   VOLUME  xxx                               JANUARY 1.5,  1954  -  GRAND  F~APIDS,  MICHIGAN                               NUMBER  8
                                   0

                                                                         scourge, the world power of that  day. Yet this scourge is
          M  `E.D I T A T I 0 N                                          in the hand of divine love as far as the remnant according
                                                                         to election is concerned. He will purify them through sep-
                                                                         arating the dross from it. -But that .also means that He will
         Moab's Calling to Defend Israel                                 realize the promise to be a "sure refuge for the poor of His
                                                                         people., The Assyrian shall serve, but  ,his satanic intent
             "Let My outcasts  dye11  with thee, Moab: be thou
           a covert to  th&n  `frotli   t$e face of `the spoiler: for    shall be -prohibited. To  that, end the calling of the text to
           the extortioner  is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth,  the      Moab. And now it is true, that Moab, because of its "great
           oppressors are consumed  .out  of the land. And in            pride" and haughtiness, will not deign to listen to this corn-
           mercy shall the throne be established and he shall            mand-yet accountable it is ! Sovereignly commanded  tb do
           sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judg-        so` it has been by the God of heaven and earth !
           ing and seeking judgment,  and hasting righteous-             i What a serious calling, this ! Let My outcasts dwell
           ness." - Isaiah 16 :4, 5.                                     with thee, Moab!
    How glorious is the cause of Christ throughout history !                 First of all, how proper that this command is addressed
How sure is the realization of every- promise of God to the              to Moab, of all nations. Moab<was near to Israel both geo-
subjects of His sure kingdom!                                            graphically and of  near  kinship. Moab and Israel were
  How complete the protection of those whom Jehovah                      neighbors. It was but natural that they should help one an-
hath chosen to dwell with him. For, defend them He ever                  other in their national difficulties! Descendants of Moab
shall as almighty God. Oppose and destroy He always does                 (Lot), though distant, they were kin to Israel. Common
each and. every one not allied.                                          blood coursed through their veins. Sureiy,  by that tie, they
   For the implied divine wrath in His "He that toucheth                 would be expected to take a stand against Israel'5 foe!
my people toucheth the  .apple of My eye" applies to both the                The more so might this be expected because of the ser-
actual, openly malicious persecutor of the Church as well as             iousness of the situation here prophesied. Here there is
to the hidden, camouflaged, disdainfully proud enemy that                more than the mere  "Iove thy brother"; more than the
tries to assume the neutral role of spectator. Also those that           "golden rule" `superficially honored among the nations. 0 ,
glee in watching, that applaud, that evidence their joy in the           that rule is their calling ! But here there is something
sight of disruption, downfall and persecution of the Church .very specific! There is a specific calling here to Moab, be-
by the world's power of darkness . . . are condemned already             cause there exists a very peculiar relation between God and
by their very attitude. H-e that gathers -not, scatters ; whoso-         the people to be defended ! They are His possession. They
ever builds not, breaks down ; he that loves not, ha?es  ! An-           are MY outcasts. And though, in a. general way this is the
other. class, yet another party. . . there is not. And God's             case with 911 things created, here there is a peculiar relation
judgment upon the so-called neutral is one and the same with             of specific and particular love. Moab! Israel's God, Who has
that upon the spoiler.                                                   chosen that people as His peculiar heritage, is speaking ! And
   How perfectly, how complete and in detail is His ten-                 therefore,  it implies that all His glorious attributes will rise
der care. How ever mindful is Jehovah of our sure safety!                to the defense of that people. He is aroused for that people
                                                                         in Jribulation.    Occasioned by their sin though this tribula-
                           *    *  ;i:  9                                tion may be, yet He will sovereignly use it to their good, and
                                                                         therefore sovereignly He speaks to Moab. To that end He
   The context' in the prophecy from which the text is taken             gives to Moab a clear picture of that relation and circum-
is plain. Israel, due to the hideous sins by it committed, is            stances. All excuse must be removed.
told that it shall suffer at the hand of the cruel Assyrian                 `Moab,  that people is "outcast" . . . thrown out of its


170.                                         THti  S T A N D A R D -   . B - E A R E R

rightful place. That is not My ultimate. purpose with them !           strikes terror into the hearts of those that see ,him-yet  he
That they should be castaways is contrary to My relation-              shall have an end. In the time prophesied of it means thdt
ship to them. For they are MINE!                                       his power shall be broken and he shall not be able to con-
   In the prophetic' vision Israel is pictured as fleeing be-          sumate his nefarious scheme. Ultimately, always his end
fore the face of the mighti conquering hosts. Against thit             is eternal destruction! The only conceivable end, because
power it could not stand. Jerusalem's walls lay  crumble+              it is God's end. How glorious calling then.
The heathen had taken the beloved city. But with that                     For the victory is the complete work of Jehovah in be-
the foe was not satisfied. It thirsted after the blood of its          half of His people. Not only is the power of the foe broken,
people. It shall therefore relentlessly pursue. And Israel             so that he cannot go on, but all shall be restored tp former
shall flee to its nearest refuge-Moab. Before that comes to            peace and safety for the oppressor shall never again bring
pass historically, the Lord prepares through command this              fear. He shall, be consumed out of the land. .The wrath
nation : When that cast out, fleeifig  people comes . ; . ..LCt        of that God, into Whose hands it is terrible to fall, shall
them dwell with thee.                                                  ,utterly destroy the foe that attempts to-tread upon His be-
   First of all that means that Moab shall grant permissiopl           loved elect !                  0
of eritrance  into its own land. Moab needs this admonition.              Then surely Israel is safe. Then, too, her allies are
By nature it will have nothing to do with this peculiar poss-          blessed. To die the death of the righteous, glorious end  !,
ession of the Lord for it is a "proud" people. But, further,           is experienced in the divinely stipulated way: I will bless
it also means that Moab shall choose sides against Assyria.            them that bless thee!
This is not only implied in the permit to enter. That too !
There is no neutrality in respect to  the cause of God! But,
they are called ACTIVELY `to engage against the enemy                                           * * * *
in Israel's defense.
   Be thou a covert to them. Having agreed to let Israel
enter, stand before the pursuing enemy and refuse. them en-
trance to fulfill their evil intent. Tell them that they will             And that victory of the cause of God and His Christ  ib
have to fight you. Say :. we are one and we will fight for             sure and gives all hope for the future.
them . . . even to the death ! Say it in full knowledge of               -After all there is a basis for this  restoratidn  of Israel.
the wicked intent. In face of the spoiler! The spoiler,  dis-          There is and must be reason &dduced for the peace of Zion
turber of My people, seeks to prey on them, to harass to the           of all ages ! Zion because its power is restored. Hear_  Moab !
end! Truly, a serious calling, Moab!                                   The throne shall be established 1 All the covenant Promises
   0, Moab will not hearken. It will, as history has plain-            are to be realized. A king on a throne, nay ! THE king on
ly shown, walk in its way of pride. It will make common                TI!lE THRONE shall reign. In great power as unknown
cause with the pursuer! And, while  the foe makes sport                heretofore, that throne shall stand.
with the Church of the living God, it will clap its hands,                It is the throne established by the Lord God Himself.
standing on the sidelines. Children of the world, both, Moab           And that in. mercy. Mercy as a manifestation of the eter-
and Assyria, always  begrudge  Salem's children the peace              nal relation of love untb His people. And mercy shall char-
and contentment of Jerusalem ! But calling,  . . . it certainly        acterize the rule of that throne over and unto its subjects.
is. Another reason for existence than to help bring that               Finally, the eternal mercy of God is the very power of the
people to eternal rest, they have not.                                 throne, the dominion of the Kingdom.
                                                              ,           And how that idea of well-placed hope in that throne is
                                                                       intensified by the beautiful description of its ,Occupant. -Not
                          *  *  *  *                                   a mere representative of the despised outcasts as in miserabie
                                                                       fleeing hordes they shall approach Moab, but of the royal
                                                                       lineage of David is He. And  one, too, who belongs there
   And, if there  ~were  no more, we would incline to say,             rightfully, dwells, remains there.      For that He shall do
speaking as the world, why risk so much ; what gain would              such in "truth" means really "continually". His rule is not
it he in face of overwhelming odds ?                                   to be likened to that of the Assyrian which, though it
   But this very serious calling  is .glorious  too !                  appeared indestructable,  yet vanished, but of His dominion
   And the one reason is, that no one, not  Moa;b either,              and rule "there is no end."
ever fights the battle for God or His cause.             God fights       And more than mere man is He. God of God. For,
:His Own battle  ; maintains His Own cause. Always ! He                He shall do the humanly impossible! Righteousness He
IS His Own party. He continually gains His purpose.                    SHALL bring forth. He judges ! He seeks the right ! And
   And that spells the doom of the enemy! Inevitably!                  that indicates xot an ignorance of what is right. He knows !
   Listen Moab! The foe shall not triumph. The seeming-                Causally He shall labor to realize it.  Atid in realizing,
ly unconquerable exortioner  has  an end. Even though he               judges !
be the despoiler ! Even though his very manifestation                     That is the Christ of God! All He did and aimed to


                                                           ,
                                                T H E   S T A N D A R D   - B E A R E R                                                                                          171

  perform was to bring  about righteousness. The zeal to
  hasten it consumed Him.                                                                   TtiE  ST.ANDARD,   B.EARER
      And walking that way to the end, the throne is estab-                    Semi-naosthly,  except  moxthly   d~w%g July and  A~~gust
  lished. And into His hand are given all things. Nope can                    Published by  tie  RE;Foru&  FREE   PUBLISHING  ASSOCIATION
  oppose or withstand! In His- hand all "shall surely prosp&-"              P. 0. Box 881, Madison Square Station, Grand Rapids 7,  Mich.
  in all the house of God. And that is the doom of the foe!                                    Editor   -  fiv.  HERMAN  HCYEKSEMA
  He said  ip truth: "Now is the judgment of this world"!                   Communications relative to contents should be addressed  to. Rev.
  _. That is the hope of the Church. Temporally and eter-                   H.  Haeksema,  1139 Franklin St., S. E., Grand Rapids 7,  Mich.
  nally she is safe. Let Assyria rave and rage in vain ; let                All matters relative to subscriptions should be addressed to Mr.
                                                                            G. Pipe, 1463  Ardmore St., S. E., Grand Rapids 7, Michigan.
  proud Moab vainly dream!                                                  Amlouncements  and Obituaries  must be mailed  to, the above
      And let the Church have no wrong illusions as to the                  address  and will be published  at a fee of $1.00 for each notice.
  `iatter.  The way will be increasingly  di%cult  according to             RENEWALS:  Unless a definite request for discontinuance is re-
  the flesh. New Assyrians of. world power always arise.                    ceived, it is assumed that the subscriber wishes the subscript&
                                                                            to continue without the formality of a renewal order.
  New revelation of proud Moabs will surely continue to  man-
  if&t themselves. Together they will enter into an unholy                                        Subscription price : $4.00 per year
  alliance to hinder the cause of the truth  ; they will pool                 Entered  ar  Seco,zd   Clans  Irzatter  at  Grattd   Rapids,  Michigan
their satanic means and instruments to impede the progress
  of the weary pilgrim . . . the end of the ages is upon us !
      And yet, there is light.
      Not only shall there be deliverance in the midst of an-                                                  C O N T E N T S
  xiety, but through the very events that stir the  soul. A
  sovereign king have we ! He sends the foe now here, then             MEIIITATION-
                                                                               Moab's  Calling to Defend IsraeI..  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
  there, to guide and to  chastize,  as the case may be-never                         Rev. H. H.  Qiper
  to harm.                                                             FllITORIALS
                                                                       >               -
      Woe to the enemy that has wicked designs (and he                         Bulletin No. 2.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172
  always has !) before that MING.                                                     Rev. H. Hoeksema
      Blessed forever those that are by grace of His  pariy in                 Kok's  Mou-al  Confusion..................................172
                                                                                      Rev. H.  Hoekseqa
  the midst of the  world. For we "see Jesus." Crowned!                        Re The Refo#rmed  Guardian and tihe Rev. Petter.. . . . . . . . . .173
      And He promised to come again. He surely will. He                               Rev. E. Emanuel
  is able to save to the uttermost all whose trust is in Him,          As  TO  Booas-
  for even that trust is but a proof of being His possession.                  De Ouderdom der  Aarde................................175
  When He comes to claim . . . to glorify . . . that will be glory             Het Evangellie  in een Ontkerstende  We&d..  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175
                                                                                      Rev. H. Hoeksema.
  forever !
                                                Rev. H. H.  Iiuiper    OUR  DOCTRINE-
                                                                               The Triple Knowledge.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176
                                                                                      Rev. H. Hoeksema
                                           ,                           Feotir  HOLY  WRIT-
                                                                               Exposition  8o.f I  Peter   12~25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
                                                                                      Rev. G. Lubbers

                                                                       LN HIS  FEAR-
                                                                               Af,raid  od the Goapel.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182
                                                                                      Rev. J. A. Heys
     When a person is going into a foreign land where he               CONTENDING POR  TIIE  FAITH-
  never was before, it is comfortable for him to consider,                     The Church and the Sacraments.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184
                                                                                      Rev. H.  Veldman
  "Though I am embarking  foi. an unknown country, yet it
  is a place where I have many friends, who are already settled        'I`IIK  VOICE  OP OUR FATHERS -
                                                                               The Canons of  Domrdrecht.   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
  there  ; so that I shall be, in fact, at home the instant I get                     Rev. H. C. Hoeksema
  thither." - How sweet for a dying believer to' reflect that,         UICCENCV  AND ORDER-
  though he is yet a stranger in the world of spirits, still the               Specially Gifted  Men.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188
  world of spirits are no strangers .to him. -God, his Father is                      Rev. G. Vauden-Berg
  there. Christ, his  Saviou:,  is there.  - Angels, his elect         ALL A~~OIJND  Us -
  brethren, are there. Saints, who got home. before him, are                   Colnmon  Grace: The Accepted View., . . . . . . . . . . . . _ . . . . . .190
                                                                                      Rev. M.  Schipper
  there  ; and more will follow him every day. He has the
  blood and righteousness of Christ for his letters of recom-                  Pertinent Quotations  f'rom  the Dogmatics of
  mendation, and the Holy Spirit for his introducer.. He also                  Rev. H.  Boeksema......................................lYl
  goes upon`express invitation from the King of the country.                          Rev. G. Lubbers
                                                        - Toplacly

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

                                                                                              Kok's Moral `Confusion
                  E D I  T.0 R  I-A.1  S                                     Kok, schismatic minister in Holland, Mich., desperately
                                                                         tries, behind my back first, and now also in public, to make
                                        .
                             Bulletin No. 2.                             people believe that I am feeble minded and mentally con-
                                                                         fused, and, evidently, regrets that he does not succeed.
             The undersigned solemnly swear before God and men               But I think that moral and ethical confusion, manifest in
      the following :                                                    this that one does not realize that `deliberate misquotation
             "THAT  S A I D   H E R M A N   HOEKSEMA,   cona- of someone else's writing is sin against the ninth command-
      MENCING EARLY IN HIS LIFE, HAS BEEN A ment, lying and slander, "the very works of the devil," is
      DOMINEERING CHARACTER WHOSE WORD IS                                much worse than mental confusion.
      LAW AND WHO WOULD NOT TOLERATE ANY                                     This is what Kok does.
      OPPOSITION TO HIS CONCLUSIONS AND PRO-.                                And I challenge him to prove that this is not true. For
      NOUNCEMENTS, AND THAT IN ORGANIZING this he better use space in  The Standard  Bearer.   I seldom
 THE FIRST PROTESTANT REFORMED CHURCH                                    read the  Reformed   (Deformed)  Gztavd,inn  unless someone
      OF GRAND RAPIDS HE ASSUMED TO BE THE calls my attention to `it.
      HEAD THEREOF AND TO DICTATE ITS  POL-                                  Just one illustration to prove my contention.
 ICIES, AND WOULD NOT TOLERATE ANY OPPO-                                  ' He quotes me in such a way that it appears as if I wrote
      SITION  T O   H I S   O W N   I D E A S   A N D   W I S H E S ,    t'wo flatly contradictory things :           -
 BECAME VERY INTOLERANT, AND AS TIME                                         1. A promise is never a prediction.
 WENT ON, HE CREATED A FEELING OF  DISSEN-                                   2. A promise is a prediction and a prediction is a promise.
 TION (must be dissension; Mr. Linsey, the lawyer, and the
 Rev,. De Wolf do not know how to spell the word for it ap-                  How does Kok manage this ? Simply by discontinuing,
 pears repeatedly in this form in the cross bill,- H.H.) AND             deliberately, a certain quotation of mine in the middle of a
 OPPOSITION TO HIM IN HIS CHURCH."                                       paragraph.
                               Hubert De Wolf                                Let me demonstrate this by quoting the whole paragraph
I_                           F R E D E R I C K   SYirSMA                 as far as it is necessary  to prove my contention, putting
                             HENRY KNOTT                                 what Kok quotes in regular type, and the rest in italics.
                             WILLIAM STUURSMA                                "Attend, please, to the meaning of these words, and you
                             LAMBERT  -MULDER                            will surely acknowledge that the promise is not conditional
                             ANDREW DYKSTRA                              and cannot possibly be.
                             HENRY BASTIANSE                                 "What is meant, in these words, by the promise ?
                             SIDNEY DE YOUNG                                 "Is it a prediction of what God will do in the future?
                             ADOLPH VERMEER                                  "The answer is and must be negative.
                             GERRIT SIKKEMA
                             JOHN BOUWMAN                                    "For, first of all, it is a distortion of the term to say:
                             ANDREW VOSS                                 a promise is a prediction. (Thus far  Kok. And now I
                               By Hubert De Wolf                         continue.)  Tlze  p?*o%ise, of  -coatrse,   (w,Lay)   ~&cll~de a  pre-
                                                                         diction  and often does. Ths it is with respect to the promise
         These same men, in 1940, signed the following:                  of the j+st coming of Christ as well as with `the p'omise  oj
        "TO OUR BELOVED PASTOR, HERMAN  HOEK-                            his coming' the second time.
 SEMA, D.V.M. DO WE,  O,N THIS 25th  ANNIVER-                                                                But  even then, the  mai,n idea
                                                                         is not  a,  pl-edict,iort,   b,ztt a PROMISE, a pledge,  and  oai.1~
 SARY OF HIS ORDINATION TO THE MINISTRY,                                 of God that he will  szwely   so,ve His people and,  therefof,e,
 EXTEND OUR SINCERE CONGRATULATIONS.                                     ,is vowed 
 HIS CONSECRATED EFFORTS, FOR WHICH WE                                                 or~ly  to  the elect. The destruction of  Je+rtsalem  is
                                                                         a.l.so a prediction, so ts the destruction of Babylon, but th.is
 H U M B L Y   A C K N O W L E D G E   O U R   C O V E N A N T           surely cannot be ca,lled a promise to those cities. A promise,
 GOD, HAVE GIVEN US' A PURER AND MORE                                    therefol'e,  though it  `ma,y be  p+edicted 
PROFOUND CONCEPTION OF THE REFORMED                                                                                        as  to its  certain  ful-
                                                                         jillment,  can never be called a, prediction.`"
T R U T H S ,   P A R T I C U L A R L Y   T H E   M Y S T E R Y   O F
HUMAN DEPRAVITY AND SOVEREIGN GRACE."                                       Kok, in the same article from which the above was
         When did they lie  ? Then, or now in the above cross            quoted, makes more quotations in the same immoral and  dis-
bill ?                                                                   honest way, stringing together a few quotations from articles
         Or : how do  you  explain the change ?                          of mine that cover five or six pages.
         Principally : Hymenaeus and Alexander. Practically,                But- let this be sufficient to prove that Kok simply lies
especially after my sickness, from which they hoped I would              when he tries to make it appear that I contradict myself.
never recover: Absalom and David.                                           What I wrote is that it is a distortion of the term promise
                                                               H.H.      to say that the promise is -a prediction because, although


                                                 T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                               173

it is frequently also, a prediction, it is much more than that,        split in our churches. I am sure, though, he would never
and because a prediction is by no means always a promise.              have set forth this reason had he been.  aware of, and un-
    That  Kok cannot understand this is due, not to a men-             derstood its implications. "The deepest reason," accord-
tal, but to a moral defect, to the siti against the ninth com-         ing to the Rev. Petter, is the fact that those who sought
mandment.                                                              the split were possessed with the  idea of distinctiveness.
    Deliberately he misquoted me,                                      Rey. Petter elaborates on this idea of distinctiveness and
    For a Christian to commit the very works of the devil              says-: "To begin with, there is the well-known expressioh:
(11.  Cat.) is very serious. It means that he is motivated             "We must be distinct." or "we have a distinctive calling."
by hatred of the brother.                                              With this expression we begin to assume an attitude that
    I earnestly hope that he repents.                                  is not the mark of the true church, but  it is in fact the
                                                            I-1. H.    mark of the sect, with its ugly distortion of the beautiful
                                                                       Church of Christ."
                                                                           Now, Rev. Petter may not be conscious of what he
Re The Reformed  Guardiah and the Rev. Petter says in these words, but our readers  must know  that he
    This is a.conti*pua,fiion of the editoG1  that was written by      speaks the language of pure modernism. Jn these words,
special  request of the editor.                                        Rev. Petter advocates the all-inclusive church of the  ntod-
.(Re:  - Reformed Guardian  - Vol. 1, Nov. 27,  1953;   No: 9)         ernist.    I challenge anyone to take this statement of the
                                                             H.H.      Rev. Petter, and the exposition which accompanies it, set
    Because of the lack of space this article, begun in the last       it before any thorough going modernist, and the latter will
issue of the Standard Bearer, must  .be completed in this issue.       unequivocally admit agreement with the Rev. Petter. This
Hence, because of the lapse of time, too, it is suggested that         is so obvious that, here too, I shall not take the time and
our readei-s, once again, read the first installment that the          space to elaborate further. However, I do want to call
picture presented therein may be clearly before them, as               the attention of our readers to the fact that while the Rev.
they continue this second installment.                                 Petter speaks about what is not the mark of the &z&e  ckzwclz,
    In the fourth place, note Observation No. 4. (Ref.                 what he actually does, is  d*istort and corrupt Articles
Guardian, Vol. 1, No. 9, Pg. 6) Rev. Petter draws the fol-             XXVIII and XXIX of the Confession of Faith. The true'
lowing rash conclusion : "those that have brought about the            Church, to which Articles XXVIII and XXIX refer, is
rupture now readily feel that these were no really valid               nothing other than the distinctive church. Hence, in sub-
grounds." The grounds to which he  refers, of course, are              stance, Rev: Petter repudiates-and casts aside as "ugly" the
the heretical statements of Rev. H.. De Wolf. I  say this is           whole position of the Protestant Reformed Churches since
a rash conclusion because it is founded on what he and                 their inception in 1924. This is clearly seen in his remarks
those supporting him Izave simply heard  are "other  grounds           concerning the quotation from the Rev. H. Hoeksema's
and causes" responsible for the split.. In plain words, his            Pre-Synodical sermon of 1950, preached in Hull, Iowa. Fur-
conclusion is founded on  pzcJ,e  Izeal=ra_v.     Nowhere in the       thermore, it speaks anything but "truth and justice", of
records of  Classis  East, or in the records of the  Consis-           which the Rev. Petter and his supporters claim to advo-
tory of First Church is there any indication that the grounds          cate. Notice, if you will, how the Rev. Petter interprets
for the controversy has been, and is, and always will be, any          these remarks of the Rev. H. Hoeksema,  ai cited in his
other than a question of faithfulness to the Scripture ; in            article (Ref. Guardian, Vol. 1, No. 9, Pg. 8). He (Rev.
other words, one of  @ye doctrine.                                     Petter) says, in commenting: "Those who are not  100%
   But this, of course, can never and will `never be ad-               Protestant Reformed had better go away, had better ask for
mitted by  tl?e Rev. Petter or his supporters. Hence, Rev.             their  pjpers.    It was not said that one- should repent
Petter proceeds to set the stage for the introduction  oE              (italics, the Rev. Petter's) if he compromised the Word
"other grounds and causes" responsible for the split and               of God  ; No, here the Protestant Reformed doctrine is the
thus, divert the attention of the People from the true gromld          tloctrine of the Scriptures, and if anyone still has any ques-
and issue, which  Ts one of pm-e   dq&ine.        Thus, it is from     tions' to ask, if anyone is still willing to listen to reasonable
the opposition that we hear such questions as : "Is it any-            discussion of details, but is not 100% Piotestant Reform&d,
thing more than a matter of personalities  ?", etc. I shall            he had better ask for his papers." (italics the Rev. Petter's j.
not take the time and space to answer such questions for,              "And where he goes, while he still has these questions, what
I am sure, our people are thoroughly aware that it is                  h&comes of him, what becomes of his wife and children -
ai@hing  but a matter of  pe9,sonalitie.s.        The question of      that all makes no difference. In this distinctice church there
person.alities  has  been introduced as a "red herring" to             is  only room for those who are 100% in agreement with
simply confuse the true issue and, introduced, I say, by               what is asserted to be Protestant Reformed doctrine." .
the opposition.                                                           In these remarks, Rev. Petter distorts and corrupts the
   However, the Rev. Petter does set forth a reason, one               funclame&al  thought and idea of the distinctive-the true
which he considers to be "the deepest reason" for the                  church which the Rev.  ,H. Hoeksema was trying to  con-
           -

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

  vey to his listeners. Furthermore, I say, this a  deliberate        is that  r&g  of distinctiveness. Rev. Petter is' thoroughly
  attempt  on the part of Rev. Petter. For, Rev. Petter knows         aware of this, but, of course, these things cannot be set
  only too well, that he does not speak the truth here. He            forth to support the error and hence, he conveniently over-
  knows  that when he was Pastor of the former Protestant             looks them. In all seriousness, we ask:  Is  this  your kind
  Reformed Church in  Chatham,  there was not total agree-            of "truth and justice,"  Rezt. Petter?
  ment-100% agreement, if you please, to the Protestant                  If Rev. Petter does not conveniently overlook these
  l?eformed position. Nevertheless, because, at first, there          things, then we must ask the question: Where has he been
  was a willingness, on the part of the people to submit to           all these years  ? Was he never aware of the distinctive call-
  instruction, that group in  Chatham  was organized and a            Cng of the Protestant Reformed Churches  ? Or, did he at
  Pastor was called to lead them  and-  instruct them in the          one time sincerely, feel he was part of this distinctive move-
  way of Truth. This Truth was set forth by the Protes-               ment, but now feels he must have none of it? F o r ,   i n
  tant Reformed Churches.                                             `substance, he does the latter when he repudiates the idea
         Rev. Petter makes mention of "speaking the truth in          of distinctiveness, because it is this same idea of distinc-
  love." However, he deliberately refuses to recognize the            tiveness we desire today, as was set forth in 1924. It would
  fact that  Chatham,  as well as Hamilton, was  actually or-         be interesting to know how the Rev. Petter felt `about this
  ganized because ,of the fact that our people desired to speak       question of distinctiveness when he was ordained to the
  the  tmth  in love  to these  grotips.  We were concerned           ministry, and during the time when he was ministering the
  pbabdut  their welfare hence, spiritual and material assistance     Word of God and  labouring  in his former charges in be-
  and support were solicited to the end that these congrega-          half of and representing the Protestant Reformed cause.
  tions might be one with  -us. All this, mind you, though            In the light of Rev. Petter's position, then, one can
  these  pe,ople in  Chatham  and Hamilton were  Got  lOO'&           easily see how that he would  misinterpret  the remarks of
  5n  agrciement  with the Protestant Reformed position, be-          Rev. H.  Hoeksema,   which  he cites on Pages 11 and 12
  cause of the doctrinal problems which were still before             (Ref. Guardian, Vol. 1, No. 9). It is plain to see, too,
  them-having just left  the Liberated Churches in the Neth-          that he sets these remarks fqrth to illustrate "the utter
  erlands. Rev. Petter totally disregards these facts when            disregard for the life and welfare of the Church of Christ."
 I he criticizes the Rev. H. Hoeksema's Pre-Synodical ser-            This is understandable because he fails to see -that it is dis-
  mon and the idea of the distinctive church.                         tinctiveness apd disfiinctiveness  alone which really and truly
         In light of Rev. Petter's attitude toward the idea  6f       does regard the life of the Church of Christ. It is because
  the distinctive church, I sincerely  wotider, as many of our        & church is  t&y  distimtive   that it is concerned with its
  people do, whether Rev. Petter  recrlly  knows what it is to (purity  in -doctrine and in life.  ,How clearly this is illus-
  be Prdtestant Reformed. To be truly a.nd consistently Prot-         trated in the Church of the Old Dispensation.            Israel
  estant Reformed is to be fimly  distir&ve.     In  qther  words,    was called upon .to be truly distinctive hence, she was com-
  tmly Protestant  Refomed and  distirtctive   are synonymous         manded to remain separate, to avoid union, and intermar-
  terms. However, I doubt whether Rev. Petter will ever               riage with the heathen and ungodly nations `round about.'
  understand this as long as he continues on the road he              God always calls His church (His people, j to be  distipct-
  now travels.                                                        ive-to be peculiar-to be holy as He is Holy. We tight
         On Page  1'0 of his article (Ref. Guardian, Vol. 1, No.      the good fight of faith in the way of maintaining our dis-
  9), Rev. Petter, in connection, with a reference to the Dec-        tinctiveness, and not by compromising the Truth.
  laration of  Piinciples,  and a clarification of its purpose           The desire to be distinctive is not, as Rev. Petter would
  regarding those who beJieved  in the concept of conditions,         have us believe a "craving')' which brings forth evil results.
  cites the response -to a proposal for such clarification. In        On the contrary, it is a sincere desire to do the good pleasure
; this response he writes : "Already then there was a craving         of our God, and thus fulfill our calling before all the world.
  for a certain pattern of distinctiveness, so that the Declar-       And it is the calling of the distinctive church to  labour
  ation was simply negated and answered with the threat,              and instruct all those in her midst who submit to such in-
"that means a split."         However, what the Rev. .  Petter        struction.. And, the true church will do this-until such
  fails to see and hence, set before his readers is the  fact-        time as those in her midst reveal themselves as other than
  the  histol&ally attested fact  that  there  was  alzvays a pat-    "worthy members of the flock."
  tern for distinctiveness.  This isn't something strange and            The split was there-the result of question? involving
  hew.      The  very~  purpose for existing as `Protestant Re-       pure  doctAne.    These "other grounds and causes" which
  formed Churches, from the time of their birth as a  de-             the Rev. Petter. and his supporters "are given to hear"
  nomitiation  of churches, to the present, is that these churches    are not the grounds and causes at all. They are merely
  should be distinctive, because of their peculiar calling. The       the inevitable results which must follow because of the spl.it.
  Standard Bearer for instance, clearly substantiates this            No, the split was there already; it was merely a question
  fact. From the earliest volume to the most recent issue,            of formally declaring it.
  the key-note-the ring that is heard throughout its pages               If the facts were faithfully set forth by the Rev. Petter,


                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                     175
                                                                            `.Z..
  he  .\iould, of necessity, be compelled to admit this. Never-         Churches in the Netherlands and, at the same time, devel-
  theless, I for one, would be  the first to say, Let the  CRev.        ops some of the principles upon which the work of evan-
  Petter  have all  the  ink he needs for, in writing this issue        gelization is supposed to be based.           _
  of the Reformed  (guardian, he has certainly. lifted the lid              The book is clearly written. No one that still can read
 .and revealed himself, arid the position of his supporters.            the Holland language will have any difficulty to read it.
  In this issue entitled: !`Was the Split  Neceisary?"  Rev.                Personally, I am afraid that, if I were still in the Neth-
  Petter stands representative of all those `who support the            erlands, I would not be an enthusiastic supporter of this
  Reformed Guardian. He speaks for each individual and                  [movement of evangelization. I rather share the objections
  repudiates the idea of a distinctive church. In other                 `that are mentioned in this book and the removal of which
 ,words,  he repudiates the whole Protestant Reformed move-             is attempted but, to my mind,' does not succeed very well.
  m e n t .                                                             Besides, I would have mork principal objections of my own.
             As long as there is no opposing response to what           After all, "evangelization" is preaching of the gospel, and
  Rev. Petter has written in Vol. 1, No. 9 of the Reformed              ithat belongs to the Church as institute and  nbt to every
  Guardian, we must conclude his supporters are in  t&al                menlber.  I am afraid that if anyone that is not called as-
  agreement, hereby revealing themselves just as the Rev.               sumes to "preach," even to a crowd on the street, the Word
  Petter.                                                               `is without power.     True, every believer  has the calling
                                                      E. Emanuel        td witness of God and His Christ, but that is something
                                                                        quite different from  "evangelizati+"   I am afraid, too,
 ,ll                                                                    that by this  l;liethod of "preaching"  people are drawn into
                         AS TO  BOOKS                                   the church without first  being  thoroughly indoctrinated,
 1'                                                               1,    and the Reformed churches will suffer the consequences.
  DE OUDERDOM DER AARDE.  ,(The Age of the                                                                                            H.H.
                                                                                                 -              -
        Earth),  by Dr.  G.`J. Sizoo  e.a. Published by J. H.  Kok,
        N. V. Kampen, the Netherlands. Price f.2.90.                        If jrou thoroughly exhaust a vessel of the air it contains,
         Onk who is interested to learn on the basis of what ar-        the pressure of the air on the outside will break that vessel
  guments science concludes that the earth is millions  arid            into (perhaps) millions of piedes; because there is not a
  even billions of years old, will do well to read this book            sufficiency of air within  to resist and counteract the weight
  but-critically. The authors all- confess to believe the bib-          of the atmosphere from without. A1 person who is exercised
  lical account of the creation' of the world. In this book,            by severe affliction, and who does not experience the divine
 however, they do not proceed from it, but only from the                comforts and supports in .his soul, resembles the exhausted
  viewpoint of science.                        d                        receiver above described ; and it is no wonder if he yields,
         We do not accept their conclusions for several reasons,        and is broken to shivers, under the weight of God's providen-
  such as:                                                              tial hand. But affliction to one who is sustained by the in-
         1.. Exegetically, it is absurd to interpret the days of        ward presence ;of the Holy Ghost resembles' the aerial pres-
  Gen. 1 as long periods.                                               sure on the outer surface of an unexhausted vessel. There is
         2. Science cannot draw `conclusions from the present           that within which supports if, and -which  preserves it from
 condition of the earth, which  .lies under the curse, to that          being destroyed by the incumbent pressure from without.
 of the original .creation.                                                                                                     - Toplady
  3. The history of man, concentrating around the rev-
 elation of Jesus Christ, is comparatively recent. God does                The  Arminians  suppose God to give us heaven, as the
 not build a thousand story basement with a.. one story                 king grants a brief for building a church. The brief runs,
1 structure on top.                                                     "We have grahted our most gracious letters patent." But
         4. I do not pretend to be able to solve the problems O;f       these same niost gracious letters are amply paid for before
 science but the flood and the fact that the first world was            they are granted. No fek, no brief.
 "standing in the water ,and out of the water" may well be                                                                      - Toplady
 taken into  acdount.  Etc., etc.                            H.H.
                                    * +  *                                Nov.  i3,  1653   dur Lord suddenly took unto himself' our beloved
 HET EVANGELIE IN EEN  ONTKERSTENDE   WER-                              h&band and father Mr. Gerrit `Geers at the age of 57 years.
                                                                           We deeply mourn  our.loss but not as those who have no hope,
        ELD (The  ,Gospel  in  a! alienated or unchristian world),      for we know he has  g&e  to his  eternal home, an house not
        by Dr. G. Brillenburg Wurth and Rev. W. A.  Wier-               made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
        singa. Published by J. H. Kok, N. V. Kampen, the Neth-                                             Mrs. Gerrit Geers
        erlands. -Price  f S.90.                                                                           Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Geers
         This is preeminently a Dutch book. It describes the                                               Miss Evelyn A. Geers
 movement of evangelization as supported by the Reformed


 17k                                           T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

 II                                                                 parent. -All these relationships may indeed be the means
                O U R   D0CTRIN.E  11`whereby God bestows authority upon some, and demands
                                                                    obedience of others; but they are not the basis or origin
                                                                    of authority.
                  ?fiE TRIPLE KNOWLEDGE                                 Authority is a `spiritual, invisible power that is vested
        A                                                           in someone or conferred `upon him. It is the right which
             N  EXPOSITION  OF  THE  HEIDELBERG  CATECHISM          anyone has over others to declare  `for those others what
                    PART  III  -  OF  THANKFULNESS                   shall be considered right and just.     Moreover, authority
                            LORD'S  DAY  39                         is the right to demand of those others that they shall con-
                               Chapter 1                            duct themselves in donformity  with the laws and rules im-
                  The Question of Authority. (Cont'd)               posed upon them by him that- is in authority. And thirdly,
        The fifth commandment, therefore, concerns princip-         authority is the right or power vested in someone or con-
 ally the question of authority and obedience. And with             ferred upon him to judge others according to the laws
 that question we meet  m every relationship of life in the         and rules laid down by him, and to maintain those laws and
 world.        This is  the reason why the Catechism and all        rules by punishing the evildoers. In other words, he that
 RefQrmed  thinkers explain the fifth commandment as ap-            has authority has the right to impose his mind and will
 plying to every department of life. As the  datechism   ex-        upon others, and to expect that  ~they  shall submit their
> plains, "I shall show all  @roper  love, fidelity, and obed-      mind and their' will to his, and that too, without any force
 ience to all that are in authority over me."                       or might or physical power whatsoever. Hence, authority
        The question now arises : what is authority  ? Nega-        is always an  of&e.    It. is always a spiritual power that is
 tively, we may say, in the first place, that authority is not      conferred upon someone or vested in someone. No  in&i-
 the same as power  in. the sense-, of might or strength            vidual man can haye authority over others in himself.
 or ability to do something. Authority is not the same as               This implies that -ultimately all  a&hority is from  Go,d.
 force. Indeed, authority is also strength or power, but it         God is the Lord. He is Lord over all. His dominion is
is a power of a purely spiritual nature.          It is a power     an everlasting dominion. He rules over all  creatiod, over
 that is vested in or conferred upon someone, although in           the sun.and the moon and the stars, over light and darkness,
 himself he has no power whatever.  A, very small and               over night and day, over winter and summer, over the
 physically weak policeman may exercise such power or               oceans  -and "seas and rivers, over the fish of the sea, the
 authority by arresting a powerful giant. But authority has         beasts of the field, the fowls of the air. They all are sub-
 nothing to do with might.. Might is not right. In the sin-         ject to His laws and ordinances. These creatures belong
 ful world it is indeed very proper and expedient that au-          to the brute creation. And the Lord, Creator of heaven
 thority is connected with power or  inight,  so that author-       and earth, reigns over them  withortt their will. But the
 ity has the power to maintain itself. But the fact remains         same Lord also i`s sovereign over all His moral creatures,
 that authority is not might.        In fact, to understand the     angels and men. -But  here we must make a distinction be-
 true nature of authority, we must abstract it from any             tween the good angels and the evil, between the righteous
 natural superiority.       A person may be very superior in        and the wicked. God  glso is absolute Lord over the devil
 knowledge and wisdom, but this does not put him- in au-            and his host and over all wicked men. But He rules over
 thority over others. Again we say ,that it is indeed very ex-      them against their will. They stand in enmity over against
 pedient and proper that  -those that are in  authoiity  are al-    :the Lord of heaven and earth. They set their will against
 so characterized by superiority of wisdom. But the fact            the will of the Lord. Nevertheless,  the Lord is sovereign,
 remains that the authority of the fool is just as much au-         and fulfills all His will and counsel in spite of all the plots
 thority as that of a wise man. Because a man is wiser than         and attempts of wicked men and of the devil and his host.
 I, he has no authority over me. He may advise me, and              But He also rules over the good angels, as well as over
 probably I will take his advice under `consideration. But          the righteous among men. But over `them He rules  z&/z
 he has no authority to demand that I take and follow his           their will. By grace in Christ they are redeemed and de-
 advice. Nor does authority follow from any position of             livered from the power of sin, and principally  love the
 advantage in society. A man may be rich in worldly pos-            Lord their God with all their heart and mind and soul
 sessions, and another may be in poor circumstances, Ejut           and  D strength, so that they love His precepts and delight
 riches does not confer upon anyone the ,power  or authority        in doing His will. But whether over the brute creation,
 to lord it over others. A man may be dependent for his             or over devils and wicked men, or over the good angels
 subsistence upon -another man, as a slave was in olden             and the people of God that havk been redeemed and de-
 times upon his master, .or an employee upon his employer           livered by grace, God is the Lord.  HC is not a lord, but
 in modern times, or even as a little child is absolutely de-       the only Lord of heaven and earth.        And His dominion
 pendent upon his parents; but even this is not a basis of          is absolutely over all. He has all authority in Himself, and
 authority on the part of the master, the employer, or the          there is no authority outside of Him. Hence, no man or


                                            T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                177

group of men can possibly have authority apart froni God.           mifiisters a- flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy
Authority does not rest in the mere fact that the parents           throne, 0 Gdd,  ;s for ever and ever: a scepter of right-
have generated their children, or in the accidental circum;         eousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved
stance that an employer gives work to his employees, or in          righteousness and hated iniquity  ; therefore God, even thy
the fact that a teacher confronts a class of children to in-        God, hath anointed thee with oil of gladness above thy
struct them. Authority does not rest in the will of the` fellows." Heb.  1 :4-9. And again, verse 13 of the same
people that elect the magistrates that  ~must govern over           chapter : "But to  +ich of the angels said he at any  &lie,
them. All these facts and circumstances may serve as a              Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy foot-
means whereby God the Lord points out who shall be in a             stool ?"    And again, in the second chapter of the same
position of authority and who shall be in a position to obey ;      epistle, the author, quoting from Psalm 8, writes: "But one
but they are never the source of authority. Authority must          in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou
be conferred. And-it can be conferred only by the Lord God,         art mindful of him  ? or the. Son of man, that thou visitest .
Who alone has dominion over all His creatures. "The Lord            him ? Thou `mad&t him a little lower than the angels  ;
hat11 prepared His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom           thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set
ruleth over all !" Ps. 103 :19. Strictly speaking, all authority    him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all thing's
is  :I&, even the authority that is manifested among men.           in subjection under his feet. For in. that he put all in sub-
And again, strictly speaking, no man and no creature has            jection under him, he left nothing that is not put under
any authority. Though the  Lord  Goda may exercise His              him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But
authority through the creature, in the real and ultimate            we see Jesus; wh0 was made a little lower than the angels
sense it always remains His.                                        for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor ;
                                                                    that he by the  po@er of God should taste death for every
    The question must be asked : upon whom does God                 man."
confer authority-? And the Scriptural answer is,  first  of
all, centrally God confers authority upon Christ,  the  Ser-           This truth, that Christ should have dominion over all
v&it of the Lord, Who came in the flesh, sojourned among            things, was even the hope of the Old Testament church.
men and revealed the Father, died on the accursed tree,             Of it they sang in the Second Psalm, in the midst of the
rose again on the third day, and is now exalted in the high-        raging of the heathen, and over against the vain counsel of
est heaven, where He sitteth at the right hand of the throne        the rulers of the earth. They sang of it, that the Lord had
of the majesty on high. For when He ascended up on                  them  in derision, and that he spoke unto them in His
high, He left His disciples and His church with the assur-          wrath as follows : "Yet  ,have I set my king upon my holy
ance: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."          hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath
Matt. 2S:lS.  Ail things He hath put under the feet of              said unto me, Thou art my Son  ; this day have I begotten
Christ. I Cor. 15  27, In -Christ God has revealed His              thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee  th`e heathen for
exceeding great power : "According to the working of his            thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for
mighty `power Which he wrought in Christ, when he                   thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron ;
,raised  him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand       thou. shalt dash `them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be
in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and powec       wise now therefore, 0 ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of
and might, and dominion, and every name that is named,              the earth.    Serve the Lord  wit6 fear,. and rejoice  .with
not only in this world,. but also in that which is -to come :       trembling. . Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish
and hath put all things under his feet."        Eph. 1  :19-Z.      from the way, when his writh is kindled but a little. Blessed
For God "also hath highly  cxaltcd  him,  and. givep  liim  a       are all they that put their trust in him." It is evident from       .
name which is above every name: that at the name of Je-             this passage that Christ in His typical manifestation in  ,David
sus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things          had dominion over the kings of the earth. The same is
in earth, and things under the earth: And that every tongue         evident from Psalm 72 : "He shall have  domitiion  also
should confess that Jesus Christ. is Lord, to the glory of          from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the
God the Father." Phil. 2 :9-11.  This- truth, that God              earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before
has conferred all authority and power upon Christ, is also          him  ; and his enemies shall lick the dust. The king-s of
strongly emphasized in the Epistle to the Hebrews: "Being           Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents : the kings
made so much better than the angels, as he -bath by inher-          of  Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall
itance obtained a more excellent name than they. For un-            fall down before him: all nations shall serve him." vss.
to which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son,        S-l 1. And in Psalm 89, the psalm that sings of the sure
this clay have I begotten thee  ? And again, I will be to           mercies of David, the church sings of Him as follows:
him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son ? And again,              "Then thou  spakest   ia vision to thy holy one, and saiclst,
when he bringeth in the firstborn into the world, -he -saith,       I have  .laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted
And let all the angels of God worship him. ,4nd of the              one chosen out of the people.       I  haye found David my
angels he saith, Who  maketh  his angels spirits, and his           servant; with my holy oil have I an0inte.d  him: With whom


1 7 8                                           T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R ' E R

  my hand shall be established : mine arm also shall strengthen         And, ye masters, do the same things unto them,  forbear-
  him. The enemy shall not exact upon him  ; nor the son                ing.threatening  : knowing that your master also is in heaven ;
  of wickedness afflict him. And I will beat down his foes              neither is there respect of persons with him."
before his face, and plague  them, that hate him. But my                   In this light we must also understand what is said of
  faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in                   the government and its sword power in Romans 13 :l-6:
  my name shall his horn be exalted. I will set his hand also. ' "Let every  soul  be subject unto the higher powers. For
  in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers. He shall cry            there is no power `but of God : the powers that be are or-
  unto me, Thou art my Father, my God, and the rock of my               dained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power,
  salvation. Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than             resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that desist shall
  the kings of the earth. . _  . Once have I sworn by my hol-           receive to themselves damnation.         For rulers are not a
  iness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure           terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not
, forever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be             be afraid of `the power _? do that which is good, and thou
  established forever as the moon, and as a faithful witness            shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister. of
  in heaven." vss. 19-27, 35-37. In Proverbs 8, the chapter             God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil,
  that speaks of the Christ as the eternal Wisdom, we read:             be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is
  "By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me                 the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him
  princes rule; and nobles, `even all the judges of the earth."         that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not
  vss. 15, 16. And to quote no more, in Daniel  7:13, 14, we            only for wrath, bu? also for conscience sake. For for this
  read of one like unto the Son of Man, who approaches the              cause ye pay tribute also: for they are God's ministers, at-
  Ancient of days  to receive his kingdom: "I saw in. the               tending continually upon this very thing." That authority
  night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came              is bestowed upon the government by God, not  direct!y,
  with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of                 but mediately, through Christ, is plain from all Scripture,
  days, and they brought him before him. And there was                  as we-have abundantly shown above. But it is also evident
  given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all                directly from I Peter 2 :13, 14, where the term "Lord" un-
  people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dom-            doubtedly, refers to Christ: "Submit yourselves to every
  inion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away,          ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to
  and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."                   the king, as supreme  ; Or  .unto governors, as unto them
         It is evident, therefore, from Scripture that all authority    that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and
  is conferred upon Christ. When, therefore, in the Heidel-             for the praise of them that do well."
  berg Catechism we read that "it pleases God to govern us                 In parentheses we may add here that government as
  by <their hand," it means not that God bestows or confers             such is not instituted for sin's sake, or on account of sin's
  authority directly and immediately upon those that govern             entering into the world, as is the contention of those that
  in the earth, but that all government is first and centrally          maintain the theory of common grace.          Nor is govern-
  bestowed upon Christ, and that through Him it is con-                 ment instituted as a blessing of common grace for the re-
  ferred on or exercised by them that have authority in the             straint of sin at the time of the -covenant with Noah. It
  world. All power and authority is vested in Him. He  has- ,is true, of course, that the government bears the sword, and
  both the sword power and the key power. It is by Him                  that the sword is given to the magistrates for the punish-
  that parents have the right to rule over their children.              ment of eviidoers. But the fact that on account of sin the
  Hence, the apostle Paul admonishes the church of Ephesus              government bears the sword does not imply that therefore
  as follows: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord (i.e.,           government itself is instituted on account of sin. On the con-
  in Christ) : for this is right. Honor thy father and mother;          trary, as the Heidelberg. Catechism plainly teaches in this
  which is the first commandment with promise : That it                 Thirty-ninth Lord's Day in its exposition of the fifth com-
  may be +well  with thee, and thou mayest live long on the             mandment, government is not a special institution, insti-
  earth.      And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to             tuted in a' world of sin, but is developed directly from the
  wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition                family. Even, therefore, as in the world of angels there
  of the Lord." Eph. 6  :1-I. The  same.is  true with respect           are different powers and principalities, and even as in the
  to the authority of masters over their servants.  .For in             kingdom of glory there will no doubt be those that have
  Eph.  6~5-9 `we read: "Servants, be obedient to them that             authority and those that obey, under Christ as King sup-
  are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and                reme,  so1 if the world had developed from the beginning
  trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ: not           without the entrance of sin into `it (which, by the way, is
  with eyeservice, as men pleasers  ; but as the servants of            pure philosophy j , government would still have developed
  Christ, doing the will of God' from the heart; With  good             from the family, with its parental authority. From the
  will doing service as to the Lord, and not to men: Know-              simple unit of the single family it would have developed
  ing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same                into the broader patriarchal family. From that it would
  shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.             have developed into the tribe, and from the tribe into the


                                                  T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                 179

       nation. In that case (if I may philosophize just a little           alted in the highest heavens. And Christ, in the name of
     farther) Adam would have been king over the entire hu-                God, and. as the representative of  IIis sovereignty, rules
       man race. However this. may be, government is not a                 through men, who by Him are placed in positions of au-
       special institution ordained by God in His common grace for         thority, whether in the family, in society in general, or in
       the restraint of sin, but is also in our present world organ-       the governments of the world, or even by those that exer-
       ically developed from the family.                                   cise the key power in the church. All are responsible to
       --From  this principle it follows that all that are occupying       Christ, and through Him to God. And only then they
       places of authority in the world, whether the magistrates           rule by the grace of God through Christ and keep the fifth
       in the government,. or employers in relation to their em-           commandment, when, from the heart, they serve the Lord
                                                                           Christ  .and rule according to His ordinances.
       ployees,  or teachers in the classroom, or elders in the church,
       or parents- in the family, must rule according to the ordin-                                                                   H.H.
       ances and precepts of the Lord Jesus Christ, in His
       Name, and for His sake. They must serve tha Lord Christ.                                       Chapter 2
          This must be emphasized, when in the church the fifth
       commandment  .is preached.                                                               Obedience and Promise
          Then it will also be evident that not in the world, by               We must not overlook the fact that the fifth command-
       common grace, but only in the church, by believers in               ment >does not address those that are in authority, although
       Christ Jesus, the fifth commandment can in principle be             this is naturally implied in the commandment, but those
       o b s e r v e d .                                                   that stand in a position of obedience. It' does not address
          All that are in authority do indeed receive their author-        the parents, but the children. Hence, the Catechism ex-
.      ity from Christ, or rather, through Christ from God.. But           plains "that I show all honor, love and fidelity, to my
     all that are in authority do not stand in that position by            father and mother, and all in authority over me, and sub-
       the grace of God in Christ. All are indeed responsible              mit myself  ,to their good. instruction and correction, with
       in their position, and answerable to Christ, and through            due obedience  ; and also patiently bear with their weak-
       Him to God, for the way they exercise their authority1              nesses and- infirmities, since it pleases God to govern us by
      The parent is answerable to Christ for the nurture of His            their hand." Besides, the form of this commandment is
       children in the fear of the Lord. But only when he. does            positive, not negative. It approaches us with an injunc-
       so according to the Word of God from the heart, for Christ's        tion, rather than with a prohibition. Why this command-
       sake, does he obey the fifth commandment. If he fails to            ment is addressed to those in positions of obedience rather
       do this, and occupies his position as parent merely from the        than to those in authority, cannot be determined with cer-
       motive of natural love, brings up his children in the world         tainty: Perhaps, however,. we may surmise that the reason
      -and for the world, he violates this fifth commandment, and          lies in the fact that it is more difficult in a sinful world,
       certainly does not serve the Lord Christ.        The same is        and even for the sinful nature of the Christian, to practice the,
       true of the magistrate in the government. The magistrate            virtue of obedience than to exercise authority over others.
       rules by the `grace of God only when he serves the Lord             However this may be, the commandment. enjoins the child-
       Christ from the heart, `and occupies his position of author-        ren and all those that stand in a position of obedience in
       ity before His face and for His sake. Only when he em-              relation to others, that they shall honor them. Children
     ploys his sword power to protect the good and to punish               must honor their. father and their mother : not only their
       the evildoers, and exercises his authority according to- the,       father, but also their mother. `In relation to their children
       ordinances of Christ, does he occupy his position in har-           both of them stand in a position of authority. And, that
       mony with the fifth commandment. If he fails in this re-            the children are enjoined to honor their father and their
       spect, plays politics, uses his authority against the good and      mother implies that `they respect them in their position for
       in favor of the evildoers, he violates this fifth precept of        God's sake and motivated by the love of God, that there-.
       the Decalogue. Stalin certainly did not rule by the grace           fore they submit themselves to their instruction and correc-
       of God, although he stood in the position of authority that         tion, and that they obey their precepts. This applies, ac-
       was conferred upon him by God through Christ. Grace is              cording to all Scripture, not only to the good and gentle, but
       never common, although positions of authority are common            also  to. the evil and froward. There is only one limitation
       to the wicked and the righteous.                                    to this position of obedience, and that is that according
          This, therefore, is the conclusion of the matter.- All           to Scripture we must honor and obey God rather than men.
      authority is from God. There is  I no authority in man               Of this we will say more presently.
       whatsoever, whether it be in superiority of  ,wisdom,  or of           Obedience, therefore, must be practiced and inculcated,
       power or of numbers. It is in God alone, Who has all                first of all, in the home. And from the home this spiritual
       power  .and dominion in Himself. It pleases God centrally           virtue must be extended in  its- manifestation to all other
       to rule over all things as a revelation of His own sover-           departments of life, in the school, in society, in the dhurch,
       eignty through Jesus Christ, the Servant of the Lord,  ex-          and in the state.                            .


180                                        T H E   STANDAR-D   B E A R E R

                                                                      form indicates not a static purity, but rather a living  ac-
            FROM.HOLY   W R I T  / .tive faith and new life in. Christ, which is constantly up l'o
                                                                      the present moment in the  activity  of purification. The Seed
                                                                      of regeneration is there  by the Word of God that liveth
                Exposition of I Pete? 1:22-25                         forever; God preserves us in the faith through His Spirit
                                  I I                                 abiding in us.
                                                                          Thirdly, because the relationship of "he&t". and "soul"
       In our former article we were occupied `with the grand         in man is such that our "soul" does not determine the
truth that this -Scripture passage from I Peter  1:22-25 is           "heart" but rather our "heart" determines the life of our
ia precept of the Gospel to the reborn church of  God. We             "soul".       Strictly speaking we cannot purify our souls from
`ended by asserting that Peter does not admonish the                  a  p'ure heart. This relationship is indicated also in the
Church to become what she is  ncit, but rather the  Church            words of the Lord Jesus when he tells us that the Great
!is admonished to live out in holy fear and trembling what            Commandment is that we love the Lord, our God with all
[she has been made to  be in Christ. More and more we                 iour  heart,  with all our  ~0146,  with all our  w&d. The  heart
must love one another fervently from the heart.              That, is first, it is the fountain from  phich all life's issues are.
is conversion. That is true sorrow for the "spots" that               The soul is the vehicle `employed by the heart. `Without
cleave to our best works, and more and more having true               .the  soul  the  heaft cannot express itself. And the "heart"
joy in God through Jesus Christ.                                      expresses itself through the, "soul," but then consciously
       Let us  fufther'make  an inquiry from the text as to this      by means of the "mind.".
matter of loving one another fervently from the heart.                    From this it appears that the co&omitancy  between the
       It should  fhen. not escape our notice' that the  spiritual    purification of the soul and the love of the heart is `not one
.conconzita,rzt  of such a fervent love from the heart is  "ha.v-'    of. pre-requisite or cause. It is rather one of the only proper
Fng  yo,ztr  sods  p"rijied in obeying the  tmth through the          spiritual quality of the  soul  in which the love of the heart
SptGt unto unfeigned love of  the  brethren".  We do well             can express itself  fervently.  For the fervency of the love
in taking particular notice of the relationship in which the          of the heart is really the spiritual warmth of a pure soul.
Apostle here places this fervent love from out of the "heapt"         In a .filthy and evil soul fervent love connot be expressed.
to the purification of the  "so&".                                    Here the  loins of  the mind are not girt up in spiritual
       The question is : what is the relationship between these       readiness.
two elemerits in our Christian experience as indicated in, the            When the text here speaks of "soul". reference is had
text ?                                                                to the spiritual soul of man, commonly spoken of as con-
       The  gi-ammatical   bonnection  between these two  p&rts is    sisting of mind and will, together with the concrete atti-
indicated by the perfect active participle "Hegnikotes," which        tudes of this will and mind. Now this attitude; fundamen-
allows for more than one translation in  english.  The King           tally, can be one of the "flesh" or it can be of the "spirit".
James Version translates : "Seeing that ye have  pz&fied              If it is the former then we  de not have obedience to the
your souls . . . . " According to this rendering it means that        truth by the Spirit; when the latter  iS present then it is
ahe purification is already an accomplished act. Whether              obedience to the Truth.
that act is once or repeated. It is finished. There is also the           Just one more observation here.
translation which makes of the perfect p&&le  a gerund:                   Now a purified soul is oni who sees himself consciously
by  pzt@fying.  In this latter sense Calvin interprets it. Per-       as the "I" who has delight in the law of God after the in-
sonally we favbr  the latter interpretation for we believe that       ward man. That delight fills his soul. Thus the soul is
it points us in the proper diredtion. It indidates that with-         pure. In this purity the love for. the brother is fervent.
out  the  petrifying   of the "soul" there will be no  fervent            Oh,  where we obey the entire Truth of the glorious
love from the "heart." The two go hand in hand; they are              Gospel with fhe obedience of faith- wrought by the Holy
concomitant! This concomitancy is, however, not such that             Spirit then it is not a grievous law demanding works from
the purifying of the  "soul" is the "pre-requisite" for love          us, but it is' the inward must of the new life in Christ, of
from the "heart". That it cannot be because of the fol-               our having been renewed by God's Holy Spirit in true
lowing in the text.                                                   righteousness and holiness. `It is self-conscious  .faith that
    First, because the text is not simply speaking of love            asserts itself in new obedience.       Such faith bows  before
from the heart for one another; but its speaking of fervent           ithe will of Christ. It is the man, who. is enlightened in
love, which we are to have one for another. It is not so              his mind, in a most delightful, astonishing, mysterious and
that we cannot love  -at all from the heart except we  first          ineffable way.
do something else, that is : purify our  souls.  That  w&Id               Such is the .&-ification of which Peter here speaks.
:be pure moralism ! No, the- text is speaking of fevvent  love,           Such is the concomitancy  qf the purification of the
and admonishes us to such fervency.                                   "soLlls"    of each elect-believer, and the. "fervency" of his
    Secondly, because the perfect tense of this participial           love from the "heart". It allows for the term  "require-
                                                                                                                I


                                           T H E   - S T A N D A R D   B'E-ARER                                                        181

merit", while the term "pre-requisite" cannot possibly ex-          which the.  actus of' `faith springs forth in purification unto
press this relationship. For it ought to be evident that we         brotherly love.
do not purify our souls in order to love fervently ! And                   That thjs regeneration, spoken of in the text, is wider
s&h is not the teaching of the text either. The text  says          in scope than the first  implan?ing  of  new life, or  regener-
that. our  pu&cation  is into brotherly love. The preposi-          .ation in-the narrow sense is also evident: It is, evidently,
tion into (eis in Greek) means more and more into broth-            regeneration viewed .in the wider sense, as including faith,
erly love. There is no purification of  the soul, the mind          cotiver%ion  and hope in God.
`the will, but what we are going in the direction of love for              For proof  bf this interpretation we call attention to
the brother.    Such is the quintessence of "Philadelphia".         then f&owing elements in the text and context.                  In the
Spiritually-psychologically there is no point of separation         first place,  notice that the regeneration here spoken of is
between the purifying of t'he soul and the fervent love. #One       presented by  the Apostle as coming forth  out  of incor-
could not possibly first do the one and then the other. That is     ruptible  seed.      It proceeds from a new principle of life.
a spiritual monstrosity.  ,Rnd he who tries it nonetheless          And this "seed" is thus in some sense prior to the regen-
would find himself once more in  B hopeless impasse of              eration here referred to. Secondly, notice that it is a re-
being under the bondage of the. law rather than in the              generation that. is brought about  through  (by means  of-
blessedness of grace. Let a man try it once, if he wants            dia) the Word-of God. And this word is explicitly stated
to play with fire, and see once whether he will not land            to be the Word of God, which by the gospel is preached to
in hopeless desperation !                                           us.
   But we will not place such burdens of unnatural  atid                   We will reflect on this in a future essay- the last on
un-Scriptural spiritual soul-care upon the dear flock of            this Chapter.
God !                                                                      Meanwhile, it seems to me, that we here stand before
   We will remind the flock of God,  ai does Peter, of the          the reality that "the manner of this operation cannot fully
fact that there is strong consolation for us in the imperish-       be comprehended by believers in this life". Canons of Dort,
able and unchangeable work of God's regenerating grace.             Articles III, IV, Paragraph 13.
   The text reads. further: "Being  borrz again,  Not of                                     (To be continued)
c&+ble   setid,  but of  iscorruptible,  by the Word of God                                                                     G. Lubbers
which liveth artd abideth forever . . .I' Verse 23.
   Let us try  fo see some of the  imp!ications  of this last
quoted Scripture passage.                                                                      --.
   First of all we would point out, that this entire  23rd
verse is related to the main clause in verse 22 by the part-                             All who, with heart confiding,
iciple in Greek  (anagegenneemenoi)  translated in the King                              Depend on God alone,
James Version : being born again. This relationship is ex-                               Like Zion's mount abiding,
pressed as being a circumstantial participle. In this  cas&                              Shall ne'er be overthrown.
it expresses cause of the purifying of the soul and having                               Like Zion's city bounded
fervent love for one another. There is no such love and                                  By guarding mountains broad,
purity possible escept  out of the work of God in regenera-                              His people are surrounded
tion. When `this  s&e "`cause"  is viewed from the aspect                              . . For ever by their God.
of the fact, that the text is an exhortation, then the parti-                            No scepter of oppression
ciple also expresses ground.                                                             Shall hold unbroken sway,
   Concerning this new birth in Christ we ought to ,notice                               Lest unto base transgression
the following particulars in the text.                                                   The righteous  turh away.
   It is evident from the passive tense that in the  .work                               Thy favor be imparted
of this regeneration we are wholly passive. We  ~$0 not                                  To godly men, 0 Lord ;
co-operate with God in this work. Nor do we in any way                                 , Bless all that are purehearted,
experience this. regenerating work of God so that we can                                 The good with good reward.
point it out. It is solely God's work in our hearts, in the                              The  men who falsehood cherish,
`hearts of the elect in Christ, so that. we are such that  we.                           Forsaking truth and right,
are new creatures in Chyist. Old things have passed away.                                With wicked  men shall perish ;
Our  heaits  are fundamentally  made. new. The dominion                                  God will their sin requite.
of sin and darkness is once and for always broken. The                                   From sin Thy saints defending,
works of the Devil have been destroyed in us principally.                                Their joy, 0 Lord, increase,
And we shall return to our former condition never again.                                 With mercy never ending
God has created  us  in this regeneration  unto~good  works                              And everlasting peace,            .
in Christ. He has  `planted,  in  US the  habitus  of faith from                                                                 Psalm 125
                   -  "                                                                                              1

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

                                                                      nowrg-oing  to be flooded with propaganda to the effect that
                 I N H I S F E .A R  .-                               a& these statements, to which he swore before God and
                                                                      man, have a different meaning than their literal form and
                                                                      that he meant something entirely different? And this time
                     Afraid of the Gospel                             he had the assistance of attorneys to make such an unfor-
                                .(lQ)                                 tunate statement ? ? ? ? ! ! ! ! I&& with the help of a lawyer
                                                                      does he, still make statements that are not clear and do not
        Conditional theology is an insult to God !                    express what he really means ?
        Thus we wrote in a former article. And we would have              But here is fhe think that you must see now. The Ap-
 you note that we say that conditional theology is an insult          ostle Peter explains to us why Rev. De Wolf cannot see
 to God. We do not say that every use of the conditional              the error in those statements. To him and to us Peter
 form is to be condemned. To use what, in grammar, is                 writes, "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all. guile,
 called the conditional form does not necessarily mean that           hypocrisies and envies,  aid all evil speaking, As newborn
 you are presenting conditional theology  atid are making             babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow
 statkments  that are insults to God.                                 thereby." I  Peter  2  :l, 2. Rev. De Wolf's heart and that
        Those who formerly belonged to the =-Protestant  Rez          of his supporters is so full of malice and envies and evil
 formed Churches, at least belonged in name, but left to be           speaking-s that they cannot desire the sincere milk of the
 free to teach and propagate conditional theology would like          word. He'cannot desire to cast from, him those insults to
 to deceive you into thinking that because Scripture uses             God ! Only in th? way of putting these aside will he and
 the conditional form, it teaches conditional theology. But           his followers ever desire and hold on to the pure, unadul-
 that is not so !                                                     terated Protestant Reformed Truth. Otherwise he will only
        Just because a verse ifi Scripture begins with an "if", an    continue to desire the impure, man-exalting, God-insulting
 "except" an "unless" or any such  expressi.on  it does not           conditional theology he now defends.
 necessarily follow that a condition is being presented. It              We are too  harsh ?
 never. means that in Scripture. We will not take the time               Conscientious reader, read the following things to which
 nor the space now to show how often and in how many                  Rev. De Wolf swore before God and man as representa-
 ways we, in our every day language', make  tise of such              tive for his whole consistory and which appears in his cross-
 words without introducing a condition.                               b i l l   :
        We will not take the time now because  m&e impor-                "15. Defendants further show that said Herman  Hoek-
 tant things must appear in these columns at present. And             sema, commencing early in his life, has been a domineering
 as long as men continue to defend those literally heretical          character whose word is law and who would not tolerate
 statements of Rev. De Wolf they must not say that they               any opposition to his conclusions or  pr.onouncements,  and
 do  not. believe in  arminian conditions ! And a man who             that in organizing the  ,First Protestant Reformed Church
 does not believe or teach the arminianism,  implied not only,. of Grand Rapids, Mich., he. assumed to be the head there-
 but also literally stated, in those two statements will con-         of and to dictate its policies, and would not tolerate any
 demn them and declare that they must be condemned.                   opposition to his own ideas or wishes, became very intol-
        What we want to share with you now is the spiritual;' erant, and as time went on he created a feeling of dissen-
 ethical, moral reason why Rev. De' Wolf cannot see the in-           tion and opposition to him in this church."
 sult to God in his statements and why his followers likewise            "33. These defendants show that 24 churches have been
cannot see it. We mean that! Spiritually they  cannot see             organized known as the Protestant Reformed Churches, and
it. We pleaded with him ; others pleaded with him ; Classis           that cross defendant Herman Hoeksema, actually, not in
 spent seven days in the love of Christ labouring to get him          name, has assumed to be the head of said churches and in
to see it. And he could not and still does not.                       fact has sought to control the action?  of said churches, their
        Now we understand why. And we have been vindicated            policies. etc. aid has by his conduct at .times controlled the
in regard to our recent writings and that at an earlier date          vote and proceedings of the Classis  and attempted to con-
than we dared to expect. `We said that, having left  ille             trol the matters that came-before the Synod."
straight line of the truth, one must needs come back all the             "41. These defendents  ,further  show that the history
way or else go still further  into'erro;.  A further error, an        of Herman Hoeksema shows a disposition of intolerance
awful error, a clear and plain error has now been published           and that  bf absolute boss and a person  whose mentality  Is
to all the world!                                                     .such that he is incapable of tolerating any person or per-
    Of course we' mean that cross-bill filed in Superior              sons who might disagree with his own ideas; that he is
Court by Rev. De Wolf. It explains everything! The                    always right and that the person who disagrees with him
short quotation that appeared in the last Standard Bearer             is always wrong, and that he intends to rule or ruin, and
revealed plenty. And we will not repeat it or what it shows.          he and his followers are following a course of conduct.
We would add just this thought to that editorial: Are we              which is intended to- and does wreck this denomination,


                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             183

  causing dissention in its churches, and that no court Shbuld        .' Are consistories in what was formerly  Classis  West  go-
  place its stamp 6f approval upon the actions of these cross         mg to come to their March session with instructions to rec-
  defendants."                                                        ognize-also this new act of Rev. De Wolf' and to advise all
     To all that Rev. De Wolf swore before God and did                the congregations that are in their fellowship to declare
  so as declaring that he was authorized to  .do that for his         that the decrees and pronouncements of the Christian Re-
  whole consistory.                                                   formed Churches in 1924 must be acknowledged?
     He and his consistory  are to be pitied. And yet be-                 And those' of you who were deceived and went along
  cause they intended to hold on to those statements which            simply because your sympathy was `aroused ; and you who
  in  theii- literal form are heretical and to continue in their      were deceived into thinking that Rev. De Wolf never got
  schismatic way, it had to come to something like this. How          a fair deal in that consistory nor at the hands of  Classis
  they could ever deceive themselves into thinking that these         East, is this in your judgment a fair deal? Is this being
  `things were so true that before God they would swear to it         honest with the facts ?          L
  is to be explained only in the light of I Peter 2  :l, 2 and            Why did this -Rev. De Wolf ever want to sit under the
  similar passages of Holy Writ.  ,And  wky do they bring a           instruction of such a man who began so evilly so early in
  thing like that to a worldly court when as fellow  consis-          life  ? How could he  even,  knowing all these. things, want
  tory members with Rev. Hoeksema they never once even                to become an associate pastor in the same congregation
  started to discipline a m&l so evil that even Korah,  Dathan        with such a man! Why has he not as a pastor in that con-
  and  Abiram  would be  shocked  to see such playing with            gregation ever demanded of the consistory that this evil
  holy things and such  ti craving to rule or ruin.                  `man ! be disciplined ? How did he and his consistory ever
     Do these men think that they `are going to cause any-            get it  ac?oss  their consciences not to call Rev. Hoeksema's
one outside of their own circle to believe such things  ?             attention to his evil way whenever his consistory exercised
                                                                    0 Christian censure before each celebration of-the  Lordfs
     What a wonderful opportunity for the "Reformed Guard-            Supper as Article 81 of the Church Order demands ?
 ian" now really to come to the defense of truth and justice!             Rev. De Wolf, you swore before God that all this is
 Let the "Reformed Guardian" hasten to assure "Protes-                t r u e !
 tant Reformed Membership" that it is not going to defend                 In His fear put all this `&way,  and you will see what the
 that article quoted last time which by implication declared          sincere milk of the .Word  is, and as a newborn babe, you
 that Rev. Hoeksema should have submitted to the Three                will desire it and not  cbnditional  theology.
 Points of `24. Let it defend justice  atid hasten to assure
 "Protestant Reformed Membership" that Rev. Hoeksema                                                              Rev. J. A. Heys
                                                                                              de==--
 is a child of God and not an enemy of His Church and
 show that when God removed him from the scene for a                      The  Arminians think, that in conversion God does little
 time by sickness,  there was no sighing of relief from such          or nothing for men, but gives them a pull by the elbow, to
 awful tyranny nor a quick readjustment of all things, lest           awake them from their sleep. Rather, he acts as maritime
 at his recovery it would be too late to get justice and free-        officers do by their- sailors ; he cuts down the hammock of
 dom from his .awful,  devil-inspired, unregenerated and un-          carnal security in which the elect are ; down they fall, and
 sanctified actions. Let it defend justice and  renlind  Rev.         the bruises and surprise they receive awaken them from their
 De Wolf et al that Rev. Hoeksema always argued from                  death in sin, and bring them to thems`elves whether they will
 the Word and the Confession; and that  these  ruled in our           or no.
 churches all these years because God gave us a man so                                                                  - Toplady
 amazingly versed in them, and that even in their original lan-
 guages.                                                                  May not God have mercy on whom he willeth to have
     At various times lately, the leadership of Rev.  Hoek-           mercy, without asking leave of men or angels? Is not his
 sema, was questioned and declared to be untrustworthy.               grace totally' and infinitely free ? and may not he bestow his
 We were told not to follow it any more. But are these                own blessing when and where he pleases ? Let not our eye
 men now going to advise their friends and relatives, and            then be evil and envious because his is gracious. Away, then
 those whom they have deceived, to follow such awful lead-            with these  anti-Christian  bickerings, and let none who call
 ership as -Rev. De Wolf has displayed as he leads them back themselves believers, be sorry for that which makes the a&
 to 1924 and says that they must start over because `24' was         !geJs  glad.
 a schismatic act&n and that those decrees and pronounce-                                                                -Toplady
 ments on "Common Grace" should be recognized.? Groups
 rushed out of the Protestant Reformed Churches, a whole                 Unfair disputants are ever for dwelling on the most un-
 Classis  did, to stand next to Rev. De Wolf after he left           favourable side of an argument; like the blundering painter,
 the Protestant Reformed Churches. They could not even               who being to take the profile of a lady`that  had lost an eye,
 wait to appeal to the coming Synod, Now will they rush              very injudiciously drew her blind side.
 after  him  the vest of  the  way  back to 1924 ?                                                                      - Toplad)


   134                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
                                                                           .                       \
                                                                      cause of the promise  ? The promise, we understand, is
              Contending Fdr The Faith -                              the ground for baptism according to the view of the Liber-
                                                                      ated. We have no objection to this as such.' Does not the
                                                                      apostle, Peter, declare in his  Pentacostal  address: "Repent,
               The Church and the Sacraments                          and be  baptize`d, every one of you in the name of Jesus
                                                                      Christ  frlr the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the
           EARLY  VIEWS  OF  THE  SACRAMENT  OF  BAPTISM              gift of. the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to
   A few  general  observations  (cbntinzted)   .                     your  children, and to  ali  that are afar off, even as many
          In our preceding article we remarked  that,. beginning      as the Lord our God shall call"? Does not the fact  that
   a series of articles on the "early views of the sacrament          the  promis& of "unto you, and to your children, and  tq
   of baptism," we thought it not amiss to call attention to the      all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God
   washings and  pur$cations in Israel in the Old Testament.          shall call" constitute the ground, according to the apostle in
   We also called attention to the baptism of John, and brief-        this  ,passage,  for their. baptism unto the remission of sins and
   ly touched upon the Baptism Formula. We are now ready              the receiving of tlie Holy Ghost? And, yet, it is exactly
   to continue with our "general observations" to which we            the issue of the promise which constitutes an irreconcilable
   purposed to call attention before deciding to -write the art-      contrast between the Liberated and us.          They view the
   icle which appeared in the preceding-Standard Bearer.              promise, as the basis for baptism; as merely "toezegging,"
          And then we wish to remark, in the first place,  ihat       God's announcement and intention of *salvation for all. We,
   a discussion of the sacrament of baptism is and must be of .however,  view the promise as realiied for the children and
   the greatest importance. There is no doctrine which serves         in the children, and therefore as for the elect only. Finally
   to expose and reveal one's reformed  oi-  unrefdrmed  ten-         do we baptize the children upon the ground of a rigliiteous-
  dencies   moi-e readily and absolutely than the doctrine  rel-      ness which they may receive or a righteousness which they
_ ative this sacrament of Baptism. And this applies partic-           have. already received ? The latter is most emphatically
   ularly,  we must understand, to the baptism of children. The       our conception; the former, namely, that we baptize child-
   struggle in the Reformed  Chur.ch  world today and during          ren upon the ground of a righteousness which they may
   the last several years does not revolve about the baptism of       receive was advocated by the Rev. Petter already in 1951
   adults. We realize, of course, that there is little discussion     -see the Standard Bearer-of May 1, 1951, pages  345350.
   with respect to the baptism of. adults. If the Baptist bap-        For these, and many other reasons, we realize that a dis-
   tizes only adults because he insists that only the conscious       cussion of the, history of the sacrament of Baptism should be
   believer may receive the sign and seal of justification by         for us of the greatest significance.,
   faith, we, too, baptize only those adults who profess to be-           Secondly, Baptism was held in high esteem during the
   lieve in the Lord Jesus Christ. However, the struggle in           early centuries of the Church of God in the New Dispen-
   the Reformed Church today does revolve  -about  the bap-           sation.    It was not merely considered a rite, a ceremony ;
   tism of infants. We must bear in mind that we are speak-           but as a  sacr&nent  it was considered efficacious. Baptism
   ing of the Reformed Church world. The Baptist, we know,            was to the first teachers of the Church of the New Dis-
   denies the baptism of infants.  We may let this  p&s for           pensation not merely a significant symbol, representing to
   the time being. Of greater significance for us is the sac-         the senses the internal consecration and renewal of the
  rament of Baptism as it pertains to the children.          And      soul,  but an efficacious medium for conveying objectively
  _ the question  : "why must children be baptized  ?`, -will re-     to believers the blessings of the gospel, and especially the
   veal a person's reformed or unreformed tendencies more             benefits of the sacrificial death of Christ. We will have
   surely than any other question. Do tie baptize them be-            opportunity later to call attention to this.
   cause they are in the covenant? To this question the Syn-             Thirdly, practically all the various questions that are
   odicals and Liberated both answer in the affirmative. On-          uzually raised, even today in connection with the sacrament
   ly, they differ with respect to the definition of the covenant.    of Baptism, were already under discussion in that early
   Again, do we baptize them upon the basis of presupposed            period. This will bec6me  plain in subsequent articles. Ques-
   regeneration  ? To this question the Liberated and we both         tions were asked and discussed pertaining to the baptism of
   answer in the negative. Only, the reasons why we answer            infants, the formula used in the administration of the sac-
   this question in the negative differ. The Liberated answer         rament, who should administer the sacrament, the rebap-
   in the negative because they refuse to acknowledge that            tizing of heretics who returned into the bosom of the
   regeneration or present inner grace can be a ground for            Church, the objections raised by heretics, to any form of
   baptis& We, on the other hand, although insisting that             Baptism, etc.
   inner grace can be and is  & ground for the sacrament of              Finally, the heretics opposed any form of Baptism even
   Baptism, deny that we must presuppose this operation of            as some are guilty of this today. Also today we have those
   grace by the Spirit of Gcid in all the children who are pre-       who claim that "Spirit Baptism" is all we need. Did not
   sented for baptism.  Again, do we baptize our children  be-        John declare that, whereas he baptized with water, One came


                                                   T H E   S T A N - D A R D   B E A R E R                                          _.           185

 after him Who would baptize with fire and with the Holy                      birth-we were born without our own knowledge or choice,
 Spirit? And did not the apostle, Paul. minimize the sacra-                   by our parents coming together, and were brought up in bad
 ment of Baptism in I Cor. 1  ? This opposition to Baptism                    habits and wicked training, in order that we may not remain
 also revealed itself in the early period of the Church.                      `the children of necessity and of ignorance, but may become
 The sig&ficance  of Bapt&.                                                   the children of choice and knowledge, and may obtain in
         From some expressions of the early Church Fathers one                the water the remission of sins formerly committed, there is
 might easily receive the impression that they attributed ef-                 pronounced over him who chooses to be born again  (  ?-
 ficacy to the external rite of Baptism : the power of regenera-              H.V.),  and has repented of his sins, the name of God the
 tion, cleansing from sin, sanctification, such as : Irenaeus,                Father and Lord of the universe ; he who ,leads to the laver
 Tertullian, Cyprian, Clement of Alexandria, Justin Martyr,                   the person- that is to be washed calling him by this name
 etc.                                                                         alone . . . . And this washing is called the, illumination be-
         From Irenaeus we quote the following: "This Spirit did               cause they who learn these things are illuminated in their
 David ask for the human race, saying, `And establish me                      understandings. And in the name of Jesus Christ, who was
with Thine all-governing Spirit  ;' who also as Luke says,                    crucified under Pontius Pilate, and in the name of the Holy
 descended at the day of Pentecost upon the disciples after                   Ghost, who through the prophets foretold all things about
 the Lord's ascension, having power to admit all nations to                   Jesus, he who is illuminated is washed."-end of-quote. One
 the entrance of life, and to the opening of the new  covenant ;              can certainly receive the impression from this quotation of
 from whence also, with one accord in all languages, they                     Justin Martyr that regeneration and spiritual ill&nation
 uttered praises to God, the Spirit bringing distant tribes to                are somehow connected with the sacrament of Holy Baptism.
 unity, and offering to the Father the first-fruits of all nations.                                                                       - H .   V .
 Wherefore also the Lord promised to send the Comforter,
 who should join  us to  God.  For, as  a  compacted  l~ttvvtp of
 dough canfaot be formed  of d,ry wheat without fluid mattey,                     Fashionable as the doctrine of legal, coriditional justifica-
IBOY can u. loaf possess zmity, so in like'wta.nner,  neither could           tion is, we may say to every individual that embraces it,
 we, being  many,  be.  made one in  Chrisf Jesus  witho,ut  the              There is one that  condems  you, even Moses, in whom  `you
 water  fl-o,tpz   Iaeaz~eai.   A,nd as  dry  earth does not  br-ing   fo4    trust. and that very law on which you rest: for its language
 unless it  ,seceive   lptoistzi.re,   in  l,ike manner we also, being        is, He that breaketh  me only in one point is guilty of all : and,
 opigimlly  a  dTy  tree, could never  hve  byought  forth  fwlit             cursed is every man that continueth not in ail things that are
 zt.nto life without volerntajy  ,vain frond  above. For our bodies           written in the book of the law to do thein. Show me the man
 have received unity among  the?ngelves  by means of that laver               who has never offended in one point : who hath continued in
 which leads to incorruption; but our souls, by means of the                  all thi'ngs prescribed by Jehovah's perfect law; who loves the
 Spirit. Wherefore both  are necessary since both contribute                  Lord with all his heart, and his fellow-creatures as himself:
 towards the life `of God." -end of quote. The reference                      show me the man, who! from the first to the last moment of
 which Irenaeus makes with respect to water from heaven                       his life, comes up to this .standard,  and then you will show
 is plain in itself.  however, it is not certain  whether   the               me a man who can be justified by works of his own.
 Church  Father is referring in these words to the water  ol                                                                        - Toplady
 Baptism. He may simply refer to the Holy Spirit Who is
 from above, although we cannot explain the word "both" in
 the quotation  : "Wherefore  both  are necessary, since both                     Still more. deplorable it is, that some who  everi  make
contribute towards the life of God."                                          profession of spiritual religion, and talk of an inward work of
                                                                              %od upon their hearts, should so far lose sight of humility
         From Justin Martyr we would quote the following: "I                  and of truth as to dream either that their own arm helped
 will also relate. the manner in which  -we dedicated ourselves               the Almighty to save them, or at least that their own arm was
 to God when we had been made new through Christ ; lest,                      able to have hindered him from saving them. What can
 if `we omit this, we seem to be unfair in the explanation we                 reflect deeper dishondur  upon .God than such an `idea ? And
 are making. As many as are persuaded and believe that what what can have a  directer tendency to engender and to
 we teach and say is true and undertake to be able to live ac-                nourish that pride of heart which deceiveth men ?
 cordingly, are instructed to pray and to entreat God with                                                                          -Toplady
 fasting for the remission of their sins-that are past, we pray-
 ing and fasting with them. Then they are brought by us
 where there is water, and are regenerated in the same man-                      We never, know so much of heaven in our own souls, nor
 ner in which we were ourselves regenerated. For, in the                      stand so high upon the mount of communion with God, as
 name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of                     when his Spirit, breathing on our heart, makes us lie low at
 our Saviour .Jesus  Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then                the footstool of sovereign grace, and inspires us with the cry,
 receive the washing with water . . . . And for this (rite) we                0 God, be mine the comfort of salvation, but thine be the
 have learned  fr6m the apostles this reason. Since at our                    entire praise of it!                                  - Toplady


1         8    6                                       T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

II                                                                               quote Scripture directly, nor give the Scriptural references,
               The Voice of Our Fdtheri'                                    II it..iS.tieve<theless  true that they speak the language of Scrip-
                                                                                 ture; There is a clear reference in this article to John 3 :36 :
1'                                                                               "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he
                      The Canons if Dordrecht                                    that believeth not the Son shall not see life ; but the wrath
                                                                                 of God abideth on him."  -And if we say that the fathers
                                    PART TWO                                     speak here from the infralapsarian viewpoint, we shall have
                         EXPOSITION OF  T&E  CANONS                              to admit that Scripture itself speaks "infra" language. And
      FIRST  HEALI  OF  DOCTRINE OF  DIVINE  PREDESTINATION                      the latter can  scarcely be maintained. And in the second
                    Article 4. The wrath of God abideth upon  thosk who          place; the Canons are not busy in this particular article with
                    believe not this gospel. But such as receive it, and         any question concerning God's decrees or the logical order
                    embrace Jesus the Savior by a true and living faith,         of God's decrees (as is the question in regard to  "supra"
                    are by him delivered from the wrath of God, and              and "infra"), but rather with the concrete question as to
                    from desrtuction, and have the gift of eternal life  con-    what is the effect in time among men of the preaching of
                .ferred  upon them.                                              the gospel. The -viewpoint, therefore,, while it is not infra-
       The English translation of  thjs article, as given in our                 lgpsarian,  is indeed historical. Thus it is to be explained that
Psalter, is concerned, `it may be granted that it is substanti-                  the fathers speak of those "upon whom the wrath of God
ally correct., provided that we bear in mind that the word                       abideth" and those who are "delivered from the wrath of God,
"receive" must be understood in the active sense, as meaning                     and from  des&uction."
"to take to one's self." This is the clear meaning of the Latin                                              The- viewpoint is that all men lie
                                                                                 under the wrath of God, apart from Christ; and that upon
original, as well as of the Dutch term used here, a~an&men.                      some men that wrath of God remaineth, while others are
It is further in harmony with the rest of the article, which                     delivered therefrom.
speaks of embracing Jesus the Savior by a true and living                                                 Some are under that wrath to begin
                                                                                 with, and wrath is not removed from them: it remaineth.
faith.                                                                           Others are also. under that wrath of God by nature, but
       Gradually our Canons approach the subject of divine pre-                  !it does not remain upon them: they are delivered.
destination from the historical point of view. It would be
quite possible, of course; to treat the entire subject in a dif-                     Nevertheless, we have not yet reached the subject of
ferent `manner, and to begin with a maintenance of and ex-                       election and reprobation in this article. Also this distinction
-position of the truth of sovereign  predesiination.  But the                    between those who are delivered and those who are left under
Cations, rather than beginning there and then developing                         the wrath of God is here viewed from the strictly historical
the whole truth of our -salvation  .out of predestination as the viewpoint of  faith  and  unbeli5f.  In other wdrds, if in this
cause, follow instead in this first chapter the inductive                        ai-title  you ask the question : lirho  are saved, and upon whom
method. -In Article 2 is presented the truth that the love of                    does the wrath of God remain ? You receive the answer :
God was manifested in the sending qf Hi? son, in order that                      "The wrath of God abideth upon those that believe not this
whosoever believeth on him should have everlasting life. In gospel. But such a% receive it, and embrace Jestis the Savior
Article 3. the pointL.pf cqntact between that manifestation of                   by a true and living faith, are by  hi& delivered from the
the love of God and the minds and hearts of men is presented,                    wrath of God . . . ." The viewpoint is very plainly, therefore,
namely, the preaching of the good tidings. "to whom he will,                     that of faith and unbelief: the unbelievers go lost, while the
and at-what time he pleaseth." Next in order, therefore, is                      believers are saved.
the question: what takes place when the gospel is p'roclaim-                        Rather -than lose ourselves in a maze of expositions as
ed? What is the reaction to those good tidings? And  fhis                        to what is faith, and what is unbei;ef,  and why are the be-
question is treated in the present article.                                      lievers  saved while the unbeliever;s  go lost, A questions which
      Here for the first time the fathers make direct mention                    do not belong,. strictly speaking, to this article, - we prefer
of the fact that not all men are saved. For according to                         to let the simple proposition of this article  stand. The article
this article, there are those upon whom the wrath of God                         intends very definitely to emphasize just exactly that truth:
abideth, on the one -hand ; and on the other, there are men                      upon those who do not belieire  the wrath of God abideth, and
who are delivered from the wrath of God, and from destruc-                       those who believe are delivered from God's wrath and gifted
tion,  and who have the gift of eternal. life conferred upon                     with eternal life. We are not called in this connection to
then?,  or, as the original has it; "are gifted with eternal                     define f&h and to mention its elements of' knowledge and
life." Not all men, therefore, are saved. There is somehow                       confidence. It' will do no  harti, however, to note : 1. That
a distinction: some are saved, and upon some the wrath of                        in this articlt the act,ivity of faith, as  well as the activity of
God remains.                                                                     unbelief, are on the foreground. It is those who receive the
      In this connection it is. important to notice the viewpoint gospel, and who  embrace  Jesus the Savior by a  true  and
of the  Carions once more. It can scarcely be said that the                      1ivLn.g   faith  who are saved. And on the other hand, the
fathers speak the language of  infralapsarianism  here, for                      Canons do not simply say that those who do not receive
more than one rea+on.   Iri the first place,  \+hile they do  not                the gift of-faith go lost, but that those "who  believe not"

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

 this gospel  go lost. 2. At the same time it is of impbrtance       that believe. He must be able to flee for refuge and comfort
  to  note-that the real activity of faith is described by the       to that gracious truth that while faith is not and can never
  fathers. A true and living faith is a faith by which we em-        be of himself it is the gift  .of God, given according to the
  bra.ce Jesus the  Saviok.   And Jesus the Savior is the only       standard  of sovereign predestination. Our Canons, therefore,
 begotten Son Whom God sent into the world, and in Whom              will proceed in their exposition of the truth. And in the
God's  love was manifested.  3.. And finally, while it is per-       following article, they begin to give an answer to the ques-
 fectly proper and necessary to stress the above truths, as do       tion, the all-important question: who are they that believe?
 the Canons, we by.all means must not overlook the fact that             And the beauty of this all is that the enemy, the Arminian
 the Canons do not stop here, as well as the fact that they          enemy, can never say that we deny faith, and the necessity
 stress these truths exactly in the context of an exposition of      of faith, and the activity of faith. Listen! The fathers teach
 the truth of divine predestination. Here, therefore, the Cart-      it, and we confess it, because the Scriptures teach it : "Believe
 OIZS  give us some sound instruction on how to preach on the        on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. And he
 activity of faith. And the lesson is indeed enlightening. In        that believeth not the Son shall not see life ; but the wrath of
 the first place, we are taught that it will never do  td stop       God abideth on him." But listen! You must hear that brief
 after we have proclaimed the truth of Article 4. And we may         expression of the gospel as but a part of the whole counsel
 safely assert that to stop there is to become guilty of  Ar-        of God!
 minianism.  Any Arminian will agree with this fourth article                                                                -H. C. H.
 without hesitation. And that means that a Reformed preacher
 will never stop at that point. Nor will he, in faithfulness to
 his ministerial vow, simply "take for granted" that his
 people know the rest, know that faith is not of ourselves,              The progress of holiness  ii sometimes like the lengthening
 and know that it is  only the elect who receive the gift of         of day-light after the days are past the shortest. The differ-
 faith, That lesson consists, in the second place, in this, that     ence is for some time imperceptible, but still it is real, and
 it will also not suffice to place the truth of Article 4 and the    in due season becomes undeniably visible.
                                                                                         I
 truth of divine predestination along `side of each other, with-                                                              - Toplady
 out establishing any real connection between the two, or
 leaving the question of that connection to the imagination of           The greatest judgment which God himself can, in the
 the hearers, or, what is still worse, positing a contrast           present life, inflict upon a man is, to leave him in the hand
 between these two truths, with an emphatic "but, but, but."         of his own boasted free-will. ,                          - Toplady
 Instead, the Canons go on, and they insist that-we have not
 reached the root of the matter, and that there is another               God':  covenant  love  to us in Christ is another stream,
 question, an important question, which forces itself upon our       flotiing  from the fountain of unmingled grace. And here, as
 attention, and which demand with inexorable insistence a            in the preceding instance, every truly awakened person dis-
 clear answer. That question which cannot be avoided is this :       claims all title to praise ; shoves it away from himself with
 who believe that gospel, and who do not?                            both hands; and not only with his hands, but with his heart
                                                                     also ; while his lips acknowledge, not unto us, 0 thou divine
     And let us note that this question is important not only        and co-eternal Three, not unto us, but to thy name give glory !
 from the point of view of the objective ,truth, from the point                                                               - Toplady
 of view of our Reformed faith. It is that indeed. But let me
 emphasize that exactly that question is an important one for
 every single child of God who is concerned about his salva-            On the 11th December, 1953, the Lord delivered from the
 tion. It is a practical question, a question of life or death,      sufferings of this present time and took into His rest our beloved
 a question to which you and I must have the answer, or else         husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather
 we can have no peace. Not only so, but we must, as Chris-                                    PHILLIP J.  BI?EAS
 tians, have the answer to that question time and time again.        at the age of 86  year.s.
 de must hear it for our assurance, continually, day in and             We are grateful for all that the Lord has given us in him as
 day out. For mark you well, our Canons began with the               a witness of His rich and sovereign grace, whereby he confessed,
                                                                     "All of God, and none of self."
 proposition that all men have sinned in Adam, lie under the                                             Mrs. Jennie Breas
 curse, and are deserving of eternal  death. And to be sure,                                             Mr. and Mrs. P. J. Breas, Jr.
 they will elaborate on that truth in such a fashion that we                                              Mrs. John Batts
.are left by nature in a wholly hopeless position. But already                                           Mrs. Anton Vander Klippe
 now, he who knows what it means that we have sinned in                                                  Mrs. Neil Vander Heide
 Adam, lie under the curse, and are deserving of eternal                                                 Mr. and Mrs. William  Laman
                                                                                                         Mr.-and Mrs. Christian Baker
 death, -- really knows it,  - will feel the hopelessness of a                                          17 grandchildren
 gospel which stops with saying, "Beliete, belieye,  believe."                                           32  great-giand-children.
 He must know how to believe. He must know who they are


188                                         T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                    _
                                                                    is one who is called ; he is one that is sent, and, therefore,
              DECENCY and  QRDER                                    ati. ambassador. Of his calling the minister must be conscious
                                                                    ai he labors, for it is his consciousness of that calling that
                                                                    is his strength and support in his difficult task. To this
                   Specially Gifted Men                             calling belongs a  shbjective  or inward aspect: one who is
       The last time we wrote that it was possible, though not      called to .the ministry certainly `must have an abiding desire to
advisable, for men endowed with special gifts to be admitted        serve the Lord Christ in the preaching of the gospel. This,
to the ministry of the Word without the usual prescribed            of course, .presuiposes  the consciousness that he himself is a
course of study in the theological school. This time we             child of God and partakes of the life of the church. It is no
purpose to write a few lines about the gifts with which such        doubt true that God is able for a time to build and edify his
&en are to be endowed as these are requisite unto being.            church by the labors of a reprobate ; but it is also true that
admitted into the office of the ministry under the special          such a reprobate can never be a true preacher of the Word
provisidns  of Article 8.                                           of God. But there is also an external aspect to this calling to
       The eighth article of our church order mentions the fol-     the ministry. And to this belongs, no doubt, all that is in-
lowing : "Godliness (godzaligheid) , humility  (ontmoedig-          cluded in the way to that ministry, such as, necessary talents,
heid) ? modesty (zedigheid) , common sense and discretion           power of intellect to study, and the necessary means to open
(goed  verstand en discretie), as also gift of public address       the way.  One.  need not necessarily possess extraordinary
(welsprekendheid)                     ."                            gifts or brilliant talents to ,be assured that God calls him to
       The  above mentioned gifts are, of course, requisite  6f     the ministry. There are ten talents, and five talents, and there
every minister of the gospel whether he has had theological         is also the one talent, which may be sufficient for this calling.
training in the seminary or not. Yet, it is not correct to          Nevertheless, a measure of talents must certainly be there."
say that this is an eshaustive list of ministerial credentials      (Homeletics)
nor is that the intention of this enumeration. It should be             Yet; you will notice that many of the -requirements men-
clear that the thrust of this article is that no man without        tioned in the foregoing paragraphs are not mentioned in
theological training, who is devoid of these fundamental            Article S of the church order. From this we may not draw
qualifications,- can be considered for the ministry of the word.    the conclusion that there are two separate standards by
This does not say that there are not other gifts which are          which applicants to the ministry are measured. This  could
both desirable and necessary. Nor does it infer  ~ that one         not be. More correctly we could say that the requirements of
who possesses only these qu;lities  is by that token suitable       every candidate are the same with one single exception which
n?aterial  for the ministry. Undoubtedly many godly: humble,        is that in an exceptional circumstance one that is specially
modest, discrete and eloquent men can be found who `are not         gifted may be admitted without meeting the educational qua-
in the mini&y.                                                      lification that is normally demanded. And whereas these
       When you stop to consider what the reasonable qualities      candidates are not under the scrutiny of the  theo!ogi&l
are with which the minister of the Word ought to be en-             school it is requisite.that they give evidence of certain except-
dowed, you soon realize how impossible it is to .compose a          ional gifts before his candidacy be approved by the churches.
complete, exhaustive list. In. his excellent work on "Biblical         The gifts we enumerated at the beginning of this article'
IJermeneutics"  M. S. Terry distinguishes between the in-           are intended as a specific enumeration of these exceptional
tellectual, educational and spiritual qualifications. Others        gifts. This is evident from the original article which was
add the category of physical requirements. Concerning these         punctuated with a colon ( :) following the word "gifts." The
requirements the late Rev.  u. Danhof wrote : "Allerlei gaven       meaning, therefore, is not that there be assurance of their
zijn noodig, en in zeer bijzondere mate, maar  eene specifieke      exceptional gifts and their godliness, humility etc. but rather
gave is onmisbaar.  Deie, is de gave der profetie, I Cor. 14;       that there be assurance of their  exceptiontil  gifts  wlaiclL   afre:
de gave  om te kunnen  leeren,  anderen te kunnen  oncler-          godliness humility etc. Those admitted. without previous
wijzen door de verkondiging  en uitlegging en toepassing  van       theological training must be exceptionally godly, humble,
het Woord, en in den  naam van Christus. Hij meet de  ge-           modest, discrete, and eloquent. Thus once more it is seen
meente Gods kunnen stichten. Onder zijne leiding meet het           that this provision is intended not as an easy way but rather
duiclelijk   worden  dat God in haar  midden is. Deze gave          only as an extremely extra-ordinary way into the ministry
wordt geschonken, doch is ook voor ontwikkeling vatbaar,            of the Word of God:
en vooral dit laatste moet door ons worden  begeerd." (Ho-             As to the gifts themselves we may note that the first three
meletics)                                                           named are spiritual'gifts  whereas the latter three are natural
   And above all these is yet the supreme requirement of            endowments. The n$nisterial  applicant under Article 8 must
all  which is the call of God and concerning which the Rev.         show evidence of exceptional godliness. He must love God;
H. Hoeksema writes : "Finally, a word must be said of the           must love Him very dearly. He must be specially devoted
minister that preaches the Word of God. In answer to the            and consceratecl to God and His service. He must "exercise
question, who is he, we must emphasize, first of all, that he       himself unto godliness." (I. Tim. 4  :7). Implied in this is


                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                      189

  that he fears~  God with holy reverence ; that he knows Him           pkdimentl Such then are the essential qualities of one who
  as He is revealed in the gospel in the face of Jesus Christ;          would serve in the ministry  .of the  Word of God.
and, that he' fervently desires a constant increase of that                     It may be said that though one possesses all of these
  knowledge which is Jehovah's fear. True piety is funda-               qualities it does not follow that a training in the theological
  mental, and of primary importance.                                    school is then wholly  tintiece&ry  or inadvisable for such a
      Akin-to this is the gift of htimility.  Very often this virtue    person. Let  LIS  .not forget that all these gifts are in need of
  in the Christian is misconstrued and identified with timidness        development and one possessed with the same must then also
  and diffidence which is a bad mistake. One who is quiet and           know that an invaluable directive toward the development of
  reserve is counted as a humble man while he who gives ex-             those gifts is derived through the course of study followed
  pression to his convictions is soon accused of being proud.           in the seminary. Under normal circumstances no one aspir-
  That this is an incorrect conclusion becomes plain as soon as . ing to the office would wish to be without this directive. Its
  we cite the example of Christ Himself. If ever there was one          benefits are enjoyed throughout the years of ministerial serv-
  who was truly humble it was He. Yet, if ever there was a              ice.
  man of courage it was also He. There was certainly no                         Finally, the mere' fact that one possesses the gifts enumer-
  evidence of diffidence in Him when, for' instance, He cast            ated here does not imply that every requirement of entering
  the money changers out of the temple. Neither would ypu               the ministry is met. This article does not exclude the ne-
~ dare say He was timid when He time and again withstood                cessity  .of other things which  we also mentioned earlier in
  the scribes and pharisees alone. And, yet, He was humble              this article and which are required of all candidates alike.
 for humility means that one retains a low estimate of self             Surely one admitted under Art.  8 must also be called. He
  while his boast and confidence is in God Who alone' is great.         must be physically able unto the task. Thus, only upon.being
  Su& must be the disposition of the applicant to the ministry.         examined by the  Classis  (and approved by Synod  j  and upon
  He may not possess pride, conceit, arrogance and haughti-             finding him equipped with all the necessary qualifications and
  ness. Always he must be mindful that he is nothing and                endowed especially with the gifts herein mentioned may he be
  that the Lord God whom he serves is all.                              admitted into the ministry of the church.
      Then, too, there is the gift of modesty. The main idea                                                           - G .   Vanden  B e r g
  expressed in this word (Latin - modestia ; Dutch - zedig-
  heid)  is undoubtedly that of morality. The preacher's life                                       -             -
  must be one of moral purity, above reproach and free from
  the unethical works of darkness : "lying, dishonesty, cheating,
  lust, covetousness, evil speaking, false representation, etc."                God knows-best what to do with us. We are not qualified
  for such things are  iinmoral.                                        to choose for ourselves. The patient ought not to prescribe
     We see a connection between these spiritual gifts. They            .for the physician, but the physician for the patient.
  are very intimately related to one another. Godliness is first.                                                               - Toplady
  It is basic being rooted in regeneration. Out of regeneration
  comes a godly life. Humility follows. It expresses the inner                  For holiness, the inward principle of good works; and
  attitude of the godly toward self and toward God. Modesty             for good work themesleves, the outward evidences of inward
  is the external manifestation in specific sanctification of this      holiness, we are obliged to the alone grace and power of
  humbled and godly heart.  .He, therefore, who is godly is             God most high. We do not make him a debtor to us, by
  also modest and he who orders himself in a morally upright            loving and performing his commandments ;. but we become
  way thereby gives evidence of a humble and godly heart.               additionally debtors to him, for crowning his other gifts by
  Such are the spiritual requisites of ministerial service.             grace, by vouchsafing to work in us that which is  well-
     There are also natural requii-ements.  Common sense, dis-          pleasing in his sight.                                  - Toplady
  cretion and the gift of public address are a must. One must
  possess a keen intellectual ability `and that especially with a               And, indeed, was not this the truth of the case, i.e. if
  view to grasping and interpreting the Word of God. It is              conversion and sanctification and good works were not  G&l's
  true that no intellect of :man, however excellent, is able to         gifts, and of his operation ; men would have, not only some-
  discern the things of God (I Cor. 2  :14) but it is also true         what, but much,  even very much, to boast of: for they
  that the Spirit  bf God does not unveil the riches of the             would be their own converters, sanctifiers, and saviours.
-- r&elation of God to those that have no mind to receive them.                                                                 - Toplacly
  The minister must be intellectually able to distinguish and
  judge between right and wrong, good and evil. And these                       As the setting of the sun appears of greater magnitude,
  judgments, evaluations and findings which he makes in the             and his beams of richer gold, than when he is in his meridian ;
  study of the Word of God he must be able to convey to the             so  g dying believer is usually richer in experience, stronger in
  congregation of Christ which he instructs and upbuilds. This          grace, and brighter in his evidences for heaven:  than a living
  must be done with clarity and ease and without serious im-            one.                                                    - Toplady

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

                                                                    man's spiritual  incagacity,  his total depravity, the firm  cle-
               ALL AROUND US                                        tree of predestination with its two parts of election and
                                                                    reprobation ; just because it champions particular grace and
                                                                    strictly maintains with emphasis and in the focal point of
  Cmzmon`  Grace  : The Accepted View.                              teaching and preaching the antithesis, just for that reason
         Most of our readers know  no doubt that Torch and          the question of common grace, a grace not saving and sanc-
 Trumpet, a periodical published by a group of ministers in         tifying which extends beyond the circle of the elect, a,grace
 the Christian Reformed Churches, has decided to review the         common to elect and reprobate alike, poses a real problem."
 matter of Common Grace. It purposes to do this by pub-                 The professor then proceeds to define the word "Grace".
 lishing a series of articles written by representative men in      He claims that the word is capable "of a more narrow and of
 various church groups who ivill express their views on this        a wider interpretation, that is, we can employ it in a more
 subject. We understand that even the Rev. H.  Hoeksema             absolute or in a more relative sense." But no matter how
 has been asked to write an article in this series.                 it is used, whether in the absolute or  in the relative sense,
         Torch and Trumpet presents the first of this series of     it is always unmerited favor.       If grace is meant to sig-
 articles in Vol. 3, No. 5, written by Dr. W. H. Rutgers            nify salvation or any grace pertaining thereto, then the
 of Calvin Seminary.and  is suppdsed  to present the "Christ-       reprobate do not share grace, "and the term cotimon grace
 ian Reformed Opinion." The article is much too long to             would be misleading and erroneous. Grace, however, in its
 present in our department of the Standard Bearer. We               radical sense is defined as unmerited favor.         With this
 can give you only a general survey and a few quotations of         connotation the term allows of wider latitude than saving,
 what Dr. Rutgers has to say on the so-called "accepted             sanctifying grace.    In the radical sense grace stands op-
 view of Common Grace."                                             posed to merit." Man cannot be saved by any merit of his
         At the beginning of his article Dr. Rutgers makes three    own, as the Romish  theolo,gy  teaches, but he is saved by
 or four observations. He notes first of -all the "rather sig-      grace alone. The Calvinist draws a sharp line of distinc-
 nificant fact that even though the teaching of common              tion between common grace and saving grace therefore.
 grace has been confessed by the orthodox Christian churdh          He would not have the antithesis go into eclipse, and have
 from the earliest times, it has never been elevated to a doc-      the church end up in the arms of liberalism and modernism
 trinal standard, nor has it been given precise formulation         or pure rationalism.      He says: `(Our  controversy with
 and definition." He says there are-`"suggestive  hints in the      those who deny common grace has at least alerted us and
 confessional standards" such as Belgic Confession 13, 14,          forcibly reminded us of such a danger. Calvinists who
. 36, Canons of Dort II, 5, 6  ; III, IV, 4,  8j 9 and Westmin-     maintain their faith in the teaching  ,of common grace can
 ster Confession V, 6. But there is no precise formulation          hardly be said to be sailing in  Arminian  waters and thus
 and definition of this doctrine. Secondly, he observes "that       heading towards liberalism.      This can hardly be true so
there is no unanimity of opinion relative to this doctrine          long as they emphatically preach and teach Salvation solely
 among Reformed thinkers." He says there is " a wide area           by sovereign, irresistible grace, that the core  ancl  essence
 of fundamental agreement." But, he continues, "we do not           of the gospel is grace ; that Christianity is the one true re-
 find that specific, precise definition which determines the        ligidn and so long as they maintain the absoluteness of
 exact bearing and delimitation on such an important question       Christianity, and, hence, the antithesis."
 as, for instance, the extent and validity of the knowledge            In the  next division of his -article Dr. Rutgers wants
 of unregenerate man who has the light of general revela-           us to know that we have not said enough when we declare
 tion, or even. of such an individual who is privileged to          that the antithesis must be maintained and that man is
 consult the infallible disclosure of God's will as deposited       saved by sovereign irresistible grace alone. He wants  us
 in the Bible." Thirdly, he notes that there  is no "agree-         to see and "acknowledge that there is in this world kmong
 ment as to the blessings that common grace gives." And             the enlightened non-regenerate and even among pagans
 lastly, he states that "there is a difference of opinion as        a 1-rc'z st,n?am of natural Zfe. There are culture, government,
 to whether common grace operates mediately or immed-               a social organism, the developmetit  of the arts and sciences,
 iately, as to the relationship of common grace td the atone-       shining and commendable virtues and actions." He then
 ment wrought `by Jesus Christ on Calvary, and as to the            asks : "How can we account for all this ? . . . How can we.
 precise relationship between common grace and saving,              account for the fact that even the non-regenerate have  a. sense
 sanctifying grace."                                                nf i'lstice, of right and wrong, have some regard for virtuk,
    Dr. Rutgers is willing to admit that the last word has          good behaviour in society ? How can we explain the special
 not been spoken on this doctrine of Common Grace. He               gifts that men possess in the arts and sciences? How is it
 claims that "just because Christianity makes the claim to be       to be explained that some unregenerate men do good to
 the one, final, true religion, and just because Christianity,      others, speak the truth, lead  otitwardly  virtuous lives? Are
 at its best, i.e., Calvinism, has championed the implications      the material blessings of rain and sunshine, prosperity and
 of  this fact namely, the sola gratia (by grace only) gospel,      the enjoyments of the inventions of science, which are


                                                T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                   191

  shared by elect and reprobate alike, are these a blessing,              secondly, reasoning entirely from the viewpoint of God's
  favor to the reprobate, or a curse ? Are these manifestations           secret.decree  of predestination with its two parts of election
  a demonstration that God is favorably disposed even to                  and reprobation, the only answer that  could  be given to
  those outside the circle `of the elect? . . . What is it that           the above questions is negative.       Such a position logic-
  curbs, restrains, checks the mad rampage  of sin in this                ally leads to a denial of the bona  fide offer of the gospel
  world, which if left to itself would lead to anarchy and                and the practical issue is that mission endeavor and en-
  swift destruction  ?'                                                   thusiasm becomes a rarity." The professor continues :
      The answer to all these questions, according to the                 "Biblical preaching and teaching recognizes the firm,  un-
  professor, is common grace. This is also, according to him,             alterable, decree of God as the ultimate and final ground
the answer of Calvin, Hodge,  Kuyper  and Bavinck.                        for all that is and how it is; but it no less recognizes that
     He then uses quite a bit of space to point out what                  here much is secret, known only to God. It recognizes
  especially Bavinck and Hodge teach on the matter of com-                moreover that there `is a revealed will of God too, and that
  mon grace, which I pass up now. The next paragraph he                   revealed will emphasizes man's responsibility." This Div-
  devotes to the Christian Reformed view. Says he, "The                   ine sovereignty and man's responsibility are not to be rec-
  views of  Kuyper,.  Bavinck and Hepp and the position                   onciled as far as man is concerned.         And he concludes
  held generally by the membership of our church is more                  with a warning that though the doctrine of common grace
  in line with that of Calvin. The sphere of operation of                 is important, it should never "supplant the proper and
  common grace is as extensive as is sin in this sin-cursed               focal emphais of the gospel and the central strand of Re-
  world. By common grace sin is curbed,  in. the heart of                 formed witness, namely, particular grace, etc."
  the individual and no less, in this world.            By common         . We have some questions we would ask of Dr. Rutgers.
  grace we  .explain  the relative good  accompiished  by the             Would you consider the Three Points of 1924 a precise
  unregenerate, the virtues found among the pagans.              God      formulation and definition of the doctrine of common grace  ?
  still witnesses to all men through nature and reason, in                In the light of the fact that "there,.is  no unanimity of opinion
  heart and conscience  ; sparks of divine glory glimmer in               relative to this doctrine among Reformed thinkers," how
  every part of the world  ; the semen religionis (seed of                do you explain that your church nevertheless took it upon
  religion-M.S.) is ineradicable in man's heart.               Manls      herself to cast out Reformed thinkers who did not agree
  natural gifts have certainly been corrupted, but they have              with her? Why didn't you explain "the precise relation-
  not been entirely withdrawn. Reason and judgment have                   ship between common grace and saving, sanctifying grace"  ?
  not been wholly lost; man still distinguishes between good              Why does common grace pose a real problem because of the
  and evil, truth and error, the divine logos still gives a' sola gratia gospel ? Does not the word "grace" have another
  measure of illumination to every man, leaving him with-                 meaning besides unmerited favor ? And will you please
  out excuse ; `the arts and sciences are developed and these             explain how  YOLI  arrived at the conclusion that one who
are good and necessary gifts. Due to  commqn grace the                    teaches common grace can hardly Abe said to sail in Armin-
  institutions of the family and the state are maintained . . . .         ian waters because he also emphatically preaches and teaches
  God even allows men to share material blessings beyond                  salvation by grace alone ?
  the measure ,of bare necessity . . . .We. would -contradict all               I have many more questions but no more room to ask
  of human experience and we would be guilty of grossest in-              them. Professor, next time, a. little exegesis please. We
  gratitude if we did not recognize these things as precious              would rather hear from Scripture and the Confessions than
  boons, gracious favors, grace. unmerited favors coming to               from the theologians who believe in common grace.
  sinful man from the Father of Lights above, the -Giver                                                                     M . Schipper
  of every good and perfect gift."
     Dr. Rutgers posits, finally, what he calls:  -"The.  Cen-
  tral Critical Question." Writes he-: "In the debate about               II               CC9NTRIBUTIQNS
  common grace the central critical question is this.: Is there
  besides particular grace and sin, a third principle or power            Pertinent Quotations From the.Dogmatics  of Rev. H. Hoelcsema
  operative in this world, a second kind of grace creating
  a sphere where the seed of the serpent' and the seed' of the             :    Surely it is high time that the mists of `confusion `and
  woman meet on common ground and are really one ? (`Jr                   misrepresentation be dispelled by the indisputably clear
  to restate  this- in other terms : Can. God in any sense  2~            testimony of the recorded facts, as these are set forth in the
  ~~a-nclo~~&y  ,inclined  to  .tke  reproba.ts?.   Are.  not the rep-    Dogmatics Notes of Rev.  I-I.,  Hoeksema, now more than
  robate  &ways  subjects of  God's  `wrath?"                             a quarter of Century ago when I and Rev. B.  Kok were
     The professor's answer to these questions is : If  you               yet students in our Seminary.
  narrow "down the concept of grace to favor received and                       We will not weary the reader, nor our own soul, with
  enjoyed in Jesus Christ, that is, forgiveness of sins,  .adop-          any remarks concerning the latest outburst from the soul
  tion, the title to eternal life-in a word, salvation  ; and             lof Rev. B.  Kok in the "Reformed Guardian," lest, by  re-


1g2               .-
                               _            .    THE'.S-TANDARD~   BEAR-ER--  .~                                  _  ._  .

futing so much misrepresentation and nonsense, we would                    of God in Christ to ourselves. For this reason the Word of God
give  it an honor that it ill deserves. The "worn out and                  employs also the preposition  ~"ek"-  -(out) with the genitive of the
tired" Rev.  H. Hoeksema can still very ably take care  of                 (name) Christ.  Remans   5:l: "Wherefore being justified out of
                                                                           faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
and dispose of this matter if' he so chooses.            -                     We call attention to the following:
    However, what we -will do is show from the Dogmatics                       1. That our point in this quotation is not whether the
Notes of Prof. H. Hoeksema that the contention of Rev. @.- Rev.  I-1. Hoeksema is correct in his presentation here in
I(ok (for "contention" ( !) it is) that the warp and woof of-              his Dogmatics Notes. I believe that he is. But that is
Rev. H. Hoeksema's Theology was a conditional promise                      not my point in quoting them. I want to have the record
is contrary to the plain facts. `If such were the positive                 speak. I am not a judge in this instance but I want to
(thetical)  teachin,(T of our former professor, one would  ex:             read the record. Let the readers be the judges!.
pect that this were set forth in his' Dogmatics, in the Locus                  2. That in the above quotation we have clear and un-
called Soteriology, or applied salvation. Should one then,                 mistakable language  rree from all ambiguity, so that all
understand matters, he would especially expect to read this                who can read good  english  can understand if they have
in clear and unmistakable language in the matter of the                    the Spirit of Christ. By no stretch of the imagination
proper relationship of faith and justification!                            does Rev. Hoeksema here speak of a "conditional promise".
   What do we then read here ?                                             This  .has no place in the Soteriological concept of Rev.
    In clear and unmistakable language of the Rev.  Hoek-~                 Hoeksema as given here in the Notes.. Fact is, that he re-
sema we read the following : (I translate from the Dutch)                  pudiates this same "conditional promise" in no uncertain
   "In the  matter  of  justification  we must have regard unto the        terms. See  No. 2 under "rejected errors".
following elements :                                                           3. `That in the positive teaching concerning the proper
   A. We must notice, that it is God Who justifies . . . .  -              presentation of the relationship between faith and justifi-
   B. We must notice the basis (grond) of this justification.              cation (see No. 3) Prof. Hoeksema does not teach faith
This is absolutely alone the obedience of Christ.. . .
   C. We must notice the content of this justification . . . . .           to be a "subjectively fulfilled condition." That is not the
   D. Also we must have regard-to faith as the means whereby               language of- Rev. H. Hoeksema, for the simple reason, that
God justifies us. It is of importance,- that we have a proper- con-        such is not his Theological conception of the .work of God
ception of the connection between faith and justification.                 in our salvation in us. He speaks of the act of faith, to
   To be rejected are the following presentations:                         be sure, but this is not a "pre-requisite act". It is sim-
   1. As if faith.were the ground for our justification. There is          ply. the act of faith whereby we receive and appropriate
in faith, also as act (ook  als werk) no merit before God. The             `the righteousness of God in Christ. Hence, he does not fall
sole ground-(of justification) is the obedience of Christ.
   2. As if faith were a condition upon which God justifies.-us.           into what Dr. Kuyper  called "verkapt  Arminianisme" (cam--
There are no conditions in God's Covenant for us (to  fulfil).  All        ouflaged Arminianism  j of the Neo-Nomist, who makes faith a
the-benefits of God are given unto us absolutely unconditionally.          new law. See what Prof. H. Hoeksema rejects under 4 above.
Never may the `believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt              To this we may add the observation, that it really is
be saved' be presented as a condition and promise. Faith itself            a pity that so many well-meaning souls are deceived by
is a (daad Gods) act of God and a benefit of grace-shown to us.
   3. As if faith were a means on our part whereby we accept               the specious arguments and the corrupted presentation of
Christ, the hand whereby we can take hold of Him, or the taking            the writers in the Reformed Guardian, and also in the
hold of Him itself by this hand. At bottom this presentation is            Concordia. There ought to be an end to insinuating quot-
Remonstrant.                                                               ing and innuendo; all quotation should be honest and com-
   4. As if faith were a means whereby we bring forth good                 plete together with a clear and forthright indication of the
works, so that God reckons faith for works, or also, justifies us          salient points that a writer wishes to set forth! Not to do
for the work's sake. It is true that James instructs us, that  only
by a living faith (werkend geloof) a man is justified before God,          this is to deceive the innocent, to disturb the consciences of
but this finds its reason solely in the fact that faith  always  works     the weak and to sadden the hearts of the strong. ft leaves
out of and through Christ.                  :                             wreck and ruins in its wake. It is not teaching with health
   The correct presentation.  is_ the following :                   affording words!
   1. Faith is an instrument of God in as far as it is the tie that            It is a terrible responsibility to cause the- people of God
makes us one with' Christ ; all our righteousness is in Christ Jesus.      to be offended, for whom Christ died.
As long as we are not ingrafted into Christ by a true faith  w.e
are in and of ourselves children of wrath. It is for this reason               Should anyone wish to. support the  Theolo,  *of the
that God's Word employs the preposition "dia" with the genitive            late Dr.  I<. Schilder that is his responsibility. But then he
of-"pistis" (faith) to express this (correct relationship) and thus        has no right to do so in the name of the Prof. H. Hoeksema.
only can we understand, that God reckons faith for righteousness.              Let the truth be spoken, indeed, in love.
   2. Faith is also God's instrument, whereas by faith He-brings              It  is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God
us to the consciousness of our justification, and speaks of peace
in foro conscientiae (in the forum of the conscience).                     because we have taken and beaten His servants. For Christ
   3. And from our side faith becomes a means whereby we                   will say: bring them here and slay them before my feet!
now by the act of faith receive and appropriate the righteousness                                                                 G. Lubbers


