       VOLUixE   xxx11                          JULY  1, 1956  -GRAND  RAPIDS)  MICHIGAN                                    NUMBER  18

                                                                            But that is not true.
             Ii4 E  Q  I'T A T  I-0 N                                       I submit that although Cain was without faith, and that
                                                                         Abel was a `man of faith, the matter of their offerings is
                                                                         very important.
                 THE LORD'S RESPECT                                         Let, me put it this way: Cain showed exactly in the
                                                                         kind of offering that he lacked faith. While, on the other
              "And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his
              offering. But unto Cain and to his offering He had         hand, Abel's faith was proved by the type of offering he
              not respect."                            Gen.  4!3,  5a    brought to the Lord.                 ,
       God's respect is His favor.                                          Attend to the account in Hebrews 11 :4 : "By faith- Abel
                                                                         offered unto God a  IM,OY~ excellent  sawijice  than Cain,  by
      The original Hebrew word for respect in my text means              which he obtained. witness that he was righteous, God
   literally: to look upon with favor. So the thought is rather          testifying of J&is gifts: and by it,he being dead yet speaketh."
   clear. God liked the one son and his offering, but He did                That verse sheds a wonderful light on Abel's gifts, and by
   not like' Cain and his offering at all. He did not want  ro           implication, it also reveals what kind of man Cain was.
   look on him or it.
      And Cain knew it. At once, the text continues : "And                  Most people think of Cain as an irreligious man. They
   Cain was wroth and his countenance fell."                             picture him as `a rough and careless  `man;  a man that
                                                                         professedly cared not for God.
      And then followed the story of the first murder.                      But that is a.mistaken  idea.
       I like to talk awhile on God's respect regarding' Cain
   and his offering ; Abel and his offering  ; Christ and  Iris             Cain did care for God. There are really very few people
                                                                         that professedly do not care for God. Most people would
   offering ; and us and our offering.                                   look askance at you when you would accuse them that they
                                *  * *  *                                care not for the Almighty.
                                                                            And also Cain would have disagreed violently with you
      When we read about Cain and his offering, we note that             if you would have accused him of being an atheist, or an ,
   most commentators of Holy Scripture have a wrong con-                 irreligious man.
_  ception  of both the  -man and his offering.     I have read
   several divines who say that the reason for God's accepting              Note that he went and offered unto God. In, fact, he
   of Abel's offering and the rejecting of Cain's offering was           did so first. And Abel was second.
   not caused by the difference in offerings, but in the presence           Cain acknowledged God, and realized that He must be
   of faith in Abel and the absence of faith in Cain. Cain's             served.
   offering was good in itself, even though it was different                And Cain could spare something for God too.
   from Abel's. Their offerings were really alike.: the one                 As such he is the representative of the' religious world of
   gave of the firstlings of his flock, and the other of the             our day.
   firstlings of the fruit of the ground. That there was a                 "Man  is innately a religious being:,            '  1
   difference at all was simply because of their different oc-           . And they will do much for their religion. Attend to
   cupations : the one was a keeper of sheep- and the other a            &Ii&a: "Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow
   tiller of the ground. So it was natural that Abel came with           myself before the high God ? shall I come before Him with
   a little lamb, and the other with some lettuce, carrots, endive       burnt offerings,  with calves of a year old? Will the Lord
   and turnips. Yes, so they say : their offerings were alike.           be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of
      The only difference was that Abel offered in faith, and            rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
   Cain offered in unbelief.                                             the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul ?" 6 :6, 7.

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

         Oh yes, man will serve God alright. And he is not stingy     municated with him we do not know, but the statement is
  either. Many are the poor souls, thinking that they were            clear enough. God must have told him that this slain .lamb
  doing God a favor, have given their children in offerings and       satisfied the living God, and that he was an object of God's
  sacrifices. Attend to the worshippers of Moloch.                    love, and that his salvation would be accomplished through
      And such a worshipper was Cain. He was an intense               Him who would fulfill that slain lamb. God gave a testimony
  worshipper  .of God. He meant what he said when he `an-             of his gifts, says the writer of the Hebrews.
  nounced to his father  and'mother: I am going to bring an              Moreover, the same writer tells us in connection with the
  offering to the Lord! .                                             gifts of Abel, that he was righteous. And so we have here
         But he was all wrong.                                        also the doctrine of justification, for it is plain enough that
         God had respect, neither to him nor to his offering. God     Abel was not righteous because of his works. No, but God
  rejected both. And the reason ? He refused the bloody               no doubt, testified to Abel that, since he had so clearly shown
  sacrifices. He saw not the spiritual world. He was proud            his faith in the obedience evidenced by the slain and offered-
of heart. And he was reprobated.                                      lamb, he  was -righteous in the Christ who was typified in
                                                                      the slain lamb. Otherwise the whole history as recorded in
    And I am sure that this idea of a bloody sacrifice was            Hebrews has no sense at all.         -
  exactly the topic of conversation in the field prior of the
murder of Abel. Abel must have said to him: No wonder                    God looke`d-with favor on that bleeding lamb' of Abel, as
  that Jehovah does not accept your greens and vegetables.            well as on Abel himself. And that not because of Abel and
  Did not  father and mother tell us and instruct us to  .bring       his works,. but because of the Christ who was typified. And
  the blbody sacrifices ? How that God had instructed them in         Abel showed that he was touched by the hand of the Al-
  this ? Why do you not take one of my little lambs ?                 mighty because he hid himself in the shadow of the Lamb of
                                                                      God to come.
         But Cain silenced his brother in death.
                              * *  *`*                                                          *  *  *  +

                                                                         And now Christ and His offering.
      And Abel and his offer&g?                                          Christ, the Person of the Son of God, is the better Abel.
      Abel was a man of faith, and he proved it in liis sacrifice.       He is. Gqd out of God, the Covenant Jehovah Himself.
      He saw an entirely different world than Cain. He saw
  God, guilt of his sin, righteousness and judgment, but also            But in human garb, united with the chosen race of man.
  everlasting mercy and love.                                            His most beautiful picture you may find in Philippians 2.
      And so he was humble and meek, and wise unto salva-             There you find utmost humility and lowliness of mind. Es-
  tion.                                                               pecially, if you listen close, and hear about His unutterable
                                                                      prerogatives : He is God Himself.
      And he shows it in the offering : he brought of the .first-
  lings of his flock. He brought a little lamb.,                         There you have the part of the Gospel, if not the entire
                                                                      Gospel, which is so deep for me. I cannot grasp it, but I do
      And he said in his offering : 0 God, be merciful to me,         worship whenever I  <think  on it. Imagine: God out of God,
  the sinner! 0 God, Thou art righteous, and <therefore I bring       Jehovah Himself will go to hell for me, and  suffer untold
  this substitute according to Thine ordinances,, as told to my       agonies so that I may be happy for evermore! Try to see
  father and mother.                                                  that.  -
      And then we usually say: Abel- did not -fully see how
  and why. Although we must be careful here. Attend to this :            He made Himself of no reputation so that my reputation
  Abel  talked with God ; Abraham saw Jesus' day ; Moses saw          might be spotless. He took my hell and gave me His heaven.
  the- pattern of the everlasting idea of the Covenant when he        And He loved me when I yet shook my fist in His blessed
  was on the mount with God ; David quotes Christ in Psalm            face. What do I say? Now, now, now, while I do know in
  22; and Isaiah stands before the cross that would be erected        part about such wonders, now I still hurt Him, who js the
  so many years `later:                                               song of the angels. Is it wonder that Abel sobs out his
                                                                      sorro_w,  kneeling by that altar ? And that I in deepest night
         I am persuaded that those saints of the  -Old  Testament     feel sometimes, a groaning which I cannot utter ?
  knew  &ore of salvation that we give them credit for. That
  is, some of the Old Testament saints, and then we" have in             Christ and His offering indeed!
  mind especially the prophets such as we enumerated above.              Abel; at least, had a flock of sheep. And he went and
  They had special dispensations of the Holy Spirit and many          fetched a little lamb.
  of them talked with God. Abraham even looked for the                   But Christ has no flock.
  renewed heavens and the earth.                                         And so He gave Him&f.
      Attend again to Hebrews.  God- gave  Abel  a  testimoti;,r         Do not-wonder that I love, that I adore number 109
  regarding his offering.  what God said and how He  com-             of the Psalter. Read it and worship.


                                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEA'RER                                                                                   411

     But Christ and His offering ! 0  wonder  of wonder  of
  God! Amen.                                                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   r'
                              8  * *  *                                  Semi-monthly, except  ?no&~.ly  &wing June,  July and  Augzcst
                                                                           Published by the  &ORMED   FREE  PUBLISHING  ASSOCIATION
     And now we will finally  regard us and our offerings.               P. 0. Box  SSI, Madison Square Station, Grand Rapids 7,  Mich.
     Abel is gone to heaven, and Cain weeps and gnashes his                                Editor  - REV. HERMAN  HOEKSEMA
 teeth in hell.                                                          Communications relative to contents  should  <be addressed to Rev.
     And Christ is ai the right hand of God.                             H. Hoeksema, 1139 Franklin St., S. E., Grand Rapids 7,  Mich.
     How about our offerings ?                                          All matters relative to subscriptions should be addressed to Mr.
                                                                         G. Pipe, 1463 Ardmore St., S. E., Grand Rapids 7, Michigan.
     Abel had the types and the shadows. Abel could go to                Announcements and  Obirtuaiies  must be mailed to the above
  his flock and select a lamb of. the first year. He could pre-          address and will be published at a fee of $1.00 for each notice.
  pare it while he pondered on salvation, and finally bring it           RENEWALS:  Unless a definite request for discontinuance is re-
                                                                         ceived, it is assumed that the subscriber wishes  tihe subscription
  to The altar to God.                                                   to continue  without..the formality of a renewal order.
     But we have nothing.                                                                     Subscription price: $4.00 per year
     Oh, God!  I  have nothing! Nothing but sin! Oh, have                Entered as Second  Class matter  at Grand Rapids,  Michigan
  mercy on us in the New Testament. We have nothing to
  show for ourselves : no temple, no priests in beautiful apparel,
  so pomp and circumstance. We have nothing, o God!
     And yet, we love Thee !. And we would fain serve Thee.                                            CONiENTS
     What shall we bring ?                                            MEDITATION  -
     I know what I will answer God : I will take- the little                The Lord's Respect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
  Lamb of God, I will  take Jesus in my heart and in my                            Rev. G. Vos
  mouth, and I will bring Him t-0 Jehovah.                            EDITORIALS -
     And doing that I will give. expression of the blessed truth            Election and Assurance..................................412
that Jesus is in me. "Since Jesus came into my heart . . . ."               As To Conscientiious Objectorship. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .413
     And I listen to a prophecy of such New Testament con- _                      Rev. H. Hoeksema
  duct which I find in the psalms of David, and what a psalm !        OUR  DOCTRINE  -
     Amid  his groanings and cryings  I hear him sing.:                     The Book of Revelation.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .414
                                                                                  Rev. H. Hoeksema
     "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and
 a contrite heart, o God, Thou wilt not despise !"                    FROM HOLY  WRIT-
    It is in moments like these that we can imitate Paul when               Exposi,tion  of I Corinthians 1-4 (16). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .418
 he said : I  ziti the least of all, because I am the chief of                    Rev. G. Lubbers
 sinners !                                                            IN HIS  FEAR -
     For Jesus offerings' sake ! Amen.                                      Praying in His Fear (2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .420
                                                             G.V.                 Rev. J. A. Heys
                                                                      CONTENDING  FO'R THE FAITH -
                           A n n o u n c e m e n t                          Tlhe  Chm-ch  and the Sacraments (The Lord's Supper) . . . .  .4ir,
                                                                                  Rev. H.  VeldEan
   * The Synod of the Protestant  Refortied  Churches con-
 vened in South Holland, Illinois, on June  5th, 1956, has            THE VOICE OF OUR FATHERS -
                                                                            The Exposition of the Canons of Dordrecht. .,. . . . . . . . . . . .424
 examined the brethren Gise J. Van  Baren and Bernard                             Rev. H. C. Hoeksema
 Woudenberg.                                                          DECENCY AND  ORDER-
     The aforementioned Synod has declared these brethren                   The Labors of the Deacons (Continued) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .426
 Candidates for the Ministry of the Word and of the Sacra-                        Rev.  ,G. .VandenBerg
 ments in the Protestant Reformed Churches.                           ALL AROUND Us e
                                                                            Another Count  Case......................................4ZS
     These Candidates for the ministry are eligible for a call                    R e v .   M .   Schipper
 not earlier than July  9th, 1956, or four (4) weeks from the         CONTRIBUTIO'NS  -
 time they were declared Candidates.                                        Christ washes the feet of His Disciples.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .430
                          G. Lubbers                                        The Great Darkness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
                                                                                  Rev. G. M. Ophoff
                          Stated, Clerk of the Protestant Reformed
                          Churches of America.         -


   412              b                         T H E ` S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

                                                                            This is beautifully expressed because it is thoroughly
             EDIT-ORItALS.                                              Scriptural. It is all of God, through Christ, in the Holy
                                                                        Spirit. God gives faith. God b&tows all the gifts of grace
                                                                        upon the elect. God purges them from all sin. God preserves
                  Election and Assurance                               them unto the end. God finally brings them into the enjoy-
                                                                       ment of eternal glory.
      The Canons of Dordrecht never treat the doctrine of                   This must be preached. Never must the preaching be a
   election in a cold, philosophical and deterministic way a?, in      mixture of God and man, of the Reformed faith and Armini-
   fact, Berkhouwer does in his book on God's election.  :In           anism as is so often the case in Reformed churches. Not the
   spite of the fact that he repeatedly condemns the determin-         true preaching of the doctrine of election creates doubt in
   istic and fatalistic view of election, this is  exactly  what he    the hearts of the elect but the preaching of the truth with a
   does. And,  as I said before, the reason is that he does not        sort of' Arminian application does. The relation between
   understand that election is the work of the tr&e Cod, of the        God's work and ours in +he matter .of salvation is never that
   Father, through the Son, and in the Holy Spirit. That God           of cooperation but it is always such that our work is the
   sovereignly chooses unto salvation whom He will but also            fruit of the work of God. It would have been more to the
   sovereignly applies election unto the hearts of those whom          point of Berkhouwer, instead of applying an erroneous in-
   he chose, he does not develop in his book.                          terpretation of Deut;  29 :29, had appealed to Phil. 2 :12, 13 :
      This is most beautifully expresses in Canon 11, 8 which          "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for
   we quoted in our previous article.                                  it is God which worketh within you both to will and to do
      Indeed, this article states emphatic&y that God redeems          of his good pleasure."
   "out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those            Of the assurance of the elect in regard to their salvation,
   only, who were from eternity  chdsen unto salvation, and            the Canons of Dordrecht  also speak in chapter .V, the chap-
   given him by the Father." Not all are redeemed by  t&e              ter that deals with the  perseirerance  of the saints. We read
   blood of Christ but only the elect. This is, indeed, the doc-       in Art. 9: "Of this preservation`of the elect unto salvation,
   trine of. Scripture and of the Reformed Churches, and this          and of their perseverance in the faith, true believers may
   must always be preached.                                            and do obtain assurance according to the measure of their
      But this is, in the  Canons> not presented as a cold and         faith, whereby they arrive at the certain persuasion, that they
   abstradt doctrine, but as a living faith. It is not thus that       ever will continue true and living members of the church ;
   the Canons  ,merely  state that the elect only are saved, but       and that they experience forgiveness of sins and will at
   they also explain how, in what way, they receive salvation.         last inherit eternal life."
   And also this is not their own but God's work through the               The question is, however, how is this assurance wrought
   Hoiy Spirit. All this, mark you  well, is implied in the            in the hearts of the elect ? The answer to this question is
   eternal counsel of election which is, by God, worked out in         found in Art. 10. of t&e same chapter of the Canons : "This
  time. For notice that, according to this article, "This was          assurance, however, is not produced by any special revela-
  the sovereign counsel and most gracious will and purpose of          tion contrary- to, or independent of the Word of God: but
  God the Rather, that the quickening and saving efficacy of           springs from faith in God's promises, which he has most
  the most precious death of his Son should extend to all,the          abundantly revealed in his Word for our comfort, from the
  elect,  `for bestowing  up& them alone the gift of justifying        `testimonk of the Holy Spirit, witnessing with our spirit that
  faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation."               we are children and heirs of God, Rom. S :16  ; and, lastly,
      Notice that, according to this article, it is all of God.        from a serious ahd holy desire to preserve a good conscience,
  He not only chooses those that are to be saved but He' also          and to perform good works. And if the elect of God were
  sovereignly executes His own counsel. He does so sovereignly         deprived of this solid comfort, that they shall finally obtain
  and infallibly. There is no question at all that the elect shall     the victory, and of this infallible pledge or earnest of eternal
  surely be saved exactly because God applies the saving               glory, they would be of all men most miserable."
  efficacy of the death of Christ to their hearts. He does so .by          God, through His Word and in the Holy Spirit, there-
  -bestowing upon them the gift of saving faith.                       fore, works this certainty of their salvation in the hearts of
      This is further explained and emphasized in the last             the elect; and `He does so in the way of walking in sT.nctifica-
, part of this same article: "that he should confer upon them          tion of life.
  faith, which *together with all the other saving gifts of the            It is true, they sometimes have carnal doubts. They are
  Holy -Spirit, he purchased for them by his death  ;  +ould           ndt always sure of their final salvation. But these doubts do
  purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether           not arise from the preaching of  the doctrine of election or
  committed before or after believing; and having faithfully           even from an over emphasis on that doctrine, but from
  preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them            various causes such as negl.ect  of the preaching of the Word
  free from every spot and blemish to the enjdyment .of glory          and of the communion of, saints,`walking  in sin and love 6f
  in his own presence forever."                                        the things of the world, etc. But even' then it  is God that


                                           T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                  413

causes them to return and again to experience the joy of the           But there is still more.                                   .._
assurance of their salvation. Thus we read in Art. 11 of               Even the payment of a contribution to a certain charity
`Canons  V: "The Scripture moreover testifies, that believers       equal in amount to union dues and initiation fee proves that
in this life have to struggle with various carnal doubts,           the conscientious objector is not a member of the union. On
and that under grievous temptations they are not always             the card the following statement is found:
sensible of, this full assurance of faith and certainty of             "I hereby authorize the corporation to deduct an equiv-
persevering. .But God, who is the Father of all consolation,        alent amount. to the current monthly union dues of the first
does not suffer them to be tempted above all that they are          pay of each month. I jurther authorize and understand that
-able, but will with the temptation also make the way to es-.       the first payment will include an amount equal to the current
cape that they may be able to bear it, I Car: 10:13, and by         monthly dues only, and initiation fee.
the Holy Spirit again inspires them with the comfortable'              "The amount of these deductions will be paid  to the
assurance of persevering."                                          union who will pay to the charity I select as follows . . . .
    The conclusion, therefore, is that doubt in regard to our.      If I do not select a charity the union will pay to a charity
salvation is to be attributed to the doctrine of election or the    the union selects."
preaching of that doctrine in the church  ; that, on the             `: The reason why this stipulation is made for the  con-
contrary, this doctrine is the source of true' `comfort and         ssie'ntious  objector is evident. First of all, by agreeing to
assurance for the people of God  ; that this doctrine, however,     this  stipulation.he  is in a position to  shoti that, in refusing
must be consistently preached as the very COY ecclesi-a and         to become member of. the union, he is not motivated by th'ti
not half heartedly and with all sorts of reservations as            desire to save  .the money of the union membership  dues.
Berkhouwer  would have us do ; and that God, through His            but *that he is really an objector for conscience's sake. And,:
Word and Spirit is the sole author, not only of our salvation,      secondly, by this stipulation the union means to preserve
but also of the assurance of it in our hearts.                      equality among the men working in a certain shop or
    This is Reformed.                                               factory so that no special privileges are accorded (such as
                                                    - H. H.         .non-payment  of membership dues) to those that are no
                                                                    members of the union.
                                                                     ..j At any rate, it is evident even from .this stipulation that a
        As to Conscieitious  Objectorship                           coriscientious  objector is not a member of the union.
                                                                       The question may be asked, in conclusion: granted that
    We still have to discuss the so-called charity card             a  conscientidus  objector  iS  not a niember of the union, is it
which the conscientious objector signs and by which- he             not wrong for him to agree to- this last stipulation ? Can a
agrees to certain things.                                           worldly union, ,it is asked, contribute to a Christian charity?
    The reader can find a copy of this card  in.,Jhe  issue of          My answer is: I do not believe that this is sinful.
our paper of May 15. I will, therefore, not copy it again.              First of all, even if the union `-should be' the giver to
    But, in the first place, it is very evident, even' from this `charity in this  case: there is nothing  wrong  in this as long
card, that a conscientious objector is not and is not con-          as there are no strings tied to this for him that uses the
sidered to be a member of the union.                                union for this purpose:
   .He signs the statement: "I fully -understand that this              Secondly, however, if you read the' charity card again
contribution does not entitle me to any union membership            you will discover that it is not the  &on, but the con-
privileges."                                                        scientious objector  thxt makes this contribution to charity.
    Now, to be sure, membership privileges  and- membership         He authorizes the  corpqration' to deduct a certain amount
-obligations are inseparable. The former are based on the           from his wages' for charity purposes.
latter. If one has no membership privileges he has no                  If an agent comes to my door to ask a `gift for Bethesda
membership obligations. In no sense of the' `word, therefore,       or for Pine Rest'or  for the Red Cross, and I give him some
is a conscientious objector considered to be a member of the        money, it is not .the agent, but I myself that make the con-.
union. He pays no initiation fee or membership dues, he             tribution.              I'
does not swear or. pledge allegiance to the union, he does             The same is true for the contribution made by a con-
not sign the constitution, he is not obligated to strike or to      scientious objector.
picket and the union  will, not call upon him to do so. For
this reason, namely- that  hk is not a member, he has no
union privileges and he does `not want them. He has not                 "Broken promises of our children cau$e us, yet sinners,
the right to vote and he cannot claim .any finan,& support          great grief. What, then, of our  broketi  pledges before the
in case of a strike or in case, of: sickness. He voluntarily
signs away all membership priviieges as  $ell as all member-        face of an Holy God ? Recall how solemn the given pledge
ship obligations. He is not a member  of the union.                 to instruct the seed of the covenant -in God's way !"
    So much is evident from the "charity card."                                                                                HHK.


    414                                           T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
-, II                                                                       is more natural to interpret them as referring to his recording
                 O U R   DOCTRINE                                     II the specific Word of God and testimony of Jesus in this book.
                                                                            And this is certainly demanded by the last part of this .
                   .                                                        second verse : "all things that he saw." "The testimony of
                  THE`BOOK OF REVELATION  1                                 Jesus Christ" may be understood either in the objective
                                                                            sense (the testimony concerning Jesus Christ), or in the
                                 CHAPTER  I                                 subjective sense (the testimony by Jesus Christ). In the
                                                                            light of the context the former is to be considered as the
                        The Rbvelation of Jesus Christ                      correct interpretation. It was Jesus Christ Who received this
                                                                            revelation from God, and Who communicated it to, John.
           Angels often appear in Scripture as the media of revela- .He, therefore, is the prime Witness of it. He it is that bears
   tion, not only directly. when  *they proclaim the Word of God,           testimony concerning this revelation, which the Word of
    as at the incarnation and at the resurrection of the T..ord,  but       God. And in vs. 5 He is called "the faithful witness." Of this
    also indirectly. We know that the law of  Sina.i was given              Word `of God and testimony of Jesus Christ John bare
    by the disposition of angels, Acts 7 ~53, and that it was or-           record. The original word for "bare record" does not in
    dained by angels in the hand of Moses, Gal. 3 :19. And that             itself signify the act of recording the visions in a book. It
    in some such capacity an angel also mediated in the com-                merely means "testified."' We know, however, that John was
    munication of`this revelation to John is reaffirmed in chapter          commissioned to write them in a book, vs. 19, and that,,
    22 :6. Somehow, therefore, an angel was employed as agent               therefore, this is the form in which he communicated the
    to bring the visions of <this book before the eye of the seer.          things he saw to the churches.
           This seer is simply called "his. servant John." As was              Finally, the book of Revelation is commended to the re-
    stated before, we believe that this was John, the apostle, al-          cipients by the promise of a blessing: "Blessed is he that
    though this is often disputed. We do not consider the question readeth, and are they that hear the words of this prophecy,
  of importance for the interpretation of this book. Of many                and keep those things that are written therein: for the time
    parts of Holy Scripture we do not know the human authors.               is at hand." The blessing here spoken of, no doubt, in the
    But it seems to us, apart from all other considerations, thar           ultimate sense of the word is the inheritance of the glory of
    in the light of Scripture there can be no doubt that this               the eternal kingdom in the day of Jesus Christ, the "inherit-
    "servant John" is the apostle of that name. Who else could              ance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away,"'
    thus designate himself without further qualifications and ex-           that is reserved in heaven for the believers, "the salvation
    pect that his readers would know who was meant ?. Surely,               ready to be revealed in the last time.`>  I Pe. 1 :4, 5. It is the
    one that is acquainted with Scripture can think of no other.            blessedness of the New Jerusalem, coming clown from God
    That he is not called "the apostle of Jesus Christ". in this            out of heaven, of the new creation, wherein righteousness
    passage does not alter the matter. In his. first epistle the            shall dwell and where the tabernacle of God will be with men'
    apostle John does not introduce himself at all, while in his            forever. To this ultimate state of blessedness the whole book
    second and third letters he merely calls himself "the elder."           of Revelation looks forward. Yet, this does not necessarily
   -Besides,  even Paul does not always introduce himself in his            exclude a blessing for the present time. On the ,contrary, it
    epistles as "the apostle" (cf. I Thess. 1  :l  ; II Thess. 1  :l  ;     rather includes such a present blessing for them that receive
    Phil. 1  :l), and. also designates himself as a "servant of             and keep the words of this prophecy. As long  .as we con-
    Jesus Christ"  (Philipp.  1  :l ; Tit. 1  :l  ) . And on the isle of    template the things of this present time, the things that come
    Patmos, as the recipient of this revelation of Jesus Christ,            to pass in this world, from a mere earthly, human, historic
    John is not so much an apostle (one that is sent) as simply             viewpoint, there.is nothing but darkness and hopeless misery.
    the servant of Christ. Although, therefore, we consider the             For "vanity of vanities, all is vanity" is true of the whole
    question one of minor importance, we hold that this "servant            of present existence. And we lie in the midst of death.
    John" is none other than the apostle "whom Jesus loved,"                There is no way out. In spite of the optimistic outlook and
    especially on the ground that there was no one that was so              predictions of the prophets and leaders of this world, things
    well known as the apostle, that he could afford to announce             grow more hopeless as time goes on. And serious men of
    himself simply as "his servant John," or "John" (vs. 4), or             the world begin to. ask the question anxiously, whether our
    "I John" (vs.  .9).                                                     whole civilization will not totter into ruins. The world
           Through John, therefore, this revelation of Jesus Christ         is not improving. tho.ugh it is, developing in a cultural sense.
    is given to the Church,' "the servants" of Christ. For he               It is plainly getting worse. In times like the present we are
    "bare record of the word of God,. and of the testimony of               strongly reminded of this, not because we are witnesses the
    Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw." These words               horrors of merely another war, but because every war is
    if taken by themselves might refer to John's work and calling           worse than the former,, and this in the face of all mere hu-
    as an apostle in general. Always it was his calling to witness          manitarian efforts to establish a lasting peace. Besides, the
    of the Word of God and of the testimony of Jesus.  .Yet, it             people of God also partake  ~of the "sufferings of this present


                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                              415

  time," and when they are faithful and keep the "word of             Spirit upon the Church. This is also true of the book of
  Christ's patience" they will be called upon also to suffer with     Revelation. The passage we hope to discuss in this chapter
  Him. But "blessed are they that hear and keep the words             may be considered John's dedication of or introduction  to'
(1 of this prophecy" even now, even in the midst of this present      the entire book. By it the book of Revelation is addressed
  darkness and death and hopelessness. For, if we may look            to the "seven churches which are in Asia." About these
  at these same things in the light of this "revelation of Jesus      we shall have something to say in a later connection. Further,
  Christ," and live in the expectation of His coming, there is        our passage contains a most significant salutation or blessing
  peace, and hope, and joy. Then we will be of good cheer,            in vss. 4 and 5a; an ascription' of praise by the Church to
  for we know that He has overcome the world!                         Christ in vss. 5b and 6 ; and, finally, a solemn assurance of
      This blessing is not for all, however. It is not general but    Christ's coming, corroberated  by a direct Word of the Lord,
  particular, as are all the promises of God: God's blessing is       designating Himself as the Alpha and Omega, the Almighty.
  upon His people. His mercy is upon them that fear Him.              These three elements will be the subject material of the
  Hence, this blessing is for him "that readeth," and for them        present `chapter.
  "that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things
  that are written therein." The words "he that readeth, and             The blessing is expressed in the following words: "Grace
  they that hear" probably refer to the public reader of this         be unto you and peace, from him which is, and which was,
  book in the church and the listening congregation. We may           and which is to come ; and from the seven Spirits which are
  thus paraphrase them according to their true meaning: "all          before his throne; and from Jesus Christ, who is the faith-
  that receive and understand the words of this prophecy." But        ful witness, and the first-begotten of the dead, and the prince
  this is not sufficient. `The mere hearing and natural under-        of the kings of the  .earth." The contents of this blessing
  standing of this prophecy do not yield for us the promised          are "grace and peace." Grace, as we know, has a variety of
  blessing. We must also keep the things that are written             connotations in Scripture. It may refer to a virtue of God:
  therein. This surely signifies that' we hear spiritually and        God isgracious. Or it may signify and attitude God assumes
  receive the word of this prophecy in our heart. But it also         toward the creature, an attitude of favor ; or more specifically
  signifies more. To keep the Word of God also means to obey          it may denote that same attitude of favor with respect to the
  it, to be doers' of the Word. This is also applicable to this       guilty sinner, so that for him it is favor that is forfeited.
  last book of Scripture in general, and to many of its special       This last attitude of God is based upon the righteousness of
  exhortations in particular. Always we are exhorted to keep          Christ attained through His perfect obedience even unto the
  the word of Christ's patience, to deny ourselves, to separate       death of the cross." But the word grace also frequently denotes
  ourselves from Babylon, to be faithful `unto death, to hold         a power, an operation of the Spirit of. Christ within the elect
  fast that which we have, that no one take our crown, to.            whereby they become partakers of all the benefits of salvation,
  consider it grace in the cause of Christ, not only that we may      and the fruits of this operation or blessings of salvation them-
  believe on Him, but also that we may suffer with Him.. These        selves. It is in this last sense that the word is used in this
  things we must keep! If we seek the things that are below           passage, so that we may p.araphrase  the meaning as follows :
  and try to serve God and Mammon,  if we receive the mark            "may God through Christ by the Spirit operate with His
  of the Beast on our right hand or forehead, we certainly            grace in your hearts, so that the gifts of grace, the benefits
  are excluded from this blessing. He that is seeking to save         of salvation may become yours." Of this grace the Church
  his life shall surely lose it, but he that is willing to lose it    is continually in need. For, grace is not a blessing that is
  for Christ's sake, shall save it unto life eternal! His is the      bestowed upon the believers once for all, so that having
  promise and the blessing, now and forever!.                         received it they possess it in themselves. On the contrary,
      The matter is urgent, and the promise is about to be            they live only through a constant influx of grace, that blesses
  realized !                                                          them as an ever refreshing stream out of God, through
      For, "the time is at hand !"                                    Christ, in the fellowship of the Spirit. And on their part,
                                                                      they receive this grace of God by faith and through prayer.
                             CHAPTER  II                              One of the chief and first fruits of this grace is peace. Peace
                Salutation and Blessing. -Rev. 1 : 4-8.               is peace with God. It always is: Apart from peace with
      Most of the epistles of the New Testament begin with a          God there is no peace. This is the fundamental reason why
  salutation of the writer. to the readers, a salutation that al-     the quest of the ungodly world, outside of Christ, for peace
  ways assumes the form of a benediction. Such blessings or           on earth, is a vain dream that must ever end in a cruel
  salutations are not mere pious wishes, but they are the Word        awakening in the reality of a world of war and unrest. "There
  of God in Christ actually blessing the people of God that           is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked?' Isa.  57:21. But
  hear and believe them.. The blessings they express and confer       "being justified out of faith, we have peace with God through
  on them that so receive them by faith are always spiritual          our Lord Jesus Christ." Rom. 5 :l. This peace is, first of all
  blessings of grace. They are merited by Christ and bestowed         the blessed tranquility of heart and mind that results from
  by Him, or rather by the triune God through Christ, by His,         the consciousness that God is at peace with us, because our

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

 `sins are blotted out and we are justified. And secondly, it         second Person, and the second part ("and from the seven
  is also the experience that in principle there is peace in our      Spirits," etc.) denotes the third Person. For, although it is,
  heart toward God: we are no longer motivated by enmity              of course, true that Jesus Christ is the very Son of God
  against Him. And, therefore, they that have this peace are          according to His divine nature, yet here He does not appear ~
  also at peace with one another; they are peacemakers. And,          as such, but as the Mediator; -and although, as we shall see
  finally, having peace with God, they have peace with all            presently, "the seven Spirits, which. are before his throne"
  things, for they know that if God is for them, nothing can          certainly are the Holy Spirit of God,' He does not appear
  be against them: "all things`work  together for good to them        here as the third Person of the holy Trinity, but as the
  that love God, who are the called according to his purpose."        Spirit of Christ. Hence, the first part, "which is, and which
  Rom.  8:28. This peace, then, is not another blessing in ad-        was, and which is to come" does not refer to the Father as
  dition to grace, but is the fruit of the latter. It is the peace    the first Person, but to God, the Triune, the God and Father
  of grace.                                                           of our. Lord Jesus Christ. He is revealed here as the One
     What a wonderful blessing is here pronounced upon the            "which is." This has all the emphasis, as is especially evident
  seven churches of Asia, and upon the entire church in the           from the form used in the original (Izo noon). It denotes God,
  world! For, the church of all ages is represented by the            not as existing in the present, but as the absolute Being, the
  seven churches in the book of Revelation. To realize the full       One Who eternally Is, the Self-existent, the Uncaused, the
                                                                      ground of Whose being is in Himself alone, in Whom there
  significance of this benediction we must bear in mind that,
 according to the viewpoint of this book of Scripture, the            is no change nor shadow of turning. The reference is prob-
 church in the world is always in tribulation. With the church        ably to His name Jehovah. But this eternal God,  .Whose
 in tribulation we must take our stand. She is in the world.          being cannot be measured or limited by time, revealed Him-
                                                                      self in time. To this revelation of Himself in time refer the
 And  that world is in darkness. The world in the book of             other two expressions :
  Revelation is not a world improved and enobled by "common                                      lrwho was" and "who is to come" or
                                                                      "the coming one" (ho  ercizoutzenos).  He was, He did come
 grace," a tolerably good place for the church to live in ; but       in the past. He came in creation, and, in the fulness' of time,
 it is the world under judgment, whose condemnation is an             He came in Christ. He is the same God that made all things
 accomplished fact. John 12  :31  ; Col. 2  :15. It is the anti-      in the beginning and that revealed Himself in His Son. And
Christian world, that sets itself against God and His Christ,         when He created all things, He did so with a view to His
 persecutes His people and always would force them to adopt           coming in Christ. All His works are known to Him from
 the mark of the beast. It is the world of the wicked, that           the- beginning. They all are and develop according to His
 "are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters        determinate counsel.. According to that counsel He is com-
 cast up mire and dirt." Isa. 57:20;  the world as it is full of      ing, always coming, coming ever since He firsti came in the
 malice and envy, strife and war and bloodshed, of terror and         beginning; and still He is the coming One, coming to us as
 destruction, as we see it today, now the very foundations are        the God of our salvation, and He will not cease to'come until
 shaken and the proud structure of modern civilization threat-        He is eternally present with us and His tabernacle shall be
 ens to tumble about our heads into ruins  1 In that world            with men. This cannot fail. Whatever powers of darkness
 this blessed word of God in Christ is heard and realized:            may rise against Him,. the Eternal One is coming in Christ
 "Grace be unto you, and peace !"                                     Jesus our Lord. And it is He that causes His Word of
     Is it possible that the church in the world may really           blessing to proceed to His Church: "Grace be unto you, and
 posses this peace  ? Indeed, it is  ; and the elaborate and          peace  !" Surely, in spite of all hell this peace is ours!
 detailed description of the source whence this peace of grace           But, you say, how can this peace from the eternal God
 is derived, is designed to assure us of the reality of it. The       be our possession even. now? The answer is that it is- in-
 author might simply have written: "Grace unto you and                stilled  .into our hearts by "the seven Spirits, `which are b,efore
 peace, from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ."          his throne." These seven spirits .must not' be degraded into
 But he would assure us of the absolute certainty of this bles-       created spirits or angels, as is done by some, nor abstractly
 sign. Hence, he writes: "from him which is, and which was,           generalized into "`seven modes" of God's existence, as others
 and, which is to come ; and from the seven Spirits which are         would explain the words. Let `it suffice to object against these
 before his-throne; and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful        and simular interpretations that these "seven, spirits" are
 witness, the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the       here presented to us as belonging, to the Source of the
 kings of the earth."     '                                           blessings of grace and peace, and that, therefore, they are
     The words: "who is, and who was, and who is to come"             divine and denote a personal Agent. They certainly refer to
 refer to God, the Triune. The threefold description of the           the Holy Spirit, the third Person in the blessed Trinity. And
 Author of the blessing of %grace and peace mus'i not be in-          yet,  we:must  say more than this. The term does not denpte
 terpreted as if the first part ("which is, and which was, and        the Holy Spirit as He is in God. Why should He be called
 which is to come'?) refers to the first Person of the holy           "the seven spirits  ?" The Holy Spirit in the Trinity is one.
 Trinity, the last part ("and from Jesus Christ," etc.) to the        And why should it be said of' these seven spirits that they


                                                T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                   417

      are "before his throne ?" The Holy Spirit as third Person of       fold grace, the Spirit that is given  USi dwells in  US, never
      the holy Trinity is very God, co-equal with the Father `and        lkaves us, Who is the divine Agent of this blessing of grace
      `with the Son. He is not "before the throne" of God, but on        and peace. Can there be any doubt that this peace is and
      the throne, the sovereign ruler of heaven and earth. The           forever will remain ours ?
      words, therefore, must be applied to the Holy Spirit as the           Again, you may probably complain that you are wholly
      Spirit of the exalted Christ and as He is poured  .out into        unworthy of this blessing, and that, therefore, you cannot
      the Church to make us partakers of the covenant -blessings         apprehend-this word of benediction as addressed to you per-
      of grace and salvation. We must remember, that our Lord            sonally.  You  lie in the midst of death, and sin cleaves to
      Jesus Christ, who was humiliated and obediently humbled            you and marks your every step on the way you walk. How.
      Himself even to the death of the cross, and Who by His             then, can this divine grace and peace be intended for you ?
      perfect obedience obtained for us eternal righteousness and        But the text removes also this objection, when it fastens the
      life, was raised from the dead, and'by the power of God was        eye of faith upon Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first       -
      made exceedingly great and glorious, being exalted to the          begotten of the dead, prince of the kings of the earth. He
      right hand of the majesty in heaven. That glorious Lord and        is the faithful witness. Witness He is, for as the Servant
      Mediator also, receives from the Father the power to apply         of Jehovah, He is God's prophet, Who always bears testimony
      all the blessings of salvation He merited to those whom the        of the truth of God. He did so during His sojourn on earth,
      .Father  gave Him before the foundations of the world. This        for as He spoke before Pilate: "To this end was I born, and
      saving power He possesses through the Spirit that is given         for this cause came. I into the world, that I should bear
      Him as, Mediator and Head of the Church at His exaltation,         witness unto the truth." John 18:37. He still does so in the
      and Whom He poured forth into- the. Church, that He may            Church, for it is He that gave us the Scriptures, and that
      dwell in her forever. For, He? the Lord Jesus Christ. "being       leads  US into all the truth by His Spirit. And He is the
      by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the       Witness also in this book, .Whose  Word is quite sufficient for
0    Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, hath shed forth this          your faith to trust in, when He says: "Grace to you and
      which ye now see and hear." Acts 2 133. This Spirit is "the        peace." For, He is the  faithful  witness. For His doctrine `s
      Spirit of truth ; whom the world cannot receive, because it        not His, but the Father's which sent Him. John 7 :16 ; and
      seeth him not, neither knoweth him ; but ye know him ; for         He speaks that which He has seen with His Father. John
      he dwelleth with you and shall be in you." John 14:17. He          8:38. He always acts and speaks in harmony with His
      is the  Comforter,~  through Whom the Lord Himself came            position as witness of God, for He does nothing of Himself,
      again to His Church, and Who abides with us forever, John          but as His Father hath taught Him, He speaks in the world.
      14:16, 18. He is the "Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry,          John  8:28. The Lord God hath opened His ear, and given
      Abba, Father," and the Spirit that "beareth  witness with our      Him the tongue of the learned, that He should know how
     spirit, that we are the children of God." Rom. 8  :15, 16. He       to speak a word in season. Isa.  5OI4,  5. And no matter
      is the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, by Whom we are liberated    what men may do unto Him, though they smite- Him and
      from the law of sin and death. Rom. 8 :2. He is the Spirit of      pluck out His beard in their fury, and cover Him with shame
      Him that raised up Jesus from the dead, and Who will also          and reproach, He never changes His testimony and does not                  .
     quicken our mortal bodies by that same Spirit.  .Rom. 8  :ll.       compromise-the truth. Isa.  50:5,. 6. He was faithful unto
      He is called "the seven Spirits" for the'number seven denotes      death, even the death -of the cross. In life and in death you
      the fulness of God's covenant grace, and the fulness of the        may rely on His Word : "Grace and peace unto you."
      Church in which He dwells is also indicated by the same                And He is the first begotten of the dead! Let this es-
      number. For, there are seven churches in Asia, and there           pecially be the object of your contemplation, the ground of
      are seven candlesticks and seven stars. Rev. 1 :ll, 12, 16, 20.    your assurance: Jesus Christ is the first begotten of the
      And the Lamb; Whose Spirit He is, has seven eyes, which            dead! The resurrection, but then emphatically the resurrdc-
      are the seven Spirits of God. Rev. 5  :6. He, the exalted          tion of Jesus Christ, should be the ground of your hope, the
      Christ, is said to have the seven Spirits of God. Rev. 3  :l.      object of *that faith that fills you with joy and peace. Peace,
      And these seven Spirits, or the Spirit of Christ as He dwells      if ever it is to be ours, cannot be of this world: it must come
      in the Church with His sevenfold fulness of life and grace,        from the other side of death. Here we lie in the midst of
     are "before the throne" as "seven lamps of fire burning" to         death. How, then, can we have peace ? :But hark ! this voice
      the glory of God. Rev.  4:5. And before the throne is the          that speaks of grace and peace is not of this world. It does
      Church, serving God day and night in His temple, and He            not sound from somewhere among the deep death-shadows
      that sitteth on the throne dwells among them. Rev. 7  :15.         in which here we grope and find no way out. It, is the
      There can be no question, therefore, that "the seven Spirits,      resurrection-voice! He that speaks stands at the other side
      which are before his throne" refers to the Holy Spirit as He       of death and the grave as the Risen One ! That means that
      is given to-the exalted Christ and poured out into the Church.     He was dead and is alive again and lives forevermore. He
       And it is that Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of life and of        is alive with a new life, a glorious, a victorious life.. '
       truth, the Spirit of adoption and of the fulness of His seven-                                                                   H . H .

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

                                                                      d    consciousness of the grand and sublime purpose of salvation,
              F R O M   H-OLY  i+lT . `j of the wisdom of God in mystery. They prate of their own
                                                                      ,    great understanding overagainst one another, but are silent
                                                                           about the fact that all that they are they are by God's grace,
              Expositibn of I Corinthi`ans  1-4                            so that they walk in profound and blessed., humility ! They
                               .                                           fight like dogs, who would devour each other, or like the
                                          16.                              two snakes, which (as the fable goes) grabbed each other
                         (I Corinthians 3 :l-3)                            by the tail and swallowed each other.
                                                                              Yet, they are "babes in  .Christ" ; they are not "natural
         The passage from Holy Writ which we wish to discuss , men." They are, at bottom, spiritual men. And as such
  in this essay reads, in the King James Version, as follows :             they are addressed by Paul. That is their concrete address-
  "And I, brethren, co&d not speak unto you as unto spiritual.             ableness. They are elect in Christ, called into the fellowship
  but as unto carnal, evega as mto babes in Christ. I have fed             of God's Son. They are of the "weak things" which God
  yoz~ wit?? milk, and not with mea,t: for hitherto ye were not            hath chosen, those of "ignoble birth" that God might put to
  able to  bea,r it,  neither yet now-are ye able. For ye are yet          shame the strong things and that which seems to be some-           '
  carna,l:   for  whereas there  is  among  YOU envying  cund  sfirije,    thing! And the Holy Spirit has been given to them, and
  and divisions, are ye not carnal avtd walk as men?"                      has revealed the mysteries of the kingdom to them. Such
         For the proper understanding of this passage it is neces-         was not the case of those who "are without" in the city of
  sary to bear in mind that in this sections. of I Corinthians 1 --l       Corinth. But to this church of God it has been given !
  Paul is waging a mighty conflict against the pernicious evil                I repeat : it was given to this church of God !
  of party-strife and schism in the church at Corinth !                       And-that is the pedagogical approach of Paul. Such is
   , And rightly so !               `.                                     not only the pedagogical approach of Paul but such is all of
      For this evil must be eradicated root and branch; it  .is            Scripture. He, who does not reckon with this, will certainly  o
  contrary to all the wisdom of God revealed on the Cross .>f              have an Arminian-Pelagian approach and attempt to .speak
  Calvary. It does not belong to the "three things" which a                `to all men what can only be addressed to the church.
  Christian must know in order to live and die happily in the                 Howbeit, this church at Corinth is surely off the beaten
  only comfort in life and in death. This "party-strife" belongs           path of the saints, the "more excellent way" of which I
  to the things of the "old man," it is "the flesh" in the                 Corinthians 13 speaks. They try to win "their case" and
  believer which must be zgholly mo&jied!                                  loose  the battle  of fighting against sin and the Devil with
         It cannot but be beneficial also for our own Protestant           a free conscience . (Compare Question 32,  Heid.  Cat.) Oh,
  Reformed constituency to be profoundly conscious of the                  they reign like kings.. but in so doing they become many
  horror of all party-strife, and to remember that there will              masters. See I Corinthians  4:s where Paul, employing irony..
  be those in hell, who "spoke the tongues of men and of                   says, "Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have  reignell
  angels'! and who "had all knowledge,`? yea, even gave their              as kings without us : I would to, God ye did reign, that we
  bodies to be burned -playing the martyr, and yet did not                 also might reign with you." And this latter is only possible
  have the love in their hearts by which saving faith is ener-             when, walking in the unction of Christ, we fight against sin
  gized !                                                                  and Satan in this life, and afterwards reign with Him over              _
      When folly goes parading and prating in the name of                  all creatures.
  wisdom-that is a vanity under the sun, and it is a great                    It is sometimes said : a Christian always has the victory !
  vexation of spirit!                                                         What must we say of this  ? I believe we must be very
      Thus it was also here in this Corinthian church.                     careful that we are spiritual and not carnal when we say
      Wherefore Paul speaks out with great boldness, calling               this  ! What ! cannot I say that a believer can be "carnal  ?"
  this sin in Corinth by its proper name, and thus calling                 Let us beware lest we -criticize Paul, the Confessions on
  these "saints in Christ" to repentance  ; he tells them, that,           this point; a warning finger is here necessary and should
  while they prate as the wise and learned in the church, they             be heeded lest we fool ourselves and fall into greater and
  really can only yet stand the teaching which must be given               more grievous mischief.
  in. the Kindergarten. They must' still be  fed. with the first              A Christian a.lways has the victory ? !
  principles of Christian conduct, the A-B-C of what it means                 Yes, the Christian, who fights the battle, as does Paul in .
  that they now must "fight with a free conscience against                 Romans 7, does have the victory, and, as the militant chris-
  sin and the devil in. this life."                                        tian, cries out : I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord !
      Babes they are "in Christ." They may be sixty or                     And it this same Paul, this militant -Paul, who fights against
  seventy years old as to their natural age. But, judging by               sin with a free conscience in the Lord, who also is assured
  their conduct, they are not at all men of Christian stature,             of his certain victory, both now and in the future, who utters
  pillars@ in the church, but act like little children who must            this grand assurance in Romans 8 :39, ". . . . nor height, nor
  be fed with milk ! They don't seem to have the least spiritual           depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us


                                           THE,   STANDARD'BEARER                                                                  419

from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord."           They are, at bottom, not evil men! It is true they conduct
   No, this battle against sin is not a "pre-requisite act of        themselves in an unchristian manner, but they are not men
faith," yet it is is the  "way" in which we have the victory.        who delight in evil. Frinciply they love God. But they do
Does not Paul speak of the "more excellent  wuy  ?" `See I           not "know how to show gratitude- to God" in this practical,
Corinthians 12  :$l'b. And is a way not something wherein            reasonable service to God.
we walk, the spiritual direction of our life, our conduct               Such they are.
in the-midst of the brethren, where one cannot possibly re-             As such they are also treated by Paul. They are treated
main in sin that grace may abound ?                                  as children not because Paul would humiliate them, hurt
   A Christian always has the "victory?"                             them, heap abuse and sarcasm upon their heads ! Not at all.
    I will ask a simple question ? Did we not learn in Cate-         Paul treats them as children' because they give evidence in
chism that we should pray: "Lead me not into temptation,             their conduct of "jealousy and party-strife"' `that they are
but deliver me from the Evil One  ?" Is there not -a point           `Lbabes"  in the wood! They are a prey of their evil passions
in life where',we feel that we have, according to the "flesh,"       and of the snares of the Temptor,  and are not aware of it.
succumbed to the threefold mortal foes: Satan, the world                They were surely  fleshly  in their walk. Jealousy and
and our own flesh ? And is such succumbing to the "as-               party-strife they walk in. And they do not walk according
saults" not called "to be overcome. in this spiritual warfare"       to the law of God out of faith and unto God's glory, but
in Question 127 as this deals with the "sixth petition ?"            they walk according to man. They are talking about human
   `0r, again, what is the implication and teaching of the           relations, human greatness in the church. And in the church I
Canons of Dort, Heads of Doctrine V, Article 1, where we             God alone is great in His saving power and might.
read "Whom God calls, according to his purpose,  ,to the                Of this greatness. of God Paul must teach the Corinthiaus
communion of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and regen-              yet in the first principles, and make it very clear to them
erates by the Holy Spirit, he delivers also from the dominion        with an illustration concerning his place and that of Apollos
and slavery of sin in this life ; though not altogether from         in  <the church ! And when these Corinthians will see this they              _
the body of sin, and from the infirmities of the flesh, so long      will say : how foolish we were ! What .babes in Christ.
as they continue in this world."                                        It is refreshing to take notice of this polemic of Paul
   He, that readeth, let him take note!                              together with the Christian motives he forwards for this re-
   Or, once again, do we not read in Canons, V, 4, I`. . . con-      buke to Corinthians, now these many centuries ago:
verts are not always so influenced and actuated by the Spirit           The evils here enumerated by Paul of these Corinthians
of God, as not in some particular instances sinfully to deviate      are not "one day flies." It'is a perennial evil under the sun,
from the guidance of divine mercy, so as to be seduced by            and  - in the church. The threefold enemy: Satan, the
and comply with the lusts of the, flesh ; they must, therefore,      world and our flesh do not cease to assault us. And often
be constant in watching and prayer, that they be not led into        we are "overcome" in this spiritual battle ! Then the "flesh"
temptation . . . ."                                                  in us shows that there is no good in it at all.
   I claim, therefore, that in the sense here spoken of in the          Let us not be. children, showing all lack of understanding.
Heidelberg Catechism and in the Canons the proposition must          And let us by all means, while we are children, not act the
be defended and ,preached  from the house-tops: a Christian          part of matured men.
often does not have the victory !                                       Let us -be careful and solicitous to continue in the ways
   And in this latter sense the church of God at Corinth             of the Lord!                                                  G.L.
surely too did not have the victory!
 , Fact is, they were not even understanding the first vudi-                                                                 .
me&s of the warfare in Christ in this case at hand!                                                                                     .
                                                                                       WEDDING. ANNIVERSARY
   In their mad clamor for Paul and Apollos, appealing to              On Friday, June 29,  our  dear parents
one against the- other, they betrayed an utter lack of spiritual
maturity ; Paul did not find in them men and women who                               MR. and MRS. JOHN VAN  BAREN
could. be taught the deep mysteries of God. They need milk.          celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.    '
   Why ?                                                                On this occasion of joy we also, with them, thank our
   Because they are not "spiritual" but they are "fleshen  !"        covenant God for the riches of His mercy and blessings toward  I
 I. ,Notice?  that Paul does not say that these, `who engaged        us. Our prayer is that God may continue to lead them in  all
in jealousy and party-strife, were "natural (psychical) men,:'       their way that together, in all things, we may acknowledge Him.
Such was the contrast in the former chapter, as drawn by                                                Gise J.
Paul between the world and the chuxh. If these Corinthians                                              Eileen
had been natural men they would not have been babes in                                                  Alice
Christ, but they would not have been in Christ at all!                                                  Richard
                                                             How-                                       John.                      :
ever, now they are in Christ. They are babes. And that                                                  R u t h            -  z              i
they are "babes" is tantamount to their being weak, immature.        Chicago Heights, Ill.

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

                                                                      thing He decreed for me. It may be that I may not even
               I N   tllS  F E A R                                    have the same kind of things which He for Jesus' sake has
                                                                      given you,
                                                                          The salvation of all your children may have been realized
                       Praying in His Fear                            by Jesus and therefore these children, all your children, will
                                                                      be saved to the uttermost for Jesus' sake ; meanwhile only
                               (2)                                    some of your neighbour's children are elect, believing chil-
                                                                      dren of God for Jesus' sake. God has given no promise that
    "For Jesus' sake. Amen.."                                         He will save all of the children of all believing parents. And
    That, we saw last time, is one of the essentials of prayer        surely there is no salvation for one single reprobate for Jesus'
 i n      His`fear.                                                   sake. He did not-die for them and they receive nothing good
    We deserve nothing but everlasting punishment; and                because that goodness is kept in store only for those for
 God, therefore, will give us nothing good for our sakes,             whom He did die.
that is, for the sake of our works of our worthiness.                    We would like, therefore, to make two observations here
    He will bless us for Jesus' sake and for no other reason.         before we go on. Many "prayers' are an abomination to
    Besides, to try to come to Him apart from Christ, Whom            God exactly because they deny reprobation and request that
 He sent to be The Way because He is The Truth and The                which God has sworn He will never do. In the second place,
 Life, is to hate His Son, is to hate Him Who sent Him and            and in close connection therewith: "Jesus' sake" and God's
 is to do that which makes our "prayers" an abomination in            promises are never in conflict with- each other. Instead, all
 God's sight.          "                                              God's promises are based on "Jesus' sake." In other words,
    Therefore we must pray for Jesus' sake.                           God promises only that which He is pleased to give for
    There is another side to this praying for Jesus' sake             Jesus' sake. What Christ did on Calvary, in His Resurrection
 that we wish to consider with you at this time that you may          and Ascension is the basis, always the basis, for all that
                                                                      which God promises. Apart from that cross, resurrection and
pray in His fear.                                                     Ascension there is nothing promised to anyone.
    That one thing is just as important as the fact that in              That is why all conditional promises of God are just, so
ourselves we have no right to any help. or any blessedness            much heresy. That is why, as we wrote a few years ago it
from the Thrice Holy God. That principle is this : Jesus              is conditions or Christ. A conditional promise, even as the
did not die on Calvary's brow and was not raised and crowned          proponents of this heresy in recent years maintained, is not
with glory and honour with dominion over land and sea to              given in God's grace and does not imply His grace at all.
give us the right to ever@zing  that might'arise in the hearts        Conditional promises then are  .promises  apart' from Jesus'
and minds of men to request of Him. Jesus did not merit               sake and are based on the sake of the fulfillment of a con-
all things for His elect people! There are things we may not          dition by man. To be sure, they will hasten to add, man
have even `for Jesus' sake.                                           fulfills these conditions only by God's grace. But anyone
    Let me make that plain first of all by relating the extrem-       who will honestly consider the matter will confess that the
ity to which some will go in what they still label "prayer to-, condition, then, is not what man does but just exactly
the Lord our God."                                                    that grace- of God. That grace of God is indeed the in:
    Even in the tender ages of our youth, although we                 dispensible pre-requisite of our salvation. But to maintain
could not at that time lay our finger on the reason, we               that there are conditions man must fulfill for salvation is -
shuddered inwardly when it was our experience  to hear                to put it mildly-to take the "for Jesus' sake" away. And
"prayers" uttered for victory in the basketball game for              such a stand must in the name of consistency contain in its
Jesus' sake. No, Christ did not die that one team might have          prayers, not "for Jesus' sake".but "for the sake of the condi;
the victory over another team in such a thing as a basketball         tion I fulfilled." A promise that God gives which contains no
game. He did not suffer hellish agonies and have His body             grace and is not given in grace is a promise that is not based
committed to the `grave even" so that a team of those whose           on "Jesus' sake" and contains'none of the bles,sings  which are
names are written in the lamb's book of life might be victor-         the Church's "for Jesus' sake." {But the very fact that when
ious over a team of infidels. "Thanks be to God Who giveth            confronted with the plain arminianism of this stand its de-
us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord" are the words           fenders try to bring Christ back in by means of the addition
of Paul. But he says this not about a basketball  victory.            that man fulfills these by God's grace is a clear indication
He says this about the victory over sin, the grave and death.         that they know that conditional theology is heresy.
It is the gift of salvation that fills him with this thankfulness.       "For Jesus' sake" and conditional theology are opposed
,No, all things are not ours for Jesus' sake.                         to each other. Then you get the nonsense that neither Scrip-
    What He did merit for you He may not have merited for             ture nor the Confessions ever teach that man is saved be-
me. What God will give you for  Jesus>  sake He may not               fore he believes! So, then faith is not given us "for Jesus'
give to me as not being good for me and  ,as not. being  the          sake ?' And if we do not receive it  "for Jesus' sake" on


                                              T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                      421

 what basis does God give it to us then ? If we do not receive             The Church of Christ is not confined to any one nation
it from God because Jesus has saved us on Calvary then                today as it was in Israel in the Old Testament dispensation.
 upon  what..basis  does He give it? Make faith  m,an's means        Then the believers could. pray, "God bless Israel." Even then
 unto salvation.and  you can defend conditional theology. But         it was not and might not be meant for each and every soul
                                                                     `.
 would the proponents of this heresy who claim they must             m Israel as a nation.. Nor may that be done today concern-
 maintain it. in order to avoid making man careless and              ing any nation upon the face of this earth. God's Church is
 profane and in order to maintain "man's responsibility" care        universal or catholic and for Jesus' sake we may pray, "God
 for this statement,. "God promises everyone of you that             bless His Church."  *
 since He will give you faith, which is the means unto salva-              Many, in fact, who sing so vigorusly "God bless America"
 tion, you will be saved ?"                                          would object violently should it please Him to do so. To
     We made an attempt to have our defense published                bless America is to save America by the blood and Spirit
 against three false accusations that appeared in  the. Reformed     of Christ. Do you really think that many of those who pray
 Guardian concerning a bulletin announcement of ours by              and sing these words really'want that?
 asking this question and other related questions. After
 forty days - and many eyes, no doubt, had seen and read                   Do you think that many who sing this prayer want all the
 our defense and realized the danger of having it read and           filth of Hollywood and the immorality of countless numbers
 considered by those whom they had deceived  2 we received           of places of amusement and entertainment put out of busi-
 it -back with the information that it is contrary to the            ness?  Do you think that they really want the Sabbath kept
 "journalistic ethics" of the magazine that claims to guard          as God demands that it be kept so that the beaches are fre-
 truth  ,and justice to let the Sta.nda,gpd Bearer editors defend    quented by none and the houses of God are filled with eager,
 themselves over against the evil accusations which that             joyful  worshippers  two, three times a day on the Sabbath?
 magazine with this false claim publishes. We are in a posi-         Do you think that they want the golf links closed on the
 tion' to publish `our letter and the answer that all may judge      Sabbath, the resort districts closed, the baseball games called
 whether our letter was written in an offensive vein and             off for the day? Do you think that they want the schools,
 contrary to the journalistic ethics of any religious magazine.      colleges and universities become Christian so that they loudly ,
    Indeed, all prayers for the blessings of salvation are not       condemn and fight against' evolutionism, Darwinism and
 pleasing in God's sight. We may not pray for the world. We          atheism ? Do you think that they desire all radio and televi-
 may not pray for the reprobate.                                     sion stations to broadcast nothing on the Sabbath but reli-
    We niay not pray, "God bless America."                           gious programs ?
    No, not because it is sinful to be loyal to one's govern-              By no means !
 ment and native land. That has nothing to do with it. Only                God bless America ?
 the child of God can serve his country in true obedience.                 God bless His people in America.
 Daniel and his three friends gave flawless obedience to the               That is  anoiher thing. And that He will do for Jesus'
 godless king who took them captive into a strange land. They        sake.
 did not rebel. We would never advocate that one finger be                 And He may do that in a way that brings suffering and
 lifted in rebellion against our government. But let us  re-         misery for the flesh to His people in America.
-member  that Daniel and his three friends were very firm in
 their stand overgainst those demands of the king which                    He may bless them by bringing them into a fatal disease
 would require of them disobedience to God. But even then,           which will end in their being taken out of the `vale of tears
 that has nothing to do with not being able to pray that God         and woe into the glory of His kingdom.              . ,      .'
 will bless America.                           ,                           Not many consider that to be a blessing. Not-many con-
    Is America the Kingdom of God ?                                  sider it to be a work of God's love and grace to take His
    Is America the Kingdom of God in distinction from the            own unto Himself in glory. No, God bless America means
 other nations who also consider themselves to be Christian          to them God make America rich with material wealth and
 nations and are called such even by America ?                       give America fun and pleasure and earthly sport.
    Did Christ die for America in distinction. from England,               And their prayer is not heard. Instead it is an abominn-
 Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy to mention only a few?          tion to the Lord. For, Jesus Himself taught  US in His
    Besides, is that not a selfish prayer?                           prayer that we are to pray for daily bread.
    God bless America and let the rest go to hell ?                        Shall we then "for Jesus' sake" pray for those things
    God bless America and I do not care what happens, to             which he Himself tells us we are not to request of the
 t h e   r e s t ?                                                   Almighty. God ?
    God bless His Church in America. Yea, for Jesus' sake,                 Let  us not abuse the "for Jesus' sake" but in  reverance
 Amen.                                                               and fear before God appreciate the wonder of God's grace
                                                                                                                                _  .,
    -But then God bless `His Church in Russia also, for              in it and pray in His fear.     -
 Jesus' sake, Amen.                                                                                       ,
                        ,                                                                                      (                J.A.H.

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

                                                                                   for the safe-guarding of soul and body; but to those who
                     Contending For The Faith ,. ,partake unworthily without faith, it is for chastisement and
                                                                                   punishment, just as also the death of the Lord became to
                                                                                   those who believe life and incorruption for the enjoyment of
                      The Church and the S&craments                                ,eternal blessedness; while to those who do not believe and
                                                                                   to the murderers of the Lord it is for everlasting chastise-
             VIEWS DURING THE SECOND PERIOD` (300-750   A.D.)                      ment and punishment.,
                                  T                                                    The bread and the wine are not merely figures of the
                                       HE  LORD 'S  SUP&R                          body and blood of Christ (God forbid !) but the deified body
                    Quotation @om Jbhn of Damascus cont(nued.                      of the Lord.itself : for the Lord has said, "This is My body,"
                                                                                   not, this is a figure of My body: and "My blood," not, a
            ` ,The  .body which. is born of the Virgin is in truth body            figure of My blood. And on a previous occasion He had
            united with divinity, not that the body which was received             said to the Jews, Except ye eat of the Son of Man.and  d&k
            up into the heavens descends, but that the bread itself and            His blood,  ye have no life in you. For My flesh is  w&oh
          the wine are changed into God's body and blood. But if YOU               indeed and My blood is drink &deed. And again, He that
            enquire how this happens, it is enough for you to learn that           ea,tetlz Me,' shall live. (We can well understand why the
            it,  `wa.5.  through  ,the.  -Holy Spirit, just as the Lord took on    Roman Catholic Church should appeal to statements such
            Himself  flesh  ,that: subsisted in Him and was born of the            as these. Here the writer declares very plainly and without
            holy.  :Mother  .of God through, the Spirit.  ,And we know             reservation that the bread' and wine are changed into the
            nothing:furt.her  save thatthe Word of God is true and ener-           deified body of the Lord itself. And he appeals to the fact
            gises  and is omnipotent, but the  .manner of this cannot be           that the Lord speaks here of the flesh of the Son  of Man,
            searched:.out.  But one can put  it. well  ,thus, that just as in      and also overlooking the fact that, should these words be
            nature. the,.bread by <the eating and the wine and the water           explained literally, as they would maintain, then they would
           * by the drinking are changed into the body and blood of the            have to be interpreted as referring to the body of the Son
            eater and drinker, and do  not. become a different body -from          of Man prior to His final suffering and death upon the cross.
            the former one, so the bread of the table and the wine and the         But we can surely understand how these words give support
            water are', supernaturally changed by the invocation and               to the Roman Catholic theory of the present day.-H. V.).
            presence of the Holy Spirit into the body and blood of Christ,             Wherefore with all fear and a pure conscience and cer-
            and are not two but one and the same (this may appear to               tain faith let us draw near and it will assuredly be to us as
     .      be subtle and clever reasoning on the part of John of Da-              we believe, doubting nothing. Let us pay homage to it in
            mascus. It is true, of course, that the process whereby our            all purity both of soul and body: for it is twofold. Let us
            bodies are strengthened by the bread and water we eat and              draw near to it with an ardent desire, and with our hands
            drink is something which far transcends our human under-               held in the form of the cross let. us receive the body of the
            standing. But we should bear in mind the following.  `rho              Crucified One : and let us apply our eyes and lips and brows
            bread `and water we eat and drink are earthly substances               and partake of the divine coal, -in order that the fire of the
            and our bodies are earthly. Hence, we `eat bread and drink             longing, that is in us, with the additional heat derived from
            water and wine and these, Substances are used by the Lord              the coal may utterly consume our sins and illumine our
           -to strengthen our mortal bodies, then no radical change                hearts, and that we may be inflamed,and  deified by the par-
            of the substances occurs. But when the bread and wine we               ticipation in the divine fire. Isaiah saw the coal. But coal
            eat and drink are changed into the body and blood of the               is not plain wood but. wood united with fire : in like manner
            living God (John of Damascus writes, does he not, that
I                                                                                  .also the bread of the communion is not plain bread but bread
            the bread itself and the wine are changed into God's -body             united with divinity. But a body which is united with divin-
            and blood) then a radical change does occur. And it makes              ity is not one nature, but has one nature belonging to the
          no difference whether this is applied to Christ's human body             body and another- belonging to the divinity that is united
            or to His Divinity. If applied to His Divinity then it must            to it, so that the compound is not one nature but two.
           be plain that a radical change occurs if and when the bread                With bread and wine Melchisedek, the priest of the most
           and wine are changed into His body and blood. But we must               high God, received Abraham on his return from the slaughter
           remember that Christ's glorified human body is. no longer               of. the Gentiles. That table pre-imaged this mystical table,
           earthly but heavenly and, spiritual - see I Cor. 15 42-45.              just at that priest was a type and image of Christ, the true
           And then it is also true that, when earthly bread and wine              high-priest. For thou art a priest @-ever after the order of
           are changed into this heavenly and spiritual  bod.y  of the             Melchisedek.  Of this bread the show-bread was an image.
           Lord, a radical change occurs.-H. V.).                                  This surely is that pure and bloodless sacrifice the Lord
               Wherefore to those who partake `worthily with faith, it             through the prophet said is offered to Him from the rising.
           is for the remission  -of sins and for life  everlasting   and          to the setting of the sun. (Notice that here we have an e;y-


                                                T H E   ~-STANDARD  `B E A R E R                                                        423

  pression  which the Roman `Catholic  `Chtirch of today has            receive communion  irom  or grant `it to heretics ; Give  ndi
  Also incorporated intd its teaching, namely : the pure and            tht   which is holy unto the dogs,  saith the Lord,' neither
   bloodless  sacrifice of the Lord.-H.  ?.)                            cast ye  yoatr  pearls  before  swine, lest we become partakers
      The dody  and blood of Christ are making for the support          in their dishonour and, condemnation. For if union is in
   of our soul and body, without being consumed or suffering            truth with Christ and with one another, we are assuredly
   corruption, not making  for the draught (God forbid !) but           voluntarily united also with all those who partake with us.
   for our being a&l preservation, a protection against all kinds       For this union is effected voluntarily and  not against our
   of injury, a purging from all uncleanness: should one re-            inclination. FOY we are all one body became we partake of
   ceive base gold, they purify it  by  the critical burning lest       the one bvead, ai the divine Apostle says.'
   in the future we be condemned with this world. They purify              Further, antitypes of future things are spoken of; not
   from diseases` and all kinds of calamities ; according to the        ai though they were not in reality `Christ's body and bloog,
   words of the divine Apostle,  For if  we  wo,uld. judge  OW-         but that now through them we partake of Christ's divinity,
  selves, we should not be jibdged. But when we are judged,             while then we shall partake mentally through the vision
   we  are chastened of the Lord,  tha.t we should not be  con-         alone.-end of  qubtation.
   demaned  with the  wokld.  This too is what he says, So  tlmt           In connection with this quotation of John of Damascus I
   he that pa~taketh  of the body a.nd blood of Clavist  unworthily,    would like to make a remark about that author's use of the
`. eateth  arid  drivtketh  dammtibn to himself.  Being  purified"by    word "antitype," as in the last paragraph. He speaks of
   this, we are united to the body bf Christ and to His Spirit          "antitypes of future things," and he evidently refers to the
   and become the body'of  Christ.                                      bread and. wine whereof we partake in the celebration of
      This bread is the first-fruits of the future  bread-  which       the  ILord's  Supper. I am  ,not in a position to say whether
   is  epioztsios,  i. e., necessary for existence. For the word        this word,  antitype,  was used in former times in the sense
   epiousion signifies either the future, that is Him Who is for                              .
                                                                        in which it is used  m this quotation. The word does not
   a future age, or else Him of Whom we partake for the pres-           have that connotation today. We speak of types and  anti-
   ervation of our essence. Whether then it is in this, sense           types.  The  dictiqnary  defines this word as that which a
   or that,. it is fitting to speak so of the Lord's body. For the      type or symbol represents, the original. of a type, and the
   Lord's flesh is life-giving spirit because it was conceived of       dictionary continues by adding: specifically, a person or
   the life-giving Spirit. For what is born of the Spirit is spirit.    event in the New Testament prefigured by  one in the Old
   But 1 do not say this to take away the nature of the body,           Testament. This is the meaning which the word has today.
   but I wish to make clear its life-giving and divine power.           Hence,. the bread  and  wine are not  antitypes  but types or
      But if some persons called the bread and the wine anti-           symbols. Christ-is the antitype, that whereof the bread and
   types of the body jnd blood of. the Lord, as did the -divinely       wine dre symbols, their original.
   inspired Basil, they,said so not after  the-  consecration but          And another reniark which we v&h to make has already
   before the consecration, so calling the offering. itself. (This      been made during this quotation of John of Damascus. We
   is another statement of John of Damascus which gives con-            can easily understand how the view of  transubstantiation
   siderable support to the Roman Catholic doctrine of  tran-           came more and more into prominence and why the Roman
   substantiation. When Basil spoke of the bread and wine as            Cathplic  Church could appeal to a quotation of thiS nature.
   antitypes of the body and blood of the Lord, this is evidently       John speaks of the bloodless sacrifice of the Lord. He also
   no support for the  doctrine  of  transibstantiation,  inasmuch      declares that the bread and the wine'are not merely-`figures
   as he distinguished sharply between the bread and wine and           of the body and blood of C%rist but the deified body of the
   the body of the Lord. But John ,of Damascus -declares that           Lord itself. And he interprets the well-known passage:
   this statement of Basil refers to the bread and wine before:         "This is My body," in harmony with the view of transub-
   the consecration and therefore before they are changed into          stahtiafion.'  L'ater we will have opportunity to refer  to. the
   the body and blood sf Christ. Hence, after the consecration          emphasis which Martin Luther, the German Reformer, placed
   the bread and wine are no longer mere antitypes. of Christ's         upon this passage. In our following articles' we will present
   body and blood.-".  V.)            _                                 the development of  tliiis  doctritie  concerning the Eucharist
     Participation is spoken .of  ; for through it we partake of        or Lord's Supper as it appears- in the writings of Philip
   the divinity df Jesus. Communion, `too, is spoken of, and it         Schaff.                                                  . H. V.
   is an actual communion, because through it we have corn::
   munion  with Christ and share in His flesh and His divin-                  I   L O V E   T H E   L O R D   F O R   M Y   R E Q U E S T
   ity: yea, we have communion and are united with one an-                          I love the Lord, for my request
   other through it. For since we partake of one bread, we all                         And htimble plea He makes His care'
  -become one body of Christ and one blood, and members                             In Him through life my faith shall.,rest,
   one of'another,  being of one body with Christ.                                     For He both hears and answers prayer.
      With all our strength,  therefofe,  let us beware lest  we                                                              Psalm 1 Its :1


 424                                                       T H E   .STANDARD   B E A R E R

 h                                                                         ?I evident that the Arminian by his wicked doctrine, while he'
 11 The  Voice of  Our Fathers  11 motiths' the terms of the truth of Scripture, such as "faith"
                                                                                 and "the obedience of faith" and "grace," nevertheless main-
                      The Canons of Dordrecht                                    tains to the full the comfortless error of salvation by works.
                                                                                 For note that here we have the next link in the Arminian
                                   PART TWO                                      chain of error. In Article II we read of the Father's ztuthor-
                        E                                                        ity to prescribe new conditions, the fulfillment of which con-
                         XPOSITION OF THE CANONS                                 ditions is dependent upon the free will of man. In Article
                        SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE                                  IV we find the new conditions which the Father prescribes.
         O                                                                       Those conditions are faith and the obedience of faith. But
              F THE  DEATH  OF  C HRIST ,  AND  THE  R EDEMPTION                 because they are cqtzditions,  -and this the fathers saw with
                              O F  M E N  T H E R E B Y                          penetrating insight, -this faith  .and obedience of faith have
                             REJECTION  OF ERRORS                                an entirely different meaning and significance  (than the
                 Article IV. Who teach: That the new `covenant of                Reformed churches attach to them.
                   grace, which God  the, Father, through the mediation                Let` us take a more detailed look at this difference.
                   of the death of Christ, made with man, does not               -     For our Reformed fathers (and for the whole church, as
                  herein consist, that we by faith, in as much as it             -the fathers also note when they speak in this article of "the
                   accepts the  me.?its of Christ, are justified before God
                   gnd saved, but in the fact  that- God having revoked          consensus of the whole church") faith was a gift of God
                   the demand of perfect obedience of the law, regards           whereby He places us in living union with Christ, so that,
                   faith itself and the obedience of faith, although im-         the merits and satisfaction  of Christ remain the ground of
                  perfect, as the perfect obedience of  then  iaw,  and'does     our salvation. They spoke of justification by faith. And
                   esteem it worthy of the reward of eternal life through        faith was in this connection not at all another work, a work
                  grace. For these contradict the Scriptures: "Being
                  justified freely by his grace through the redemption           of another kind, a work of less perfection and value than
                  that is in Christ Jesus; whom God set forth to be a            the works of the law, a sort of substitute work. This is plain,
                  pro.pitiation through faith in his blood," Rom. 3  :24, 25.    in the" first place, from  ,the fact that faith is a gift of God
                  And these proclaim, as did the wicked Socinus, a               bestowed upon His elect. In the second place, this is plain
                  new and strange justification of man before God,               from the fact that faith, together with all the other saving
                  against the consensus of the whole church.                     gifts of the` Holy Spirit, was purchased  for. the elect by
        It is undoubtedly.3 misprint, and that too, a very serious               the death of Christ. It is part of the quickening and saving
 one, when the 1947 edition of  The  Psa,lter  reads in this                     efficacy of the most precious death'of God's Son. Cf. II, A, 8.
 article:  ". . . . but in &e fact that God having revoked the                   And in the third place, this is plain from the description of
 demand of perfect obedience of faith . . .  ." This shbuld be                   faith given in this fourth article of the Rejection of Errors.
 corrected in an eventual  future edition to read:  ". . . . but                 According to the fathers, faith Was such that it accepts the
in the fact that God having revoked the demand of perfect                        merits of Christ.  This  iS noteworthy in this* connection.
 obedience of the law . . . ,." This error `is very serious, for                 About the Iact that faith accepts (and is indeed very active
 it spoils the sense of the article, and is not the correct                                   .
                                                                                 in accepting) there is  1?0 quarrel. But notice: faith accepts
 presentation of the Arminian error rejected in this article.                    the  merits of  Clarist!  That means that  kaith itself has no
 I do not have in possession the latest reprint of The Psalter,                  value, no merit. Faith is always such that it exactly acknowl-
 and thus cannot tell whether or not this has been corrected.                    edges that it has absolutely no value.  It is  another work on
 But surely, this error should not be perpetuated.                               account  of which God somehow reckons us to be righteous.
      In this article! which, as we have noted before, follows                   Not  even the works that proceed out of faith play any part
 in logical  order upon the previous three, we find exposed the                  at all in the fact that  God  accounts us righteous. Those
 true nature of the error of conditionalism. which the  Armini-                  works or obedience of faith do not precede our justification,
 ans taught in connection with the doctrine of Christ's death.                   but  foZZow it. All the merit, all the'value, the sole righteous-
 You will recall that in the previous article the fathers pointed                ness on account of. which we are justified before God, the
 out how the Arminians erred in teaching that Christ by His                      absolutely unique ground of our justification, and therefore
death merited only the authority  .for the Father "to deal                       of our entire salvation, is in Christ alone!  And faith  accepts
 again with  &an, and to prescribe new conditions as he might                    this. Faith itself has  nothing  to give, and never gives any-
 desire, obedience .to which, however, depended on the free                      t h i n g   to  G o d .   .It  h a s   n o t h i n g   t o   .claim  i n   i t s e l f ,   a n d   i t
 will of man." There already the fathers pointed out that the                    precisely acknowledges that itself it is  ibsolutely  empty.
 Arminians adjudged too contemptuously of the death of                           Faith always  receives, accepts, lays hold on  the merits and
 Christ. And how true! For surely, such a view denies every                      righteousness of  Anotlaer! Faith accepts and appropriates
 idea of atonement, satisfaction, and redemption. But in the                     the righteousness of God in Christ. Faith is such that it
 present article the truly horrible nature of that Arminian                      clings to the God of our salvation in Christ!
 error becomes exposed in all its horror. For it is made                              We should undkrstand this by all means, and we should


                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   j                                               425

 understand this true significance of the statement that faith      death of Christ. For what now is left of the merit of Christ
 "accepts the merits bf Christ." I fear that we very easily be-     in. this  vieti of the Remonstrants,- the same Remonstrants
come accustomed to this statement, and assume a matter-of-          who charged the Reformed with teaching that the sacrifice
fact attitude over against it. And in the midst of the swelling     of Christ was deficient? .Besides,  we may certainly point out
tide of  Arminianism, which so often loosely employs the            that this view does violence to the truth of the righteousness
same terminology, we are very much inclined to lose sight           and justice of God. How can God regard as perfect that
of the true significance of this tremendous truth. Faith ,ac-       which is imperfect ? How can God regard as fact that which
cep ts the wwits of Christ!            _'                           is not a fact? How can God esteem as worthy of eternal
    And that this is indeed the meaning and significance of         life that which is not worthy of eternal life ? And : what kind
faith in the view of the  preformed  fathers is plain from,         of divine grace is it that stands directly over against the
and, in fact, is emphasized by the contrast with the Arminian       divine justice ? Cf. Heid. CaqtechisuM;  Qu. 11.
view in the article we are presently considering. That view,            But the fathers- first of all come with the Scripture in
which is  .rejected  in the Canons, stands in direct contrast       hand. The Arminian plainly contradicts the Scripture which
with the Reformed,view,  according to the language of this          says : "Being justified freely (that is : gift-wise (gratuitously,
article. On the one hand, the Arminians taught that  -"the          as a free gift, for nothing) by his grace through the re-
new covenant of grace . . . . does not Izevein  consist,-that we    demption that is in Christ Jesus ; whom God set, forth to be
by faith, `in as much as it accepts the merits of Christ, are       a propitiation through faith in his blood." Rom.  3.~24, 25.
justified before God and saved." And on the other hand,             Justification is not a matter of works, but is absolutely free,
they taught that it does consist `fin the fact that God, having     by His grace. And it is not a denial of the righteousness of
revoked the demand of perfect obedience of the law, regards         God, an esteeming of the imperfect as perfect; but it is
faith itself and  the:.obedience  of faith, although imperfect,     through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. And He
as the perfect obedience of the law, and does esteem it             redeems because God has set Him forth to be a propitiation
worthy of the reward of eternal life through grace."                for sin. Against this plain truth of Scripture the Arminian
  ( Hence, the Arminian view contains the following ele-            view militates.  Iii  <the second place, the fathers associated this
ments :                                                             view with the view `of `Socinus, the wicked Socinus. They un-'
    1. In the old  .covenant,  or testament, God prescribed         doubtedly refer here `to  ,Faustus  Socinus, not to his uncle
perfect obedience of the law as the condition of eternal life.      Laelius:  It was the former, a contemporary of Arminius, who
    2. In the new covenant, God prescribes faith and the            was responsible for promulgating  "a new and strange justifi-
obedience of faith as the condition of eternal life.                cation of man before God." Among other things,  Socinianism
    3. In the new covenant, the element of work-righteous-          denies predestination and original sin. And it denied that
ness is still maintained, with this qualification, that God now     Christ%  death was a satisfaction for sin. Christ's obedience
regards faith itself and the obedience of faith as the perfect      even unto death was an example of the obedience, which
obedience of the law, and `esteem it, that is, faith and the        every Christian should, if necessary manifest. And the con-
obedience of faith, worthy of eternal life. Notice, there-          sequence of such obedience is forgiveness of sins and eternal
fore, that the righteousness is not in Christ,  ,and the merit      life. All this error stems basically from the Socinian denial
is not in Christ, but in faith and the obedience of faith.          of the Trinity and of the true Godhead either of the Son
They are, in God's estimation, equal to the perfect obedience       Christ Jesus or of the Holy Spirit. But as far as justifica-
of the law. And they, that is, faith itself and the obedience       tion is concerned, the similarity between the Arminian and
of `faith (not the merits of Christ), are worthy of eternal         the Socinian view is unmistakeable. Now then, Socinus was
life. Faith and'the obedience of faith are therefore substitute     recognized by the mentire church to be wicked and impious.
works for the works of the law.                                     And the fathers here point out that then the Arminians must
   4., In the ne$`covenant,  the element of grace consists in       be likewise condemned.
this, &at although faith and the obedience of faith, are not           And finally, the fathers point out that this view is
perfect, that is, although faith and the obedience of faith are     "against the consensus of the whole church." This means
in reality not equal the perfect obedience of the law, God          the church in the past, to be sure. But I believe it refers
nevertheless regards them as equal to the perfect obedience         especially of the church of that age, namely, the church of
of the law. The Arminian, of course, faced the plain fact           the Reformation. The various branches of the church of the
that Scripture speaks of grace. And  he, was hard-pressed           Reformation may have disagreed on many things. But on
to find room for that idea of grace in his concel&iori'l That he    this one truth, that of free justification, they were agreed.
too had to -speak of grace the Arminian realized. And so he         And though already at that time, and more still today, it
attempted to' mix grace .and works in this manner. Grace for        may seem that the consensus of the church favored and favors
the. Arminian `meant that God was willing to accept imperfect       Arminian$&, such is not true. The church, led by the Spirit
works as perfect works.                                             into all the truth, has always maintained the doctrine of
   Again it `l`s true, as the previous article already pointed      justification by faith out of free grace in Christ Jesus.
out, that the Arminian judges too contemptuously of the                                                                        H.C.H.

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

                                                                      them  &om disclosing the whole truth concerning their cir-
                 DECENCY and ORDER                                    cumstances to those who are appointed to help them. When
                                                                      then they do not receive an adequate supply of goods to alle-
                                                                      viate their distress the fault cannot. be that of the deacons.
                 The Labors of the Deacons                            Again, greed, a vice of the old sinful nature, may cause others
                             (Continued)                              to magnify their needs beyond reality and if then more is dis-
                                                                      tributed to such than actually should be, the deacons cannot
         "For ye have the poor always with you; but Me ye have        be wholly blamed. The human nature, subject as it is to the
  not always."                                                        powers of evil and being what it is, postulat&  countless dif-
         These are the words of Jesus which were spoken at the        ficulties in`the proper administration of this work of mercy.
  time of His anointing in  Bethany  by Mary, the sister of           As long as the church is in this world, and just so long will
  Lazarus. Judas, the betrayer, had severely criticized this act      Christian charity be needed, this situation will prevail. Before
  of love and complained that the money spent could have been         we are then hasty to criticize and belittle the labors -of faith-
  rused better if given to the poor. After the Lord condemned         ful men, it is well to think on these things.
  this unjust criticism of a perfectly legitimate deed of love,          Nevertheless, these things do bring but the acute tieces-
  He turned to His disciples and in them to the church to             sity of the rigid spiritual requirements for the office of
  whom He spoke the above quoted words.                               deacons. To cope with and to combat these evils they must
         Jesus is no longer present with us in the body. He is        be men well versed in the Scriptures. These Scriptures they
  now ascended and in His glory He sits at the right hand of          must use continuously to instruct as well as to comfort thosk
  His Father in heaven. This does not mean, however, that             in affliction. Sadly enough, in our day this is often neglected.
  we cannot and should not repeat this act of Mary. His poor          Young men with business ability are often prefered  for the
  we have always with us and they shall remain with us until          deaconate. Now, certainly, there is no objection to one
the end of the ages. Certainly then there is abundant  op-            being "young" nor to his having "business ability" but the
  -portunity to emulate this deed of Mary for as the Lord.Him-        point is that these qualities are not enough. The spiritual
  self put it in gatthew  25 :40, "In so much as ye do it unto        requirements are fundamental and imperative for the proper
  one of the least of these my brethren, ye do it unto Me."           functioning of this: office because only as one isguided by the
         Particularly and in a special way this is the task of the    Word of God is he able to act prudently, exercise justice,
  deacons. To them belongs ,the duty of distiibuting  the alms        manifest true mercy *and use liberality in the differen:  circum-
  and other gifts of charity unto the poor and distressed. Even       stances where the poor and indigent have need of tissistance.
  as Mary in her alms-deed' was cirticized and despised be-
  cause of her display of love, so may the faithful deacons ex-               c.  Visitiplg  And  Comjorting  The  Distrcsm~
  pect that their labors of mercy shall also be denounced by             Perhaps one of the principal reasons that the office  of
  some. This they &o are !                                            deacon has fallen in disuse as much as it has in our day is
         The work of  the distribution of alms is criticized froni    its own neglect  oft this important phase of  dud:p.  Too often
  two sides. On the one hand there are those who object that          the visiting of the sick  and afflicted is left entirely to  th?
  too much is given and that the recipient of the gifts is not        minister and/or the elders. It is simply not regarded as
  really a case of charity. This objection means that the             belonging to the labors of the deacons also. Yet, this is-not
  deacons are wasteful and careless in the distribution. On the       as it should be. Even where one suffers an afflicticu  and it
  other hand, there are those who object in the very opposite         is positively known ,that such an individual has no need of
  manner and assert that the deaconate is too conservative and        material assistance, a visit in their affliction by the deacons
  compel the poor to barely eke out an existence. And, of             is proper. They are first of all ministers of  ntercy   i They
  course, the objectors from both sides always seem to know           are not called to relieve want and suffering simpiy with
  much more about all the circumstances of the poor than              external gifts as any welfare society or county or state migiif
  those who have carefully investigated the whole matter.             do. They are not errand-boys who deliver the groceries,
         It may readily be admitted that the deacons also are         clothing, etc. But they are ordained to administer mercy
  capable of making mistakes. No doubt they also do. It is            "with comfortable  wo?ds of Scripture." That is first and
  human to err. The church does not have an infallible deacoti-       out of that proceeds the rest.
  ate any mqre than she has an infallible ministry. Neverthe-            We will nof repeat here what we wrote in the Stundayd
  less, often when mistakes are made in these matters the fault       Bearer,' Vol. `31, pg. 165, concerning visiting the sick as a
  cannot justly be wholly attributed to  Chri$s ministers of          part of the task of the ministry but what  was written then
  mercy. It should be remembered that the fact that they deal         applies here also. The deaconate is part of that ministry and
  with a people in sin does not make their task any easier for        especially the part through which the mercy of our merciful
  the sins of those who need to be befriended are frequently          High Priest is to be reflected. This  inmportant work ought
 the cause of injustices that follow. Pride, for example, as it       not to be neglected or left exclusively to others for in the
  still exists in the hearts of God's poor people, often restrains
  ._       _.                                                         measure that it is performed by the deacons their office will
                                                                                                        Y


                                                T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                 427

  also be properly esteemed and elevated to the spiritual level        The work of the deacons is after all not a personal work but
  on which it ought to always stand. Then will the erroneous           an official labor in  which the  ,office  bearer represents the
  notion be eradicated from the `minds of many that the office         whole congregation and in the congregation Christ Himself.
  of deacon is inferior to that of elder for then it will be un-       The congregation then has every right to be informed and
  derstood that the one office  involves as much spiritual labor       should there be questions or the desire for  additibnal  in-
  `as does the other. And many will no longer think that >ll           formation concerning this work it is quite proper that such
  that is required in a deacon is that he possess  certain natural     inquiry be  *brought to the consistory. Thus are all things
' abilities.     '                                                     done systematically, decently and in good order.
      Let it be remembered that true  meicy  is that power  af                                :t      *     *     +
  deliverance from the awful oppression of sin and death to               There is one more article of the church order that speaks
  which we are all subject by nature. That power is `shed on           of the duty of the deaconate and charity. That is Article 26
  us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Saviour. (Titus              which reads as follows :
  3 :6) And the way to a-more sure knowledge of that mer$y                "In places where others are devoting themselves to the
  is through the Word of God. If the deacons remain mindful            care of the poor, the deacons shall seek a mutual understand-,
  of this when they approach those who are in a special way            ing with them to the end that the alms may all the better be
  ,afflicted,  their labor will be spiritually joyful as they carry    distributed among those who have-the greatest need. More-
  them and their needs firstly to the throne of grace where we         over, they shall make it possible for the.poor  to make use of
  may obtain Inef-cy and grace to help in time of need (Heb:           institutions of mercy, and to that end they shall request the
  4:16) and, secondly, as they distribute such material things         board 6f directofs  of such institutions to keep in close touch
  as may be needed to alleviate the suffering.                         with them. It is also desirable that the deaconates assist and-
                                                                       consult one another, especially in caring for the poor in
                      d.    Rendering An Account                       such institutions."
     The church order states that the deaconate is to. render             But since our space is filled for this time, we will reserve
  an account of all these labors in the consistory, and also (if       our comments on this article until, D.V., the next issue.
  anyone desires to be present) to the congregation, at such                                                                    G.V.D.B.
  a time as the consistory may see fit. This is appropriate and
  necessary  be&use,  in the first place, the deacons are not
  rulers over the affairs of God's church; not even in those
  labors with which they are directly occupied. The prerogative                                      N O T I C E !
  to rule resides only in the elders. They represent the kingly           The Adams St. Prot. Ref. Christian School has two
  office of Christ and, consequently, the deacons must render          teaching positions open for the  1956-`57  school year. We
  to them a periodic accounting of their work in order that it         need a teacher for our Second Grade and a Kindergarten
  may be approved. In most cases this is done monthly.                 teacher (Half-days the full, term or all day the second `term).
      This does not mean that the deacons are not to hold              Interested qualified persons are invited to make application
  separate meetings. With the exception of the smaller con-            to the Educational Committee in care of the school, 1150
  gregations, the deaconate always meets separate f;om the con-        Adams St., S. E., Grand Rapids, Michigan.
  sistory. Even then, however, one or two of the.elders  are to
  be present at their meetings. Whatever is decided upon is                                   Announcement
  to be recorded and then a  record of these decisions sub-
  mitted to the whole consistory.                                         The Free-Christian School Society at Edgerton, Minn.,
      In the second place, reports of the labors of the deacons        is in need of a Principal to teach the four upper grades, 5,
  are to be submitted to the congregation by the consistory.           6, 7, and S, for the next school term.
  Usually this is done annually in the  .form of a detailed finan-        Please send applications to  Board  of Free Chr. School
  cial statement containing the record of all gifts and charities      Society, Edgerton, Minn., c/o H. Miersma, Sec'y, R.R. 1,
  received by the deacons as well as an itemized report of all         Box 116.
  expenditures made. In some cases such reports are given
  to the congregation every three or six months. This is left
  to the discretion of the individual0  consistories,                                          IN MEMORIAM
      It stands to reason that such reports, especially concerning       The Ladies' Society of the South Holland Protestant Re-
  the charities, are not personal but general. Names of per-           formed Church expresses  iti sympathy to one of its members,
  sons and amounts received need not be submitted to the               Mrs. Wm. T. Terpstra, in the death of her sister
  congregation. Neither should the congregation be concerned                          MRS. ELIZABETH  LANGLAND
  with that. Her concern is whethei-  or not the work of mercy            May our heavenly Father comfort the bereaved with the
  is being  propefly carried on so that the poor and widows            assurance that He doeth all things well.
  and orphans are cared for and the sick and distressed visited.                                            Mrs. E. R. Bruinsma, Secretary

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

                                                                         Second Church, that they are different from all of our
                 A L L   A.ROUND  U S                                    other churches, I neither admit nor deny. .The reason being,
                                                                         I do not know the contents of the articles of.incorporation  of
                                                                         our other churches. Neither, I dare say, does Blankespoor.
      Artothev Court Case.                                               That they are different from those of First Church I know,
          Such is the title of an article appearing in the May 10th the difference being substantially with respect to one article.
      issue of the Reformed  Guardian  written by the Rev. J.            But Blankespoor will learn when he gets in court that he
      Blankespoor. In the April 10th Reformed  G,ztardiun  Rev.          had better not try to make anything of that one article.             :
c     J. Howerzyl also reflected on this case of Second Church,              Finally, when  !Blankespoor  tells his people that a majority
      and we promised to give answer to him and the Rev.                 of three-fifths went with him in the split, I question this
      Blankespoor  .now,                                                 very much. I am not particularly interested` in'numbers,  but
          I am not only interested in what Rev. `Blankespoor wrote       when I read this I referred to the .Year Book of 1952 (I do
      relative to the history of the case, the events that led up to     not have the spurious Acts of Synod of 1953 which contained
      the pending court trial, but also in what he did not write         the Year Book of that year) I find that Second Church is
      and should have written.                                           listed as having 84 families. At the time of the  separation-
          In the introductory part of his article he writes as fol-      my congregation numbered no less than 41 or 42 families.
      lows :                                                             Now how can 42 be two-fifths of  84? The facts will show
          "Legal proceedings have been initiated for another trial       that the congregation of Second Church split right down the
      regarding church properties here in Michigan. This time            middle.
      the Second Prot. Ref. Church is involved. As usual, there              Blankespoor continues : "In March of 1955 each  con-
      are many rumors afloat regarding what happened in our              sistory member of our church received by registered mail a
      church, also prior to the last actions taken. In order that        letter from the consistory `of the other side demanding that
     _ our people may know what ,actually  transpired we will try        we hand over to them our. church properties. This was
      to give a brief sketch of our correspondence with those            shortly after Judge Taylor gave his opinion in the case of
      who left us.                                                       F i r s t   C h u r c h .           . . .
          "First of all,. let me state that we are incorporated dif-             `(As consistory we surely felt the need of sending
      ferently from all of our other churches. Without entering          a reply. But the question was how to go about it. If we
      into details, let it be sufficient to say that our articles very ' would approach them as a consistory they possibly would
      clearly state that the majority in a certain situation is          ignore our letter because they naturally do not recognize
      entitled to its share of the buildings and in another situation    us as a consistory. Therefore we thought it best to have
      to all of the buildings. At the time of the split about  two-      our clerk approach them with our permission. Through the
      fifths of the congregation left us, leaving us a majority of       clerk we then requested them to appoint a committee and
     three-fifths."                                                      that this committee meet with one from our consistory to
         Just three or four `brief remarks here. In the first place,     see if a satisfactory settlement could be reached. They
      Blankespoor says he wants his people to know what actually         answered. this missive by sending a reply to the entire con-`
      transpired between us. This would be commendable if he             sistory because they considered the entire body to be
      told his people what actually transpired. But, as the reader       responsible for this letter. The substance of their answer
      will learn presently, this he does not do. Our criticism is        was that it should have been evident to us that our letter
     not so much as to what he says, although also that is not           contained no admission of guilt in the recent schism which
     above criticism, but we are critical of what he does not say.       we had made, and that it didn't in the least concede that
     Blankespoor writes deceptively. Of this we have accused             they are the legal Second Prot. `Ref. Church. Further that
     him before in connection with other of his writings.                we are operating under false pretenses, that our minister is
         Secondly, I am rather curious to know why someone               not a Protestant Reformed minister, etc.,  etc., Finally, it
     saw *to it that not only the Blankespoor group is informed,         stated that the only way for us to escape our embarrassing
     but also why copies of the, Gsuctrdian  were sent to some (not      situation is to come to them in repentance, acknowledging
     all) of my people who otherwise never see this paper. Did           our guilt of schism and of unlawfully confiscating the proper-
     tthe responsible party think perhaps that he could influence        ties of the Second Church, and at the same time subjecting
     my people to swallow this deceptive article  ? or, perhaps did      ourselves to the `discipline, rules and usages of the Prot-
     he think to bring dissension among my people? or, was he            estant Reformed Churches.' "'
     afraid perhaps, as Blankespoor suggests in his article, that           It is true that on March 17th we sent  .each  responsible
     my consistory with a high hand has been withholding the             member of the Blankespoor group a registered letter. And
     facts from my people ? It would interest me much to know            it is also true that we did not and do not now recognize.
     just why  <that particular copy of the Reformed  Guardians          these men to be the consistory of Second Church. Not only
     bearing his article should be sent to some of my congregation.      did  Classis  East declare them outside of the Protestant
         Thirdly, as to the peculiar articles of incorporation of        Reformed Churches, but Judge Taylor (and later the Michi-


                                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                              429

  gan Supreme Court) also virtually said the same thing. But              Blankespoor Continues  : "A few months later we re-
  Blankespbor  and his group are a law unto themsdves. They          ceived another letter with the same demands. Our- cons&&tory,
  do  not have to recognize what  Classis  East said. They do        however, took no action since we felt that we could do no
  not care what Judge Taylor and the Supreme Court de-               more than what we had previously proposed."
  creed. They are still the "Second Prot. Ref. Church." And               It is true that this third letter, dated September 15,
  Blankespoor is still a "Prot. Ref. minister." And his  "con-       1955, was addressed to  the Blankespoor group reiterating
  sistory" is still the "consistory of the Second Prot. Ref.         our demands. In facts this third letter, after reniinding them
Church." You know, when you have to deal with people                 that  WC had not received an acknowledgment and satisfactory
  like that, the only language they will understand is the           reply td our two former missives and once more reminding
  badge and pistol of the sheriff, and even that sometimes           them of their  sin of schism and unlawful seizure of the
  seems doubtful. My simple question to Blankespoor is: how          church properties, this time warned them that unless' we
  can you recognize someone or something that does not exist?        received a satisfactory answer within a month's time we
  The fact of the matter is simply that they do not recognize        would proceed with litigation immediately after the case
  us as consistory and we do not recognize them as such.             of First Church before the Supreme Court was settled.  '
      Yet their "clerk" sent a personal letter to our clerk to           But Blankespoor must not say that his consistory took
  see if he could persuade our consistory to appoint a com-          no action because they felt that they could do no more than
  mittee to confer with a  dommittee  from their group. Why?         what they had previously proposed. He  leaires  the impression
  Because they ai-e so tender-hearted and wanted to have us          that he is in the driver's seat, while  he,isn't. He leaves the
  share fifty-fifty with them in the properties ? Don't you          impression that they were in a position to make us an offer,
  ever believe it! The truth is that they saw the handwriting        while they were not, He fails to tell his readers that he was
  on the wall when Judge Taylor rendered his decision in the         unseated at  Classis  East, and because he refused to  go the
  case of First Church. Blankespoor and his consistory did           church-political way, like De Wolf, he was put outside of the
  not see this, but the "clerk." Blankespoor tells us that he        Protestant Reformed Churches. And when he,. or any other
  and the consistory wanted to answer our missive but didn't         for that-matter, leaves the Protestant Reformed Churches at
  know how, so they a&ed  the "clerk" to write to our clerk.
                           . .*                                      th2.t very moment he ceases to have any rights or privileges
  The truth  is that the  "&rk"  of  the.Blankespoor  consistory     in the church he leaves or is expelled from. Imagine for a
  went to his consistory with the request that he might write        moment that a member decides to ask for his papers to
  a personal letter to our clerk asking for arbitration. The         transfer to another church, or is dismissed to join another
  Blankespoor consistory granted this request. The "clerk"           denomination and this  is granted by the consistory. Since
  was smart enough to see that the cause of the Blankespoor          when does such a &ember or person have the right or claim
  group `was hopeless after Judge Taylor rendered his decision,      to the church property in the church he leaves ? Would not
  unless perhaps they could fool my consistory with a  proposi-      such a person be laughed out of court if he nevertheless in-
. tion.                                                              sisted that some of the property belonged to him ? I think
      Now mind you, they came with a proposition to settle tLe       so. The same applies to the Blankespoor group. Yet, there
  property dispute on April 29, 1955, more than a year aud a         he  sits in the center of the church property and claims that
  half after the split. And that, too; after they saw from           it is his. And when this is disputed and denied, then he has
  Judge Taylor's decision how- the wind was blowing. Of              the nerve to offer a fifty-fifty proposition. How silly can
  course the whole idea of arbitration was ridiculous at this        the man get?
  late date. The people who follow BlankespoGr  should know              I see that my space is about used up and I have quoted
  how recklessly he and his consistory handled the affairs of        only about half of what Blankespoor wrote. Because the
  the church for this year and ti half after the split while they    Stam-iard Bemw appears only once a month for the months
  wholly igno_red  the Articles of Incorporation. The thing be-      of June, July and August, another article on this subject
  comes still more ridiculous when you consider that we,             would have to appear after the court trial is finished. I see,
  not they,. are the Second Prot. Ref. Church. It is as ridi-        therefore, no reason to continue quoting Blankespoor's
  culous as when a gang of robbers'would  sit in the bank and        article.
  tell the personnel "we will get out only when you give us              Jn closing I could say this that the rest  df the article
  half of what is in the bank."                                      is written quite factually, though quite naturally I cannot
      Of course we told them "that the only way for them to          agree with all that he says. For instance, I have quite a
 `escape their embarrassing situation was to come to us `in          different understanding of I  Car. 6 than they do. And though
  repentance, acknowledging their -guilt of schism and of un-        once I felt  indlined  to the argument that whereas "both
  lawfully confiscating the properties and to subject them-          groups contributed financially towards the acquisition of the
  selves to the `discipline, rules and usages of the Protestant. properties'! and that therefqre both should share them, I .am
  Reformed Churches as they agreed to do when they adopted           no longer of the same disposition because of what has hap-
  the  .Articles of Incorporation." This, we felt  was' our          pened in the course of this case.
  Christian duty to do.                                                  Moreover, I did not like the sting of the last part of the


 `430                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
  - -                -  _... ---
       next to the last paragraph of his article when he writes :                      His blood that He would shed for them and the dust that
       "This shows that this action was taken without a voice of                       clave to their feet pointed to their sins, to the guilt and moral
       their congregation." What he accuses  us  of doing and  im-                     pollution in which they had been conceived and born. And
 plies that it is bad, is exactly what they themselves have                            as He poured water in the basin, so would He pour out His
       done. Their committee which visited our consistory with                         life for them and thereby provide Himself with the means
       their proposition even put it in writing that their offer was.                  for their cleansing., Thus would He as their Lord serve
  `made "subject to the approval of our congregation." So the                          them.
       `Blankespoor  `group did virtually the same thing they accuse                      How matchless His obedience! How firm His determina-
       ils of.                                                         M.S.            tion to offer Himself! How the zeal of God's house- con-
                                                                                  I    sumes Him! How true that; having loved His own in the
 .:                    CONTRlB(.JTlONS                                                 world, He loves them to the end! For it is before the feast
                                                                            II         of the  passover  that foreshadows the redemption by His
  II                                                                                   blood. He knows, is fully aware,  ihat His hour has come
                                                                                       that He shall depart out of this world unto the Father. And
                  CHRIST WASHES THE FEET OF HIS                                        He knows, too, that the only way that leads out of this
                                  DISCIPLES                           -.               world unto the Father is the way of the cross, thus a way
                                                                                       `chat leads into the abyss where all the billows of God's
       -`rf,  Ndw  bg$ow.  the feast  of the tabmmcle, when  Jesus  knew               wrath shall pass over Him. And He knows and knowing He
  nut his  hour  was come  tht  he  slzoznld  depart out of  this                      washes their feet, engages in an action that reveals His firm
       ~@,&ld   unto  the Father, having loved his' own  which  were                   resolve to accept His cross that His people may be cleansed
       & the world, he loved them unto the end. And supper being                       from all their sins. How evident that He truly offers. Him-
       ended,  the devil  l&ng now  put into the heart of  Ja4da.s                     self and that in suffering and dying on the cross He is not
       iscalriot, Simon's son, to betray  l&z;   Jssu.s  knozting   that               the unwilling victim of circumstance.
       the Father had given all  things   ,i,nto  his  hand,  a~nd that he
. . was col~,ae from God and went to God; he rietlz from supper,                          Out of this world He departs unto the Father. And the
       and laid  ,.asSe                                                                Father will receive Him. For He will do the Father's will.
                            his  garments; a.nd took a towel  and girded               He will offer Himself and thereby prepare a place for His
       h&elf.   -After  that he  poxvcd water  sinto a basin, and began
       to  wash  his disciples' feet,,  and to wipe                                    own in the Father's house. And as the glorified Christ He
                                                        them  with the towel
       wherewith  7ae was girded." John 13  :l-5.                                      will return to them in the Spirit and receive them unto
                                                                                       Himself that where He is they may also be. This He will
         So reads the report of a doing of Christ that perhaps                         ,do as knowing that for this purpose the Father has given
       as much as anything He had ever -done set his disciples to                      into His hands all things : life, death, angels, principalities,
       wondering. They were at loss how to explain His deed.                           things present, things to come, height, depth and any other
       Their conscience must also have smitten them. For not  SO                       creature. And so all His enemies are in His hands. Hence
       many hours before they had again been disputing among                           in His sufferings He reigns and His death is His victory.
       theinselves who of their number was to be the' greatest in
       the kingdom of heaven.                                                             And He knows that He came from God, that God called
                                                                                       Him,, and sent Him and upholds Him, and that the Spirit
           They had entered the room where they had been supping                       of- God is upon Him, that He may bring judgment to the
       with soiled feet.. For they had been on the way. Though                         Gentiles; that the `Lord has called Him in righteousness,
  they had basin, towel and water, their feet had gone un-                             holds His hand and keeps Him and gives Him for a cov-
       washed.' There being no servant on hand to do the washing,                      enant to the people, for a light to the gentiles; to open the
  it could not be helped. So each of them must have reasoned                           blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and
       with himself. .Any one of their number could have performed                     them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
  that labor on the others. But it is safe to assume that this
       had  occured  to none of them. For they did not want to                            And He knows that He goes unto God through suffer-
       serve. They were bent on rule. `The ambition of each of them                    ing to be glorified with the Father's own Self with the
  was to attain to the highest place in Christ's kingdom. The                          glory which He had with Him before the world was. This
  mother of two of their number had even approached Christ                             He knows. Of this He is fully conscious. For He washes
  on the matter. Could her sons sit on His right and left hand                         His disciples' feet now that His hour has come. The act is
  when. He would have come. into His own. Little did they at                           expressive of all that He knows, wills, purposes as the
  this time understand that citizenship in the Kingdom spells                          Christ of God.
  service. This He would now teach them. So He washed                                     He knows the Father's will, knows that the way.unto the
  their feet.                                                                          Father is the way of the cross, knows that, going by this
           The meaning of His doing is clear. The labor to which                       way, He will be glorified of the Father. When Judas is gone
       He now stooped is symbolical. The poured' water pointed to                      out, He speaks to them of His glory, "Now is the Son of


                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   -                                                   431

  man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; If God be                                THE GRE&T DARKNESS
  glorified in Him, God shall also glorify him in Himself, and                 "If therefore  the light that  is  irk thee be darkness,
  shall straightway glorify him."                                               hozv great is tht darkness." - Matt. 6 :23b.
     But the disciples of the Lord do not understand. They
  grasp not the purpose that is back of  ,His washing their                Christ has before him a man destitute of the life of
  feet. His doing provokes them, particularly Peter. But he             regeneration. There is natural light in this man, for he
  keeps silence until the Lord has come to him. Then he                 sees rationally. He is, therefore, enlightened. The seed of
  speaks, "Lord dost thou wash my  .feet?" Should.- Peter               `the Word fell also in his heart. He may even have received
  realize what he is saying, he would be shocked and dismayed           the Word with joy. That which may be known of God in
                                                                        the face of Christ is manifest also in him. But the man can
beyond measure. For he was forbidding Christ to cleanse
  him from his sin by His blood. For Christ replies; "If I              see nothing lovely about God. He despises God in his heart.
  wash thee not, thou hast no part with me." Not to have                To him God's wisdom is foolishness and His virtues faults.,
  part with Christ is to be everlastingly lost. Christ has spoken       This is what it means that the natural man is spiritually blind.
  the word that brings Peter to his senses.. If the matter stands       Being blind in this sense, the light that is in him- the pure
  thus, let the Lord then wash `him by all means. So he                 light from Heaven-is darkness. For he changes the truth:
  replies, "Lord, not my feet -only, but also my hands and              of God into a lie, holds it in unrighteousness. If then the
  head." For certainly he wants part  with.the  Lord. But the           light that is in the man is darkness, how great is that dark-
  disciples already have been washed: For they are reborn               ness. It is darkness that is absolute.              ..r'.'
  men. This explains Christ's reply to Peter,. "He that is                 God's believing people are in principle children of the
  washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean, every         light and children of the day. They see spiritually. For the
  whit." So does the washing of their feet signify their daily          love of God is in their hearts. They do not sleep as do the
  sanctification.                                                       others in whom the light is darkness, but they watch and
                                   ,                                    are sober. They are spiritually alert. They are spiritually
      Christ's doing, His washing their feet, is a lesson for them      aware of the approach of the day of the Lord. For them,
  of which they had much need.  `Says-He to them, "Ye call              therefore, this day does not come as a thief in the night, for
  me  maste.r  and Lord. And ye say well, for so I am. If I             it is being espected.    .
  then your Lord and Master have washed your feet, ye also                 But the spiritually blind are indifferent. Their  .hatred
  ought to wash one another's feet."                                    of Christ and of the heavenly stupifies them spiritually. Spirit-
      This they can understand-understand that they must                ually they are drunken. Spiritually, therefore, they are in-
  serve one another. Not that henceforth they must make a               different to the things heavenly. They mind earthy things
  practice of washing each other's feet literally. It is a spiritual    and are increasingly hardened by the Gospel which to them
  service to which Christ here admonishes. For the believers            is a savor of death unto death.
  are the body of Christ and members in particular. All the                                                                           G.M.O.
  members must have the same care one for another. The one
  overtaken by a `fault must be restored by them that are                HOW GREAT THE GOODNESS  KEPT  IN. STORE
  spiritual. The unruly must be warned, the weak supported,                         How great the goodness, kept in store
  the spiritually sick prayed for. All have need of being pro-                      For those who fear Thee and adore
  voked unto love and good works.                                                        In meek humility.
      The one shall wash the other's feet but not as lord but                       How great the deeds with mercy fraught
 as servant. The proud man will wash your feet but as lord                          Which openly Thy hand has wrought
  and not as servant. For in his own eyes he cannot be served.                           For those who trust in Thee.
  He imagines that like God he can only serve, thus imagines                        Blest be the Lord, for He has showed,             .
 that he can only give but cannot also receive. His pride                           While giving. me a safe abode,
  is explained by the fact, that he has never been washed by                            His love beyond compare ;
  Christ.                                                                           Although His face He seemed to hide,
      There is but one lord in the kingdom of Heaven and                            He ever heard me when I cried,
  that Lord Christ. Christ's people are only servants, can only                          And made my wants His care.
  be servants. And the reason  .is plain. Their serving one                         Ye saints, Jehovah love and serve,
  another; their washing each other's feet, is the fruit of their                   For He the faithful will preserve,
  being served of Christ, of their being washed by His blood.                            And shield from men of pride ;
  They can neither give nor receive except Christ gives and                         Be strong, and let your hearts be brave,
  receives in -and through them. For in themselves they are                         All ye that wait for Him to save,
  nothing.                                                                               In God the Lord confide.
                                                            G.M.O.                                                       Psalm 31 :l, 3, 4


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  432                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   -BEAREk

           Report of `the Western Ladies' League                        We thank God for `an afternoon of Christian fellowship
                                                                     and pray that He may continue to bless us and grant us a
         The Spring meeting of the Ladies' League of the Prot.       rich measure of His grace.
  Ref. Churches was held on the afternoon of April 13. The                                                              Mrs.' P. Buys, reporter
  meeting was .opened  by singing Psalter .Nos. 298 and 356,
  after which our President, Mrs. H. Veldman, read I Peter 3
  and led us ,in prayer. A word of welcome was extended' to
 all the ladies gathered at our  Doon church. The secretary                                        Announcement                     __'                      t
then read the- minutes and the treasures report was g&en.
  The presidknt  then introduced the speaker, Rev. J. A. Heys,          Classis  East of the Protestant Reformed  Churchds  will
  who spxke,on  "The Humility of a Christian Woman."                 meet, D. v., at the Hudsonville Prot. Ref. Church on Wed-
         The first thought that was developed was the  idea  of      nesday, July, 11, 1956, at 9 A. M . Delegates will please
 humility. The idea of the word itself is to be low; near the        take notice.
 ground. We must be sincere and humble as Paul when he                                                          M.  Schipper, Stated Clerk.
  says, "I am the least." Our humility must' be patterned
 after the humility of Christ. We must be humble for God's
  sake and desire to be pleasing in His sight. This is wrought
 by Christ's Spirit in our hearts. Then only can we be                     HOW  !B,LEST  IS  HE WHOSE TRESPASS
 humble in the true sense of the word. Woman's humility is                                 How ble$ is he whose trespass
 exercised in two spheres of life, in her life as a wife in the
 home, and in general over against man in general.                                            Has freely been forgiven,
                                                                                           Whose sin is wholly covered
     The second thought was  the  Ytzctnifestation  of humility.                     ,        Before the sight of heaven.
  Submission is the necessary quality in the manifestation <If                             Blest he to whom Jehovah
 humility. The first sin was pride; all sin is pride. A woman                                 Will not impute his sin,
 must submit in all things which are according to the law of                               Who has a guileless spirit,
 God. This means a woman must be  humbik, submissive in                                       Whose  heart,,is true within.
 her life as a wife over against her husband. Woman in
 general  must be subject to man in general. A woman  mly                                  So let the godly seek Thee
' not rule in church or otherwise.                                                            In times when Thou art near;
    The third thought, the  attaiwzent~  of humility, brought                              No whelming floods shall reach them,                        `.
 dut the idea that this is possible only as it comes from Christ.                             Nor dause t&eir  hearts to fear.
He  Whq demands humility gives it to  US  in the way of a                         ' In  T,hee, 0 Lord, I hide me,  .
 free  gift. It is given in the way of regeneration. We know                                  Thou savest me from ill,         t
 it is not of works for &en we would boast. Through grace we                               And songs of `Thy salvation
 are able to submit to the rule He has placed over us. All                                    My heart with rapture thrill.
 gldry may then be unto God.
     After this instructive' speech we  w&-e  favored with a                               I graciously will teach thee
 duet from  -our  Edgerton   SoFiety.  Then the following  gques-                            The way that thou shalt go,
 tions were answered by Rev. H. Veldman.                                                   And with My eye upon thee
     1. Was Queen Esther a believer ?                                                        My counsel `make thee know.
     2. Can one "almost be persuaded ?" Acts 26-28.                                        But be ye not unruly,
     3. Why were the Israelites forbidden to burn honey in                                   Or slow to understand,
            any offering made by fire? Lev. 2 :ll.                                         Be not perversej  but willing
     4. Explain Luke 23  :31.                                                                To heed My wise command.
     5. Explain I Sam. i5 :35. Can the Lord repent of some-                                               c:
           `thing he has done ?                                                           The sorrows .of the wicked
     6. What kind of fellowship may we have with those                                     In number shall abound,
            (not Prot. Ref.) that profess to be Christians?                                But those that trust Jehovah,
   7; Explain the two covenants in Gal.  4:24.                                               His mercy shall surround.                      .
     A group of Doon ladies sang a Dutch song after which                                 Then in the Lord be joyful,
 we sang Psalter No. 325, while collection was taken for our                                 In song lift up your voice ;
 Edgerton  School. Our  meeting  was closed with prayer by                                 Be.glad in God, ye righteous,
 Rev. J. A. Heys. .Refreshments  were then served by  our                                    Rejoice,  ye- saints, rejoice.
 Hull Ladies Aid.                                                           --                                             Psalm  32:1, 3, 4, 5
                                                                                                                                                 _I


