        Y~LUME  XXX                                    JULY  1, 1954  -GRAND.RAP&,   MICHIGAN                                    N U M B E R   1 8   ..


                                                                             knowledge, and then we have fellowship with Him. And if
               M E D I T A T I O N                                           then we walk in that knowledge, we know one another dso,
                                                                             and have fellowship with one another.
                                                                        c
                       Walking in the Light                                      Now, -while God, also in  re?pect to knowledge, is the
                                                                             absolute Light, because He knows Himself and all things
                   "This then is the message which we have heard             and lives a life of `perfect consciousness, and while it is in His
                of  hini, and declare unto you, that God is  jight, and      -light  that we se& light, so that we know Him and all things
                in him is no  8arkness at all. If we say that we have        in relation to Him, nevertheless we are mistaken if we imag-
                fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we  l?e, and
                `do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he  ' ine that light is merely knowledge.
                is in the light, we have fellotiship one with another,           Then indeed, knowledge would. be virtue,  and ignorance
                and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us           would be vice..                                                 . .  .-.
                from all sin." I John 1  S-7                                     But knowledge is not virtue !
        God is  zi light!                                                        Nor is knowledge the only and most important element
                                                                   r
        That is the ground of all that the apostle John writes to            of light. It certainly is not on the foreground here in Holy
the church. At bottbm,  if only the church understands that                  W r i t .
God is light, and that in Him .is no darkness at all, then her                   And you discern the danger, do you not ? Take one more
joy shall be full.                                                           step along that path, and you land in the camp of modernism.
        For having fellowship with that God, by reason of that               Then sin becomes a question of the head, rather than the  Gil.
fellowship we also walk in the light. If -we do that not, and                Then the way of salvation is the -way of training and  iistruc-
still maintain that `we have fellotiship with Hini, we lie in a              &on and education. ~If only you ed&at,e  the poor fdol, then all
ver<y real and practical and serious sense, and we do not the                will be well. Then Jesus Christ- becomes .the' Great Teacher J
truth. But `walking in the light, we have fellowship with one                and if only we learn of &Ii&, `then we can and will walk in
another, %ncl the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all                the light.
sin.                                                                           And such a philosophy is not of God, but of the'devil !
        Church of Jesus Christ, .walk in, the light, then !                      An educated-' fool is -still a fool !
                              * * **             _.                              And the fool hath said in his' hear;, "There is no God."
                                                                                 And with that carnal wisdom and knowledge he goes ta
        Actually the light  of our universe with which we  are hell  !
constantly surr&mded  is a constant parable and an incessant                     For. he is in darkness, and hath never seen the light !
reminder of Him Who is absolute Light. And ,the meaning                                                   *;:**           .:        .`I..
of this figure is unmistakeable.
        Light does not merely symbolize knowledge. Light is                      No, light has spiritual, ethical meaning in  .Scripture.  It
knowledge, to be sure, but it is much more than that. There                  stands opposite darkness: And darkness is the image of sin
are those  whd, proceeding from  the  idea- that light is  that in all its horror. Sin seeks darkness because it  wo&  -are
which reveals, ivhile darkness is that which hides, maintain                 evil. It can not- stand the light. It seeks cover.  That is~ even
that light is simply knowledge. In darkness men know not ;                   literally true, so that the sinner actually seeks the cover of
where light is, things are  revealecl:  God is `absolute light,              the night. The thief and the fornicator prefer to commit, their
absolute knowledge: He knows Himseif 5nd all things with                     evil works in the darkness of the night. Men love darkness
eternal perfection. There is nothing in Him or outside of                    rather than light because their deeds are evil. Darknesg  iti-
Him that is  hidden. There is no darkness in Him at all;                     eludes, therefore,, everything that is of sin:  imp&y,   un-
Thus, if God reveals Himself, then He gives us the light of .righteousness?  hatred, envy, enmity  agaiqt the living God.

                                                                                                                                                         I

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

  He'that .is in darkness hates his brcjther  ; he has pleasure  in       in "common grace" improves the, natural man without renew-
  iniquity. Darkness is death. And outer darkness is hell.               ' ing his heart. The Lord our God is concerned with the
         Light is its direct  Qpposite.  Light is, in  one word, all      heart! To Him there can be really no "inner" and "outer.`?
  that is  goqd in the spiritual, ethical sense. It is holiness,          The darkness and the light of day are both alike to Him. The
  righteousness, truth, wisdom and knowledge, love and mercy              secrets of the heart are as open to Him as the outward deeds !
  and grace. He who walks in. the light loves the truth  ; he                 Hence, a walk in the light is a matter of the heart. And
  `does righteousness : he reveals himself in the spherk of love ;        then, but only then, is it a matter to the outward walk. To
  he has pleasure in all that is pure. To walk in the light is            love righteousness with the heart, and then to do unrighte-
  life, just as to walk in darkness is death. Eternal life is the         ousness in our walk'is a contradiction. To love the truth in
  eternal light of heaven !                                               our heart, and then to speak the lie is spiritually incongruous.
                               4: * *  *                                  To seek after holiness in the heart, and  then.in  outward walk
         A pertinent question is. do you walk iti the light?              to wallow in  the mire of sin is impossible. A walk in the
         God's Word often speaks of our walk and our way, in              light as respects our outward conversation can only arise out
  order to picture the entire spiritual direction of our life, and        of a heart that is filled with  the. light of the love of God,
  that too, not only as that-life is revealed before men, but as it       righteousness, holiness, truth !
  is before God, Who knows the innermost secrets of our                       Now answer the question !
  hearts.                                                       : :           You say, perhaps, that you are afraid to say you walk in
         That life, to which Scripture often refers under the figure      the light? You are so imperfect, so sinful?
  of our walk, issues forth from our heart, that is, from the                 Answer this : is Ihat really your life ? Are you at home
  spiritual center of our being. From the heart are the issues of         in the sphere of darkness  ? Does your life go out toward sin ?
  life. Out of that'  hearty  are .determined  the spiritual, ethical     is there an inner harmony of heart between you and sin ?
  direction of our every thought and desire, inclination and                  If ,the latter is true, so ihat you never felt even a longing
  plan. Our joy and our sorrow, our happiness and our grief,              to be delivered. then you are indeed a child of darkness. Then
  yea, all our life, receives it2 spiritual content from our heart.       you must not say that you walk in the light. Then there is
         Would you answer the question concerning your walk?              one thing necessary : the grace of God unto salvation !
         Really  ?                                                            But if you are filled with true sorrow of heart, not because
                                                                         - of the results of your sin, but because of your sin itself, that
         Then, first of all, observe whether your inner life is, do-      can only be because inwardly you love the light. That sorrow
  minated and controlled by the light, whether it is such that            is the very first and unmistakeable  sign 6f a walk in the light.
  your entire heart is in harmony with the light.!                        The  ,apostle  John do& not mean that the. children of light
         By nature our inner life is ruled by darkness, by hatred         have attained to perfection. Nay, we deceive ourselves if we
  and  enmity  against the livin,e God and against one another.           say that we are without sin. But he who walks in the light
  The powers of impurity  ,and wickedness, unrighteousness and            deeply abhors sin, confesses sin, may believe that God is
  filth hold it captive. The bands of death encircle it. Lies an&         faithful and just to' forgive sin, and in the hope of eternal
  darkness and deceit control it. We therefore walk in dark-              perfection fights the good fight of faith against sin, having a
  ness, and we love the darkness. It is not so that we are good           hearty desire to live according to God's precepts in the midst
  at heart. Man, all men, ourselves included, is darkness in              of the world ?
himself. In his deepest heart he is  dirkness.  Principally  hec                                                                .
                                                                              Do you walk in the light I
  is so that he cannot sleep without doing evil. He hates the
  light. And he cannot, and will not, and cannot will to do thei                                        *  +  *  *
  good.                                                                       Well now, that walk in the light  can have but one source
         But a walk in the light means that our inmost being is           God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all !
  light. It means that our heart  i,s changed, and with it our                Mark  you! the text speaks facts, not admonitions !
  whole inward life. It implies the reality of which the apostle              Whoever walks in darkness is no child of God. He must
  Paul speaks when he says : "Ye were once darkness, but now              not say that he is. If he does, he lies and does not the ti-uth.
  are ye light in the Lord !"                                             Only he that walketh in the light is a child of God. Only he
         And of the greatest importance it is that  tie remember          has fellowship with God. You may not say that you have
  this aspect of our walk. Remember this : to walk in the light           fellowship with God while you walk in darkness !
  i's not first of all a matter of our outward life. It is a question         Why is this all so certain? Because God is Light!
' of our` internal life and existence. What is only superficial             That is God's very Being. It is His entire infinite life!
  and outward has no root in the heart, and it is an abomination          As the Triune One God lives a perfect light-life.  .There   is
  to the Lord! For the. Lord  God is such a God that He                   in Him, -if  you  could fathom  His divine depths, -no
  searches~ the hearts ! The Lord God is not superficial ! He is          darkness at all. He lives a life of perfect fellowship in  &hhe
  superficial neither in His accomplishments nor in His  search-          light.
  5ngs. That is why it is a terrible doctrine to `teach that God              Hence, nothing else thap light ever comes from God. You
                                                                                                   !


                                             T H E   S T A N   UARD  B E A R E R                                                                                         411

can never say that the lie and unrighteousness and un-
holiness `is out of God. He is only the fountain of all good.                               T H E S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R
Hence, what comes from God, has fellowship with Him, must                       Semi-monthly, except monthly during July  a?rd August
be light. For He is the Light!                                                 P&shed  by  the  REFORMED  FREE  PUBLISHING  ASSOCIATION
     Then it is plain too that walking in the light you have              P. 0. Box 881, Madison Square Station, Grand Rapids 7,  Mich.
fellowship with Him. That follows. If you are in the light                                     Editor  -  REY.  HERMAN  HOEKSEMA
and of the light, there can be only one reason : you have fel-            Communications relative to contents should be addressed to Rev.
lowship with Him!                                                         H. Hoeksenia, 1139 Franklin St., S. E., Grand Rapids 7,  Mich.
                                                                          All matters relative to subscriptions should be addressed to Mr.
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 Yes, Christ is the center of that fellowship. For apart                  RENEWALS:  Unless a definite request for discontinuance is re-
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out of darkness into the light, -in Christ, God's own Son,                     Entered as Second  Cla.ss  matter at  Gravrd Rapids, Michigan
Light of Light, we have a comniufiion  of light-life with the
living God.
     Therefore it is that we walk in the light. As far as that
life is concerned, that new life which we have in fellowship
with Him, there  is no darkness in us. Darkness is not out                                                C O N T E N T S
of light. And the light is of God, in  Whot?i is no darkness
     __                                                            1 c
at  all.                                                           NLEDITATION-
                                                                                "Walking in the Light". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : . . . . . . . . . .409
     If we walk in the light, we have fellowship, first of all,                       Rev.  I-1. C. Hocksema
with God!
                          * *  *  *                                EDITORIALS -
                                                                                "Autonomy" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..v........................412
     And thus we also have fellowship with one another . . .                          J3ev.   I-1.  HockSen;a
     Sharing that same light-life in Christ Jesus, we are bound                "Synodical Letter". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . .I415
together in the light. We love one another with the love of
God in Christ by His grace. Together we love the light,            THE  DAY OF  SHAIIOWS-
because we love God. And in that love we are united by                         The Propihecy  o,f Isaialh..  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .421
something which far transcends any affinity of character or                           Rev. G. M. Ophoff
personality, or whatever it may be. We love one another' in
the light, in as far as God's life is revealed in  otir lives..    I N   HIS  F E A R -
That is the unity of the brethren!                                              Walking in Error (8) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423
    And  iti that same light we experience  the cleansing power                       Rev. J. A. Heys
of the  blood'of  Christ. For the more we strive to walk in
the light, the more our sins are made manifest to us in the        CONTENDING FOR TEE  FAITH-
light. And the more w&see  our sins, the more deliverance                       The Church and the Sacraments. :. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .426
becpmes the burning desire of our hearts.                                             R e v .   H .   V e l d m a n
    And the more deliverance becomes the burnirx desire of
our hearts, the more we  esperience  the blessed cleansing         DECEIWY  AND ORDER-
power of His precious blood  !                                                 Emeri(ttBtion  of Ministers.. . . . . . . . . . :. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .428
                                                                                      Rev. G.  Vanden  Berg
    Here that is all' only in beginning, -the light and the               .
walk in the light, the fellowship with God and one another,        A
and the experience of the cleansing power of His blood!              LL AROUND .IJs -
                                                                               Tlhe Covenant .of Grace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .              ,430
    But presently, when we are freed from all sin, then we                            Rev. M.  Schipper
shall also walk perfectly in the light.
    Then our fellowship with God and with one another  CONTRIBUTIONS   _
shall be full !                                                                Letter from Mr. Harold Tilma.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .432
    And our joy shall be full!  O
                                                       H.C.H.


I     4i2                                                  T H E   STANDAR.D   BEA'RER
                                                                                    quite independently, certain members from the congregation
                          E D I T 0 R I A  13
                  :..                                                               of Byron Center that had been placed under censure by the
                .' ,,I                                                    . :i.,    consistory of the last mentioned congregation. For about
                                                                                    four years, I believe, this matter was brought before the
                            Ai       Autononiy                                      classis and, finally, before synod. The Synod of 1944 con-
               Strange to say, but true nevertheless, the court case in             demned  Iiok and Hudsonville's consistory, and advised a
       Grand.  &api+  &at is to  determ?ne who shall be the First!                  public apology. And although  Kok recorded his negative
       %ote&if  R&okmed  Church- in `"that city, chiefly became                     vote he, nevertheless, pursued the course of practical wisdom
       concerned with the  questiov   :of  the autonomy  of the local               and said pecca.zi.
       congregation.                      .I'                           L ".           Then one can also understand that  Kok and De Jong,
            `1  Kok  C.S. presented to.  the  c&t a view of  au&horny  that         quite independently, undertook to do the work of the corn:
       amounts to `independentism;  E&n within the denomination,                    mittCe;bf  correspondence and sold our churches to the Liber-
       the local  congre$ti&   .rer&ins  absolutely  autotititious  and             ated; something which perhaps would never have been dis-
       sovereign in its own sphete;  Article: thirty six of the Church              covered if it had not been for the well-know letter of the late
       Order.+hich states-that the dassis has the same jurisdiction                 Prof. Holwerda.
       over the consistory as the synod has over  `?the  classis was
       ioundly denied or, at least, interpreted  in such a way that                     Then one can understand the corruption of Doezema and.
       jurisdiction means the same thing as advice. Even though                     his consistoiy,  Howerzyl and his consistory, Gritters and his
       it was granted that  classis and synod could declare that                    consistory, and the `fbrmer  Classis  West. The Consistory of
       Kok and his consistopy  are .oiitside  of the denomination, they             the'  First Protestant Reformed Church served notice to all
       could, so he claimed, still function as the First Protestant                 the cbnsistories in the Protestant Reformed Churches of the
       Reformed Church of Holland,  Mich. Article thirty-one of                     suspension of the Rev. De \volf. The purpose of such notice
      the Churdh Order, which states that whatever is determined                    is certainly not to give all the other consistories an op-
       by majority vote in a major assembly shall be considered                     portunity to express judgment in the case, but merely to have
       settled and binding, unless it is proved to be in conflict with              them refrain from allowing the suspended minister to preach
       the Word of God. or with the Church Order, was  inter-                       in their pulpits. The  only way they could possibly be re-
       $r&ed  by  theni as  establish?ng  unlimited  freedot?  of con-              quired to express judgment in the case would be the way
       science even within the denomination. If anyone judges for                   of synod. A minister can be suspended by a consistory.
       h&elf  `that, a certain decision is in conflict with  the Word               but not deposed.  ..The deposition must take place at the
       of God or with the articles of the Church Order, he is .not                  classis in the presence of and with the advice of the deputies
       bound by it, nor does he have to prove to the major assembly                 nd  ,g.r12-n.Tnina  which are the  synodical  delegates of  Classis
       that the decision is in error. He  .must be allowed, within                  West.  .Hence,  in either of two ways the  matte?  of the  SLIS-
       the church connection, to go his own sweet way and let his                   pension and deposition `could have been brought to the a't-
       conscience be his guide.                                                     tention of synod : 1. De Wolf could have appealed to synod
       ( , Such was the caricature Kok C.S. presented to court under                everi if his suspension and deposition had been confirmed  by+
       thk name of Reformed Church Polity.                     :.`.:                Classis  East; 2. the deputies ad  exauutina  from  Classis West
                                                                                    could have refused. to advise the deposition of De Wolf, in
               It is  indepententism,  nominalism,  pelegianisnl,   appliecl  to    which case the hatter would have had to be finally deter-
       the government of the church.                                                niinde by the Synod of 1954.
       :       It is anarchy, nothing less.                                            That would have been the proper, the only lawful way
               They tried to prove, by partial quotations from the writ-` acbording  to Church Order.
       ings of the Rev.  Ophoff' and the undersigned, that this
       caricature of Reformed Church Polity had always been  taught                    .But the consistories of Bellflower, Oskaloosa, Pella,  and
      them. in the seminary of the Protestant Refornied  Churches.                  also that of Orange City, under the leadership of their
       But in this they failed, for the simple reason that it was                   respective ministers, refused to walk the orderly and lawful
      immediately exposed- in court that their  ' quotations  \+ere                 way. took matters, quite independently, in their own hands
      partial and that, if only the quotations were read in their                   an& disregarding the Church Order. became lawless.
      entirety, they taught something quite different from what                        They let us know that they judged the matter, for which.
     a Kok C.S. made them to teach.                                                 they had neither the right nor the competence.' They let us
      -In the meantime, in the light of the corrupt Church                          knoti that; not we, but De Wolf and his deposed .elders  were
      Polity, one can understand several wanton .and lawless a?-                    thc$!egal  consistory. They let us know that they recognized
      tions on the part of Kok C.S. committea both in the past and                  De !Volf as being still in the office of the ministry and that
      in the present.                                                               they would, therefore,- allow him on their pulpits. And they
              One can, understand the error of the consistory of Hud-               virtually declared us outside of the communioti  of the Prot-
      `sonville when Rok was its pastor and president of receiviFg,                 estant?Reformed   C h u r c h e s .


II                                                   THE  S T A N D A R D   BEAREli                                                         413
                                                                                                   .

           Classis  West followed in their wake. They broke the tie         been up in Court here, and I would like to quote what the
       with Classis  -East.                                                 same Dr; I<uyp&  said. Quote . . . . . . . . .
          All this they tried to defend in court.                               Mr.  yander Wal: Just a moment, your honor. I don't
           Over against this, when finally. I was on the stand, I           know what he is reading from. If he is reading from the
       testified as follows (literally taken from the record). :            book, we want the book.                  _
           Q. You have heard the testimony of Rev. Howerzyl and                 Mr. Tubbs : You may have the book.
       Kok and  DeWolf,  and others here, that you and the Rev.                 The witness : Yes, that'i the book.
       Ophoff taught that the local churches were autonomous  ?                 Mr. Tubbs : (indicating j Is that Dr. Kuyper's book?
          A. Mr. T u b b s                                                      A. Yes, that is the book.                     _-
           Mr. Linsey : Now, you answer that, will you please ?                 Q.     (By Mr. Tubbs) It is printed in the Holland Lan-
          ,Mr. Tubbs: He is my witness.                                     guage ?
           The witness: Don't interfere.. Mr. Tubbs is asking me                A. Holland language, and I think you find the quotation
       the questions, not you.                                              m a r k e d .
          A. Mr. Tubbs, all I want to say is this, first of all? that           Q. Where the two of paper are ?
       all the testimony I have heard  in this Court about that church          A. Where the papers are.
       polity by my former disciples makes me thoroughly ashamed                (Mr. Tubbs hands books to Mr. Vander Wal)
      of them.                                                                  A. This quotation is from Dr. Kuyper, Sr. (Reading)                 .
           Mr. Linsey : I ask to have that stricken out.                    ,,Tractaat van de Reformatie der Kerken."
                                                                               . Q.    (By Mr. Tubbs) Can 
          The Witness : I don't want it stricken out, because ..,.,,.___                                           you'  give the translation of
                                                                            that title so the reporter can get it?
           Mr. Vander Wal: We have a right to object here.                      A. "Treatise on the Reformation of the Churches."
          The witness : Mr. Tubbs, you are asking me the questions,             Q, And what page is your first quotation from ?
      aren't you ?                                                              A. Well, it is marked. I don't have the pages. I marked
           Mr. Vander Wal: I ask to have that stricken out.                 it right there, (indicating) right there.  You  can follow me
          The witness : Mr. Tubbs, I am thoroughly ashamed of               if you want to. I have the translation here. Oh, I have it
      that, because to m y   m i n d                                        here, page 50. On page 50 Dr. Kuyper compares the system
          Mr. Vander Wal: Just a moment. Do we have a ruling?               of the independentist with the Reformed system in the fol-
      Are we going to have some decorum, or is this man going               lowing words : (Reading) "In  the fifth place,  they were of
      to keep on talking ?                                                  the qpinion" - the independentists - "that more churches
          The court: Mr.. Tubbs, I think  &s you well realize, of           could indeed hold  .conferences,  but that the deputation of
      course, that that is not an answer to the question.                   more churches could never exercise classical or  synodical
          Mr. Tubbs: No, he is coming to that now, sir.                     authority" - Dr. Kuyper underscores authority  - "over
          Mr. Vander Wal : Just a moment, can we have that                  the individual churches, not  even so long as they were
      stricken ?                                                            united in official church connection. Over against which the
          The court : I think it should be.                                 Reformed held fast to the principle, that the authority of
          Mr.. Tubbs : I don't know why it should be stricken.              Christ is over His entire church, and thus also the discipline
      Every single one of these people has flaunted his reputation          of more churches was necessary in order to keep the indivi-
      at large here, and why can't we answer in kind ? All right.           dual churches in the path of the Word of `God." That's Dr.
          A. Mr. Tubbs, may I answer it this way. The.testimony             Ruyper: Again- don't know whether I have the quotation,
      to the Court here is  a caricature of all -Reformed Church            but the second quotation you will find marked, ,undoubtedly,
      Polity.                                                               in the chapter on `7Xoncerning  Reformation Through Breach
          Q.      (By Mr. Tubbs j A caricature?                             With The Church Connection" as I translate it. Dr. Iiuyper
          A. A caricature.                                                  writes as follows:
          Q. Is it true that the highest churcl; ecclesiastical body            Rev.  Kok: What page? You haven't got it marked. Is
      is the consistory ?                                                   it a paragraph under that sub-title ?
          A. Mr. Tubbs, that is so absurd in every respect that                 (Mr. Tubbs hands book to witness.)
      there are no words for it. I know  that the sentence, the             A. This is the  parggraph  (indicating).
      expression that the synod is below the classis!  and the classis          Q.     (By Mr. Tubbs) : Right here?
      is below the consistory was originally  tirade by Dr. A.                  A. Yes, that is right..
      --Kuyper  about 1880 an authority in almost everything in the             (Mr. Tubbs hands book to opposing counsel and wit-
      Reformed Churches at that time. Nevertheless, Dr. Kuyper nesses j .
      did not mean that at all. I can show that, Mr. Tubbs, from               A. (Reading) : "After all,  such a  church connection
      a quotation I have, and several quotations of his books. I            bin+. Churches living in such a  conneciion are no longer
      certainly studied this mattea>  especially since this thing has       free in their movements. They live under: common rules, and


                                           "
414                                             T H E   STA,NDARD   B E A R E R

stand Linder  the power of commonly conditioned gatherings           although the suspension of a minister must begin in normal
in classis and synod, Through these common rules the door            circumstances wit,h the consistory, as was done here, never-
of the one, church is opened for the members of. the pther           theless, no one can depose a minister except by the jurisdic-
churches. Fof the sake of the influence which they exercise          tion of the  class,is.   You.  can call this advice if  you  please  ;
mutually upon each other,--  their manner of government is           but if it should happen that a consistory should suspend a
regulated by  .one common church order, and the changing of          minister, and an appeal would be made or the matter of .his
that church order is .not the right of one church .but of all        deposition would normally  collie before  classis, and the
the  churches.together."   This in-answer, Mr.  Tubbs,  to your      classis with the advice, of the delegates  nd  exa~:irta  would
question about the autonomy of the"chur& Let me say this             decide against it, the consistory would either have to abide
first of al!; there is no  Refhrmed church. in the world that        by the decision or get out tiltimately,  that's all. No question
does  not confess the autonomy of the church - no Reiormed           about it. Moreover, how foolish that ones  could appeal from
church. That was taught  ,me even  by. Prof. Heyns. Prof.            a higher to a lower body. Everybody understands that that
Heyns was my professor at Calvin College and Seminary.               is folly. We never, tiught such a thing.
He emphasized the autonomy of the local church. But at.                   Nevertheless, Mr. Tubbs, I said that in Court here be-
the same time, there is no Reformed man under the sun that           fore, and I -testified the same thing in Court in  1924,  as I
makes of, the autonomy of the .local church anarchy. And             can prove from the records which I have, there has always
this-what  wi have heard here is anarchy. Let me explain             been a controversy in the Reformed churches about the ques-
that Mr. Tubbs. 5. am very much &&rested  in this business           tion whether the classis or the synod may depose officebearers,
because my name was mentioned  mqre than  once in  this              may depose a consistory. That is really the question: can
connectiog.  The autonomy of the local church is limited on          a class& depose a consistory. The.$n$ns were divicled. On
every side by the church order which all the churches adopt.         the one Land, there were those that' ipsisted  that the classis,
It is certainly true that; in regard to the internal affairs of      could  .not depose from office, but declare  B co&story out-
the local church, the consistory is the only power- no               side of the association of the churches. That is the same as
"question about `it. Every Reformed man believes that, Mr.           deposition except that the man will still be in office? but he
Tubbs..  NY; exception. Nevertheless, in the church connec-          will not be in office in the association of the churches. On the'
tion,  the. mdividual churches relinquish several of their           other hand,  .there were those that claimed that  the  classis
rights, and'even in such a way that in many instances, the           could depose a consistory. Now, that is really a furidamental
syliod is  .considered  the  sup?eme ruling body, not of the         question in Reformed Church Polity, yet, in a practical ,
local congregation, but certginly  of the churches in common.        sense, it is' a very minor question. It does not interfere with
This is true, for instance, of the matter of doctrine. This is       the Church Order whatsoever. That is a question. Opinions
true of the theological school. The school is instituted as a        have been divided. And, therefore, I said in Court in 1924,
synodical  institution.  The synod appoints the professors           when the classis had deposed my consistory, and I was not
without any advice of the.churches.  In 1949 they appointed          in agreement with tha't, I said that I admitted the power 05
professors without any advice of the churches right on the           the classis over the consistory for the sake of the argument
floor of the synod. The synod rules absolutely over all mis-         in Court. That is what I said, and I maintained it all the
sion work. Mission work is in the hands of the synod. More-          way. I think that -you  will find the testimony in that book
over, Mr. Tubbs, according to the Church Order, no Prot-             Mr.  Lirisey  has there (indicating), in. which I literally, for
estant Reformed minister can enter upon his ministry with-           the sake of the Court, said that the  classis had power to
out the synod, According to Art. 4, he must be examined by           depose the cbnsistory.
the synod. Without that examination he can never enter  upon              Mr. Linsey : He has been talking here .._.....__..
his ministry. Art. 1 A states v&-y  plainly that no local church,        The Witness : I- am not through.
no local c&&tory has the right. to dismiss the minister with-             Mr. Linsey : He has been talking about ten minutes.
out the approbation of the classis or of the synod. Article 36       I would ____._._..._
states that the synod shall have the same. jurisdiction over             The Witness: I want to answer the questions of  Mr.
the  classis  as the classis has over  the consistory. I am very     Tubbs. I don't answer the questions _......._..
well aware,, and every Reformed man acknowledges that, that            Mr. Linsey : Can't I make an observation, and an ob-
jurisdiction of the synod  over the classis, and of the classis      jection ? It seems ,to me that this is going beyond anything I
over the consistory, is not the same as the jurisdiction which       have ever seen in Court. Here is - we ask questions, and
the consist&-y has over the congregation. It does not say            ask for  answers] and  now here is a long lecture that no
that either. But, Mr. Tubbs, jurisdiction is not advice.             questions  a+ed. I have no chance .to object with this kind
Jurisdiction is jurisdiction, and jurisdiction means in the          of a harangue here by this man, and it seems to me it isn't
Dutch  ;;zeggenschap,"   .that is, the power to have to say. to      the proper way to proceed.
lay  down the law. That is the meaning of jursidiction in                The Witness: Mr. Tubbs, this is not a harangue.
Art. 36. Moreover, in Article 79 it states very plainly that             The Court: I think, Mr. Linsey, that what the witness '  I


                                                 T H E   STA,NDARD   B E A R E R                                                        415

     is stating here is his version or his interpretation of the       acquaint you with the bare facts and causes of the -schism.
     jurisdiction of these various bodies.                             And, whether you know the facts or are still ignorant of
       Mr. Linsey : I don't know whether he is referring to            them, in this pamphlet we come to you with a word of ad-
     that, or what he is, because he covers everything.                monition, to repent of your evil way and  to return to  the
         The Court : I think I am going along with him.                truth and the fellowship of the Protestant Reformed Churches
         Mr. Tubbs : If the Court please, we have listened to many     in the only proper way, ivhich we hope to describe below.
     days of speeches in which this man had been quoted in                 The beginning of the schism, as you most probably know,
     directly opposite views.' He has got a chance now  `to explain    ,was occasioned by a sermon preached by the Rev. H. De
     h i s   v i e w s .                                               Wolf on the evening of April 15, 1951, in which he, among
         The Court: All right, go ahead.                               other dubious and insulting statements, literally said: "God
         Mr. Linsey : Maybe we could adjourn while he goes on.         promises everyone of you that, if you believe, you shall be
         Q.    (By Mr. Tubbs j But does Article  31........            saved." Then, in a second skrmon, preached by him in the
         A. I had one more argument to add. There was one              evening of September 14, 1952, he emphasized that "our
     more remark I wanted to make in this connection, and that         act of conversion is a prerequisite to enter into the kingdom
     is about the difference betqeen the name Christian Reformed       of God." On both these sermons the Consistory of the
      Chzl:~h and Protestant Reformed  Clzztrches. Now, we cer-        First Protestant Reformed Church received protests. These
     tainly maintain that the name "Churches" is better than the       protests were treated at length. We shall not trouble you
     name "Church." But also that is not a fundamental differ-         now by a rehearsal of all that' took place in the Consistory.
     ence, but that the name Christian Reformed Church is always       We would  .rather call your attention to the decision of
     in official documents is not because of that at all. That is      Classis  East in  ,the case. For to this  Classis  the matter was
     simply because the name Christian Reformed Church was             finally referred, and it rendered the following decision in
     adopted in the Netherlands in 1834,  and the chur$hes  here       May, 1953:
     in 1847 and  lS57. adppted that name. That is the only                "In our opinion both the statements which the protestants
     reason why the name was ever adopted. That's all.                 condemn are literally heretical regardless of what the Rev.
                                       (To be continued)               De Wolf meant by them, regardless of how he explains them
                                                               H.H.    because :
                                 -m                                     "The first teaches a general promise of God unto salva-
                            Synodical Letter                           tion  to all that externally hear the preaching of the gospel,
                                                                       head for heacl and soul for soul limited by a condition which
         The following letter has been adopted by our Synod of         man  mu$ fulfill, while Scripture and our confessions plainly
     1954, and we thought the contents to be of interest to our        teach :
     readers. Therefore, it .appears  here in the space where nor-         1) That, indeed, the proclamation of the gospel comes to
     mally `our Editorials appear. The letter will be printed in       all to whom God in His good pleasure sends it.
     pamphlet form, and mailed to all our former fellow-members            2) That, however, in our proclamation of the gospel,
     of the Protestant Reformed Churches.                              we may never say that God promises salvation to everyone
         It reads as follows:     ~                                    of the hearers, on condition of faith, for the promise itself is
     Esteemed Brethren :                                               particular, unconditional, of and only ,for the elect ; for it is
         Your committee received the mandate, first of all, to         an oath of God which He, in His everlasting mercy and
     prepare a proposed letter of admonition to the schismatics.       grace. fulfills only to and in them, without any condition
     in harmony with the overture from Classis  West (see Agen-        or prerequisite to be fulfilled by them; and which promise
     da). Our proposed letter here follows :                           implies that, by His Holy Spirit, He causes them to receive
         To our former fellow-members of the Protestant Re-            and appropriate salvation by a true and living faith.
     formed Churches :                                                     "The second teaches that our act of conversion is a pre-
         The `Synod of the Protestant Reformed Churches, in its        requisite to enter the kingdom of God, which means that we.
     session of June 22, 1954, decided to address to you the here      convert and humble ourselves before we are translated from
     following words of explanation and admonition. You have           the ,power of, darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son,
     -become schismatic, and separated yourselves from the Prot-       while Scripture and the Confessions plainly teach:          ,
     estant Reformed Churches, so that you have no longer any              1) That the whole work of our conversion, regeneration
     right to the nanie "Protestant Reformed;" a name which we         in its narrower as well as in its wider sense, in virture of
     on our part mean to keep and protect, if necessary through        which we humble ourselves, is sovereignly wrought by God,
     legal channels. We do not know in how far you are  dc-            by His Spirit and Word through the preaching of the gospel
     quainted  with the facts that caused the schism in our            in His  elect.
     churches. Many of you  are undoubtedly misinformed. And               2) That this entire work of conversion is our translation
     therefore, in the following pamphlet our -first purpose is to     and entering into the kingdom of  God.- Hence, it is not,

L

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

cannot be AFTER but THROUGH our conversion that we                     phasize that faith is a  gift of  God-which-  He bestows only
enter the kingdom.  -We humble ourselves IN the light, never           upon the elect. From Article 6 of Canons I we quote: "That
IN darkness  ; we humble ourselves,. whether -initially or             some receive the gift of faith from God and others do  not
repeatedly, IN the kingdom, never OUTSIDE of it. Hence,                receive it proceeds from God's eternal decree." And  from
our ACT of conversion is never ,antecedent  to our entering            Article  7 of Canons I we  qudte the following: "This elect
in, but always is performed IN the kingdom of God, and                 number, though by nature neither better nor more deserving
there are no prerequisites.                                            than others but with them involved in one' common misery,
       "Grounds :                                                      God hath decreed to give to Christ, to be saved by him, and
       a. the protestants have clearly shown from Scripture            effectually to call and draw them to his communion by his
2nd the confessions that the literal statements are heretical.         word and Spirit, and bestow upon them true faith, justifica-
       b. we believe this is necessary for us to state in the.light    tion  and sanctification  ;~ and having powerfully preserved
of  OUT past experiences and  ,history with. the Liberated             them in the fellowship of his Son, finally, to glorify them
churches who use these  arminian  expressions.                         for the demonstration  of- his mercy, and for the praise of
       "2. Classis  advises the Consistory of the First Church:        his glorious grace." The same is true of Canons II, 5, which
       a. tb demand that the Rev. De Wolf make a public                is often quoted -erroneously to support a certain general and
apology for having made the two statements in question.                conditional promise. However, even this article teaches that
       b. that the Consistory also publicly apologize for having       th@ promise of, the gospel is only for those that believe, that
                                                                                                   .
supported the Rev. De Wolf,\+ith  respect to the two state-            is, therefore, the elect.  This is  the teaching of all our con-
ments in question.                                                     fessions. And therefore, the first statement by the Rev. De
   "Grounds in the first s`tatement  :                                 Wolf. "God promises to everyone of you that, if you believe,
       a. Scripture: Heb. 6:16-l&  which teaches very empha-           you shall be saved," .must be `regarded and was regarded by
                                                                       Classis  East as literally heretical. And  y.~ch  it is. (The  ex-
tically that the promise-is an oath of God which, according            planatio&  with part of these confessional passages are not
to His immutable counsel, He swears only to the elect, and             in the original document of Classis  East, but are added by
therefore cannot possibly `be conditional ; Rom. 9 :6-S,  16> 18,      Synod.)
which texts speak of the children of the promise in distinction
from the carnal seed in the church, and the children of the               "Grounds in re the second statement:
promise according to this passage are none other than the                 a. Scripture:  Cal. 1  :13, Eph. 2  :l-3.  john 3:3-5. Phil.
elect  df God. We can never say, therefore, that God promises          2 :12. 13. Remember that the second statement made by the
to "everyone of you" that if you believe you`phall  be saved:          Rev. De Wolf presents our act of conversion as a prere-
.The promise is for the elect, and is absolutely unconditional.        quisite to enter the kingdom of God, which means, of course,
This same is taught by many other passages of Holy Writ.               that our act of conversion is required of us before we ever
Confer Acts 13 :48; John 6 :36 and 37; John'10 :26-30. (The            enter into the kingdom. In other words, it is required
explanations offered of the texts in Heb. 6 :16-15  and Rom.           of  us  while we are still in darkness. Now all the pas-
9:6-S, 16, 18, are not in the original documents, but are ad-          sages  of. Scripture which we quoted plainly contradict
ded by the Synod.)                                                     and condemn this teachihg.  In John 3 :3 we are even  taughti
    b. Confessions :  Heid. Cat. 20, 65, 66; Confession  22; th& unless we are born again we  cannot see the kingdom
33-35; Canons I, A, 6, 7,  10; I, B, 2, 3, 5  ; II, A, 5,  8. In       of God. And in John 3 :5 we are taught that unless we are
all these passages it is emphasized that faith is not a. con-          born of water and of the Spirit we cannot enter into the.
dition, but a means whereby we are ingrafted into Christ,              kingdom of God. This is also very evident from Col. 1:13,
a gift of God which He sovereignly bestows only upon the. which reads: "Who hath delivered  us  from the power of
elect. Thus, for instance, in Qu. 20 of the Heid.  Cat. : "Are         darkness, and hath translated  us  into the kingdom of his dear
all men then, as they have perished in Adam, saved by                  Son." It certainly is not-in darkness, but in the light, into
Christ? No, only those who are ingrafted into Him, and                 which we are translated by the power of God's grace, that
receive- all his benefits, by a true faith." The same is true          we can possibly convert ourselves and actively  evter into
of  Qu. and Ans. 65 and 66. From the Confession, Art. 22.              the kingdom of God. Hence, there are no prerequisites to
we quote the following: "However, to  hpeak more clearly,              enter into that kingdom. Only the power of God's grace
we do not mean, that faith itself justifies us, for it  `is only       translates  us,  so that we are in the kingdom, and walk  ifi
an instrument with which we embrace Christ our righteous-              the light. (The  exp!anations  are added.)
ness. But Jesus Christ, imputing to us all his merits, and                b. Confessions : Heid.  Cat. 8, Canons III-IV, 1-3, lo-12 :
so many holy works which he has done for us, and in our                V, 6-8. In all these  passage?  from the confessions we are
stead, is our righteousness. And faith is an in&trument  that          plainly' taught that by nature we are totally in darkness,
keeps us in communion with him in all his benefits, which,             corrupt and depraved, and will not and cannot and cannot
when become ours, are more than sufficient to acquit `us of            will to turn to God and enter into the kingdom of God unless
our sins." The Canons  of Dordrecht, as is well known, em-             we are first regenerated by the Spirit of God. Literally this

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

is taught in Canons. III, IV,  10: "But that others who are       to preserve the unity of the churches, and apologize for their
called by the gospel, obey the call, and are converted, is not    heretical doctrine  a-s the  Classis  had  decided. -Immediately
to be ascribed to the proper exercise of free will, whereby       upon the speech by the Rev.  Vast one of the elders that                   .
one distinguishes himself above others, equally furnished with    followed the Rev. De Wolf made a motion to adjourn, ev-
grace sufficient for faith and conversion, as the proud heresy    idently with- the purpose of stalling for time. You must re-
of  Pelagius  maintains  ; but it must be wholly ascribed to      member that after all the elders that followed the Rev. De
God, who as he has chosen his own from eternity in Christ,        Wolf were in the  .&nority. One of the good elders in tha
so he confers upon them faith and repentance, rescues them        meantime had died, and the consistory had already nominated
from the power of darkness, and translates them into the          a duo of brethren, both of whom were of the De Wolf faction,
kingdom of his own Son." And this is also emphatically and.       and which included Mr. A. Vermeer, a brother-in-law of
most beautifully taught in III, IV, 11 and 12, which speaks       the Rev: De Wolf, who was chosen at the congregational
of the grace of regeneration as a resurrection from the dead.     meeting of June 5, 1953, and installed a few weeks later.
From all this it is abundantly evident that also this second      To this the opposing elders evidently looked forward, think-
statement made by the Rev. De Wolf is certainly literally         ing that then they could possibly have a majority in the
heretical. (Explanations added. ) "                               Consistory. This motion to adj&irn,  however, was defeated
    Now, what happened further? Did the Rev. De Wolf              by` a majority vote of the .Consistory: Then the Consistory
retract his heretical statements and apologize, as the Classis    adbpted a motion to adopt the advice of  Classis  and to  act
advised ? Did the elders that supported him in his. heresy        accordingly. This meant, of course, that the Rev. De Wolf
also apologize, as the  Classis  advised ? Let us first of all    and the elders that followed him were declared guilty, and
continue to quote the advice of the  Classis  in this matter:     that unless they apologized they were suspended and deposed.
    "3.  Classis  further advises the Consistory of First         Again the opposing faction attempted to stall for time: for
Church  :                                                         a motion was made by one of them to table the motion ex-
   a. that in case the Rev. De Wolf should refuse to apol-        pressed above. Noa, there certainly could not be any reason
ogize, which our God, graciously forbid, the Consistory           to wait with  tlie adoption of the motion to accept the decision      _
proceed to suspend him from the office of. the ministry of the    of  Classis and to act accordingly, for the whole matter in-
Word and the Sacraments, according to the pertinent articles      volved in that motion had been disciised  for many months.
of the D.K.O.                                                     There was nothing to be discussed any  mo.re. But this
   b. that in case  `any elder or elders should refuse to         motion to table was also defeated. And after that the motion
submit to the proposed action stipulated under. No. 2,  b,        to adopt the decision of  Classis  and act accordingly  was
which God graciously forbid, such elder or elders be disci-       adopted by the majority vote of. the Consistory. And here
plined according to the -articles of the D.K.O. pertaining        the Consistory made an error. From that time on it should
thereto.                                                          not have allowed the Rev. De Wolf to preach, at least not
   "Grounds: Art. 79, SO, D.K.O.                                  before he made his apology. And it should not have allowed
   "4. That Classis appoint a delegation of three ministers       the elders  tb function-in their office before they had made
and two elders to personally acquaint the Consistory with         their apology. But the Consistory was lenient. And especi-
the above decisions. and advice at the earliest consistory        ally since the Rev. De Wolf and the elders that followed him
meeting :                                                         asked for time to consider, they took no further action at thei
                                                                  June 1 meeting. The Consistory gave them time, supposing
   "Grounds :                                                     that they acted in good faith and would really consider the
   a. Almost all. the elders of the First Church are absent       matter of an apology, especially after they had heard the
from  Classis  Meeting, and thus are not aware of the five        heart-appealing speech of the Rev. G. Vos at the same meet:
days of deliberation which  precedgd the above  adv.ice.          ing. Nevertheless, it became evident later that they still stalled
   b. The matter is one of great magnitude and importance.        for time, until Mr. Vermeer had been installed as elder, think-
   c. We owe the mother church of our entire denomina-            ing that then they could probably have the majority in the
tion' such courtesy and respect.
   d. We should spare no efforts on our behalf, under the         Consistory. The next meeting of the Consistory was on June,
blessings of our Covenant God, to save the dear brethren          15. At that meeting the Committee appointed for the case
involved." ,                                                      refer&d  to. our error as Co&story  of not removing the guilty
                                                                  minister and elders from office until they had apologized:
   On the evening of June 1, 1953, the Consistory met with
the  committed  of  Classis, as per above  deci$ion. At that      However, at that same meeting it became very evident thati
meeting, first of all, the Req. Vos informed the Consistory       the guilty parties had not even considered the matter of an
that the  Classis  had appointed a committee to make the          apology. For after two weeks they had done nothing about
case pending with the Consist&y, and that said committee          it, and were still stalling foi- time.
appointed him to address the Consistory, which he did in an           On Sunday evening, June 21, 1953, the Rev. De Wolf
appeal to the Rev. De Wolf and the elders that followed him       made a statement at the close of his sermon which many at


     4 1 5 '                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R

     the time understood to be an apology, `but which was  no'           oft  Classis  and Consistory  and to apologize, there was no
     apology ai all, seeing  thit the Rev. De Wolf did not r&tract!      need of asking each of them personally. Hence, according
     his statements nor express regret for them; but rather apolo-       to the advice of  Classis,  adopted by the Consistory in the
     gized for the misunderstanding on the part of those that            meeting of June 1, 1953, the Rev.  rje Wolf and the part of
     protested against his preaching.                                    the Consistory supporting him were worthy of suspension
        The next meeting of the Consistory in the presence of            and deposition.
     the classical .co&ittee above-mentioned was held on June               On the following evening, June 23, 1953, the Consistory
     22, 1953. There the Rev. De. Wolf offered the following             adopted the following motion : "The Consistory expresses
     would-be apology, which the Consistory did not adopt: "As           that the Rev. De Wolf is worthy of suspension from his
     far as those statements are concerned I am ready to say that        office of minister of thk Word and of the Sacraments.
     I  &m sorry that they were not clear and therefore left room           Grounds :
     fdr'a wrong interpretation. I would like to explain that by            1. The two heretical statements made in two sermons
     tl$ first statement I had no intention at all to teach `that God    preached on April 15, 1951 and September 14. 1952.
     promises salvation to all men and that it depends on man's             2. His refusal to apologize for those statements as ad-
     own  will whether or not he will be saved. I have never taught      vised by Classis.
     this and could not have intended to teach this by that state-          3. The advice of Classis regarding this case.
     m&t. By the second statement I did not mean to teach that           4. The decision of the Consistory of June 1. to adopt
     a  natural man must `convert himself while  he-is in the power      the advice 6f Classis  and act accordingly.
     of  daikness,  outside of the kingdom of God. Also this is             5, Arts. 79 and 80 of the Church Order."
     contrary to anything that I have ever preached. If therefore           Also the following motion was adopted : "The Consistory
     I have off ended anyone by not stating clearly .what I meant        exllresses  that the following elders of this congregation are
     aiid thus giving occasion for misinterpretation, I am sorry."       hereby declared worthy of deposition from their office: A.
1    Tl&, of course, was no retraction of his heretical statements,      Vermeer.  F.  Sytsma,  A. Dykstra,  - G.  Sikkema.  H. Knott,
     tihich according to Classis  were literally heretical, and was      H. Bastiaanse,  T. Bouwman. W.  Stuursma.  S. De Young.
     therefore no apology whatsoever. Again and again the Con-           A. Viss. L. Mulder. Grounds:
     sistoiy emphasized that all it demanded of the Rev. De Wolf             1. Their refusal to apologize for supporting and defend-.
     was a retraction and an apology for those heretical state-          inP; the Rev. De Wolf in maintaining the two statements
     ments. This he stubbornly refused. There was with him not           declared by Classis  to be literally herktical.
     ken a sign of repentance. Instead he raved at and slandered            2. The advice of Classis  East regarding this case.
     the protestants in a most terrible speech..                            3. The decision of this Consistory made on Jupe 1 to
         At this meeting of June 22 a  motion was made and               adopt the advice of Classis-  and acf accordingly.
     supported, although it was, df course, entirely illegal, seeing        4. Arts. 79 and 80 of the  .Church  Order."
     the matter had all been decided at the meeting of June 1, -            At this meeting the Cpnsistory of the Fourth Church of
     a motion was made and supported to place the Rev. De Wolf           Grand Rapids, Michigan, was called in for its advice. That
     and his elders that followed him before the alternative of          Consistory advised as  f&lows  :
     either apologizing or being suspended and deposed. It was               "It is clear to our Fourth Consistory :
     remarked that of course the guilty elders and the Rev. De               "1. That neither the Rev. De Wolf nor the elders in-
     Wolf could not possibly  ,vote on this motion. First the motion     volved have made the apology demanded by the Consistory
     was made .in reference to Rev. De Wolf that he apologize            as advised by Classis.
     now for the statements he made as advised by the Classis                "2. That Classis  advised the Consistory to proceed with
     and adopted by the Consistory at its June 1st meeting. In           suspension in case the Rev. De Wolf and the elders involved
     spite. of the fact that the guilty elders had no right to vote      should refuse to apologize.
     on this motion, they did so nevertheless, and thereby declared          "3. That in so far the Consistory has the right to pro-
     that they were not willing to have the Rev. De Wolf apologize       ceed with suspension on the basis of the classical decisions.
     for his heretical statements. And when the Chair addressed             . "However,' we are not prepared to say:
     the Rev. De Wolf and asked him whether he was ready to                  "a. That' the consistory meeting can be called legal when
     apologize, the Rev. De Wolf flatly refused. A second motion         half of its members were not notified that it should be held.
     was adopted, the guilty elders again voting in their own case,          "b. That a suspension can be called in order when the
     that also these now should apologize. That they voted in            involved were-not notified that the double consistory meeting
     their own case against the motion to apologize was sufficient       would be held and the suspension be decided on."
     evidence, of the plain fact that they would never `apologize            From this it is evident that the Fourth Consistory positiv-
     for their supporting the Rev. De Wolf. And  since by their          ely advised to proceed with suspension. In the negative part
     attempted illegal vote all the condemned elders clearly ex-         of its advice the Fourth Consistory does not say that  th"e
     pressed that they did not intend to submit to. the decision         consistory meeting  bf June 23 was not legal, and that the


                                                     T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                                  419

      suspension was not in order because the guilty parties were             `could not function as delegates to Classis, that they refused
      not present at the meeting of the double consistory. `That              to submit to their censure and rebelled against their  Con-
      part of  its advice was merely negative. And certainly tha              sistory and that therefore they had become schismatic and
      Church Order does not require that ministers and  elders                severed themselves from  the communion of the  Pyot. Ref.
      should be present at their own final deposition. BefoiC this            Churches. Hence, the Rev. C. Hanko and Mr.  Gi  .Bylsma
      the whole matter of their suspension and deposition had been            were recognized as the legal delegates to  Classis. And in
      discussed at length in Consistory and Classis  in their pres-           the minutes of  Classis  East, October, 19.53, Art. 315, is
      ence. There was nothing more to be  discL;ssed  about the               found the following decision: "It is moved that on the basis
      whole matter. And therefore, at the same meeting the Con-               of our previous decision under Art. 309 Classis East declares.
      sistory decided as follows  :                                           that  theconsistory  of which Revs. H.  `Hoeksema and C.
          "It is moved that we hereby suspend the Rev. De Wolf                Hanko are presidents and of which Mr. G. Stadt is clerk is
      from his office of minister  in the Prot. Ref. Churches and  alsdr      the legal Consistory of the First Prot. Ref. Church of Grand
      hereby depose the aforementioned elders from their office.              -Rapids, Michigan." And when the Revs. B. Kok, J. Blanke-             -
      Grounds: the same as above."                                            spoor, and E. Knott refused to abide by this decision of
         This motion was adopted unanimously.                                 Classis  and declared that they would not and could not
                                                                              recognize the delegates of the legal Consistory of the First
          Of this decision the Consistory formally notified the Rev.          Prot. Ref. Church of Grand Rapids, Michigan, as delegates
      De Wolf and his guilty elders on June 24, 1953, by lette;, in to Classis  East, the final result was that these too were un-
      which letter the decision together with the grounds `were               seated, and severed themselyes  from the communion of the
      stated.                                                                 Prot. Ref. Churches in  Classis  East.
         The Rev. De Wolf and the elders that  iupported  him
      did not appeal to Classis  or Synod. Nor could they possibly                    Finally, as far as the legal side of this whole matter is
      have an appeal, for they never submitted to their suspension            concerned, we must still call your attention to the very illegal
      and deposition, as is required by Article 53 of the Church              action  by.Classis West  iri September, 1953. You must re-
      Order and the Formula of Subscription. Article `53 of the               member that when a minister is suspended by a certain local
      Church Order demands that all office bearers shall sign the             congregation, notice must be sent to  .a11 the consistories in the
      Formula of Subscription. And that Formula of Subscription               denomination of that suspension, lest they allow the sus-
      states that  in, case of discipline all officebearers shall have the    pended minister to preach in their pulpits.
      right to appeal, but "until a decision is made upon such an                     This the  y Consistory of the First Church  -did. In-
     appeal, we will acquiesce in the determination and judgment              stead of accepting this notification from the Consistory of
      already passed." Rev. De Wolf and his guilty elders did not             the First Church of Grand Rapids, Michigan, for informa-
      submit and acquiesce. And therefore they could not possibly             tion, the Consistories of Pella, Oskaloosa, Orange City, and
      appeal any more. The matter was definitely settled.                     Bellflower, took matters in their own hands. And without
         Next we must call your attention to the meeting of Clas-             having any proper  jufisdiction  in the matter, they decided
      sis East in October, 1953. On that  Classis there were two              that not those that recognized the Revs. H. Hoeksema, C.
      sets of delegates present,- the one set from the legal Consistory       Hanko, as pastors, and G. Stadt, as, clerk, were the legal
      of the First Prot. Ref. Church of Grand Rapids, Michigan,               consistory, but that, on the contrary, the suspended minister
      and  the other set from the suspended and deposed members               and the group of  .&lers that followed him would be rec-
      of that consistory. The question before Classis  therefore wa's         ognized by them as the legal consisfory of the First Church
      to determine  *ho were the legal delegates. There was a                 of Grand Rapids, Michigan. They. thereby virtually ousted
      document of the legal Consistory of the First Prot. Ref.                the legal Consistory of the First Church of Grand Rapids.
      Church of Grand Rapids, Michigan, read by the Rev. C.                   And, in its September meeting, 1953, Classis  West decided
      Hanko. There was a second document read by the Rev. H.                  as follows :
      De Wolf. And there was, in the third place, a report in. re                     "That we cannot recognize the suspension of the Rev.
      the matter of the First Prot., Ref. Church of Grand Rapids,             De Wolf and the deposition of  the elders supporting him, but
-     Michigan, by the committee appointed by the previous ses-               on the contrary must consider the Rev. De Wolf with his
      sion of  Classis  to make the case pending with the  Con-               consistory and congregation as the legal and proper con-
      sitory. All these documents were read. The committee                    tinuation of the First Prot. Ref. Church of Grand Rapids;
      appointed by Classis  to make the case pending w&h the Con-             Michigan." The grounds for this decision were entirely mis-
      sistory of the First Church advised `that not the Rev. De               taken, and based upon utterly wrong information. They are
      Wolf and his-elder, but the Rev. Hanko. and elder G. Bylsma,            as follows :
      of the legal Consist&y of the First Prot. Ref. Church,                          "1. This action of stispension  and  deposit+ was taken
      should be seated as delegates to  Classis.  This advice was             at an illegal consistory meeting, since many of the legal
      ,adopted  on the grounds that the Rev. De Wolf and his                  officebearers of that consistory were not notified of this meet-
      elder were legally under censure, and that therefore they               ing;


420                                                            T H E   S T A N D A R ' D   B E A R E R ,

        -"2.  The Revs. H.  Hoeisema and C. Hanko and the                             deposed  `&lers. And thirdly, it is the right of those con-
 elders foilowing them failed to follow the proper church                             gregations and consistories that refused to adopt the decisions
 fiolitical'ordei-  of appeal when :                                                  -of the former Classis  West and that re-organized the Classis.
           "a. The Rev. Hoeksema deserted the legal consistory                        This right to the name of Protestant Reformed Chufches  we
 m e e t i n g   disc&sing   t h e   c a s e . :   :                                  will, as we said' before, maintain and defend, even in legal
 "' "b.  Tl& Revs. H. Hoeksema and C. Hanko with  the- channels if necessary.
 Consistory niembers  following them severed themselves from                                       Hereby the Synod  of;  the. Prot. Ref. Churches, held in
 f&e.  rest -6f the congregation and. organized separate meetings                     Hudsonville in its session of June 22, 1954, considers its
 &d             a&itiesc."              .'     `.
  L.                                                                                  task of acquainting you with the facts of the present schism
   -' By il$s action they c&npletely  violated the Church Order.                      in the Prot. Ref. Churches accomplished.. Nevertheless, we,
 `!!!he &&+ofes of, P&la, dskaloqsa,  Orange City, atid Bell;                         cannot consider our task completed before we have  addreSsed
 fldw&,,   @d  Ciassis West had no jurisdiction  :at., all in  the                    to `you -a word of brotherly admonition in the name of our
 n&~.`~  -This L is evident from the following articles of the                        Lord Jesus Christ, the King of His church. We  canrJot
 Ch&$.   Order  :.                 '                    .r-                           forget that you once walked with 
 :  ,,.                                                                                                                              us in the same way of the
 -_  `.:"firt., 36. The  Classis  has the  same jurisdiction'  over'                  same truth for which' we were ousted in 1924 from the fel-
 $i,,&sistory  as the Particular  Syndd has over the Classis                          lowship of the Chr. Ref. Churches, and that has always been
 gtid"the General Synod  over'*the Particular." It is-  evident                       and still is v&y dear to our hearts. You are walking in the
 ~,~~~$l&sis  West assumed jurisdiction which it did nof                              way of schism  tid of rebellion, which is very sinful before
                                                                              pos-
 sibly h&e &er the Consistory of the First Prot. Reft Churbh                           God. And therefore we appeal to you in the name of our
 of Gran& Rapids, Michigan. Herice,  they Violated this article                       Lord Jesus Christ that you return from your evil way, a&l
  `I
 bf  tlik' Church- Order.  "                                                          at the s&e time in true repentance r&urn to the fold of the
           :                                                                          Prot. Ref. Churches, of which once you were all members.
        ,"`Art. 84. Nb Church shall in any way lord it dvkr other                     But you must do this  iti the  proPer  way, by confessing before
 Churches, no Minister over other Ministers, no Elder  0~                             dTod and us :
 Deacon  over other Elder%  br Deacons." The Churches of Bell-                                                  .
 . .
 fl&ver,  Qskaloosa, Pella, and Orange City, as well as all .ihhe , .J 1. Thai you have grievously erred when you subscribed
 chtircheS   gf the former  Classis West  atte~lpted  to  lord it                     t&he   `heretical  statements made by the Rev. H. De Wolf
 over the consistory and church of the First Prot. Ref. Church                        in his s&nops$f  April, 1951 and September, 1952.
 of -Gr&& Rapids, Mi&gan,'  and therefore violated also this                                       2. That you have erred when you condemned the legal
 . .a'rticle of the Church Order. !                                                   action of the Consistory of the First Prot. Ref. Church of
 ." `The only way in which they possibly could have anything Grand Rapids, Michigan, by which they suspended the Rev.
 tb`.`,do with the  sLispension  of the Rev. De Wolf and the                          ?e Wolf and deposed `some. of his elders, an action which
 dedpsition  of his elders was either by `way  df appeal  tq                          was sustained iy the sessions of Classis East in April-May,
 @&is  2nd Syndd while in the meantime they  sub+ni&d                                  1953, and sealed in its session of October 6, 7, 1953.
 to tl&jr:~:tispension  and deposition, ,o'r by way of the &s&it-                                  3. That you recognize. as the legal Consistory of the
                             -.
 ing  "vote! df., the delegates ad examina from Classis  West to                      First Prot. R& Church the body whose pastors are Rev. H.
 &s&s  Ea$ `by  `,whose advice only  the deposition of  ihe                           Hocks??]?  a&l'C.  Qanko  and  whose  +erk is at present J.
 Rev. De Wdlf could have taken place. Also in this way the                            M .   F a b e r .   _.
,g?tt&r  would, have Come before Synod, and Synod `would                               * 4.'  `That you recognize as the  bnly and  leg&  Synod of
 have' h&d' %k' final decision: And therefore, also the `former                       the Prot. Ref. Churches the chin-ches  that were gathered  in
 Cl$sis G&t h& b:come  schismatic, and severed themSklves                             &Iudsonville;$om   June 16 to June 22, and which  consisted
fro?il the .donimunion  of the Prot. Rif. Churches. `They  have                       of the delegates from the legal  Classis   East+pd  -the legal
                                                                                                                                                        .",  ~.
 become schismatic in doctrine by following and supporting                            Classis  West; the latter comprising the  churches,.of   ,-Doon,
 the  sta&ments  `tiade by the Rev. De Wolf  thit  h&i been                           Edgerton, Hull, Lynden, and Redlands.
 co&&mned  by the ConsiStory  of the First Prot. Ref. Church
                        ,                                                                          May the-lord God so impress this missive of the Synod
and .by Cl&sis  East. And besides; they have'bedoine  schism-                         of  the  F?rot. Ref. Churches  up.on  your heart. that you give
atic-be&use they violated the Church Order ,of the Plot'. Ref.                        hee&  repent and r&u-n to the fold of our churches. This is
Churdhes, when they tried to  exkrcise  ju&sdiction   over-the                        our  prayer.
 &nsi&ry  of thie First Prot. Ref. Chiirch  of Grand Rapids",                                       `2.
                                                                                        ..I                  ,. Synod of the  Pfot. Ref.  Church&,                 "'
.Michig&  H&e,  tie  m&t  yemember   ,tliat  th& name "Prot-                                                   in session, Hudsonville,  Mich., June 22, `54
estant Reformed" belongs, first of all, to the First Protestant                               '      :
Refor~ied  Church  of Grand Rapids, Michigan, whose pastors                             `..  :_:                             Rev. Gerrit Vos, Pres.,
arethe Revs. H..Hoeksema and C. Hanko, aiid whose clerk                               . . .          II                      Rev. Corn. Hanko,, Vice-Pres.,
                                                                                                                     /
i&at  -p&Se&  Mr. John M. Faber. Secondly;  .it' belongs to                             <.                                   Rev. Herman Veldman, 1st Clerk,
Classis  East, that condemned the Rev. De Wolf and  --his                              ;  :'                              `. Rev. H. H. Kuiper,  2nd Clerk. '


                                               T H E   S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R                                             42'1

                                                                       a' shame ! Here He.zekiah's  -faith again faltered. Essentially
11. THE DAY OF SHADOWS  11 he was again guilty of making flesh his arm: He expected
I'                                                                `1 favors from Sennacherib. But the latter refused to  stop.,the-
                  ,The Prophecy of Isaiah                              w&r an'd return to his own place as he must have agreed to
                                                                       do. It was plain that he was purposed to fight  `a&i&t
       The Iaistoyical  section: presenting the f@&aent  of Isa&h's    Jerusalem. Thus had Hezekiah's disgraceful attempt to ex-
prophecies  concern&g  Assyria.  and the prelude to the Baby-          tricate himself  out of his troubles again ended in dismal
lonian period. Chapters XXXVIYXXXIX.                                   failure. He had still to learn to put his  donfidende   saltily in
       These four chapters run parallel with II Kings 18:13-           the Lord. This brings us to Hezekiah's illness.                        -.
20 :9 and with II Chron. 32 :l-26. This gives us three sources            Hezekbh  sick unto death. His life is prolonged in `anmel'
to draw from.                                                          to  &s  pra.yer.   iThe promise  and  its  sign;, Isa:  XXX-T/THl;r
       Tke invasion of Judah by Sennacheyi6  king of Assyria.          2   K i n g s  .Xx:1-2;   Chson;  XXXII:24.   '
Isa;  XXXVI:l; II Chron.  XXXII:l;  2  Kings  XPIII:13.                   In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death (Isa. 38~12):
       The text in Isaiah reads, "And it came to pass in the              In those days i.e., in. the very days of the Assy:rianl  in-
fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of             vasion and, the seige and deliverance of Jerusalem.  Like
Assyria came up against all the fortified-cities of Judah, and         these events Hezekiah's sickness occured  in the. fourteenth
took. them."                                                           year of his reign. It took place, doubtless right after his
       Hezekiah was tributary to Assyria. But he had rebelled          attempt to purchase Sennacherib's withdrawal with gold.
 (2 Kings  XXXVIII  :7b). His revolt must be considered                taken from the terntile.
praiseworthy. Being faithful to Jehovah, he  wa's not living              And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amos came-unto `him,
in dread of this worldpower. It had been different with his            and said unto'him,  Thus saith the Lord, .Give  command. to
apostate father Ahaz. As driven by fear, he had subjected              thine house,, for thou shalt die and not live (vs. lb).           "
his kingdom to it. But Heiekiah  dared to make himself in-                 Thozt shalt die.  As the sequal reveals, this  ~8s  inot  B
dependent from the Assyrian yoke. It was a -bold act that              prediction setting forth the Lord's decision to kill Hezekiah.
bespoke his faith in the Lord.                                         Were that true the Lord  .would have' to be charged,. with
       But afterwards the apostate counselors that surrounded          being induced- by Hezekiah's prayer  to change'  his counsel::
Hezekiah went to promoting a covenant with  -Egypt as a                It was a statement descriptive of the nature  0:  the illness.
means. of protection against the Assyrians (Isa. 29 :13-24).           Like cancer, let us say, it  was an illness unto death'  f?oG
Without, inquiring of the Lord. and despite the fact that' the         which Hezekiah would have  .died.                        _  "  ..
venture was forbidden, they had gone do& to Egypt with a
view to inclining Pharaoh by their gifts  fo protect Judah with           The tiding was unspeakably dreadful.  For  it..was.   i$e
his strength in order that they might put their confidence in          days of shadows, the dispensation in which "the fear of the
Egypt's shadow (Isa. 30 :2j.                                           Lord grolonged  days but in which the yeears: of -.the wicked
                                                                       were shortened" (Prov. 10 :27). .And Hezekiah ae the time
      Hezekiah must have known about the venture. But it
does  not appear that he joined Isaiah in condemning and               was but 38 years old. As he saw it, his sickness could. only,
                                                                       mean that the Lord dealt with him as  if. he were wicked,
forbidding it.. It can't be that he was free from the guilt of         Besides, as he was still without an offspring to succeed him
leaning upon Pharaoh as the'apostates were doing.                      in the throne, it-also seemed .to him to be the proof that the
      But Pharaoh's strength  was to be their shame and their          Lord had cast off &is people and had abandoned Jerusalem
trust in the shadow of Egypt their confusion (Isa. 30 :3). It          to the' enemy.  Mariasseh  was only  twelve  years old when
had come to pass  is the prophet had foretold. Judah was               Hezekiah finally died in the twenty-ninth year of his reign
now in dire distress. But there was no sign of any Egyptian            (2 Kings 20 :l), that is, he was born three years after this
force to meet Sennacherib. Judah was abandoned by Egypt.               illness. What  would have become of the Lord's  promiSe  to
       The Book of Kings, (2 Kings  38:14-16)  reveals that  in        David, had Hezekiah died childless and left  the kingdom
his extremity Hezekiah  now sent to the bini of Assyria to,            without an heir-the promise, "And thine house and thy
Lachish, a city in Judah that he was in the act of besieging,          kingdom shall be established forever before'thee : thy throne
saying, "I have offended ; return from me : that which thou            shall be established forever" (2 Sam. 7 :16). Had `the ilin&s
puttest on me, I will  bear.`!.                                        been fatal, the Christ could not have been bbrn. '
       "I have offended," meaning, "my revolt was a mistake.              Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, arZi prayed
I am again thy servant'."                                              to  the Lord, and said, "I pray, 0 Jehovah, remember I be-
       The tyrant demanded the sum of 300 talents of silvei and        seech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with
30 talents-in gold. To raise this heavy tribute Hezekiah had           B whole heart and that good in thy eye?  I have done. And
to give all the silver that was found in  the house of the             Hezekiah wept with a great weeping" (Isa. 38:2, 3).
Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house. The gold                   The prayer bespeaks not the phirasair posture as' if the
had to come from the pillars and doors of the temple. Whab             petitioner were-building on his own goodness in the vain


       422..                                        T H E   S T A N D A R D  BEAREk

       iinagining  that in keeping God's  .commandments  he liad             considered, it was as holding the promise thit Hezekiah had
       established his own righteousness before God. But what he             prayed.
       meant is that in principle and by the Lord's mercy he had             : The promise that the Lord will deliver the city  from)
       kept His covenant. And this was true.  He&e, by the                   the Assyrians proves conclusively that Hezekiah's sickness
       Spirit that was .given him he had obtained witness  that he           occured  before and  not after the destruction of the enemy
       was righteous and the testimony that in Christ he pleased             before the gates of Jerusalem. It means that the arrange-
       God. So what he was asking is that the Lord remember that             ment of the material that forms this historical `piece of
       He l&zself  had witnessed. with his spirit that he had done           Isaiah's prophecy is not strictly chronological. There' can be
       good in the Lord's own eyes. In a word, what he asked is              no doubt that the chronological order of what is presented
       that the Lord remember that according to His own'testimony            in this section  is. the following: XXXVI  :l, XXXVIII,
       he as a. saint was the Lord's own workmanship and  as so `re-         XXXVI :2-22,  XxX1X.         It may indeed. be that the reason
       membering  have pity on` him and His people in the present            Isaiah placed the a&bunt  of Sennacherib's reireat  first i> that
       c r i s i s .                                                         -"he desired to finish up the story of the Assyrian invasion,
            That`this analysis of the prayer is correct is evidetit. The     So' as not to be obliged to return to it" (Knobel) . Some re-
       Lord loved the prayer. He was glad with it. And He                    ject the conception that Hezekiah was still childless, doing
       hastened to reply to it.                                              so on the ground that it is not necessary to  assume  that
            For it  came`to pass,  afore Isaiah was gone out in the          Manasseh was the oldest son, that it is possible that the older
       middlk  coiu-t that the word of `the Lord'came to him saying'.        sons had died before Hezekiah did, and that his song of
       Turn again,  atid tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus        thanksgiving mentions as `the reason of his tears only his
       saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard             sickness. But the incorrectness of this reasoning is proved by
       thy' prtiyer, I have seen thy tears : behold, I will heal thee :.     the fact. that also to Hezekiah's mind the deliverance of the
       on the third day thou shalt go up'unto  the house of the Lord.        city was coitingent uponhis healing. Why should this be so,
       And I will add unto thy  days  fifteen years  ; and I will deliver    if at the time of his illness he already had sons. That his
       thee and this city `out of the hand of the king of Assyria ;          prayer was also a petition for the deliverance of the city fol-
       and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my             lows from the fact that in reply to his prayer this deliverance
       servant -David's sake" (II Kings 20 : 4-6) ; Isa. 38 : 4-6)..         was promised  ,him.
            I have' seew thy tears . . . Tears they were of contrition,         Hezehiah's illness treated. His recovery assured by a
       and tears that had been made to flow by the torturous thought         sign. II  KGings  XX:7;11,;  and Isaiah said, Bring a  cow
       of the petitioner that the Lord in His-anger was about to             finessed  mass  of figs. And  they  brou.glit  and  laid  it  on  the
       cut him off through death from the land of the (shiritually)          inflawiwaation.  Isa.  &YX7;TIII:   :7, 8; II  C/won.  XXXII:24.
      living, him and His people, and from His holy temple, so                  Inflmz&tion  - doubtless a boil or ulcer symptomatic of
       that he should behold God's face no more. The  thdught!               a fatal disease, humanly.speaking.  But the Lord would heal
       caused him unutterable grief. For his soul, like the soul of          Hezekiah and deliver the "city," however ill-deserving.
       every iaint,  thirsted after God. His longing was to dwell in `Hezekiah wanted to believe that, but the Lord must help
       the house of the Lord forever and there to-inquire after His          his unbelief. So he asked for a sign.
       beauties. And that-he shall, ill-deserving'though he was in              And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign
       himself.  The' Lord shall heal him. The third  day he  shall          that the Lord  &ill  heal me, and that I shall go  up to  the
       go up unto the Lord's house. For the Lord had heard his               house of the Lord the third day ? And Isaiah said, This
<.     prayer and will deliver the city for David's, that is for Christ's    sign thou shalt have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the
       sak& and for His Own sake.         -                                  thing that he has spoken. Shall the shadow advance ten
                                                                             steps or return backward ten steps (II Kings 20 : 8, 9) ?
            The dreadful tidings was thus pedagogical as to its pur-
       pose. `l!he. petitioner had deserved this chastizement.  For as          The promised sign involved an instrument that the an-
                                                                             cients called shadow-measurer because the day was estimated
       &as stated he was not free of the sin of the apostates that           by the. length  of the shadow. It is not known how it was
       surrounded him-the sin of putting his trust in Egypt's                contrived. The, best conjecture is that it was a column with
       might and the- sin .of leaning on his own understanding as            twenty circular steps of varying widths surrounding it.
       evidenced by his attempt to purchase the withdrawal of                 And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the
       Sennacherib  with the gold from the Lord's temple. .But the           shadow to extend ten steps; nay but let the shadow return,
       Lord now had: him where He wanted him, -in the dust                   backward ten steps. And Isaiah the `prophet cried unto the
       before His throne,  a  peniterit  sinner hanging to the Lord          Lord: and he brought the shadow ten steps backward ac-
       and. expecting all his salvation  fro& Him alone. And the; cording to the steps by which it had been down on the steps
       Lord will now deliver the-city indeed. For God cannot casi!` of Ahaz (vss. 10, 11).
       off. His people which .He foreknew.., His mercies to David               "The steps of Ahaz," i.e., the shadow-measurer of Ahaz,
       are sure. He has promised, unconditionally promised.-Rightly                               (Continued on  page 425)


                                               T H E ' S T A N D A R D   B E A R E R   '                                            423

 117                                                                       Now we have to accept  the only possible explanation for
                          H I S   FEAR                                 9  theif  tenacious holding on to those statements of Rev. De
 I'                                                                     Wolf which are such insults to the Sovereign and Almighty
                                                                        God.
                       Wixlking  in  ,Error                                It was a public sin in a public gathering.
                                 cq                                        And yet we will mention no names. We write not in a
       It is with a heavy heart that we write these lines.              vindicative mood and the shame is so great that we do not
       No, it is not with a heart that is heavy with fear and           want to publish names unless it becomes necessary. Then
 that is troubled as to the outcome of the court trial which at         we are ready to do so and to prove them with the court
 this writing is still in progress.                                     records of which we already have some in our possession.
       About that we have perfect peace. We are neither filled          Let us warn those who have opposed us all these years' not
 with fear as to the decision to be .made,  nor are we much             to appeal their case to the  Supreine Court of the State of
 concerned about winning a decision from a civil court.                 Michigan, for then by the Superior Court  `all their sinful
       We write with a heavy heart because of what the court            testimony will be published with their names for all to read
 trial revealed.                                                        to their unending shame:
       Almost all incentive to continue to write our present series        But let  us give you, some examples of  &hat  kind of
 of "walking in error" is gone.                                         defense was made before a civil court.
       -For we did not write it in a vindicative mood.                     The shame is especially great in that these were formerly
       Were that the case then that which the court trial re-           Elders and Ministers  in one of our Protestant Reformed
 vealed would sureiy  set us on fire. to write more vigorously          Churches.
 than ever before.                                                         Questioned as to whether Rev. De Wolf and Mr. Sikke-
       That was not our attitude. We had hoped that by                  ma presented themselves to  Classis  East in October of `53
 our writings we might open a few eyes as to the truth of the           to be seated as delegates from their `group, one of Rev. De
 matter. We. had hoped that there might yet be some dis-                Wolf's "Elders" said that he did not know. Pressed by Mr.
 cussion to determine how far those who departed from us                Tubbs, the attorney for First Church, how he could say that
 would dare to go in walking in their error.                            when he signed one of the documents they took along; he
       We requested them to show us any difference between              gave the flimsy excuse for an answer, that was so contrary
 their conditional theology and that of the Liberated.                  to the "whole truth, and nothing but the truth" `oath he had
       We received no answer.                                           taken, that he was not there hi&self  and could not be sure
       We tried to warn them that to continue in their present          that they had appeared to be seated at that session of  Classis,
 way would result in walking in even worse errors.                      When asked whether  Classis did seat them or not he  .an-
       And now the utter hopelessness-- and we speak of hope-           swered again that he did not know.
 lessness as far as man is' concerned. not as far as God is                Did he not know? Was his memory so poor? Just
 concerned-is so plain, and so is' their intent to walk in              because he was not there, did he not have knowledge of both
 error to the very bitter end, that we write with a heavy               facts  ? Why, the very next Sunday their bulletin had a
heart and with little incentive to continue to warn and                 statement of regret upon it that Rev. 6e Wolf and Mr. Sik-
 remind.                         :                                      kema were not seated by  Classis ! And this particular
       So fully have they sold themselves to the lie of Rev. De         "Elder," if we are not sadly mistaken:, exactly because of his
 Wolf's cross bill that Rev. Hoeksema set out to destroy our            position in the "consistory" has much to do with the bul-
 churches, as Mr. Linsey their attorney repeatedly declared             letins. But at any rate, why is this  court trial in progress,
 for them, by "conspiracy and fraud" and, as one former                 if it is not certain whether Rev. De Wolf and Mr.  Silkema
 Elder testified under  oath, that  Classis  East was guilty of         were not seated by  Classis  ? Where has he been all these
 underhanded work and characterized by "one-man rule" -                 months ?
 although under cross examination he admitted that he                      Of all  thhe   subterfugeto which to resort UNDER OATH
 never attended any of the sessions of Classis  in April and            because they know that there are things they must'hide   tb
 May- that some of them did not even hesitate in their                  defend their own case.      .
' walk of error to speak that which is not the "whole truth and            These are  tlie men, if you please, who put out a pamphlet
 nothing but the truth" even under .oath before God.                    which they claimed was "guarding truth and justice." Is
       That is what makes it that we write with a heavy heart.          that the way they guarded truth ? If under oath before God
       That is a thing we did NOT expect, and therefore we              they will resort to such trickery -and we will reveal more
 repeatedly called their attention in previous articles to things       in a few moments - yhat must we think of all that which
 for which they would have to answer under oath.                        is written in that -"Reformed Guardian" without taking an
       Now we are forced to believe what we did not want to             oath before God ?
 believe of them.                                                          Or, if you will, pass your own judgment upon this excerpt


                                                -
 424'                                                THESTANDARDBEARER

 from the court records which Miss Coffee, the ,court  s&no-                       But Mr. Tubbs.  knew how to handle such and very ably
grapher.  took for Judge Taylor and which she transcribed                       exposed their corrupt testimony. For' after cross examining
 for `us. This  te&mony( ?) was given under  oath  tb  speik                    this witness somewhat further in regard to the actions and
 the zellzole  truth and nothing but the tmth by one who resid&                 decisions of Classis  East and having received from the wit-
 west of the Mississippi and was formerly a minister in the                     ness his judgment that this and that and everything else was
 Protestant Reformed Churches.                                                  illegal, Mr. Tubbs again asked a question which. required
         He had been telling IlIr. Tubbs during  his cross examina-             simply as "yes" or  "no'1 answer and which to the witness
 tion that he had been requested to. give out copies of the                     seemed to indicate a sore spot and' danger for their cause.
 Acts of Synod of 1953. Then this evasive testimony followed  :' The questions was simply as to whether certain matters of
         Question: Who was it who asked you:  "                                 the De Wolf case came before  Classis  in its sessions. The
 f  :  `YAnsviiei: Reverend-first of all, I believe. it was the                 witness suddenly found that he did not know. Whereupon
 printer that called me, and asked me whether he might give                     Mr. Tubbs made the correct observation that- this witness
 the copies.                                                                    could judge whether the action of Classis  on these matters
         Question : Will you stop making -speeches &d answer'my                 was right or wrong but that he did not know whether these
 question? Didn't Rev. Vos ask you for c&pies of the Minutes                    matters themselves ever got to the Classis. Did the witness
 of Acts of Synod of 1953 ?                                                     not show by giving his opinion as to the legality of Classis'
         Answer: My dear sir, you asked me who did, and I was                   action on these matters that he did know that these matters.
 telling Jou.                                                                   were before  Classis   ? Can  you- take actidn at  Classis   -on
         Question: No, you  were  telling about the printer and                 matters not treated or not appearing before or at Classis  ?
 everybody else. Did Rev. Vos ask you for copies of the                            Later witnesses, also former ministers in the Protestant
 Acts of Synod  ?                                                               Reformed Churches either through special  coaching or else
         (Now note the apparent attempt again to evade and not                  by mutual consent, not daring to continue this deliberate
 to speak the whole truth and nothing but the truth. J.A.H.)                    refraining from speaking the whole truth and nothing but the
         Answer  : Rev. Vos  1 someone  -                                       truth replied to such questions that they I\?lew these things
         (Mr. Tubbs interrupts in order to get the truth. J.A.H.)               only'by "hearsay."
         Question : No, I am asking you if Rev. Vos i                              Another perversion of the truth was the sinful. quoting
         Answer :--Someone who claimed (get that "claimed."                     from the works of Rev. Hoeksema and Rev. Ophoff to show
J.A.H.) to be Rev.  Ties over the telephone and asked  mk                       that they taught the anarchistic church government for  wh?ch
 over the phone at  .___..__.__..__.____._.......__......  (We eliminate the    Rev.  Kok was called to the stand four separate times. It
 n&e of the city. J.A.H.) I assumed it was Rev. Vos  -                          seems it was Rev. Kok's case and not Rev. De Wblf's .and
 asked me whether he might have a copy of the Acts.                             his  "consistory's."   ' Indeed, what these men wrote, they
         Question : And you told him he could have a copy ?                     taught. But they never. taught that distinction between the
         Answer : And on the basis  of the decisibn  of our Synod,              "Associatidn"  and the "Denomination" which Rev. Kok and
 (`He   nleans  the group that met in Fuller Ave. church last                   his disciples tried to sell to Judge Taylor. Nowhere in the
 March. J.A.H.) would h&e been, in the first place ihey had                     hundreds  of lines and scores of pages read did it appear that
 separated  them&es  &om the  -                                                 Rev. Hoeksema and Rev. `Ophoff ever taught that when a
         Guestion:  I am asking yogi to relate yhat you told him.               consistory refuses to abide by the decision of its Classis  that
         Answer: I wrote him a letter.                                          it can be  put, outside the Association and yet remain in
         What must, you think of men who answer like that? Da                   the. Denomination. Here again, when cross examined, Rev.
 they not reveal themselves as men who know that they have                      Kok even made the foolish statement, in answer to the ques-
 something to hide and that therefore they must  be careful                     tion as to whether such a consistory, and others that agreed
 even how they answer such questions ,which  are so far re-                     with it, could still call themselves the Protestant Reformed
 moved from the issues in the case itself?                                      Churches in America, that they could not do that; but that
                                                                                they could call themselves the Protestant Reformed Churches
         Someone claimed to be Rev. Vos ! But is it n& the truth                of Grand Rapids or of Holland.
 and the whole truth that the  pripter  in that same phone
 conversation just a minute or two before told this witness                        Now and then a witness would make a slip, when asked
 that he had Rev. Vos there with him ? And does not this                        whether the Classis  and Synod had the right to put a con-
 witness trust fully that printer who is with him in this                       sistory outside the denomination if it  Tefused  to abide by
 schism ? And is not his admission that he sent Rev. Vos a                      the decisions of the Classis.  and would answer in the affirm-
 lktter  indicafive  of the fadt that `he knew  more  thay that                 ative. Then Mr. Linsey, their lawyer. was always quick to
 soineone  claimed to be Rev. Vos. Did he not by writing Rev.                   jump in and say, -"You mean outside the `Association' but
 Vos a letter give himself away as to the-fact  that the truth                  not outside the `Denomination. "
 of the matter is that it WAS Rev. Vos and not  someon&                            And so it went.
 that -claimed  `to be him ?                                                       We have much, much more, three notebooks full of notes

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

and more of the official records of the court taken by Miss         The shadow turned backward ten steps; the evening of the
Coffee. We are fully aware that if this matter goes to  the         sola: day was changed into morning. It meant that the
Supreme Court it will all be published. And though we are           symbol, the picture, of his healing was before his eyes. At
not writing under oath, we are confident that those printed         that moment the whole creation was proclaiming that the
court records will verify everything we have written.               Lord would recover him and save the "city." And the sign
   And now that we already have some of the court records,          still speaks.  .And its speech still is that the Lord will heal
we are in a better position to shdw the corruption of Revs.         His people and deliver the "city."
Kok, Blankespoor and Knott of which we intended to write                In the light of these bbserjations  we can understand that!
at this time.                                                       puzzling statement of Hezekiah, "It is a light  thing for the
   Sad to say, what a member of the undersigned's congre-           shadow to go down ten steps . . . :" He did not mean that
gation said is true, that "although we have always been ac-         in the point- of view of His power it was much easier  for,
cused of overestimating what these men have done, we have           God to bring the shadow forward than to bring it backward.
underestimated rather than overestimated." And he said              What he meant is that the Lord's bringing the shadow for-           .
that after being at the court trial only-`one day.                  ward would have been purposeless in that such a doing
   And of Rev. Rok's idea of church government in Classis)          could not serve as a confirmation and symbol of the promise.
and Synod; a fifteen year. lad in our congregation,  afteti         It  would have been a light  thing,  i.e., light in the sense of
listening to some of their testimony for one day, said,  "Those'    `purposeless.
fellows want to play ball, but they do not want an umpire."                                                                 G.M.O.
Rev.  Hoeksema, we understand, will take up  that part  ofi
the court trial and show how Rev. Kok eta al have become                                     -             -
congregational in their church government.
   Of course, such a church government as that of Rev.                    SING TO THE LORD, SING HIS PRAISE
Kok is a handy thing when there are those in your denomina-
tion that ought to be out and yet you, for what they call               Sing to the  L&d, sing His praise, all ye peoples,
"brotherly love," want to keep them in the denomination.                  New be your song as new honors ye pay;
Then it is nice to be your own umpire.                                  Sing of His majesty, bless Him forever,
                                                         J.A.H.           Show His salvation from day to day.

                                                                        Tell of His wondrous works, tell of His glory,
                                                                          Till through the nations His Name is revered;
                  THE DAY OF  SHADOk'S                                  Praise and exalt Him, for He is almighty,
                                                                          God over all let the Lord be feared.
                   (Continued front pag-e  422)

so called because he had been the first to set it up in the             Vain are the heathen gods, idols and helpless;
palace of the court. The meaning is simply that the `Lord                 ,God made the heavens, and His glory they tell:
caused the shadow to return backward ten. steps on  thisl               Honor and majesty shine qut before Him,
instrument.                                                               Beauty and strength in His temple dwell.
   And  Hezekink  yecoveyed,   as the Lord had promised  by
word and the sign (vs.  71)).                                           Give unto God Most High glory and honor,
   The miracle consisted' in the shadow. receding, going                  Come with your offerings and humbly draw near;
down. How it was worked is not explained. But that the                  In holy beauty now worship Jehovah,
sun was broilght back ten degrees and not merely the shadow,              Tremble before Him with godly fear.
as some try to make out, is plainly stated at Isa. XXXVIII:
8b. Here the text reads, "So the sun returned ten degrees,
by which degrees it had gone down."                                     Make all the nations know God reigns forever;
   The sign that was given Hezekiah had remarkable agree-                 Earth is established as He did decree ;
ment with the promise- that it confirmed. Every human span              Righteous and just is the King of the nations,
of life is like a day. It has morning, noon and evening, Death            Judging the people with equity.
                                                                                     II
ends it.  Hezekiah's  life-clay was ending much too soon.
When but thirty eight years old he was sick unto death and              Let heaven and earth be glad; waves of the ocean,
was told that he must die. Humbling himself before God he                 Forest and field, exaltation express ;.
received the promise that his age would again rise above the            For God is coming, the Judge of the nations,
noonday, that he would shine forth, that he would again be                Coming to judge in His righteousness.
as the morning (Job 11  :17) . . And he was given a sign.                                                                 Psalm 96

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

                                                                    in the mystic rites of who is being initiated, you either know
                                                                    or can learn." -thus far the quotation from Justin Martyr.
                                                                    The mystical approach of the early Church Fathers is evident
                                                                    from this quotation of the eminent apologist.
            The Church and the Sacraments                               Also Cyprian, an eminent Church Father whom we have
          EARLY  VIEWS  OF  THE.   SACRAMENT  OF  Tne               quoted extensively in previous articles and a very prolific
                          LORD'S  SUPPER                            writer, expressed himself on this subject. He writes, for
                            (Continued)                             example, that partaking of this sacrament of the Lord's
                                                                    Supper is a safeguard against persecution, and we quote him
These  views  in  the  EUY~_V   Chz~~c,`z (continued).              as follows : "Nor let any one say, "that he who accepts mar-
       We concluded our preceding article with the observation      tyrdom is baptized in his own blood, and peace is not neces-
that the four different views concerning the sacrament of the       sary to him from the bishop, since he is about to have the
Lord's Supper had not been distinctly `and fully developed in       peace of his own glory, and about to receive a greater reward
the earliest period of the Church of God. This, of course,          from the condescension of the Lord-." First of all, he cannot
need not surprise us. It lies in the nature of the case that        be fitted for' martyrdom who is not armed for the contest by
the Church, in the days of its New Testament infancy, could         the Church; and his spirit is deficient which the Eucharist
not have a clear and concise conception and understanding           received cloes not raise and stimulate."end  of quote. We can,
of the truth of God as revealed in Christ Jesus.                    of course, easily understand that the subject of martyrdom
       It may be observed, however, that also to this sacrament     was a very lively and pertinent subject in those days-we
a profound significance was attached by the Church generally,       all know how common it was in those early days of the New
although it must be conceded that it did not have a clear con-      Dispensation to suffer martyrdom because of believing in the
ception of its idea. The same mystical approach, which              Lord Jesus Christ. In this quotation Cyprian denies that to
characterized the early Church Fathers in their conception          accept martyrdom  ancl be baptized in his own blood is all
of the sacrament of Baptism, also characterized their views         that is necessary, and that such martyrdom is sufficient to
on the Lord's Supper. In support of our observation con-            grant peace unto the child of the Lord. One `may also learn
cerning this profoundly mystical approach of the early Church       from this particular quotation how this learned Church
Fathers we would place before our readers a few quotations          Father (we have already called attention to this in previous
from these early eminent church leaders. Justin Martyr, the         articles) emphasizes the importance of the bishop in the life
renowned apologist of this early period; writing  qn the            of the Church.
Eucharist (the Lord's Supper), espresses himself as follows :           Interesting also, I am sure, is what Cyprian has to teach
"And this food is called among  us  E~u~hwisfin  (the  Eu-          us. in opposition to those who used water in the Lord's
charist), of which no one is allowed to partake but the man         Supper, that not water alone but wine mixed with water was
who believes that the things which we teach are true, and           to be offered. In this particular quotation, in which the
who has been washed with the washing that is for the re-            eminent Church Father refers us to several types ancl shad-
mission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living        ows in the Old Testament from which the conclusion is
as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread and com-            drawn that the,use  of the wine is illustrated in the sacrament
mon drink do we receive these ; but in like manner as Jesus         of the Lord's body, we quote the following: "Moreover, the
Christ our Saviour, having been made flesh by the Word of           Holy Spirit by Solomon shows before the-type of. the Lord's
God had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise         sacrifice, making mention of the immolated (offerecl or
have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the           sacrificed - H.V.) victim, and of .the bread ,and wine, and,
prayer of His Word, and from which our blood and flesh by           moreover, of the altar and of the  apostle,s,  and says, "Wisdom
transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that         hat11 builded her house. she hath underlaid her seven pillars :
Jesus who was made flesh. For the `apostle, in the memoirs          she bath killed her victims  ; she hath mingled her wine in
composed by them, which are called Gospels, have thus               the chalice (communion cup  - H.V.)  ; she hath also fur-
delivered unto us what .was enjoined upon them': that ,Tesus        nished her table : and she hath sent forth her servants, calling
took bread, and when  TSe had given thanks, said, "This do ye       together with a lofty announcement to her cup. saying, Whoso
in remembrance of Me, this is My body ;" and that, after the        is simple? let him turn to me; and to those that want under-
same manner, having taken `the cup and given thanks, He             standing she hath said, Come, eat of my bread, and drink of
said. "This is My blood ;" and gave it to them alone. Which         the wine which I have mingled for  you."  He declares the
the wicked devils have imitated in the mysteries of Mithras         wine mingled, that is, he foretells -with prophetic voice the
(Mithraism  was a pagan religion which contested with               cup `of the Lord mingled with water and wine. that it may
Christianity for supremacy in the old Roman  empire-                appear that that was done in our Lord's passion which had
H.V.), commanding the same thing to  be. done. For? that            been before predictecl. In the blessing of Judah also this same
bread  &cl a cup of water are placed with certain incantations      thing is signifiecl, where there also is expressed a figure of


                                              T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEARER-                                                 427

  Christ, that He should have praise and worship froni his            calypse  (Revelation - H.V.) declares that the waters signify
  brethren; that He should press down the back of His ene-            the people, saying, "the waters which thou  sawest,  upon
  mies, yielding and fleeing, with the hands with which He            which the whore.sitteth,  are peoples and multitudes and na-
  bore the cross and conquered death ; and that He Himself is         tions of the Gentiles, and tongues," which we evidently see
  the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and should couch sleeping in        to be contained also in the sacrament of the cup. For be-
 His passion, and should rise up, and should Himself be the           cause Christ bore us all, in that He also bore our sins, we
  hope of the Gentiles. To which things divine Scripture adds,        see that in the water is understood the people, but in the
  and says, "He shall wash His garment  .in wine, and His             wine is showed the blood of Christ. But when the water is
clothing in the blood of the grape," But when the blood of            mingled in the cup with wine, the people is made one with
  the grape is mentioned, what else is set forth than the, wine       Christ, and the assembly of believers is associated and con-
  of the cup of the blood of the Lord ? In Isaiah also the Holy       joined with Him on whom it believes; which association and
  Spirit testifies this same thing concerning the Lord's passion,     conjunction of water and wine is so mingled in the Lord's
  .saying. "Wherefore are Thy garments red, and Thy apparel           cup  that that mixture cannot anymore be separated. Whence,
  as from the treading of the wine-press which is trodden by          moreover, nothing can separate the Church-that is, the
  the feet, or pressed out by the press ? Assuredly, therefore,       people established  in, the Church, faithfully and firmly
  mention is made.of wine?  that the Lord's blood may be under-       persevering in that which they have believed -from Christ,
  stood, and that which was afterwards manifested in the cup          in such a way as to prevent their undivided love from always
  of the Lord might be foretold by the prophets who an-               abiding and adhering. Thus, therefore, in consecrating the
  nounced it. The treading also, and pressure of the wine-            cup  of the Lord, water alone cannot be offered, even as
  press, is repeatedly dwelt on; because just as the'drinking  of     wine alone cannot be offered. For if any one offer wine only,
  wine cannot be attained to unless the bunch of grapes be first      the blood of Christ is dissociated from us ;- but if the water
  trodden and pressed, so neither could we drink the blood of         be alone, the people are dissociated from Christ; but when
  Christ unless Christ had first been trampled upon and pres-         both are mingled, and are joined with one another by a close
  sed, and had first drunk the cup  of which He shot&l  also          union; there is completed a spiritual and heavenly sacrament.
  give believers to drink." -end of this quotation. We will           Thus the cup of the Lord is  .not indeed water alone, nor
  not at this time call attention to Cyprian's presentation of the    wine alone, unless each be mingled with the other; just as,
  blood of Christ and that the believers drink of it. The ques-       on the other hand, the body of the Lord cannot be flour
  tion whether the Roman Catholic doctrine of  Transubstantia-        alone or water alone, unless both should be united and joined
  tion is supported by the early Church Fathers will come up          together and compacted in the mass of one bread ; in which
  later. It is, however, obvious from this interesting quotation      very sacrament our people are' shown to be made one, so
that this learned Church Father laid great emphasis upon the          that in like manner as many grains' collected, and ground,
  profoundly spiritual significance of the sacrament of the           and mixed together into one mass, make one bread ; so in
  Lord's Supper.. How strangely it would sound in the ears            Christ, Who is the heavenly bread, we may know that there
  of our people today if a preacher, preaching on the sacrament       is one body, with which our number `is joined and united." -
  of the Lord's Supper, were to avail himself of the language         end of quotation. This is an interesting, be it somewhat
  and terminology which appear in this quotation of Cyprian.          philosophic, discussion on the use of a mixture of wine and
  His  .approach, too, is deeply and profoundly mystical.             water in the celebration of the Lord's Supper. Whatever our
     Continuing with the writings of. Cyprian and calling at-         appraisal of this presentation may be, it certainly indicates
  tention to his refutation of the opponent who maintained that       the profoundly" spiritual approach `of this great Church
  water alone is sufficient in the administration of the Lord's       Father toward the sacrament of the holy Supper.
  Supper, we quote-: "But how perverse and how contrary it                                                                    H.V.
  is, that although the Lord at the marriage made wine of
  water, we should make water of, wine, when even the sacra-
  ment of that thing ought to admonish, and instruct us rather
  to offer wine in the sacrifice of the Lord. For because among
  the Jews there was a want of spiritual grace, wine also was
  wanting. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts was the
  house of Israel ; but Christ, when teaching and .showing  that
  the people of the Gentiles should ,succeed them, and that by                        `-  A n n o u n c e m e n t   1
  the merit of faith we should subsequently attain to the place          .Classis East of the Protestant Reformed Churches will
  which the Jews had lost, of water made wine ; that is, He           meet in regular July session in the  Creston Protestant Re-
  showed that at the marriage of Christ and the Church, as the        formed Church on July 7, 1954 at 9 o'clock a.  m. Will the
  Jews failed? the people `of the nations should rather flow          delegates kindly regard this as a personal reminder to them.
  together and assemble: for the divine Scripture in the Apo-                                     Rev. G. Lubbers, Stated Clerk

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

                                                                      some life insurance policy where the dividends far exceed
             DECEN CY &xil ORDER                                      those the chiu-ch  is able to pay. -Insurance companies .have
                                                                 I(I capital assets to back up these investments which the church;
                                                                      does not. When the church attempts to mimic these.  COT-
                 Emeritation Of Ministers                             porations, she makes a rather poor showing. By comparison
                           ( Conchzded  )                             she is unable to compete. To meet with any degree of  SUC-            -
                                                                      cess she must necessarily  6nter  into the field of business
        We were discussing the last time the various methods          itself which does not belong to her domain. As long as she
 which are used to support emeritus ministers. The most               does not do this any investment in such a plan would be
 common practice is that such support is taken from a com-            worldly-wise foolish. Materially speaking one can find more
 mon fund which is set up by all the churches for this purpose.       sound security and more profitable investments than those
 This. practice is in usage in our  churdhes and is also; in          embodied in the" Pension Plan.
 accord with the provisions of our church order, ". . . . and
 shall provide out of the Common fund of the churches, ac-               There is, it seems to me, a still more serious defection
 cording to the general ecclesiastical ordinances in this mat-        in this plan. The principle upon which the rule in, our church
t e r . " From a practical point of vielv, however. this method       order governing emeritation rests is that a minister who has
 encounters serious difficulties just as soon as the number of        given his life to the service of the church is.entitled  to honor-
 emeritations in the denomination becomes large. Either the           able support when by reason of age or other infirmities he is
 ministers are not provided adequately "in their need" or the         no longer able to be active in the work. of the ministry of ths
 burden of assessment for this fund tieighs  so heavily upon          Word. The churches are duty-bound to care for him in his
 the churches that other important activities must necessarily        need.  He has the `right to that support. It is proper that
 be retarded.  There is, of course, a reasonable limitation to        those who labor in the gospel should  olive of the gospel.
 all things. Although our churches as yet have not been con-`         (I Cor.  9:14) It is not, as we wrote before, a matter of
 fronted by this problem it may be time to do some serious            charity but rather a matter of the obligation of the church
 thinking and planning along these lines as some of our               toward the ministry of the gospel of Christ. Now this prin-
 ministers are advancing in years and we do not know how              ciple the Pension Plan in part destroys when it requires the
 soon the occasion may present itself when we will have to            minjsters  of the Word to provide for their own emeritation.
 properly  support several who may become inactive. When              To deprive the church of either her spiritual or material obli-
 that becomes necessary the resources built `up in a fund             gations is a serious injustice. To lay aside principle for
 oirer a period of years are soon depleted. What then?                reasons of expecliency  can only result in the demoralization
        In the previous issue of the Standard Bearer we also          of all Concerned. If, therefore, our present system of provid-
 introduced the Pension Plan which is in current use in the           ing for emeritation is to be abandoned for another, we must
 Christian Reformed Churches. Concerning this  j plan we              proceed cautiously and carefully so that no principle is
 must now make a few comments. The plan itself is no doubt            abused and make sure before initiating any change that it
 a sincere attempt to solve a difficult p'roblem  but our opinion     will really be an improvement. We do concede that there is
 of it is that  it is both a wrong attempt and an inadequate          room for serious consideration of this problem but that we
 solution. That it is inadequate is evident from just a precur-       are ready to enact any radical change in the method we have
 sory study of the limit&ions specified in the. plan as these         followed we are not prepared to admit. As the Dutch saying
 are. applied to concrete situations. For example, just re-           has it, ,.Alle verand&ing  is geene verbetering."      *
 cently a young ,minister  in the Christian Reformed Church,
 met with sudden death. He leaves a widow and five small chil-                                E .   Conclusidn.
 dren. She must.be provided. with housing and support for the            In concluding this subject there are yet two things which
 family. If she is able to draw from both the Pension and Relief      are worthy of brief comment. The. first of these  *is the
 Funds the limitation is specified that she is to receive no more     phrase appearing in Article 13 of the  D.K.O.,  ". . . . shall
 than fifty per cent of the average minister's salary in that         provide honorably in their need." We have in mind parti-
 denomination plus one hundred and seventy five dollars per           cularly the last three words. Concerning the meaning of this
 year for each child until they attain to majority: (Unless           phrase there is s&e difference of opinion. Some opine that
 these figures have been changed in late years). This is the          "in their need" in Art.  .13 is equivalent in meaning to  the
 maximum to which she is entitled and when this income is             expression "proper support" ?m Art. 11 and if that is so the
 compared to the current cost of living index it will become          thought conveyed is that a retired minister and his depend-
 apparent that it will have to be subsidized in `some other way       ents are entitled to full support from the churches whether
 or will fail to  adeqitately  provide for'this family. For this      they have need  of-it or not. Even though they may have
 kind of security ( ?) a mi&ster  is requested to contribute three
                   1.                                                 other sources of income which wil,l adequately provide for
 per cent of his annual income. From a purely material point          them. they can  cl&m  support in addition to this from the
 of view he would be wiser to invest the same premium ia              church which he last served. This view rests upon the


                                              T H E   STANUARD   BEARER                                                              429

  axiom that the support implicit  in! emeritation is not a          and cons that can be advanced.. The strongest  .argument
  charity but a right.                                               supporting t'he position that he must remain with the church
      Others, however, understand this phrase to mean just           last served is that his status by,emeritation  is that of minister
  what it says. It then refers to actual needs, needs which          of the word of that church and it is difficult to conceive of
  exist because the parties concerned have no other means of         one being the minister of a church where he is not even a
  support. This interpretation means that an emeritus min-           member. On the other hand a practical argument favoring.
  ister who is financially in a position to provide for his otih     the position that he may leave is that an aged minister may
  needs is not entitled to material stipport  from the churches      have relatives in another place who can provide him with
  and the churches are not obligated to provide for him. This        both a home and care which he needs and which he cannot
  view appears to be the  most reasonable although it is not         obtain if he remains in the communion of the church, he last
  without difficulty. The difficulty is this. The  vight  that a     served. Reason dictates, therefore, that circumstances must
  minister has to support after emeritation is derived from his      be taken into consideratidn  in answering this question. The
  having given his life to the services of the  churkhes.  How       Reformed chvrches have always taken the position that the
  can the mere fact that he has a certain amount. of this            emeritus-minister is free to leave the flock that gave him his
  earth's goods deprive him of that right? Certainly this right      emeritation and to join himself to another church and that
  is not determined by the deasure of one's wealth. Didn't the       if he chooses to leave he nevertheless remains minister of his
  one who has much give his services just as fully as the one        last charge. Preponderant reasons, however, ought,,. to be
  who has need? Are they not both, by virtue of this service.        given for taking his step.
entitled to the same rights,7 On the other hand, it `is d$icult                                                                 G.v.d.B.
  to conceive of a minister of the gospel who has sufficient                                  -             -
  earthly provisions desiring to be an added burden to the
  churches in the years of his retirement. `Consequently a real                           CHUiXH  N E W S  
                                                                                                                                8
  problem on this score is not likely to arise although the pos-        HOLLAND -- The Consistory announces the following
  sibility of such a problem does exist. Beside this it may, be      Trio was selected  by- them in their meeting of June 1:  -
  said that the idea of "providing" or  "supportng"  seems to        Rev. C.  Hanko! Candidate R. Harhach and Candidate J.
  imply the circumstances of need. The request for such sup-         McCqllam.
  port it seems would arise out of the tieed that exi8ts. Henca         RANDOLPH -Rev: E. Emanuel has accepted the `call
  where no need exists there very likely would be no request;        of this `Congregation. The Reverend and his family are
  and. likewise no obligation to provide. The Church Order           planning to move from Grand Rapids July 12.. The instal-
  Commentary gives three reasons validating this view. They          lation service is planned to he held July 15.
  are :                                                                 Mr. and Mrs. T. Westra left for the Netherlands where
      "1. The adverb `honorably' in the phrase points  to the        they will make their residence.
  fact' that our fathers were anxious that their incapacitated
  ministers should be able to live honorably. Not, that they            2nd of GRAND RAPIDS -Rev. G.  Vanden Berg
  should be supported by the churches concerned, even if the         declined the call  of this congregation extended to him.
 &inister is in question had an income sufficient for him and           1st of GRAND `RAPIDS -The Court hearings in our
  his dependents."                                                   case against the De Wolf group which began May 25 came to
      "2. The rulings of Synods  prior- to  161%1619>  the es-       a close June 15. We rested our case `and testimony during the
  sence of which is expressed in this article incorporated in        third day of' the nine and one-half days of testimony heard
  our church order."                                                 by Judge Taylor in the Superior Court of Grand Rapids.
      "3. The expression is a translation of the original,  ,,in     All the matter in this case won't be in the hands of the Court
  hunne nooddruft.' Admittedly this word is all-important for        until the Attorneys file their briefs. Our Attorney, Mr.  -
 the present  quest&.  According to Van Dale's dictionary it         Tubbs, was given till July 5 to submit his brief and Mr.
 means : `dringende behoefte, datgene wat tot onderhoud van          Linsep,  Attorney for the  DeWolf group, was given three
  het leven noodig is, levensbehoeften, levensmiddelen.'  "          weeks thereafter for presenting his. No expression from the
      It would appear, therefore, that the churches are obliged      Court can be expected until after the briefs are filed.
 to support only those whb upon emeritation have no ade-
 quate means of  se!f-support that they may  live out their
 days free from worldly cares.                                                                     T r i o
      Finally, we would consider the question whether a min-            The. following have been placed on trio by the Second
 ister who is given emeritation must remain affiliated  tiith the    Protestant Reformed Church :
 church he last served and from whom he receives his sup-                          Rev. Gerrit  Vos,,
 port? It is perhaps impossible to answer this question with                       Rev. H. C. Hoeksema,
 either a definite affirmation or negation. There are both pros.               Rev. Marinus  Schipper.

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

                                                                      feature is the reference to keeping and breaking the covenant:
II AL.L  AROUPJD  US                                                   (Gn.`XVII  : 9, 10, 1.4) ."
                                                                    II Now notice what Murray writes about this second
                                                                      feature : "With reference to the second distinctive feature,
The  Cbvemnt   bj  Grc&.                                              namely, the necessity of keeping the covenant and the warn-
       In  the'June 1st  issue  `of the Standard Bearer I began a     ing against breaking it, we cannot suppress the inference that
reveiw of a booklet written by Professor Murray of West-              the necessity of keeping is complementary to the added rich-
minster Theological Seminary, entitled, The Covenant of               ness, intimacy, and spirituality of the covenant itself.  The\
Grace.. I wish now to continue this review as I l>:d promised.        spirituality of the Abrahamic covenant in contrast with the
       I wish to remind our readers that I  .icformed  the? last      Noahic consists ifi the fact that the Abrahamic is concerned
time that I had made only a hasty perusal of the booklet,             with religious relationship on the highest level, union and
and my first  impression.was very favorable., ,I had concluded        communion with God . . . . We are led to the conclusion
as I believed Professor Murray had after careful study                that in the Abrahamic covenant there is no deviation from
                                                               of
the doctrine of the covenant, that the covenant was both              the idea of covenant as a sovereign dispensation of grace . . .
unilateral and unconditional. However? since my last writing          The necessity of keeping the covenant on the part of men
I have read fhe booklet again, and I now confess that I was.          does not interfere with the divine monergism  of dispensa-
mistaken in my judgment of the bdoklet's contents. It is              tion . . . . Even in this case the notion of compact or agree-
npt:difficult  for me to apologize to our readers for misleading      ment is alien to the nature of the covenant constitution."
them into concluding that there were others outside our own               "It  may plausibly be objected, however, that the breaking
circles who agreed with us in their conception of the cov-            of the covenant envisaged in this case interferes with the
enant, while  th: case  df Murray now appears quite different-        perpetuity of the covenant. For does not the  possibilitjr  of
ly to me. When  Murray writes on page 13 that the Noahic              breaking the covenant imply conditional perpetuity? . . .  e
cover&t is "intensely and pervasively monergistic" and "It            Without question the blessings of the covenant and the rela-
is an  &ond&ional  coven&t," you &ould conclude as I did              tion which the covenant entails cannot be enjoyed or main-
that. he would consistently ,say this about every other phase         tained apart from the fulfilment of certain conditions on the
of the covenant. When he writes on page 14, "The perpk-               part of the beneficiaries. For when we think of the promise
tuity is bound up with its divinely unilateral and monergistic        which is the central element of the covenant. `I will be your
character," and again "These features of the covenant plain-          God, and ye shail be my people', there is necessarily involved,
ly evince that this covenant (namely with Noah- M.S.) is              as we have seen, mutuality in the highest sense. Fellowship
a sovereign ,divine  administration, that it is such in its con-      is always mutual and when mutuality ceases fellowship
ception, determination, disclosure, confirmation, and. fillfill-      ceases. Hence the reciprocal response of faith and obedience
ment, that it is an administration or dispensation of forbear-        arises. from the nature of the relationship which the cov-
ance and goodness, that it is nat conditioned by or dkpendent         enant contemplates (cf Gen. XVIII  :17-19,; XXII  :16-U).
upon faith or obedience on the part of fnen," then you would          The obedience of Abraham is represented as the condition!
suppose that he would say the same all the way through.               upon which the fulfilment -of the promise. given to him was
But `you become riot  a. iittle disappointed when you read            ,contingent  and the obedience of Abraham's seed is repres-
carefully what he writes  about the other phases of the cov-          ented as the means through which the promise given to
enant. I therefore `concluded that the booklet of Murray is           Abraham would be accomplished. There is undoubtedly the
not so good after all. And'one  wonders whether the Profes-           fulfilment of certain conditions and these are summed up in
sor was not a little mixed up in his Conclusions.                     obeying the Lord's voice and keeping His covenant."
   Read  what he  writes about the Abrahamic Covenant.                    "It is not quite congruous, however, to speak of these
"When we come to the Abrahamic covenant  we find features             conditions as conditions of the covenant. For when we speak.
which are entirely new in connection with covenant ad-                thus we are distinctly liable to be understood as implying
ministration. The first distinctive feature appears  ih con-          that the covenant is not to be regarded as dispensed until
                                                                      the conditions are fulfilled and that the conditions are integral
nection with the initial reference to the covenant (Gn. XV :          to the establishment of the covenant relation. And this would
S-18).  It is the solemn, sanction by which the Lord con-             not provide a true or accurate account of the covenant. The
firmed to Abraham the certainty of the promise that he                covenant is a sovereign dispenstaion of God's grace. It is
would inherit the land of Canaan. It is perhaps the most              grace bestowed and a relation established. The grace dis-
striking sanction that we have in the whole of Scripture,             pensed and the relation established do not wait for the ful-
particularly if we interpret it as a self-maledictory oath in         fillment of certaiq  conditions on the part of those to whom
which, anthropomorphically, God calls upon Himself the                the grace is dispensed. Grace is bestowed  ancl the relation
curse of dismemberment if He does not fulfil to Abraham               established by sovereign divine administration. How then
the promise of possessing the land. The second distinctive            are we to construe the conditions of which we have spoken?

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

 The continued enjoyment of this grace and of the relation            that has deflected the course of thought on this subject . . . .
 established is contingent upon the fulfilment of certain con-        The covenant is conceived of as dispensed, as in operation,
 ditions. For apart from the fulfilment of these conditions the       and as constituting; a certain relation,, in the keeping of it
 grace bestowed and the relation established are meaningless.         and in obeying God's voice. The covenant is actually pre-
 Grace bestowed implies a subject and reception on the part.          supposed in the keeping of it. Undoubtedly there is a con-
 of that subject. The relation established implies mutality.          ditional feature to the words,, `If ye will obey my voice indeed,
 But the conditions in view are not really conditions of              and keep my covenant.' But what is conditioned upon obe-
 bestowal. They are simply the reciprocal responses of faith,         dience and keepin g of the covenant is the enjoyment of the
 love and obedience, apart from which the enjoyment of the            blessing which the covenant contemplates. In like manner in
 covenant blessing and of the covenant relation is inconceiv-         Ex.  XXIV:7,   S, the covenant is not to be regarded as
 able. In a word, keeping the covenant presupposes the cov-           contingent upon the promise of the people, so that the dis-
 enant relation as established rather than the condition upon         pensing of the covenant had to wait for this promise. And
 which its establishment is contingent."                              verse S is not to be construed as,if then the covenant had been
     "It is when viewed in this light that the breaking of the        inaugurated or as if acceptance on' the part of the people
 covenant takes on an entirely different complexion. It is not        completed-the process of constituting the covenant relation.
 the failure to meet the terms of a pact nor failure to respond       The covenant had already been established and the blood
 to the offer of favourable terms of contractual agreement.           was simply the confirmation or seal of the covenant esta-
It is unfaithfulness to a relation constituted and to grace           blished and of the relation constituted. This gives a different
 dispensed. By breaking the covenant what is broken is not            perspective to our interpretation of the Mosaic covenant,
 the condition of bestowal but the condition of consummated           and we find that the Mosaic. covenant also is a sovereign
 fruition."                                                           administration of grace, divinely initiated, established, con-
     "It should be noted also that the necessity of keeping the       firmed and fulfilled . Later references in the'pentateuch  con-
 covenant is bound up with the particularism of this cov-             `firm this interpretation of sovereign appointment or dispen-
 enant. The covenant does not yield its blessing to all indis-        sation . . .  ."           .
 criminately. The discrimination which this covenant  es-                 "The question of the condition referred. to above does
 emplifies accentuates the sovereignty of God in the bestowal         call however, for some considerations. How does the con-
 of its grace and the fulfilment of its promises. This particular-    dition of obedience comport with the concept of a monergistic
 ization is correlative with the spirituality of the grace be-        administration of grace ? The answer must follow the lines
 stowed and the relation constituted and it is also consonant         which have been delineated above in connection with the
 with the exactitirde  of its demands. A covenant which yields        keeping of the Abrahamic covenant. What needs to be
 its blessing indiscriminately is not one that can be kept or         emphasized now is that the Mosaic covenant in respect of
 broken. We see again, therefore, that the intensification            the condition of obedience is not in a different category from
 which particularism illustrates serves to accentuate the keep-       the Abrahamic . . .  ."
ing which is indispensable to the fruition of the covenant                After dwelling briefly on the idea of the Davidic Cov-
 grace."                                                              enant and the idea of the Covenant in the New Testament,
    Respecting the `Mosaic Covenant, Murray writes among              the writer brings his study of the covenant to a close, with
 other things the following: "The first express reference to          what he calls a Conclusion. In this brief paragraph we read
 the covenant made with Israel at Sinai occurs in connection          the following : "As Covenant . revelation has progressed
 with keeping the covenant.. `Now therefore, if ye will obey          throughout the ages it has reached its consummation in the
 my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a            new covenant and the new covenant is not wholly diverse in
 peculiar treasure unto me above all people : for all the earth       principle and character from the covenants which have
 is mine. And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and            preceded it and prepared for it but it is itself the complete
 an holy nation' (Es. XIX  :5, 6) The next  expiicit reference        realization and embodiment of that sovereign grace which
 appears as the sequel to the promise of the people, `All that:       was the constitutive principle of all the covenants. And when
 the Lord hath spoken will we do, and be obedient" (Ex.               we remember that covenant is not only bestowment of grace,
 XXIV:7,  R.V.  j  and Moses sprinkled the blood and said,            not only oath-bound promise, but also relationship with God
 `Behold  ,the blood of the covenant,' which the Lord hath            in that which is the crown and goal of the whole process
 made with you concerning all these words' (Ex. XXIV $3) ."           of religion, namely, union and communion with God, we
    The foregoing references as well as other considerations          discover again that the new covenant brings' this relationship
 might create the impression that the making of the covenant          also to the highest level of achievement. At the centre of
 had to wait for the voluntary acceptance on the part of the          covenant revelation as its constant refrain is the assurance
 people and their promise to obey and keep it. A close study          `I will be your God, and ye shall bemy people . , ."
 of these passages will not bear out such an interpretation.             Now if  I-Pave understood Professor Murray correctly,
 It is an importation contrary to the texts themselves and one        though he speaks of eerta'in  conditions in the covenant, he


                                                    ~------:--
432                                            T H E   S T A N D A R D   BEARE'R
          ,'                                                                                  . . .
 does not understand by them conditions which man fulfills            been pushed aside and its study neglected in favor <of tihat
 before he receives. the promise. of the covenant, or that the        is`called  ."man's  responsibility." The. gospel is said to be an
`covenant is contingent -upon `conditions` man fulfills before        offer of the gift of salvation and stress is laid upon man to
 there is `covenant' bestowal: Rather he views them simply            accept this offer in the same manner in which a birthday
as  reciprocal.-.responses'  of faith, love and obedience "apart      gift is offered-it is  up to you to accept `it or reject it.
 from which the enjoyment of the covenant blessing and of                The Canons of Dort firmly declare that believing is not
 the covenant relation is inconceivable. In a word; -keeping          to be considered as the prerequisite, cause or condition  011
 the covenant presupposes the covenant -relation  `as established     which salvation depends; but rather that men are chosen to
 rather' than the condition. upon which `its establishment is         faith and. to obedience of faith and holiness ; election is the
 contingent?: It would appear then that he does not .believe          fountain of-every saving good from tihcih proceed the neiv
 in. conditions in `the sense that they are explained  of late in     birth, faith, holiness and all the gifts  .of salvation. Faith,
 our `circles by those who have left us. He uses the term, but        then is to be looked at as the gift of God not- on account of
 understands by it merely the .response of the child of God           its being offered by God to man to be'accepted or rejectecl
 to the work of. Grace performed by our Covenant .%od. My             at his pleasure but because it is in reality conferred upon him,
 reason for this conclusion is the fact that Murray does not          breathed. and infused into him ; God works in him both to
 believe in a bilateral covenant. By the latter he understands        will and to work and so produces both the will and the act
 a pact or  .agreement  in which man takes part. Of this `the         of believing.
 professor will have nothing. Though the booklet he'wrote is             Our regeneration, repenting, believing, sanctification and
 not above criticism, we nevertheless enjoyed reading it.             glorification are the fruits of- God's .election  unto salvation,
  .I                                                          M.S.    for by grace are ye saved; not of yourselves ancl also Eph.
                                                                      1 :3, we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ ac-
I>         -'
II'                                                                   cording.as He has chosen us in Him. For as many as were
                    CONTRIBUTIONS                                     ordained to eternal life believed.
                                                                         The gospel then is not an offer but rather the power of
                                            Grand `Rapids, h&h.       God unto salvation. If it is an offer, then man when he
                                            May  29; 1954.            accepts this gift can really  boast.,in his own good work of
:Rev. Herman Hoeksema                                                 having fulfilled a condition.
 1139 Franklin, S. E., City                                              Formerly, pastors in -catechism classes were satisfied with
 Dear Rev. Hoeksema:                                                  only one answer to the question, Why are you saved ? Be-
                                                                      cause God elected nie from `before the foundation of the
         `The editor of the Banner refused to accept the following    world.' In the light of the whole of God's revelation, we can
 letter.for Voices column. I have heard it said that graduat-         teach that man is not saved because he believes, but man
 ing seminary students from Calvin clo not even know the
`Canons of Dort. And now that The Banner refuses to;                  believes because he is saved.
                                                                         May I please ask the reader to first read the Canons of
 $blish a few statements based upon the Canons, we .begin             Dort before he critizes the above presentation ? The gift of
 to.: wonder how far has the Christian `Reformed `Church              Gocl is eternal `life thru Jesus Christ our Lord. He that
.&parted from its glorious Reformed heritage as symbolized
 in the Canons of D&t.                                                glorieth. let him glory in the Lord.
                                                                                                                        Harold Tilma.
- This  writer is being convicted more and more that the
 controversy and split of 1924'was  the best thing that could             0 COME BEFORE THE LORD, OUR RING
 have happened for the cause of Reformed truth. Our sover-
 eign God wills to have His truth of absolute sovereignty                              0 come before the Lord, our King,
preached-and if the Christian Reformed Church will not and                             And in His presence let us sing:
 cannot preach it because of its entanglement aith the false                           Let us in glad joyful lays
and `erroneous doctrine of common grace-then God will                                  The Rock of our salvation praise ;
 raise up congregations who with zeal and joy shall proclaim                           Before Him come with thankful song,
 this .wonderful  truth of God's sovereignty and unconditional                         In joyful 8psalms His praise prolong.
election unto salvation.                                                               Almighty power the Lord maintains,
 1 ".Thk-  letter in question reads as follows :    1                                  Exalted over, all He reigns ;
                                         Grand Rapids, Mich.                           He holds the valleys in His hand,
        ..`.                             April 3,' 1954.                               He makes the mighty mountains stand  ;
 Dear Rev.  Kuiper : Please accept for "Voices" :                                      To Him belong both land and sea,
 ;,_. -It,  seems:  that the great all-important doctrine of the                       Creator of the world is He.
 sovereignty of God and the sovereign election of grace has                                                                Psalm  95:l.  2


