is original with Himself. And He is the
   fection and glory of the temple with its pillars is un-                    creator of the glory of the church. His glory is the
changeable, eternal, in Him  `and cannot therefore ectype of  al1 the beauty of the heavenly kingdom, the
   deteriorate into a building fit for destruction.                           beauty of Himself excepted. For the new Jerusalem
       In His temple were He dwells will they abide for- shali come down of heaven from God.
   ever more, consciously walking in the light of His                             It was because they loved God and His Son and-t&
   countenance, praising Him day and night, beholding new Jerusalem that these conquering ones kept His
   with a heavenly eye His beauty in the face of Christ word and did not deny His name. The names they loved
   and thus satisfied forever by His likeness. For they are will therefore be written upon them. What a befitting
   pillars, engaged in a new service that agrees with their r e w a r d !
   grl0I-Y.                                                                       So then, there goes with the keeping of His word
        God's name to be written upon them. This name is and with the confession of His ,name a great reward.
   the revelation of His.essence. This name He impresses The church in Philadelphia had perhaps not enough
   upon their minds and hearts and wills, upon their very sfrength to engage in a development of the truth. But
   being. It means that they hate the name expressive                         it kept what it had. It kept His word and gained a
   of what they by nature are, to wfit,  the name'vile sin- crown. Let our concern be not our growth as churches.
   ners. Because He wrote His name upon them they but the keeping of His word. Doing this, we shall
   partake of His divine nature and thus love Him, and grow for we have then an open door which no man can
   the new city, and Christ. Yet, He holds before them shut. Christ hath said it. He that hath an ear, let
   the promise of writing once more upon them His name. him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
   This is necessary. For though essentially children of                                                                        G. M. 0.
   the  Iight, they are still full of miseries and faults and                                                                     Y
   therefore must be perfected. Their perfection and
   glory will be His name upon them.
        And He will write upon them the name of His God,
   and the name of the city of His God, and His new                                                           ?.
                                                                                                 VOORHEEN EN THANS
   name. The name is the manifestation of the essence.
   They who overcome are children of God, brethren of                                 Eens miste ik het eene, ik vond het in U;
   the Lord Jesus Christ and citizens of  ttie  n&w Jerusa-                           Arm voelde ik mij eenmad,  maar rijk ben ik nu.
   lem that is above. Therefore do they walk with the                                  `k Had onrust  en kwelling, thans heb ik vree,
   light of the eternal city in their eye, and ,with  their                           Gij, Heiland, gij deeldet, Uw zielsrust  mij mee.
   expectations focused upon things above. Even their
   conversation is in heaven and their life is hidden with                            Eens droeg ik mijn kruis, en beklaagde mijn lot,
   Christ in God. However, it doth not yet appear what                                 Thins draag ik het Uwe, en lofzing mijn God.
   they shall be. For they still bear the image of the
   earthy. And  th.ough essentially even now  pillars of
   strength, they have their  failings into sin preceded by
   periods in which conscious communion with God is
! temporarily broken off. Their fellowship with Him                                 Buiten den Christus zijn we allen te Ii&t;
   gives way at times to spiritual estrangement. One day                            E& met Hem, zijn we be&and  voor `t gericht.


                                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                           477
-_.     ..___I  -...... I .._.... -..--_-.----  -      _"  ^-.--^             .."  .._      ._.... I--._____
leden.  Die zonde was in de oogen des kerkeraads zoo
groat,  dat ze met wortel en tak moest worden  uitge-                                     Our Church Order
roeid, want ze was duivelsch. Men mocht  niet klagen                                            No one, though he be a Professor of The-
over de voorwerpelijke yeschiedenis-preekjes,  waar                                          ology, Elder or Deacon, shall be `permitted
meestal de warmte des evangelies  aan ontbrak, en men                                        to enter upon the ministry of the Word rend
moest zwijgen over het onverstandig drijven van het                                          the Sacraments without having been  ?aw-
Amerikanisatie proces;  neen, wie daartegen zijn vin-                                        fully called thereunto, and when any one
ger durfde opsteken, werd bedreigd met de ban ! Als                                          acts contrary thereto, and after being  ::re-
                                                                                             quently admonished does not desist, the
een kranke, die na een bange nacht  uitziet naar de eer-                                     Classis  shall judge whether he is to be de--
ste morgenschemering, zoo  zagen  wij uit naar de  Clas-                                     clared  a schismatic or is to be punished iu
sis. Als een drenkeiing hielden we ons aan die stroo-                                        some other way.
halm nog vast. Doch  tevergeefs . . . . zonder een vol-
doend onderzoek in loco toe te staan, doch op voor een                         In our previous article I stated that with few excep-
deel vervalschte notulen werd onze censuur  bekrach-                       tions the concensus of opinion among Reformed the-
tigd, en van ons gevraagd, belijdenis van onze grove                       ologians has been that the office of minister of the
zonden. Wet uiterste is door ons beproefd,  doch de gospel and that of professor of theology is one and the
kerkeraad had nu eenmaal besloten zijn heerschzucht same, that  the.latter  is an offspring of the former and
tot het uiterste bot te vieren . . . Toen was dan ook de that the duties belonging to the latter are all included
teerling geworpen, toen hebben we de kerk, waarin we in the former.
zijn gedoopt, waarin we  onzen  Heere hebben beleden,                        Some of recent time speak of church office in "rui-
waarin we ambtelijk hebben gediend, den rug toege-                         meren en breederen zin,"' and maintain that only in
keerd,`die  ons als een wreede moeder de deur heeft "ruimeren zin" the office of professors of theology is a
gewezen, die om haar eigen eer te redden er niet voor church office, that in a narrow sense this office is a
terug deinsde de sleutelmaeht door haren Koning haar school ofice.  This view will be dealt with in connec-
toevertrouwd te misbruiken, zichzelf op het voetstuk tion with art. 18 of the Church Order.
plaatsende der onschuld. Doch de strik is gebroken                             The matter with which this article deals is the law-
en wij zijn ontkomen naar de Prot. Geref. Kerk. Toen ful calling to the ministry of the word. The emphasis
de nood op `t hoogst scheen,  was de redding  nabij en falls upon the word lawful. This article in common
kwam Ds. Hoeksema onze dorstige  zielen  laven uit de with all the articles of the Church Order met a real
fonteinen des heils, als een hert de jacht ontkomen need, was drafted under the stress of a disturbing cir-
hebben we onze ziel verkwikt aan de stroomen des cumstance.
levens.                                                                        In 156'7 the Duke of Alva arrived in the Nether-
       En thans is Ds. Vos in ons midden. De Classis  be- lands, bent on uprooting protestantism from the soil
sloot ons zooveel te helpen  als in haar vermogen is.                      of this country. Though the meas'ures he adopted were
Hoe of het Z.Ew.  hier bevalt en hij ons, is moeilijk in amazingly cruel, the natives in increasing numbers
woorden te brengen. We zien  allen,  de Ds. niet het threw off the yoke of Rome and embraced the Reform-
minst,  uit naar den Zondag,                                               ation or rather that type of protestant&m  known as
                                              en dat zegt *genoeg.         Reformed. In a specific sense the term  k-Zef:o~?7zcn!  de-
                                                     J. R. Vander Wal.     notes those who separated from Luther on the doc-
                                                                           trines peculiarly Lutheran and carried the Reforma-
                                                                           tion to a higher point. The leader and inspiring genius
                                                                           of this wing of Protestantism was John Calvin. The
               Uit de hoogte - in de diepte,                               tenets of Calvinism were carried into the Netherlands
                                                                           and received by the seceding multitudes. Between the
                   Uit de ruimte - in het nauw,                       "    years 1567 (the year of the arrival of the Duke of
               Uit de woeling  - in de stilte,                             Alva) and 1571 many Reformed or Calvinistic
                   `Uit de vreugde - in den rouw,                          churches were organized in the Netherlands. Mark
                                                                           ,you, with a  .fierce persecution spending its force all
               Leidt de Heiland Zijne kind'ren                             about them, believers organized and thus came to the
                   Tot men Zijne wond'ren ziet,                            fore as the city of God upon the hill. What undaunted
               Hoe ter rechter  tijd het rechte                            courage ! Unto Christ who in and through His church
                                                                           wars His very own warfare is due all the credit.
                   Tot hun eeuwig heil geschiedt.                              As the first Reformed Synod was held in the year
               Leidt hen door de heete ovens,                              1571, the Reformed churches in the preceding years
                   Loutert hun geloof als `t goud,                         were without a common Church Order. As a result.
               Tot zij  `t antwoord fluist'rend  geven:                    the early career of these churches is mared by more
                                                                           than one abnormality. Each consistory exercised the
                   "Heer, Uw wil is mijn behoud  !"                        rule in accordance with stipulations it by itself deemed


 178                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
 - .._ --" .._ - ..-" ..-___ "-    .  I___ . .       ."."  .._  ^.___l--   ..-........_...   -  - .  -  ..-.....__  -...-.-  .  -  ..__"  -__.._. --...."  ._.. ."
 right and proper. Wrong lines of action were often the Word without lawful calling, approbation, and ex-
 proposed and pursued, wrong practices tolerated, This amination."                                  It seems that the imposters took Iittle
 invariably happens when the local church isolates it- notice of these rulings; for the synod of  Emden, 1571,
 self from the group to go its way alone. Any congre- found it necessary to restate and to provide what had
 gation, however high it may stand, retains its spiritual already been decreed with an edge which it did when
 equalibrium and keeps to the straight and narrow path it declared that the misdemeanants together with their
 only as a member of a group of like-minded churches.                     followers would publicly be branded schismatics and
 `Left to itself, it goes off on a tangent.                               forthwith censured in the event they persisted in defy-,
        What now was the practice to which article 3 put ing ecclesiastical regulations.                                                 And the particular
 an end? Itinerant priests, monks and anabaptists,                        synod of Dordrecht, 1574, ruled that the  classis  should
 who had seceded from the Roman CathoIic  church and twice call them to account and in the event they re-
 joined the Reformed churches, were performing the fused to mend their ways expose them to the other
 duties belonging to the office of minister of the gospel                  classis  as tramps and schismatics. This body went so
 without having been  Iawfully  called. Some in this                       far as to petition the civil magistrates to charge its
 class chose to be elected, examined and ordained. Not police to bar from the pulpit all those who could not
 so the undesirables; for either their past careers could produce credentials. The synod of Dordrecht, 15'78,
 stand no investigation or they knew  themseIves  as be- adopted measures agreeing with the foregoing. Like-
 ing too ignorant of the truth to show up well when                        wise the synod of  Middelburg,  1581. The  ruIing  as
 quized.          Several of their number, however, were men formulated by the synod last named is the article 3 of
 glib  of'tongue  who could speak according to the hearts the Church Order. The wording of this article is the
 of the people. As a result, consistories would allow work of this synod.
 themselves to be led into permitting such wandering                             So it appears that the resistance these fathers of
 evangelists to occupy pulpits and to otherwise function ours offered imposters was determined. And their
 as only an ordained minister of the Word may func- determination sprang from the conviction that a de-
 tion. The lawful calling was heid to be mere formality nomination of churches failing to insist that they who
 which if need be could be dispensed  with. As can be occupy pulpits be men Iawfully  called, must soon come
 expected, many in those days lacked insight into the to grief. As to this their conviction, it is sound.
 character of the of&e  of minister of the gospel and                            Let us enlarge on this matter. He performing the
 failed to be impressed by the fact that only he lawfully duties belonging to the office of minister of the gospel
 called, may perform the duties belonging to it. Some                      (and this of course holds for the other two offices as
 though insisting that the itinerant priest or monk be well, the office of elder and that of deacon) must be
 kept off the pulpit, were at a loss to see why especially called by Christ. This is a right of His that cannot be
 the elder may not enter upon the ministry of the Word gainsayed. For the office `as to its duties and authority,
 and of the sacraments. Is not the oflIce of teacher the as to the grace and power that is needed for the per-
 offshoot of the office of elder? so it was asked. That                    formance of its duties are Christ's. The office of His
 elders in those days were ministering the sacrament of institution through which perpetuates His own office
baptism is evident from questions forwarded to ecclesi- in His church. He, therefore, who serves without be-
 astical assemblies. Upon the synod of Dordrecht, 2.578, ing called is a usurper and a  thief, They upon whom
 the question was asked whether baptism as ministered such a one would impose himself need and may not re-
 by a private individual or an elder might be recog- ceive and follow him. Doing so, they come to a sor-
 nized.                                                                    rowful end.
        It was in opposition to such practices that' the                         It is the heights of folly for a man to take  Ibis
 synod of Emden (15'71) ruled that no one, though he honour to himself without being called of Christ. For
 be a professor of theology, elder or deacon, shall be He it is who prepares a man for the appointed task.
 permitted to enter upon the ministry of the Word and And whereas He sustains in office only those whom
 the sacraments without having been lawfully called He. calls, it follows that the uncalled are unfit for the
 thereunto.                                                               *office they snatch.
        A study of the minutes of Reformed synods, heId                          Christ calls His servants. He did so from the be-
 previous to the year 1581 brings to light that the Re- ginning. And every true servant of God, without any
 formed churches had to repeatedly reaffirm the ruling exception, knows himself as called. In Scripture God
 of article 3, denounce the malefactors as schismatics, appears as calling his servants. A great number of
 and threaten them with exposure, before these un- these calls have been incorporated in Scripture in the
 ruly ones would come to order. The Reformed ecclesi- form in which they were extended. A few examples.
 astical body first to  avere that only those  Iawfully                    To Noah God said : "The end of a11 flesh is come . . . .
 called might enter upon the ministry of the Word, was Make thee an ark . . . . " Abraham heard God say:
 the synod of Tours, held in 2.563. Thereupon the con- "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred,
 vent at Wezel, 1568, made a similar decIaration:  "No and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will
 one," it decreed,  "mtihaII be admitted to the ministry of show t,hee."  "Come now," said the Lord to Moses, "I


                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                  479
                                                                           -............._.--......  -----..----..----__l_l._
wiI1 send thee unto .Pharaoh  that thou  mayest  bring the inward man, the soul, along the avenues of the
forth my people out of Egypt." The Lord set Aaron physical senses, the eye and the ear. This manner of
and his sons apart for the service. The mandate reads:     communication was peculiar to the period in which
"And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sacred history was made. With the outpouring of  the
sons  witin him, from among the chiIdren,of  Israel, that HoIy Spirit the divine manner of communication under-
he may minister unto me in the priests office . . . . " went a change. The hearts of the apostles became the
Samuel was called by name and entrusted with a permanent abode of the Spirit. With these hearts He
message for Eli's house. And thus spake the Lord to now communicated directly, so that when they spake
Jeremiah : "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew and wrote they gave utterance to truth that issued
thee: and before thou earnest forth out of the womb, from the inward man led into truth by the Spirit Who
I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto      dwelt' there. With the death of the  last apostle the
the nation . . . .  " All the prophets, without excep- canon closed.. No new communications were made.
tion heard the call. As to the apostles, they were called But the Spirit  dwells in the hearts of believers as  we11
directly by Christ, They realized that being called they and in these hearts witnesses for the truth that reached
had to be received and heard. In their epistles there- the church through the channel of the prophets and
fore they set out with introducing  themserves  as those apostles. It is their word the church ministers through
called, as servants of Jesus Christ, called to be apostles, its organs the ministers of the gospel who are called
separated unto the gospel of God. aI1 knew themselves by the Spirit that dwelleth in them. Yet there is no
called and it was this knowledge as applied to their essential difference between the manner in which God
hearts by the Spirit that made them  bold and              now calls His servants and the manner in which He
courageous.                                                called the prophets. For the call was and still is as to
   The question arises whether after the death of the its essence that act of God whereby He makes known
last apostle, the Lord continued to select, prepare and unto the man of His choice that it is His (God's) will
call His servants.    The conviction of the Christian that he enter upon the specified service.
`church is that He did. To maintain the contrary is to         Today we distinguish between the inward and
be addicted to the view that with the death of the last the outward call. This terminology must be under-
apostle communion between the living God and His stood. The so-called outward call is also inward. And
church came to an end. Consider that if it were so,        the inward call is in a sense outward as it is of God a
the church would have ceased to be. Fact is that it is Being distinct from the one called.
here. In it dwells God by His life-giving Spirit. It           The inward call. The proof that one may believe
will therefore abide unto the end of time to continue that he is inwardly called  is held to be: Love for Christ
forever its career on the new earth. If today there is and for the duties belonging to the office. An abiding
no communion and contact between God and man,              desire to serve Christ in the capacity of minister of
there never was, and the belief that the church is the the word. The possession of the necessary gifts and
creation of God that possesses His word, is a vain. The strength. Available means. The opening of the way
believer, however, knows God as his Redeemer. He           by the Lord.
taste that the Lord is good. With His God he waIks             The question is whether. these dispositions and cir-
and talks and in the face of Christ he beholds His         cumstances may be taken as proof that one is called.
gIories. And he presses on with the living hope in His It is certain that an untalented person devoid of love
soul that he will see His face. God is communing with for Christ can be no minister of the gospel. It is an-
man. He calls sinners out of darkness into His light. other question, however, whether one should consider
He speaks according to the hearts of His people. By himself called because he loves Christ, has a liking for
His Spirit He testifies with their spirits that they are the work and is talented. One actually called is one
His children, and binds the word He spake by the with a conviction, the conviction, namely, that it is
prophets and the apostles upon their hearts. And in the Lord's will that he enter upon the sacred ministry
the narrower sense, He calls his servants, separates of the word. It is by working in the heart of the man
men unto the gospel of God. The manner in which He of His choice this conviction that He calls. This con-
calls men to the ministry of the gospel may differ from viction should be so strong that he having it has rest
the manner in which He called the prophets and the nor peace should he fail to heed it.                     Then he  will
apostles of old. Unto Moses the Lord spake face to         enter upon the sacred ministry of the word because He
face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. This manner must.
of communication, however, was employed in respect             Christian people of al1 shades of belief are agreed
to Moses only. Of the other prophets we read: "If that the minister of the word should be one called.
there be a prophet among you, I, the Lord, will make Many such as the Quakers and the Mennonites have
myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto enough on the inward calling and will have nothing of
him in a dream . . . . and in dark speeches." The call     the outward, that is, lawful calling of Christ through
extended to Moses and that extended to the other the congregation, and consisting in the election by
prophets had this in common that it was made to enter the consistory and the deacons, in the esamination of


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.-- ..-.. _"____ ~___-_..."  ._-._. I__ ._-.    "           __-  --.....--   -         -_"  ---.^_-                -- .  --^-  -_--....._
                       r
doctrine and life ; in the approbation by the members for the sake of Christ's merits; and declare to all un-
of the calling church ; and finally in public ordination believers that they stand exposed to the wrath of God
(art.  24). The Church brder declares that no one as long as they are unconverted. These are tasks  bc-
without this calling shall enter upon the sacred min-                          longing to the office of minister of the gospel, as does
istry of the word. Of the inward calling the Church also the ministry of the sacraments.
Order says nothing.               There is a reason for this.                     This, of course, cannot mean that only the minister
Whether the church knows not what is in man, it has of the gospel may instruct out of the Word, admonish,
no way of determining whether one speaks the truth comfort and reprove. The parent breaks the bread of
when he says to be inwardly called. Aside from this, life for his family. Here he functions as prophet,
the distinction &ward and outward cahing,  seems to priest and king, instructing, admonishing, according to
have risen from the thought that there are two distinct the need of every member of that circle over which he
callings. Rightly considered there is but one calling, has been set.
namely, that of Christ through the congregation. This                             And the believers in general are admonished to ob-
calling must and does become inward when the Spirit serve one another's walk. They shave a duty toward the
binds it upon the heart of the one called and by it brother overtaken by a fault. But only the minister
genders in the soul of the called the conviction that it of the gospel has the right and duty to break the bread
is God's will he enter upon the sacred ministry of the of life for the flock. His engagements are properly a
word. If the called one already possessed this  con- ministering of the Word. No one, though he be a pro-
viction the .outward  call merely serves to strengthen fessor  of theology, elder or deacon shall be permitted
what was present in his soul. If the outward calling,                          to enter upon this ministry.
the voice of the congregation, is not  binded by the                                                                          G. M. 0.
Spirit upon the heart of the calling one, it does not
`serve as a proof that the calling was actual and of God;
       It can easily be seen why the Church Order insists
upon the lawful calling. Anyone could come  ta the
fore and say he was called ; and the, church not law-                                            `K ZOEK EEN GIDS
fully calling could not restrain him from preaching.                                     `k Ben een pelgrim  ; `k zoek een gids
Everybody would soon be preaching as is actually the                                       Op des levens kronkelwegen ;
case in Quaker churches. In such a community of  be-                                     Nu eens dreigt een wildernis,
lievers there is no ministry of the word, aud the result                                   Dan weer gaapt m'n afgrond tegen.
must be spiritual decay.
       So then the so-called outward lawful calling is the                               `k Ben een vreemd'ling ;  `k zoek een vriend
calling proper. A man, who studies theology, may carry                                      Die de taal spr*:ekt  van mijn harte,
about with him the belief that it is the will of God that                                Die met raad en daad mij dient
he preach the word. The failure of the church to call                                      Onder `s werelds vreugd en smarte.
 him is the sign that after all he was mistaken.
       The Church Order singles out the duties belonging                                 `1~ Wacht  een onweer; `k zoek een rots
 to the office of minister of the gospel as duties which                                    Die m' een schuilplaats  aan kan bieden.
no one but they in office may perform. They only may                                     Waar ik d' ongena des lots,
explain to the flock the Word of God, appIy the same to                                     In Gods hoede  kan ontvlieden.
the edification of the hearers, instructing, admonish-
 ing, comforting and reproving, according to every                                       `k Zwerf in `t duister; `k zoek een licht,
 one's need ; preaching repentance toward God, and                                          Dringend door de wolkgordijnen,
 reconciliation with him through faith in. Christ; re-                                   Stralend  van Gods aangezicht
 futing with the holy Scriptures all schisms and here-                                     AIs een glimlach voor de Zijnen.
 sies which are repugnant to the pure doctrine.
        AI&"  yA.A?"vLL*Y~   VI  "I."  I. "I  u  "*I"A*  AL.  UY engagement              `k Ben vermoeid ; ik zocht een Rust,
       be set apart. It is a work that may be done only by                                 Zooals slechts Gods kind kan smaken,
the called. The "oefenaar" is allowed to speak an  edi-                                  Die, door Hem in slaap gekust,
 fying word as a brother among the brethren, but his                                        Straks herboren  zal ontwaken.
engagement does not deserve to be called "a preaching
 of the word." He does not instruct, admonish, com-
fort, reprove, preach repentance toward God, nor
handle the keys of the kingdom of heaven ; he does not                                     DE TUCHT DER DROEFHEID
as the official organ of Christ testify to all believers
that whenever they receive the promise of the gospel                               De Heere werft zijne beste krijgslieden  aan uit de
by a true faith all their sins are forgiven them of God hooglanden der beproeving.


