      VOLUME XXIII                          October 15, 1946 - Grand Rapids, Michigan                              lWMBEl3  2

                                                                         And always the Church in the world. is in need of
                                                                      hearing this. same exhortation: let us hold fast our
                                                                      profession !
                                                                         Within and without, the enemy of that profession
.-              Holding Fast Our Profession                           ever tempts and presses us to abandon it.
                                                                        But we have a great high priest, that is gone into
                                                                      the heavens, Jesus the Son of God.. Of Him much
                       Seeing  ken that we  have a great high was already written in the preceding section, and of
                    priest, that is passled  into the heavenq Jesus His glory and greatness much more is.still to be'said.
                    the Son of God, let us `hold fast our profes-       ..U$dn Him believers must constantly fix the eyes of
                    sion.                             Heb. 4  ~14.    their faith.
        Seeing then . . . . let  us hold fast!                           Seeing Him thus, as the great high priest, beholding
          Doctrine and exhortation follow each other in `Him with the eye of faith, they will not waver, though
      regular sequence in' this profound and beautiful part all hell rise up against them !
      of Holy Scripture.                                                 They will surely hear and heed this exhortation :         '
          And while the exhortatory passages with which the           Hold fast your profession !
      `epistle is interspersed occupy the position of infer-
      ences from preceding, didactical expositions, they, at
      the same time, frequently are transitions to further                                                                 -
      instruction in the truth of the Christian profession to            Your profession!
      come.                                                              Wonderful gift of God's grace!.  -
          Thus. it is in the section that is introduced by the           But at the same time, sacred obligation before the
      words that constitute the basis of our present medita- face of Him that is the Author of it, and- the glory of
      tion.                                                           Whose. grace is the end of it!
               Seeing then . . . let us hold fast!                        Your profession is that which, in the fellowship of I
          Already, in the preceding part of the epistle. the the saints, it is given you to. know of the marvellous
      believers had received sufficient instruction to know works of .God, of the,glory of His grace in the Beloved,
      and to acknowledge that they have a great high priest,          of the blessedness .of salvation, redemption, the for-
      that is passed in the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. giveness of sins,. the covenant-fellowship with the
      For this had been the chief theme of all the author Triune. It is that which, through the Word, the Spirit
      had written thus far. They were now in a position of Christ dwelling in the Church, revealed to you con- ,.
      to see, by faith, that their high priest. was far exalted       cerning the things which eye hath not seen, neither ear
      above all the shadows of the old dispensation could heard, nor has ever arisen in the heart of man.
      ever off,er., And in that position they were even now               And it is that glorious truth, that knowledge of.the
      quite receptive. for the exhortation not to turn back God of your salvation, and of His everlasting covenant,
      from the reality of the new into the shadows of the             as  your  profession.  -       n     I         _.
      old dispensation, but to hold fast their profession.                It signifies that, in .fellowship  with the Church in
          There was, indeed, need of this earnest exhortation. the world, yen embrace thattruth by`a true and living
      Ear there was, under the pressure of temptation and faith; that, spiritually, it has become  .flesh of your
      persecution, a tendency to look back, and once again flesh,,bone  of your bone;that  .it controls and dominates
      to cling to the tabernacle and temple made with your whole existence, your very life in the midst of the
      hands.                                                          world ; and that .now -you become & living witness of


.26                               ,I  I.'T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

Him Who called-you, to speak of His name, and glory, home and on the street, in the church and in the fac-
of the wonder of His mar.vellous  grace; and that this tory, always and everywhere. For' Jesus is Lord over
testimony of your mouth is seaBed and adorned, by a           all, and another lordship next to Him is not I to be
walk worthy of God Who called you into His kingdom
                                   ,                          acknowledged.
and `glory !                                                     Not a Lord, but the -Lord is He !
       Y o u r          proj<ession!                             Lord universal and absolute!
       That is Christ, and yourself only in relation to          And your profession-means that you-are, and insist
Him.                                                          on being, iHis servants in word and in deed.
       For the sum and substance of the profession which         Radical profession ! *
the Spirit, through the Word of God works in the
Church, and, in fellowship with her, in the heart of
every believer, is that Jesus is LORD !
       Marvellous profession !                                   Hold it fast!
       He, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph the car-          For to persevere in that profession is a matter of
penter, Who was born in the stable of Bethlehem and life and death!
found iHis first bed in the manger ; Who in all His life .        For "if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
never rose above the humiliating level of that stable,        Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God raised
and of that manger; Who had no form or comeliness, him from the death, thou shalt be saved." Rom. 10 :9.
no beauty that men should desire Him ; Who was de-               Hold fast, therefore, your profession !
spised and rejected of men; a man `of sorrows, and              ,O, to be sure, that means that you are zealous con-
acquainted with grief,, before Whom men hid their             cerning the truth as it is in Jesus, revealed in the Holy
faces ;, Who, as far as this world and His position in it     Scriptures ; that, as a church, and as individual believ-
was concerned, never had a name, or power, or glory ;         ers, you strive for the purity of the faith once delivered
Who was a servant of servants, and Whose life ended to the saints, and that you persistently refuse' to be
in.the shameful death of the accursed.tree  ; Whom even tossed about by any and every wind of doctrine.
now, and throughout all the ages, all men, exactly as             It signifies, too, that I you-appropriate this pure
men,' despise and reject . . .                                revelation of the living Lord by a true and living faith,
       That Jesus is LORD !             ._                    and that, by this faith, you cling to it, so that your
       That is the heart of the Christian profession !        mind is constantly enlightened by it as by a certain,
       It means that He is the Lord in Himself, the very      spiritual knowledge ; so that your will is wholly con-
Creator of the world, Who in Himself has all "p.ower          trolled and <determined by it, you put all your con-
and authority over heaven and earth, and all they con-        fidence in lHim Who is your Lord, and you are domin-
tain ; that He is the only begotten Son, Who is eternally     ated by a sincere resolution to do His will, and to walk
in the bosom of the Father, God of God, Light of Light., in the midst of the world as before the face of your
It implies that this Lord of ,a11 assumed the form of Lord, without wavering.
a servant, and in that form voluntarily .emptied (Him-           It implies, finally, that you let your light shine,
self completely, descending in the deep and dark vale, never hiding it under a bushel, that you confess the
of .the shadow of death, of the agony of hell, because        name of your Lord,. as a church in the preaching of
`He had taken upon Himself the iniquities of His own,         His Word, as individual believers in all your walk and
and with them, and for them, walked as the Servant of' life, so that always and everywher,e,  and come what
Jehovah, in perfect obedience of love, to bring the per- may, you actually love'the Lord. your God with all your
fect sacrifice that would .forever blot out the guilt of heart, and with all your mind, and with all your soul,
sin. It signifies, too, that God raised Him from the and with all your strength, forsake the world, cru$ify
dead, giving Him testimony that He is right,eous ;-and        your old nature, and walk in a.new and holy lif,e. It
that He exalted IHim at His own right hand, far above         implies that, in the midst of the world, you reveal your-
all principality, and. power, and every name that is          self as being'of the party of the-living ,God, revealed in
named, not only` in this world, but also in that which Jesus Christ our Lord !
is to come!                                                      Hold fast your profession ! .          1
       That is. the Christian profession !                       Preserve it, cling to it tenaciously; by faith, confess
        It is the profession in word, and the manifestation it, enact it in and before the whole worldi
of this prof:ession  in deed, that this Jesus is our Lord,    I- And take it very seriously!
that we belong to Him, body and soul, for time and               For it is, indeed, a matter of life and death, not
eternity; that :His mind is our light, that His will is only of real, of eternal life and eternal death, but also
our law, that we delight to keep His commandments,            of life and death in this world f `In the holding fast of
with all our heart, and mind, and soul and ,strength,         your profession, you must be wholly, prepared fully
personally, `and in every relationship of life; in the. and unconditionally, without `wavering or compromise,


                                                         :

                                             T    H           E      STANDP;RD   BEARER  /I                                       27

  to accept the word of your Lord: he that will save his                       Looking unto Jesus, the apostle and high priest of
  life shall lose it, and he that shall lose his iife for my             our profession !
  sake shall save, it, unto life eternal.                          .,         -Without that Jook, that look of faith, that eon&ant
      For, even as the lordship of Him Whom you pro- look upon Him, you will surely be swallowed up bf the
  fess is tlie most absolute and intolerant and uncom- waves of temptation and tribulation ; but seeing Him,
  promising  ,lordship concejvable,  so that it brooks .no               you will be safe and stedfast, without fear of waver-
  other lordship anywhere, so pour `profession of that ing.
  lordship is most radical : it knows of no. adaptation, of                    He is your High-Priest !
  no compromise.                                                               Your Lord, Whom you profess, is your lHigh Priest,
      Say not  ip your heart that for the sake of your                   Who sacrificqd Himself for your sins and your trans-
  earthly life, job or position, safety or well-being, you               gressions,  .and Who obtained for you the  forgiv&ess
may  be. excused for adapting your confession  to. `cir-                 of sins, and perfect righteousness. He is your Inter-
  cumstances, for compromising with the `world ; that                    cessor with the Father, Who is acquainted, by deepest
  you must live, and have a place in the grorld, and have                experience, with all your infirmities, with your sins
  food, `and clothing, and shelter, and+hat, therefore, you              and weaknesses, with your trials and temptations,
  may hide your light, keep silent about your Lord, ac- with all your suffering and death, and Who con-
  comodate iour way of life to:the demands of the world.                 stantly prays for you with a prayer that is never
  Fair the moment you permit  such considerations ,to in-
  fluence your profession, you are lost. You are attempt- denied. He is your all, in Whom are all the spiritual                              ~
                                                                         blessings of salvation, and who constantly fills you
  ing to save yqur life, and will surely lose it.
     It must be either or: Christ< or Belial.                            with them !
     You profess or you deny. .                                                knd (He is great-!
   Hold  f&t,  therefok"e  !     .                                             He is Jesus, the revelation of the God of our salva-
      For there is another lordship in the Girorld : the lord- t i o n !
  ship of the man of sin, of ihe son of perdition, of the                      He is the very Sop of ,God, infinite in power and
  beast and of the false prophet. It, too, iS int6lerant:                glory, the Lord of all in Himself. All things are of
  it stands radically opposed to the lor&hip of your pro- Him, and unto Him. Even those mighty forces of
  fession. It, too,-aims  at universal control, and it can- darkness in the world, that rise up against. Him, to
  not rest until all the inhabitants of the world wonder                 deny and oppose His lordship, are pf ;His own design,
  after ~the beast, and worship it. It will oppose you,                  and, therefore, all their raving and fury can only serve
  seduce you by its false philosophy, even under the cloak His purpose.
  of religiousness ; it Will tempt you to become unfaith-                .     And He is passed into the heavens!
  ful to your prdfession, by offering you the privileges                       For this Jesus was, indeed, the servant of servants
  of the kingdom of this world, by threatening you with                  in the days of His flesh.              Despised  $6 was and
  its furious wrath, by casting you out, so that' you c&n                rejected, and  &where was He permitted to have a
  neither buy nor sell unless you openly acknowledge its place' in the world. This Jesus did, indeed, leave His
  lordship, by putting the sword of the world-power to                   earthly life on the accursed tree, a cast away ; and the
  your throat . . .                                                      world appeared to have the victory over Him. But ,God
      The power of that lordship. is even now operating                  did not leave His'soul in hell, and did not permit His
  in the world, mightily striving to realize itself, and to              holy  `On? to see corruption.  iHe  ju@fied Him. He
  reveal itself  .in its ultimate manifestation.                         raised Him from the. dead, and gave Him life and
      And soon; presently, it will rise up,out  of the turbu- glory. He exalted (Him in the highest heavens,` and
  lent sea of the restless, sin-motivated, wrath driven,                 put Him at His `own right hand in heavenly places.
  warring nations . . .                                                  He made Him Lord of all!
  : Hold fast, therefore, your profession !                                    Seeing then . . . hold fast your profession!
      Yield not to the lust of the flesh, to  .the desire
  to save your life, to the seducing pleasures of  the                          Seefng the Lord whom you profess is so great a
  world ; and be not afraid of its fury and implacable                   Lord, God's' anointed Lord, -hold fast your profession
  hatred                                                                 of Him with fear and. trembling, letit in' any tiay you
      `Through the Word of God, in the power of the d&y His glory-!
  Spirit, by prayer and supplication, p&severe!                                Looking upon Him, Who has the victory, and Who
'  T h e t i m e i s a t h a n d ! '  ..  _'                             holds all the powers of darkness in !l3s mighty hand,
  H o l d   f a s t !                                                    fear not !       *
                                                                              Hqld fast' your profession, even ,unto the end !          ,
                                                  ;;'                          The-victory is yours !
  .t . Seeing then ! : . :                                                                      .          -               H. H.  '


28                                                                               1 T                     H                    E                      STANDOARD  BEAhkER

                            The Standard ,Bearer
             Semi-Monthly,, except Monthly in July  and August                                                                                                                                EDITOgIALS                             ,-.
                                                                                                                                                                                . .
                                           P u b l i s h e d   B y
                     The Reformed Free Pnblishing Association                                                                                                                     Ecumenical Synodical Problems
                                        1463  Apdmore  St., S. E.

                                EDITOR : - Rev. H. Hoeksema.                                                                                                                           A word may still be said about the contents and
Cantribu'tinlg  Editars:  - Rev. G. M.  Ophoff,  Rev., G.  Vos, Rev.                                                                                                            meaning of the decisions of the "Ecumenictil  Synod"
R.  Veldman;  Rev. H. Veldman, Rev. H. De  Wsolf, Rev. B. Kok,                                                                                                                  in re the controversy in the Netherlands.
Rev. J. D. De  Jong, Rev. A.  P&er, Rev. C.  Hanko;"Rev.  L.                                                                                                                           If these decisions are considered in the abstract.
Vermeer, Rev. G. Lubbers, Rev. M. Gritters, Rev. J. A. Heys,
Rev. W.  Hiofman..                                                                                                                                                              %hey are rather harmless, i.e. one might subscribe`to
Communications relative to contents should be addressed to                                                                                                                      them without much trouble of conscience.
REV. H. HOEKSE,MA,  1139 Franklin St., S. E., Grand Rap&,                                                                                                                              This is especially true of the first of the two de-
Michigan.                                                                                                                                                                       cisions in question.
     Communications relative to subscription should be addressed                                                                                                                       The delegates from the Netherlands presented to
to MR. GE.RRIT  PIPE, 1463 Ardmore St., S. E., ,Gnand  Rapids,
Michigan. All Announcements, and Obituaries must be  ,sent                                                                                                                      the, assembly in Grand Rapids the question : "Even if
to the above address and will not be placed unlelss  the regular                                                                                                                the Synod of the Reformed Churches (of the Nether-
fee of $1.00 accompanies the notice.                                                                                                                                            lands, and in .its decisions concerning the recent con-
                             (Subscription Price $2.50 per year)                                                                                                                troversies, H.H;) might not` be right would fhis justify
Entered as Second Class Mail  tat  Gqnd Rapids, Michigan.                                                                                                                       a rupture in the Church?" And to this question, thus
                                                                                                                                                                                presented, entirely in the abstract, that is, without
                                                                                                                                                                                any reference to *hat actually t&k place in the Nether-
                                                                                                                                                                                lands in recent years, I would be inclined to reply with
                                                                                                                                                                                an unqualified No. And if asked for a reason for such
                                                                                                                                                                                an emljhatically negative reply, I would maintain that
                                                    -  CONTENTS   -                                                                                                             in the Reformed Churches `in the Nethsrlands  sufficient
T                                                                                                                                                                               liberty of doctrine should have been left:.particularly
M E D I T A T I O N   : -                                                                                                                                                       on the question of the covenant of grace, to leave room
HOLDING FAST OUR PROFESSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25                                                                  for both factions that are`now separated, at least, imtil,
         Rev. H.  Hboeksema,.                                                                                                                                                   in the way of free discussion, it had become quite evi-
                                                                                                                                                                                dent that one or the other was *definitely in. conflict
EDITORIALS  :-                                                                                                                                                                  with the  Conf,essions.        .
                                                                                                                                                                                 - `But what if no Such room were left?
ElCUMENICAL SYNOD1CA.L PROBLE.MS . . . . . . . . . . :.:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28                                                                                         What if-the Synod of the Reformed Churches in
EXPOSITION OF THE NEIDELBERG CA'I'ECHISM . . . . t . . . . . . . 30                                                                                                             the Netherlands made its decisions binding upon those
        Rev. H.  Boeksema:                                                                                                                                                      who could not, or, granted that they misunderstood
                                                                                                                                                                                their real meaning, thought that they csuld fiat agree
THE ARK  O,F GOD DELIVERED                                                      '
                                                                          . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34    with them? In that case, no room was left for them
THE ARK OF  <GOD  IN  KIRJATHJEARFM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35                                                                                in the church, not even for a time. A minister of the
FREDERICK II, AND THE PAPACY . . . . . . ...) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38'                                                                   gospel must teach and preach, eyen during the period
        Rev. G. M. Ophoff.                                                                                                                                                      that he awaits the outcome of his pro&t agail`lst or
                                                                                                                                                                                appeal from a certain doctrinal declaration. And it is
CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION . . . . . . ../......................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 539                                                                  quite impossible for-him to teach anything, even tem-
        Rev. M.  Grit&s.                                                                                                                                                        porarily, that is contrary to his epnvictions.    Ergo, if
                                                                                                                                                                                a synod makes binding decisions that are, according to
FROM HOLY WRIT .: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  z: . . . . ...' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 his convictions, contrary to the Word of God and to
        Rev. H. Veldman.                                                                                                                                                        the Confessions, and if,. mqreover,  such a synod ,de-
                                                                                                                                                                                minds that, pending his protest or appeal, he acquiesce
PERISCOPE  (Tfie Conference) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43                                            in, and conform himself to its decisions, there are but
                                                                                                                                                                                two ways open for him to follow :
        Rev. W. Hofman.                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. He must, for
                                                                                                                                                                                the time being, refrain from preaching, or, 2. He must
                                                                                                                                                                                continue to preach, but now outside of  tize church
CONTRIBUTION (The Convicting Office of  tke Spirit) . . . . . . . . 46 represented by the synod that made such decisions.
         By  IXev. A. Petter                                                                                                                             .  '                   The first he cannot  and will. never do, if he is con-
                                                                                                                                                                                vinced that he is lawfully called to preach the gospel.


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                                     T H E .   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                         29

  There is no. other way'open to him, therefore, than to scribe to this statement. But they insist that when the
  break  ,with  that) particular institute of the church broadest gathering of the churches had spoken, and
  that is bound by the decisions.                             emphasized that its decisions were, binding, and _ de-
      And I am convinced- that this is exactly what oc- posed officebearers that could `not accept its declara-
  curred in the Netherland Reformed Churches.                 tions, "all the possibilities provided by the Church
      I, too, believe that the rupture in the Reformed        Order for procuring a revision" has been exhausted.
  Churches of the' old country `is deplorable, and that it        The same is true of the second decision of the
  should never have taken place. But I am also con- "Ecumenical- Synod" concerning th'e controversy and
  vinced: 1. That the Synod of 1936 should not have schism of the Netherlands, viz., the brief statement
 taken up the controversial questions the way it did,         that "the `Declaration of 1946' is in conformity `with
  but should have left them to the free discussion of the the Scriptures and the Creeds." In general, we might
  church as an organism. 2. That in 1942-43, 1945, and well subscribe to this, although we would prefer to
  1946, the Synod should not have formulated binding express ourselves somewhat more definitely. (Cf. for
  decisions in the matter, ,especially  not in a time `when this "Declaration of  11946" the Standard Bearer of
  most church papers and other periodicals were sus- April 1, 1946).                     ._
  pended by the enemy, but should rather have issued a           But; first of all, with a view. to the schism in the
  Testimony to the following effect i.                        Netherlands, what sense does it have to speak about
      "Brethren, we all want to `maintain the Reformed        1946 without its connection with  1942-43?  An%
  truth as embodied in our Confessions. In the contro- secondly, why did not the Ecumenical Synod express
  versial matters concerning the covenant, it. would          itself concretely on that "Declaration of 1946" as. a
  seem that the Confessions offer no clear and deciding       binding decision, leaving no room for other views? It
  statements. To us it seems that, at present, the time       is plain enough for anyone that is at all acquainted
  is not ripe for Synod to make such a statement or such      with the controversy, that when this "Declaration
  declarations as would justify one current opinion of 1946" states that the children of' believers "are
  and condemn the other or all others ; and, besides,. sanctified in Christ, so-that they partake of the prom-
  circumstances are very unfavorable for such action on ise," they repudiate the view of the "Liberate.d Church-
  the part of your Synod. We earnestly exhort you,            es," and, imply an interpretation of "sanctified in
  therefore, to continue your study of these matters, and     Christ" and of "partaking of the promise" to which
  to discuss them in the spirit of brotherly love."           the latter would not subscribe, and which is also con-
      And so, I believe, that Synod, by making binding trary to the views of the late professor Heyns.
decisions, and that, too, in spite of hundreds, `of pe-          [Hence, we wrote, that the Ecumenical Synod, by
  titions to the contrary, itself made the rupture un- implication condemned the latter.'
  avoidable.                                                    . But, in the light'of the above ,mentioned facts, the
      In some such fashion the "Ecumenical Synod" statement that the EcumenicalSynod  adopts the judg-
  should have advised. the delegates from the Nether- ment of its Committee, viz., "that the `Declaration of
  lands, as I see the situation. ,And it could have served    1946' is in conformity with the Scriptures and the
  the cause of the unity of the Church, if it had advised ,Creeds," though it leaves the impression that it justi:
  the Reformed ,Churches of the Netherlands still to con- fied th'e action of the Synod of the Reformed Churches
  fess that they erred in making such binding decisions;      in the Netherlands, and condemns the stand. of the
  and to'retract them IX such. ~                              "Liberated Churches," is  -of very little value, when
      Instead it gave an answer which is true enough in considered, from the viewpoint of its real bearing upon
  itself, which also leaves the `impression that it .con-     the situation of the churches in the old country, and
  demns the action of the "Liberated Churches," but upon its `recent history.
  -which hasno concrete bearing on the case in question,                            --
  VlZ.,
    ' "I "in case one is convinced that a Synod. makes an
  unwarranted doctrinal pronouncement, he is not justi-             PROPER. SCOPE OF ECUMENICITY?
  fied to bring about a rupture unless he has'exhausted                     -
  all the'possibilities provided by the Church Order for         As was inevitable, this. question, too,' was before
  procuring `a-revision and the Church ,insists on main- the "First Ecumenical Synod of Reformed Churches."
  taining `a position contrary to' his conviction concern-       This first Synod was composed of delegates from
, ing the truth."                                             only three Reformed Church groups. And the question
      With this we can all agree.                             arose- `what churches should be invited : to similar
   -. It hardly requires an Ecumen-ical  Synod to establish synods in the future, and, in close connection with this,
  so self-evident a truth..                                   the question as to the basis of such synods was dis-
      But it has no bearing on the controversy in the cussed.                       I
  Netherlands. Also the "Liberated Churches" will sub-           The following concliusions~ were adopted ;


- 3 0                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B-EARER

    "1. The foundation for the  Ecutienical Synod of selection of delegates ,from other churches was finally
 Reformed Churches shall be the Holy Scriptures of left to the judgment of the individual synods repre-
 the old and New Testament as interpreted by the Con-           sented in the first ecumetiical synod.
 fessions of the Reformed faith; namely,  &Ielvetica                                                           H. H.
 Prior, Heid,elberg  Catechism, Conf essio ,Gallicana, ,Con-
 fessio Belgica,  Scotica Prior and  Pos"erior,  West-
 minster Confession, Canons of Dort, and the Thirty
 Nine  Articl`es.    It should be understood that these
 Scriptures in their entirety, as well as in eyery part
 thereof, are the infallible and ever-abiding Word of           --THE  TRIPLE  K@WLE~GE,
 the living Triune God, absolutely authoritative in all
 matters of creed and conduct  ; and that the Confessions       Ati Exposition Of The Heidelberg
`of the Reformed faith are accepted because they pre-
sent the divine, revealed truth, the forsaking of which                             Catechism
 has caused the decline of modern life. It must be                                     Part Two;
 emphasized t&at only a .wholehearted and consistent
 return to the Scriptural truth of which the gospel of                           Of Man's Redemptiorl
 Jesus Christ is the core and apex, can bring salvdtion                            Lord's Day XXI
 to,mankind  and effectuate the so sorely needed renewal
 of the world.                                                                              1.                                 i
    "2. Because of the diversity in the forms of govern-                   The Idea Of The Church (cont.)
 ment of the Reformed Churches, uniformity of Church               However, `the Church is not a mechanical, but an                 '
 polity cannot be stressed as a fundamental requisite,          organic unity. It is a spirtiual organism. The differ-
 except as the principles of this polity are contained in       ence between- a mechanism and tin organism is that,
`the Reformed Confessions, as for example the head- whiie both are constituted of parts through which the
`ship of Christ and tlie marks,of  the true Church : the whole functions, the former is assembled from pre-
 pure preaching of the gospel, the Scripttirai adminis: *viously prepared parts, the latter grows from a com-
 tration of the sacraments, and the faithful exercise of mon principle of life. A watch is a mechanism, a tree
discipline,                                                     is an organism. The church is the spiritual body of
     "3. All Church& which, in the -judgment of Synod,          Christ, it is the olive tree of which He is the root; be-
 profess and maintain the Reformed faith will be ,in- lievers are branches, of the `vine wl$ich is Christ, m&m-
 vited- to participate in the Ecumenical Synod,. qn the bers df His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. Rom.
.basis mentioned above. MoTeover,  they..wi,ll  be kindly 11; John 15 :1-5; Eph. 5  :30:  The saints, therefore,
 requested to express their explicit agreement with it, must grow up in Him in all things, which is the head,
 and all delegates to theSyriod will have to express their even Christ. Eph. `4:14. And from Christ, "the whole
 adherence to the confessions of the  Reform'ed  faith body iitly joined together and compacted by that which
 and to the. aforesaid statement.                               every joint  supplieth, according to the effectual work-
  :. "4. A statement with regard to the history and the ing in the measure of every part, maketh increase of
                                                                the body unto the edifying-of itself in love." Eph. 4 :116.
 organization of this Synod as well as the character, Christ is first. IHe is the head. In Him is all'the life
 aiithbrity, and purpose of f.uture Ecumenical. Synods of the whole body, of every one of its members. `.Ev&h
 should accompany the invitation of the various ehurch-
                                               I                though it is true that %he -church is gathered out of
 es;"                                                           the whol,e world, and though this gathering, through
     Later, when the 8ynod convened in closed session the Preaching of the gospel, `called individual nien &to
 to carry out the decision under 3 .above, and to deter-        the fellowship of the church, the-fact is that this is
 mine which churches would "in the judgment of Synod" accomplished only through Christ's enteririg,  by %Iis
: be eligible to an invitation to the next Ecumenical           Spirit and Word, into the hearts of' those that' are.
 Synod, it appears that nd agreement, or, at least, no given Him by the Father. From Him as the head of
 conclusion could be reached.                                   the body the members receiTie their life, and in Virtu'e
     I am sorry that the deliberations- on this question of His abiding in them they continue,, to live: %vefi
 were carried on in closed session, for it `would have as the branches live in and out of the vine,`?0 believers _
 been interesting to learn just what judgment the dele- live only in fellowship with Christ. His mind is:their
 gates  exppessed  concerning the different. churches mind, His  .will is their will, His  resurre&ionilife&
 they discussed.                                                their life, His `glory is their glory. Apart from Him
     However this may be, the outcome was that the              they are nothing, an& can, do nothing. By !Him their


                                     TtiE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             31
                                             .,
  existence as members of the .church is determined as The church is tha_t spiritual organisni which, through
  truly, as Adam's existence was determined by, God's redemption, regeneration, and calling, through  the-
  act of crgation.                                            Spirit and word of the Son of God, is gathered out of,
     Thus the whole, in all its parts, and through ail its and-separated from the organism of the whole human
  organs, is adapted to serve its purpose. `That purpose. race, lost in sin and death, and that in such a way that'
  is indicated in Scripture by such terms as the temple       a large part of the original organism is lost.
  of God, the city of. God, the people of God, the royal         This fact raises two question's.          '
  priesthood, or kingdom of priests. They -express that        I The first is: who determines the number of those.
 the church is designed to be the dwellingplace' of' God, that are gathered out of the old organism into the new,
  and that she must serve the purpose of reflecting the       as- well as the `individuals that are privileged `to be-
  glory of ,God's grace in Christ. The church is the r'e-     long to this number?
 flection of God% own covenant-life of friendship.. With         And the second question is this : what is the relation
 her the triune God estabiishing ;His most. intimate fel- between the `church and the old organism of the race
 lowship, that she may know Him, taste that He is good, as originally created in Adam, between  red.em&ion
 be consecrated to Him in holy service, `walk in, His and creation, between grace and nature?
  light, and shew forth the praises of Him that calied           The first question concerns the difference between
 her out of darkness into His marvellous light.               Calvinism and Arminianism, the Reformed conception
     That is the idea of the church.                  :       of the church and the view of those who make  .the
     She is the .body of Christ, that beautiful, complete,    work of salvation dependent on the will of man.
 harmonious, spiritual organism of which the living,             Arminianism, no matter what form it may assume,
 resurrected and glorified -Lord is the one dominating        is' essentially humanism, pelagianism, -individualism,'
 pkinciple, and all the redeemed elect are membei-s; and nominalism. ; It teaches that the idea, and the scope of
 that serves the purpose  of reflecting the fulness of +he church, the number of `its members, and the indi-.
 the glory of God's grace in the Beloved.                     viduals that enter into the fellowship of the body of
                                                              Christ,  are determined by the will of man.' God is
                                                              dependent in His choice on the-choice of man.  For
                                                              the Arminian does, indeed, speak of divine election,
                             2,                               but to him it means that God chose that He foresaw
                                                              as believers and faithful in Christ. God  s,aves those
            The Election Of The Church.                       that are `willing to be saved, He rejects those that `re--
    The church is realized, so the Catechism teaches us,      ject Christ. Arminianism is man-centered. Man's
 by the act of the. Son of God, whereby  (He gathers,         freedom must be maintained, and that, too, at the
 defends, and preserves her, and that, too, out of the        expense of God's sovereignty. His salvation, rather
 whole human race. '                                          than the glory of God,.is the purpose of all things, the
     She `is, therefore, not a new creation in the sense      importtint thing that matters.,  Hehce,  we said. that
 that she is called out of nothing: lHistorically speak- Arminianism .is individualistic: the church is a mere
 ing, another organism, that of the human race, pre- multitude of' individuals, called into existence by the
  cedes the organism of th.e body of Christ, and for a `efforts and'will of man. Those that become members
 time, from a natural viewpoint, the church is part of.the church cannot be conceived as component parts
 of that other organism. Just as the kernel of wheat is,      of a preconeeibed, predetermined, and well planned
 temporarily,  drganically   one. with the chaff, but is whole, for it is the will of individual meri that.`deter-
 ultimately separaied  from it,. so those that constitute mines its scope.  When, not the architect, but the'
 the members of the body of Christ are, for a time,           dealer in building material determines, how much' and
 organically one with the original, natural organism of what kind of building maierial shall go into a struc-
 the race,- and are separated from the latter by the          ture, the result can hardly be a harmonious whole.
 wonder of grace. Moreover, that it `is in the way of According to the Arminian  cdnception  the matter i$
 redemption, through the blood of Christ, and by `de-         even worse with respe&  to the house 6f God, for it is
 liverailce  from the power of darkness, $in and death,       the building material itself that determines its idea
that  th,e church' is separated from the "world" -and_ and size. flence; the church on earth' is really a
  called- dut of the human race, presupposes that the society for the salvation of as great a number of men
  original organ!sm of the human'rtice  was' marred  and as possible,  p;ossible,   that is; through the efforts  -of'
  spoiled  `through  sin,  wholly lost in  corruptfooli  and men.          ~
  death. And that the church is ecclesia, the fathering         . The Reformed conception, howev&; is `theocent& f
  of tliose that ai.e called out, implies that not `all the it revolves around `the proper conception of Gpd as `r&
 members  of the original organism `are ingrafted into; vealed in the Scriptures.; ihe ptirpose of aU,thipgs,.tilsi
  the new, spiritual organism of the  l%djr  :of  Christ.     of the calling of the church, is. the glory of God in l$Iis :


 32                                    !CHE  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R ,   `

 self-revelation.    It is, moredver, organic : the whole wherein the'y have involved themselves."
 `is not determined by the indi?iduals,' but the latter are        And our fathers of the seventeenth century, realiz-
 deterniined by the former. The whole church very ing the fundamental and central  impqrtande of this
 really exists; the idea of the church is there, before         truth of predestination, when it was und,ermined  by
 she is gathered out of the whole human race. She is Arminius and his followers, called together a national
 in the mind and wili of God, in His eternal counsel.           synod, and' invited delegates of Reformed Churches
 With God the church is eternal&. He has engraved               in other lands, to def,end  this truth, and preserve-it in
 her in.the palms of His hands; her walls are continually the Canons ,of Dordrecht for generations to come.
befcire Him. Isa. 49  i "For whom he did foreknow, he              In these Canons, the Reioraed' Churches confess :
 also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of             "That some receive the gift of faith from God, and
 his Son, that %e might be the firstborn among many             others do not receive it, proceeds from God's eternal
 brethren. Mofeover whom he did predestinate, them              decree, `For known unto God are all his works from
 he also called: and whom he called, them he also justi- the beginning of the worl&, ,Acts 15 :18. `Who work-
 fied: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." eth all things after the counsel of his own will," Eph.
 The -whole of the redeemed, sanctified, and glorified          1 :ll. According to which decree, he graciously softens
-`church is with God eternally. He determined the idea the hearts of the elect, however obstinate, and inclines
 of the church, the purpose and scope of the church,            them to believe ; while he leaves the non-elect in his
 and  He alone determined who shall enter into her just judgment to their own wickedness and obduracy. ,
 blessed felldwship,  and what place they shall occupy And h:Frein is especially displayed the profound, the                     '
 therein. And He -also determined, with equal freedom merciful, and at the ,same%ime the righteous discriminl
 and sovereignty, who shall not enter into the fellow-          ation between men, equally involved in ruin ; or that
 ship of Christ, but perish in the way of sin and death.        decree of election and reprobation, revealed in the
 -And this eternal determination He also executes in Word of God, wl+h, though men of perverse, impure
 time. Those whom He gave to. Christ iri :His sovereign- and unstable minds wrest to their own destruction,
  counsel, He also draws'to {Him in time. "All that t2ie y&t to  @oly and pious souls affords unspeakable con-
  Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that corn-         solation." I,  4, 7. .
 leth.to  me, I will in no wise cast out." John 6 :37.,            And again:
       Such is the. Reformed conception;                           "Election is the unchangeable purpose of God,
       The Heidelberg Catechism offers no special ex- ,whereby,  before the foundation of the world, he hath,
  position of the doctrine of sover,eign  predestination.       out of m&e grace, chosen, from the whole human >ace, i
  In fact, the only place where it is at all mentioned,         which had fallen through their o'wn fault, fr'om their .
  is in the fifty, fourth question and answer. We -must primitive state of rectitude,. into -sin and destruction,
  fernember  that this part of our confessions was com-         a-certain number .of persons to `redemption in Christ,
  posed about half a century before the Arminian contra- iYhom he from `eternity appointed the Mediator and
  versy. Y,et, it must. be admitted that it mentions the Head of the elect, and the foilndation of salvatiofi.
  doctrine of election in a most proper and beautiful               "This ele'ct number, though by nature neither better
  connection, that is, as a part of the truth concerning nor more deserving than others, but with them in-
  the holy catholi@ church. And it emphasizes tliis t;u(h       volved in one cornman misery, God hath decreed to give
  in a threefold way, viz., first, by ascribing the gather-     to Christ, to be saved by him, and effectually to call
  ing in of the church out of the whole-"human iace to          and draw them to his communion by his Word and
  the Son of God alone, without mentioning the work of          Spirit, to bestow upon them true faith, justification ,
  man ; secondly, by directly stating that the church that      and sanctification; and having  powedtilly   preseived
  so gathered is "chosen to everlasting life ; and, thirdly,    them iti the fellowship of his Son, finally, to gloY;ify
  by teaching the preservation and perseverance ,of the them for the demon&ration  of- his mercy, and fo& the
  saints ili the words "and thit I . . . shall for,ever  re-    praise, of the riches of his glorious grace ; &s it is wr'it-
  main a `living member thereof,"               \               fen: `According as he hath chosen us in him, before
       The Netherland Confession mentions this truth in the foundation of .the $world,  that we should be holy,
  Article .XVI as follows : `fWe believe that all the PO& and without blame before hiM in love ; having  pie-
  terity of Adam  eeing thus fallen into perdition and destinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
  ruin, by the sin of our first parents, God then  ,did         Christ to himself, according to the .good pleasupe  of
  manifest himself such as he is; that is to say, merciful his will, to the praise .of the glory ,of his grace, mh,erein
  and just: Merciful, since he delivers and  Rreserves he hath.made us accepted in the b&loved.' Eph. 1:4, 5, 6.
  from this perdition all; .whom he, in his eternaI.  and And elsewhere :" `Whom he did predestiilate,  them he
  unchangeable counsel of mere goodness, hath dlected           also called, and whom he called,`them,he  also justified,
  in Christ Jesus our Lord, without any r.e,spect  to their     and whom he justified them he also ,glorified.' Rom.
  works : Just in leaving-others in the fall and perdition       8 :30." I,`A, 7.


                                       THE.  S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                           33

       A,nd concerning the truth of reprobation, the Canons establish His covenant with them, is a well-known fact,
 teach :                                                       which cannot be explained except in the light of the
       "What ljeculiarly  tends to illustrate and recommend truth of God's free, elective, sovereign grace.
 to us the eternal and unmerited grace of election; is               That even in the nation of Iirael, God's sovereign
 the express testimony of Scripture, that not ali, but predestination made distinction and separation be-
 some only are elected, while otheri are passed by in tween the carnal and the spiritual seed, so that there
 the eternal decr'ee  ; whom God, out of his sovereign, always was only "the remnant according to the election
 most just, irreprehensible, and unchangeable  ggod            of grace" that was  sav.ed? is the plain teaching of
 pleasur,e,  hath decreed to leave in the common  misery Scripture in the ninth  chap!er of the epistle to the
 into which they have willfully plunged themselves,' and Romans.
 not, to bestow upon them saving faith, and the grace .              .There  the apostle writes about the "Israelite+,; to
 of convertiion;  but permitting them in his just ,j;dg- whom pertaineth the adoption, and `the glory, and the
 ment to follow their own ways, .at least for the declara-     covenants, and the giving of the law and the service of
 ti?n of his justice, to condemn alid punish them for-         God, and the promises ; whose are the fathers, and of
 ever, not only on account of their' unbelief, but' also whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is ov'er
 .for  `all their other sins.  And this is the decree  of. all God blessed for ever, Amen.". And yet, "they are
reprobation which by no means makes God the author not all Israel, which are of Israel." Not the1 children
 of sin (the very thought of which is blaspheiny)  , but       of the flesh, but the children of the promise are counted
 declares him to be an qvful, irr,epreliensible,  and right- for the seed. And what determined whether, among
 eous judge and avenger thereof." I, A, 15.                    the people of Israel, some were carnal, others spiritual
       And the same truth is confessed in other symbols children?  `Only God's sovereign  pr,edestination.-  For
 6f Reformed origin.                                           "when Rebecca also ha1 conceived by one, even by our
       It is the truth of God's sovereign grace.               father Isaac ; (For the children being not `yet Gorn,
       Quite properly, this doctrine has be&n called the neither having done any good or evil, that the purl&e
car  eccZe@ae,  the heart of the church.                       of God according to election might stand, not of works,
       True, heretics of every color have opposed it. but of him that  calleth  ;) It  was said unto her, The
 They pointed to so?e individual, aphoristic passages elder &all serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob
 of Scripture, preferably to those that contain such ,have I loved, but Esau have I hated."
 terms as  !`world",  f'all", or "all  men?`, and wresting                                                                 H. H;
 them from their context, gave them a universal con-
 tent, in order to instill into men's minds the error that,
 God, on His part, is gracious`to all men, and willing
 to save them all. Mostly, however, they argued against
 this truth by means  of mere human considerations,                                               "
 and accused those that maintained this truth that they                                  IN MEMORIAM
 made God the author of `sin, present Him as a wanton
 tyrant, denied that He is .merciful, h$d' no pla&e for               On September 27, 1946, it pleased the Lord in His infinite
 the truth of man's responsibility, and, the like.             wisdom to  sudd&y  take out of` our family circle,  our dear
       Against all such proud opposition to the truth ,of. husband, father and brother,
 God's sovereign grace,, the Scripture's condemnation                                    BEN  PASTOoR
 is sufficient : "0 man, who art thou that repliest against
 God? Shall the thing formed s&y to him that formed at the age of 76 years.
 it, Why hast thou made me thus?" Rom. 9 :20.                         Our Comfrort is that his desire was to serve the Lord, whom
       And -the doctrine of sovereign predestination is so we kpow doeth all things well.
 thoroughly the current teaching .of Scripture, and so                                                 Mns.  Beti. Pastoor
 intimately relited to the whole system of truth &on-                                                  Mr. and  Urs. J.  Klaver
 cerning our salvation, that the denial of it distorts the                                        -    Mr. and Mrs. S. De Young
 whole, and every part of it.                         I                                                Mr. and Mrs.  Bl. Pastoor
       In a discussion and exposition of  th6 Catechism                                                Mr. and Mrs. 5. A. Pastoor
 such as this, it would requir,e far too much. space to                                                    11 grandchildren,               ,.
 elaborate upon this, and to quote at length from Holy                                                 `and 3 brothers:
 Writ to prove its being founded on the Word 6f God,                                                   Cornelius Pastoor
       A  f.ew p&sages may suffice.                                                                    Gerard Pastoor
                                                                0
 ._    That, in the old.dispensa\ion, God chose the nation-                                            Herman Pastoor
 of Israel in distinction of all other nations, to reveal      806 Sherman St., $. E.
Himself to them alone as the God of s&&ion,  and to            Grand Rapids,  Mich.          I


  34                                        `THE  S T A N D A R D   .BE.A'&ER
        D

                                                                   because the anger of the God of Israel must be ap- _
                THE DAY OF SHADOWS                                 peased:    "Then," said these diviners,, "ye shall be
                                                                   healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is .
                                                                   not removed from you." `The Philistine lords inquire
                                                                   what they should send, and received the answer : "Five
                The Ark Of God Delivered --, golden boils and five golden mice." The number five
                                                                   is expnessly fixed on with ref,erence  to the five princes
             No sooner had the Ark arrived in Gath than there      of the Philistines. And then these Philistine priests
   occurred there, too,  a;  n&w revelation of the wrath and diviners give utterance to a remarkable admoni-
 - of , God over the unrighteousness of the Philistines. tion. They say, `!And ye shall give glorylunto the God
 ."The hand of the Lord  was against the city with a               of `Israel: peradventure  he will lighten his hand from
   very great destruction: and he smote the .men of the            off you, and from off your gods, and from off your'
   city, both great and small, and they had emerods in land. Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as
their secret parts." So had the plague followed the the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened  their hearts?
   Ark to  G&h and broken out in that city. Still. the when he had wrought reproachfully among them, did
   Philistines persisted in saying that it was a chance they not let the people gb, and they departed?"
   that happened to them.            This is indicated by the         This might be the speech of a living faith in God
   fact that the matter is put to a second test. The and of a true contrition of heart, as far as the--form
   Ark of God was removed to Ekron, but over the pro- of the words are concerned. But  a&ally it is not,
   tests of the Ekronites. They cried out, did the men as it proceeds, does this speech, from hearts that still
   of  Ekroa,  "They have brought  ahout the Ark of the are hard, `hearts still untouched by the redeeming
c God of Israel to us, td slay us and our people." And             grace of God. This is evident  fr?m the  reli?ainder
   "they sent and gathered together all the lords of the of the counsel. Their counsel is to the effect that a
   Pkiilistines, arid said, Send away the Ark of the God new cart and two hitherto unyoked milch cows are to
  `of Israel, and let it ,go again to its owti place, that it carry back the' Ark with the presents. The calves were
   slay us not and our people." And verily "there was a to be taken along, but afterwards td be ca&ied froin
  deadly destruction throughout all that city ; the hand the drawing cows, back into the house, that is, into
  of the Lord was very heavy also there". And it was thestall. "And send it away that it may go,"' said the
  the. same plague. Thus in every city where the Ark diviners, "and see if it (the Ark as drawn by the cows)
  of God was imprisoned, there rioted that plague, there go&h by the way of its own coasts `to Bethshemesh,
  reigned supreme death and destruction. And as' to the then he-the Lord-hath done us this great  evil; but
  `city last smitten, its "cry went up $0 heaven."                 if not, then we shall know that it' is not his hand that
             And the Philistines, in all likelihood the Philistine smote us ; it was a chance that happened to us'," So dc
  lords, called for the priests and the diviners, saying, these priests and diviners advise that the matter once
   "What shall we do to the Ark  bf the Lord? Tell us more be put to a test.
  wherewith we shall send it to its place?" These lords,              This final test was .truly ingenious in a sinful way.
  are now ready to r,elease  their hold on this symbol and         The cows that drew the Ark were not l&l or driven by
  to admit defeat. The evidence that they were being human hands but allowed to wander where they would,
  judged and {tistroyed  by the Lord was now too over-             and their calves %eY:e brought-home from them. The
  whelming. They resolved to send awky the Ark to its              Philistines thought to make it as ,difficult for God to
  place, not because they had undergone a change of prove that /His hand Was upon them as' `they knew
  heart but because they p.erceived  that they were doom- how; for they did not want to be convinced. But the
  ed to extinction, should `they persist in fighting God.          Lord in His wrath  on& again spoke `to them. The
  It was to save themselves from this doom, that they cows took not the straight' tiay to the way of their
  fin?lly bowed their stiff necks, and conceded that calves, after which their ariitial flesh  w&s yearning,
  Jehovah is the God. `For once more they put the mat-             but as driven by the unseen hand of God they todk to
  ter to a test. For the third time they demand of the  straightway to the way of Bethshemesh, of the
  God that He prove to'them that it is He by whom they             land *here dwelt the peo$ of Israel, lowing as they
  wene being smitten. Though rationally convinced, they w&-for their flesh  yearned'after their  young-turn-
  continued to ask fpr signs. For, b&ng depraved men,              ing noi aside from the ri@ht or to the l&ft. `What a&on-
  they did not want to believe, nor did they. It was in ishing new evidetice  that the plagues came from God!
  their unbelief -that they asked the priests and the And the Philistine lords saw;  for they  followed the
  diviners to give cdunsel.                                        Ark as drawn by the cows even to the borders of the
             And the priests and the diviners did give counsel.    Israelite territory, hoping against hop&,`th&t `the cows
  The Ark, they said, must not be restored empty but would stray Prom that straightway `in:sea?ch  of their
  with gifts, These gifts'are  to' be a  trespass offering,        young.' This, to be. sure, would  have be& `the-fiorinal


                                    T H E          STANQARD.  B E A R E R   _.                                        35'

thing fbr these animals to do. I But they kept stead- the.Lord smote of their number 50,070 people, chapter,
`fastly to the way-.that led to Bethshemesh. And the 6 :19.                                                      I
Philistine lords returned to their. country and con-               (Some interpreters have great difficulty wit'h
tinued to make war against the people of Israel, thyi
indicating that even with this new evidence of God in           the text at verse 19, "And he `smote the `men oi
their hearts they persisted in saying, to their own ulti-       Bethshemesh, because they had  looKed into the'
mate destruction, that it was a chance that had hap-            Ark of the Lord, even he smote of the people
pened to them, that is, that the plagues came not from          fifty thousand and three  score and ten men. . . ."
the Lord. The obstinacy of the Philistines  ,(of man           ~ `Khese interpreters cannot see Why the clause `-and
apart from Christ) is truly amazing . It has but one            he smote" is repeated, and why the text has `-the
possible solution. The Lord sovereignly hardened their          people" again after the "men  or'  tiethshemesh".
hearts. `To end with this obstinacy in the Philistines          dut certainly the reason is obvious. `I'hese repe-
is to be utterly unable to account for it. Yet, even as         titions are necessary for a correct utid%rstafiding
harclened  by the Lord, the Phil&tines set free the Ark,        of the text, the first section of which sets fortn
and thereby confessed, that they were in the  grip              the reason of the divine visitation (they looked
of the Almighty, as to their heart, and mind, and               at the Ark of God), while the,second  indicates the
will, and whole being ; thus colifessed,  with the plagues      number that were slain. Further, assuming that,
of God laid upon their heart, that God is God and none         the text is here defective, these interpreters adopt
else.. And through their expiatory sacrifices of goldkn         the reading ijf the Septuagent, "And the children
mice and emerods, they also confessed that they were          s of Jeconiah among the Bethshemeshites  were"@.
sinful and that God was righteous, yet not as truly             glad that they saw the, Ark, and he smote them,".
humbling themselves under ,God's mighty hand, but as            namely, these sons only, whose number is given as
moved by a carnal fear. As is .evident from verse nine,       70, But this is a sheer interpolation. Nothing
these diviners meant not to present the Philistines'            is said in the context about the race of Jeconiah.
being smitten by the hand of God as a fact but as a             Finally, the reading 50,070 is held to be corrupt
possibility. And therefore it was advisable to do `every-       on the ground that the words `*fifty thousand
thing to- appease the wrath of God. The plagues might           m,en" are wanting in Josephus and ip some Beb-
have come from Him. And the case of the Egyptians               rew MSS. So these words are eliminated from
was referred to in order to strengthen the.exhortation.         the text  and the  wdrds  `+hree score and ten"
The Ark of the Lord was in the- country of the Philis-          retained and made to apply, to the sons of Jeco-
tines seven mo&hs, chapter 6 :l, The seven months               niah, who suddenly died, it is said, because they
was a time of uninterrupted plagues.                            rejoiced not with their brethren, when they saw
                                                                the Ark, thus died because of their unsympathiz-
                                                                ing and therefore unholy bearing toward this
                                                                syi-nbol of God's pr,esence among His people.
                                                                    But certainly the words "fifty thousand men"
                                                                must be detained.  The statement that the Lord
  The Ark of God ifi Kirjathjearim                              smote this number df men agrees with the notice
                                                                that "the. people lamented because the Lord .had
   So had the Lord driven the kine by which the.Ark             smitten many of the people iAh a great slaughter.
was being drawn .in the straight way to the way of              `rhe correctness of the statement is also born out
Bethshemesh. And they of Bethshemesh were r,eaping              by the action of the' terrified Bethshemesliites,
their wheat harvest in the valley, when they lifted up          according to which they had the Ark removed out
their .eyes  and saw the Ark and they rejoiced to see           of their midst and `conveyed to Kirjathjearim.
it. The cart came into the field of Joshua, .a  Beth-           This terror and the action it inspired must re-
shemeshite. Here by a great stone the animals were             . main unexplained, if the Lord smote only`seventy            ,
stopped not by human hands but by the Lord Himself.             persops  and smote them because they rejoiced not
The Bethshemeshites bestirred themselves. Coming                when they saw the Ark. For the Bethshemeshites.
forward, the Levites took down the &,k of the Lord,             on a whole did rejoice. Why then should the
and the coffer that was with it, and put the jewels of          death of the `seventy have caused them to fear
gold, contained therein, on the great stone.                    for their  lives? To eliminate from the text the
                                                The Beth-
shemeshites  clave the wood of the  cart, and offered           words "fifty'thousand men" is to reduce the ,en-
the kine a burnt offering unto the Lord. More burnt             tire passage-the verses 19-21-40  a collection ,of
offerings were offered and sacrifices sacrificed the            meaningless statements).
same day unto the Lord. But the joy of the men of             The Lord then slew 50,070 of the Bethshemeshites.
Bethshemesh was suddenly turned to mourning, when Why did He do that? The reason given is that they


 36,                  ,-             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

looked into or at the Ark. The  JZebrew  l&eposition         often' delivered them out  ,of the  hand of  those that
allows either of these readings. But the reading "and spoiled them.           And yet they would not  hea&en.
they looked at the Ark" is doubtless the correct one.        The days of the judges were evil days. And the
`It is favored by the context. With so many of their night that had settled on the nation was never darker
number dead, the men of Bethghemesh in their terror than when this period was drawing to a close. Law-
asked, "Who is able to stand before the Lord? and lessness and idolatry abounded. The nation was being
to whom shall he gd up from us?" The scope` of the oppressed by the Philistines.              The sacrifices at the
revelation of divine wrath  ifi their midst amazed sanctuary were being corrupted by wicked  @ri&ts;
them, which would be hard to explain on the ground and the Lord was silent; and the faithful in Israel
that they had actually been guilty of removing the were troubled.  Then the Lord raised up Samuel, and
mercy seat-the Ark's lid-and peering into the Ark. there were again visions breaking through and spread
Had this been their offence they would have been too         abroad; Israel again had a prophet, and his word
aware that the death that stalked among them was             came to all Israel; and the Lord let none of his words
just retribution for them to be surprised. Besides, fall to the ground, so that all Israel knew that Samuel
their saying, "Who is  able to stand before the  (Holy was established to b,e a prophet unto the Lord An,d
God" indicates that in their minds they had offended though their hearts were far from God, the apostate
by  apprqaching the Ark and thus by entering the nation was reassured, and concluded that their salva-
Lord's pr,esence to offer offerings on the great sqone;' tion was .nigh. And though they repented not, their
that, in a word, the Lord was angry withy them because- expectation ran that high, that they even had dared
in large numbers they had crowded about the Ark,             to risk a war with the Philistines. But the Lord smote
fixed their gaze upon' it, and rejoiced in its presence. them before their enemies. And because He `fgreatly
But they could know from their law that they had done        abhored  Israel" on account of their high places and
a thing forbidden on pain of d,eath. The fundamental graven images,. "He forsook the .tabernacle of Shiloh
passage to which we must go back is Numbers 4:20,            and delivered His strength into captivity and His
"but they-the common Levites-shall pot go in to see glory into the enemy's hand.`: But the Lord delivered
when the holy things are covered, lest they die." Dur- His Ark.  Xe  stret_ched  out his hand and smote the
ing the period of Israel's wanderings, wheli the camp Philistines with !I$is wonders and after that they sent
set out, the,priests only went into the tabernacle and away the Ark to his place and thereby cohfessed  that
`covered the Ark of God and the other furnitur.e of the      Israel's ,God is the L&d. And when the Bethshemesh-
sanctuary.    This task had to be  performed by the ites saw the Ark, they rejoiced to .see it. Yet they had
priests as unassisted by the common Levites. `No one reason to hide the&elves in the dens and the rocks of
but they might look at the uncovered Ark, much less their mountains ; for the Lord was again among them
touch it. When the .catip set'out, it was hidden from -th, Lord, Who is a consuming fire-and they had
view by its covering. The, ground of this prohibition not put away the strange gods from among them and
to touch and to look at the Ark `lies in the opposition prepared their heayts unto the Lord to serve Him only,
that `exists between man, guilty and by reason thereof       In a word, they had-not repented. True, =they did offer
impur,e and depravid and .the righteous and holy God.        burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices that same day
<Only the justified and the. pure of heart in Christ can     unto the Lord. But to what purpose was their sacri-
see God, dwell with Him and not be consumed but fice, if the+ repented tiot. It was a worship- without
live.                                                        a soul, dead formalism, iniquity. They must put away
    But of this the people `of Israel and in particular the evil of their doings.. from before the Lord's eyes
the Bethshemeshites  were unmindful. They were do- and realize that obedience is better than sacrifices.
ing evil in the Lord's sight. -They liad forsaken Him,       But the Bethshemeshite's', like all the people of Israel
Who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt:            at that time, were without spiritual discernment; for
followed `other gods, of the gods. of the people, that       they were carnal. And in their carnality they again,
surrounded them, ljrovoking the Lord to anger. And           imagined that `the Lord was for them in their s'ins.
the Lord's anger  was, kindled-and He delivered them rH$d not His hand been heavy on the Philistines ? And
into the hand of their adversaries so that they could no was. not the Ark again in their midst.? And so' these
longer stand before their  .eeemies, and they were sinful and impenitent men, as vainly imagining that
greatly distressed. Besides the incursions of the they could stand in their sins before the face of Holy
enemy, there was the  i.nnternal  strife by  wl!ich  .the    God and live, rushed into the presence of His throne
natian was being torn. Chaos reigned supreme. Every -the Ark-and made merry. Their behaviour.  tias
man was doing that which was right in his own eyes. an insult to God. It bespoke an ,esteem  of the Lo&d as
Such, was the state of affairs during all the period of low and contemptible as that of the Philistines. ,Such.
the judges. The Lord had  ov.er and over scourged reviling of God's name could not go unpunished, even
Israel through the agency of  the adversary and as though in this case the revilers were Israelites. .For

                                                                                      '


                                  THE.  S T A N D A R D   BEARER                                                      37

 God is no respecter of persons. So the Lord smote nacle-God's house-but without finding God there ;
"many of the people with a great slaughter." Fifty and  &he highpriest could make no covering for the
thousand and seventy of their number-men of Beth-           accumulative sins of the nation ofi the great day of
shemesh-were overthrown.                                    atonement;. For Jehovah was not there in. the Holiest
    The men of Bethshemesh w&e afraid. If previous- place to smell the sweet savor of the priest's sacrifice
ly they had rejoiced at sighting the Ark, now the pre-      and to bless by the mouth ,of the .priest  the worship-
sefice of this symbol in their midst filled them with a ping multitude without. The Lord had withdrawn
great dread.    "And the men of Bethshemesh said, from His people ; He was holding them at arms len*gth,
kho is  abl,e to. stand before this holy  Loid God?" so to speak, hiding from them His face. The whole
Who? "He that walketh uprightly, and worketh right-         worship, in connection with the Ark was not ; and it
:eousness,  and speaketh. the truth in  his heart . .  ." was -not during the eAtire  judgment of Samuel; for
he shall, abide in God's tabernacle and dwell in His        the people of Israel must learn that obedience is better
( holy hill. Ps: 15. But of this the men of Bethshemesh     than sacrifice. Secondly, the oppression of the'philis- .
-and not  only these  tien but likewise the people of tine domination continued uninterrupted. For though
Israel in general-were willingly,  ignoran$ So, in- the Philistines had brought back the Ark, they. had
stead of putting away Baalim and Ashtaroth and serv- ceased not to persecute God's people:  Indeed  it is
ing the Lord  -only, thus instead of forsaking their ,expressly  implied in verse 9 of (chapter 7) that their
abominations and  prost&ing  themselves before- the dominion had continued.
L&d in true contrition of heart, they cry, "Who is able        .The loss of that worship, God's hiding His face
to stgnd before the Lord," as if they did not know.         from (His people, and the weight of Philistine rule was
,And rather than repent of their sins $nd exhort their the cause of much sighing ,and lam+& amon'g the
people-the people of -Israel-to do likewise, in order faithful in Israel. But. the nation failed to put .away
that they might be able to stand before this holy Lord      the strange gods from among them, and prepare theill?
 God, l%ey resolved to rid themselves of the Ark. For       hearts to the Lord to serve Him only.  Se~eing their                      -
they also-said, "and to whom shall he go up from us?" tears and hearing  their groaning-"all the house of
And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-     Israel lamented after the Lord" (ve&@  2)-Samuel_
jearim, saying,. The  Philistinei have brought again "spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, if ye are
the Ark, of the Lord ; come ye down and fetch it ;p to      returning unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put
you." They refrained from revealing the judgment by away the strange gods and Ashtaroth fro& among you
which they had been overtaken in connection with the        and prepare youU; hearts unto the Lord and serve him
Ark, and their reason for not wishing to keep it. That only: and he Will deliver you out of the hands of the
the tien of Kirjathjearim, as a result of receiving in      Philistines." The children of Israel did so. Gathering
their midst the Ark of God, might be visited by a like      them all to Mizpeh, Samuel .prayed  for them unto the .
 catastrophe, seemed not. to trouble the Bethsheiesh- Lord. And they "drew water, and poured  it out before
 ites. They were bent solely, upon self-preservation ;      the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, We
and this they sought not in the way of repentance but have sinned against the Lord." This public confession
 in the' way of ridding themselves of God.                  of sin by the whole nation took place some twenty years
    The men of Kirjathjearim came and carried the after the r,e&ing of the Ark in the house of kbinadab.
Ark into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sancti- A new day had dawned for the nation.
fied Eleazer his son to keep watch and guard over the                                                    G. M. 0..
-Ark, the purpose being to render it inaccessible to
tlie multitude in order to `prevent a reoccurance of the
 catastrophe that had struck in Bethshemesh in connec-
tion. with the Ark.                                                     Nothing in my hand I bring, i
    Though the Ark of God %vas again with Israel, the              ~    Simply to Thy cross I cling ;
 night that had settled upon the  nation continued.                     Naked, come to Thee for dress,
 Firstly, the Ark was not carried back to the holiest                   Helpless -look to Thee for' grace ;
 place of the tabernacle in Shiloh but stationed in the                 Foul, I to  the Fountain fly,
 house of  -Abinadab and there rendered inaccessible                    Wash me,  Saviour, or I die.                             1
 even to the highpri,est. This was a real calamity for                                                                      :
 every God-fearing Israelite. For the Ark was  J.eho-                   While I dram; this fleeting breath,
 vah's throne and, as sprinkled with the blood df the                   When my eyelids close in death ;
 atonement, the seat of divine mercy. It was thus the                   When-I rise to worlds unknown,
 outstanding symbol of the covenant and the chief in-                   See Thee on Thy judgment-throne;
 strument of its working. But the Ark was now in                        Rock of Ages, cleft for  me,
KirjathjeBrim. ~The believers. would go to. the taber-                  Let me hide myself in Thee.-

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

                                                              of its vast estates, which was only a source of corrup-
                                                              tion to the church.
        THROUGH THE AGES                                         So  had the  friece contest for the earth between
                                                              papacy  and emperor begun anew. In this contest the
                                                              pope ceased not to. encourage the powerful princes
        FrederickII;ahdThePapacy                              of the church-bishdps and archbishops-to attack the
                                                              emperor. The lay rulers, bent `on advancing their own
                                    .                         interests,  .remained  neutral, aiding with their arms
       .In the preceding  article under the above  cabtion    neither the pope nor the emperor. And the vass?ls  of
we witnessed the opposition of Frederick II to the Frederick became daily more doubtful. It was evident
world preteritions  of the papacy. The papal contestant that the downfall .of the Hohenstaufen house was ap-
in this struggle with whom we were last occupied is proaching. But the spirit of Frederick, now an old
Gregory IX, who, as was stated, died contending for. man, was still uncurbed and haughty. Innocent had
,the states of the church in Italy to .which Frederick        said, "It is evident to the whole world that the em-
was laying claim. After, a  papal vacancy of twenty peror's so!e object is the extirpation of the church and
months, Gregory was succeeded 6y Coelestin IV, who of the 6~ -worship of God from the earth, that he.
.outlived  his .election  less than three weeks. The next alone may be worshipped by fallen man:" _ Frederick
pope, Innocent IV (1243-1254)) continued the conflict held an imperial diet at Ver&a and denied the charge.
with great vigor. His first move was to escape by To the king of England he wrote, "Our majesty is un-
flight from Rome, before whose  g(ates the troops of injured by the pope's anathema. Our  conscien,ce  is
Frederick stood victorious. According to a  precon-           pure. God, is with us. Our sole aim has ever been to
trived plan, %he pope was transported by a fleet to bring the clergy back to the&primitive apostolical
Lyons, a city near France, wher,e  he could act as freed      simplicity and humility. They were formerly saints,
from the weapons of Frederick. There he put the healed the. sick, performed miracles ; now theT are led
 emperor once more under the ban. Next, he convoked astray by their own wantonness, and the spirit of covet-
the council, that Frederick had prevented him from ousness has stifled in their hearts that of religion."
holding in Rome. Before the council which is known                In Italy, too, the pope continually sought to under-
 as the First Council of Lyons, the pope  @resented' tiine Frederick's power and that of his sons by the
many  atid  &rave charges against the emperor, the fbrmation of - conspiracies, which being. discovered,
 most serious  of which was heresy.           The emperor were crushed in the bud. Hatred hardened  ,ever;-'
 w&s cited to appear upon the council to defend heart; mercy was unknown. The factioh loyal to the
 himself, But he declined appearing as a thing be- emperor,' including his two illegitimate sons, Conrad
 neath his dignity and that of the empire. The pope and Enzio, bathed in the blood of their enemies,. shed
 now pronounced sentence of excommunication and on the scaffold and on the battlefield. But in 1249
 deposition on the emperor, who was little impress- Enzio attacked Bologna and was taken prisoner. Fred-
 ed. Hearing of what had been .done, he placed. the           erick offered a huge ransom for  his restoration to
 emperial crown on his head and said, "I still -possess       liberty, which  was refused by the citizens  ; and in
 this crown; and without `a bloody struggle- I shall not his twenty-fou-rth year this youth, already famed for
 let it be plucked away from ine by the attack of any         his mental qualities, beauty and valor, ended his life
 pope or council." In a circular letter, addressed to all     in a dungeon. Fredeiick took it so to heart that his
 the princes; he denounced the doings of the pope. health. began to fail. aOne blqw followed another. He
 "Would-that we had learned a lesson," said he "from was abandoned by Peter de Vineis, his shrewdest coun-
 the example of the monarchs before us,  insiead of sellor. "Alas !" `lie exclaimed, "I am abandoned by my
 finding ourselves compelled to serve, by what we must most faithful friends. Peter has deserted me and
 suffer, as examples of those who come after us ! The          sought my destruction.. Whom can I tyust? My days
. sons of our own subjects foiget the condition of their are henceforth doomed to pass  ifi  sofrow ahd sus-
 fathers,, and honor neither king nor emperor the picion !" In 1247 the pope once more pronounced
 moment they are consecrated as priests. What have sentence of excommunication upon him. But he once
 .not all  the princes to fear from this prince of the more aroused himself. Assembling a- fresh army of
 priest-meaning the pope-if one of them takes such Moors from Africa, he kept the field, until suddenly
 liberties `with the empe,ror  ! The princes have none laid low by illness at Firenzuola,  and there he died on
 to blame but themselves; they have brought the mis- the 13th of December, 1251. His head had worn seven
 chief on their own' headti by their submissive obedience crow&, that of the Roman empire, that of the kingdom
 to these pretended saints, whose ambition is large of -Germany, the iron diadem of Lombardy, and those
 enough to swallow up the whole world !" He urged              of Burgundy, Sicily, Sardinia, and Jerusalem. The
 them to come to his ,aid in dispossessing the clergy tidings of the death of the emperor caused the pope to.


                                   THE  STANDARD  B E A R E R                      t                                 39

 jubilantly exclaim, "Let the heavens rejoice and the the blows struck again and again by this family.. The
 earth be glad."                                             empire lay prostrate in the dust before the papacy.
    Though Frederick lay in his rtomb, the papacy  still Yet in the meantime Europe had grown up. The
 was ill at ease. There were remnants of the Hohen- multitude largely had lost its fear of the pope's thun-                -
 staufen house to be dealt with-Conrad IV, Frederick's derings. It means that the hour of the papacy as. a
 eldest son and successor, `Manfred, Enzio and' Henry. temporal power had struck.
 The pope denounced them as "the viperous brood",                                                 G .   M .   0 .
 and "the poisonous brood of a dragon of poisonous
 race," and decreed their ruin.     Re-entering .Rome,
 after an absence of seven years, he renew,ed his war
 against Frederick.    His first. act was to offer the
 crown of Sicily to Edmund, the son of .Henry III, king
 of England. Then he -passed  sentence of excommunica-                    1-N HIS  FEAR
 tion.upon ,Conrad, who had descended to Italy to .make
 good his claim to his inherited crown. The following
year Conrad died, suddenly, at the age of 26. His only                    Christian Instruction  1
 son, Conradin, was then but two years old. That same
 year Henry, to whom the throne of Sicily had been              As  ,God passes the creatures, one by one, before
 destined by his father, suddenly expired. Their death Job's eyes, God recites various of their native peculiar-
 was attributed to poison, and the crime was said to         ities. God begins with the earth's foundations, then
 be committed by the papal faction. The death of the proceeds to. speak about the sea, hemmed in by bars
 two brothers was soon followed by that of pope Inno- and doors. Then God continues with mention of the
 cent, 1254. They buried him in Naples. According rain, snow, hoar-frost, sleet and hail.' l?rom there
 to the standard of. men, he was one of the few great .God mounts upward to heaven to discuss the constel-
 popes:. The burden of his taxations were crushing. lations, the lightning, etc.           Then God has Job in-
 On this account' he is charged with having made a spect the wild goats and the wild asses. Afterward
 slave of the church and turning his c.ourt  into a money- God passes the unicorn before his eyes; the peacock,
 changer's table. To his relatives, weeping at his death- .the hawk, the eagle and the horse. God had. only
 bed, he administered the rebuke,- "Why do ye weep,, begun this process or Job fell upon his face in deep
 wretched creatures? Do I not leave you all rich?"           humility.    But God had only just begun. He con-
     Innocent. was succeeded by Alexander IV, 254-1261. tinues with' mention of the mighty beast, the hippo-
 Under his mild reign,  Manfred established his sover- potamus and then finally. the leviathan or crocodile,
 eignty in Sicily. ,-But Urban IV, 1261-1264, a French- a creature which God describes in great detail. When
 man and the son of a shoemaker, gave the Sicilian the last creature has passed before Job's eyes we find
 crown to Charles  ~of Anjou, brother `of Louis IX of him lying upon his face and saying, "I am  vile:' and
 France, basing his right, to do so on the inherent "I abhor in dust and ashes".
 authority of the papacy to give and take away king-
 doms as it chose., Clement IV, 1265-1268, proclaimed a                           Conclusion.           -
 crusade. against  Manfred and crowned Charles in               Evidently, therefore, the elements of creation, from
 Rome. In the ensuing war, Manfred was killed.               the stars to the clouds, and from there on down to
   The sole male survivor of the Hohenstaufen line birds, the animals and the sea, are adapted to an in-
 was Conradin, the son of Conrad and the grandson            struction which has for its effect that the man of
 of Frederick II. Though still a youth, he sought by God, on the one hand senses the majesty and. great-
 force of arms to establish his sov-ereignty  in Italy and n.ess and the sovereignty of God, and on the other
 for this was excommunicated by the pope. His army hand becomes keenly aware of his own nothingness.
 was completely' put- to the rout, and he was taken          It has for its effect that the man of God finds him-
 prisoner, given a mocked trial and sentenced to die.        self an ash-pile and, in deep humility,' worships the
 On the scaffold erected  .in -the market-place at Naples, Creator-Sovereign..
 he addressed the people, saying, "I cite my judge              Creation, in the hands .of the Creator-Sovereign'-
 before the highest tribunal. My blood, shed on this Teacher serves to display God's wisdom and sovereign-
 spot, shall `cry to' Heaven for vengeance. Nor do  j: ty, while it at the same time gives conclusive evidence
  esteem my Germans so low as not to trust that this of man's nothingness in contrast.
 stain on `the honor of the German nation will ,be washed       If creation is adapted to this, it is because God               .
 out by them in French blood." -- With Conradin the IHimself has made it so.
 male line of the Hohenstaufen came to an end. Thus             If jcreation  is adapted to this, it must &nstantly
 .the preposterous claims of the papacy survived also        serve that' end.

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

       And when our Christian Schools deal with these formed the dry land" and after this he says: "6 come,
elements of. creation, Paul in  Ram.:  1 emphasizes, what         let us worship, let us kneel before the Lord our
we saw also in. the book of Job, namely, that the uni-            M a k e r . "
verse of God's Creation is a most  .elegant  book, in
which all creatures, great and small, `ar,e as so many'                                Sundry Requirements.
characters leading us to contemplate the invisible                   If therefore we shall have schools where the mighty
things of God, His power and His divinity. And so works of God are reverently inspected, we need schools
strong is the revelation which proceeds from it that              where His works are inspected in the light of Scrip-
it is sufficient to convince even the natural man and ture..  We know nothing but what God has revealed
to leave him without` an excuse.'                                 unto us in His Word. In His Word His works are
   When the door goes open and we look into that                          A      interpret,ed. How then shall we imagine to
marvellous thing called the universe  ; when we in-               Christiim have Christian instruction in public schools ?
spect the various parts of that universe, when we                   Sch.ooi  But likewise how shall we have Christian
observe the ways of  .God within' that universe and instruction in Christian schools unless they found their
when we penetrate into the elements and metaphysics instruction upon the Holy Scriptures? Whether it be,
of that universe, the total.effect  of it must be that we- in geography, history, science or whatever, it must.
worship the Creator-Sovereign.                                    continually be a reverent inspection of -God's works,
       What other purposes Christian instruction may with a call to fall clown and worship Him that sitteth
have, this is the primary purpose. '                              upon the throne.          But just therefore, behind the
                                                                  Christian instruction must lie a sound interpretation
            The- Essence of Cliristian Instruction.              of Scripture. If not, the connection between God and
       Christian instruction is essentially the process of His works is distorted. Besides, God does not want to
reverently inspecting the mighty works of God in His             be worshipped in any other way than He has  ,com-
universe. And the purpose of it' is that we shall fall manded in His Word.
down before Him in worship for, His beauty, majesty                 In the' second place we must have teachers who
and greatness.                                                   themselves have the true fear of God in their hearts
       We learned this from the book of Job.                     and confess Him.for what He has`revealed of Himself
       Let us cite just a few more Scripture passages            in His Word. If they shail reverently inspect God's
:.which  bear this out.                                          mighty works, `they must possess reverence. And cer-
       First of all, there is Ps. `78 :4 which speaks of, the             A      tainly it is true here, that the fear of God
praises, the strength and the wonderful works of the              Christian is the beginning of wisdom. It is lament-
Lord.      His strength is displayed in His wonderful              Teacher  able how poorly equipped sometimes our
works, and this display of strength invokes praise to teachers are when it comes to these things. Too much
God. His works praise Him, as in fact all creation I fear people have said that ministers need courses
praises Him. David speaks of the  cr,eatures as "His in theology, but teachers need courses in normal train-
servants"-  (Psalm 119  :91). Besides that, in Psalm ing. If a teacher shall reverently inspect God's mighty
78 the psalmist commands that one generation shall works he, must be well versed in the true doctrine of
declare His mighty works to the next generation, in              Scripture in order that he can rightly interpret ,God's
order that they may set their hope in God and not works.
forget His works.                      ._      *                     Further, if we shail have such a school and such
  Again, in Ps. 104 there is an enumeration of God's teaching it stands to reason that the school board has
creatures and. of God's ways, and the psalmist says:             a high calling. Naturally the parents themselves do
0 Lord, how manifold are Thy works, the earth is                 all in their power to obtain a God-centered instruction .d
full of Thy riches. And a little farther, as a result of in the school. But the School Board.is chosen to watch
this contemplation, he says: I will sing unto the Lord               '         A over these things and is directly responsible
8s long as I live, I will sing praises to God while I             ' Diligent that such instruction be given. How much
have my being. And almost in the same breath, `he                   School of the time of an evenings meeting is taken
says, Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and             Board up by these most important matters? So
let the wicked, be no more. In other words, they-who often the finances, the new building project, the
will not fall down in worship when they see so great ' next drive, how to get the bus repaired, etc., takes
a display of wisdom, they have no right to live .: .             up almost all the time. Monthly reports  are, often
l e t   t h e m   b e   c o n s u m e d .                        neglected or lightly skipped over. Certainly the School
       Finally in Ps. 95 the psalmist starts out with, "0 Boards have to see to `it that .the instruction given
come, let us sing unto the Lord", and then, `Lfor the            in the school is God-centered.
Lord' is a great `God", then he' descends into cr,eation / , No amount of Christian instruction however can
and says: "The sea is His and He made it, His hands lead the wicked to worship God.. For in his heart he


                                          T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEARER$;."  s  "                                           41

 hates God. But in the generation of the Covenant the Only, they must permit patience to have its perfect.
 "man of God" .is present, even though at present he work, in order that they may be pXerfect  and entire,
 appears as a little-child upon the school benches. The wanting or lacking nothing.
      A     little one is the "man of God", as yet  un-                    ' How tactful is James, when he addresses his readers
: Man  of  developed. In his heart is the grace of God. as "My brethren" ! This expression refers to the bond,
     God     H,e grows in grace as he is instrutited  con- the. spiritual bond, which unites them., James. and
 cerning'God. And his instruction is the means where- the persecuted Christian Jews are one in the Lord, one
 by he developes into one who worships God, fit for                      in-faith and hope and love and suffering; `By calling
 every good work. There is also a `man of sin in our them his brethren, who are persecuted for the sake of _
 generations. :He .also must receive this God-centered                   &rist, James would share their lot, declares himself
 instruction.' H,e must also be taught God's mighty in immediate sympathy with their resolve and deter-
 works and be.call,ed  to worship. ,God, the which, when minatiqn to reject all the glories of Egypt for'christ's
 he refuses to do, reveals himself as truly profane.                     sake. And this was not merely an idle gesture, on the
    The essence' then of Christian instruction is that part of James, a formal address which he uses at the
 it is a process in which we reverently inspect God's beginning of his epistle. They are his brethren. He
 mighty works in [His universe, and are thereby con- * really shares their affliction and revilement. Fact is,
 tinually called to fall down and worship Him that sit-                  he himself suffers martyrdom in the same cause of
' teth upon the throne.                                                  Christ.  *
                   (`To be Continued)                                       Verse 2 speaks of our "falling into divers tem$ta-
                                                       M;  G.  '         tions." In connection with the word "temptation".
                                                                         it is well `to distinguish between, temptations and
                                                                         trials, "verzoekingen" en "beproevingen". Three things       .
                                                                         must be borne in mind in connection with this distinc-
                                                                         tion. In the first place, the original word for "trials,
                                                                         beproevingen" always has in the Scriptures a good
            FROM HOLY `WRIT                                              connotation, is never used in an evil sense. Secondly,
                                                                         the original word for "temptations, verzoekingen" is
                                                                         used occasionally in a ,good sense in Holy` Writ, but
                                                                         usually it has an evil connotation, and is the Scriptural
            J,ames 1:2-4: - "My brethren, count it all joy when          word for temptations. ,Thirdly,  the distinction be-
            ye fall  into divers temptations; Knowing  ,this, that       tween "trials" and "temptations" is purely one of
            the  trying of your faith  wo;rketh patience. But let' motive and design. We  :cannot distinguish  betw.een
            patience have her pielrfect  w,ork,  that ye may be' per-    them as far as the outward means are concerned which
            fect and Fntire, wanting nothing."            .              may be employed. It is for this reason that trials can
  How beautifully and practically James begins his be temptations at the same time.  * The same means are
 epistle ! He is writing to the twelve tribes scattered often employed in both instances. Sickness, persecu-
 abroad, the Jewish Christians in the Dispersion, scat- tion, ridicule, yea, every form of misery and distress
 tered abroad because of persecution. And this church may be a trial and a temptation at, the same moment.
 of. God is a picture .of the persecuted church of God                   It is not the outward means or form which determines
 throughout the ages. James is surely true to life, the whether anything is a trial or a temptation. ,God
 life of the people of God in the midst of the world,                    always "tries, proves", never "tempts".       The devil
 when he takes as his point of procedure the persecu-. always "tempts" and nlever "proves". "Trials" always
 tion and harrassed position of the church of God here purpose, intend to purify. Gold or silver, e.g.., is tried
 below. It, is therefore striking and worthy `of note for the purpose of separating the pure from the im-
 that the writer of this particular part of the Word of pure. Hence, Satan never proves, because his purpose
 God addresses the church as in the Dispersion, for is never to purify. Temptations, on the other hand,
 such is indeed the position of the pepple  of God in this always have an evil purpose. It is invariably the de-
 life. How well the church understands the holy writer sign of temptations to lead one away from. the living
 when he, in this text, speaks of divers temptations!                    God and from the path of His covenant.
 James immediately, therefore, seeks practical contact                      It is evident from the text that we must distinguish
 with his readers. He has something to say to them, between "temptations" and "trials" in the above sense.                                 .
 he would speak to them a word which is of immediate                     of the word. Fact is, James himself ,makes  this dis-
 and vital concern to them, a .word  which is directed tinction. In verse 3 he speaks of the `ttrying" of our
 .to their immediate needs. He exhorts them to count faith. James, therefore, uses both words in this pas-
 it all joy when they fall into divers temptations, inas- sage. To understand these temptations we must bear
 much as the trying of their faith worketh patience.                     in mind the position of the church of God ,in the'


  42                   *       k      T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEARE,R'

  midst of the world. The church of God is always in          temptations endanger the Christian in his journey
  the "dispersion". , At the time of this epistle these through this world.
  Christian Jews had been driven abroad by various                Notice, finally, in connection with these. tempta-
  persecutions.    The church of God is always in the tions, that James . . speaks of "falling" into  divers
  world but never- of the world, hated and despised by        lemptatioiis.  We must, of course, distinguish between
  the kingdom of darkness. And it is the calling of the this expression of James and the sixth petition of the
  church of  ,God to proclaim the  virtues of  Hini Who Lord's `Prayer: Leacl us not into temptation. ' In the'
  called her out of darkness into His marvellous light.       sixth petition the .child of God prays that he may not
  She must be, the party of the living God. This does be led into temptation in the sense of succumbing'to it.
  not mean that we must separate ourselves lo,@ally frqm      The idea cannot be that we may never be tempted but
  the world or from the spheres of this earthly life. that we may not succumb to the siren song of the
  Then  dne must  lieeds  go out of the  tdorld. But it       evil one and thereby yield to enticements of evil
  does mean that we must separate ourselves spiritually within and without us. However, this also necessarily
  from those who are not the' party of the living God.        limits the expression in this verse of James 1. To fall
  At all times we must conduct ourselves from the into temptations and actually rejoice in the" midst of
  principle of regeneration. And this we must do anti- ' them can therefore never signify that w.e rejoice in
  thetically, loving God and the things which are above yielding to the tempter's voice and a walk in sin.
  but also hating whatever is not of His church and This is never a cause for rejoicing but always for  '
  covenant. This church of God is consequently hated s&row and, repentance,                To  fall into temptations,  '
  in the midst ?f the world. Every means is employed therefore, signifies that we are completely surrounded
  to destroy this Cause of God. .For it is the object of `by these temptations. But the, word also conveys to us
  all temptations to frustrate the Cause of God, to silence the meaning that the Christian does not seek tempta-
  ;1lj praise and testimony of Jehovih, to bring 20 nought tion. He  does-  not walk or run into them. He  falls'
  the Kingdom of .God and of His dear Son; *It is well        into them. And this is due to his position, as a child
  to remember that this is Scripture's description thru- of God, in the midst of a world which lieth in dark-
  out of His Church in the midst of the world. Today          ness.  The child of God is  const&tly the object of
  the reality of the antithi?sis.is  being denied or adulter- attack by forces within him and.witho& and who have
  atsd. It is taught, on the one hand, that we must           set themselyes  ~uncompromisingly  against him.
  serve God alone, but .also, on the 0th.~ !:Ihnd, that WC        In the midst of these divers temptations, now,
  can and must associate with the world. Notice, how- we are exhorted to rejoice. What an amazing exhort- `.
  ever, that James, in his practical approach to,  ihe        ation ! This is an  ainazing word of James, not only
church of the living  ,God here, immediately  plac& because we are exhorted to rejoice in our temptations,
temptations upon the foreground. This is surely but because we must count it all joy; when we fall
  worthy of note. IHe certainly could not have had any into divers temptations. This is exactly what the holy
  synthesis in mind when he addressed this epistle  tb the writer means. The Christian must regard, mu& eval-
  church of God in the dispersion.                            -uate,.  count his position in the midst of divers tempta-
        The holy writer speaks of "divers!' temptations. tions as all joy, that is, as pure joy, unadulterated
  He refers to eirery kind or form of temptation. -The joy. Let us understand this. James does ,not merely
  attack upon the church by the forces of evil  occurs        write that we must rejoice in the midst of temptatioris.
  in various fortis and with various means.. `The gen- This, although, already `amazing and. wholly foreign
  eral suffering of this present time, sicknesses and to the world's conception of joy and happiness, would
  diseases, can be a form of temptation when they are not be too difficult to understand. This could simply
  used as means by `thb powers of sin within and with- medn that we, in the midst of' all our sorrows and
  out to lead us -away from the path of God's covenant.       troubles, also have reasons to rejoice.. To rejoice iri
  Then again the church of God is attack.ed  by the ,devil    the midst .of temptations would not necessarily mean
  as an. angel of light.  !He puts on the garment, the that we rejoice because of these temptations. Placing
  appearance `of a friend. He will offer you the friend- over against all our griefs and sorrows and pains the
  ship or the  &i&es of the world in exchange for  the        blessings which the Lord has given us,  wB rejoice
  denial of the Natie of Christ. Or, he will subtily and in the midst of temptations because we, in spite of all
  very cleverly distort the truth, as  is done in many. these temptations, still have abundant reasons for
  pulpits and institutions of learning today.  BLit the rejoicing. And it is also an undeniable  truth'that  it
  devil also- attacks the people of God as a roaring lidn.    occurs  oftentimes.  that we  exaggertite  .aur wbes  td
  .He will avail himself of this weapon as a last resort.     such an extent that we have no  .eye for  the-other.
  I;Ie will `ridicule and persecute the confessing believer However,  this the holy writer does not say'oi  nieafi
  of  Clirist's Name, will shed the blood of the saints,      here. We mu& @aunt, `reel&i our falling into tempt&
 :will .Lise* for& to' destroy- the church of God. Divers     tions' as joy, yea, ai all joy. It is  pure `joy.' Ekainin-


                                     T H . E   STANDAl%D  B E A R E R                                                   43
                                                                                                                        "
 ing and evaluating our position in the midst of tempta-        it is apparent that the Church has corrupted itself.
 `tions we see nothing blpt joy, nothing but reasons for           "The subject given to m"e is' `The Idea of the Church'.
 rejdicing in our otherwise  dangerous and hazardous In development of this theme I would call your atten-
 position in- the world. The joy of the Christian is ex- tion to the following elements :
 perienced by him not merely as over against the forces
 of evil. We must not have a dualistic conception of                    I. The Church as Such
 things, not of our temptations either.                                1.I. The'Church in God's Counsel
                                            The Lord reign-           III. The Relation of the Church to All Things.
 eth ! And the Christian's joy embraces temptation
 itself. Why me must rejoice is revealed unto us in                "By Idea of the Church is meant that which belongs
 verse 3.                                                       to her essential charactey, to her being and essence.
                     (To' be continued).                        Not, therefore,- as she becomes an object of our ex-
                                                 H. V.          perience or as we  ske her but the Church as  &he is
                                                                th,e object of faith.    To the Idea belongs not the
                                                                visible local manifestation but what we believe her
                                                                to be according to the confession: I believe an Holy
                                                                Catholic Church.-' We do not see her catholicity on
                P E R I S C O P E                               earth, for ,we see several churches and denominations
                                                                of groups of churches which are mutually excldsive.
                                                                But in spite of this division, we confess ONE Holy
                   The. Conference                              Catholic Church. The same is true of the holiness of
                                                                `the Church. This is not an object of our experience
 Introduction . . . .                                           but, on the contrary, we see her as >,very  unholy ; at
                                                                times more so than the very world round about her.
   a The Second Annual Conference between the minis- Yet, in spite df this perception, we believe an HoZy
 ters and students of the Protestant Reformed Churches Chuich-a Church without,sin  and consecrated to God.
 and the Reformed Churches in the U. S., met in l$dl,           Again, the  church as we see` her is earthy, but in
 Iowa, from October 1 through (October 3. `The Con- reality she is essentially spiritual and heavenly. That
 f erence was well .attended ; we noticed especially a good-    Church is not an object of our experience for'she is
 ly number of lay-members from both denominations. essentially invisible and never becomes visible. Even
 But since this represents only a small portion of the though   we- may notice where she is, her head and
 total membership we will expend our space in the next          members are hid from our eye`s. Of that Church, as
 ftew issues to give a rather detailed review of the.pro-       a matter of faith and not experience, as eternally in
 ceedingk.  Our people have `shown their interest, if           God's counsel and engravhd on the pa!ms of His hands,
 .not by attendance, through their finaficjal and moral         as she shall appear in glory, we speak when we con-
 support and hence,, will also be interested in the lec- cern ourselves with the Idea of the Church.
 tures and discussions.                                            "Frbm this it follows that-we can say nothing of
     The Conference was officially opened on Tuesday ourselves concerning that Church ; whatever man says
 evening.    A capacity audience had gathered in the of it is sure to be a lie. The empirical m,ethod  cannot
,ZIull Church auditorium. Our chairman, the Rev. G. be followed and .if it, is we would come to the con-
 Vos, lead us in opening exercises and spoke a word             clusion that the Church is an- igstitution to save souls.
 of welcome to the  d,elegates:  and' large nuinber of Or, if we look about LIS and consider the Church from
 visitors present. He expressed joy at seeing such a            our  .experience,  we would come to the broader  con-
 large group present; feeling that it boded well for the clusioh that the Church is a social- agency instituted to
 success of our  meetings.  After stating that the com- promote`the well-being of mankind and the improve-
 mittee had chosen the general theme of "The Church" ment of the world. Nor will a philosophic contempla-
 for our discussidn he turned the floor over to the Rev.        tion of t`he subject cause us to arrive at the correct
 H. Hoeksema, who was chosen to develop the first answer. The philosophy of the last few centuries in
 aspect: "The Idea of the Church".                              its attempts to describe the  Chtirch has only further
                                                                corrupted -her.
 Resum6 . . . .                                                                    The: Church belongs itself to those
                                                                things which eye hath not seen nor ear heard and have
    "*he subject of the Church is of especial import- never  `entered the heart  of, men.                Hence, only  one
 ance in our times. ,Ori the one hand ,this subject and method can be used to determine what the Church is :
 truth are ignored and on the other hand, if treated at we must let God answer through His revelation.
 all, is distorted and corrupted. Many false ideas of              "The names by which the Church is called in the
 the Church  are rampant. If `one but reads the re-             Bible are not of a great. deal of help in this corinketion.
 ligious page of our daily press dn Saturday evenings, Israel of the Old Testament is. caIled : "the gathe.ring",


I     4     4                             T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
      "the congregation", "the :congregaiion  of ' Jehovah".         "From this it follows that the Church is an organic
      In  %e New Testament  tEe most  corhmon   wqrd is whole, not a mechanical whole., A watch, for example,
      ekklesiti which again means "gathering"`,. but with is a mechanical whole while a tree is an organic whole.
      this distinction  ,that it  iS a "gathering  cali,ed out of In a mechanical whole the parts gr,e there before the
      another whole": The-distinctiye nature of the Church whole, and the whole is an assembling or putting to-
      as a congregation is theieby emphasized.                    gether of +he parts. An organism, on the other hand,
           "Of more importanee and shedding more `light on `grows from and is controlled  -by a  living principle
      -the question as to what the Church is .%ie the expres-     within.    The Church is an organic whole  df which
      sions in Scripture which describe the Church. There Christ is the dominating living principle. And though
      are several of these: "a generation'", "a holy`nation", we speak of gathering the Church, men never do, for
      "a people", "a peculiar people", "the people of God",       she only comes into existence when Christ grafts her
      "a holy priesthood", ~etc. So too; there are figures in members `into Himself and. maintains her life. His
      Scriptdie which express the idea of the Church. These l<fe. and mind  and resurrection and glory are hers.
     include: "the  bddy of Christ", "the  .vine and the She only  lives in spiritual fellowship with Him as
      branches", and the ."olive  tree". IHence, the idea of branches of the vine.
      the Church as such is that she is a' living entity, a          "We conclude, therefore, that the Church  is the
      whole, of tihich Christ is the Head and believers+ are body of Christ, i.e., she ,is' one harmonious, beautiful
      menibers. But there is more, Scripture is filled with whole,. of which whole; Christ is the [Head and dominat-
      figures which represent the idea of the Church. Among ing principle of all the redeemed elect members whos_e
      these are "the Temple" for she is called the "Temple purpose is to show ,forth  that they are members of
      of God" and again "the household of God"; and "Jeru:        Christ- and partakers of His grace to the. praises of
      Salem-the city,of God".                                     :Him that called them out of darkness into Hismarvel-
           "Taking note of these descriptions we may deduce lous light and thus a-reflection of God's gloridus vir-
      the follOwirig  notions. In the first place, according to tues.
     Scriptur,e  the Church is a completeness. She is a whole        "This Church consists of saints,  -not men. The
      representing one idea `and designed to serve one pur- members are redqemed  individuals gathered out of the
      pose. And a whole of ,sueh a nature that every member whole human race. This means that there `is another
      in the who1.e takes his own place to serve the whole. whole from which the whole of the `Church is taken
      In other words; `the Church is not just an arbitrary -the whole of the human race. This implies that
      number of saved people without any relation to one temporarily there is the one organism of th,e human
      another arid the whole, no more than a pile of building, race. The race is one organism as the wkieat  and the
      materials are. a building, but a finished whole to which chaff are one organism. Hi$torically  speaking,. the
      nothing can be added or detricted without marring tlie      race was first- and the Church is gathe:ed out of that
      idea of the. whole. In a temple, for example, each part race. The first organism became wholly corrupt and
      occupies its own place.     Nothing can be added or out of it God calls the, other whole-the Church.
      taken from  th,e completed form  v&hout disturbing             "Two questions present themselves here : who deter-
      the beauty and harmony `of the whole. The. same is mines who, and how many, of the old organism become
      true of the human body. A body is not a number of members of the new and, in the second place, in God's
     member parts without relation to  !one another, but counsel what is the relation between the old human
      -together  they make  up.  the  one body  which all the r&e and the new Church? The first guestion concerns
      members serve. So also the Church is not a multitude the difference between7a)vinism' and Arminianism.
      of iridividuals without form but a union of a certain `The second deals with the distinction between supra
      number, of  members all of whom serve  th? purpose and infra-lapsarianism.                 I
      of  the  *hole.  '                                             "The first iuestion is answered in the Heidelberg
           "In the second place, the purpose of that wliole'is    C.ahechism  which declares that the Son of God gathers
      to serve as the dwelling' place of God. God dwells          His Church, God determines who and how many
      there.' There He establishes His covenant, reveals td       shall be members and no one else. It is not deter-
      her His secrets, she tastes that He is good and reflects mined by the will  .of man. Arminianism is always
      the glory of His grace in the beloved. The Church humanism and implies that man determines  whpm
      must serve as the  dwellin'g  place of the One God          God shall choose.. Because that is the c&e the `Church
      through the One Christ in the One Body. That is the of Artiinianism  can riever be an organic'whole. Armin-
     . purpose of the Church and another purpose the& is ianism is humanistic and individualistic. It can' never
      not.  Tl& purpose, to be the dwelling place of God become organic. Arminianism will neve`r get to a body
      `and the reflecBion  of the fulness of .His glory in the ' but the gathering will be a crowd ; never a Church-
      Beloved, is reached because God in His Son dwells a Temble. Scripture, howev,er,  reveals t@at the Church
      t h e r e . '                                               is a whole atid that the whple exists before the pa%%
                  /


?
                                   T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R "                                    45

in the mind of God. And that not vaguely or ideally tribulation at times but when both are.ripe,  in the day
but forever-eternally the  Churbh,is there. She stands of Christ, they shall be separated forever; the wick&d
before God eternally as Righteous, Called, Justified, shall perish  and God's. elect shall be presented unto
Sanctified and Glorified. According to His own plan Him. The Church is heir-of all things for Christ has
God calls out of the whole ra`ce  those whom ,He has been appointed Heir of all things. Unto Him all things
eternally chosen to be members of that Church. Noth- are made and the Church is heir with  Eim of the
ing of man ever enters into the calling and forination    glorious inheritance ; so that the One  H.eir through
of that Church of Christ. It is of God' alone!    -       many Heirs shall be able to possess all things!" But,
     "The second question deals with the relation of the that inheritance lies on the other side ; it is prepared
old organism of the human race and the new organism through the great and final catastrophe !"
of  the Church. The new organism of the Church is
called out of the old human race. Historically' the Discussion . . . .
race is fir& the Church second. History is infra.
     "But+ what is the reiation in the counsel of God?        The Rev. W. Korn: "I was greatly ,edified by this
Various figures may be used to present various ans- splendid lecture. In connection with the remark that
wers. Is it thus that it is as of a vase .that is broken for the present the .Church and the race are one organ-
atid some of the pieces are gathered and saved? Was       ism a question arises in: my mind. What about the
the original creation the vase which was broken and words of Christ: Ye are in- the world but no't of the
the Church the pieces which are gathered and saved?       world3 We know' that the Church is in the  f!esh
This is rank Arminianism and denies the sovereignty but God upholds the Church from eternity as the
of God. Or is the relation like to a burning house 244,000 of Isr$el in,,Revelation-a  complete and sep-
from which some of the furnishing and as much as arate Church."
can be salvaged from -the ruins are the  recieemed           The Rev. H. Hoeksemai `.The  Church is in the world
Church? The Scriptural idea that the Church is an but not of the world. She is in ihe world and organic-
organism condemns this view, as also the fact that ally one with that world from a natural point of view,
this gives the victory to the Devil. Can it then be and at the same time `spiritually out of and not of the
likened unto a ta+lor who desires to make a beautiful! world. Strictly -speaking, the Church is not of  Katie
suit of clothes from a  certain. amount of cloth that world at all. In time she is of the world for she has
h'e has, ~ but now an enemy comes and cuts up the her origin in the one human race. That accounts for
cloth so that the tailor can only make a pair of trousers the anjithesis.  Believeks  and the world are one. They
and must be content with that? Then the fall was an dwell on the same `earth and have many things com-
accident. God had purposed something else and-is now monly but even while that is so the Church is not of
repairing a ruined work the best He can. Thus the the world.. She is essentially different and if she is
Church is .repair  work,  the original plan was marred not there -is no antithesis." '
and again the enemy wins. Nor can the relation even
be- likened unto  d broken vase which is completely           The Rev. G. Lubbers: "The speaker said that the
and perfectly restored so that the damage is not even fashion of this world perishes and that nothing of it
percepdble. There is still no answer to the. question enters the new creation. What does he have -in mind I
of why sin and the fall at all and the Devil still de-    when he speaks of  wdrld? Are- not the reprobate
termines God's work. The only possible answer is,I element a part of the world of creation'and is not then
that in the Counsel of God, the Church is the original som.ething  of creation destroyed?"
and all the rest is a means to the formation of that         The Rev. H. uoeksema : "The question means wheth-
Church. God never meant anything else! Sin is no er &ll of the world perishes or ddes some belon`g to the
.accident! We are talking  df GOD!                        inheritance. By this world I mean the fallen world of
     "Thus we also come to the answer of the relation mankind. The terrain on which mankind lives  ; this
of the. Church to all things. It is not as humanistic cursed creation. That which belongs to this cursed
modernism would have it that the Church shall inherit and sinful creation shall be taken away that t&e essence
this world.' This world is not the inheritance of the rntiy remain."
Church.  This world cannot be an inheritance. The
curse of death is here. Rather, the relation is- such,        The Rev. G. Lubbew: "Then the reprobate world
that temporarily  they, are  organjcally one. As the doesp't mean much, absolutely, except as a means' to
chaff -and the wheat are temporarily one organism.`so     the glorification of the Church. How  can we say
the Church and this world, The chaff serves the wheat then that this world is my  Fathey's? What is the
-as the world serves the Church. That is the present meaning of this world?"
*~eM%n df the Church to all. things.                          The Rev. H. Hoeksema: "The chaff has  meaning-
 "Be  .not afraid! The chaff may cause the Church but it does  .not inherit  ,smything."
                                                                       I


            4 6 .                                  T H E   ,.  STANDA,R"D:   B E A R E R

                 ,The Rkv. A. Petter: "The speaker said that the                                              Contribution
            Church was not visible at all. The Bible declares that
            the Church has works whereby she is known and, ex-
            horts her to' let her light shine. She has a holy walk                             THE CONVICTING OFFICE OF TIHE SPIRIT
           which is a manifestation of the Church." a                     '                              (With Respect To' Righteousness)
                   The Rev! H. Hoeksema: "The Rev. Petter forgets                               The second point with,respect  to which the Holy
            that we are' speaking of the Idea of the Church.. The                           Spirit will convict the world is that of righteousness.
            Church becomes manifest, but w,e do not see her as the                             ;H.ere  again we have the same indefinite form of
            body of Christ. We do not see the connection and                                expression that we encounter in the other two mem-
            spiritual operation between that Head and the mem-
\                                                                                           bers. However it is here especially evident that the
            bers. The time will come, in perfection, when we shall                          relation must be expressed by "concerning", or "in
            see Christ face to face and everywhere. As to the idea,                         respect to" for it, is evident that the world is not con-
           the Church is invisible"..                                                       victed of its own righteousness. but that it is compelled
                   From the Audience: "What is the, relation between to concede to righteousness in some respect, which
            the Church and the Kingdom of God? Is the Kingdom must now  `furth,er appear  .from the course of the
            of God broader?"                                                                Saviour's statement.
                                          D                                                     But what righteousness is this; or whose? We
                   The Rev. H. Hoekiema: "As far as the scope `and must here assume a change of acting or existing sub-
            membership and subj,ects are concerned they are iden- ject, since in the former the world was the acting
            tical. The members of the Church are the subjects of                            subject of the sin, whereas. that same subject cannot
           the Kingdom. The head of the Church is the, King of be the acting subject in the case of the righteousness.
            the Kingdom. The viewpoint is different. The term                                   We shall therefore try to determine and define this
            Church refers to the organism "while a kingdom is a righteousness from especially the "because" clause that
            commonwealth.        In the organism of the Church all is attached to it. That clause says, "because I go to
            the spiritual blessings of the Kingdom of God are the Father, and "ye see me no more".
            bestowed upon her members; the blessings of faith,                                 Now just as the Saviour  stands prominent in the
           righteousness, and all those mentioned in the sermon ground for. the conviction over the world's sin, so He
            on' the`mount, in other words, all the blessings which stands her.e in the ground. of the conviction concerning
            are in Christ. When we receive these spiritual bless- righteousness. It is a righteousness that is especially
            ings we become citizens of the Kingdom and serve                                demonstrated and proved by His going to the Father.
            God. Hence, although the scope is the same .the view-
     point is different.".                                                                     `Remembering now that we do not yet especially in
            <                                                                               John's Gospel have the idea of righteousness used in
                   From the Audience: "Would it be wrong to say the legal sense, as it is- in the Epistles of the Apostle
            that the Church is the proclaimer of the Kingdom of Paul, we are `naturally lead to take it here in a more
            G o d ? "                                                                       broad, ethical sense, which looks at the actions or life's
     \      ;  The Rev. H.  Hoakse~a:  "No, provided the state-                             attitude of some one. In this conn&tion then at the
          _ ment is not meant as exhaustive of the task, of the                             righteousness .of Christ as He iq'viewed by God with
            Church."                                                                        respect to His purpose and work. And then He is
                                                                               .            viewed as the great Servant of the Lord, who came
                   Since the hour was late the discussion was termin-                       into the world at the command of the Father,, Who
          ated at this point. The Rev. D. E. Bosma closed the undertook the task of representing the cause.of God's
            meeting with prayer.                                                            covenant. here, who proclaimed the will of God, revealed.
                                                                W. ,H.                      it in word and seed,  suffered to fulfill the needs of his
            NOTE : If we misquote any of the brethren in this or                            brethren which the Father had given Him to redeem
            the following articles we would be pleased to  hear                             and .bring into a reconciled state.. And in this all he
            from them to make corrections and apologies.                                    never gave any occasion'of-offense to any of the enemies. .
                                                                W    .                   rH., of the cause of God. He would indeed say, "The Father
                                                                                            hath not left me alone; for I do always those things
                                                                                            that  pl&ase Him". `And with respect to His conduct
                                                                                            among men He could say, %`Who. of you convicteth Me
                          .,To live apart from God is death,                                of, sin?"
                                                                                                Thus His righteousness here means that His entire
                             `Tis good His face to seek ;                                   mission has been.fully  and perfectly carri'ed, that He
                          My refuge is the living. God,                                     has no delinquency with  :His sender in respect, whether
                             His praise Ilong to speak.                                     in state or condition, and'therefore is justly entitled to


                                   `THE  S     T      A      N      D    A    R    D         BEARER  1                         i47

be removed from this earth with' its accursed condition              `Now this fact is used to convince the world that the
and to'be, transported into the paradise of God as a fit-         Saviour was the righteous one and that God has a
ting abode for the faithful servant.                              representative of righteousness in this world. The
  From this point of approach we, may now also,                   cause of the Son of God has ,His Divine approval and
,because of the' very indefiniteness of the espression, shall surely triumph. No one will be able to deny this
add that it includes the righteousness of the Father in in his own conscience. Let us notice that of- this right-
rewarding His Son even though His cause was accord- eousness the visible proof is held forth here, more than
ing to any human judgment a complete failure and a the righteousness itself, which, of course, is based- on!
false pretense that ended in utter frustration and dis- the cross. This visible vindication no one `can deny.
grace. The righteous Father does not forsake the In the entire history, Jesus holds the entire stage. The
righteous. And in the third place it applies to those Baptist is only a forerunner who drops from the stage
who identified themselves with that righteous Servant as nothing but a servant or Bridegroom's attendant;
and His cause. Also their trust has been approved and the disciples and apostles direct all their light to illum-
their identification of themselves with &he Servant of .inate Him as the one central figure. .The resurrejioh ,                                  '
the Lord and His cause,' implies His acceptance of and ascension of the Servant of Jehovah stand as .a
them and their participation in His justification.                mountain  :peak in the midst of history. iHe and His
    Now in respect to this righteousness conviction will cause is justified before the eyes of all men.
be wrought in the heart -of the heart of the unbelieving             Also here we must not let appearances deceive us.
w o r l d .                                                       Men may deny it. Men may live`as if they never heard                ,-
    In distinction from the previously mentioned factor or took notice of these tremendous things. Men .may
of sin, there is now a considerable advance. The fact so fill their lives with the things of self and the .world
of sin was. established. But the question of the out- that the mountain peak of God in the flesh is obscured
come of that sin was still not considered, whether it by one dust-speck of self-interest obstructing the
would ever be visited and eradicated was left un-                 vision. But hereby the power of rational `judgment
expressed. Only the fact of its existence was definitely and evaluation is not put to nought. The fact of the                               '
and convincingly demonstrated.                                    justification of Christ remains.
    Now in contrast with all this sinfulness there is i              Now also. this conviction is wrought through the
the emphatic statement and proof that Christ was Apostolic testimony and the preaching of the Church.
righteous. And He is' not only a' righ;teous  man, but Therefore .let us beware that we do. not proclaim -a
a man sent of the Father on a Mission, whereby He                 Gospel of man, of morality, of earthly peace: But let
was `to break that  sinpower  under the auspices of us say with the Apostles : Therefore let ali the, house
th.e God of righteousness. And of this Sender under of Israel know assuredly that God has madIe to be both
whose auspices He undertook the Mission, .He receives             Lord and Christ this Jesus whom ye have crucified:
the visible approval of the Resurrection and exaltation                                      -       -     -    . . .
to heavenly glory.                                                   We come now to the third point in respect to which
   `The undeniable fact of this exaltation is emphasized the Holy Spirit as the Advocate of the cause of -Christ
by the statement, "Ye see Me no more". This is not will bring conviction.                         And we immediately stand
a loose form of saying that the world does not see the here again before the question, what world or from
Saviour any more, but sets his departure against the what aspect the world is there considered as the ob- ,
background of th'e fact that His intimate follow,ers  now ject of the conviction.' And we may state. here with
see a sudden change in His position. He as the right- increased confidence that we have a clear indication.of
eous One is thereby" set definitely apart from .a11 the that object in especially this member of the threefold
other relatively righteous ones. To the Jews He had               expression, which can according to the connection mean
once, said, "I go my way and ye shall seek Me, and nothing less than a condemnatory decision: For  th'e
shall die in your sins," and "when ye have lifted up passage says that He will convict the world of judg-
the Son of Man. `then shall ye know that I am He, and ment, which strongly indi@ated that it is the &vi1 lost
that I do nothing of My self,. but .as My Father hath world that is convicted.                                           -.  ,..'
taught Me I speak these things" (John 8 :21-28). But                 The suggestion does, indeed, occur that this. is a
in a similar sense this applies, to the disciples, "Little judgment in the sense of a neutral decision which is
children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall pronounced with respect to each and every' man and
.seek me, and as I .said to the Jews, Whither I go ye is favorable or' unfavorable, .depending  upon the rela-
c&mot  come, so now I say to .you." John 13 :33).                 `tion of each man to the Saviour. And this suggestion
    He stands alone as the righteous One distinct from is sometimes supported by the consideration that the
.the world, but also, and that the more remarkable, also form of the word used to express the j.udgment-,is  a.
from His own righteous ones. He goes alone to receive neutral form, like our word "judging'!, and the Holland
the, reward of perfect righteousness. '                           "oordeelen':, ,expressing nothing about -the nature .of


                                                      T H E   S T A N D A R D   -,BEARER

                 the judgment as to whether it be favorable or not.            it, and as surely as Christ is the righteous party in His
                     However we must observe on the one hand that the whole conflict with sin and sinners in God's world, so
                 absence of the perfective or intensive prepos@on in they are convinced in their hearts of God's righteous
                 the world does not at all indicate that it is neutral, no     decision between these two, and that this` decision of
                 more than the Dutch "oordeelen" or "geoordeeld" in            God implies a thorough and final settlement of the
                 this passage are neutral in contrast with "veroordeeld" case in condemnation.
                 with its intensive preposition.      This- is evident al-        Men, so the text tells us, are `convinced of this judg-
                 ready, lfrom the fact that, the same word is used in ment. It will help us now further to understand the
                 speaking of the sentence upon Satan without any in-. implication of this when we see the ground of this
                 tensive or perfective preposition, which nevertheless         conviction, namely, that the prince of this world is
                 plainly means the condemnation of Satan as is clear judged.
                 by a comparison with the words of the Saviour in John           And, even- though; the church Luffers tribulation
                 12 :31: "Now is the judgment of this world; now is the in this world! she can be of good cheer, whereas the
                 prince of this world cast out", . .O . . . which, of course, world is always overcome. For Christ is glorified and
                 indicates his legal eviction.                                 the Spirit is in the world to establish IHis triumph,
     .__  -         We also have an example of ,the use of the simple not only in the obedient church, but also in those who
                 verb-form for a condemnatory judgment in John 3 :17- to the end would oppose Him.
                 19, which also both the English and the Dutch trans-                                 j                                               A. P. --
               lators understood  as condemnatory. So many other
                 places in the New Testament. See Rom. 2 :2'7 ; 3 :8.
                    And a third indication that it is condlemnatory  sen-
                 tence over an evil world appears from the fact that it
                 is exactly Satan who is here mentioned as the one                                         -    N    O    T         I    C       E      -                     -
                                                                                                                                         _  -_  .-  ._._. .  :~-  -. ,
                 whose fate serves as a ground. Were this series not a :..                                                                                              .I
                 climax ,ending in an adverse .judgment  we might right-          CONCERNING THE ACTS OF &JR SYNODS
I ly expect some order such as the following: of sin, of Copies of the Acts of our Synod of 1946, one for
                 righteousness; and of glory ; or, of sin, of righteousness    each Consistory member, have been mailed to the
                 and of equity. _ But on the contrary the viewpoint is Clerks of all of our Consistories. Clerks please notify
                 plainly that of the thorough triumph over and destruc-        undersigned if. you .have not received them.
                 tion of the opposition against the cause of the Son of           If there ark others who are interested in procuring
                 God as His people represent it in the world. It is of a copy of the Acts of our Synod of 1946, they can be
                this utter frustration that Satan is the firstfruit and had for th,e price of, 50 cents per copy.                                                                  _
                fitting sample.
                    Now of-this evil-world it is said that it is convinced        Copies of the Acts of our Synods from 1940 to 1945
                of judgment. And we shall now more specifically have can be had for 25 cents per copy. Please send in your
                to see what this judgment is. In the first place it order or contact the, Stated Clerk,
               appears that the emphasis is not on the condemnation                                             D.  J O N K E R
                as such but on the surenless  of judgment, of the crisis,                                       1239 Bemis S., S. E.
                of the settlement. The issue is betw.een the sin of the                                         Grand Rapids 6, Michigan.
                world and the righteous Son and servant of God in
               _ this world. And the issue will surely be brought to                       -,
                light. `There is here a question between sin and right-                                                                                       _
                                                                                                                               .
                 eousness and since God is the Righteous Judge there
                must come a d,ecision and then of course in the favor                                        1 I N   MEMORIAM
                of right. #Of this judgment, that is, of its sureness, the
                Holy Spirit working through the Apostolic preaching               The   ,Priscilla  Society of the First  P!rotcstant  Reformed
                convinces the world.                                           Chuaih  of Grand  Rap&, Michigan hereby  wkhes  to express.
                    Again the .question may arise, how is that convic- their sincere sympathy ,in the death of ona of its members
                                                                                                                                                        ."
                tion or assurance worked. And it must be admitted                                           MRS. A:  WYGHERS
                that commentaries do not usually give an answer to                                                                  ..'                       .
                .this question. For, to be sure, the simple statement is          May the Lord comfort  the  bqreahed  family and give them
               enough to establish the fact, yet the mind naturally -- grace to, believe that He doBeth all things wk.
                asks for a concrete illustration if one is possible.                                            The Priscilla Society,
                    But following the text we must conceive of the men
                of the world as carrying in their hearts-the conviction               ;          1                   Mrs. Wm. Stuursma,  &es.  `.
                                                                                                                                    I
                that,' just as surely as they are sinners and they `know                                             I@?.  I+.  Veltho,Fse,  Sec'y.
                              `.                                   .

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